National
1. India on Friday administered a record number of over 2.26 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses taking the cumulative figure to over 79 crore, giving a major push to the inoculation drive on the occasion of PM Modi’s 71st birthday.
2. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 17 Sep (Friday) said reduced GST rates on COVID medicines have been extended till 31st December from 30th September. Briefing media after 45th Meeting of the Goods and Services Tax, GST Council in Lucknow.
3. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced that petrol and diesel will not be brought under the ambit of the GST regime just yet.
4. Major GST exemption to life-saving drugs, like Zolgngelsma and Viltepso will be exempted from GST. These two are very important drugs which cost something like Rs 16 crores. So the council has decided to grant exemption from GST.
5. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on 17 Sep (Friday) said, India will take a leading position in production of millets. Mr. Tomar said that the Government is taking necessary steps to achieve nutrition security along with food security. Inaugurating the two-day Nutri-Cereal Multi-Stakeholders’ Mega Convention 3.0 at Hyderabad.
6. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh also said that govt is going to spend 6,850 Crore rupees to set up 10,000 new Farmers’ Producing Organisations (FPOs) and as a result lives of about 86 percent of farmers would be transformed.
7. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the Ujjwala 2.0 scheme today (18 Sep) during his day-long visit to Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Shah will also address the tribal community of the state.
8. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh emphasizes the need of formulating visionary 50 Year Roadmap for Himachal Pradesh to make it model state.
9. The Ministry of Culture conducted an e-auction of the gifts received by the PM Modi. This is the third edition of this kind of e-auction which have started and will remain open till October 7. Out of the 1300 momentos that are being listed for the auction, Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain’s pair of gloves received a staggering Rs. 1.92 cr bid. Right behind Lovlina’s gloves was historic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra’s Javelin that acquired Rs. 1.5 cr in the e-auction. Proceeds of this auction on the birthday of PM Modi will go to the ‘NamamiGange’ Mission, aimed at conserving the Ganges.
Proceeds of this auction on the birthday of PM Modi will go to the ‘NamamiGange’ Mission, aimed at conserving the Ganges.
10. India’s first solar mission, Aditya L1, which was pushed from early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is likely to be launched in the third quarter of 2022, it will provide more insights into the origin of the universe and many other unknowns.
11. *PAN-Aadhaar linking date extended from September 30 to March 31, 2022.* The due date for completion of penalty proceedings under the Income-tax Act has also been extended from Sept 30, 2021 to March 31, 2022, said the government of India.
12. *Andhra Pradesh* state government has resolved to seek support from the Centre for building infrastructure facilities in tribal areas.
13. *J&K* : Terrorists shot dead Special Police Officer (SPO) identified as Bantu Sharma, who was attached with railway protection, in Wanpoh area of Kulgam district. security forces to nab the assailants. Details are awaited.
14. Union Territory of J&K, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on 17 Sep (Friday) launched the Senior Citizens National Helpline ”Elderline”-14567 in J&K, at Raj Bhavan, Jammu.
15. *Karnataka*: Bengaluru’s metro lines will now operate longer hours beginning Saturday, with more people returning to work and schools resuming regular lessons. Namma Metro trains will run from 6 AM to 10 PM beginning Saturday, according to a statement from the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation.
16. *Odisha* govt is keeping a close watch on the possibility of any flood in the major rivers of the state. According to official sources, there is no likelihood of any flood in the Mahanadi river system as the water inflow into the Hirakud dam has been gradually decreasing. The state government has alerted the concerned district administration of the possibility of flood water entering certain low-lying areas adjoining the river .
17. *Punjab* : In a major political development related to the ongoing tussle in Punjab Congress, party high command has convened a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Saturday. Sources said apart from Harish Raawat, two observers from Delhi, Harish Chaudhary and Ajay Maken could attend the meeting.
18. *Rajasthan unlock* : Schools to reopen for classes 6 to 8 from September 20. School activity for Class 1 to 5 will resume from September 27 with 50% capacity.
