Bihar Affairs

· 4-member panel to keep tab on ‘Project · Raj Bhavan to state varsities: Introduce
Swarn’ in ECR biometric system
Ö The railways has launched ‘Project Swarn’ Ö All the universities in Bihar were directed to
on priority basis to maintain a passenger- get biometric attendance recording system
friendly atmosphere on running trains, installed in their respective colleges and
especially in Rajdhani and Shatabdi Ex- send the report of installation to the Raj
press, across the country. Bhavan at the earliest.

Ö project was launched recently for three Ö The basic idea of introducing the biometric
months to take passengers’ feedback during system is to keep an eye on teachers as it
their journey by Rajdhani and Shatabdi will provide correct information about their
Express trains. “Railways will get the presence or absence. Teachers will have to
feedback from passengers about coach be present physically in the college and will
interior maintenance, condition of toilets, not be able to mark proxy attendance.
cleanliness, punctuality, catering service,
linen condition, staff behaviour, security and · Bihar bets big on nuclear power; plans
entertainment on these trains,” 3,000 MW plant

Ö ECR ( East Central Railway) held an essay Ö In its attempt to become power
competition on ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’ surplus and increase the share of renew-
in Hindi at the ECR headquarters in Hajipur able energy, the Bihar government has
on Wednesday to promote Hindi in day-to- planned to set up a nuclear plant of
day functioning of railways. around 3,000 MW capacity at Rajauli in
Nawada district.
· Teacher training institutes to be ranked
Ö Apart from the other sources of
by January
energy, we have also planned to set up
Ö The National Council for Teachers Educa- nearly 3,000 MW of nuclear capacity in
tion (NCTE), the apex regulator of teachers Bihar.
education in India, will rank 100 top teacher
training institutes by January next year. To Ö Government has already finalised the
start the process, teachers from Bihar and location and it will need 3,000 acres of
Uttar Pradesh participated in the 1st Na- land to set up the project which will have
tional Consultations on Reform meet. four units of around 700 MW each.

Ö The proposed accreditation and ranking · Bihar set to declare two districts ODF
framework of teacher education institutions soon.
will be based on physical and academic
assets, teaching learning quality and learning Ö Bihar is likely to declare Sitamarhi
outcome. and Rohtas as the first two open
defecation free (ODF) districts in July
Ö According to the assessment, the institutes 2017, followed by one or two districts
will be graded from A to D. The best grade by the end of this year.
will be A. It is important for all the institu-
tions to get themselves registered on the Ö Till date, over 550 gram panchayats
NCTE website have been declared ODF in Bihar,
including those in Sitamarhi and Rohtas
districts, followed by 35 gram
1
 panchayats in Khagaria district, more Ö The average growth rate of tax revenue of
than two dozen in Buxar and Darbhanga commercial taxes department in Bihar has
districts been 20% in the past five years, except 9%
in the last fiscal, which was the lowest in last
· Two Bihar cities in new list of 30 for 10 years. However, since Bihar is a con-
Smart City Mission. sumer state and central government has
assured to compensate the state if their tax
Ö The central government on Friday an-
growth rate under GST is less than 14%, it
nounced a new list of 30 cities to be devel-
will witness 25% growth rate.
oped into ‘smart cities’, with Kerala capital
Thiruvananthapuram topping the list. · Bihar’s ‘Project Jal Sanchay’ Chosen for
National Award
Ö The latest list — including 12 state capitals
— takes the number of cities chosen so far Ö ‘Project Jal Sanchay’, a water conservation
to 90 under the Smart City Mission. model which is successfully adopted in
Nalanda district of south-central Bihar, has
Ö In the new list, the Kerala capital is followed
been chosen for the national award for
by Chhattisgarh’s new capital Naya Raipur.
excellence in the Mahatma Gandhi national
Ö The winter and summer capitals of Jammu rural employment guarantee programme
and Kashmir, Jammu and Srinagar respec- (MGNREGP) by the Ministry of Rural
tively, also feature among the chosen ones. Development.

Ö The other state capitals are Amaravati Ö Nalanda being an agriculture-oriented district
(Andhra Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Bengaluru remained affected by drought-like conditions
(Karnataka), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), that hampered the farming activities in the
Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Aizawl district. Though the district receives flash
(Mizoram), Gangtok (Sikkim) and floods during the monsoon, the water runoff
Gandhinagar (Gujarat). in the district was very high so much so that
the entire water got washed away in a span
Ö A total of 45 cities contested for 40 available of 15 days. Under these circumstances,
Smart City slots but only 30 were selected ‘project jal sanchay’ was launched under
to ensure feasible and workable plans that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ-
match the aspirations of the citizens. Bihar ment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP)
Sharif (Bihar) is another city has been to offset the water crisis in the district. Under
chosen. the project, check dams and traditional
Aahar-Pyne irrigation systems were created.
· State sees jump in tax revenue In addition, traditional water bodies were
desilted and renovated. Campaigns about
Ö Cash-strapped Bihar is probably the happi- the usefulness of rainwater harvesting were
est state in the country following implemen- also carried out. The project was a mix of
tation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) modern day techniques and technologies
Bihar is expecting 15 to 20% rise in its tax with traditional knowledge and got evolved
revenue with the implementation of GST. into a holistic program to conserve water.

