Atal Innovation Mission + Freshworks Inc to Empower its Startup Innovators

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has partnered with Freshworks Inc., a customer-engagement software company to provide robust support to innovators and entrepreneurs in India. AIM has also collaborated with ScooNews
• To foster innovation and entrepreneurship among startup innovators and enhance competence of the institutions and startups in the AIM portfolio.

About Freshworks Inc.

• Founder & CEO - Girish Mathrubootham
• HQ - San Mateo, fornia

About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

• Mission Director - Ramanan Ramanathan, HQ- New Delhi

4th BRAP 2018-19 Ranking → Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Spot in EODB 2019

• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has virtually announced the 4th edition of State Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) Ranking for 2018-19 which was released by Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• In accordance with that, Andhra Pradesh topped the Ease of Doing Business ranking 2019, followed by UP and Telangana at 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
• Among Union Territories Delhi bagged the top spot.
• It should be noted that EODB is a joint initiative by the DPIIT and the World Bank to improve the overall business environment in the States.
• The BRAP 2018-19 included 180 reform points covering 12 business regulatory areas such as access to information, single window system, labor regulation, environment, land availability, construction permit

4th BRAP 2018-19 Ranking> Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Spot in EODB 2019

• Following table shows the top 5 states and lower ranked states under State Reform Action Plan 2019
• States/ut with least ranking (29) are Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim and Tripura.

4th BRAP 2018-19 Ranking> Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Spot in EODB 2019

• Following table shows the top (1st) performer region-wise

INDRA NAVY-20 Maritime Exercise between India & Russia started at Bay of Bengal

• The 11th Edition of bi-annual, bilateral Maritime Exercise INDRA NAVY-20 between Indian Navy and Russian Navy were conducted successfully the exercise was conducted in Bay of Bengal, close to the strategic point of Strait of Malacca,
• Indian Navy will be represented by guided missile destroyer Ranvijay, indigenous frigate Sahyadri and fleet tanker Shakti, with their integral helicopters.
• The Russian Federation Navy will be represented by destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, destroyer Admiral Tributs and fleet tanker Boris Butoma of Pacific Fleet, based at Vladivostok.

About Indian Navy

• Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) - Admiral Karambir Singh

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Russia where SCO Defense Ministers meet was held

• The Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defense (MoD) paid a 3 days visit to Moscow, Russia to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers and to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral defense cooperation.

About SCO

• The SCO comprises eight member states - India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
• Secretariat - Beijing, China
• Secretary-General - Vladimir Imamovich Norov

J&K Lt Governor launches 'SPARROW' - an online performance appraisal system for JKAS officers

• Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched the online portal. Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window (SPARROW) for Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service Officers (JKAS).
• The SPARROW system will benefit around 1289 officers and is aimed at bringing more transparency, avoiding loss of Appraisal Reports (APR) during transition, ensuring better monitoring and timely completion of performance appraisals of KAS officers.
• The project will be implemented by J&K e-Governance Agency, Information Technology Department in collaboration with National Informatics Center and General Administration Department.

About Jammu & Kashmir

• Capital Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter) Lt. Governor - Manoj Sinha

Delhi Government relaunched "10 Hafte 10 Baje 10minute" 10-week Anti Dengue Campaign

• Government of Delhi relaunched the 10-week anti dengue campaign 10 Hafte 10 Baje 10minute "to create awareness on the prevention of the vector borne diseases dengue and chikungunya among the common people.
• The first 10-week anti dengue campaign "10 Hafte 10 Baje 10 Minute - Har Ravivar, Dengue Par Vaar" was launched in 2019, which reduced the mortality rate of the dengue in 2019.
• Features of "10 Hafte 10 Bale 10minute":
• Under this campaign the residents are advised to check their homes for stagnant clean water on every Sunday from 10 weeks at 10 am for 10 minutes and drain and replace the stagnant water, which is the breeding ground of the Aedes Mosquitoes which spreads dengue, malaria etc. .
• School children are encouraged to take part in the campaign by assigning them homework on behalf of their schools,
• In the 2nd week, a doctor will share the do's and don'ts in the prevention of the dengue.

About Delhi

• CM - Arvind Kejriwal
• Governor - Anil Baijal

China launched Reusable Experimental Spacecraft on a Long March-2F Carrier Rocket

• China launched a reusable experimental spacecraft on a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Chinese region Inner Mongolia.
• . The spacecraft is similar to the X-37B launched by the US. This launch was the 14th mission of the Long March-2F carrier rocket.
• The details of the mission have been kept secret.
• The spacecraft will return to a predetermined landing site in China after a period of in-orbit operation.

About China

• Capital - Beijing
• Currency - Chinese Yuan Renminbi
• President - Xi Jinping

Moon is Rusting => Orbital Data Reveals Presence of Hematite at High Latitudes on the Moon

• New research paper titled "Widespread hematite at high latitudes of the Moon" published on Science Advances reviewed the data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper Instrument (M3) of Chandrayan-1 orbiter of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and found the Hematite (iron oxide/rust - Fe, O,) at the high latitudes of the moon.
• Shuai Li from the University of Hawaii was the lead author of the research paper.
• ISRO's Chandrayan-1 mission discovered water and mapped various minerals on the surface of the moon in 2008.

KFW IPEX-Bank Financed € 10-million Loan to Srei Equipment Finance to facilitate German Exports to India

• In order to facilitate German exports to India, KFW IPEX-Bank has financed € (Euro) 10-million (about Rs 87 crore) loan to Srei Equipment Finance Limited (SEFL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (Srei).

About the Commitment

• KfW IPEX-Bank will provide modem and energy-efficient construction machinery for use in Indian infrastructure projects through this commitment.
• The financed machinery includes asphalt machines, road pavers and rollers.
• KfW IPEX-Bank, With this financing has marked its pledge to support the German and European export industry.

About KfW IPEX-Bank

• HQ - Frankfurt, Germany, CEO - Klaus R. Michalak

About Srei Equipment Finance Limited

• HQ - Kolkata, MD - Devendra Kumar Vyas

International Literacy Day 2020 → September 8

• UN International Literacy Day is annually celebrated on 8th September to promote the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights among the general public and to work towards a more literate and sustainable society.
• The International Literacy Day was celebrated on 9th September since 1966
• The theme of International Literacy Day 2020 is "Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond" which particularly focuses on the role of educators and the method of teaching,
• To remind the importance of literacy for individuals, community and society among the international communities, at the 14th session of the United Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) general conference in 1966, September 8th of every year was proclaimed as the International Literacy Day.
• UN's Sustainable Development Goals
• Literacy plays a major role in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The SDG 4 targets to achieve literacy and numeracy in young people and adults and to provide opportunities far the unskilled to acquire them.