TODAY’S TOP NEWS: 25 SEPTEMBER, 2020 (GPN):

NATIONAL NEWS

1. *The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has recently approved to set up ten plastic parks in the country* . The parks are being set up under the Plastic Park scheme that was launched in 2019. The plastic parks or to be set up in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. A plastic park is a zone of industries that is dedicated to plastic and related sectors. Recycling is a major challenge in India. In India only 60 percentage of plastic waste gets recycled.

2. *The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 was passed in Lok Sabha.* The bill aims to regulate, operate and plan major ports in India. It seeks to provide greater autonomy to ports in the country. It will replace Major Ports Act, 1963.

3. During PM Modi met with chief ministers of seven States Tamil nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh that have high incidence of covid-19 virus. He announced that the *limit of use of SDRF (state disaster response fund) is being increased from 35 % to 50%.* This will help the states in covid-19 related infrastructure.

4. *The Comptroller and Auditor General of India submitted its report on Indian Railways in the Parliament.* The report was tabled in both the houses of the Parliament. According to the report, there has been 20% increase in diesel locos between 2012 and 2018. Railways is to complete 100% of electrification of its broad gauge by 2023.

5. *The Comptroller and Auditor General submitted its report on Defence Ministry to both the houses of the Parliament.* According to the report, the contracted delivery of the upgraded ninety Mi-17 helicopters by an Israeli company was to start from July 2018 and completed by 2024. However, according to the audit, 56 of these helicopters will be left with less than two years of life and phased out by 2024. In simple terms, the delay is shortening the deployment period of the helicopters. Financial irregularities in purchase of UAV Rotax Engine. An investigation in to the matter has been recommended by the CAG.

6. *Bharat Bandh* : 18 political parties extend support to nationwide protest of farmers on September 25. It including Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), All India Farmers Union (AIFU), All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), and All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM), have come together for the ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Friday (September 25) to protest against farm Bills passed by Parliament .

7. *Farmers squatted on the tracks in Punjab on Thursday, beginning a three-day ‘rail roko’* agitation against the farm Bills as the Railways suspended several trains to avoid any untoward incident.

8. The National Investigation Agency on Thursday arrested Sayed Saddiq Ali, an absconding alleged conspirator in the attack on a Bengaluru police station on August 11. Ali was allegedly involved in the attack on KG Halli Police Station that resulted in the destruction of public and government property, including damage to the police station building and vehicles parked in the police station premises and nearby areas.

9. *J-K lawyer who claimed threat to life shot dead by terrorists* : Advocate Babar Qadri, who used to appear on TV debates and write opinion pages for local newspapers, was not liked by the separatist circles.

10. The Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday (September 24) announced to give Rs 50,000 for 28,000 Durga Puja committees in West Bengal. The amount has been doubled from the last year’s Rs 25,000. She requested people to follow social distance and sanitisation during Puja.

11. *On the Jayanti of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, today, 25th September at 11 AM, PM Modi would be addressing BJP Karyakartas from all over India.* *Deendayal Upadhyaya* (25 September 1916 – 11 February 1968) was an Indian politician and thinker of right-wing Hindutva ideology espoused by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

12. *Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia who has been detected with Covid-19 positive also infected with dengue, blood platelets falling* , He is is now being shifted to Max Hospital, Saket from LNJP Hospital.

13. *On September 24, 2020, Fit India Dialogue was held virtually.* PM Modi addressed the dialogue and released the “Age appropriate Fitness Protocols” *marking the first anniversary of Fit India Movement* .

14. The movement was launched by PM Modi in 29 August 2019. The movement was launched on National Sports Day (29th August). The day is celebrated in the country commemorating the birth anniversary of Major Dhyanchand who enthralled the world with his gaming skills and techniques.

15. *The 360m-long Darcha bridge on Manali-Leh highway, which is the longest steel truss bridge of Himachal, was virtually inaugurated by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.* Another 110m long bridge at Palchan on Manali-Atal tunnel highway also inaugurated by him.

16. Dynamatic Technologies Limited has been awarded a contract for the delivery of tools for the Static and Fatigue Testing of the control surfaces of the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk Program.

17. Darcha bridge is built on Bhaga river, tributary of Chenab in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal. Palchan bridge is built on Solang nullah on Manali-Atal tunnel highway. Both the bridges are strategically very important for Indian Army

18. *The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 24) issued notice to the Centre and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on a plea filed by UPSC aspirants, seeking postponement of the upcoming civil services exam* . The plea has been filed against conducting of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination on October 4.

19. Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur condemns Uddhav-led Shiv Sena in Mumbai and the drug nexus in Bollywood that has been exposed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in its probe. He slammed the Shiv Sena for indulging in “cheap politics” by targetting actor Kangana Ranaut for threatening Kangana; lauds actor’s courage.

20. *Bombay HC to begin final hearing in Kangana’s office demolition case.* On September 9, BMC undertook a drive to demolish alleged illegal portions of Ranaut’s office. Soon thereafter, the court had directed the BMC to stay the process of demolition.

21. *Rakul Preet confronted at the airport ahead of NCB Bollywood drug probe;* speeds away Sara Ali Khan-Rakul Preet’s names surface in Rhea drug case. NCB also to quiz Deepika Padukone on Saturday over drug payments, 2017 chats and more.

22. *Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam’s Health In Critical Condition* He is recovering from COVID-19 at a private hospital in Chennai. For the past 40 days, he has been on life support. All of a sudden, his health condition became serious and a team of doctors is currently operating on him. The hospital officials are going to release a health bulletin shortly.

23. *COVID-19 IN INDIA*
TOTAL CASES 5732518
TOTAL ACTIVE 966382
RECOVERED 4674987
TOTAL DEATHS 91149

*✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS*

1. *The external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation Foreign Ministers Informal meet virtually* . During the meet, it was highlighted that SAARC should overcome cross border terrorism, blocking of connectivity and obstruction in trade. These three are currently considered the three greatest challenges of SAARC grouping.

2. During the summit, the external Affairs Minister highlighted that India has been supporting its SAARC neighbours Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan by providing timely financial assistance since the beginning of COVID-19. India has provided 200 million USD of financial help to Bhutan, 150 million USD to Maldives since 2020.

3.The SAARC must overcome three key challenges of cross-border terrorism, blocking of connectivity and obstruction in trade, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday in a clear criticism of Pakistan at a virtual meeting of the regional grouping.

4. *PM Modi, Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa to hold Virtual Bilateral Summit on Saturday* : two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship soon after the Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka and in the context of the time-tested friendly ties between the two countries.

5. *16 countries allow visa-free entry to Indian passport holders* Barbados, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Haiti, Hong Kong SAR, the Maldives, Senegal, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Dominica, Samoa, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Niue Island, and Montserrat. V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs, said.

6. He further informed that there are 43 countries providing visa-on-arrival facilities, and 36 countries providing e-visa facilities.

7. *India and China have decided to have the next meeting of the Senior Commanders at the earliest* . In parallel, the next meeting of the WMCC is also likely to take place soon.

8. *India on Thursday said that Pakistan has no legal basis to convert Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan region as its fifth province* and the action will be “void ab initio”.

*WORLD NEWS*

1. *The government of Bangladesh is financing a film on the life of revolutionary freedom fighter Pritilata Waddedar* . It will be based on the first woman Bengali revolutionary nationalist of the Indian subcontinent against the British regime. The film is based on the novel by Selina Hossain.

2. *South Korea said on Thursday that North Korean troops fatally shot a South Korean Government official* who may have attempted to defect and set his body on fire after finding him on a floating object near the countries’ disputed sea boundary.

4. *Taiwan on Thursday condemned recent Chinese military activity* after Beijing sent two military surveillance planes toward the island for three straight days, calling it a “deliberate provocation.” Tensions have risen in the Taiwan Strait as the U.S. has stepped up its official engagement with the self-ruled island that China considers part of its national territory.

5. *Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani declared “victory” over the United States after the UN Security Council rejected the Trump administration’s bid to reimpose UN sanctions* on the Islamic republic

6. *WORLD COVID CASES*
Confmd 32,086,864
Recovry 23,850,457
Death. 981 284

* SPORTS:*

1. *IPL MATCH 2020*

*KXIP* 206/3 (20 overs)
*RCB* 109 (17 overs)
KXIP won by 97 runs

2. *Punjab vs Bangalore* : KL Rahul breaks Tendulkar’s record, fastest Indian to 2000 IPL runs. KL Rahul went onto score the first century of the Dream11 IPL 2020, reaching the milestone in just 62 deliveries.

