Current affairs of 24 September 2020

Current affairs of 24 September 2020

• World Maritime Day 2020: 24 September

  World Maritime Day 2020 is observed globally on 24th September in the form of an online event. The exact date of celebrating World Maritime Day is left to the individual governments but is usually celebrated during the last week in September.

• Department of Biotechnology launches Programme for Clinical Trial Research

  The Department of Biotechnology has launched the programme for "Strengthening Clinical Trial Research Capacity in Neighbouring Countries". The programme will help neighbouring countries, and LMICs (Lowand Middle Income Countries) to build capacities for Covid-19 vaccine trials.

• Former Australian Cricketer Dean Jones passes away

  Former Australian cricketer and renowned commentator, Dean Jones passed away. He made his debut for Australia in a Test match in the West Indies in 1984. He played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia between 1984 and 1994 before venturing into the commentary. He scored almost 9500 international runs.

• UNCTAD projects India's GDP at -5.9% in 2020

  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has predicted that the GDP of India will contract by 5.9% in the year 2020. For the year 2021, UNCTAD projects the Indian economy to grow by 3.9%. The projection was made in its Trade and Development Report 2020.

• PM Modi in Time Magazine's '100 most influential people of 2020' list

  Time Magazine has released the TIME 100 Most Influential People List 2020. Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi is the only politician on the list. He has been named in this for the fourth time since coming in power in 2014. The List has named people in five categories: Pioneers, Artists, Leaders, Titans, Icons.

• Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi passes away

  Union Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi has passed away after he contracted coronavirus disease. He is the first member of the Union Cabinet to die due to coronavirus. Suresh Angadi was a four-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka's Belagavi constituency. He was elected in 2004, 2014 and 2019.

• Bollywood Actor Bhupesh Pandya passes away

  Theatre personality and Bollywood actor Bhupesh Pandya, who is best known for his role in Ayushmann Khurrana's debut film 'Vicky Donor' has passed away. He was an alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD).

• 'Kritagya' Hackathon by National Agricultural Higher Education Project of ICAR

  A hackathon named "KRITAGYA" has been planned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP). This hackathon has been planned to promote potential technology solutions for enhancing farm mechanization with special emphasis on women friendly equipments.

• India's Khushi Chindaliya appointed as UNEP regional ambassador

  A 17-year-old girl, Khushi Chindaliya has been appointed as Regional Ambassador for India by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)- Tunza Eco-Generation. In her new role, Khusi will raise awareness about climate change and the importance of environmental conservation and the need to safeguard environmental treasures.

• Lok Sabha passes Major Ports Authorities Bill

  The Major Ports Authorities Bill, 2020 was successfully passed in Lok Sabha on September 23, 2020. The passed bill seeks to provide operation, regulation, and planning of major ports in the country as well as providing greater autonomy to these ports.