• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has decided to form a committee to review the existing guidelines of the Journalist Welfare Scheme (JWS).
• The 12-member committee, with Ashok Kumar Tandon, Member, Prasar Bharati Board, as its chairperson, will revise the quantum of ex-gratia payment in case of death as well as in other cases under the scheme.
• The terms of reference (ToR) of the committee include examining the need for such a revision of the quantum of ex-gratia payment. The committee will look into the aspect of differentiation or parity between accredited and non-accredited journalists for availing benefits under the scheme.
• The committee shall give its recommendations within two months and all secretarial assistance for convening its meetings will be provided by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

2. IMF increases India’s quota of Special Drawing Rights (SDR)

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made an allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 12.57 billion to India. (approx. USD 17.86 billion). With this, the total SDR holding of India has gone upto SDR 13.66 billion (equivalent to around USD 19.41 billion).
• SDR is one of the components of the Foreign Exchange Reserves (FER) of India. Hence the Foreign Exchange Reserves (FER) has also increased now. IMF has allocated a total of SDR 456 billion to all its member countries out of which India has got SDR 12.57.

3. India becomes first Asian nation to launch ‘Plastics Pact’

• India has become the first country in Asia to launch a Plastics Pact, a new platform to promote a circular system for plastics.
• The India Plastic Pact platform was launched on September 03, 2021, by the British High Commissioner to India, Alexander Ellis, at the 16th Sustainability Summit hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The new platform ‘India Plastic Pact’ is a joint effort of the World-Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF India) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and envisions to create a world where plastic is valued and does not pollute the environment.
• The Pact targets the businesses to transition towards a circular economy for plastics by 2030.
• The initiative is supported by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and WRAP, a global NGO based in the UK, and endorsed by the British High Commission in India.

4. PM Modi inaugurates Shikshak Parv-2021

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the “Shikshak Parv-2021” and addressed the inaugural conclave through a video conference.
• The theme of ‘Shikshak Parv-2021’ is “Quality and Sustainable Schools: Learnings from Schools in India”.
• The event was organized by the Ministry of Education, will continue to be celebrated from September 07 to 17, 2021.
• The objective of the Shikshak Parv-2021 is to encourage innovative practices to ensure not only continuity of education at all levels but to improve quality, inclusive practices and sustainability in the schools across the country as well.

• The Punjab Cabinet gave a nod to a new scheme that will help the unemployed youth in the state to hone their skills and increase their chances of getting a job.
• These youngsters will be given short-term skill training free of cost under the ‘‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan” scheme of the state government. A target of 30,000 beneficiaries has been proposed, at a cost of ₹ 90 crores.
• The scheme also provides an employment assistance allowance of ₹ 2,500 per month for a period of 12 months from the start of the training course, which will be conducted at Punjab Skill Development Mission training centers.
• The allowance shall be given during the training period, and after successfully completing the training, during the pre-placement and post-placement period of 12 months from the date of the start of the programme.

2. Assam decides to remove Rajiv Gandhi’s name from Orang national park.

• The Assam cabinet has decided to remove the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from the Orang National Park. Since the name Orang is associated with the sentiments of the Adivasi and tea-tribe community, the cabinet has decided to rename the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park as Orang National Park.
• Located on the North Bank of Brahmaputra, Orang National Park spread over 78.80 sq. km is the oldest forest reserve in the state. It was named a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and declared a national park in 1999.

3. Maharashtra to set up science city named after Rajiv Gandhi in Pune.

• The Maharashtra Government has decided to set up a world-class science city at Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune to develop a scientific outlook among the students and prepare them to become students in future.
• To be named as ‘Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Science Innovation City’, a science Centre will be developed on the one-acre area in an eight-acre complex in the PCMC area. The Centre has granted assistance of Rs 191 crore to build the Science city in the PCMC area.

4. India’s first dugong conservation reserve to come up in Tamil Nadu

• Tamil Nadu state government has announced to set up India’s first dugong conservation reserve at the northern part of the Palk Bay. Dugong are commonly known as sea cows.
• According to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimates, only 200-250 Dugongs are left in the wild, of which 150 are found in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.
• The reserve will span the northern part of the Palk Bay from Adiramapattinam to Amapattinam. The reserve will cover an area of more than 500 sq. km.
• Marine biologists and conservationists have long demanded a reserve as the population of dugongs, as known as sea cows, in Indian waters has been dropping to dangerous levels.
• According to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimates, only 200-250 Dugongs are left in the wild, of which 150 are found in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, among the last surviving natural habitats for dugongs in the world.