Ö Annual growth in tax revenue to the state

exchequer with implementation of GST is
Ö two years.
expected to be around Rs 4,000 crore to
Rs 5,000 crore.
2
Ö The increase in the number of students is Ö Targeted Intervention (TI), a project
being credited to the push given by the state supported by the Bihar State Aids Control
government to enrolments under the RTE Society (BSACS), has 550 and odd sex
Act this year and the four-phase online workers and transgenders, both male and
process for admissions under the RTE for female, registered with it in Hajipur.
the new academic session (2017-18). The
· PM Narendra Modi to open PU’s 100th
online process was introduced on February
yr celebrations
25 this year.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugu-
· CM launches software to record public rate the centenary celebrations of Patna
queries University (PU), the seventh oldest in the
country.
Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar launched the
customer management relationship (CRM) Ö The centenary year of PU commenced on
software for use at Yuva Nischay Suvidha October 1 last year, but a function could not
Kendra(YNSK) call centre, which will help be organized to commemorate the occasion.
in linking the centre with all the departments
and facilitate timely compliance with answers · Schools hold sessions to guide pupils
to the queries/inquiries/complaints raised.
Ö Schools have started guiding the students in
Ö The YNSK call centre had been opened on the streams of their choice from Class XI
October 2 last year to attend to the queries itself by organizing career counselling ses-
raised by youths in relation to Bihar Student sions with experts.
Credit Card scheme as part of ‘Saat
Nishchay (seven resolves),’ Mukhya Ö The government schools are also helping
Mantri Nishchay Swayam Sahayata students in selecting the right career. Over
Bhatta Yojana and skilled youth 1000 students of Class IX to XII took part
programmes. in ‘Life skills: Career counselling’ programme
organized by UNICEF and Bihar
Ö The queries and complaints would be Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (BMSP) at
recorded and sent to the department con- Mahadev High School, Khusrupur, and
cerned for compliance, after which the secondary schools in Gardanibagh and Patna
compliance report would be forwarded to City recently.
the customer in shortest possible time.
Ö This pilot project is being implemented
Ö Operating manually, as many as 6.11 lakh across 100 government high schools of
Patna, Vaishali, West Champaran,
calls had been received at the YNSK. Of
Darbhanga, Madhubani and Purnia districts
them, 3,268 complaints were attended to
with support from Vikramshila Educational
with proper replies from the departments
Resource Society to reach out to the stu-
concerned. Implicitly, the CRM software is
dents.
expected to help in quick disposal of the
complaints received and recorded for reply. · Hariharnath temple to get religious
centre
· Govt body bid to ‘educate’ sex workers
Ö State’s first centrally air-conditioned and
ultramodern ‘Dharmik Satsang Kendra’

3
 (religious discourse centre) will come up at Ö According to the proposal submitted to the
Hariharnath temple in Sonepur soon. The chief minister an active PACS would be
centre, to be used for promoting religious authorizeThere are 8,463 PACSs inBihar,
workshops, lectures and discourse, is likely but 1,600 of them have been blacklisted for
to be ready within this month. indulging in irregularities.d to open a rice mill
and godown
Ö Sources said people interested in religious
discourse and preaching will get world class · Pvt agency to help Inter students fill
facilities, such as digital sound system, screen exam form
display and space for power point presenta-
tions on religious scriptures at the centre. Ö The Bihar School of Examination Board
There will also be a platform for yoga (BSEB) has decided to hire a private agency
training. The temple will spend around Rs 15 for online registration of students appearing
lakh to develop the centre. for the Intermediate examination in 2018.
The decision was taken in the wake of errors
Ö About 1,000-year-old Hariharnath temple is
made by the students while filing the registra-
one of the few temples in Bihar and
tion form from cyber cafes for the 2017
Jharkhand where both Shiva and Vishnu are
exam.
worshiped.

· More accident deaths on Patna roads · Champaran Satyagrah: State govt to

after prohibition organize puppet shows
Ö The Bihar education department, in associa-
Ö According to the state police data, total 433
tion with the Rajasthan Samagra Seva
persons were killed in road accidents in Sangh-Jaipur (RSSS), will organize puppet
Patna in calendar year 2015 and the figure shows across the state over the next six
increased to 484 deaths in 2016. Prohibition months to highlight the transformation of
in Bihar was imposed on April 5 last year. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
Ö Not only Patna, the number of deaths at
state level also narrates a different story from
Ö The show, christened ‘Mohan se Mahatma’,
the state government claims of 30% to 40% will begin from Bhitiharwa Ashram in West
fall in road accidents. Champaran on August 9 and end in
Gopalganj district on March 2 next year. It
· Government support to PACSs to open will be showcased in Patna between Febru-
rice mills likely soon ary 1 and 5, 2018 to mark 100 years of the
Champaran Satyagrah.
Ö All the active Primary Agriculture Credit
Societies (PACSs) would be provided support Ö The programme coordinators should ensure
to open rice mills and godowns in their
that a large section of the society, including
respective areas once the state cooperative
students, self-help groups and non-government
department gets a nod from chief minister
organizations, attends the shows. Puppetry
Nitish Kumar.
was chosen to highlight the moral values of
Ö The move will give protection to farmers and Mahatma Gandhi because it is an interactive
boost agro-industry in the state. medium that easily attracts kids.
· State to highlight CM’s seven resolves

