Current Affairs : OCT - 2018 1 · India Post released a Rs. 5 stamp to honour NGO Narayan Seva Sansthan. The logo features the Udaipur based NGO and its polio hospital. The 2nd edition

Current Affairs : OCT - 2018

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

The 4th India International Science Festival 2018 (IISF 2018) was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It is being organized by Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati. Theme:-Science for Transformation. Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath, Governor: Ram Naik.

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) aimed at providing sustainable alternative towards affordable transportation. The SATAT initiative has potential to boost availability of more affordable transport fuels, better use of

agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste, as well as provide additional revenue source to farmers.

Union Finance Ministry has constituted 9-member Competition Law Review Committee to ensure that legislation is in tune with changing business environment. It will be chaired by chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas and includes Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairperson M S Sahoo and Competition Commission of India (CCI) Chairperson as members.

All India Council for Technical Education will establish country’s first AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Moreover, tree more ATAL academies will come at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Guwahati (Assam) and Baroda (Gujarat) by next year.

India Post released a Rs. 5 stamp to honour NGO Narayan Seva Sansthan. The logo features the Udaipur based NGO and its polio hospital.

The 2nd edition of India Skills 2018, India’s biggest skill competition, was conducted in New Delhi, organized by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It aimed to identify, promote and reward the best talents in different skills.

Union Government has reconstituted Security Policy Group (SPG) under chairmanship of National Security Advisor to assist National Security Council (NSC) matters dealing with external, internal and economic security of the country. It will be 16-member body chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Union Government has decided to cover damages to crops in wild animal attacks under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna in select districts on an experimental basis. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana launched in 2016.

It had replaced earlier two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).

Under this scheme, farmers need to pay uniform premium of only 2% for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops. In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, farmers have to pay premium of only 5%.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan inaugurated the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference of India Region, Zone III in Guwahati, Assam.

Union Minister of Textiles, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Inaugurated the exhibition “Revisiting Gandhi: The Art of Shelly Jyoti” at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.

Union Cabinet has approved establishment of National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). It will be set up by merging existing regulatory institutions in the skills space–National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and National Skill Development Agency (NSDA).

Union Cabinet has approved establishment and operationalisation of two new permanent campuses of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) and Behrampur (Odisha).

India’s first ever National Environment Survey (NES) will be kicked off in January, 2019 to map environment data of 55 districts across 24 states and 3 Union Territories.

Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued draft ‘National Policy on Electronics 2018’ (NPE 2018) for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Sector of India. It sets ambitious target of creating $400 billion electronics manufacturing industry by 2025, with mobile phone devices segment accounting for three-fourths of production.


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Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and World Bank have jointly released report on Strengthening Forest Fire Management in the Country. The report discusses policies on forest fire prevention and management (FFPM) at national, state and local levels. India is losing at least 1,100 crore due to forest fires every year according to World Bank report.

IBM India partnered with NITI Aayog to offer internship programme to top performing students selected by the Atal Innovation Mission.

The Government premier think tank NITI Aayog has inked agreement with Microsoft India to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address challenges in agriculture and healthcare and promote adoption of local language computing among others. Chairman: PM Narendra Modi, Vice-Chairman: Dr. Rajiv Kumar, CEO: Amitabh Kant.

The Central Government has approved a special package for generation of employment in leather and footwear sector. The package consist of implementation of Central Sector Scheme–Indian Footwear, Leather & Accessories

Development Programme (IFLADP) with approved expenditure of Rs. 2600 Crore for 2017-20. The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 13th Annual Convention of the Central Information

Commission (CIC) in New Delhi. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) celebrated Silver Jubilee (25 years) on October 12, 2018. NHRC

was set up on October 12, 1993. The silver Jubilee celebrations were held in New Delhi. NHRC is apex statutory watchdog of human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality and

dignity of the individual guaranteed by Constitution or embodied in the international convents. Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare released an Analytical Report of the

National Health Profile-2018 prepared by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), under the aegis of the Directorate General of Health Services at Patna, Bihar . Central Bureau has been publishing National Health Profile every year since 2005. This is the 12th edition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s first national police museum in Delhi on the occasion of police commemoration day on October 21.

Union Minister of State for Textiles Ajay Tamta inaugurated the 46th edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gift Fair (IHGF) Delhi Fair-one of Asia's largest gifts and handicrafts fair.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has come out with dedicated e-mail address ([email protected]) to report instances of sexual harassment at workplace. The launch of dedicated e-mail address comes after several such complaints were made by women from various

fields to NCW by women who have narrated their ordeal under the ‘#Metoo’ movement on social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired 6th meeting of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at New

Delhi. In this meeting, he reviewed activities of NDMA to effectively manage and respond to disasters affecting country.

The Union Government launched national campaign ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ on occasion of World Food Day (16 October) to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy. Swasth Bharat Yatra national campaign:

Under it, pan-India cycle rally is being organized to create consumer awareness about eating safe and nutritious food for becoming healthy and combating food adulteration.

Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has launched Youth Road Safety Learners Licence programme in New Delhi. It is Public–private partnership (PPP) initiative in collaboration with Diageo India and Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE).

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered chatbot–Ask Disha ((Digital Interaction to Seek Help Anytime) to help its users answer various queries. The chatbot is special computer programme designed to simulate conversation with users, especially over the internet. Ask Disha:-The first-of-its-kind initiative by IRCTC is aimed at facilitating accessibility by answering users’ queries

pertaining to various services offered to railway passengers. The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), under the Union Ministry of

Rural Development signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lady Irwin College for establishing ROSHNI-Centre of Women Collectives led Social Action. ROSHNI is technically and financially supported by UNICEF India that also serves as a technical support unit at

national level for DAY-NRLM and is embedded in the Department of Development Communication and Extension, Lady Irwin College, New Delhi.

UNICEF Founded: 11 December 1946, Headquarter: New York. The world's tallest statue, the Statue of Unity dedicated to the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is all set to

be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31st October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel (143). The Statue of Unity-has been built at the cost of about Rs.2223 crore. The Statue of Unity was designed by Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar.


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The 182 metres tall Statue of Unity-twice the size of the Statue of Liberty (93 metres). In terms of both art and engineering, the Statue of Unity demanded much greater effort than the Buddha statues in

the Spring Temple of Buddha (China, 153 metres) and Ushiku Daibutsu (Japan, 120 metres). Run for unity’ Marathon has been organised in various parts of the country to commemorate the 143rd birth

anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. India for the first time announced a railway station named, the Keylong station, to be built inside a tunnel at a

height of 3,000 metres in Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur, Governor: Acharya Devvrat.

A parliamentary panel on labour was constituted to examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). the committee headed by Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya. The parliamentary standing committee on labour has also decided to review the implementation of labour laws,

social security and welfare scheme for workers. India's first ever passenger cruise ship service was start from Mumbai to Goa. The cruise ship named Angriya. The 27th Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018) was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The 6-day event is organised by

the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hosted by Department of Atomic Energy and Gandhinagar-based Institute of Plasma Research.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the constitution of a High-Level Steering Committee for periodically reviewing and refining the National Indicator Framework (NIF) for monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with associated targets. The high-level committee will be chaired by Chief Statistician of India and Secretary under the Ministry of Statistics

and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the creation of post of Director for

each new AIIMS at Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bathinda (Punjab), Guwahati (Assam), Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) and Deoghar (Jharkhand).