1.IIT Madras announces online platform ‘E-Source’.

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is working on developing an innovative digital model to address the problem of e-waste (electronic wastes).
• The digital platform, named as ‘e-Source,’ will act as an exchange platform, to serve as an online marketplace for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). 
• The platform will link various stakeholders (buyers and sellers) of used and waste electronic equipment and components, both in the formal and informal economy.
• The initiative is being led by the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), a center set up at IIT Madras in 2010 at the initiative of the German and Indian governments.

2. IIT Ropar develops world’s first ‘Plant based’ smart air-purifier.

• Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Ropar and Kanpur and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have jointly launched a living-plant based air purifier named “Ubreathe Life”.
• This air purifier will boost the air purification process in indoor spaces, such as hospitals, schools, offices and Homes. It is the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh.
• It has been developed by the IIT Ropar incubated startup, Urban Air Laboratory. The specific plants tested for air-purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant etc. and all have given good results in purifying indoor-air, the company has claimed.

1.Paralympics 2020: Mariyappan Thangavelu wins Silver in men’s high jump.

• India’s Mariyappan Thangavelu has won the silver medal in the men’s high jump (T63) at the Tokyo Paralympics. He cleared the 1.86m mark to take home silver. In the same event, Sharad Kumar won the bronze medal, clearing 1.83m mark.
• Sam Grewe of the United States won the gold medal after he cleared the 1.88m mark. With the two new medals, India’s medal tally at the Tokyo Paralympics has now reached to 10.

2. Paralympics 2020: Singhraj Adhana wins bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol.

• At the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020, Indian shooter Singhraj Adana has won the bronze medal in the P1 Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 final on August 31, 2021. Adana shot a total of 216.8 to finish at third place.
• China dominated the finals with defending champion Chao Yang (237.9 — Paralympic record) and Huang Xing (237.5) winning the gold and silver medals respectively.

3. Tokyo Paralympics: Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win two medals.

• Avani Lekhara won the bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event with a score of 445.9 to become the first Indian woman to win two medals at the Paralympics.
• Lekhara had also won gold in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. India’s medal tally now stands at 12 at these Paralympics. It has now won two gold’s, six silvers and four bronze medals.
• This is India’s best tally at a single edition of the Para Games. It had won four medals at Rio 2016 and four at the 1984 Paralympics.

4. Tokyo Paralympics: Praveen Kumar wins silver in men’s high jump.

• Praveen Kumar became India’s fourth medalist in men’s high jump and 11th medalist overall at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 as he won silver with an Asian record jump of 2.07m.
• Praveen cleared the Asian record with a 2.07m jump, finishing behind Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards, who managed the best jump of 2.10m on a rain-soaked track at the Olympic Stadium.
• Praveen is India’s fourth medalist in men’s high jump at Tokyo Games after Nishad Kumar, Mariyappan Thangavelu, and Sharad Kumar.

5. Paralympics 2020: Archer Harvinder Singh Clinches Bronze in Men’s Individual Recurve.

• In Paralympics 2020, India’s ace archer Harvinder Singh has won the bronze medal in the men’s individual recurve open. The 31-year old has become India’s first-ever archer to win a medal in the Paralympics.
• With this win, India’s medal haul at the ongoing Paralympics Games in Tokyo has reached 13 [2G,6S,5B]. Harvinder defeated South Korea’s Kim Min Su 6-5 in a shoot-off to win India’s third medal of the day at Tokyo 2020, taking India’s tally to 13.
• Earlier, United States of America’s (USA) Kevin Mather defeated Harvinder by 6-4 in the semi-final.

6. Tokyo Paralympics: Manish Narwal wins gold in 50m Mixed Pistol.

• Indian shooters Manish Narwal and Singhraj Adhana clinched the gold and silver medal respectively in the P4 – Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 final at Asaka Shooting Range.
• The 19-year-old Manish created the Paralympic record as he amassed 218.2 points to clinch the gold while Singhraj grabbed his second medal of the Tokyo Paralympics with 216.7 points.
• The Russian Paralympic Committee’s (RPC) Sergey Malyshev won the bronze medal.
• India’s medal tally now stands at 15 at these Paralympics. It has now won three gold’s, seven silvers and five bronze medals. This is India’s best tally at a single edition of the Para Games. It had won four medals at Rio 2016 and four at the 1984 Paralympics.