3. IPL 7 Match between
*CHENNAI SUPER KINGS*
Vs
*DELHI CAPITALS*

19:30 IST (14:00 GMT), 18:00 LOCAL
at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

4. *Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones passed away in Mumbai at the age of 59 due to a heart attack on Thursday afternoon.* Jones was in India as part of the Star Sports commentary panel for the ongoing Indian Premier League.

*USD 73.80 GBP 94.02*
_In Shillong_(Mgly)
*Gold ₹51,275 @10 gm 24 (Krt)*
*Silver ₹59,440@ Kg*
⛽ *Petrol ₹ 84.71*
⛽ *Diesel ₹ 77.31*
*LPG : ₹ 661.50 /14.2 Kg*

* FACTS ABOUT INDIA*

The term *Naxalites* comes from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal, where a section of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) led by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal initiated an uprising in 1967. On 18 May 1967, the Siliguri Kishan Sabha, of which Jangal was the president, declared their support for the movement initiated by Kanu Sanyal, and their readiness to adopt armed struggle to redistribute land to the landless. The following week, a sharecropper near Naxalbari village was attacked by the landlord’s men over a land dispute

* THOUGHT OF THE DAY*

People Laugh at me because I am different; I laugh at them because they are all the same!

JOKES OF THE DAY:

1)Doctor:  Why did you take your antibiotic medicine at 6 AM, when I told you at 9 AM..???

Patient: I wanted to surprise the bacteria by surgical strike.

2) Outside Byculla Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant… The fees for cars (40), for pvt. buses (about 80).

Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didn’t show up; so the zoo management called the BMC and asked it to send them another parking agent.

The BMC council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the zoo’s own responsibility.

The zoo advised the BMC council that the attendant was a city employee.

The BMC council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the city payroll.

Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Srilanka, or Singapore, or Dubai, is a man who’d apparently had a ticket booth installed completely on his own and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about 5000 per day — for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over 4.6 Cr without interest and no one even knows his name.

3) A  man dies and goes to hell. Once there, he finds that there is a different hell for each country, so he tries to seek out the least painful one.

At the door to German Hell, he is told: “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”

He does not like the sound of that, so he checks out American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They are all similarly gruesome. However, at Pakistani Hell a long line of people is waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, “What do they do here?”

He is told: “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Pakistani devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”

“But that’s the same as the others,” says the man. “Why are so many people waiting to get in?”

“Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, so the bed is comfortable. And the Pakistani devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business.”

4) A South Indian and his six year old son went to the Zoo.

At the Elephant’s section, there was a sign put up, “Feed the elephant a bun to get your age.”

The little boy gives a bun to the elephant and it stamps its foot six times.

“Wow,” says the boy. “That’s right. I’m six. Dad, now you have a go.”

The South Indian dad gives the elephant a bun.

A moment later, the elephant lets go a loud fart and stamps his foot thrice.

Dad, “O mai Gad. Wat a korect anszer. I’m farty three.”

5) An atheist was fishing in Srlankan Shores suddenly his boat was attacked by a Blue Whale. With an easy flip, the beast tossed his boat high into the air and then opened its huge mouth to catch him.

As he sailed into the sky, he cried, “Oh, God! Please help me!”

At once, the ferocious scene froze!

As the atheist hung there in mid-air a booming voice came out of the clouds, “I thought you didn’t believe in Me!”

“Come on, God. Give me a break!” man. “A minute and ages ago I didn’t believe in the Blue Whale monster theory either ”

6) A woman stepped off a bus and realised she had left her purse on board. When she turned around, the bus was already long gone.

She called the bus company and was relieved to find out the bus driver had found her bag. When she went to pick it up, a man handed her two typewritten pages and a box containing the contents of her purse.

“We’re required to inventory lost wallets and purses,” he explained. “You’ll find everything in there.”

As the woman began pilling the items back into her bag, the man continued, “I hope you don’t mind if we watch. Even though we all tried, none of us could fit everything into your purse. And we’d like to see just how you do it.”

7) Morris had died.

His lawyer is standing before the family and reads out Morris’ Last Will and Testament.

“To my dear wife Esther, I leave the house, 150 acres of land, and 1 million dollars.

To my son Barry, I leave my Big Lexus and the new Jaguar.

To my daughter Shirley, I leave my yacht and $250,000.

And to my brother-in-law Aaron, who always insisted that health is better than wealth, I leave my treadmill.”

