Current Affairs - October 4, 2020 Current Affairs

Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel which is the world longest high-altitude tunnel at Rohtang. It has been named after late former PM shree Atal Bihari Vajpeyee. The tunnel is located above the altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 feet).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of a three-member interim committee of directors, headed by G Subramonia Iyer, to run the private sector bank after the shareholders voted out Sunil Gurbaxani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the Mukhyamantrir Grammya Paribahan Achoni and distributed vehicles under the scheme to beneficiaries at a programme held at Assam Administrative Staff College by transport department. The scheme aims to improve rural connectivity and generate employment in the villages.

World Day for Farmed Animals was celebrated on October 2, 2020 by the International animals' welfare organization, World Animal Protection along with the Asia for Animals coalition in order to bring the focus on the need to treat farm animals as sentient beings.

In a massive boost for the Indian Defence forces, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Thursday has given its nod for the Army Static Switched Communication Network (ASCON) Phase IV of the Indian Army. The long-pending demand of the Indian Army and the project has been given to ITI, a PSU, and it will be implemented within 36 months from the date of signing the contract. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 7796.39 crore, the Defence Ministry said in its official statement.

In a major success amid the ongoing border crisis with China, India on Saturday successfully test-fired a new version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the coast of Odisha, which can strike targets at around 800 kms. The new version of the missile was testfired successfully and would be inducted in the strategic forces to complement one of the existing missiles in the same class, top government sources told ANI.

In a bid to provide the much needed value added services to freight customers and enable such logistic service providers to reach out to them at the loading / unloading terminals, the Indian Railways has launched a mobile app.

Chief Minister of Assam has launched a portal "Kritagyata", an online pension submission and tracking system. It has been launched to lend convenience to the pensioners to dispose off their pension related claims.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has announced a special refinance facility of Rs 800 crore for Fiscal Year 2021. With this, NABARD will support the Government of India's Water, Sanitisation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

India recognises the centrality of gender equality and women's empowerment in all aspects of our developmental agenda, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said at the United Nations. Speaking on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, she said: "Women numerically constitute half of humanity but their influence transfuses all dimensions of society, polity, and economy. In India, we recognize the centrality of gender equality and women's empowerment in all aspects of our developmental journey."

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has launched the Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Programme. The three-year initiative has been jointly launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), an apex industry body. The initiative will develop the potential of the tribal communities and building their capacities to enhance their contribution in socio-economic growth.

The Indian Coast Guard Vessel Kanaklata Barua was commissioned at Kolkata. It is the fifth and last in a series of Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd. The FPVs are upgraded versions of the inshore patrol vessels with a modified form of the hull and can achieve a speed of 34 knots. Such vessels have also been delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE.

Defence Ministry on Thursday signed a contract with a Nagpur-based company for supplying 10,00,000 multi-mode hand grenades to the Indian Army at an approximate cost of Rs 409 crore. The grenades will replace the hand grenade design of World War-II vintage which is in use with the Indian Army.

The US has committed USD 1.9 million to support vulnerable populations like informal sector workers whose livelihoods have been disrupted due to COVID-19. The financial assistance from US Agency for International Development (USAID), extended generously by the American people to partners in India, will support efforts to rebuild local economies and improve the livelihoods of Indians who have been hit hardest by this pandemic, US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster said.

ISRO is scheduled to launch its Venus mission in 2025 and France will participate in it, French space agency CNES said on Wednesday. The VIRAL (Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker) instrument co-developed with the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos and the LATMOS atmospheres, environments and space observations laboratory attached to the French national scientific research centre CNRS has been selected by the ISRO after a request for proposals, it said in a statement.

Northrop Grumman has launched their next Cygnus vehicle named as S.S. Kalpana Chawla and a Antares rocket for the NG-14 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 2, 2020 from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. This capsule will deliver thousands kilograms/pounds of equipment, crew supplies, and science to the ISS.

West Bengal government has launched the "Pathashree Abhijan" scheme. It is a road repair scheme, where more than 7,000 stretches of roads comprising 12,000 kilometers across the state will be repaired in a mission mode and in a time-bound manner.

Chennai-headquartered Indian Bank has introduced a Kisan credit card loan scheme for Tamil Nadu fishermen. Under this scheme, Kisan credit card loan up to Rs.2.00 lakhs as a working capital loan with low interest rate will be provided. Fishermen can submit the application through the Department of Fisheries along with details of the mechanized Boat.

Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda addresses the inaugural session of CII Life Science Conclave 2020; via video conferencing from New Delhi on Oct 1, 2020.

The second edition of Indian Navy (IN) - Bangladesh Navy (BN) Bilateral Exercise Bongosagar commences in Northern Bay of Bengal. Exercise Bongosagar, is aimed at developing inter-operability and joint operational skills through conduct of a wide spectrum of maritime exercises and operations.