7. Tokyo Paralympics 2020: India finishes 24th with record 19 medals.

• India finished their campaign at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 with an all-time high of 19 medals which includes five gold, eight silver, and six bronze.
• This is the best medal tally for India a single edition of the Paralympic Games. India is placed at 24th position in the overall medal tally out of a total of 162 nations.
• Javelin thrower Tek Chand was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics.
• Shooter Avani Lekhara was India’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

1.Ladakh based Dorje Angchuk to be inducted as Honorary Member of the IAU

• Dorje Angchuk, an Engineer in charge at the Indian Astronomical Observatory of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) at Hanle in the Ladakh region, has been admitted as an Honorary Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
• Angchuk is the first and only Indian to bag the position in the prestigious body. Angchuk has been selected for ‘his passionate promotion of astronomy in the Ladakh region, through his excellent astrophotography’. He will be joining ten other Honorary Members from around the world, selected by IAU to join a select list of 20 international experts.

2. IRS officer JB Mohapatra appointed as CBDT chairman.

• IRS officer JB Mohapatra was appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes. His appointment was approved today by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). He has already served as the acting chairman of the CBDT.
• A 1985-batch IRS officer, Mohapatra was given the additional charge as CBDT chairman after the tenure of incumbent PC Mody ended this year in May.
• Earlier, Mohapatra had served as the principal chief commissioner of Income Tax for the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region.

3. Pankaj Kumar Singh takes over as new DG of BSF.

• Pankaj Kumar Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, has taken charge as the new Director General (DG) of the Border Security Force (BSF). Prior to this, he was serving as the special DG at the BSF headquarters in Delhi.
• The 58-year-old Pankaj Singh replaces IPS officer and Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General (DG) SS Deswal who was holding the additional charge of BSF DG since July 2021.
• Apart from this, Sanjay Arora, a 1988-batch IPS officers from Tamil Nadu cadre, has taken over as the new DG of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

4. PPK Ramacharyulu appointed Rajya Sabha secretary-general.

• Rajya Sabha Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu has appointed Dr. PPK Ramacharyulu, who is the secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat since 2018, as the secretary general. He succeeds Desh Dipak Varma, who demitted office as secretary-general after serving the top post for four years.
• Ramacharyulu is the first insider to have risen from the ranks of the secretariat to the top post in the about 70 years of the Rajya Sabha.

5. Vartika Shukla becomes first woman CMD of Engineers India Ltd

• Vartika Shukla took charge as the first woman Chairperson and Managing Director of public sector enterprise Engineers India Ltd. She spearheaded the company’s innovative energy programmes, including biofuels, coal gasification, waste to fuel and hydrogen energy, among others.
• A graduate in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Shukla joined EIL in 1988 and has extensive consulting experience comprising design, engineering, and implementation of complexes in refining, gas processing, petrochemicals and fertilizers.

6. S.L. Tripathy appointed as CMD of United India Insurance.

• The central government has selected S.L.Tripathy as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of United India Insurance Company Limited.
• He is currently General Manager and Director at the New India Assurance Company Limited.
• He is appointed as CMD of United India from the date of assumption of charge of the office and up to the date of attaining the age of superannuation.

7. Satish Parekh appointed as International Road Federation India president.

• Ashoka Buildcon Managing Director and promoter Satish Parekh has taken over as the president of the India Chapter of the International Road Federation (IRF).
• The governing council of the International Road Federation unanimously endorsed Satish Parakh as President, IRF-IC. He takes over from Subhmay Gangopadhyay, former director of Central Road Research Institute.
• The Geneva-based global road safety body IRF is working for better and safer roads worldwide.

1.India to host conference on International Climate Summit 2020-21.

• India is all set to host a key conference as part of the International Climate Summit (ICS) 2020-21 to build a dialogue for India’s transition to clean energy. Policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, experts, and scientists from across the globe are going to be a part of the climate summit.
• Director of CSIR, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Ashish Lele has underlined the importance of the conference for the future mitigation strategies of climate change. The need to adopt these strategies and the problems arose due to dependence on conventional fuels.

1.India Conducts Maritime Partnership Exercise with Algerian Navy.

