Banking

News: Most Important

1. Monetary policy committee (MPC) cuts repo rate by 25 bps to 5.15%

RBI’s monetary policy committee slashed repo rates by 25 basis points to 5.15%. The reverse repo rate has been reduced to 4.9%, & bank rate stands at 5.40%. Marginal Standing Facility Rate – 5.40%, Cash Reserve Ratio – 4%; Statutory liquidity ratio – 18.75%.

2. Bank of Baroda signs MoU with Indian Army for customized services

Bank of Baroda has signed an MoU with Indian Army to offer customized services, along with a host of facilities to account holders. It includes free personal accident insurance cover, free air accident insurance cover of

₹15 lakh to ₹50 lakh. Overdraft up to 3 times the monthly net salary is available.

3. ICICI Bank partners CSC e-Governance Services India to expand rural reach

ICICI Bank signed a pact with CSC e-Governance Services India to extend its banking & other services to the country’s rural regions. It would enable the CSCs to leverage its technology to reach out to underserve communities and provide a range of services.

4. UCO Bank announces launch of 3 new digital products

UCO Bank launched UCash, Digi locker and an app. Digi locker aims to eliminate the use of physical documents & enables sharing of verified electronic documents. UCash enables customers to withdraw money from ATMs via mobile banking.

5. SBI launches debit card with EMI facility

State Bank of India launched ‘Debit Card EMI facility’ for its existing customers, whereby they can opt for an EMI tenure of minimum six months to 18 months. The EMIs will begin one month after the transaction is complete.

6. SBI cuts rate on Savings Bank deposits below Rs 1 lakh to 25% SBI has decided to cut the interest rate on savings bank deposits up to Rs 1 lakh to 3.25 % from 3.50 %. SBI has also cut its Retail Term Deposit & Bulk Term Deposit interest rates in the ‘1 year to less than 2 years’ by

6.30 % and 5.90 % respectively.

7. Bank of Baroda, BNP Paribas to merge asset management units BOB’s asset management arm Baroda Asset Management & BNP Paribas Asset Management(BPAM) India, a wholly-owned unit of BNP Paribas AMC Asia have agreed to merge. BPAM was assisted by BNP Paribas Investment Banking as its transaction

8. ADB Grants $37 Million for a 47.5 MW Floating Solar Project in Vietnam

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $37 million loan agreement that would finance the installation of a 47.5 MW floating solar project in Vietnam. ADB has signed the agreement with Da Nhim–Ham Thuan–Da Mi Hydro Power Joint Stock Company (DHD).

9. RBI raises withdrawal limit to Rs 40,000 for PMC bank account holders

RBI has enhanced the withdrawal limit for the account holder of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank to 40,000 Rs from 25,000 Rs. This is the third time; RBI has raised the withdrawal limit since its clamp down on PMC Bank last month.

10. IOB in pact with Magic bricks to e-auction over 500 properties in 14 cities

Indian Overseas Bank has entered into an agreement with Magic bricks- an online property marketplace, for the e-auction of more than 500 re- possessed properties- majority located in Chennai & Coimbatore, rest in 12 other cities-worth more than ₹800 crore.

11. ICICI Bank sells entire stake in GST Network to 13 state governments

ICICI Bank has exited the GST Network, the company facilitating collection of the indirect tax, by selling its entire 10% stake to as many as 13 state governments. The stake sale is for aggregate cash

consideration of ₹1 crore. The stake transfer to be completed by the end of March 2020.

12. RBI introduces new reporting system for co-operative banks

RBI has introduced a new reporting system Central Information System for Banking Infrastructure (CISBI) for all co-operative banks. CISBI replaces the legacy master office file system. Banks can use the facility to access/download the data related to them.

13. Credit Saison India gets NBFC licence from RBI

Credit Saison India, the domestic subsidiary of Japanese financial services leader Credit Saison, has received a non-banking financial company (NBFC) licence from RBI, and will begin operations by month- end. Fintech start-up Shubh Loans also recently got NBFC licence from RBI.

14. India signs MoU with Saudi Arabia to launch RuPay card

India signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to launch RuPay card in the country, making it the 3rd nation in the West Asia to initiate India’s digital payment system. India has already launched the RuPay card in the UAE, Bahrain, Singapore & Bhutan.

15. ICICI Bank introduces ‘FD Health’; India’s first fixed deposit with critical illness insurance

ICICI Bank announces the launch of ‘FD Health’, a Fixed Deposit (FD) offering the dual-benefit of investment growth via FD and protection through a critical illness coverage. The customers will be offered the insurance cover free of cost for the first year and thereafter, they can renew it.

News: Others

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches first overseas branch at Dubai Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has launched its 1st overseas branch at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). This is in addition to the banking unit at the International Financial Centre at GIFT City in

2. RBI imposes Rs 35 lakh penalty on Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank (TMB)

RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 35 lakh on Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank for violating norms on frauds classification & notification. It was imposed via an order dated October 24, 2019. TMB is a bank founded in 1921 & headquartered at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

3. World Bank to continue with $ 6 bn annual lending support to India

According to World Bank President David Malpass the multi-lateral funding agency will continue with $ 6 billion lending target for India. Visiting head of the World Bank met PM Modi and FM Nirmala Sitharaman. World Bank right now has 97 projects with $ 24 billion committed.

4. Bandhan Bank fined ₹1 crore over promoter holding norms

RBI imposed a penalty of ₹1 crore on Bandhan Bank for failing to meet its promoter holding norms. According to RBI’s new bank licensing guidelines Bandhan Financial Holdings Ltd, had to cut its stake from 82% to 40% within 3 years of commencing business.

5. World Bank Project to Support Climate Resilient Agriculture in Odisha

Govt of India, Govt of Odisha & World Bank signed a US$165 million loan agreement to support smallholder farmers. It aims to strengthen the resilience of production systems as well as to improve the marketing of their produce for increased income.

6. No charges on digital payments made to large business establishments from 1 Nov

Businesses with an annual turnover of more than ₹50 crore will have to mandatorily offer electronic mode of payments to their customers from 1 November. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)- charge that banks impose on commercial transactions-will not be levied on customers/merchant.

7. RBI issues guidelines on ‘on tap’ authorisation on payment systems

RBI issued guidelines on ‘on tap’ authorisation of payment systems with an aim to encourage innovation & competition. RBI decided to offer on-tap authorisation for Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit, Trade Receivables Discounting System & White Label ATMs. Minimum paid up equity capital for TReDS should be Rs. 25 crore.

8. Government e-Marketplace signs pact with Union Bank of India to avail various services

Govt e-Marketplace has signed a pact with Union Bank of India to offer several services including transfer of funds. It will facilitate a cashless, paperless and transparent payment system on the portal and will create an efficient procurement system.

Policy/Exchange rate & Reserve ratio	Percentage
Repo rate	5.15%
Reverse Repo rate	4.90%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate	5.40%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)	4 %
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)	18.50%
Bank Rate	5.40%

 

Insurance

News: Most Important

1. Nippon Life invests Rs 6,000 cr to emerge largest shareholder in Reliance MF

Japan’s Nippon Life Insurance has completed an investment of Rs 6,000 crore in the erstwhile Reliance Mutual Fund to emerge as the single largest shareholder, with 75% stake. Nearly 50 per cent of flows in the mutual fund business come from metro cities.

2. RBI’s subsidiary DICGC to revamp 50-year-old deposit insurance scheme

A subsidiary of RBI- The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is to revamp the country’s 50-year-old deposit insurance scheme by the end of this year. DICGC board has started the process and will submit its report to the finance ministry. It was last revised on 1993 after the collapse of Bank of Karad.

3. IRDAI forms panel to vet proposals for innovations

lnsurance Regulatory and Development Authority of lndia (IRDAl) has formed an 8-member committee, with IIIT- Bangalore Director S. Sadagopan as the chairperson, to evaluate proposals it has started receiving for implementing innovations in the sector under a regulatory sandbox approach.

4. New India Assurance signs ICAs with Reliance HF, Dewan HF NIACL has entered into ICAs for debt exposure to debt instruments of Reliance Home Finance and Dewan Housing Finance. As per RBI, the defaulting lenders to the company would put in place a resolution plan within 30 days of the

News: Others

1. Bajaj Allianz Life launches video calling service ‘i-SERV’

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launched i-SERV-a first-of-its-kind video calling service within the life insurance industry. It is designed to enhance the customer experience & provide swift resolutions to their queries.

Service is available in 112 cities.

2. Indian Overseas Bank unveils health insurance policy with Universal Sompo

Indian Overseas Bank unveiled healthcare insurance policy through online platform in association with Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd. The co-branded healthcare policy designed by Universal Sompo

General Insurance. It is offered with a sum insured from ₹50,000 to ₹15 lakh.

 

Economy

News: Most Important

1. Fitch slashes India’s FY20 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% from 6.6%

Fitch Ratings has lowered India’s FY20 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% from 6.6% & said a large credit squeeze emanating from NBFCs has pushed economic growth to a 6-year low. The projection is lower than 6.1 % that the RBI had forecast in early October.

2. Indian economy seen rebounding to 7 % next fiscal year: IMF

IMF sees Indian economic growth rebounding to 7% in next FY 2020, supported by measures like monetary policy stimulus & corporate income tax cuts. IMF projected 6.1 % growth for 2019. Jonathan Ostry is the Deputy Director of the Asia Pacific Dept of IMF.

3. IMF Members agree to double pool of money to aid distressed countries

IMF agreed to double a key pool of money that it can use to aid distressed countries. IMF’s governing body did agree to a plan to shore up the crisis lender’s resources, doubling to $ 500 billion a temporary fund provided by 40 of the fund’s 189 members.

4. IMF cuts India’s growth forecast to 6.1 %

IMF cuts India’s growth forecast by 90 basis points to 6.1 % as 2nd downward revision in 7 months. Almost all the agencies including RBI

lowered the growth projection with GDP’s growth rate slipping 5 % during April-June period. It has also cut global forecast by 20 bps for 2019.

5. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges Nepalese Rs 56 billion in aid to Nepal

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Nepalese Rs 56 billion assistance to Kathmandu over the next two years to help Nepal’s development programmes. Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli & Xi inked 20 agreements to bolster the bilateral ties between two nations.

6. Credit growth slows to 8.74% in HI

According to the Reserve Bank of India, credit growth in the first half slowed to 8.74% year-on-year (y-o-y) up to September, 2019(till 27th) . It indicates that credit risk aversion continues to play centre stage, particularly for the NBFC sector.

7. Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%

Moody’s cuts India’s GDP growth to 5.8 % in the fiscal year ending in March 2020, from 6.8 % in 2018. This is lowest projection after the RBI cut the GDP growth to 6.1 % earlier this month. It also predicts deficit of

3.7 % of GDP in fiscal 2019.

8. India gets first tranche of Swiss account details under automatic exchange framework

India has received first tranche of details about financial accounts of its residents in Swiss banks under a new automatic exchange of information framework between the two countries. The next exchange will take place in September 2020.

News: Others

1. PPF, NSC, SSY & other small savings schemes’ interest rates remain unchanged

Post office savings schemes or small savings schemes interest rates have been kept unchanged for the third quarter(Oct to Dec 2019).PPF- 7.90 per cent; Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)- 8.60 per cent; Post office time deposits- range of 6.90 and 7.70.

2. SEBI allows MFs to invest in unlisted NCDs

SEBI allowed mutual funds to invest in unlisted non-convertible debentures up to a max of 10% of debt portfolio of a scheme in a phased manner. The max investment in unlisted NCDs will be 15% of the scheme & the investment limit will be 10% from June 2020.