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved setting up of Indian Institute of Skills (IISs) at different locations across the country in Public Private Partnership (PPP). The setting up of IISs shall augment the global competitiveness of key sectors of Indian economy by providing high

quality skill training, applied research education and a direct and meaningful connection with industry. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for

creation of special Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) to double farmers’ income by 2022. The aim to achieve this target was set under Blue revolution.

The 6th edition of North East festival is being organized in New Delhi. The festival will showcase the vibrant strengths of North East India and display its art, handicraft, handlooms, tourism, food, culture etc. Theme :-Experiencing the North East”

The Central Vigilance Commission observes the Vigilance Awareness Week every year during the week in which birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (31st October) falls. The 2018 Vigilance Awareness Week is being observed from 29th October to 3rd November to promote probity in public life and achieve a corruption-free society. Theme:- Eradicate Corruption-Build a New India.

The 2nd edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC-2018) was held New Delhi. It was organised by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). The theme was “New Digital Horizons. Connect. Create. Innovate”.

Supreme Court banned the sale and registration of motor vehicles conforming to the emission standard Bharat Stage-IV in the entire country from April 1, 2020.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, in coordination with the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra, organized the first in a series of regional review meetings on Sustainable Sanitation in Nagpur. Aimed at a more focused drive on the theme of sustainability, and improving quality of, the work done on the

ground, the review meeting covered a range of quality and sustainability indicators in order to improve infrastructure and data quality and to improve communication for quality initiatives.

Prime Minister’s address at the inauguration of ‘Krishi Kumbha 2018’ in Lucknow, via video conference to double income of farmers by 2022. during this Krishi Kumbh discussions on matters such as judicious use of water resources, better technology for

storage, and use of latest technology in farming. Krishi Kumbh is having:

Haryana and Jharkhand as partner states and Japan and Israel as partner countries. First Indian Nishtha Dudeja to have won any title at the Miss Deaf World Pageant. the 18th edition of Miss and

Mister Deaf World-Europe-Asia Beauty Pageant 2018 held at Prague, Czech Republic. India released its first semi-high speed train (160km/h) called-Train-18 at a cost of Rs 100 crore, manufactured at

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai.


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Union Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 10th Edition of BIOFACH INDIA, the largest show on the “Organic Sector” in India, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It was organized by Nuernberg Messe India and APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export

Development Authority), Ministry of Commerce and Industry and supported by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

Theme:-Enhancing export of organic products trade from India–strategies and synergies. The 11th Global Agriculture Summit 2018 concluded in New Delhi. It aimed to provide the platform towards

facilitating farmers connect with the technologies, markets, industry, institutions and the Governmental programs. Theme:-Connecting Farmers to Market. The chairman of the summit was: M. S. Swaminathan, Architect of India’s Green Revolution. M.S. Swaminathan was presented with first World Agriculture Prize by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu. Global Agriculture Leadership Awards-2018.

Award Category Winner

Life Time Achievement Award for 2018

Padamsree Dr. KH Gharda

International Leadership Award Prof. Rudy Rabbinge, Special Envoy–Food Security, Government of Netherlands

Research Leadership Award National Research Development Corporation

Policy Leadership Award Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu (CM of Andhra Pradesh)

Academic Leadership Award Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

Best Fisheries State Award State of Jharkhand

Best Animal Husbandry State Award State of Bihar

Best Horticulture State Award State of Nagaland

Best Agriculture State Award State of Gujarat

Program Leadership Award The State Horticulture Mission (Govt. of Haryana)

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the International Arya Mahasammelan – 2018 in Delhi. The President said that we will be celebrating 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 2024. We

will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Arya Samaj in 2025. Swami Dayanand Saraswati had worked for eradication of discrimination in society on the basis of caste, creed and sect and motivated everyone to become Arya – that is-the best.

Indian higher education institutes have doubled their presence in the QS Asia Rankings, but none made it to the top 20. In an official press statement released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), India has the 3rd largest number of

universities and institutes (75), after China (112) and Japan (89), in the Asia Rankings. Out of 75 institutes, there are 40 new Indian institutions in the ranking.

IIT-Bombay is ranked 33 and is the top Indian Institute in QS Asia Ranking 2019. The other institutes from India in the ranking are IIT-Delhi at 40th position, IIT-Madras at 48th position, Indian Institute of Science at 50, IIT-Kharagpur at 53 and IIT-Kanpur at 61.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated first Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) in New Delhi. The

same event also marked inauguration of 2nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting and 2nd Global RE-Invest (Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet and Expo). In this occasion 21 countries in Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) adopted Delhi Declaration on Renewable

Energy in Indian Ocean Region. IORA establised:6 mar 1997, Headquarter:Ebene, Mauritius.

India has launched massive humanitarian operation Samudra Maitri to provide assistance to earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia. The operation was launched after telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo and following Indonesia’s acceptance of international aid. Capital: Jakarta, Currency: Indonesian rupiah.

India was ranked 28th among 73 countries in 2018 Government e-Payments Adoption Ranking (GEAR). India has jumped by eight positions in this ranking from 36th in 2011 which reinforces country’s progress towards digital transformation. Norway has topped 2018 GEAR list scoring 89.7 points in seven categories.


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The ranking is based on seven parameters viz. Government-to-Citizen (G2C), Citizen-to-Government (C2G), Business-to-Government (B2G), Government-to-Business (G2B) transactions, infrastructure, socio-economic and policy environment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched first global guidelines on sanitation and health. These guidelines summarize evidence on effectiveness of range of sanitation interventions. Aimed at securing health and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere by considering sanitation as fundamental

foundation of human health and development. India and Uzbekistan have inked 17 agreements including for cooperation in the fields of tourism, national security,

training of diplomats, against trafficking and visa free travel for diplomatic passport holders. These agreements were signed after delegation level talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New Delhi.

Uzbekistan Capital : Tashkent, Currency:Som.

India was ranked 5th among 206 countries in Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report 2018 released by Canadian Cancer Society. The ranking of the countries was in terms of largest pictorial warning on cigarette packs. In India, 85% of both sides of cigarette packets are covered with warnings.

International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization have collectively launched report “Reinvigorating Trade and Inclusive Growth”. In this report all 3 international organisations have sought liberalisation of global service sector, asserting that barriers to these services trade currently is roughly as high as those to trade in goods about a half century ago.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) the finance arm of World Bank approved investment of $ 100 million in India Resurgence Fund (IRF) is a joint venture of Parimal Enterprise Limited and Bain Capital. The fund originally needs a total of $300 million and each of the partner organizations have invested $100 million

each. This fund would help in investing in restructuring of balance sheets of important organizations linked to infrastructure and consumption.