4
Ö The state government will give a presentation Ö HIV targets and destroys CD4 T cells that
on the success of Grievance Redressal Act strengthen immunity in a person. HIV
launched by chief minister Nitish Kumar last positive patients, whose CD4 cell count is
year and his seven resolves to bring quality below 400, are treated free of cost at ART
change in the lives of people at a meeting centres in Bihar. Patients with a CD4 count
organised by Niti Aayog in New Delhi on below 200 are susceptible to develop
Monday. Other states will also list their best serious illnesses.
practices at the meeting which will be
chaired by Prime Minister Narednra Modi. Ö Now, as soon as a person is tested and
found HIV positive, s/he will be eligible for
Ö While Grievance Redressal Act, first-of-its- ART irrespective of his CD count or clinical
kind in the country, fixes accountability on stage. This will help save patients from many
officers in disposing cases, the CM’s seven opportunistic infections. Patients will be
resolves are aimed at improving quality of life monitored after every six month.
by constructing drains in every human
Ö Early treatment reduces the morbidity and
settlement and providing potable water and
mortality rate significantly. Treating a patient
free electricity connection to each household.
early means we may be able to keep the
It has also provision of education loan for
person immune from TB and fungal infec-
students of up to Rs 4 lakh through student
tions. Also, the viral load becomes nearly
credit card.
undetectable in the blood, thus reducing the
· 10% surplus rain in Bihar, rivers above transmission to almost zero.
danger mark
· Zoo to name cubs on Int ernational Tiger
Ö The disaster management Day
department(DMD) on Tuesday issued an
alert as incessant rain has increased the Ö The Patna zoo authorities have decided to
water level of several rivers in Bihar. The showcase the four-month old tiger cubs,
state has received 320.8mm rainfall from kept with their mother Swarna in special
June 1 to 11 and it’s 10% above normal. care, on the occasion of International Tiger
Day on July 29. The two tiger cabs were
Kosi and Mahananda riverswere flowing born on March 13 this year.
above the danger mark and if rain continued,
river Bagmati will also flow above the danger Ö The zoo will also celebrate the day by
point. naming the cabs