19. *Bollywood*: The Mumbai Police have booked Bollywood actor Sahil Khan and four others for allegedly instigating prominent physique-builder and former “Mr India” Manoj Patil to commit suicide, Patil, who survived the suicide attempt early on Thursday morning, is currently undergoing treatment at the BMC-run R.N. Cooper Hospital.
×××××× *DEFENCE* ××××××
20. British firm Rolls-Royce has said it is keen to work with India to co-develop and manufacture engines for the country’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme, called AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft).
21. Lieutenant General Rajshree Ramasethu took over as the director-commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, on 16 Sep (Thursday).
22. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel won the first ever Roller Skating Competition organized in Ladakh by Ladakh Roller Skate Association in collaboration with District Youth Office from Leh (11,500 feet) to khardungla (17,578 ft) on 16 September.
23. The BSF has resumed the public viewing of the daily flag-lowering retreat ceremony along the India-Pakistan border front in Punjab, over a year and half after it was suspended due to the Covid outbreak.
International
1. *SCO Summit 2021*: The 21st meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State held on September 17, 2021, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in a hybrid format. The President of Tajikistan H E Emomali Rahmon chaired the SCO Summit. PM Modi leaded the Indian delegation and addressed the plenary session of the Summit virtually. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar represented India in Dushanbe at the SCO Summit 2021.
2. PM Modi addresses plenary session of SCO meeting at Dushanbe; asks member states to fight against increasing radicalization. PM said, SCO should work to develop strong network among the moderate, tolerant, inclusive institutions and traditions associated with Islam. He noted that historically the Central Asian region has been a bastion of moderate and progressive cultures and values.
3. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2021 holds significance as the Organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The Summit is also important as it is being held at a time of the Taliban take over Afghanistan.
4. The current eight Members States of SCO are India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan. The Observer States status has been given to Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia. The Dialogue Partner status has been given to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.
5. SCO Heads of Government Summit was hosted by India on 30th November 2020. It was the first time India hosted the SCO Summit since it became a member of the group in 2017.
6. Even after both India and China agreed to disengage from key areas in Eastern Ladakh, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to build up infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
7. A New Passenger Terminal Building inaugurated at Petrapole between India and Bangladesh. The inauguration took place in the presence of the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami.
8. PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 71st birthday by sending him a bouquet of 71 roses on 17 Sep.
MORE WORLD NEWS
1. As the USA gears up for the forthcoming Quad Summit with the physical presence of all four heads of govt meeting in Washington DC on 24 September, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has fired the first shot across the bows by refusing a meeting with President Biden.
2. Ahead of the QUAD Leaders summit in Washington DC next week, to counter China, on Thursday (Sept 16, 2021) Australia, the UK, and the US (AUKUS) have announced a defence and security partnership.
3. The G-33 Virtual Informal Ministerial Meeting organized by Indonesia was held on 16 Sep (Thursday) to discuss the Agricultural Priority Issues of G33 and the Way Forward for the Twelfth Ministerial Conference scheduled to be held from 30th November to 3rd December this year. The Informal Ministerial Meeting was chaired by Indonesian Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi.
4. In Afghanistan, several rockets fell in one of the districts of the capital Kabul, local media reported. Reports said the incident took place near a power plant in Khair Khana which is a residential suburb in the northwest of Kabul.
5. South Korea has successfully completed an underwater test-launch of an indigenous submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) .
🚣🚴🏇🏊 *SPORTS*
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1. *Former Cricket players back Rohit to replace Kohli as India’s T20 captain* : Opener Rohit Sharma has demonstrated his leadership qualities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is an obvious choice to succeed Virat Kohli as India’s Twenty20 captain, according to several former players.
2. India skipper Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma feels the 32-year-old cricketer will be more “determined and focused” to win the upcoming T20 World Cup. Kohli on Thursday announced that he would step down as the T20I skipper of the national side after the T20 World Cup slated to be played in the UAE in October-November this year.
(source: newspapers)