SEBI has reduced exposure limits to 20% from 25%.

3. RBI revises GDP growth forecast to 6.1%

RBI cut its economic growth projection for the fiscal year 2019- 20 to 6.1% from 6.9%. The bank forecasted 5.3% GDP in Q2, 6.6% in Q3, 7.2% in Q4. RBI has also revised slightly upwards the retail inflation projection to 3.4% for Q2.

4. 24×7 NEFT gets extended liquidity support

RBI came out with a series of measures for the sector, including liquidity support for 24×7 National Electronic Funds Transfer & the setting up of an Acceptance Development Fund (ADF) for card infrastructure to encourage digital payments. The collateralized liquidity support is available till 7:45 pm.

 

5. Current Situation Index (CCI) fell into 89.4 in September According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s monetary policy Current Situation Index (CCI) fell into 4 in September from 95.7 recorded in the July round of survey, the data showed. In September 2013, it had touched 88. RBI conducted the survey across 5192 households in 13 cities.

6. Govt raises Rs 4,368 crore through Bharat-22 ETFs

Government has raised Rs 4,368 crore through the fourth tranche of the Bharat-22 exchange traded fund (ETF). Government has decided to exercise its green-shoe option & retain Rs 4,368 crore of the overall bids received over 2 days.

Quick revision

Organization/Parameters	Rate/Figures
Fitch Ratings	5.5% (GDP Forecast)
IMF	6.1% (2019)
Credit growth	8.74%
Moody’s	5.8% (GDP Forecast)
PPF-	7.90 per cent
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)-	8.60 per cent
Post office time deposits	Range of 6.90 and 7.70
RBI	6.1%( GDP Forecast)
Current Situation Index (CSI)	89.4

State

News: Most Important

1. Gandhinagar becomes first kerosene-free district of Gujarat Gandhinagar district of Gujarat has become the 1st Kerosene-free district of the state. Home Minister Amit Shah allotted 1000 LPG connections to the women beneficiaries of Gandhinagar district under the Ujjwala Yojana with the help of ONGC. Projects under Gandhinagar Smart City Yojana have been

2. Nagaland partners with Madhya Pradesh under ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’

Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme has brought in the states of Nagaland & MP as one to celebrate the spirit of national integration through the structured engagement b/w the states. Directorate of Higher Education of Govt-Nagaland is the nodal dept.

3. AP will set up 25 skill development centres

Andhra Pradesh will set up 25 skill development centres in all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies . A new building of the Central Institute of Plastics & Engineering Technology has been inaugurated in AP by CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy & Sadananda Gowda.

 

4. West Bengal to invest Rs 540 Cr for Calcutta Leather Complex West Bengal Govt has decided to invest Rs 540 Cr for the infrastructural development of Calcutta Leather Complex. The State Govt is aiming to raise the target to Rs 30,000 Cr in the next 5 years. The complex has been renamed as Karmadiganta. It is considered Asia’s first integrated leather complex.

5. Uttar Pradesh most unsafe for women: NCRB 2017 data

Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the most unsafe for women according to the NCRB 2017 report, followed by Maharashtra & West Bengal. The data comes after a 2-year delay. Among UTs Delhi recorded the most murder cases followed by Chandigarh & Puducherry. The annual ‘Crime in India’ report was last released in 2016.

6. Uttar Pradesh CM launches integrated emergency number 112 The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh launched a new integrated emergency number 112 for police, medical & fire emergencies & also to launch the women helpline 1090. The single number for emergency services is similar to ‘911’ in the

7. Odisha’s biggest trade fair to begin on Nov 12

Biggest trade fairs of Odisha-Baliyatra, is scheduled to begin on November

12. It will continue for 8 days. This year’s fair will be jointly organized by the Cuttack District Administration, District Cultural Council, & the Cuttack Municipal Corporation.
13. Kamal Nath inaugurated Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath inaugurated the two-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference held in Indore. CM also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore. 223 industries are investing in MP in near

9. Tripura gets its first-ever SEZ

Centre has given in-principle approval for setting up of Tripura’s first-ever SEZ at Sabroom. Estimated investment in the project will be around Rs 1550 Crore to be developed by to be Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Ltd.

10. Odisha launched ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiative

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the government’s new governance initiative ‘Mo Sarkar’. The objective of the programme is to provide service with dignity to people who are coming to government offices for different purposes.

11. Uttarakhand CM launches awareness campaign to stop power theft Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched an awareness campaign ‘Urjagiri’ which aims at stopping power theft and saving. The CM emphasized on the need to speed up the process for wider awareness to avoid power loss in the

12. UP CM flags off country’s first corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express

UP CM flagged off the country’s 1st corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express. Acc. to IRCTC, the passengers will get a refund of ₹ 100 in case the train gets delayed for 1 hour. If the delay is of more than 2 hours, then the refund amount will be ₹ 250.

News: Others

1. Karnataka tops in first ever India Innovation Index launched by NITI Aayog

The 1st-ever India Innovation Index was launched by NITI Aayog in order to promote competitiveness among the states. Karnataka has emerged as the topper among major states. Tamil Nadu is on 2nd & Maharashtra is on the 3rd positions. Among the North-Eastern states Sikkim occupied the top spot.

2. Shirui Lily Festival inaugurated in Manipur

Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated Shirui Lily Festival 2019, at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur. It is the 3rd edition of the 4-day festival. It will showcase the rich cultural heritage of the State.

3. Telangana announces land regularisation scheme for unapproved plots

Telangana issued orders for a new scheme to regularise unapproved layouts for the newly constituted municipal corporations and municipalities. Plots renewed on or before March 30, 2018, are only eligible for regularisation.

4. 10th National Cultural Festival held in Madhya Pradesh

10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival took place in Madhya Pradesh. Union Ministry of Culture organized the event & it held from October 14th to 21st under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ campaign.

5. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to organize City Walk Festival Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is organizing a month-long City Walk Festival in 11 cities from October 12-November 10 to promote tourism. Local, national and international tourists of all age groups will participate in the
6. Garbage Cafe to provide free meal in exchange of plastic waste ‘Garbage Cafe’ commenced in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh will provide free meal in exchange of plastic waste. This is to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Collected garbage will be sold at the Solid Liquid Resources Management

National

News: Most Important

1. Women in Delhi gets free rides in public buses from 29 October Women in Delhi get free rides in public buses starting from 29 October. Conductors will distribute pink tickets to women passengers for free travel & the govt will then reimburse the transporters based on the number of such tickets issued. Pink ticket has a face value of 10

2. Octogenarians & persons with disability can now vote through postal ballots

The people over 80 years of age & person with disability can cast their votes through postal ballot. Such voters will have both the choices available either voting through postal ballot or going to the polling station on polling day for voting.

3. Indian Railways launches ‘Operation Dhanush’ against ticket touts Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone conducted ‘Operation Dhanush’ against ticket touts involved in e-ticketing. The operation was carried out in all the five divisions falling under the Central Railway
4. Tata Sons board okays ₹6,500 cr equity infusion in Tata Motors Tata Motors ’s board has approved an equity infusion of ₹6,500 crore from its promoter Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. Tata Motors will allot ordinary shares and warrants to the promoter in return, subject to shareholder approval.

5. Health Ministry observed Vigilance Awareness Week from 28th October to 2nd November

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare will observe the Vigilance Awareness Week from 28thOctober-2nd November 2019 as per directions of Central Vigilance Commission. It is observed to promote probity in public life & to achieve a corruption free society. The 2019 theme is “Integrity- a way of life”.

6. Ministry of Railways signs MoU with Indian School of Business Ministry of Railways and Indian School of Business signed a MoU for the strategic partnership. MoU covers several aspects including executive education programs, developing case studies & creating of a future-ready leadership pool for the Indian

7. Ease of doing business survey to also cover Kolkata & Bengaluru next year

The World Bank’s ease of doing business survey, which so far covered only Delhi and Mumbai, will include Bengaluru and Kolkata from next year. World Bank has decided to have four cities each from countries with more than 100 million population.

8. Microsoft & Reliance Jio to empower small businesses in India Microsoft is bringing the power of Cloud to small businesses in India through partnership with Reliance Jio. Jio will leverage the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to develop innovative cloud solutions focused on the needs of Indian

9. Government accords ‘Maharatna’ status to PowerGrid Corporation Govt accorded ‘Maharatna’ status to Power Grid Corporation of India on its 30th Raising Day Celebrations. The status provides enhanced powers to the PowerGrid board to facilitate the expansion of operations, both in domestic as well as global markets. It is the 3rd largest Central Public Sector Enterprise in India.

10. Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals becomes fastest to reach 1 million container handling milestones

Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals-facility run by Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust at Mumbai, handled its 1 millionth 20-foot equivalent units last week, becoming the fastest to reach the feat for a terminal in India.

11. Railways to carry Amazon consignments for 3 months

In a bid to increase revenue through the non-fare sources, the railways has decided to allow carriage to goods of Amazon on a pilot basis for 3 months during the non-peak hours. A total 7 metric tonnes of consignment per day has been allowed to be carried. Timings are scheduled between 11 am-4 pm.

12. Govt launches portal for monitoring coal supply to power plants The government had launched PRAKASH – Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony– portal in New Delhi. The portal is designed to help in mapping and monitoring entire coal supply chain for power

 

News: Others

1. CII adopts 100 villages in Punjab & Haryana to curb stubble burning pollution

Confederation of Indian Industry CII has adopted over 100 villages & 100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab & Haryana to enable zero crop residue burning. Air quality monitors have been installed to monitor village level air pollution data & to measure the impact of reduced stubble burning.

2. Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot with passengers on- board

Air India became the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A320 aircraft with passengers on-board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway & vice versa & it will reduce fuel consumption.

3. Sporting Infrastructure Accessible to all under Fit India Movement Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has decided to allow national and state sports federations, leagues and clubs to organise sports events in all sporting facilities owned by the government, free of cost. It is to strengthen the Fit India Movement & will be applicable from 1st November 2019.

4. Govt constitutes committee to suggest measures to augment GST revenue

Government has constituted a committee of officers to suggest measures to augment Goods and Services Tax revenue. It has been asked to suggest urgent measures to arrest the fall in tax revenues and suggest steps to be taken to improve revenue collection. It comprises GST commissioners of Maharashtra, TN, UP,WB &Punjab.

5. Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy 2019–2023

Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘The WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy(CCS) 2019–2023: A Time of Transition’. CCS will provide a strategic roadmap for WHO to work with the Government towards achieving its health sector goals.

6. Cabinet approves new strategic disinvestment process

The Cabinet has approved a new process of strategic disinvestment with a view to expediting the privatization of select PSUs. It was done with a view to streamlining & speeding up the process, reducing the role of administrative ministries.

7. Paryatan Parv begins to promote tourism

The Ministry of Tourism kick-started ‘Paryatan Parv’, a 20-day programme organized with the aim of drawing attention on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country & reinforcing the principle of ‘Tourism for All’.

 

International

News: Most Important

1. Microsoft beats Amazon to win $10 bn Pentagon cloud computing contract

US government has awarded the much-anticipated $10 billion Cloud contract for Pentagon to Microsoft. Known as the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure (JEDI), it will support Department of Defence business and mission operations. The expected completion date of the project is October 24, 2029.

2. Beijing’s new $63 billion Daxing airport begins Intern’l operations Beijing’s new $63 billion Daxing airport began its first scheduled international flights. It boasts four runways and is expected to handle up to 72 million passengers a year by 2025, eventually reaching 100 million. The airport is roughly the size of 100 football

3. Twitter to ban all political advertising worldwide from November 22

Twitter will ban all political advertising worldwide from 22nd November. This is in response to growing criticism over misinformation from politicians on social media. Facebook recently ruled out a ban on political ads. They will ban ads on political issues & from the candidates.