According to world inequality index , India fared poorly, ranking 147th out of 157 countries, in terms of its commitment to reducing inequality, while Denmark topped the list. The Index developed by Oxfam International and Development Finance International.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UN Environment for coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.

The External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj participated in the 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The country’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru. Israel Capital – Jerusalem, Currency – New shekel.

According to Henley Index 2018, Japan surpassed Singapore to have the most powerful passport. The Japanese passport now offers its citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a record 189 destinations.

India and Azerbaijan has signed protocol on trade and economic, science and technology cooperation. It was signed at 5th meeting of India-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission (IA-IGC) on Trade and Economic, Science and Technology Cooperation held in New Delhi. Azerbaijan Capital: Baku, Currency: Azerbaijani manat.

India and Japan held their 2nd edition of ‘Japan-India Act East Forum’ in New Delhi. Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman is on maiden official visit to France on the invitation of French Defence

Minister Ms Florence Parly. Smt Sitharaman addressed ‘India-France Defence Engagement in a Multipolar World’ at the Institute of Strategic

Research (IRSEM) in Paris. The World Bank launched its first Human Capital Index (HCI) in Bali, Indonesia, as part of the World Development

Report 2019. Theme of the World Development Report (WDR) 2018 is “The Changing Nature of Work”. The index ranks 157 countries based on their education and health outcomes and the impact they are having on

productivity. While Singapore tops the rankings, African countries occupying the bottom spots. India is ranked at 115th position in the index with its score of 0.44 on a scale of 0 to 1 coming even below the

average score for South Asia. As per the Global Hunger Index 2018, published the level of hunger and undernutrition worldwide fell to 20.9,

down from 29.2 in the year 2000. India was ranked 103rd out of 119 countries. India has gone three places behind the year 2017. India was ranked 100th in this list last year. Belarus is at the top in the GHI this year, while India's neighboring China has 25th, Bangladesh- 86th, Nepal-72nd ,

Sri Lanka is 67th and Myanmar is 68th.


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The Global Hunger Index 2018 report was prepared jointly by global NGOs namely, Concern Worldwide (Ireland) and Welthungerhilfe (Germany).

The four GHI indicators-the prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.

The main area of focus for this year’s report has been “Forced Migration and Hunger”. The Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution C. R. Chaudhary,

attended the 6th RCEP Inter-sessional Ministerial Meeting (IMM) in Singapore on 12-13 October, 2018. The Ministers from 16 RCEP countries met in Singapore to discuss a modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among ASEAN and ASEAN's FTA partners. Next round meeting of Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) is scheduled to be held in Auckland, New Zealand.

India was elected to the United Nations' top UN Human Rights Council body for a period of 3 years beginning January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates.

Second '2+2' secretary-level dialogue between India and Australia was held in Canberra. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra held the Foreign Secretaries Frances

Adamson and Defence Secretaries Greg Moriarty of Australian counterparts. The #MeToo movement gets bigger in India, the National Commission for Women (NCW) urged the victims of

sexual abuse to register their written complaints with authorities concerned, including with the National Commission for Women. The #MeToo movement took flight in the Hollywood with the Harvey Weinstein expose, the movement has now

arrived in the Bollywood. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi announced that her ministry will be

setting up a four-member committee to examine all the #MeToo cases. NCW set up:January 1992, Chairperson: Rekha Sharma.

The first India-United States tri-services exercise is likely to take place in 2019 in India. US will 2nd country after Russia with whom India conducts tri-services exercise.

The 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and 5th ADMM-Plus was held Singapore. ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in regional security architecture for promoting

strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners. The 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit was held in Brussels, Belgium. The theme of summit was ‘Global

Partners for Global Challenges’. Belgium Capital: Brussels, Currency: Euro.

The 7th meeting of Education ministers of member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Astana, Kazakhstan. SCO Headquarter–Beijing, China, Secretary–General Rashid Alimov.

The Indian and Chinese armies are going to resume their annual bilateral military exercise 'Hand-in-Hand' in December 2018. China Capital: Beijing, Currency: Renminbi.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the Global Competitiveness Report 2018. The report publishes the Global Competitiveness Index, ranking 140 countries on the basis of 98 indicators organised into 12 pillars. India was ranked as the 58th most competitive economy with a score of 62.0 on the Global Competitiveness Index

2018. India jumped five spots from 2017, the largest gain among G20 economies. On the list of 140 economies, the United States topped the list with a score of 85.6, followed by Singapore and

Germany at the 2nd and the 3rd positions respectively. India, Japan and the U.S. announced participation in the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format

on December 2018. Capital: Tokyo, Currency: Japanese yen.

China inaugurated Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, world’s longest sea bridge with total length of 55 km. The first trilateral meeting between India, Afghanistan and Iran of Coordination Council of Chabahar Agreement

was held in Tehran, Iran. To promote connectivity and economic development in Afghanistan. International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR–2018) was held at Bangaram Island,

Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The theme of the conference was “Reef for Life”. It was jointly organized by Department of Environment and Forest, Union Territory of Lakshadweep Administration

with the technical support of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Environmental Information System (ENVIS) in consonance with declaration of year 2018 as 3rd decadal International year of Reefs.

India and China have signed agreement on internal security cooperation. It is first such agreement to be signed between the two countries. The agreement was signed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and China’s State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi in New Delhi.


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The agreement on internal security cooperation aims to strengthen and consolidate assistance in counter-terrorism, organised crimes, drug control, human trafficking and exchange of information, marking a new beginning between the two countries.

India and Myanmar inked MoU for appointment of private port operator for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Sittwe Port, Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated facilities included in Kaladan Multi Model Transit Transport Project. Myanmar:Capital: Naypyidaw, Currency: Burmese kyat.

Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved more than $1 billion new investments for 19 new projects to help developing countries tackle climate change. The decision was taken during meeting of GCF in Manama, Bahrain. The funding was approved for projects linked

to geothermal energy in Indonesia, greener cities in Europe and Middle East and protection for coastal communities in India.

Bahrain Capital : Manama, Currency:Dinar

United Nation-backed fund Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved US $43.4 million for enhancing climate resilience for millions of people living in India’s coastal communities as part of its efforts to combat extreme impacts of climate change.

The joint military exercise Iron Magic-19 between United Arab Emirates (UAE) and United States (US) kicked off near Dubai.

India will be among the top 3rd aviation market by 2024 according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its 20- year air passenger forecast report. India is currently at 7th position in Global Aviation market. China will displace the US as the world’s largest aviation market in the mid-2020. India will take the third place

after US around 2024 surpassing UK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a 3 day visit to Japan. During this visit, Narendra Modi attended the 13th Annual

India-Japan Bilateral Summit to strengthening bilateral security and economic cooperation is expected to be high on the agenda. Both countries will cooperate for the first time in the areas of traditional medicinal systems such as Yoga and

Ayurveda. During the meeting Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the ‘Make in India: India-Japan partnership in Africa and

digital partnership’ seminar. Germany’s Angela Merkel said that her 4th term as chancellor would be her last and that she would step down as

leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU). Republic of Seychelles launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond worth US$15 million to finance sustainable

marine and fisheries projects. Seychelles:Capital: Victoria, Currency: Seychellois rupee.

