CURRENT AFFAIRS SEPTEMBER 15TH

Hindi Diwas: 14 September

Hindi Diwas is observed every year on 14 September to mark the popularity of Hindi as an official language of India.

• On the occasion, the International Hindi Conference was also organised by the World Hindi Council in New Delhi.
• Under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution, Hindi written in Devanagari script was adopted as the official language.

Engineers Day: 15 September

Engineers Day in India is observed every year on 15 September.

• It is celebrated as a tribute to the greatest Indian engineer and Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Vishweshvaraya.
• He was an engineering pioneer of India whose genius reflected in harnessing of water resources and building and consolidation of dams across the country.
• Visvesvaraya was also the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore, the biggest in Asia at that time.
• However, the Telangana state celebrates Engineers day on July 11th on the birthday of Ali Nawaz Jung Bahadur.

14th Conference of Parties to UNCCD adopts Delhi Declaration

The 14th Conference of Parties (COP-14) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) came to a close with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration.

• During the extensive deliberations that lasted for 12 days, COP-14 witnessed widespread participation from over 9,000 participants from across the globe at Greater Noida.
• In Delhi Declaration, the parties expressed support for new initiatives aiming to improve human health and well-being, the health of ecosystems and to advance peace and security.
• During the 12-day conference, COP 14 held thought-provoking discussions on land management, restoration of degraded land, drought, climate change, renewable energy, women empowerment, gender equality, water scarcity and various other issues.

World Bank to provide Rs 3,000 crore aid for food parks

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Rameswar Teli has said that the World Bank will provide three thousand crore rupees assistance to finance, mini and mega food parks across the country.

• He was addressing the 15th Indo-US Economic Summit organized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-North India Council (IACC-NIC) in New Delhi.
• The government is trying its best to double the income of farmers and is laying lot of focus on mega and mini food parks.

GST Network decides to make Aadhaar authentication mandatory for new dealers from January 2020

The GST Network has decided to make Aadhaar authentication or physical verification mandatory for new dealers from January 2020 to check malpractices in GST.

• This was announced by Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, who heads the Group of Ministers of GST Network.
• Aadhaar authentication was earlier optional. 

Sourabh Verma clinches Vietnam Open Super 100 title

In Badminton, Sourabh Verma clinched the Vietnam Open Super 100 title, defeating China’s Sun Fei Xiang in a thrilling Men's Singles summit clash at the Ho Chi Minh City.

• Second seed Verma recovered from a mid-game slump to beat Sun 21-12, 17-2, 21-14.
• This victory marks Verma's second Super 100 win in the ongoing calendar year.
• He had won the Hyderabad Open earlier in August.

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinches men's singles title of Belgian International Challenge

In Badminton, rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stunned second seed Victor Svendsen of Denmark in straight games to clinch men's singles title at the Belgian International Challenge.

• Lakshya was at his best as he notched up a comfortable 21-14, 21-15 win over Svendsen in the title clash.
• The 18-year-old Lakshya had earlier beaten Denmark's Kim Bruun 21-18, 21-11 to win in a 48-minute semifinal clash.

India beat Bangladesh by five runs, clinch U-19 Asia Cup title

India clinched the Under-19 Asia Cup title, with a thrilling five-run win over Bangladesh in a low-scoring final at Colombo.

• Defending a paltry total of 106, India dismissed Bangladesh for 101 in 33 overs.
• Left-arm spinner 18-year-old Atharva Ankolekar, emerged as the star of the Indian team, with figures of 5 for 28 from 8 overs.

2020 Women's FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held from Nov 2-21

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, to be hosted by India, will be held from 2nd to 21st November next year.

• The of FIFA will be held in four cities across the country.
• Last month, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has been provisionally confirmed as a venue, pending FIFA approval.
• Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Panaji and Ahmedabad are in the running for the other three host cities.
• India was announced as the host country in March this year.
• Spain is the defending champions, having won the title of the biennial tournament in 2018.