4. Sri Lankan Cabinet approves MCC grant of 480 million from US Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant of 480 million US dollars from the US Govt. MCC consists of

grant funds for traffic management in Colombo, road construction island- wide & land administration improvements covering the whole country.

5. Microsoft set to invest $200 mn in ANI Technologies

Ride-hailing company Ola is set to unveil a connected car project in partnership with Microsoft Corp., which will invest around $200 million in Ola’s parent-ANI Technologies. Microsoft will acquire around 4.5% in ANI Technologies as part of the deal. Project aims to connect cars with Internet of Things sensors.

6. Canada Elections 2019: Trudeau’s Liberal Party wins but loses majority

PM Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party held onto power in Canadian General Election but as a weakened minority govt. Justin Trudeau has won for a second term as Canada’s PM. Trudeau will be forced to co-operate with smaller left-of-centre parties to govern.

7. World’s oldest known natural pearl discovered on Abu Dhabi Island

The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island.

Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been radiocarbon during the Neolithic period.

 

News: Others

1. Sri Lanka removed from FATF’s Grey List

Sri Lanka has been removed from the “Grey List” of Financial Action Task Force FATF. FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing & other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

2. Singapore will ban ads for sugary drinks in bid to tackle diabetes Singapore will become the first country to ban advertisements for the unhealthiest sugary drinks, as its latest move to combat rising diabetes rates. “Less healthy” products must display labels grading their nutritional and sugar content.

3. Softbank-backed Oyo raises $1.5 bn at $10 bn valuation for market expansion

Oyo Hotels and Homes raises $1.5 billion from founder Ritesh Agarwal, SoftBank Group Corp and other investors as the India lodging start up expands into foreign markets such as the US and Europe. Agarwal will spend $700 mn. to buy new shares in the company.

4. Festival of Fulpati being celebrated in Nepal

Fulpati is observed on the 7th day of Dashain festival. In Nepali, “Ful” means flower and “Pati” means leaves and plants. There is a tradition in Nepal to bring 9 types of Fulpati into homes on the 7th day of Navaratri.

India & world

News: Most Important

1. India signs Strategic Partnership Council Agreement with Saudi Arabia

During Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, India signed Strategic Partnership Council Agreement with Saudi Arabia & became the 4th country to sign such an agreement with Saudi. Agreement will strengthen the already robust relations between the 2 countries.

2. India and Netherlands launched the second phase of the LOTUS- HR

India & Netherlands launched the 2nd phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program. The programme was held during the visit of Netherlands King & the Queen in the presence of Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The project was initiated in July 2017.

3. India & Switzerland to carry forward working together in the area of Rail Transport

India & Switzerland decided to carry forward working together in the Rail Transport sector. The 2 sides at meetings followed upon the 1st meeting of Joint Working Group held between 2 sides after the MoU for cooperation in rail sector signed in 2017.

4. India & Germany to explore partnership in AI

India & Germany discussed cooperation in green urban mobility & AI during their 5th Biennial Inter Governmental Consultations in New Delhi. They also discussed the deepening of cooperation in sectors such as transport, skill development & energy.

5. India, US to collaborate on drone swarms & other military hi-techs India & US have agreed to collaborate on futuristic military technologies to develop drone swarms, that had agreed on 7 projects in the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting. This has been recently inked in the joint Statement of Intent to deepen defence

6. Vice President addresses Indian diaspora in Azerbaijan

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu addressed Indian diaspora in Azerbaijan. He reached Baku to attend the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit. Azerbaijan had released a postal stamp to celebrate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.

7. Japan’s DMG Mori & LMW to tie up to increase machinery production

DMG Mori has decided to restart the collaboration with the machinery manufacturing major Lakshmi Machine Works for the manufacture of CMX 600 Vi vertical machining centre at the latter’s facility at Arasur. It would be marketed under DMG Mori brand.

 

8. India & Saudi Arabia to establish Strategic Partnership Council India & Saudi Arabia have agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership Council, resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorist operations and signed 12 MoUs in various areas. Modi & Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman signed the agreement. Agreement was signed at the Saudi capital city-Riyadh.

9. President lays foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project in Japan

Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project in Japan. It will be developed as a temple on the lines of Akshardham & Swaminarayan Temple. He also attended a banquet hosted by the Japan PM Shinzo Abe. Aim of the project is to promote Indian traditional culture.

News: Others

1. India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet held in Guwahati

India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet held in Guwahati with 70-members from both nations. The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the focus point of India’s trade expansion with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations besides Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal.

2. MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan embarked on 2-day official visit to UAE

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan embarked on an official visit to UAE. Besides the bilateral meeting, he participated in the ministerial level meeting of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue & the Indian Community function in Sharjah.

3. President Kovind to embark on week-long visit to Philippines & Japan

President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on a week-long visit to the Philippines & Japan on this month. He attended the Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor of Japan. The visit reaffirms India’s commitment to strengthen the bilateral ties.

4. India, China agree to set up new mechanism to address issues related to trade and services

India & China have reiterated that both countries play an important role in ensuring stability in the current international landscape. Both sides will prudently manage their differences without allowing differences on any issue to become disputes.

5. Dharmendra Pradhan participates in ceremony for commissioning oil refinery project in Mongolia

Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the ceremony for commissioning the infrastructure facilities constructed to support the proposed oil refinery project in Mongolia along with Mongolia PM Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

6. India & Bangladesh inked 7 pacts & launched 3 projects

PM Modi held wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. One of the projects included import of LPG from Bangladesh for distribution in North Eastern states. The 2 sides have launched a total of 12 projects in 1-year period.

Quick revision

Country	Capital	Head of State /Govt.	Currency
Mongolia	Ulaanbaatar	Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh	Togrog
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Mark Rutte	Euro
Russia	Moscow	Vladimir Putin	Ruble
UAE	Dubai	Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum	UAE Dirham
Switzerland	Berne	Ueli Maurer	Swiss Franc
China	Beijing	Xi Jinping	Chinese Yuan
Thailand	Bangkok	Prayut Chan-o-cha	Baht
Singapore	Singapore City	Halimah Yacob	Singapore Dollar
Germany	Berlin	Frank Walter Steinmeier	Euro
Japan	Tokyo	Shinzo Abe	Yen
Ukraine	Kiev	Volodymyr Zelensky	Ukkranian Hryvnia
USA	Washington D.C	Donald Trump	Dollar
Kazakhstan	Nur-Sultan	Askar Mamin	Tenge
Bangladesh	Dhaka	Sheikh Hasina	Taka
Nepal	Kathmandu	Khadga Prasad Oli	Nepalese Rupee
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	Mohammad Bin Salman (Crown Prince)	Saudi Riyal
Azerbaijan	Baku	Ilham Aliyev	Manat
Maldives	Male	Ibrahim Mohamed Solih	Maldivian rufiyaa
Philippines	Manila	Rodrigo Duterte	Philippine Peso

Appointments & Resignations

News: Most Important

1. SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed new CMD of Punjab National Bank Union government appointed SS Mallikarjuna Rao, Managing Director and CEO of Allahabad Bank as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Punjab National Bank. He will replace Sunil

2. P K Gupta is new CMD of NBCC

The government-appointed P K Gupta as the new Chairman and Managing Director of NBCC. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of engineering services company RITES Limited. His appointment is proposed by the Min of Housing & Urban Affairs.

3. England appoint Chris Silverwood as new head coach

England have appointed Chris Silverwood as their new head coach across all formats, replacing Trevor Bayliss who stepped down from the role at the end of the home summer. The new head coach’s first assignment will be England’s tour of New Zealand.

4. Nissan appoints Makoto Uchida as CEO, Ashwani Gupta as COO Nissan Motor Co. has chosen Makoto Uchida, the current Senior Vice President, as the next Chief Executive and Ashwani Gupta as its Chief Operating Officer. The India-born Gupta is also the COO of alliance junior partner Mitsubishi Motors

5. Anita Pai appointed chief operating officer (COO) of Yes Bank

Yes Bank announced the appointment of former ICICI Bank chief general manager Anita Pai, as the chief operating officer (COO) and former head of marketing at Kotak Life, Jasneet Bachal, as the chief marketing officer (CMO).

6. C.K. Venkaraman becomes Titan MD

C.K. Venkataraman who was the CEO of the jewellery business of Titan Company since 2005 has taken over the role of Managing Director of Titan Company upon the retirement of the former MD, Bhaskar Bhat. Ajoy Chawla has taken over as the CEO of the Jewellery Division.

7. Citigroup names Peter Babej as Asia Pacific CEO

Citigroup Inc appointed Peter Babej-the U.S. bank’s global head of financial institutions group, as its Asia Pacific CEO. He joined Citi as co- head of the financial institutions group after having worked at Deutsche Bank & investment bank Lazard.

8. S M Vaidya takes over as Director (Refineries) at Indian Oil Corporation

IOC has appointed Shrikant Madhav Vaidya as the Director of IOC Refineries. He is also the Director on the board of Chennai Petroleum Corporation & the West Coast Refinery & Petrochemicals Project-world’s largest grassroot refinery project.

9. Ajit Kumar Saxena takes charge as RINL Director of Operations A K Saxena was sworn in as the new Director of operations in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant – Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL). He was the Chief general manager of Mills at SAIL IISCO plant in West Bengal. RINL is built using German & Soviet

10. Raghavendra Singh appointed as the director of the Nehru Memorial Museum

Former culture secretary Raghavendra Singh has been sworn in as the director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library for the next 6 months, replacing Shakti Sinha. The govt has set a deadline of October 2020 to get the Museum on Prime Ministers of India ready.

11. Indian Banks Association elects Rajnish Kumar as Chairman SBI’s head Rajnish Kumar has been elected as the chairman of Indian Banks Association for the fiscal 2019-20. Union Bank of India’s G Rajkiran Rai, S.S Mallikarjuna Rao of PNB & Madhav Kalyan of JP Morgan Chase Bank have been elected as deputy

12. Arvind Singh appointed chairman of AAI

Senior IAS officer Arvind Singh has been appointed as the chairman of Airports Authority of India and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will head the National Highways Authority of India as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. GK V Rao has been named MD & Chair: India Tourism Development Corporation.

13. Sophie Wilmes named as Belgian Prime Minister

Belgian Budget Minister Sophie Wilmes has been chosen as the country’s new caretaker Prime Minister, a first for a woman. Belgium has not had a fully functioning federal government since a coalition headed up by Michel collapsed in December 2018.

14. Manohar Lal Khattar takes oath as Haryana CM

Manohar Lal Khattar took oath as Haryana chief minister for the second time while JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the deputy chief minister. In the 90-member assembly, a minimum strength of 46 MLAs is required to form the government.

15. Sourav Ganguly appointed new BCCI President

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has been selected as the new President of the BCCI. BCCI also selected Jay Shah as Secretary & Arun Dhumal as Treasurer. Ganguly is the 2nd India cricketer to become BCCI president. He is the current President of Cricket Association of Bengal.

16. Sajjan Jindal elected as Vice-Chairman of The World Steel Association

The World Steel Association has elected Sajjan Jindal-Chairman & MD of JSW Steel, as Vice-Chairman of the association for 1 year. It also elected YU Yong-Chairman of HBIS Group Co, as Chairman. TV Narendran & LN Mittal has been elected as its members.

17. Kais Saied sworn in as Republic of Tunisia’s president

Kais Saied has been sworn in as Tunisia’s president. He currently chairs the Arab League. The poll followed the death of Beji Caid Essebsi-Tunisia’s 1st president freely elected by universal suffrage. Modi has congratulated him on being the President.

