current affairs 16 September 2021 (In English)

India, Singapore will link UPI and PayNow for instant fund transfer.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have launched a project to link their respective fast payment systems – Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and PayNow, to facilitate instant, low-cost, cross-border fund transfers.
• The linkage is targeted to be operationalised by July 2022.
• The UPI-PayNow linkage will enable users of each of the two fast-payment systems to make instant, low-cost fund transfers on a reciprocal basis without the need to be onboarded to the other payment system.
• UPI is India's mobile-based, fast-payment system that allows customers to make payments round the clock using a virtual payment address created by the customer.
• PayNow is Singapore's fast payment system that enables peer-to-peer fund-transfer service.

UK starts world's biggest trial of blood test to detect over 50 types of cancer.

• The United Kingdom’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) has commenced the world’s biggest trial of a blood test where they will detect more than 50 types of cancer.
• The world's largest test of Grail Inc.'s flagship Gallerie blood test will detect a variety of cancers before they even show symptoms.
• The world's largest gallery of blood tests will enroll 140,000 participants from across England to assess the efficacy of the test.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University in Aligarh.

• The Uttar Pradesh government is establishing the university in the memory and honor of the great freedom fighter, educationist and social reformer Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh.
• The university will be spread over an area of more than 92 acres in Lodha village and Musepur Karim Jarauli village of Kol tehsil in Aligarh and will provide affiliation to 395 colleges of Aligarh division.

Pawan Kumar Goenka has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Space Promotion Authority of India Center (In-Space).

• Former Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Kumar Goenka has been appointed as the chairman of the National Space Promotion Authority of India Center (In-Space), the regulator of India's space industry.
• The IN-SPACe is an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space (DOS), ISRO, set up in 2020, for allowing space activities, like developing launch vehicles and satellites, and usage of DOS owned facilities to build them to both public and private firms in India.

The two-day conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of North Eastern States concluded successfully in Guwahati.

• The Ministry of Tourism is laying special emphasis on developing infrastructure, on-ground capacity and skills in the North Eastern Region.
• The Ministry of Tourism is also focusing on branding and marketing support to the North Eastern Region through various schemes and flagship initiatives.
• Under the PRASHAD schemes, the ministry has approved several projects in this area.
• About Rs 200 crore has been sanctioned for these projects.
• 68,020 crore has been allocated to the North Eastern states through the 2021-22 budget.