· State implements ‘test and treat’facility Ö Apart from tiger display, kids can also take
for HIV positive people. part in various interschool competitions, such
as quiz and painting, which will be organised
Ö Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the second gate of the zoo.
positive patients will not have to wait for
treatment at antiretroviral therapy (ART) · Liquor ban in Bihar hits TB diagnosis.
centres in Bihar till the time their immunity
drops to the level of being called people with Ö The positives of the liquor ban in Bihar
AIDS. Following the Centre’s guideline, the notwithstanding, the prohibition has taken a
state health department will make available toll too — on TB diagnosis.
‘test and treat’ facility to the people from the
day they are detected HIV positive.
5
 Ö Conducting tests for diagnosing tuberculosis was possible for timely completion of Bihta
has become an uphill task in Bihar since the airport and other projects under RACS.
ban on liquor was imposed in the state last
year. · Govt sanctions Rs 10.76 crore to ac-
quire land for film city.
Ö There is a scarcity of ethyl alcohol which is
used to conduct such tests in the laborato- Ö Dreams of a film city in Bihar will
ries, including those in government facilities soon be realized as the state government
has sanctioned Rs10. 76 crore to Bihar
Ö With the alcohol ban imposed in Bihar, the
Infrastructure Department Authority for
laboratories are facing difficulty in procuring
acquiring 20 acre land close to the
alcohol and this has affected the diagnosis of
Ratnagiri Hills near Peelki in Nalanda
tuberculosis in the state.
district. The film city was proposed in
Ö Bihar was on April 5, 2016 declared a dry 2015 to promote regional cinema.
state with the Nitish Kumar government
Ö Sources in art and culture depart-
imposing a total ban on the sale and con-
sumption of alcohol, including Indian Made ment said the strategic location on the
Foreign Liquor (IMFL). famous Buddhist circuit is near the
world’s highest peace pagoda, Vishwa
· MoU signed to promote regional air Shanti Stupa.
connectivity.
Ö The state government has focused
Ö The Centre and the state government on attention on the growing Bhojpuri,
Friday signed a memorandum of understanding Magahi, Angika, Maithli and Vajjika film
(MoU) to promote regional air connectivity in industry, which is said to have a com-
the state by expanding and strengthening the bined annual investment of almost
existing seven airports under the Regional Air Rs2,500 crore.
Connectivity Scheme (RACS).
Ö Sources said more than 100 regional
Ö The seven existing airports are Patna, Bihta,
films are released every year in Bihar
Gaya, Purnia, Raxaul, Darbhanga and
and shooting of over 60 % of them are
Muzaffarpur. The MoU was signed in the
done in Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Samvad auditorium at CM Secretariat in the
Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh. States
presence of CM Nitish Kumar and Union civil
like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
aviation minister Ganapati Raju. the scope of
Telangana and Tamil Nadu, with major
expansion and growth of civil aviation in the
film industries, have their own film cities.
state has been showing promising signs, as
“A state sponsored film city will not only
business and trade activities have been increas-
be a major source of revenue, but it will
ing and people are also interested in improved
also create employment avenues,
means of transport to access strategically
especially in tourism and hospitality
located regional towns.
sectors
Ö Besides, flyers would also be able to reach
· Japan keen to invest in Bihar
and access northern districts of Jharkhand. he
CM stressed on the need to begin work fast Ö A Japanese business delegation led by
with regard to the Patna and Bihta airports, economic, trade and industries minister
saying state government would do whatever Yosuke Takago called on CM Nitish Kumar
6
 and expressed interest in the state’s food · River patrolling in Ganga to be intensi-
processing and tourism sectors in the light of fied, says DIG
their growth potential and expansion.
Ö Central range DIG Rajesh Kumar has
Ö Takago held detailed discussion with the CM chalked out an ambitious riverpatrolling plan
on the two sectors and also expressed his - ‘My Ganga’ - besides deciding to launch a
desire to assist the state for their growth. He drive to free the banks of the Ganga from
also sought the state government’s coopera- encroachments.
tion and support in starting direct flight
between Tokyo and Gaya, given the interna- Ö Under the plan, each police station will be
tional importance of Bodh Gaya. provided a motorboat for continuous patrol-
ling. Staff strength at all these police stations
· State police HQ seeks Rs 200 crore to will be increased so that a team could be
develop eight training centres deployed for river patrolling along with
divers.
Ö The police headquarters has demanded
Rs200 crore from the home department for Ö Action will also be taken against illegal brick
infrastructure at eight places in the state for kiln units, which pollute the river.
training of newly recruited constabulary.
· Met: Monsoon revival in state by July
Ö Each of these training centres would have the 22
capacity to easily accommodate at least
1000 personnel to train them simultaneously. Ö After heavy rainfall in early July leading to
The state police is in dire need of training rise in water level of different rivers, hot and
centres because it has to fill the vacancy of dry weather is being witnessed in most parts
around 30,000 police personnel on the of the state, especially the state capital, for
Supreme Court directive within a limited time the last few days. Weathermen said the state
period. is unlikely to receive significant rainfall before
July 22 as the synoptic weather features are
· Guv to open renovated PU library on not supporting the monsoon.
July 26
Ö Met department had earlier predicted
Ö Even as the 98-year-old Patna University monsoon revival by July 19, triggered by a
Central Library had earned the dubious low pressure trough developing over Bay of
distinction of becoming a “rain basera” (night Bengal. The trough was expected to move
shelter) for the local youth during the last 10 towards Bihar causing widespread rainfall.
to 15 years, it is likely to hum with academic However, it moved south towards
activities soon. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, leading to dry
spell in the state.
Ö The library was completely shut for students
and visitors for almost two years during the Ö “Normal monsoon was expected in the state
period of renovation work undertaken by the this year with total seasonal rainfall at 96%
Bihar State Educational Infrastructure of the long period average.
Development Corporation. The renovation
of the entire library, including its reading, · State ignores Centre’s advisory to curb
periodicals, thesis (PhD), reference and selfie deaths, sensitise tourists
manuscripts sections has been completed.