18. Punit Goenka re-elected as IAA India Chapter’s president

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, has been re- elected as the president of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). Megha Tata, MD, Discovery South Asia has been elected as vice president.

19. Justice SA Bobde to be next Supreme Court Chief Justice President Ram Nath Kovind signed a warrant appointing Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Bobde will take oath as CJI on November 18. He will succeed Ranjan Gogoi. Arvind

Bobde’s term will run until April 23, 2021. He will be the 47th Chief Justice of India.

20. Manoj Jain to be new chairman and managing director of GAIL Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) has picked up Manoj Jain who is currently serving as the director (Business Development) at GAIL (India) to be the chairman and MD of India’s biggest natural gas company. He will have term till August
21. Kolkata Knight Riders announce Kyle Mills as new bowling coach Kolkata Knight Riders named former New Zealand pacer Kyle Mills as their new bowling coach. Also, David Hussey, a former KKR player & Australian international, has been named as a top advisor to New Zealand coach Brendon
22. Pranav Mistry appointed as President and CEO of STAR Labs Computer scientist Pranav Mistry has been appointed as the President and CEO of STAR Labs (Samsung Technology & Advanced Research Labs), an independent entity of Samsung Electronics. He was the global vice president at Samsung Electronics since May 2017. He is best known for SixthSense, a wearable gestural

23. Justice LN Swamy takes oath as Himachal Chief Justice

Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court as he was administered the oath of office by Governor Bandaru Dattatraya in a function held at Raj Bhawan in Shimla.

24. Anil Kumar Gautam takes over as Director of Finance at NTPC

Anil Kumar Gautam sworn in as Director of Finance at NTPC Limited. NTPC is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities. It is incorporated under Companies Act 1956 & is promoted by GOI.

25. Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG

Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard. The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. His appointment will be up to September 2020.

26. Centre appoints SSC, UIDAI Chiefs In major bureaucratic reorganization

The Central government cleared appointments of several senior bureaucrats in multiple ministries and departments with Braj Raj Sharma and Pankaj Kumar being appointed chiefs of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chief.

News: Others

1. J.P.S. Chawla assumes charge as new Controller General of Accounts

Shri J.P.S. Chawla assumed charge as the new Controller General of Accounts, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure. Prior to assuming the charge of CGA, Shri Chawla served as Principal Chief Controller of Accounts, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)

2. Sudhaker Shukla appointed as whole-time member of IBBI

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Sudhaker Shukla as Whole-Time Member, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). He is a 1985 Indian Economic Service officer.

3. Justice Indrajit Mohanty appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice

Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to newly appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Indrajit Mohanty. He is now the 37th Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

4. Punjab government appoints Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma as Punjab Lokpal

Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma (retired) took oath as the Lokpal of Punjab. Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, V P Singh Badnore administered the oath of office to Sharma, a former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge.

5. Oil India Limited appoints Sushil Chandra as new Managing Director and CEO

Oil India Limited appointed Sushil Chandra Mishra as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. He started his professional journey as an executive trainee with OIL in 1984 and developed deep expertise in commercial matters.

6. Sailesh Assumes charge as Secretary Dept of Public Enterprises Sailesh assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises under Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises in New Delhi. He served as Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs. He belongs to Indian Administrative Service, 1985

7. Air Marshal S K Ghotia takes over as chief of South Western Air Command

Air Marshal S K Ghotia has taken over as the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), at Gandhinagar. He replaced Air Marshal H S Arora, who moved to Air Headquarters as the Vice-Chief of Air Staff.

8. Kapil Dev resigns as Cricket Advisory Committee chairman Former India captain, Kapil Dev, who was the chairman of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has stepped down from the role. The

committee, initially working as an ad-hoc body, had conducted interviews and eventually named W.V. Raman as the head coach of the women’s team.

9. Tata Communications names Amur Lakshminarayanan as MD, Group CEO designate

Tata Communications has named Amur S Lakshminarayanan as Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer designate of the company. He comes with 35 years of experience in a broad range of leadership roles across industries and regions across the world.

10. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo sworn in for final term Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has been sworn into office for his 2ndand final 5-year term. He took oath at a ceremony in Jakarta. He sworn in along with Vice president Maruf Amin, who replaces Widodo’s vice president in his 1st term, Jusuf

11. Economist Surjit Bhalla appointed as the Executive Director for India at IMF

Economist Surjit Bhalla was appointed as the Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Mr. Bhalla for a period of three years.

12. Girish Chandra Murmu appointed first Lieutenant Governor of J&K Girish Chander Murmu, appointed the 1st LG of J&K . R K Mathur will be 1stLG of Ladakh. P S Sreedharan Pillai will take charge as new governor of Mizoram, while S.P Malik will govern Goa. Dineshwar Sharma has been appointed as administrator to
13. IIFL Wealth Management appoints Prateek Mishra as CISO Prateek Mishra has joined IIFL Wealth Management as Chief Information Security Officer. In this new role he will be leading the Information and cyber security for the company. He has previously been the Chief Information Security Officer for IDBI Federal Life

Quick Revision

Appointment/Resignation	Post
SS Mallikarjuna Rao	MD & CEO, Punjab National Bank
P K Gupta	CMD, NBCC
Chris Silverwood	Head coach, England
Makoto Uchida	CEO, Nissan
Ashwani Gupta	COO, Nissan
Anita Pai	COO, Yes Bank
Jasneet Bachal	Chief marketing officer (CMO), Yes Bank
C.K. Venkataraman	MD, Titan
Peter Babej	Asia Pacific CEO ,Citigroup Inc
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya	Director, IOC Refineries
Raghavendra Singh	Director, Nehru Memorial Museum
Rajnish Kumar	Chairman, Indian Banks Association
Anil Kumar Gautam	Director of Finance , NTPC Limited
Anup Kumar Singh	Director-General, National Security Guard
Braj Raj Sharma	Chief, SSC
Pankaj Kumar	CEO, UIDAI
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu	Chairman, National Highway Authority of India
Girish Chander Murmu	First Lieutenant Governor, J&K
P S Sreedharan Pillai	Governor, Mizoram
S.P Malik	Governor, Goa
Dineshwar Sharma	Administrator, Lakshadweep
R K Mathur	First LG, Ladakh
Prateek Mishra	Chief Information Security Officer, IIFL Wealth Management
Arvind Singh	Chairman ,Airports Authority of India
GK V Rao	MD & Chair, India Tourism Development Corporation.
Sophie Wilmes	Prime Minister, Belgium
Manohar Lal Khattar	Chief minister, Haryana
Sourav Ganguly	President ,BCCI
Sajjan Jindal	Vice-Chairman, World Steel Association
Kais Saied	President, Tunisia
Punit Goenka	President, India Chapter of the International Advertising Association
Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde	47th Chief Justice of India
Manoj Jain	MD, GAIL
Pranav Mistry	President and CEO ,STAR Labs
J.P.S. Chawla	Controller General of Accounts
Sudhaker Shukla	Whole-Time Member, IBBI
Justice Indrajit Mohanty	Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice
Sushil Chandra Mishra	MD & CEO, OIL
Air Marshal S K Ghotia	Chief, South Western Air Command
Kapil Dev (Resignation)	Chairman, Cricket Advisory Committee
Amur S Lakshminarayanan	MD & CEO, Tata Communications
Joko Widodo	President , Indonesia
Surjit Bhalla	Executive Director for India ,IMF
Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy	Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh High Court

 

Ranks & Reports

News: Most Important

1. Biocon number six in top 10 Global Biotech Employers ranking for 2019

Bengaluru-headquartered biopharmaceuticals company Biocon Ltd has moved up to sixth spot in the Top 10 Global Biotech Employers ranking for 2019. The Top 5 global players in this year’s list are Alnylam, Regeneron, Incyte, Merck KGaAfday and Spark therapeutics.

2. Cleanliness survey: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Durgapura emerge top three ranking railway stations

Three railway stations named Jaipur; Jodhpur & Durgapura in Rajasthan bagged top honours among 720 stations in the railways’ cleanliness survey unveiled by Piyush Goyal. Andheri, Virar & Naigaon railway stations were the top 3 among 109 suburban stations. Rank 1 railway zone – North Western Railway.

3. India slips 10 places to 68th on global competitiveness index India has moved down 10 places to the 68th rank while Singapore has replaced the US as the world’s most competitive economy according to the Global Competitiveness Index compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF).

4. India ranked 102 in Global Hunger Index

India slipped to the 102 spots in the Global Hunger Index which features 117 countries, according to Concern Worldwide-agency that compiles the report. Central African Republic topped the report. 9 countries of concern were omitted due to lack of data.

5. India emerged as 3rd largest ecosystems for successful start-ups With 21 unicorns, India has emerged as 3rd largest ecosystems for more successful start-ups according to Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019. China & US won 1st & 2nd positions, respectively. Beijing is the world’s unicorn capital city. Europe has 35
6. Global Health Security Index 2019: India ranks low at 57 According to GHSI 2019 report by WHO, world is unprepared for outbreaks of major infectious diseases, with Asian countries facing significant risks, Thailand & South Korea were among the best- performing countries in Asia, while India was at 57th

7. IIT Bombay ranks first in QS India University rankings

IIT-Bombay, IISC-Bengaluru & IIT-Delhi won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks respectively according to the QS India University Rankings 2020 for the 2nd consecutive year. University of Hyderabad has been ranked 8th among the top 10 in India.

8. Ghaziabad’s Loni town emerges as country’s most polluted

Ghaziabad’s Loni emerged as the most polluted city in the country as per Central Pollution Control Board’s Air Quality Index (AQI) figures. The AQI figures for Ghaziabad ranked in the “very poor” category &topped the list of 108 most polluted cities. Loni’s AQI figure is 359.

 

9. Forbes India Rich List 2019: Mukesh Ambani retains top spot, Gautam Adani second

Industrialist Gautam Adani jumped 8 spots on the list to become the second richest India with net worth of $15.7 billion while Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani maintained his numero uno spot with

$51.4 billion.

10. Kerala, Chandigarh top govt think tank NITI’s school education quality index

Kerala and Chandigarh emerged as the top performers in the school education quality index (SEQI) of all states and Union territories, government think tank NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog considered 2016-17 as the reference year for the index. Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh were the laggards.

 

News: Others

1. India’s rank jumps 14 places in World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking

India climbed 14 rungs in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2020 survey among 190 countries, making it the one of world’s top 10 most improved countries for the 3rd consecutive time. India’s ranking improved from 142nd in 2014 to 63rd in 2019. Last year, India jumped 23 places to reach 77th position.

2. IIM Calcutta featured in the ‘Financial Times master’s in management Rankings 2019’

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has secured the 17th rank

globally in the ‘Financial Times master’s in management Rankings 2019’. University of St Gallen, Switzerland & HEC Paris, France secured the first & second ranks respectively. London Business School secured the third position.

3. Three Indian-origin CEOs in ‘The Best-Performing CEOs in the World, 2019’

Three Indian-origin CEOs have featured in ‘The Best-Performing CEOs in the World, 2019’ published by Harvard Business Review. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen(6th), MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (7th) & Microsoft chief Satya Nadella (9th) featured in the list. American company NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang topped the list.

4. World Giving Index: India ranks 82, USA tops the list

India ranks 82 among the 128 countries surveyed by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), an international organisation that promotes giving to transform lives and communities across the world. USA stood at the top followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia.

Important days

News: Most Important

1. International Day of Older Persons: 1 October

The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.

2. International Day of Non-Violence : 2 October

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

3. 10 October: World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October, with the objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. This year’s theme is suicide prevention.

