National
2021 JCB Prize for Literature
⇒ Malayalam author M Mukundan won the 2021 JCB prize for Literature for his book ‘Delhi: A Soliloquy’, published by Westland Publication.
The book has originally been written in Malayalam. It was translated into English by ‘Fathima EV and Nandakumar K’.
Mukundan received prize amount of Rs 25 lakh and also received the prize trophy, which is a sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra, titled ‘Mirror Melting’.
Delhi: A Soliloquy is the third Malayalam translation to win the JCB Book Prize.
Past Winners:
Before Mukundan, Benyamin won the prize in 2018 for Jasmine Days (Juggernaut) and S Hareesh got the prize for his book Moustache (Harper Perennial), in 2020.
Indian Space Association
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched Indian Space Association (ISpA) on 11th October 2021.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked:
The Government’s approach to space reforms is based on 4 pillars.
- First, the freedom of innovation to the private sector.
- Second, the role of the government as an enabler.
- Third, preparing youth for the future.
- Fourth, to see the space sector as a resource for the progress of the common man.
About Indian Space Association (ISpA):
- ISpA is the Premier Industry Association of Space and Satellite companies, which aspires to be the collective voice of the Indian Space industry.
- It will undertake policy advocacy and engage with all stakeholders in the Indian Space domain, including the Government and its agencies.
- ISpA is represented by leading home grown and global corporations with advanced capabilities in space and satellite technologies.
- Its founding members include Larson & Toubro, Nelco (Tata Group), OneWeb, Bharti Airtel, Mapmyindia, Walchandnagar Industries and Ananth Technology Limited. Other core members include Godrej, Hughes India, Azista-BST Aerospace Private Limited, BEL, Centum Electronics, Maxar India.
61st Airport under the UDAN scheme
⇒ Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Shri Rajiv Bansal, Ms. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Shri Vineet Sood, CEO, Alliance Air virtually inaugurated the greenfield Sindhudurg airport in Maharashtra.
He also flagged off the first flight from Sindhudurg to Mumbai under the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme of the Government of India.
The inauguration marked the commencement of the 61st airport under the UDAN scheme and successful operationalization of the 381 routes under UDAN.
About Airport:
- Sindhudurg Airport also known as Chipi Airport is in Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra.
- The airport is spread over 275 hectares area.
- The runway length is 2500 mtr (8202 ft.) and is capable for the operation of narrow body aircraft like Airbus A-320 and Boeing B-737.
International
State Visit of Prime Minister of Denmark to India
⇒ Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, hosted Her Excellency Ms. Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark during a State visit to India from 9-11 October 2021.
» The two Prime Ministers underlined the warm and friendly relations between India and Denmark based on shared principles and values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.
» The Prime Ministers confirmed their expectation that the bilateral relationship will grow even stronger in the coming years in areas of mutual importance, most significantly within the green sector, but also other priority areas of cooperation including health.
» The two Prime Ministers reiterated the importance of cultural co-operation and agreed to further strengthen cultural exchanges between India and Denmark.
List of MoUs/Agreements exchanged during the visit of Prime Minister of Denmark:
- MoU between Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Aarhus University, Denmark and Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland on mapping of ground water resources and aquifers.
- Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Access Agreement between Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and Danish Patent and Trademark Office.
- MoU between Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Danfoss Industries Private Limited to establish a Centre of Excellence towards natural refrigerants for tropical climates with potential applications.
- Joint Letter of Intent between Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of the Republic of India and The Government of the Kingdom of Denmark
Commercial agreements:
- MoU between Reliance Industries Limited and Stiesdal Fuel Technologies on the development of the Hydrogen Electrolyzer and the subsequent manufacturing and deployment of the Hydrogen Electrolyzer in India.
- MoU between Infosys Technologies and Aarhus University to establish a ‘Center of Excellence for Sustainability Solutions’ based in Denmark.
- MoU between the ‘Observer Research Foundation’ and ‘State of Green’ on strategic cooperation to promote knowledge-sharing on solutions and facilitate research on the green transition of the economy.
Prime Minister of Ethiopia
⇒ Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for a second five-year term on 04th October 2021.
Sports
2021 SAFF Championship
⇒ The 2021 SAFF Championship was the thirteenth edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men’s football championship of South Asia organised by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
Final Match:
The final match between India and Nepal was held on 16 October 2021 at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives.
India defeated Nepal 3-0 to win the 2021 SAFF Championship Finals title.
This was India’s eighth SAFF title. Earlier, India had won the title in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015.
Awards:
- Most Valuable Player Award: Sunil Chhetri (India)
- Top Scorer Award: Sunil Chhetri (India)
- Fair Play Award: Maldives
» Indian captain Sunil Chhetri was the top goal scorer with 5 goals.