• The Indian Naval Ship, INS Tabar, is on her goodwill visit to the number of ports in Africa and Europe since June 2021 till September 2021.
• As a part of this visit, INS Tabar took part in the Maiden Maritime Partnership Exercise with Algerian Navy, off the Algerian coast, in the Mediterranean Sea. The Algerian Naval Ship ANS Ezzadjer participated in the exercise.
• The objective of the exercise was to enhance interoperability, understand the concept of operations followed by each other, and opened the possibility of increasing interaction and collaboration between the two navies in the future.
• INS Tabar is a Talwar-class stealth Frigate built in Russia for the Indian Navy. The ship is a part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, based in Mumbai.

2. Indian Army contingent to participate in Exercise ZAPAD 2021.

• Indian Army will participate in Exercise ZAPAD 2021, a Multi Nation exercise being held at Nizhniy in Russia from 3-16 September. ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre level exercises of the Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists.
• Over a dozen countries from the Eurasian and South Asian Regions will participate in this signature event.
• The exercise aims to enhance military and strategic ties amongst the participating nations while they plan and execute this exercise.
• The Indian contingent has been put through a strenuous training schedule that encompasses all facets of conventional operations including mechanized, airborne and heliborne, counter-terrorism, combat conditioning and firing.

3. Gujarat to host Defence Expo 2022.

• The next Defence Expo will be hosted by Gujarat in 2022. This was announced by chief minister Vijay Rupani. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Department of Defence Production and the Gujarat Government in this regard.
• About 100 countries are expected to participate in this biannual event. Defence Expo-2022 will be held in Gandhinagar from 10th to 13th March next year.
• The aim of Defense Expo 2022 is to move from Make in India to make for the world. The Defence Expo-2022 will focus on making India a Defence manufacturing hub.

4. 28th Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise ‘SIMBEX-2021’.

• The 28th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) took place from September 02 to 04, 2021. The SIMBEX-2021 annual bilateral maritime exercise was hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) in the southern fringes of the South China Sea.
• The Indian Navy was represented by Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvijay with a shipborne helicopter, ASW Corvette INS Kiltan and Guided Missile Corvette INS Kora and one P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
• The exercise aimed to strengthen the bilateral defense ties between both countries. This year’s edition of SIMBEX is also a special occasion as it takes place during the ongoing celebrations of the 75th year of India’s independence.
• The success of SIMBEX-2021 is yet another demonstration of the mutual resolve on both sides to strengthen the bilateral partnership further in the years ahead.

5. Naval exercise between India and Australia- ‘AUSINDEX’ begins.

• The 4th edition of AUSINDEX, a bilateral navy exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy has begun from September 06, 2021, and will continue up to September 10, 2021.
• Indian Navy Task Group comprises INS Shivalik and INS Kadmatt. This edition of AUSINDEX includes complex surface, sub-surface and air operations between ships, submarines, helicopters and Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the participating Navies.
• Commenced in 2015 as a bilateral IN-RAN maritime exercise, AUSINDEX has grown in complexity over the years and the 3rd edition of the exercise, held in 2019 in the Bay of Bengal, included anti-submarine drills for the first time.

6. IAF chief attends Pacific Air Chiefs Symposium 2021 in Hawaii.

• Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria attended a three-day-long Pacific Air Chiefs Symposium 2021 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
• The event themed “Enduring Cooperation towards Regional Stability” was attended by air chiefs from countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Bhadauria was nominated as the Dean for the symposium. India, the US, Australia, Japan and many other like-minded countries are working towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• The symposium saw deliberations through panel discussions, tabletop exercises and keynote addresses on topics ranging from aspects of regional security to cooperation amongst air forces for humanitarian and disaster relief operations.

7. Indian Navy’s aviation wing honored with prestigious President’s Colour award.

• President Ram Nath Kovind has awarded the President’s Colour to the Indian Naval Aviation at a ceremonial parade held at the INS Hansa base near Panjim in Goa. The president was given the guard of honor by the Indian Navy on the occasion.
• The President’s Colour is the highest honor bestowed on a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation.
• The Indian Navy was the first amongst the Indian Armed Forces to be awarded the President’s Colour on 27 May 1951 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India.
• Subsequent recipients of the President’s Colour in the Navy include Southern Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Eastern Fleet, Western Fleet, Submarine Arm, INS Shivaji and the Indian Naval Academy.