4. 11 October: International Girl Child Day

Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Girl Child Day by UN. Its main objective is women empowerment. In the world Conference on women that took place in 1995 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action. 2019 theme is “Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable”.

5. 15 October: International day of rural women

On 15 October, UN celebrates the International Day of Rural Women to recognize the role of rural women. This year UN celebrates the vital role that rural women play in climate action with a spotlight on “Rural women and girls building resilience” theme. The day was first observed on 2008.

6. 15 October: World students’ day

World Students’ Day is marked as the birthday of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. It is observed on 15 October. In 2010 the United Nations declared 15

October as “World Students’ Day”. The day honours Kalam’s efforts in the field of science & technology.

7. 16 October: World White Cane Day

World white cane day is observed on 16 October to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind/visually impaired. The white cane has become a symbol of freedom, independence, & confidence enabling blind person to move about freely.

8. 17 October: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

UN celebrates International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October

17. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty worldwide. 2019 theme is- “acting together to empower children, their families & communities to end poverty”.

 

9. 20 October: World Osteoporosis Day

World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on October 20th by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). The day is dedicated for raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis & treatment of

osteoporosis & metabolic bone disease.2019 campaign will feature “That’s Osteoporosis” as headline.

10. 21 October: National Police Day

The National Police Memorial in India commemorates National Police Day on 21 October. Day is remembrance of police personnel from all of the central & state police forces in India who have died in the line of duty since the nation’s Independence in 1947.

11. 23 October: International mole day to foster interest in chemistry Mole Day is celebrated annually on October 23. It celebrates Avogadro’s Number-a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry & schools around the world celebrate with various activities related to chemistry. Day is celebrated from 6:02 am to 6:02

12. 24 October: United Nations Day

24 October is celebrated as the United Nations day annually. Day marks the anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force on 24 October 1945. UN has declared climate change the defining issue of our time. 2019 theme is “Our Planet. Our Future”.

13. 24 October: World Polio Day

24 October is celebrated as the World Polio Day to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk- who led the 1st team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. The day is observed to raise the awareness for polio vaccination & polio eradication. Day was established by Rotary International.

14. World Statistics Day : 20 October

This was the second World Statistics Day. This year’s theme Better Data, Better Lives emphasizes the critical role of high-quality official statistical information in analysis and informed policy decision-making in support of sustainable development. The first World Statistics Day was celebrated in 2010

15. World Development Information Day : 24 October

The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.

16. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage : 27 October

The General Conference of UNESCO approved the commemoration of a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage in 2005 as a mechanism to raise general awareness of the need to preserve and safeguard important audiovisual material for future generations. 2019 Theme: Engage the Past Through Sound and Images.

 

17. World Food Day : 16 October

World Food Day is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. Held annually on 16th October. This year, World Food Day calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world.

18. 31 October: World Cities Day

UN designated 31st October as the World Cities Day & UNESCO will host a conference on the day. The general theme of the Day is “Better City, Better Life”. “Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations” is the 2019 sub-theme. Day aims to promote the New Urban Agenda globally.

19. 31 October: World Thrift Day

World Thrift Day is observed on 31st October worldwide & in India it is observed on 30th October since 1984 as 31st October being the date of assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi. This day is devoted to the promotion of savings all over the world. First International Thrift Congress was held in Italy in 1924.

20. 31 October: National Unity Day/ Rashtriya Ekta Diwas

National Unity Day is observed on 31 October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel who played an important role in unifying the country. The theme of the day is to bring the nation together in times of strife & rising extremism.

News: Others

1. World Habitat Day – 7 October

The first Monday of October of every year is observed as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of our towns, cities & on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. 2019 theme: Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth.

2. World Cotton Day: October 7

On 7 October, the WTO hosted the first World Cotton Day (WCD) in Geneva. The WTO Secretariat is organizing the event in collaboration with the Secretariats of FAO, UNCTAD, ITC and ICAC.

3. 87th IAF Day celebrated on October 8

Every year, the Air Force Day is celebrated at Hindon base in presence of IAF chief and senior officials of the three-armed forces. The IAF was founded on October 8, 1932, and the force has participated in several crucial wars and landmark missions.

4. UN celebrates World Post Day on 9 October

United Nations celebrates world post day on October 9th.The purpose is to create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people’s and

businesses’ everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries.

5. World Migratory Bird Day observed on October 12

The World Migratory Bird Day this year on the theme of ‘Protect Birds: Be the solution to plastic pollution’ aims to increase the level of awareness about the threats – both general and specific – that birds are facing.

 

6. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction – October 13 International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed on 13 October annually to raise awareness about disaster reduction. The theme is “Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services”.

7. 14 October: World Standards Day

World Standards Day is celebrated internationally each year on 14 October. The aim of the day is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the global economy. ISO was formed in 1947.

Quick revision

Date	Day	Theme
1 October	International Day of Older Persons	The Journey to Age Equality
2 October	International Day of Non-Violence	NA
7 October	World Habitat Day	Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth
7 October	World Cotton Day	NA
October 8	87th IAF Day	NA
9 October	World Post Day	NA
10 October	World Mental Health Day	Suicide Prevention
11 October	International Girl Child Day	Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable
October 12	World Migratory Bird Day	Protect Birds: Be the solution to plastic pollution
October 13	International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction	Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services
14 October	World Standards Day
15 October	International day of rural women	Rural women and girls building resilience
15 October	World students’ day	NA
16 October	World White Cane Day	NA
16 October	World Food Day	NA
17 October	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	Acting together to empower children, their families & communities to end poverty
20 October	World Osteoporosis Day	That’s Osteoporosis( campaign headline)
20 October	World Statistics Day	Better Data, Better Lives
21 October	National Police Day	NA
23 October	International mole day to foster interest in chemistry	NA
24 October	United Nations Day	Our Planet. Our Future
27 October	World Day for Audiovisual Heritage	NA
31 October	World Cities Day	Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations
31 October	World Thrift Day	NA
31 October	National Unity Day/ Rashtriya Ekta Diwas	NA

Sports

News: Most Important

1. Novak Djokovic clinches Japan Open title

World No.1 Novak Djokovic clinched the Japan Open tennis title by defeating Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets at the Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo. It was his first Japanese competition.

2. Surender Singh creates three world records at World Powerlifting C’ ship

Surender Singh created 3 world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany. He bagged a gold medal in 110 kg category, Classic Raw & Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw & Single Ply.

3. Spain’s Marquez grabs 6th MotoGP world title

Marc Marquez of Spain lifted his 6th premier class MotoGP world title with victory at the Thailand Grand Prix. His 6 titles puts him 3rd on the all-time list in the MotoGP/500cc class behind Italian legends Giacomo Agostini (8) & Valentino Rossi (7).

4. Medvedev defeats Zverev to clinch Shanghai Masters

Daniil Medvedev won his fourth title with a thumping 6-4, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Shanghai Masters finals. He is now the new world number three, displacing Roger Federer. The top two are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

5. Priyanshu Rajawat claims men’s singles title at Bahrain International Series

Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat won the men’s singles title in the Bahrain International Series Badminton defeating Jason Anthony Ho-Shue from Canada. Indian mixed double pair of Juhi Dewangan & Venkat Gaurav Prasad also finished at the top.

News: Others

1. Indian boxers clinched 21 medals at Asian Junior Championships Indian boxers clinched 21 medals-including 6 golds and 9 silvers- to end with the best medal haul among 26 competing countries at the Asian Junior Championships held in UAE. But team finished as 2nd behind Uzbekistan which had a better gold count of 8. Uzbekistan clinched a total of 20
2. An Se-young , Chen Long clinch French Open badminton titles Korean An Se-young stunned Carolina Marin in an epic final to lift the women’s singles title at the French Open badminton tournament. Chinese Chen Long grabbed the men’s singles trophy with a 21-19 21-12 win over Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie. Satwik-Chirag lost French Open final, settled for silver.

3. BWF World Tour: Satwiksairaj & Chirag Shetty reclaim top 10 in doubles

Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty grabbed 9th position in the latest BWF Badminton rankings. They became the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a BWF World Tour Super 750 event at the French Open last week.

 

4. Ravinder settles for silver at U-23 World Wrestling Championship At the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship in Budapest, Indian grappler Ravinder settled for a silver medal after going down to Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov for a 3-5 loss in the final in 61-kg. Ulukbek is the current Asian U-23 champion. This was India’s first medal at the 2019

Awards

News: Most Important

1. William Kaelin, Gregg Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe win Nobel Medicine Prize 2019

The 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to scientists William G Kaelin, Jr, Peter J Ratcliffe and Gregg L Semenza. They received the award jointly for their discoveries of “how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability,”.

2. Nobel prize in physics awarded for discoveries in cosmology

Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics has been announced. Three scientists, James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have won the Prize for their contribution to the understanding of the evolution of the universe and earth’s place in the cosmos. Award includes 9 million kronor cash, a gold medal & a diploma.

3. Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for development of lithium-ion batteries

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 was awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham & Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops & electric vehicles.

4. Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke awarded Nobel literature prize for 2018 & 2019

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 is awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk & for the year 2019 is awarded to the Austrian author Peter Handke. Literature Nobel prize was suspended in 2018 after a sexual assault scandal. Olga Tokarczuk won the Man Booker International Prize last year.

5. Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel Peace Prize 2019 for ending Eritrea conflict

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 in recognition of his efforts to end his country’s long- running border conflict with Eritrea. Last year Abiy & Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki formally restored relations.

6. Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer conferred 2019 Nobel Economics Prize

Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer won 2019 Nobel Economics Prize for their work on poverty. Duflo is the youngest person and second woman to be awarded the prize. The three laureates are expected to split a $915,000 cash prize.

7. Sachin Tendulkar gets most effective Swachhata Ambassador award

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar bagged the Most Effective Swachhata Ambassador award at the fifth edition of the Safaigiri Awards for utilizing his popularity and fame to ensure India achieves its goal of a Swachh Bharat.

8. Milkha Singh bestowed with the lifetime achievement award at ISH

Legendary Milkha Singh and star batswoman Smriti Mandhana were among the winners during the second edition of the Indian Sports Honours (ISH). A total of seventeen honours were presented during the ceremony.

9. MS Ananth conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award at TiECON Chennai 2019

MS Ananth was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the TiECON Chennai 2019 event. The award was given for his contributions to higher education in India, and for committed research and excellence in Chemical engineering.

News: Others

1. Elgi wins CII Design Excellence award

Air compressor manufacturer Elgi Equipment’s won the 2019 CII Design Excellence Award. Elgi’s “Always Better series” – a disruption in oil-free compressed air technology won award in the Industrial Design, capital goods category.

2. First National CSR awards on October 29

The govt is set to host the 1st national corporate social responsibility awards on October 29. The awards are intended to encourage best practices in CSR & to recognise the efforts of companies that have utilised funds marked for CSR effectively.

3. K Parasaran won the Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to former Attorney General K. Parasaran. He was honoured with the award on the Elder’s Day celebration of Age Care India. He was awarded for contribution to the field of law &

4. Marg ERP promoter gets Udyog Rattan Award

The promoter of Marg ERP which provides inventory & accounting software has bagged Udyog Rattan Award from the Govt. This award is conferred annually to Indian citizens for their outstanding contribution to the economic development of the country.

5. 28th Vyas Samman conferred on Leeladhar Jagoori

28th Vyas Samman for the year 2018 was conferred on well-known Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagoori. He has been chosen for the prestigious award for his poetry collection- Jitne Log Utne Prem. Renowned Author & Scholar Govind Mishra gave away the award to him. Vyas Samman-started in 1991-is given by K.K Birla Foundation.

