DAILY TOP NEWS OF THE DAY

NATIONAL (NEWS):

• Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Inaugurates 'Udaan Bhawan' and 'E-wallet' Facility in Delhi On 18th September 2023, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), inaugurated 'Udaan Bhawan,' an Integrated Office Complex at Safdarjung Airport in Delhi and an e-wallet (Bharatkosh Advance Deposit) facility for MoCA. Key People: General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), MoCA and Ministry of Road Transport, and Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary, MoCA were also presented at the inauguration.

• Central Govt launches Kisan Rin Portal, WINDS Manual and Door to Door KCC Campaign On September 19, 2023, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , Ministry of Finance; and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoAFW), inaugurated Kisan Rin Portal (KRP), Weather Information Network Data Systems (WINDS) Manual, and Door-To-Door Kisan Credit Card (KCC) campaign (Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan) during an event at Pusa Complex, New Delhi, Delhi. These initiatives are focused on Agri-credit (KCC & MISS) and Crop Insurance (PMFBY/RWBCIS). MISS stands for Modified Interest Subvention Scheme, PMFBY for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and RWBCIS for Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme.

• Swavlamban 2023: 2nd edition of Indian Navy's NI10 Seminar Scheduled for 4&5 Oct 2023 The 2nd Edition of the Indian Navy's Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation(N110) Seminar `Swavlamban 2023' is scheduled to be held on October 4-5, 2023 in New Delhi, Delhi. The seminar will showcase 75 prototypes of indigenous technologies/products developed by start-ups under the 'SPRINT Challenges' initiative. The 1st edition of the seminar was held in July 2022 in New Delhi, Delhi. Prime Minister Modi launched 75 challenges for the start-ups/ MSMEs as a part of the 'SPRINT' initiative. SPRINT is a collaborative initiative between the Indian Navy, Defence Innovation Organisation (D10), Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), NI10, and Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC). It aims to boost the usage of indigenous technology in the Indian Navy.

INTERNATIONAL (NEWS):

• World Bank & UNICEF Report: Every second extreme poor in the world is a child According to the report "Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty According  to International  Poverty Lines" prepared by the World Bank Group and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in 2022, children accounted for 52.5% of the total extreme poor population in the world i.e., every 2nd extreme poor person in the world is a child. About 11.5 %(52 million) of Indian children live in extremely poor households.

BANKING & FINANCE (NEWS):

• IREDA Signs MoU With BoM to Finance Renewable Energy Projects Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) to promote and facilitate co-lending and loan syndication for renewable energy projects nationwide. Under this agreement, Bank of Maharashtra can invest in the Bonds issued by IREDA (in accordance with the specified terms and conditions of the offering). The MoU was signed in the presence of Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman and Managing Director(CMD) of IREDA. IREDA, a Mini Ratna (Category — I) Government of India enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

• Bharti AXA Life Insurance Launches New Mid-Cap Scheme Emerging Equity Fund Bharti AXA Life Insurance launched its new fund offering (NFO) called Bharti AXA Life Emerging Equity Fund. This is Bharti AXa's first mid-cap fund launched with an aim to provide long-term capital appreciation through investing in a portfolio of mid-cap companies. Bharti AXA Life Insurance launched mid-cap fund after 13 years; The last launch of mid-cap fund was in 2010.

• SBI Introduces Digital Opening of NRE/NRO Account Setup through YONO The State Bank of India (SBI) has introduced a digital facility for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to effortlessly open Non-Residential External (NRE) and Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) accounts (both savings and current accounts) through SBI's mobile app YONO. This service is designed for New to Bank (NTB) customers as a one-stop solution for NRI banking needs to provide them with simplified, efficient, and accurate account opening process. An NRE account is opened in India in the name of an NRI for his/her foreign earnings, while an NRO account is for managing income earned in India, such as rent, dividend, pension, and interest.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS (NEWS):

• RBI Approved Re-appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as MD & CEO of HDFC Bank Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has approved re-appointment of Sashidhar Jagdishan as Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of HDFC Bank Limited for a period of 3 years with effect from 27th October 2023 to 26th October 2026. He has been MD and CEO of the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank since October 2020, after he took charge from Aditya Puri(the bank's longest serving CEO (26 years- since September 1994).

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (NEWS):

• 'Vibhav': Indian Army Inducted 600 Self-neutralising Anti-tank Mines with Safety Mechanism The Indian Army has inducted Six hundred indigenously manufactured self-neutralising anti-tank mines, known as "Vibhav", to provide mobility kill against all enemy armoured vehicles. The introduction of Vibhav into the Indian Army's armoury enhanced their defences against enemy armoured vehicles and strengthened their overall operational capabilities. Vibhav, the point-attack anti-tank munition, was developed in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) in India. This mines have safety and actuation mechanisms to ensure operator safety.

SPORTS (NEWS):

• Carlos Sainz Jr. wins the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro (Carlos Sainz Jr.) of Spain won the Formula 1 (F1) Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2023 held in Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore. McLaren driver Lando Norris of the United Kingdom(UK) finished second while Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of UK finished third position.

IMPORTANT DAYS (NEWS):

• World Water Monitoring Day 2023-September 18 World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is annually observed across the globe on 18 September to raise awareness about the significance of monitoring water sources regularly and to educate and recognise the importance of protecting the world's water resources. Note: Every year, around 150 countries come together to honour WWMD on September 18.