The world’s largest airport terminal under one roof with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers was opened in Istanbul, Turkey. Capital: Ankara, Currency: Turkish lira.

United Nations (UN) announced launch of a project on creating an India’s intangible heritage inventory. A total of 13 intangible cultural heritage elements from India have been inscribed till date on the UNESCO’s

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These include the Kumbh Mela, Novruz, Tradition of Vedic chanting, Ramlila, Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre; Ramman,

religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas; Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan; and Chhau dance.

The United Nations had dedicated its iconic campus here to India’s cultural heritage as its office in New Delhi. India has donated 3 lakh dollars for a peacekeeping initiative at the United Nations.

The UN Department of Field Support announced that the Indian government donated the amount for the ‘Pipeline to Peacekeeping Command Programme’ with a specific focus on issues of conduct and discipline over a period of three years.

The 20th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2018 was held at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. UAE Capital: Abu Dhabi, Currency: Dirham.

STATES HIGHLIGHTS

The Union Cabinet has remodified its earlier decision to establish of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in Sehore District, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). NIMHR will be the first of its kind in the country in the area of mental health rehabilitation. Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor: Anandiben Patel.


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The Union Government has inked US $150 million loan agreement with multilateral lender Asian Development Bank (ADB) for establishing India’s first Global Skills Park in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed $240 million loan agreement for West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project to provide safe drinking water to people in three districts of West Bengal. Established: 1966, Headquarter: Manila, Philippines, President: Takehiko Nakao.

The world’s largest dome was inaugurated at Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT)’s World Peace University (MIT-WPU) campus at Loni Kalbhor, Pune (Maharashtra). The dome has been built atop MIT World Peace Library and World Peace Prayer Hall, which are named after 13th

century poet-saint and philosopher Dnyaneshwar who was pivotal figure of Bhakti movement in Maharashtra. President Ram Nath Kovind has given asset Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and

Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016 under Article 200 of Constitution. Karnataka became first state give legal protection to good Samaritans who help accidents victims with emergency

medical care within golden hour. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched Wage Compensation scheme for Pregnant Women in tea

gardens of the state in Guwahati, to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the tea growing areas. Capital: Dispur, Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.

Alphonso mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Thane and Raigad districts of Maharashtra, is registered as Geographical Indication (GI). Other similar GI tagged products include: Darjeeling Tea, Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, Blue Pottery of Jaipur, Banarasi Sarees and Tirupati Laddus. Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis, Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi Museum in Rajkot. The Museum has been set up at the Alfred High School.

National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will be set up on the banks of the Ganga river in Patna University campus in Patna, Bihar. It will India’s and Asia’s first Dolphin research centre.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the "Nirman Kusuma Yojana" to provide financial assistance to children of construction workers for pursuing technical education. Under the scheme, the government provides Rs 23,600 financial assistance to each student for pursuing an ITI

course. Rs 26,300 financial assistance for pursuing polytechnic and diploma courses in government institutions.

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed an International Conference on Women’s Health, Wellness and Empowerment organised by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India and the Kanpur Obstetric and Gynaecological Society in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The Gujarat Forest Department has started vaccination of lions in Gir sanctuary to protect them from a deadly canine distemper virus (CDV) and protozoa infections. The virus is blamed for the death of as many as 23 lions in Gujarat’s Gir sanctuary in less than month.

Arunachal Pradesh Government launched 2 schemes called- the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana and Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana in Itanagar to double the income of the farmers in the country by 2022. Capital: Itanagar, Chief Minister: Pema Khandu, Governor: B.D. Mishra.

The Maharashtra Government has launched a website and an application ‘Maha Madat’ for collectively analysing the rainfall, crop situation and underground water level using modern technology. Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis, Governor: C.Vidyasagar Rao.

Karnataka state government, unveils the Unnati scheme, which will invest up to Rs 20 crore to create end-to-end support infrastructure for startups and entrepreneurs from a marginalised background. The Objective is to deliver sustainable development and social welfare which will identify, mentor, and promote

young entrepreneurs from the SC/ST communities. Chief Minister: H.D.Kumaraswamy, Governor: Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the Haryana government will set up an anti-terrorist force (ATF) comprising specially trained recruits from the state police, to deal with present-day security challenges. This force will be named ‘Kavach’. Select Haryana police recruits will be trained by the National Security Guard

(NSG). Haryana launched first-of-its-kind National Autism Intervention Research Centre at Fortis Memorial Research

Institute in Gurugram. It will help people suffering from autism who need behavioural and medical experts to get educated, learn play and

social skills and improve their quality of life. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has confirmed 22 positive laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus in

Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur. It was detected through Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) surveillance system and all suspected cases in defined area and mosquito samples are being tested.

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in collaboration with Assam Government has launched new Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) facility connecting Neamati to Manjuli Island in Assam.

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Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ over west central Bay of Bengal: Cyclone Warning for districts of north Andhra Pradesh & Odisha coasts. Tropical cyclone Titli was named by Pakistan.

Sikkim was awarded UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award (Gold Prize) for its achievement in becoming the world’s first totally organic agriculture state. Sikkim is first organic state in the world and all farmlands in the state are certified organic.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh launched three mobile apps aimed at checking crop residue burning and creating awareness about its ill-effects. Named i-Khet Machine, e-PEHaL and e-Prevent, they would help farmers access agriculture machinery, monitor

tree plantation and access prompt and accurate information about incidents of crop residue burning. The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Pradhan Mantri

Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) Patiala, where 1000 students will get free training in skill Development every year in the multiple courses like Hair Stylist, Manual Arc Welding, Plumber, Field Technician.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that very soon Allahabad district will be renamed Prayagraj.

Shahi Litchi from Bihar has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India. Chief minister: Nitish Kumar, Governor: Lalji Tandon.

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to launch ‘Prakriti’ programme. Prakriti’ programme :-The main objective of Prakriti programme is to provide platform for school children to

learn practical skills towards sustainable use of resources. Assam celebrated its 3rd Bihu festival known as the ‘Kati Bihu’ festival across the state.

Capital: Dispur, Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal, Governor: Jagdish Mukhi. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unfurled India’s highest tricolor flag at the majestic Haj

House in Mumbai. Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis, Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao.

The 4th International Film Festival of Shimla (IFFS 2018) concluded in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Some of the Winners of the 4th IFFS are:

Best Short Film (International)-“The Fog” by Ali Shoorvarzi, Hoseyn Mahroughi.

Best Documentary award-“BURKINAB RISING-The art of resistance in Burkina Faso”.

Best short film (National)-“Anahut” (Marathi) by Umesh Bagade.

Best Feature Film-“Sinjar” by Sandeep Pampally. Chief Minister: Jai Ram Thakur, Governor: Acharya Devvrat.

India’s longest river bridge total length of 19.3 kilometer will be built across the Brahmaputra, connecting Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalaya, and will cut road travel by 203 km as also travel time.

Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the first Mega Food Park- The Gujarat Agro Mega Food Park, in Surat, Gujarat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the “Ro-Pax” (roll on/off-passenger) ferry service connecting Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, has written to Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, K.J. Alphons, and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, for developing Maharashtra coast as a Tourist Hotspot. That the marine leisure sector is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry and growth ofcruise ship

industry, seaside destination resorts, marine parks, scuba diving and aquariums. The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga

Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari and Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan lay the foundation for India’s largest Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard in Kerala at a cost of 1,799 rupees crore and will be completed by May 2021. This Dry Dock, Cochin Shipyard will be able to build specialised and technologically advanced large vessels like LNG

Carriers, drill ships, jack up rigs, large dredgers, aircraft carriers for Indian Navy and high end research vessels. Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is going to issue masala bonds worth Rs. 5,000 crore to

mobilise funds for various development works. Project Nanhi Kali Launches Teen Age Girls Report, this Report published by the Naandi Foundation, the nation’s

first report on what it means to be a teenage girl in India. Investing in education, health, and livelihood opportunities for young women creates powerful ripple effects that

benefit future generations and positively impact the economy and society.


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According to the Index, Kerala and Mizoram are the top two states, while the top three cities are Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. Manoj Kumar, CEO, Naandi Foundation added, "TAG Report’’.

Capital: Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor: Palanisamy Sathasivam. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra

Singh laid the foundation stone of new Science Centre, the “Technology Facility Centre” (TFC) in Jorhat, Assam. Capital: Dispur, Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal, Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.

India’s first gallery on robotic dinosaurs was opened to the public at the Pushpa Gujral Science City, in Kapurthala, Punjab.

The 1st edition of North East Olympic Games 2018 was held at Main Stadium Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, in Imphal, Manipur. The 2nd edition of North East Olympic Games will be held in Arunachal Pradesh in 2019.

The British Council and the Arunachal Pradesh government inked an MoU to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation between the state and the UK at Tawang in the sidelines of the Tawang Festival. Capital: Itanagar, Chief Minister: Pema Khandu, Governor: B.D. Mishra.

Meghalaya launched the flagship scheme “Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries”. The Central Government has sanctioned 51 crore rupees for the scheme. With the launch of this scheme the State

would be self-sufficient in fish production. Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal inaugurated the 2nd edition of International Film Festival 2018 (GIFF

2018) in Guwahati, Assam. The Haryana Government introduce the ‘Pashu Sanjeevni Sewa’ scheme to provide free of cost health care services

to livestock in the state through mobile veterinary clinics.

ECONOMY AWARENESS

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched Udyam Abhilasha, a national level entrepreneurship awareness campaign. It was launched in 115 Aspirational Districts identified by NITI Aayog in 28 States. Objectives of Udyam Abhilasha

Inspire rural youth in aspirational districts to be entrepreneurs by assisting them to set up their own enterprise.

Impart trainings through digital medium across the country.

Create business opportunities for CSC-VLEs.

Focus on women aspirants in aspirational districts to encourage women entrepreneurship. India’s leading bourse Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) became first stock exchange in the country to launch

commodity derivative contracts. It has launched contracts in popular commodities like gold (1kg) and silver (30kg). Reserve Bank of India, the central bank of India, released its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy.

Repo Rate: 6.50% Reverse Repo Rate: 6.25% Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 6.75% Bank Rate: 6.75% Cash Reserve Ratio: 4% SLR: 19.5% Monetary Policy Committee Consisted of:

Dr. Pami Dua, Dr. Ravindra H. Dholakia, Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra, Dr. Viral V. Acharya and Dr. Urjit R. Patel and Dr. Chetan Ghate.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) approved Reliance Health Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital, to begin operations.

Reserve Bank of India announced injection of Rs.36,000 crore into the system through purchase of government bonds under Open Market Operation (OMO).

RBI approved the proposal of Kerala government for the formation of Kerala Bank. the committee, headed by M.S. Sreeram of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. The proposal envisions to merge 14 District Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and the Kerala State Cooperative Bank

(KSCB) to form one of the largest banks in the state. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a growth rate of 7.3 per cent for India in the current year and 7.4

per cent in 2019. In 2017, India had recorded a 6.7 per cent growth rate. National Housing Bank (NHB) has increased the refinance limit for the period between July 2018-June 2019 to Rs

30,000 crore from Rs 24,000 crore for eligible institutions. State Bank of India has signed an MoU with Kathmandu-based National Banking Institute (NBI) for the development

of human resources. The Union Government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), decided to issue Sovereign Gold

Bonds 2018-19. Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme was launched by the government in November 2015.

It was aimed at redusing the demand of physical gold .


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The interest rate was fixed at 2.75% per annum. This has been reduced to 2.50% per annum and these bonds can be used as collateral for loans.

The minimum limit 1 gram and maximum limit 4 KG for individual and HUF and 20 Kg for trusts.

The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option in 5th, 6th year and 7th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines for interoperability among prepaid instruments (PPI) such as e-wallets. Inter-operability is technical compatibility that enables payment system to be used in conjunction with other payment systems. The interoperability will be achieved in phased manner i.e. initially inter-operability of PPIs issued in form of

wallets through UPI, and later between wallets and bank accounts through UPI, and interoperability for PPIs issued in form of cards through card networks.

An ATM for deposit and withdrawal of money for cryptocurrencies has been installed in Kemp Fort Mall (Bengaluru) by virtual currency exchange Unocoin.

Indian government boost capital flows into the country, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, launched a $1 billion Masala Bond programme. IFC Founded: 20 July 1956, Headquarter:Washington D.C., US, Member Countries: 184

State Bank of India has launched “SBI Wealth Hub” in Mangaluru. SBI is the first bank to introduce wealth business services for its customers.

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) formed a panel to examine claims in installments.This panel is headed by Suresh Mathur. Headquarter: Hyderabad, Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia.

State Bank of India (SBI) and payments solution provider Hitachi Payment Services India entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for establishing a card acceptance and digital payment platform.

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to conduct purchase of Government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of US $.400 billion (Rs 40,000 crore) in the month of November 2018.

The Government of India has notified the sale of electoral bond by SBI through its 29 authorized branches from 1.11.2018 to 10.11.2018. The concept of electoral bond was initiated in Union Budget 2017. The bonds are issued in multiples of Rs.1000, Rs.10000, Rs.1lakh, Rs.10 lakh, Rs.1 crore. The cash donation has been

capped at Rs. 2000 and beyond that donations are via electoral bonds.

CORPORATE AFFAIRS

Realtors body National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to provide skill training and jobs in construction sector for 2.5 lakh poor people. The partnership will strengthen skill trainings and employment opportunities in construction sector for urban poor

under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission. Ministry of Corporate Affairs appealed the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to change of the board and

management control by Uday Kotak of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS). According to global brand consultancy Interbrand's “Best 100 Global Brands 2018” by global brand

consultancy Interbrand, Apple topped the chart as the best brand of 2018 and is followed by Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Coca Cola.