 

6. India wins four UNESCO heritage awards

The four winners from India, include one from Ahmedabad — Award of Distinction for Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management (IIM); and three from Mumbai — Award of Merit for Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and Our Lady of Glory Church; while Honourable Mention for Flora Fountain.

7. Panchayati Raj Minister to confer National Panchayat Awards 2019 Narendra Singh Tomar will confer the National Panchayat Awards 2019 in New Delhi. The Awards will be given to awardee Panchayats & States in various categories. 246 awards will be given in total.6 states will be awarded in e- Panchayat Puraskar

Quick Revision

Winner	Award
William Kaelin, Gregg Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe	2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology
James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz	Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics
John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham & Akira Yoshino	Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019
Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke	Nobel literature prize for 2018 & 2019
Abiy Ahmed	Nobel Peace Prize 2019
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer	2019 Nobel Economics
Sachin Tendulkar	Most effective Swachhata Ambassador award
Milkha Singh	Lifetime achievement award at ISH
MS Ananth	Lifetime Achievement Award at the TiECON Chennai 2019
Elgi Equipment’s	2019 CII Design Excellence Award
K. Parasaran	Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award
Marg ERP promoter	Udyog Rattan Award
Leeladhar Jagoori	28th Vyas Samman, 2018

Obituaries

News: Most Important

1. Opera legend Jessye Norman dies at 74

Jessye Norman whose passionate soprano voice won her four Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor, has died. She was 74. In 1990, Augusta opened the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre to honour the opera icon. She earned 15 Grammy nominations throughout her career.

2. Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar dies in Dhaka

Internationally acclaimed Bangladesh painter Kalidas Karmakar passed away at the age of 73. He was awarded Shilpakala Padak & the Ekushey Padak by the Govt of Bangladesh for his contribution to fine arts. He conducted solo exhibitions on many countries.

He was known for his installation work using diverse materials.

3. Marcello Giordani a star at the world’s top opera houses, passed away

Tenor Marcello Giordani, renowned for a voice of beauty and heft that made him a star at the world’s top opera houses, passed away. He was

56. Giordani was sought after in lyric and later spinto roles.
57. Doyen of Nutrition research Colathur Gopalan passed away Colathur Gopalan, the doyen of nutrition research in India passed away in Chennai. He played a key role in tackling nutritional-deficiency diseases such as Beri Beri (vitamin B1 deficiency) & Pellagra. He started the Nutrition Foundation of India in

5. Noted saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath passed away

Noted saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath passed away at the age of

69. He was the first Carnatic musician to be invited in the BBC Promenade concert in the Royal Albert Hall at London. Mangalore & Bangalore universities had conferred him doctorates.

6. Centenarian philatelist and coin collector Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi passed away

Centenarian philatelist and coin collector Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi passed away. He started his career as a revenue inspector and retired as a special deputy commissioner at the Regional Commissioner’s Office in Belagavi. He was 102.

7. Former Supreme Court Judge And Ex-Karnataka Lokayukta N Venkatachala passed away

Former Karnataka Lokayukta and former Supreme Court judge N Venkatachala,89 died in Bengaluru. Justice Venkatachala was appointed as a judge of the top court in July 1992. He retired from his post in July 1995. He served as Lokayukta of Karnataka following his retirement from the judiciary.

News: Others

1. Indian-Origin Journalist Farook Khan passed away

Farook Khan, a prominent Indian-origin journalist in South Africa and cultural activist who received fame for his investigative reporting during apartheid, passed away. He started the Miss India South Africa Pageant as part of the Miss India Worldwide Pageant.

2. Veteran journalist Kanwar Sain Jolly passed away at 86

Veteran journalist Kanwar Sain Jolly passed away following a prolonged illness. He was 86.

He retired as Deputy General Manager of PTI new agency in 1993. Post his retirement from PTI, he served with various organisations such as KPMG, Pepsi and DuPont.

3. Sara Danius, the first female head of Nobel’s literature award body, passes away at 57

Sara Danius, the 1st female head of the Swedish body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, has died. She was 57. She was a literature critic, Professor and writer, served as the 1st female permanent secretary of Swedish Academy b/w 2015 & 2018.

Quick revision

Obituary (Name)	Related Field
Jessye Norman	Opera legend
Kalidas Karmakar	Painter
Marcello Giordani	Star, Opera house
Colathur Gopalan	Nutrition research
Farook Khan	Journalist
Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi	Philatelist
Kanwar Sain Jolly	Journalist
Sara Danius	First female head of Nobel’s literature award body
N Venkatachala	Former Karnataka Lokayukta

Schemes

News: Most Important

1. FSSAI launches Food Safety Mitra for ease of doing business, job creation

Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched a scheme —Food Safety Mitra (FSM). The scheme will support small and medium scale food businesses in compliance to the food safety laws.

2. Yogi Adityanath launches Kanya Sumangala Yojana

UP govt launched its flagship scheme Kanya Sumangla Yojna. The scheme will provide 15,000 Rs in a phased manner to every family in which a girl child takes birth & parents have to take care of girl child’s health & education to get the benefit.

3. Delhi Govt agrees to implement Central scheme PM-KISAN

Delhi Govt has agreed to implement the Central scheme PM-KISAN under which income support of 6,000 Rs is provided to each eligible farmer.

Under the scheme, which was launched in February crediting is done as 3 equal instalments to the bank accounts.

4. Govt to boost ‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme

Govt is planning to allocate more funds for the Jiyo Parsi scheme. Centre announced the Scheme in September 2013 to check the declining Parsi population. Parzor Foundation works for the promotion & preservation of Parsi culture & implements the scheme. Maharashtra has the highest Parsi population followed by Gujarat.

5. Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launches Ganga Aamantran

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Ganga Aamantran

– a unique initiative to connect with Ganga’s Stakeholders. It is a pioneering and historic exploratory open water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga River.

News: Others

1. Andhra Pradesh CM launches scheme for MSMEs

Andhra Pradesh Govt launched a scheme called YSR Navodayam for MSMEs. The scheme aims to bail out MSMEs in the State & provide them financial relief by restructuring their bank loans before March 31,2020. AP CM YS Jagmohan Reddy inaugurated the scheme.

Bank loans up to a ceiling of Rs 25 crores will be restructured.

2. Andhra Pradesh CM launches vision improvement scheme

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched “YSR Kanti Velugu” programme intended to screen the school children for vision defects and to provide treatment free of cost. Programme will have two phases and will be completed by 2020.

3. Govt launches SUMAN-an initiative for quality health care at no cost

Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan-SUMAN, an initiative in New Delhi. The initiative was launched during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare. It provides a positive birth experience to mother & infant.

4. Revenue Secretary inaugurates National e-Assessment Scheme Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National e- Assessment Scheme of Income Tax department. With NeAC, there would be no physical interface between the taxpayers and the tax officers. NeAC improves quality of assessment and

Person in News

News: Most Important

1. Dutch Open: Lakshya Sen wins maiden BWF World Tour title Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched maiden BWF World Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men’s singles at Almere in the

Lakshya, currently ranked 72nd, had won the Belgian Open last month and reached the finals of Polish Open this year.

2. Simone Biles breaks record for most world medals won by any gymnast

Simone Biles broke the all-time record for most medals by any gymnast at the world championships by winning the balance beam competition at the World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the 24th world championship medal for Biles.

3. Manju Rani won silver in World Women’s Boxing Championship Manju Rani clinches silver after losing to Russia’s Ekaterina Paltceva in the Women’s World Boxing Championships 2019.Paltceva defeated Rani 4 -1 in 48-kg category in the final match of the tournament. Rani hails from Indian state of

4. Kuhoo Garg-Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles title

Kuhoo Garg & Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles title 2019 in Cairo. They defeated Utkarsh Arora and Karishma Wadkar in an

all-Indian final. Earlier at the Dubai International Challenge, Rituparna Das defeated Japan’s Mako Urushizaki.

5. Commerce and Industry Minister on a Two-Day Visit to Sweden Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister-Piyush Goyal attended the 19thSession of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial & Scientific Cooperation in Sweden on 23 October 2019. Sweden is the 20th largest foreign investor in

6. Dharmendra Pradhan visits Russia & Japan

Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan visited Russia & Japan. Possible areas of collaboration in sectors like coking coal & shipping routes were discussed. EIL signed an MoU with the Russian National Chamber of Engineers.

7. Praveen Kumar becomes first Indian man to win gold at Wushu World Championships

Praveen Kumar became the 1st Indian man to win a Wushu World Championships gold, beating Russel Diaz of Philippines in the 48kg category in Shanghai. The Indian saw off his Filipino opponent 2-1 in the men’s Sanda event of the 15th World Wushu Championship. India finished third overall in the championship.

8. Rohit Sharma becomes 3rd Indian batsman to reach top 10 in all formats

Rohit Sharma has become the 3rd Indian batsman to reach the top 10 in all three formats after the series against South Africa in which he donned the new role of Test opener. Rohit emulated captain Virat Kohli and retired opener Gautam Gambhir.

9. Mithali Raj becomes 1st female player to complete 20 years in international cricket

India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj became the first female player to last more than 20 years in international cricket. She achieved the feat while leading India to an eight-wicket win over South Africa Women in the first ODI at Vadodara.

10. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands completed a unique double Sifan Hassan completed a historic 1,500/10,000 metres double at the World Athletics Championship. She became the first athlete, male or female, to win the two events at a single Olympic Games or world championships.

11. Ben Stokes named PCA player of the year

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been voted Professional Cricketers’ Association player of the year. He helped England win the World Cup for the first time and made a remarkable unbeaten 135 to win the third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingly.

News: Others

1. Roger Federer Wins 10th Swiss Open Crown, Career Title No. 103 Top-seeded Federer, 38, won the Swiss Open for a 10th time, beating 20- year-old Alex de Minaur of Australia, 6-2, 6-2, for his fourth title of 2019 and the 103rd title of his career. Jimmy Connors is the all-time men’s leader with 109 tournament wins. In other tournament Dominic Thiem beat Diego Schwartzman to grab Vienna Open title

2. Tiger Woods wins Zozo Championship

Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship defeating Hideki Matsuyama of Japan to tie Sam Snead’s PGA Tour record of 82 victories. He was playing in the first-ever PGA Tour event in Japan. The Zozo Championship is a professional golf tournament in Inzai, Japan.

3. Shiv Nadar tops EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2019 HCL founder and chairman Shiv Nadar has topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2019, with the highest contribution of Rs 826 crore between April 2018 and March 2019. The amount in philanthropy

contributed by Indians in the list stands at Rs 4,391 crore with an average contribution of Rs 44 crore.

4. Chandi Prasad Bhatt to get Indira Gandhi award for national integration

The 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the years 2017 and 2018 will be awarded to the pioneer of the Chipko Movement Chandi Prasad Bhatt for his services in promoting and preserving the national integration.

5. World Bank President David Malpass visit India & Pakistan World Bank President David Malpas visit India & Pakistan where he discussed the challenges in the financial sector. Annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank have begun in Washington. WB publishes Global Economic Prospects

 

6. Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run marathon in under two hours

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge has completed the first-ever marathon under two hours in the Austrian capital of Vienna, two years since he fell 25 seconds short. He ran forty-two kilometres in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds at Vienna’s Prater-Hauptallee.

Summits & Conference

News: Most Important

1. Second Informal Summit between Modi & Xi Jinping to be held in Tamil Nadu

After the success of first informal meeting between Modi & Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April 2018, second informal summit is to be held at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. This summit will improve the bilateral relations between two countries.