7
 Ö Penchant for selfie has become a country- alumni engraved on it as well as a centenary
wide concern with most of the world’s selfie- pillar on the main campus to mark its cente-
related deaths occurring in India, but Bihar nary celebrations.
officials continue to sit on a central
government’s advisory to the states in August Ö It was decided to hold a series of functions
last year to identify no-selfie zones. from September to November to com-
memorate the centenary. The university has
Ö The state officials are yet to put up banners already urged the state government to
and posters at the tourist spots. No initiative sanction Rs 5 crore for the purpose. PU is
has been taken even to comply with the also approaching the UGC to sanction UGC
Centre’s advice to sensitise tourists to the
risks of selfies even as the state boasts of Ö Heritage Status grant of Rs 10 crore for the
attracting a large number of tourists. implementation of its proposed development
schemes.
· Earth Heroes Award’ for Valmiki Tiger
Reserve. Ö An alumni meet will also be held in which
they would be requested to donate funds for
Ö Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) has brought various development activities. They will also
laurels to the state by winning the Royal Bank of be asked to donate funds for distribution of
Scotland (RBS) Earth Heroes Award for 2017. gold medals to the toppers of university
examinations.
Ö The tiger reserve, selected in the category
‘RBS earth guardian’, will be given a cash prize · New bill for Bihar varsity commission in
of Rs 2 lakh at Makenshaw Centre in New monsoon session to fill vacancies
Delhi on October 26.
Ö A new bill will be tabled during the forth-
Ö The award in this category is given to an coming monsoon session of the Bihar
institution that has made exceptional contribu- legislature for the constitution of the Bihar
tions in the field of conservation of wildlife, State University Service Commission to fill
human life and property in wild habitats, natural largescale vacancies in the state’s universi-
resource management, environment, wildlife ties.
research and awareness building. Last year, this
award was bagged by Vattakanal Conservation Ö This bill be one of the three related to higher
Trust, Tamil Nadu. education to be tabled during monsoon
session.
Ö VTR has been selected especially for quality
management practises in the field of grassland Ö A second bill would authorise the constitu-
and habitat management, wildlife monitoring, tion of the state higher education council,
ecotourism and effective wildlife crime control. which will now have 30 members, up from
The tiger reserve is focusing on creation of the present 17, while the third will help deal
natural grasslands in small patches along with with defining absorption date of teachers.
their improvement by weed eradication.
Ö The state legislature had during the budget
· PU ‘wall of fame’ to display star alumni session passed the Bihar State Universities
names (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and PU (Amend-
ment) Bill, 2017 for setting up the commis-
Ö Patna University (PU) will construct a “wall sion, which had been dissolved in 2007 after
of fame” with names of 25 distinguished 25 years of its existence.

8
· Centre aiding Bihar to fight floods Ö The meet was organized under the short-
term action plan (three months) of the state
Ö A total of 47 anti-flood projects of Bihar government.
with an estimated cost of 1818.05 crore
have been included under Flood Manage- · Now, free Tuberculosis medicines at
ment Programme during XI and XII Plan, private hospitals in Bihar
minister of state for water resources, Dr.
Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan said Ö The state government rolled out free daily
regimen medicines for the treatment of
Ö He said the attention of government has been tuberculosis (TB) patients in private hospital
drawn towards devastation by floods in and clinics in Patna district under public-
Bihar every year. The subject of flood private partnership mode with the help of
management being under the purview of the World Health Partners (WHP), an NGO.
states, the schemes for flood control are The medicines will be distributed free among
formulated and implemented by concerned the TB patients.
states as per their priority.
Ö Government hospitals cater to around 30-
Ö Almost all rivers prone to floods in Bihar 35% of TB patients. A large number patients
flow either from the neighbouring country visit private hospitals and clinics for their
Nepal or from the states of Uttar Pradesh, treatment and spend money and time. They
Jharkhand and West Bengal. even skip the doses prescribed in case of
resource crunch. Under the new system, free
Ö Since suitable sites to locate dams lie in drug will be provided for TB patients at
Nepal, the construction of projects on these private hospitals and clinics.
rivers is subject to agreement with govern-
ments of Nepal and India. · Export facilitation centres in state soon

· 65 govt schools in Patna to get Rs 50k Ö Export facilitation centres will be opened
for labs, libraries. soon in the state on the office premises of
Udyog Mitra, for which free space has been
Ö Bihar Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (BMSA) provided.
has announced Rs50,000 grants each to 65
government schools in Patna district to Ö Bihar has the lowest percentage point in
upgrade their laboratories and libraries. The terms of all India export level, despite the
grant will be transferred to the schools under state being in direct link with three countries
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
(RMSA)
Ö All agricultural produce has been exempted
Ö The other secondary and senior secondary from the GST purview and only PAN will be
schools would also get the grants by August. required.
On the direction of education department,
the DPO organized a meeting with the Ö The total volume of export from Bihar is 546
headmasters of 192 government schools, million US dollar.
including project schools, minority schools,
secondary and senior secondary schools in Merchants from other states buy products
Patna district. from Bihar, export it and reap the benefit.