8) When you are bored just think about a few things that don’t make sense… like…

If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

Which letter is silent in the word “Scent,” the S or the C?

Do twins ever realise that one of them is unplanned?

Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn’t it be called double V?

Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and It just takes 75-100 years to fully work.

Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

The word “Malayalam” Back-Forth is still “Malayalam” but the language isn’t.

100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.

If you replace “W” with “T” in “What, Where and When”, you get the answer to each of them.

Four great confusions still unresolved:
1. At a movie theatre, which arm rest is yours?

2. If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around?

3. Why is there a ‘D’ in fridge, but not in refrigerator?

4. Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?

We can never find the answers, can we?
So just enjoy the pun and fun of the English language!!!

9) Sonia was to bake a cake for the church ladies’ group bake sale, but she forgot to do it until the last minute. She baked an angel food cake and when she took it from the oven, the center had dropped flat.

She said, “Oh dear, there’s no time to bake another cake.”

So, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of the cake. Sonia found it in the bathroom … a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered it with icing.

The finished product looked beautiful, so she rushed it to the church.

Before she left the house, Sonia had given Rahul the errand and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the minute it opened, and to buy that cake and bring it home. When Rahul arrived at the sale, the attractive cake had already been sold. Sonia was beside herself.

The next day, Sonia was invited to a friend Sheila’s home where a poker game was to be played that afternoon. After the game, a fancy lunch was served, and to top it off, the cake in question was presented for dessert. Sonia saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush into the kitchen to tell her hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, one of the other ladies said, “What a beautiful cake!” Sonia sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess Sheila(whose servant was a prominent church member) say, “Thank you, I baked it myself.”……Sheila Mocked Sonia Rocked and Rahul Shocked!!

 

*TELL ME WHY❓❓*
*Why Sunday holiday?*

Sunday is the day of the week after Saturday but before Monday. Sunday is a day of rest in most Western countries, as a part of the weekend.

Sunday is observed as a day of worship and rest, holding it as the Lord’s Day and the day of Christ’s resurrection. In some Muslim countries and Israel, Sunday is the first work day of the week. According to the Hebrew calendars and traditional Christian calendars, Sunday is the first day of the week. However, according to the International Organization for Standardization ISO 8601, Sunday is the seventh and last day of the week

*LEARN SANSKRIT*

*Sanskrit Months*

January – February *माघः*
February – March *फाल्गुनः*
March – April *चैत्रः*
April – May *वैशाखः*
May – June *ज्येष्ठः*
June – July *आषाढः*
July – August *श्रावणः*
August – September *भाद्रपदः*
September – October *आश्विनः*
October – November *कार्तिकः*
November – December *मार्गशीर्षः*
December – January *पौषः*

HOW IT WORKS!?

*How a stabilizer works*

A *Stabilizer* is a thing or device used to maintain something or a quantity steady or stable. … For example, a stabilizer used for maintaining the voltage quantity stable in a power system is called as voltage stabilizer.

Voltage Stabilizer is an electrical appliance which is designed to deliver a constant voltage to a load at its output terminals regardless of the changes in the input or incoming supply voltage. It protects the equipment or machine against over voltage, under voltage, and other voltage surges.

A voltage stabilizer increases the voltage at the output connected to the load when less than normal voltage is supplied by the power supply company side. This is accomplished by a transformer inside the stabilizer of a specific volt ampere rating.

‍♂️ *GK TODAY*

*NATO* (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

VEDIK GYAN:

The *Vedas* are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.

There are 4 different Vedas – Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda.

The Upanishads are late Vedic Sanskrit texts of religious teachings and ideas still revered in Hinduism. The Upanishads played an important role in the development of spiritual ideas in ancient India.

More than 200 Upanishads have been discovered. Each Upanishad is associated with a certain Veda. There are 14 Upanishads

HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES
( *Note* : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not)

*Uses of Neem*

*Good for eyes*
Chewing neem can improve your vision. To treat any kind of irritation, tiredness or redness you can also boil some neem leaves, let the water cool completely and then use it to wash your eyes.

*Wound healer* : Make a paste out of the neem leaves and dab it on your wounds or insect bites a few times a day till it heals.

*Overcome dandruff* : Boil a bunch of neem leaves till the water turns green, allow it to cool. After washing your hair with shampoo, cleanse it with this water.

PLZ FOLLOW GOVT. NORMS, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE, KEEP YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY SAFE ENDS