2. Piyush Goyal attended 9th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting in Thailand

Piyush Goyal attended the 9th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Intersessional Ministerial meeting beginning on October 12 at Bangkok. This will be the last Ministerial before the 3rd Leaders’ Summit to be held on next month in Bangkok.

3. Kerala Start-up Mission to hold fourth edition of IEDC event Kerala Start-up Mission will hold the 4th edition of the IEDC (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Centre) summit. ‘Accelerating Ideas to Industry 4.0’ will be the theme. This gives students an opportunity to express their entrepreneurial
4. President of India Addresses 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit Ram Nath Kovind addressed the 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit & India-Philippines Business Conclave in Manila, Philippines. Both countries share mutual complementarities which can be utilised to deepen trade & investment. He also visited the Manila Museum. ASEAN-India trade target is US$ 200 billion by

5. Venkaiah Naidu to lead Indian delegation at Non-Aligned Movement Summit

Venkaiah Naidu will lead the Indian delegation at the 18th Summit of Heads of State & Govt of the Non-Aligned Movement. The theme is – Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted & adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world.

6. New Delhi to Host First “Global Bio-India 2019” Summit

The Global Bio-India 2019-one of the largest biotechnology stakeholders’ conglomerates will be held for the 1st time in India at New Delhi from 21st to 23rd November 2019. The event has been structured to bring together stakeholders from 30 countries.

7. 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet on Climate Change

29th ministerial meeting of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) countries on Climate Change was held at Beijing, China. India has already achieved 21% reduction in emission intensity of GDP in 2014 compared to 2005 levels. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar attended it.

8. Interpol to hold general assembly in India in 2022

India will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 after a proposal received the overwhelming support of member countries at this year’s congregation at Santinago in Chile. A proposal in this regard was given to Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock.

9. Goa Maritime Conclave– 2019 Inaugurated

Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC)-2019 was inaugurated by NSA Ajit Kumar Doval. Theme for the conclave is “Common Maritime Priorities in IOR and need for Regional Maritime Strategy”. 31st edition of the Naval War College Journal was also released.

10. 2020 G7 summit to take place in USA

2020 G7 summit will take place in one of Trump’s Florida golf clubs. Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney informed this. G7 is an organisation made up of the world’s 7 largest so-called advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK & US. The 45th G7 summit was held on August 2019 France.

11. Second India-France Ministerial level Annual Defence Dialogue held in Paris

Rajnath Singh participated in the Second India-France Ministerial level Annual Defence Dialogue with his French counterpart, the Minister for the Armed Forces -Ms. Florence Parly in Paris. Both sides agreed to strengthen and deepen defence relations.

News: Others

1. IICTF 2019 organised from 11 to 13 October in New Delhi

The India International Cooperative Trade Fair was organised in New Delhi. The Trade fair aims at bridging the gap between small farmers and the international market via technology. This is India’s first ever trade fair organised for small farmers and cooperative organisations.

2. 38th India Carpet Expo held in Varanasi

The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) organized the 38th India Carpet Expo from 11th- 14th October, 2019 in Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Ground with an aim to promote the cultural heritage and weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings for the visiting overseas carpet buyers.

3. First National Hindi Science writers conference held in Lucknow In Uttar Pradesh, the first 2-day long National Hindi Science writers conference will start today in Lucknow with an aim to release science

writing from the clutches of English and to promote use of Hindi and other Vernacular languages.

4. Kochi to host national health informatics meet in 2020

The Health Informatics and Information Management Association (HIIMA), Kerala, and the Health Records Association of India (HERAI) will jointly organising the 20th annual national conference in Kochi on in February, 2020. The theme of the conference – Medrecon 2020 – is ‘Value of Data in Health Care Ecosystem’.

5. Regional Labour conference held in Bhubaneswar

Regional Labour conference was held in Bhubaneswar. Labour Ministers & senior officials of six states participated in the conference. Regional Conferences help in creating better coordination between Central and State Govts in implementing labour laws.

6. Finance Minister led the Indian delegation at G20 Finance Ministers meet

FM Nirmala Sitharaman led the Indian delegation at G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors as well as the BRICS Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors meetings in Washington. IMF/WB Annual Meetings were also held in Washington D.C. She also attended Industry Roundtable organized by USIBC & CII.

7. Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave in New Delhi. Theme of the Conclave: “Economics of Nuclear Power-Innovation towards Safer & Cost-Effective Technologies”. Govt has diversified the applications of nuclear energy in various fields.

8. 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair

Buyers from 110 nations have assembled to source home, lifestyle, fashion, furniture and textiles products from around 3,200 Indian exhibitors at the 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (IHGF) at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida.

Quick Revision

Summit/Conference	Venue
Second Informal Summit between Modi & Xi Jinping	Mamallapuram ,Tamil Nadu
9th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting	Thailand
IEDC (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Centre) summit	Kerala
4th ASEAN-India Business Summit	Manila, Philippines
First “Global Bio-India 2019” Summit	New Delhi
29th ministerial meeting BASIC	Beijing, China
General assembly, Interpol (2022)	India
India International Cooperative Trade Fair,2019	New Delhi
38th India Carpet Expo	Varanasi, U.P
First National Hindi Science writers conference	Lucknow, U.P
National health informatics meet (2020)	Kochi
Regional Labour conference	Bhubaneshwar
11th Nuclear Energy Conclave	New Delhi
2020 G7 summit	USA
Second India-France Ministerial level Annual Defence Dialogue	Paris

Defence

News: Most Important

1. India-France joint Army exercise begins from Oct 31

The bilateral ‘Exercise SHAKTI’ between the armies of India & France will be conducted from 31 October-13 November 2019. It will focus on counter terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain & aims at enhancing interoperability between the two armies. Exercise will be held in Rajasthan.

2. DAC announces sourcing of worth Rs3,300 Cr for army

DAC announced the sourcing of Rs. 3,300 crore worth of indigenously designed & developed weapons systems for the Indian Army. Move comes amid efforts by India to broaden its domestic defence manufacturing base under ‘Make in India’ programme.

3. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 Defence exercise “Danx19” concludes

Andaman & Nicobar Command conducted the 2nd edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands-DANX19 at Port Blair. Components of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force & Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and field manoeuvres validate defensive plans. It was held from 14 Oct to 18 Oct 2019.

4. India, Japan to hold joint military exercise in Mizoram

India & Japan are holding a joint military exercise in Mizoram from Oct 19 to Nov 2. The focus of the 2-week-long exercise Dharma Guardian will be to increase the interoperability btw the two forces & enhance coordination and counter terrorism.

5. India’s First Training Squadron at Mombasa, Kenya

As part of Indian Navy’s Overseas Deployment, four indigenously built ships of Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron, Indian Naval Ships Tir, Sujata and Shardul and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, arrived at Mombasa Kenya.

News: Others

1. India takes delivery of first Rafale fighter jet

India received its first French-made Rafale fighter jet. The aircraft was received by defence minister Rajnath Singh on the 87th Indian Air Force (IAF) founding day. India is the fourth country after France, Egypt and Qatar, to fly the Rafale.

2. IAF In Talks With Russia To Finalize Procurement Of Sukhoi Jets The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in advance stages of talks with Russia to finalize a deal over the purchase of 12 Sukhoi jets as the Air Force looks to upgrade its force further, and also to replace the jets that

3. Indo Mongolian Joint Exercise Nomadic Elephant- XIV commenced at Bakloh

14th edition of Indo – Mongolian joint military training, Exercise Nomadic Elephant–XIV took place at Bakloh. The joint exercise is meant to enhance defence co-operation and military relations between the two nations.

Indian Army is represented by a battalion of RAJPUTANA regiment.

4. Defence Minister approves hike in monetary aid for battle casualties

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a four-fold increase in monetary assistance for battle casualties – from ₹2 lakh to ₹8 lakh. The amount will be granted under the Army Battle Casualties Welfare Fund (ABCWF).

5. 12-day India-Kazakhstan joint military exercise held

The 12-day joint military exercise named KAZIND-2019 between India and Kazakhstan took place in Pithoragarh. The aim of the exercise was to conduct company level joint training with an emphasis on counter- terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

Agreements

News: Most Important

1. India, Bangladesh sign MoU for Coastal Surveillance Radar System India and Bangladesh have signed an MoU that will enable Delhi to set up a coastal surveillance system radar in Bangladesh. Other agreements signed by the two countries include MoU for Standard Operating Procedure on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports.

2. India, ADB sign 190-million-dollar loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan

India and Asian Development Bank, ADB have signed 190-million-dollar loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan. It was signed to upgrade 754 km of state highways which will benefit about 26 mn people in 14 districts of Rajasthan.

3. India & Sierra Leone signed six agreements

India & Sierra Leone signed 6 agreements including extending a credit line of 30 million US Dollars for rice cultivation. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu & Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio committed to further strengthening bilateral relations.

4. Fujifilm India signs pact with Max Healthcare

Fujifilm India has inked a partnership with Max Healthcare to train doctors in early detection of breast cancer & advance diagnostics at its hospital in New Delhi. Fujifilm will sponsor an advanced fellowship in breast imaging with Max Healthcare.

5. Exxon Mobil & ONGC signed expertise-sharing deal

Exxon will offer its expertise & technology to ONGC to help develop its resources in offshore blocks under the expertise-sharing deal. The MoU signed on the side-lines of the 3rd India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, will be carried out in 3 phases.

6. C-CAMP & Dutch AMR consortium ink pact

Centre for Cellular & Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Dutch AMR Consortium – AMR Global. LoI will help the firms to jointly build & nurture innovations to address the global antimicrobial resistance threat (AMR).

7. Value Point partners with Cisco to set up cyber security experience centre in Bengaluru

Tech firm Value Point Systems has partnered with US-based Cisco to launch cyber security experience centre in Bengaluru. CSEC will enable Value Point customers to build & manage cyber security platforms specific to their business requirements.

8. Bharat Electronics signs MoU with TEL for ammunition business Bharat Electronics Limited has signed a MoU with Tamil Nadu Industrial Explosives Limited-a Tamil Nadu govt undertaking for co-operation in the explosives segment. They also aim to set up a Centre of Excellence for ammunition related

 

9. MG Motor India partners with eChargeBays for setting up home charging for EVs

MG Motor has partnered with eChargeBays for setting up home charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The partnership comes ahead of the

company’s launch of the its electric SUV. MG Motor has already partnered with the Fortum & the Delta Electronics.

10. DRDO signed 30 agreements on Technology Transfer

DRDO signed 30 licensing agreements for Transfer of Technology with 16 Indian companies at the Vibrant Goa Global Expo & Summit 2019.

DRDO develops technologies for the Armed Forces & has been carrying out ToT of these technologies to the defence industry. Goa CM Pramod Sawant inaugurated the event.

11. India set to sign agreement on Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan India & Pakistan set to sign a pact to operationalize the Kartarpur corridor. PM Modi will inaugurate the corridor in November. The corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with the Gurdwara at Kartarpur of Pakistan’s Punjab province. Kartarpur is about four km from the international
12. ITC ties up with AP govt to improve quality, sales of chilli output ITC has joined hands with the Andhra Pradesh Govt to develop a chilli value chain. The Agri-Business Division of ITC & Department of Horticulture have conceptualized an integrated Agri Extension Platform for chilli farmers under the public-private

13. Thyssenkrupp ties up with Nayara Energy, to provide project consultancy

Thyssenkrupp ties up with Nayara Energy, to provide project consultancy for Nayara Energy’s upcoming petrochemical units in Vadinar, Gujarat. The company headquartered in Germany is collaborating with Nayara Energy for the second time after 2000.