Flipkart enters into pact with Bajaj Allianz to provide insurance to customers buying smart phones from its platform. The Women and Child Development Ministry has signed an agreement with the NASSCOM, a trade association of

Indian IT companies, for ensuring effective implementation of Poshan Abhiyan across 29 states and 7 Union territories.

The North Central Railways (NCR) launched two mobile apps, NCR RASTA (Railway assets Summerised Tracking Application) and Yatri RASTA (Railway Approach to Station Tracking Application) for its employees and passengers, respectively, for locating assets and stations. NCR RASTA app: It is for use of railway officers and staff and has exact mapping of all railway assets. Yatri RASTA app: It will allow general public to locate railway stations easily.

Microsoft overtakes Amazon to become second most valuable company in the world after Apple Inc.

DEFENCE & SECURITY

The maiden joint exercise of Coast Guards of India and Vietnam “Sahyog HOP TAC -2018” was held in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast, Tamil Nadu.

The 6th edition of India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime (IBSAMAR), a joint multi–national maritime exercise between Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies was held at Simons Town, South Africa. The aim of this maritime exercise


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is to undertake collective training for participating navies, building interoperability and mutual understanding as well as sharing of best practices. Exercise IBSAMAR:-It was initiated in 2006. It is considered as most visible manifestation of convergence of

democratic values, economic interests and maritime cooperation. The last edition of IBSAMAR V was conducted off Goa, India in February 2016.

The 3rd edition of Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) commenced at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. JIMEX-18 is aimed to enhance interoperability, improve understanding and imbibe best practices between navies of two countries. JIMEX :-India and Japan maritime exercise (JIMEX) was started in January 2012 with special focus on on Maritime

Security Cooperation. It was held for first time was conducted off Japanese coast. The last (second) edition of JIMEX was conducted in Dec 2013 off Chennai coast, India.

Capital: Tokyo, Currency: Japanese yen, Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned five new battalions of anti-riot and crowd control Rapid

Action Force (RAF). The 32nd edition of India-Indonesia coordinated patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) is being held in Belawan, Indonesia. The first joint military exercise named “Dharma Guardian” between India and Japan will be held at the Army’s

Counter-Insurgency Warfare School at Vairengte (Mizoram) from November 1 to 14, 2018. Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) organized a day-long conference on Innovation in

Cyberspace, Cyber Security–Challenges and Innovations, held in DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Trident Juncture 2018 military exercise began in Norway.

NATO Headquarter: Brussels, Belgium. The 11 Base Repair Depot (BRD) of the Indian Air Force in Maharashtra’s Nashik district handed over its first

indigenously overhauled Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet to the IAF at a ceremony held at the Air Force Station Ojhar. The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a twin-jet multi-role air superiority aircraft developed by Russia’s Sukhoi and built under

licence by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully undertaken series of flight trials of Astra Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile. The tests were conducted at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, Odisha.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (ROSCOSMOS) have agreed to worked together for first manned space mission Gaganyaan. Gaganyaan Mission: It is India’s first manned space mission. Under it, India is planning to send three humans (Gaganyatris) into space i.e. in low earth orbit (LEO) by 2022 i.e. by 75th Independence Day for period of 5 to 7 days.

Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched ‘Med Watch’ mobile health app to provide health information to users, including first-aid and other health and nutritional topics.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central University of Jammu (CUJ) in Jammu for setting up of Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science in University. It will be first of its kind institute coming up in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Election Commission of India is introducing the unique internet based mobile app C-vigil in the upcoming assembly polls. The ‘CVIGIL’, which stands for ‘Citizens Vigil’, will be operationalised for the first time as a pilot project.

CSIR-IITR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research ), Lucknow, has developed an innovative technology for “Drinking Water Disinfection System” with the trade name “OneerTM”.

Whatsapp partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to train small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs on using the messaging platform. CII:Headquarter: New Delhi, President: Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal.

PM Narendra Modi addresses IT professionals, launches 'Main Nahi Hum' portal. The portal, which works on the theme 'Self4Society', will enable IT professionals and organisations to bring

together their efforts towards social causes on one platform

SPORTS

Rohit Sharma has improved 2 places and reached 2nd spot and Shikhar Dhawan has secured 5th position in the latest ICC (International Cricket Council) ODI Rankings for Batsmen. Virat Kohli continues to be the top-ranked batsman on the list.

The Ekalabya committee selected Odia hockey player Lilima Minz for the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar, 2018. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix in Russia.

Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga (15) won India’s maiden gold medal at Youth Olympic Games 2018 being held in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.


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Thangjam Tababi Devi (16) became India’s first judo medallist at the Olympic level. India won the Under-19 Asia Cup, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. India’s Keerthana Pandian has won the girls’ title in the IBSF (International Billiards & Snooker Federation) World

Under-16 Snooker Championships, in St Petersburg, Russia. Pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has bagged the Gold Medal in the 10-meter air pistol event in the ongoing Youth

Olympic Games in Argentina. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has picked its first African host of any Olympics, formally awarding

the 2022 Youth Games to Senegal is a country in West Africa.

Senegal Capital: Dakar, currency:franc

India concluded its campaign at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia with a record medal haul, winning a total of 72 medals that included 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze medals. India was placed ninth in the overall tally. China finished at the top with 319 medals including 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze, followed by South Korea at

the 2nd place with 53 gold, 25 silver and 47 bronze and then Iran with 51 gold, 42 silver and 43 bronze.

S.NO NAME SPORT MEDAL 1 Sandeep Chaudhary Para Athletics Gold 2 Suyash Jadhav Para Swimming Gold 3 Raju Rakshita Para Athletics Gold 4 Ekta Bhyan Para Athletics Gold 5 Manish Narwal Para Shooting Gold 6 Narayan Thakur Para Athletics Gold 7 Harvinder Singh Archery Gold 8 Sharad Kumar Para Athletics Gold 9 Parul Parmar Badminton Gold 10 Kishan Gangoli Chess Gold 11 Jennitha Anto Kanickai Chess Gold 12 Neeraj Yadav Para Athletics Gold 13 Amit Saroha Para Athletics Gold 14 Tarun Badminton Gold 15 Pramod Bhagat Badminton Gold

The 15th edition World Wrestling Championships 2018 began at Budapest (Hungary). India is participating at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 October to 18 October

2018. Among the 206 nations participated, India were ranked 17th on the medals tally in 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. Manu Bhaker led the Indian team as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent in the opening ceremony. Jeremy

Lalrinnunga was India’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony. Russian Federation topped the medal tally with 59 medals: 29 gold, 18 silver and 12 bronze medals. Japan

secured 2nd position with 39 medals: 15 gold, 12 silver, 12 bronze. India obtained 17th position with 13 Medals: 3 gold, 9 silver and 1 bronze.

