- National:
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a new provision called the ‘Special Category’ in its online Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal. This initiative aims to promote gender equality and provide equal opportunities for women and transgender entrepreneurs in the food business sector.
- IBM has indeed signed 8 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the departments under the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in India. The aim is to provide tailored courses to empower Indian youths with future-ready digital skills.
- Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) and biogas plants registered on the GOBARdhan portal are eligible for financial assistance. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti has introduced a unified registration portal for GOBARdhan to streamline the registration of CBG and biogas plants across India.
- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched an innovative e-Learning Programme on sustainable finance. This initiative of the Sustainable Finance Hub’s SDG Finance Academy aims to share UNDP’s vast knowledge of sustainable finance with global practitioners.
- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India, in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), released the India Ageing Report 2023. The report was jointly released by Mr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Government of India) and Ms. Andrea M. Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative and Country Director Bhutan.
- Taiwan has indeed launched its first domestically made submarine. The vessel was officially named “Narwhal” in English and “Hai Kun” in Mandarin. This is a significant milestone for Taiwan as it works to boost its military deterrence in the face of a growing threat from Beijing.
- A new species of pangolin, named Manis Mysteria, has been discovered. This discovery was made during a detailed study of scales seized in China’s Yunnan province in 2015 and 2019.
- The Toto Shabda Sangraha is a dictionary that has been compiled to save the Toto language from extinction. The Toto language is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the tribal Toto people and is written in the Bengali script
- The Bhartiya Bhasha Utsav, a 75-day-long event celebrating Indian languages, started in Lucknow on September 28, 2023. This festival features the participation of Padma Shree awardees and representatives from various Indian languages1
- The 4th edition of the Indo-Latin America Cultural Festival, organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), began in New Delhi. A total of 34 artists from three countries - Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile - are participating in the two-day festival.
- Important Days:
- World Rabies Day 2023 was observed on September 28.The theme for World Rabies Day 2023 was "All for 1, One Health for all". This theme emphasizes that One Health is not for a select few but rather something that should be available to everyone.
- World Maritime Day in 2023 is indeed on September 28th. The theme for World Maritime Day 2023 is "MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on".
- Economy:
- Air India has completed the acquisition of its first A350-900 aircraft through a finance lease transaction with HSBC via the GIFT City. This is a significant move as it’s the first wide-body aircraft to be leased through the GIFT City, which is India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
- Agreements for investments worth Rs 3,000 crore in Uttarakhand were indeed signed in the UK. This happened on the third day of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s tour of the UK.
- World:
- Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen launched the island’s first domestically made submarine for testing. The submarine was launched for testing at a port in Kaohsiung. If successful in its tests, this will be a major breakthrough for Taiwan in shipbuilding and design.
- Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, has announced its first global deal in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) market.Aramco has signed definitive agreements to acquire a strategic minority stake in MidOcean Energy for $500 million.
- Sports:
- The Indian men’s shooting team won a gold medal in the men’s 50m rifle three-positions team event at the Asian Games 2023. The team, comprising of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale, and Akhil Sheoran, broke the world record with a total of 1769 points.
- The Indian football team was knocked out of the Asian Games after a 0-2 defeat against Saudi Arabia. The match took place at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China.
- Obituary:
- Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, popularly known as M.S. Swaminathan, passed away at his residence in Chennai on September 28, 2023. He was 98 years old. M.S. Swaminathan was a renowned agricultural scientist and a key architect of India’s 'Green Revolution’.
Questions:
Q.1 When is World Rabies Day observed annually?a. September 27
b. September 28
c. September 29
d. September 30
Q.2 Which country did India beat to win the gold medal in the men’s 50m rifle three-positions team event at the 19th Asian Games?
a. Iran
b. South Korea
c. Japan
d. China