9
Ö This can be done by Bihar traders directly. Ö CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated the museum
For that, an export promotion policy in the on August 7, 2015 with a vision to extrava-
state is needed gantly represent Bihar’s history and heritage.
It was, however, shut after detection of
· Bihar joins Namami Gange plan, work
structural and fabrication snags coming in
begins on sewerage plants
way of its “high international standards”.
Ö With the recent order of National Green
Ö Project contractor Larsen & Toubro Limited
Tribunal (NGT) hanging over it, the Bihar
has been carrying out the rectification work
urban infrastructure development corpora-
ever since.
tion (Buidco) launched work on the ambi-
tious sewerage project that would ensure · Patna Metro project has to wait till new
disposal of only treated water into river national policy
Ganga and its tributaries.
Ö The city residents will have to wait
Ö It may be noted that the NGT recently for some more time to see metro running
slammed the Centre and state governments in the state capital as the Centre has halted
for their dillydallying approach towards the project till the new national metro
curbing disposal of waste and untreated policy is framed.
water into the river, even though the central
government had allocated 2,000 crore for Ö The Centre has written to the state
cleaning the river under ‘Namami Gange’ government to wait for the new policy.
project. However, the officials at state UDHD
were not very clear as to what will be
Ö In its July 13 order, the NGT had banned there in the new policy.
dumping of waste within 500 metre stretch
of the river bank and also ordered to impose Ö The DPR of the metro was cleared
a fine of Rs 50,000 on those found violating by the state cabinet in February this year.
the order. Earlier in February this year, the It was proposed to be connecting two
tribunal had reprimanded the Centre for ‘not corridors of the city, east-west and north-
cleaning a single drop of the river’ despite south. The east-west corridor was pro-
spending a huge sum on the much talked posed to run from Mithapur Bus stand to
about project. Saguna Mor via Bailey Road and Patna
Junction. The north-south corridor was to
· Now, Bihar Museum to reopen on start from Patna Junction to the proposed
October 2. bus stand at Bairiya on Patna-Gaya Road
via Ashok Rajpath, Gandhi Maidan and
Ö The Bihar Museum, shut since March 28, is
Rajendra Nagar Terminal.
set to reopen for public on the Gandhi
Jayanti day on October 2. Ö Railways to develop Pataliputra
Junction as model station by 2019
Ö The museum was scheduled to reopen on
April 8, but sources said it would take at Ö Railways has prepared a blueprint
least five more months to rectify the con- to develop Pataliputra Junction as a model
struction snags and fulfil maintenance needs. station under Danapur division of East
As of now, 102 original artefacts have been Central Railway (ECR).
transferred from the Patna Museum to Bihar
Museum.

10
 Ö The project would cost Rs 16 crore. DevelopmentVinod Kumar Singh— Mines
It includes beautification of the station and GeologyMadan Sahni— Food and
premises and circulating area as well. Consumer ProtectionKrishna Kumar Rishi—
Under the new plan, there would be coach Art and CultureKapildeo Kamat—
indication display boards and sheds with Panchayati Raj
additional benches to protect passengers
Dinesh Chandra Yadav— Minor Irrigation and
in rainy and summer seasons. Railways
Disaster Management
intends to provide one more foot
overbridge (FOB) connecting platform Ramesh Rishideo— SC, ST Welfare
number 1, 2 and 3.
Brij Kishore Bind— Backward and EBC
· Special status for Bihar set to get Welfare
renewed focus
Pashupati Paras— Animal and Fish Resources
Ö With Nitish Kumar junking the grand alliance
and joining hands with BJP again, his fervent · New cabinet has 1 woman, 1 Muslim
plea for a ‘special category’ status for the
state and bigger share of 90% by the Centre Ö Bihar’s new cabinet does not appear to be
in the centrally sponsored schemes. fair to the fairer sex with one woman repre-
senting half of the state’s 10.38 crore
Ö Officials cited the example of Uttar Pradesh, population. Even the representation of
which is implementing the Centre’s priority Muslims has reduced from four in the
programmes with far more vigour since the previous cabinet to one in the new one.
BJP government took over in the state in
March. Ö While JD(U)’s Cheriya Briarpur MLA
Kumari Manju Verma is the only woman
· Nitish distributes portfolios, keeps home minister, its Sikta MLA Khurshid alias Firoz
ministry; Sushil Modi gets finance, Ahmad is the sole minister belonging to the
commercial taxes. minority community.

Ö The portfolios for other ministers are as · Bihar education minister warns of action
follows:-Nand Kishore Yadav— Road against ‘ghost’ schoolteachers.
constructionShrawan Kumar— Rural
development and parliamentary affairsRam Ö State education minister Krishna Nandan
Narayan Mandal— Revenue and Land Verma has warned that action would be
ReformsJai Kumar Singh— Industries, taken against “ghost” (absentee) teachers if
Science and TechnologyPramod Kumar— they do not mend their ways.
TourismKrishnandan Verma—
Ö “Those who are in the job of teaching just to
EducationMaheshwar Hazari— Building
get salary should change their mindset or
ConstructionVinod Narayan Jha—
face the axe,” Verma said after taking
PHEDShailesh Kumar— Rural
charge at his office at Vikas Bhawan on
WorksSuresh Kumar Sharma— Urban
Monday. He said the DMs and district
Development and HousingKumari Manju
education officers would have to ensure
Verma— Social WelfareVijay Kumar
teachers attended school — and on time.
Sinha— Labour ResourcesSantosh Kumar
Nirala— TransportRana Randhir Singh—
CooperativeKhurshid alias Feroz Ahmad—
Minority Welfare and Sugarcane
11
 Ö The minister said his focus would be to ment Corporation Limited (BSRDCL)
improve education scenario and up atten- officials said the project would be completed
dance of students in schools. by December 2019 as the construction firm
has requested for extension of deadline.