NAME SPORT EVENT MEDAL Jeremy Lalrinnunga Weightlifting Boys' 62 kg Gold Manu Bhaker Shooting Girls' 10 metre air pistol Gold Saurabh Chaudhary Shooting Boys' 10 metre air pistol Gold

Virat Kohli has become the fastest batsman to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, reaching the milestone in just 205 innings. Virat Kohli became the 5th Indian batsman and 13th overall to reach 10000 ODI runs. The other Indians in the elite 10K club include Tendulkar (18426), Sourav Ganguly (11221), Rahul Dravid (10768)

and MS Dhoni (10123). Roger Federer won his 99th career Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour title in the Swiss

Indoors final in Basel, Switzerland. India and Pakistan jointly won the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy title in Muscat, Oman. India’s Vishal Rajveer Shah won gold and Raegan Alburquerque won silver in the 2018 Egypt Junior & Cadet Open

table tennis tournament, held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. World number one Simona Halep has become the first recipient of the Chris Evert Women’s Tennis Association

(WTA) World No.1 Trophy. Indian golfer Khalin Joshi won the Panasonic Open India title at the Delhi Golf Club, in New Delhi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weightlifting_at_the_2018_Summer_Youth_Olympics

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India’s Sourav Kothari won the 2018 World Billiards Championship title in Leeds, England.

AWARDS &HONOURS

The Nobel Peace Prize 2018 has been awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave awards to top Ranked State, District and State with maximum citizen participation based on the National Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 commissioned by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Top 3 States:-1)Haryana, 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra Top 3 Districts:- 1) Satara, Maharashtra 2) Rewari, Haryana 3) Pedapalli, Telangana States with maximum citizen participation:- 1) Uttar Pradesh 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra Districts with maximum citizens’ participation:- 1) Nashik, Maharashtra 2) Solapur, Maharashtra 3) Chittorgarh,

Rajasthan. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has selected US scientists Frances Arnold and George Smith and British

researcher Gregory Winter for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018. They were selected for harnessing power of evolution to develop enzymes and antibodies that have led to new

pharmaceuticals and biofuels. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has selected 3 scientists Arthur Ashkin (USA), Gerard Mourou (France) and

Donna Strickland (Canada) for the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. They were selected for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. Their technique, named chirped pulse amplification, is now used in laser machining and enables doctors to

perform millions of corrective laser eye surgeries every year. With this, Strickland (59) became third woman to have received Nobel Prize in Physics, after Marie Curie in 1903

and Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963. The Nobel Prize 2018 in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to two immunologists James P. Allison (US)

and Tasuku Honjo (Japan) for their discovery of Immune checkpoint therapy i.e. cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.

Prominent entrepreneur Chiranjiv Patel has bagged the prestigious "BW 40 under 40" award in BW Business World's 2nd edition of 40 Under 40 awards held in Gurgaon.

Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) was awarded ISSA (International Social Security Association) ISSA Good Practice Award for Administrative Solution for Coverage Extension at Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and Pacific held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Actor Ruhaan Rajput received the Mid-day Young Achiever Icons Award for 2018 in Mumbai. American economists William Nordhaus and Paul Romer were jointly awarded Nobel Prize 2018 in Economics

Sciences for integrating climate change and technological innovation into macroeconomic analysis. Senior IPS officer from Telangana Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat has been selected as the 2018 IACP 'Leadership in

Human and Civil Rights' individual award winner. Maryse Conde, one of the Caribbean's most renowned authors, has won an award created to replace this year's

Nobel Prize for Literature. Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh has been chosen as India's first 'Miss Trans Queen'. Veena defeated Namita Ammu

of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest. Indian-American Minal Patel Davis was honoured with Presidential Medal for Combating Human Trafficking’. Veteran composer, lyricist, writer and national award winning music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi,

famously known as Khayya was Hridaynath Award 2018 for Lifetime Achievement. Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy RK Singh launched an award scheme under the umbrella

Saubhagya Scheme, also known as Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana. Two quantum of award: There will be two quantum of award in each of the three categories.

Under first quantum of award, the 1st DISCOM or Power Department that achieves 100 percent household electrification by November 30, 2018 would be provided cash award of Rs 50 Lakh.

The 2nd quantum of award includes cash award of Rs 100 crore as grant to the concerned DISCOM to be spent in distribution infrastructure development in their area of operation.

Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Rs 16320-Crore ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana'- Saubhagya on September 25, 2017 to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.

The scheme aims to achieve the goal of all household electrification in the country by March 31, 2019.

The Households that do not fall under the free criteria of this scheme will be provided electricity at a sum of Rs 500.


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Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal was awarded the 4th annual Carnot Prize 2018 by Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, United States.

Arshdeep Singh won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Asia) Award 2018 for his photograph ‘Pipe Owls’, at the Natural History Museum, London.

Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten has won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018. the award for his photo titled “The Golden Couple”.

Suheil F. Tandon has won the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Active Society Commission’s Grant Award for his contribution to sports for development.

Irish Author Anna Burns won the Britain's renowned Man Booker Prize 2018 for her third novel 'Milkman'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced launch of national award in name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to

honour those involved in disaster response operations. The national award named after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will be given every year to police personnel who do

excellent work in rescue and relief operations during any kind of disaster. It will be announced every year on January 23 i.e. on Netaji’s birthday.

Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer 2018 Seoul Peace Prize on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the 14th recipient of this award. The award will be presented to him by Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at mutually convenient time. Seoul Peace Prize: It was established in 1990 to commemorate success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul,

South Korea. Invest India, the country’s investment promotion body, has won United Nations Award for excellence in promoting

investments in sustainable development. The award was presented by Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to CEO of Invest India Deepak Bagla at the World Investment Forum, Geneva. UN Investment Promotion Award

The awards are given annually by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since 2002 as part of its investment promotion and facilitation programme. It honours investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and their governments for their achievements.

Eminent jurist Fali S. Nariman (89) was awarded 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

Union Government has announced winners of Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for year 2014, 2015 and 2016. 2014: Rajkumar Singhajit Singh. He is doyen of Manipuri dance. He is also teacher, performer and

choreographer. 2015: Chhayanaut. It is cultural organization of Bangladesh established in 1961. It has played leading role in

promoting Tagore’s works in Bengali culture, music and literature not only within Bangladesh, but all across the world.

2016: Ram Vanji Sutar. He is renowned sculptor. His first notable work was the 45-feet Chambal monument at the Gandhi Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh.

India has won Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Award, 2018. The award was announced at Annual General Members Meet held at Georgetown, Guyana.

Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a Mini Ratna Public Sector Undertaking, under the Ministry of Defence, received the prestigious ‘Top Challengers Award 2018’ for the excellent performance during financial year 2017-18 and Best Seller in Crawler Equipment- Dozers and Rigid Dump Truck segment for mining sectors.

The Corporation Bank has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank-Winner 2018’ award instituted by the ASSOCHAM. The Paraguayan Clara Sosa was crowned as the new Miss Grand International in the competition in the city of

Yangon in Myanmar. Sosa, Miss Paraguay, reached the final together with Miss India, Meenakshi Chaudhary Kumar.

Pakistan's iconic human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir was posthumously awarded the UN Human Rights Prize 2018.

Malayalam author Benyamin has bagged the inaugural JCB Prize for literature for his book 'Jasmine Days', which explores the lives of South Asians in the Middle East.