14. PayPal & Synchrony join hands to launch co-branded Venmo credit card

PayPal & Synchrony signed a pact to launch co-branded Venmo credit

card. The card program will combine Venmo’s expertise in mobile design & user experience with Synchrony’s industry-leading technology, program management capabilities & data analytics.

15. Bharti Airtel signed pact with AMPSolar

Bharti Airtel has signed a pact with AMPSolar Evolution to acquire its 26% stake for Rs 8.4 crore. Pact will fulfil the green energy needs & optimise energy costs, as well as to comply with the regulatory requirement around consumption of electricity.

News: Others

1. Edify Education ties up with Cambridge University for testing English skill

MDN Edify Education has tied up with Cambridge Assessment English to provide training & English assessment facilities in India. Both the institutions will identify partners in the remote area who in turn will be skilling the younger generation.

2. Adani Group ties up with US-based Digital Realty for foray into data centre domain

Adani Group ties up with Digital Realty-a San Francisco-based player in data centre, co-location & interconnection solutions. Two entities will jointly evaluate development & operation of data centres & data centre parks. The move will help Adani Group’s foray into data centre domain.

3. IIT Madras to collaborate with ExxonMobil for research in Energy and Biofuels

IIT Madras will collaborate with ExxonMobil on Research in Energy & Biofuel as part of Centre’s new targets to convert the country’s biofuel industry into a $15.6 billion economy. ExxonMobil is a leading global oil, natural gas & petrochemicals company.

4. NITI Aayog, UNDP India Jointly Launch Youth Co:Lab

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & United Nations Development Programme India launched Youth Co: Lab which aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship & innovation in young India. it will convene a series of Youth dialogue across several ci.

5. Vodafone Idea and Kia Motors, enter pact on UVO connected car services

Vodafone Idea and Kia Motors have inked a pact wherein the telco will provide Internet of Things (IoT) solutions – in navigation, safety and security, vehicle management, remote control and convenience.

6. 120 MoUs signed for exports to China

Private companies from India and China signed more than 120 MoUs for export of various products from India. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held second India-China Informal Summit in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu on October 11-12.

7. Kotak Mahindra & Citroen in tie-up

Citroen announced partnership with Kotak Mahindra Prime to provide auto financing & enable mobility solutions. Partnership will offer innovative finance solutions & value-added products to customers and customised credit solutions to dealers in India.

8. Airport Authority of India, Air India join TReDS platform M1xchange

M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System(TReDS) platform has forayed into the aviation sector by bringing on board Airport Authority of India (AAI), Air India and Air India Express. The platform provides MSMEs the facility of obtaining quick easy and assured settlement of their invoices.

Books & Authors

News: Most Important

1. New book on digital transformation titled The Tech Whisperer launched

The book The Tech Whisperer features a chapter on AI written by AI itself. It has been penned by digital transformation expert Jaspreet Bindra. The book will demystifies and simplify “emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality.

2. PM unveils the book “Bridgital Nation”

PM unveiled the book “Bridgital Nation” & presented its 1st copy to Ratan Tata. It has been written by N Chandrasekaran & Roopa Purushottam. It presents a vision of the future where technology & human beings co-exist in a mutually beneficial ecosystem.

News: Others

1. Margaret Atwood & Bernardine Evaristo jointly bags Booker Prize Margaret Atwood & Bernardine Evaristo have jointly won 2019 Booker Prize. Atwood’s “The Testament” & “Girl, Woman, Other” by Evaristo shared the prize. British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s “Quichotte” was among the 6 books shortlisted for the
2. Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Sharjah International Book Fair 2019 Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi inaugurated the 38th edition of the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair.2019 theme is ‘Open Books Open Minds’. It aims at promoting books & reading across age groups & communities & will be held for 11 days. Republic of Mexico has been declared as the Guest of

Quick revision

Science & Technology News: Most Important1. MIT researchers develop new technology to remove carbon dioxide from airResearchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in US have developed a new technology to capture carbon dioxide from a stream of air. This will reduce greenhouse gas levels & it takes out the gas even when it is present in very low concentrations. The device operates at room temperature & normal air pressure.2. MakeMyTrip deploys AI to make bookings easierWith the use of newly launched MakeMyTrip AI-powered chatbots, customers will get suggestions and alerts of rail/flight bookings & even suggestions for car bookings. MakeMyTrip also tied-up with IRCTC to provide train tickets on its portals.News: Others

• IIIT Hyderabad researchers create first ever Indian Brain atlas Researchers at the IIIT Hyderabad have created the 1st ever Indian Brain Atlas. The next step is to prepare atlases for different age groups to study age related effects on brain anatomy. The average brain size of an Indian was smaller in

2. Novartis and Microsoft join forces to develop drugs using AINovartis will combine its expertise in deep life sciences with Microsoft’s knowledge of artificial intelligence technology. The Collaboration will address research, clinical trials, manufacturing, operations and finance.Environment News: Most Important1. PM Modi sets 2022 as deadline to eradicate single-use plastic from IndiaPM Narendra Modi has set a deadline to achieve the target of eradicating single-use plastic from India by 2022. The initiative will benefit the environment, decongest roads and sewer lines, and protect biodiversity.2. Prakash Javadekar launches first national protocol to enumerate snow leopard populationMinistry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched the 1st national protocol to enumerate the snow leopard population in India on International Snow Leopard Day(October 23). The Day is celebrated to protect the snow leopards & preserve the Himalayan wildlife.3. Intense cyclonic storm, ‘Kyarr’ brews over Arabian Sea, moves towards OmanKyarr -The cyclone formed over the east-central Arabian Sea is likely to gain strength and become a severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone will continue moving west-north westwards towards Oman coast over the next five days away from the Indian coast.4. Govt launches eco-friendly crackers to fight air pollutionCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs have been successful in developing various environment-friendly fireworks such as sound emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers, announced by Union Minister Harsh Vardhan. Green logo & QR code system launched to track its manufacturing.News: Others1. Typhoon Hagibis hits JapanTyphoon Hagibis ripped through Japan including Tokyo’s metropolitan area, causing multiple rivers to overflow, deaths, injuries & power blackouts. It is the biggest typhoon hit in last 60 years. Most train services resumed operations due to floodwaters.2. Ramesh Pandey selected for Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by UNEPIndian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey has been selected for the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by the United Nations Environment Programme. His work in combating trans-boundary environmental crime has been recognised by the selection panel.3. India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up in BhopalThe Bhopal Municipal Corporation & the Central Pollution Control Board have joined hands to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic. It would enable segregation, processing & disposal of waste from both household and commercial units.

Apps & Portals News: Most Important1. SuM4All launches sustainable mobility toolThe Global Roadmap of Action toward Sustainable Mobility (GRA) tool, launched by the SuM4All initiative, aims to guide country decision-makers on how to achieve mobility that is efficient, accessible, safe and green.2. ICICI Bank UK PLC launches digital account opening on mobile for Indians migrating to UKICICI Bank UK PLC announced the launch of a digital account opening facility using the ICICI Bank UK iMobile app. The App allows an Indian, moving to the UK for work, to open a personal current account in the UK while they are in India itself.3. IRCTC introduces OTP-based refund system for booking through travel agentsRailways have implemented a new OTP based refund system for tickets booked through authorised IRCTC ticketing agents. Its aim is to bring a transparent & customer-friendly refund system wherein the passenger will come to know about the exact refund amount.

4. Telangana Police ‘Hawk-Eye’ integrated with cab appsThe Telangana Police have made it compulsory to link its “Hawk-Eye” app containing an “emergency button” to every company or individual offering Internet-based cab service. The emergency button will be integrated in such a way as to alert police patrol system.5. AIIMS, Health ministry launch ‘eDantSeva’ website and appThe All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry launched the first-ever website ‘eDantSeva’ and mobile application on oral health awareness. Braille booklet and voice-over on oral health education for visually impaired were also released.6. Indian Railway launches One Touch ATVM for fast ticketingIndian Railways has launched ‘one touch ATVM’ at 42 suburban stations of Central Railway to render fast ticketing over Mumbai Suburban Network. New machine will reduce the waiting time of the passengers & allow passenger to avoid standing in long queues. A total of 92 ATVMs has been installed at 42 suburban stations.7. Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated CCRT e-portal and YouTube ChannelUnion Minister of state for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated portal of Centre for Cultural Resources & Training & YouTube Channel with an aim to take India to a newer digital pinnacle & to promote Indian culture. He also attended “Digital Bharat – DigitalSanskriti” program.News: Others1. Union HRD Minister launches “DHRUV”HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal will launch Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’. It helps talented students to realize their full potential and contribute to society. Programme is called after the Pole Star.2. Railways launch Sahyatri app to facilitate passengersThe Indian Railways has launched a website www.railways.delhipolice.gov.in and the app Sahyatri. This will facilitate the railway police in addressing complaints of passengers from across India and crime detection by integrating the criminal database online.3. IT Ministry launches performance smart-board for monitoring key programmesIT Ministry launched an automated real-time performance smart-board which will act as single-window access for Centre/state/district-specific projects. It will enhance analysis via data integration by consolidating multiple data sources into one platform.4. Ministry of Tourism launches Audio Guide facility App “Audio Odigos”Min of Tourism has launched the Audio Guide facility Audio Odigos for 12 sites of India (Including Iconic sites). The app contains an inbuilt map of site for smooth navigation during the tour. The audio can be chosen in their preferred language & version.

Quick Revision

Acquisitions & Mergers News: Most Important1. PayPal to enter China through GoPay acquisitionThe People’s Bank of China has approved PayPal’s acquisition of a 70% equity stake in GoPay, which will make PayPal the first foreign payment platform to provide online payment services in China.2. SoftBank and Oyo in $100m plus deal for Japan apartment operatorSoftBank Group and Indian hotel start up Oyo have jointly acquired an 80% stake in Japanese rental apartment operator MDI. After the acquisition, Oyo plans to list some of the 37,000 rooms under MDI management on its Oyo Life room rental platform.3. Wipro completes acquisition of International TechneGroupWipro signed a definitive agreement to acquire ITI for $45 million (about₹318 crore). ITI, a digital engineering & manufacturing solutions company, is said to be a leader in Computer Aided Design (CAD) & Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) interoperability.

• Mahindra to acquire 100% stake in French Peugeot Motocycles Mahindra Two Wheelers Europe, a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, will acquire 100 per cent ownership of Peugeot Motocycles (PMTC) to drive future growth in core European markets and expand into new geographies, including select Asian markets. It acquired 51% equity stake in Peugeot Motorcycles in

5. Union Cabinet approves merger of BSNL & MTNLUnion Cabinet approved merger of loss-making telecom firms BNLL & MTNL as part of a revival package. Package includes raising of ₹15,000 cr sovereign bonds and monetising ₹38,000 cr of assets in next 4 years. MTNL will act as a subsidiary of BSNL.
News: Others

• Grasim forms new JV for composite hollow core insulators Grasim Industries Limited has formed a joint venture in India with Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH of Germany for manufacturing and sale of composite hollow core insulators. They are used by the power transmission & distribution industry globally. Grasim Industries is a flagship Aditya Birla Group Company.

2. RBI approves merger of district co-operative banks to form Kerala BankRBI has given the final approval for the merger of district co-operative banks in Kerala. The combined entity will be called as ‘Kerala Bank’. District co-operative banks will be amalgamated with Kerala State Co- operative Bank to form the Kerala Bank.3. Lakshmi Vilas Bank-Indiabulls Housing Finance merger plan shot down by RBIRBI rejected the proposed merger between Lakshmi Vilas Bank & Indiabulls Housing Finance, scuppering the first ever attempt by a non- bank lender to merge with a bank. LVB will now have to independently explore options for raising capital.