IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 21st, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF SEPTEMBER 21st, 2017

1. Cabinet Approves Revamped Khelo India Program

i. The Union Cabinet has approved the revamped Khelo India program at a cost of Rs.1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.
ii. The Programme aims at mainstreaming sport as a tool for individual development, community development, economic development and national development.

2. WHO Grants $175,000 for 'Vulnerable Population' of Bangladesh

i. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first tranche of emergency funding of $175,000 to provide

life-saving healthcare to the "vulnerable population" in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar.

ii. The WHO South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) grant will support 20 mobile medical teams to provide essential services for at least two months.

3. World Trade to Grow at Higher 3.6% in 2017: WTO

i. World trade in goods is estimated to grow at a higher 3.6 percent in 2017 compared to 1.6 percent increase in 2016, according to revised estimates circulated by the World Trade Organisation.

ii. Growth in global trade was earlier projected at 2.4 percent in 2017 by the WTO, which attributed the improved outlook to a resurgence of Asian trade flows. This was mainly due to intra-regional shipments picking up and a recovery in import demand in North America.

4. World’s Fastest Commercial Bullet Train in China

i. China restored the maximum speed of bullet trains on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line to 350 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest commercially run train, six years after it reduced the speed due to a fatal accident.

ii. The speed was reduced to 300 kilometers per hour following the deadly accident in July 2011 that killed 40 people.

5. 50 Nations Ink UN Nuclear Ban Treaty

i. Fifty countries have signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact that the world’s nuclear powers spurned but supporters hailed as a historic agreement nonetheless. 

ii. More than 120 countries approved the new nuclear weapons ban treaty in July 2017 over opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted negotiations.

6. Peer-to-peer Lending Platforms to be Treated as NBFCs]

i. After a year or more of due-diligence, the RBI has notified that peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms need to be regulated and treated on par with non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). 

ii. The final regulatory framework for P2P lenders is still awaited. Few important P2P lending platforms in India are LenDen Club, Faircent, Qbera, Lendbox, Rupaiya Exchange and Monexo.

7. Fino Payments Bank Launches Mobile Banking App

i. Fino Payments Bank has launched its mobile banking app called BPay. Fino aims to make banking easy for millions of underbanked people in India. The upgraded BPay app is available on Android at present.

ii. An interesting feature of the mobile app is that it allows customers to seamlessly access wallet as well as savings account, with a single login and interface.

8. B Sambamurthy Appointed as NPCI Interim Chairman

i. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has appointed B Sambamurthy as interim Chairman of the board. He will replace M Balachandran, who was Non-Executive Chairman of NPCI.

ii. Sambamurthy was formerly Director and CEO of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) and Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank prior to that. 

9. India replaces China as Top Retail Destination in 2017

i. India has replaced China as the top retail destination in 2017 as part of the global retail development index. The change in ranking was an outcome of four factors including increased consumer spending beyond essentials, rising mobile and internet penetration, favorable foreign investment climate and bold action on cashless transaction and GST.

ii. In addition to the bigger retailers and brands, the mid-size brands from across the world are also looking to cash on the relaxed retail policy in India.

10. Zannah Mustapha Wins UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award

i. A Nigerian, Zannah Mustapha has won the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) 2017 Nansen Refugees Award. He is the Director of Future Prowess Islamic Foundation School. Mr. Mustapha is the first Nigerian recipient of the award.

ii. Mr. Mustapha was chosen as the winner of the award for his humanitarian work in championing the rights of children.

11. Official Slogan and Emblem of FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 launched

i. The official emblem and slogan for FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 were unveiled in Paris, France. The emblem features the competition trophy wrapped in blue and white, with eight shards of light around football at the top of the trophy symbolizing the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

ii. The slogan of the tournament "Dare To Shine" reflects the development of football, especially women's football.

12. Asian Indoor Games: Chitra, Lakshmanan Win Gold

i. Asian champions G. Lakshmanan and P. U. Chitra won gold medals in the athletics events of the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

ii. Tamil Nadu’s Lakshmanan won the men’s 3000m while Kerala’s Chitra, who was not cleared by the national body Athletics Federation of India for the recent World Championships in London despite making the cut, took the women’s 1500m title.