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By admin: Sept. 18, 2022

Bengaluru FC wins the 131st Durand Cup beating Mumbai City FC

Tags: place in news Sports

Bengaluru Football Club (FC) won its first Durand cup title by beating Mumbai City FC by 2-1 in the final of the 131st Durand Cup held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (also known as Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata on 18 September 2022.

N. Sivasakthi and Alan Costa scored the goals for Bengaluru while Lalengmawia Ralte scored for the Mumbai City club.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Three trophy for the winner :

• The winner of the Durand Cup is given three trophies. They are the Durand Cup (a rolling trophy and the original prize), the Shimla Trophy (also a rolling trophy and first given by the residents of Shimla in 1904) and the President’s Cup (for permanent keep and first presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, in 1956).
• The Bengaluru Football club was presented with all the three trophies for its win. 

131st Durand Football tournament :

• It was hosted by three states, Assam, Manipur and West Bengal. 
• Assam and Manipur hosted the tournament for the first time.
•  This year 20-top teams of the country, including all 11 teams from the Indian Super League (ISL) participated as compared to 16 teams that participated last year.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Durand Cup :

• Durand football tournament or Durand cup is the oldest football club tournament in Asia. 
• It was started in 1888 and the first tournament was held in Shimla.
• Initially it was a football tournament for different regiments of the British army and it was later opened to the civilians.
• The Tournament is organised by the Indian Army and All India Football Federation.
• The winner is given three trophies, Durand Cup, Shimla Trophy and the President’s cup.
• The Cup is named after the foreign secretary of British India, Mortimer Durand.
• FC Goa was the 130th Durand Cup winner.

Union Social Justice minister Virendra Kumar inaugurates Model District Disability Rehabilitation centers in the country

Tags: National Person in news

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar inaugurated model  District Disability Rehabilitation centers (DDRC) across the country on 18 September 2022.

He virtually inaugurated 9 model DDRC in Badaun, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Balaghat, Golaghat, Ahmedabad, Amravati, Kullu and Rampur.

District Disability Rehabilitation centers (DDRC) have been set up across the country to provide effective rehabilitation services to the persons with disabilities. These centers are run jointly by District Management Team headed by DM/Collector and a reputed NGO (Usually Indian Red Cross Society). 

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Model DDRC :

• The government is upgrading these DDRC to model DDRC. In the model DDRC’s  services like hearing aids test lab, speech therapy room, visual therapy room, psychologist room, physiotherapist room, gait practice parallel bar and tele-medicine/tele-therapy like facilities shall be available.

Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurates National Conference of tourism ministers

Tags: place in news National State News

The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated a three-day (18-20 September) national conference of tourism ministers from various states and Union territories at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on 18 September 2022.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• Union Minister for Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy was the Chief Guest.
• The conference in Dharamshala is being attended by tourism ministers from various states and Union Territories and other officials related to the tourism sectors.
• With India assuming the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, Tourism-related aspects of the G20 leaders' summit will be discussed at the event. 
• India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its year-long Presidency of the influential group, which will culminate with an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year.

Ajeet singh wins gold and Devendra Jhajharia wins silver at the World Para Athletics Grand prix in Morocco

Tags: Sports Person in news

The India duo of Ajeet Singh and Devendra Jhajharia won gold and silver respectively in the F-54 Javelin event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix held in Marrakech, Morocco on 17 September 2022.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• Ajeet Singh won the gold with a throw of 64 meters while the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 silver medallist had to settle for silver with a throw of 60.97 meters.
• 2020 Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar won the gold medal in men's T47 high jump.
• India has so far won 3 gold medals, two silver and a bronze in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco.
• The World Para Athletics Grand Prix was held in Marrakech, Morocco from 15 - 17 September 2022.

Piyush Goyal to Chair first Ministerial Meeting of Economic, Investments Committee in Saudi Arabia

Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news

The Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will be on a 2-day (18-19 September 2022) visit to Saudi Arabia to co-chair the inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the Economic and Investments Committee with Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman.

Piyush Goel will also  discuss with the Saudi minister’s ,on ways to speed up the proposed $100 billion investment in India announced by the  Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman during his visit to India in February 2019.

The revival of the West Coast Refinery Project in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra is also expected to be on top of the agenda between the two ministers.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

West Coast Refinery project :

• The 60 million tonnes per annum refinery was announced in 2015. The refinery will be set up jointly by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.(IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) , Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) and world’s largest oil companies  Aramco of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates  company Adnoc.
• Aramco and Adnoc hold 50% stake in the project, while IOC has a 25% stake. The remaining 25% is split equally between BPCL and HPCL.
• The project was announced in 2015 but the project had to be stopped after opposition from the local population and the environmental groups.

PM Modi unveils National Logistics Policy

Tags: National Economy/Finance National News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 17 September.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• The central government has been working on the National Logistics Policy for three years.

• The commerce ministry released a draft logistics policy for consultation in 2019, but it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the National Logistics Policy in the budget  2022-23.

• PM said faceless assessment has started in customs and e-way bills and FASTag are bringing efficiency in the logistics sector.

• He said the Sagarmala project to link ports and dedicated freight corridors has started improving logistics connectivity and systematic infrastructure development work.

• The Prime Minister said that India is now the fifth largest economy in the world and is emerging as a manufacturing hub.

Aim of the National Logistics Policy :

• It aims to promote smooth movement of goods and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.

• Through this policy, the focus will be on areas like process re-engineering, digitization and multi-modal transport.

Highlight of the Policy :

• This policy seeks to support rapid growth in the aftermath of the corona pandemic.

• It will streamline regulations and remove supply-side bottlenecks, besides providing a roadmap to reduce fuel costs and logistics costs.

