Current Affairs - September 18, 2023 Current Affairs

The Ministry of Coal has taken the lead as the top procurer on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Portal in the current financial year. As of September 20, 2023, the Ministry of Coal has procured goods and services worth Rs. 23,798 crore through GeM, which is more than its annual target for FY 2023-24 of Rs. 21,325 crore.

Dr. RML Hospital in New Delhi has inaugurated India's first dedicated OPD for transgenders, offering comprehensive medical care and support to the transgender community.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz won the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, ending Max Verstappen's record run of 10 wins in a row and shattering Red Bull's dream of going through the season unbeaten. Sainz led from pole position to start the race, and he was never headed. He drove a flawless race to secure his second Formula 1 victory, and his first since the 2022 British Grand Prix.

International Equal Pay Day is celebrated on September 18th every year to raise awareness about the gender pay gap. It is a day to call for equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender.

India hosted the inaugural United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) South Asia Conference from September 14 to 16, 2023 in New Delhi. The conference was organized jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), UNCITRAL, and the organization's national coordination committee for India.

Fashion designer Rahul Mishra was honoured with France's "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" award. The award was presented to Mishra by the French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain.

The first-ever 'Maha Kumbh of Divyangjan' was held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, from September 10-19, 2023. The event was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), the Government of India, and the National Disability Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC). The Maha Kumbh of Divyangjan was a unique event that aimed to celebrate the diversity and achievements of persons with disabilities (PWDs) from all over India. The event also aimed to raise awareness about the rights of PWDs and to promote their inclusion in society.

The Indian Coast Guard conducted International Coastal Clean-up Day 2023 on 16 September 2023 across all Coastal States and Union Territories. The event was organized in coordination with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP).

Santiniketan is a town in West Bengal, India, founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as an experiment in education and art. It is home to Visva-Bharati University, a world-renowned institution of higher learning. Santiniketan was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards are a special one-time award given to artists who have made significant contributions to the performing arts in India. 84 artists were conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Awards on September 16, 2023, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The awards were presented by the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Indian Oil is the title sponsor of the first-ever MotoGP race in India, MotoGP Bharat. The race will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from September 22 to 24, 2023.

The Haryana government has announced that it will give ₹50,000 to the daughters of industrial workers pursuing higher education to purchase electric two-wheelers. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on September 18, 2023, at an event in Palwal. The scheme is aimed at promoting mobility and independence for the daughters of industrial workers. It will also help to reduce air pollution in the state.

Dr. Manoj Soni is the current Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He assumed the role on April 5, 2022.

Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic won the Diamond League final in the javelin throw on September 18, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, with a throw of 84.24m. Neeraj Chopra of India finished second with a throw of 83.80m.

Hyderabad Liberation Day is celebrated on September 17th every year to commemorate the annexation of the erstwhile Hyderabad State by the Indian Union in 1948. The day is also celebrated as Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region of Karnataka.

Major Dr. Payal Chhabra is the first woman surgeon to join the elite Para Special Forces of the Indian Army. She completed her training and received the coveted Maroon Beret at the Paratroopers Training School in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

Sridhar Kalyanasundaram, an independent director of Dhanlaxmi Bank, resigned from the board on September 16, 2023, citing "factionalism" to "unethical" business conduct.

World Bamboo Day is celebrated on September 18th every year. It was established in 2009 by the World Bamboo Organization (WBO) to raise awareness of the importance of bamboo and its potential to contribute to sustainable development.

According to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy for FY23, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or e-rupee worth ₹16.39 crore was in circulation as of March 2023. Of the total e-rupee circulation, ₹10.69 crore was wholesale CBDC whereas ₹5.70 crore was retail CBDC.

India won the Asia Cup 2023 on September 17, 2023, defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This is India's record 8th Asia Cup title. Kuldeep Yadav won the title of Player of the Tournament (Man of the Series) and Mohammad Siraj won the title of Player of the Match.