Ö CM Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation

stone for the 23.5km expressway project on
· Bihar looks to Odisha board for reform October 11, 2013 at Digha ghat.
guidance
Ö
Ö They intend to restructure their existing Sources said the project has been facing
examination system. They are making a mining and land acquisition issues. So far, the
study of the best practices of various project has witnessed just 20% progress.
examining bodies in India and abroad. They Delay in land acquisition has turned out to be
have selected our board for the study and the biggest hurdle. Of 530 acres required for
have sought our guidance and cooperation the project, 57 acres of private land and 93
acres of government land are under litigation.
· 65% children not breastfed within one
hour of birth in Bihar. Ö To meet the construction expenditure of the
mega project, the government had allotted
Ö The gender resource centre of Women Rs 2,770 crore. After cabinet approval,
Development Corporation, in association Housing and Urban Development Corpora-
with Unicef, organized an outreach and tion (HUDCO) provided the state govern-
experience-sharing workshop on ‘Sustaining ment a loan of Rs 2,000 crore. The rest of
BreastfeedingTogether’ to commemorate the the fund, which amounts to Rs 1,160 crore,
World Breastfeeding Week. was raised from state resources.
Ö As per National Family Health Survey-4 · Aadhaar mandatory for prisoners in
(2015-16), 48 infants per 1,000 births in Patna jails.
Bihar die due to various reasons which can
be eliminated if they are breastfed. While Ö All prisoners, whether under trial or con-
most of the new mothers start breastfeeding, victed and lodged in Patna jails would now
many depend on formula milk. have to present their Aadhaar number to the
jail administrations mandatorily.
Ö NFHS data on feeding practices and nutri-
tional status of children further suggest that Ö Those inmates who do not have Aadhaar
almost two-thirds of them under the age of 3 numbers for any reason , would get it within
years in Bihar (65%) are not breastfed within ten days, that too within the four walls of the
the first hour of their birth. prisons.

· Now, December 2019 deadline for Ö Unique identity number was necessary to
Ganga driveway. control incidents of crime as there were
instances of persons with criminal history
Ö The state government’s ambitious Loknayak recorded in a police station managing to get
Ganga Path, popularly known as Ganga no objection certificate from other police
driveway, is unlikely to meet 2017 deadline stations.
due to delay in land acquisition and other
issues. Senior Bihar State Road Develop-

12
· State govt to digitise pre-1995 registra- Ö Nitish also said he was not demanding funds
tion documents. for strengthening higher judiciary, whose
requirements were being taken care of from
Ö The state government has decided to digitise the state funds. The state government
all registration documents from the pre1995 recently sanctioned Rs169 crore for expan-
period, as part of its bigger plan to interlink sion of Patna high court buildings.
the land records with property registration
· Centre launches legal aid scheme in
system so that there could be more transpar-
ency in sale and purchase of land and flats in Bihar.
the state. Ö Remuneration of paralegal volunteers
Ö The move would help property buyers to (PLVs) working with different state legal
know the details of any piece of land and services authorities and district legal services
who all were involved in its previous sale or authorities across the country has been
purchase. Digitisation of registration docu- doubled. Paralegal refers to a person trained
ments of post-1995 period had been taken in subsidiary legal matters but not fully
up in phase wise manner. qualified as a lawyer.

Ö In Bihar, fraud in land deals is rampant, with Ö The PLVs across the country would now be
a large number of cases pending in police paid remuneration of Rs 500 per day against
stations and courts wherein brokers have the existing Rs 250 per day for providing
duped customers by selling land fraudulently, legal assistance to needy litigants.
often without the knowledge of their real Ö Justice was addressing the PLVs after
owners. Those buying land fall in the trap of
launching ‘Tele-Law’, a central
brokers as accessing land details was
government’s project, along with Bihar CM
difficult.
Nitish Kumar and Union law minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad, at S K memorial hall here.
· Be generous in allocating funds, Nitish
Kumar tells Centre Ö The announcement of hike in remuneration
was cheered by hundreds of PLVs, who had
Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said gathered from across the state to witness the
a sum of Rs 50 crore is not enough for first-ever launch of Tele-Law in Bihar. Bihar
strengthening subordinate judiciary in a state is the fourth state after Assam, Jammu &
like Bihar and asked Union law minister Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, where Tele-
Ravi Shankar Prasad to show more gener- Law has been launched.
osity in allocating funds since he also
belongs to the state. Ö Tele-Law is a project of Government of
India in association with NALSA to
Ö The CM was addressing a function orga- provide legal aid services through common
nized to launch the Centre’s One scheme. services centres (CSCs) at the panchayat
level. Under the scheme, a portal called
Ö Pointing towards the increasing size of
Tele-Law will be available across the CSCs
Bihar’s annual budget from Rs25,000-
network. The portal will enable people to
26,000 crore when he took over as CM in
seek legal advice from legal aid lawyers
2005 to Rs1.4 lakh crore this fiscal, Nitish
through video-conferencing at the CSCs
said, “An allocation of Rs50 or Rs60 crore
located at a remote village.
will not serve the purpose.”