Ministry of Railways was named the best department for its contribution to “Swachchta Pakhwada” under the “Swachchta Hi Seva” category of awards. The award was presented to the Railway Ministry on the 4th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The ‘Swachchta Hi Seva’ campaign was launched in 2017 to spur the public to donate their time for building toilets

and cleaning public places.

PERSON APPOINTED /RESIGNED

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has redesignated R N Ravi, Chairman of Joint Intelligence Committee as Deputy National Security Advisor.


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Justice Ranjan Gogoi was sworn-in as 46th Chief Justice of India. President Ramnath Kovind has appointed senior judge of Supreme Court Madan Bhimarao Lokur (64) as Executive

Chairman of National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA). India-born economist Gita Gopinath was appointed Chief Economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF). She will

take over as IMF chief economist after Maurice Obstfeld retires in December 2018. It makes her 2nd Indian after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan to hold the position.

Vikram Limaye was appointed as Chairman of the Working Committee and Director on the Board of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

Meng Hongwei resigned as the President of International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). Pankaj Sharma has been appointed as the ambassador and India's permanent representative to the United Nations

Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The Appointments Committee of Union Cabinet has approved appointment Tushar Mehta has been appointed as

the new Solicitor General of India. IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the managing director and chief executive

officer of the bank. He has replaced B Sriram. Private equity firm ChrysCapital Advisors LLP has appointed former State Bank of India chairperson Arundhati

Bhattacharya as an advisor. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Dr. Shekhar Mande as the Director General of

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Research (DSIR).

ICICI Bank MD and CEO (Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer) Chanda Kochhar resigned from the post. The ICICI Bank has appointed Sandeep Bakshi as it's new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Justice Surya Kant was appointed as the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court. Ramon Laguarta took charge as the chief executive officer (CEO) of PepsiCo. Arun Kumar was appointed Director-General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Union Minister of State for External Affairs, MJ Akbar resigned from his post over sexual harassment charges

levelled against him by several women journalists in the wake of #MeToo movement. JSW Steel CMD Sajjan Jindal was elected as the Treasurer of the World Steel Association (worldsteel). Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) has appointed former Chairperson of State Bank of India, Arundhati

Bhattacharya, as an Independent Director for a period of five years. Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt has been appointed as the new brand ambassador for Nokia phones in India. Yemen’s newly appointed Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik took the oath before Yemeni President Abdu-Rabbu

Mansour Hadi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed charge as Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister. The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering has elected its first female Foreign Fellow. Ms Kiran

Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder, chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited. Indian revenue service (IRS) officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as the Interim Director of the Enforcement Directorate

(ED) for 3 months. West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo brought the curtains down on his 14-year international career by announcing

his retirement from all formats of the game. Paytm Payments Bank has appointed veteran banker Satish Kumar Gupta as Managing Director (MD) and CEO. Jair Bolsonaro was elected the president of Brazil.

Brazil Capital: Brasília, Currency: Real

OBITUARY

Noted Malayalam film director Thampi Kannanthanam passed away. Geeta Upalekar, portrayed in the painting called ‘Glow of Hope’, passed away. Eminent Gandhian Natwar Thakkar, popularly known as Nagaland's Gandhi, passed away. Well-known Malayalam poet M N Paloor passed away. Indian film trade expert Santosh Singh Jain passed away. Assamese singer and music director Kishour Giri, died. Journalist and former News Editor of Press Trust of India (PTI) Pradip Chowdhury died following cardiac arrest. Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari passed away in New Delhi. Former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana passed away. Veteran singer, lyricist and music composer Yashwant Dev passed away. Pankaj Bandyopadhyay, a founding member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), died.


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BOOKS & AUTHORS

The book “Feisty At Fifty” authored by Sudha Menon, was released at the Pune International Literary Festival and Published by Pan Macmillan India.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor introduced his new book “The Paradoxical Prime Minister” and a 29-letter word “floccinaucinihilipilification”.

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has come out with a nearly 200-page book titled “Lalu Leela”, documenting “benami” land deals allegedly involving the RJD national president and his family members.

The biography of late Anumolu Ramakrishna titled ‘Building a Legacy’ is authored by city-based Chartered Accountant V Pattabhi Ram. It was recently released by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Ramakrishna, former President and MD at Larsen and Toubro (L&T).

The book “Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior” is authored by noted historian Rima Hooja, who describes in detail how Maharana Pratap managed to elude capture by the mighty Mughal army for so long and never bowed down to Akbar.

Veteran commentator and cricket statistician Vijayan Bala launched his new book “Indian Sports: Conversations and Reflections”.

Stephen Hawking’s final work “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” was launched. The biography of UP Chief Minister ‘Yogi Adityanath: The Rise of a Saffron Socialist’ is now amongst best seller

books. The book written by Pravin Kumar.

Days|Week|Year

1st October 2018:-International Day of Older Persons. Theme:-Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions.

1st October 2018:-International Translation Day. 1st October 2018:-International Coffee Day.

Theme:-Women in Coffee. 1st October 2018:-World Habitat Day.

Theme:-Municipal Solid Waste Management. 2nd October 2018:-International Day of Non-violence. 4th October 2018:-World Animal Day. 5th October 2018:-World Teacher’s Day.

Theme:-The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher. 8th October 2018:- Indian Air Force day. 9th October 2018:-National Post Day. 10th October 2018:-World Post Day.

Theme:-Imagine you are a letter travelling through time. 11th October 2018:-International Day Of The Girl Child.

Theme:-With Her:A Skilled Girl Force. 11th October 2018:-World Obesity Day.

Theme:-weight stigma. 11th October 2018:-World Sight Day.

Theme:-Eye Care Everywhere. 12th October 2018:- World Arthritis Day. 12th October 2018:- World Egg Day.

Theme:-Protein for Life. 13th October 2018:- International Day For Disaster Reduction.

Theme:-Reducing the economic loss of disasters. 14th October 2018:- World Standards Day.

Theme:- Innovation Nation. 15th October 2018:- Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas (National Women Farmer Day).

Theme:- Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”.

16th October 2018:-The World Food Day. Theme :-Our actions are our future–A zero hunger world by 2030 is possible.

17th October 2018:-The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Theme :-Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal respect for human

rights and dignity. 17th October 2018:-World Trauma Day.


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20th October 2018:-World Statistics Day. 20th October 2018:-National Solidarity day. 20th October 2018:-World Osteoporosis Day. 21nd October 2018:-Police Commemoration Day. 24th October 2018:-73rd United Nations Day.

Theme:-Traditions of Peace and Non-violence. 27th October 2018:- 72nd Infantry Day. 27th October 2018:-World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

Theme:-Your Story is Moving. 28th October 2018:- International Animation Day. 31st October 2018:-World Savings Day or World Thrift day. 31st October 2018:-World Cities/Habitat Day.

Theme:-‘Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities’. 31st October 2018:-Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day).

Documents

Current Affairs : OCT - 2018 1 · India Post released a Rs. 5 stamp to honour NGO Narayan Seva Sansthan. The logo features the Udaipur based NGO and its polio hospital. The 2nd edition