Central Govt sets up Empowered Group of Ministers to oversee Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) Corporatisation. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the chairman of this EGoM.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has addressed the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing. Under this, 1.75 Lakh Families in Madhya Pradesh were delivered pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G).
The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has launched a new scheme named ‘GARIMA’ which aims to ensure the economic safety and social dignity of core sanitation workers in the state.
The Indian rating agency, CARE Ratings has projected the GDP of India to contract in the range 8 to 8.2% for 2020-21 (FY21).
In another historic breakthrough, Israel and Bahrain agreed to establish full diplomatic relations in a joint statement issued on September 11, 2020 between the US, Israel and Bahrain leaders. With this Bahrain has joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalise relations with Israel, in a US-brokered deal.
Germany, a major diplomatic partner of China, has decided to shift its focus to building stronger partnerships with democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region to promote the rule of law. The move will serve a major blow to China.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to clinch the Women’s Singles title in the 2020 US Open Tennis tournament.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev to win the men’s singles title at the 2020 US Open tournament.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the Formula One Tuscan Grand Prix 2020 held at Mugello Circuit, Italy. This was his 6th win of the season and 90th F1 win of his career.
India has been elected as a member of the United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women, a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga has been elected as the new Chief of country’s ruling, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Prime Minister-designate of Japan.
S&P Global Ratings has projected the GDP of India to contract by 9% in the fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21), as against its previous estimate of a 5% contraction, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Janata Dal (United) parliamentarian Harivansh Narayan Singh has been re-elected as the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
Scientists revealed on September 14, 2020 that they have detected potential signs of extraterrestrial life on the inhospitable Venus. The scientists have detected a gas called phosphine in the acidic clouds of Venus that indicates microbes may inhabit Earth’s neighbour.
A 1988 batch IAS officer, Rajesh Khullar has been appointed as Executive Director at World Bank in Washington DC.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray has launched a state-wide campaign titled, ‘My Family, My Responsibility’, to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
The Government of Rajasthan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to develop its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ecosystem.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has estimated that the GDP of India is expected to contract by 9% in fiscal 2020-21 (FY21). This estimate is worse than ADB’s previous estimate of -4%.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Takeo Konishi as its new Country Director for India.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced that the Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup, which were scheduled to be held from 3 to 11 October 2020 in Denmark, has been postponed for 2021.
The 10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting was held virtually by the Indian and U.S. Defense Delegations.
The United Nations observes 16th September every year as International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
The theme of the day for 2020: “Ozone for life: 35 years of ozone layer protection”. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2000, to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
The Lok Sabha has passed the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 on 15 September 2020.
UBS Securities has projected India’s GDP for 2020-21 (FY21) to contact by 8.6%. (Earlier it was -5.8%).
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expects the Indian economy to contract by 10.2% in FY21 (2020-21) as compared to its previous estimate of 16.7% in June.
External Affairs Minister of the Republic of India, Shri S. Jaishankar, chaired the customary meeting of IBSA Foreign Ministers through video conferencing.
Mexico has become the first country in the world to issue a sovereign bond linked to the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations. It has raised EUR 750 million ($890 million) by such bonds.
Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yediyurappa has launched the “Arthika Spandana” programme of disbursing loans to the tune of Rs 39,300 crores through various cooperative institutions.
The ICICI Home Finance launched “Apna Ghar Dreamz”, its new home loan scheme for skilled laborers like electricians, mechanics, painters, grocery store owners etc in the informal sector of Delhi.
Tata Group has won the contract for construction of India’s new Parliament building with a bid of Rs 861.90 crore, beating Larsen & Toubro.
Chef Vikas Khanna has been chosen to be honoured with the prestigious Asia Game Changer Award 2020.
India has been ranked at 116th position in the latest edition of the World Bank’s annual Human Capital Index. The index benchmarks the key components of human capital across countries.
The Institute for Management Development, in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), has released the Smart City Index 2020. In 2020 Smart City Index, 109 cities were surveyed. The index ranks cities based on economic and technological data, as well as by their citizens’ perceptions of how “smart” their cities are.
The index has been topped by Singapore, followed by Helsinki and Zurich as top three smart cities. In the 2020 Smart City Index, Hyderabad was the top Indian city, placed at the 85th position. The Indian cities have witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the Smart City Index 2020.
The Gujarat government has launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY). The scheme will provide interest-free loans to women’s groups in the state.
Margaret Atwood has won the 2020 Dayton Literary Peace Prize’s lifetime achievement award.
10th Meeting of the BRICS High Representatives on National Security was held virtually. The 10th meeting of the NSAs was hosted by the current chair of BRICS i.e. Russia.
Indian teenager Udit Singhal has been named in the 2020 Class of 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet on September 17 in protest against “anti-farmer ordinances and legislation”. The resignation came soon after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal opposed the two farmer-related bills in the Lok Sabha. President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the resignation on September 18, 2020.