• The draft policy seeks to create a reference point for all logistics and trade facilities and to reduce costs for the logistics sector by 10 percent over five years.

• The logistics sector is estimated to account for 13-14 per cent of the GDP.

• This policy is an attempt to improve the competitiveness of Indian goods, increase economic growth and employment opportunities.

India's logistics sector :

• India's logistics sector has more than 20 government agencies, 40 participating government agencies (PGAs), 37 export promotion councils, 500 certifications, over 10,000 items and a $160 billion market.

• As per the World Bank Logistics Index of 2018, India is ranked 44th in logistics costs.

Kazakhstan renames its capital to Astana and bars second term for President

Tags: place in news International News

The Parliament of Kazakhstan voted to amend the constitution on 16 September 2022 to revert back the name of the nation’s capital to Astana. It also extended the term of the President and barred a person from becoming President more than once.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Term of the President :

• The term of the President has been extended to seven years from the present five years.
• Also a person can become the President of Kazakhstan only once. Earlier a person can become the President for a maximum two consecutive times. 

Renaming of the Capital :

• It also passed a constitutional amendment to change the name of the capital to Astana from Nur-Sultan.
• Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997 after it became an Independent country in 1991. In Soviet times Astana was called Tselinograd.
• Later when Kazakhstan first President Nur Sultan Nazarbayev resigned after being in power for almost thirty years in 2019, his successor the current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev renamed Astana to Nur-Sultan in honour of the ex-leader.
• However, now again the name has been changed back to Astana. 

Parliament of Kazakhstan :

• The Parliament of Kazakhstan is bicameral. It consists of the upper house senate and a lower house called National Assembly (Mazhilis).

Republic of Kazakhstan :

• Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union which gained Independence on 16 December 1991, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
• It lies in Central Asia. It is the largest country in central Asia and 9th largest country in the world.
• It has the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is the world’s first spaceport. The Soviet Union used to launch its space rocket from here.
• The first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma was launched into space from here on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket on 3 April 1984.
• Now it has been leased to the Russians.
• Capital: Astana 
• Currency: Tenge
• President:  Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 

Union Minister Jitendra Singh to lead Indian delegation at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum meeting in America

Tags: place in news Science and Technology Summits International News

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh will lead a Joint Indian Ministerial official delegation of Ministry of Power, New & Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Science & Technology on a 5-day (19-23 September) visit to USA, to participate in Global Clean Energy Action Forum. The delegation includes Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Meeting in the United States of America :

• They will take part in the joint convening of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM13) and Mission Innovation (MI-7) which will take place from 21st to 23rd September at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
• They will also participate in the 1st Roundtable on Sustainable Bioenergy and Bio-refineries and the 2nd Roundtable on Net Zero Built Environment with Connected Communities.
• At the Clean Energy Action Forum the ministers are likely to underline India's commitment to a low-carbon future that aims to transform the energy landscape of the country by accelerating clean energy innovations.

India’s commitment on clean energy :

• The government of India has committed itself to reach 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and increase the contribution of renewable energy in total energy to 50%.
• It has also committed to reduce carbon emissions by one billion tons, reduce carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent over 2005 levels and finally achieve net zero emissions by 2070.

Anupriya Patel represents India at the East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ meeting in Cambodia

Tags: place in news Summits Person in news

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel, attended the East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting on 17 September 2022 in Siem Reap City of Cambodia.

She earlier attended the 19th India -ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nation ) economic ministers meeting  held in Siem Reap City of Cambodia.

The East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting from all 10 ASEAN countries as well as eight partner countries including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.

The Ministers exchanged views on global and regional economic developments including the outcomes of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, post-pandemic economic recovery efforts, measures adopted to mitigate the impact of global supply chains disruptions and strong inflation pressure.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

East Asia Summit :  

• The East Asia Summit is a regional forum set up by ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) with Regional powers of the Asia-Pacific region Including United States and Russia to further cooperation on strategic and economic cooperation in the region.
• The EAS has 18 member countries. It includes all the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.
• Whichever ASEAN country is the chairman of ASEAN hosts the EAS related meeting in its country. Currently Cambodia is the chairman of ASEAN.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Kingdom of Cambodia :

• It was earlier called as Kampuchea
• It lies in South -East Asia 
• Prime Minister: Hun Sen
• Capital: Phnom Penh
• Currency: Riel (KHR)

Tajikistan -Kyrgyzstan border clash at ‘Vorukh’ leaves at least 54 people dead

Tags: place in news International News

The old border dispute at Vorukh area between the two former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan flared up again on 16 September leading to the death of at least 54 persons. The bloody clash in the Vorukh area has seen frequent clashes between the two sides.

Both the sides accused each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery and assault drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.

The border clash came at the time when the leaders of both the countries, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov were attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 

IMPORTANT FACTS -

Border Dispute :

• Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were part of the Soviet Union. Both gained Independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• The current boundary dispute between the two countries lies in the demarcation of boundaries during the Soviet era. 
• Vorukh is an enclave of Tajik territory surrounded by Kyrgyzstan. Many times there have been clashes over the issue of the access of the Tajiks living in Vorukh to Tajikistan. The Tajiks living in the Vorukh territory has to cross the Kyrgyz territory to go to Tajikistan.
• Tajikistan has proposed an exchange of territory with Kyrgyzstan so that Vorukh can have access to Tajikistan but so far Kyrgyzstan has refused to accept this offer.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Kyrgyzstan :

• Capital: Bishkek
• Currency: Kyrgyzstan Som
• President: Sadyr Japarov
• Tajikistan 
• Capital: Dushanbe
• Currency: Somoni
• President: Emomali Rakhmon