13
Ö Union minister said there are 2.7 lakh CSCs are minor bridges, 11 are elevated stretches
in the country, including 19,500 in Bihar. To and the rest are major bridges.
begin with, the Tele-Law facility will be
available at 500 centres in Bihar. The CM, Ö Bihar 40 such structures followed by 27 in
however, requested for expanding the facility Meghalaya, mostly in South Garo Hills.
at more centres. Maharashtra has 14 such structures on the
NHs.
Ö The main purpose of Tele Law scheme is to
take legal aid to the doorsteps of the poor Ö The actual number of such structures would
and marginalized community through CSCs. be much more considering the fact that the
survey done by the road transport ministry
· Bihar records 10.2% GDP growth rate covered only the ones falling in NH corridor.
in 2016-17
· Patna Collegiate School turns 182
Ö The 6.57% growth rate registered in the
agriculture and allied sectors has jacked up Ö Patna Collegiate School Alumni Association
the overall gross domestic product (GDP) organized a function to mark the 182nd
growth rate of the state to 10.2%, calcu- foundation day of the school on Thursday.
lated on the basis of 2011-12 constant The event was jointly inaugurated by former
prices, during 2016-17 fiscal. Union minister Yashwant Sinha and MP
Shatrughan Sinha. Bhojpuri actor Kunal
Ö The state GDP growth rate during 2015-16 Singh, Ruban Emergency Hospital chairman
was slightly over 7%, with 4.33% in agricul- A K Singh, general physician Utpal Kant
ture and allied sectors. The GDP growth Singh and MLA Arun Kumar Singh were
rate calculated on current prices is 14.82% also present on the occasion.
pertaining to 2016-17 fiscal.
· Government’s approval mandatory for
Ö Pertaining to the 2016-17 fiscal, the GDP new borewell
growth rate of Madhya Pradesh is highest in
the country, followed by that of Andhra Ö The state government is planning to intro-
Pradesh and Bihar nearly equal. duce fresh guidelines prescribing people in
urban areas to take consent for digging new
Ö The shares of the three different sectors in borewells for extracting water in order to avoid
the state’s GDP in 2016-17 are 23% of the undue pressure on groundwater table.
primary sector (agriculture and allied
sectors), 17% of the secondary sector Ö The state government has decided to hand
(industry), and 60% of the tertiary sector over its own pumping stations to Jeevika,
(services, trade, communication and tour- Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) and
ism, among others). private individuals. Singh said of the 9,992
pumping stations owned by the state govern-
· Bihar has maximum ‘stressed’ ment, only 5,090 are functional.
bridges on National Highways.
· 15% green coverage target achieved:
Ö Bihar has the maximum number of “distressed CM
structures” including bridges and elevated
stretches out of the total 147 identified on Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday
National Highways by the road transport min- the state government has almost achieved its
istry. According to official data, 112 of these target of 15% green cover in the state by end of

14
 2017. The CM had launched Hariyali Mission in Ö CM also said that the state government has
2011 to increase the green cover in the state. planned to launch a special campaign
against child marriage and dowry system
Ö on the occasion of Rakshabandhan to from October 2.
spread awareness about tree protection and
environment, Nitish said after the creation of · CM Nitish asks Centre to fix one rate of
Jharkhand in November 2000, the green electricity across the country.
coverage in Bihar was reduced to just 9%.
Ö Lamenting that Bihar is getting electricity
Ö At the time of launching the Hariyali Mission, from the central pool at a higher rate com-
the state government had set a target of planting pared to other states, CM Nitish Kumar on
24 crore saplings in the state. Sunday asked the Centre to fix equal rate of
electricity across the country.
· Bihar Minister asks media to chant
Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Ö Addressing an energy department’s function
where he laid foundation stones as well as
Ö Bihar Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party inaugurated power-related schemes worth Rs
leader Vinod Kumar Singh asked journalists 1462.36 crore, Nitish said Bihar has been
to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai at a party getting electricity from the central pool at a
function in patna but later expressed regret higher rate. “But, the rate is higher than other
over his utterances. states. The rate of electricity should be one
and equal across the country like the rate of
· CM Nitish announces eye banks in all
train fare.
medical colleges in Bihar to expedite
donation. Ö CM further lauded the efforts of Bihar State
Power (Holding) Corporation Limited
Ö Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on
(BSPHCL) officials, for setting up the
Sunday said eye banks would be set up in
country’s first all-woman power grid sub-
all the medical college hospitals of the state
station in Patna.
as well as at capital-based Rajendranagar
Super Speciality Eye Hospital by the end of Ö Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said the
December 2017 to facilitate and expedite state government has fixed a target of con-
eye donation campaign across the state. necting all habitation with electricity by the
end December 2017 and all household by
Ö Speaking at a social event organised by
December 2018.
Dadhichi Dehdan Samiti (DDS) on the
occasion of International Organ Donation · Government bid to improve infrastruc-
Day, the CM also announced to donate his ture in schools
eyes and urged the DDS office-bearers to
get the necessary form for eye donation Ö Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC)
filled up by him. has asked the district education officers
(DEOs) and district programme officers
Ö Recalling the works done by his government (DPOs) under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to
for rejuvenating health-care system during update the list of primary schools running
his second stint as CM in 2005-06, Nitish without a building.
said the new government would work with
similar vigour to improve medi-care system Ö According to a Unified-District Information
at government run hospitals across the state. System for Educational (U-DISE) report

15
 released in September 2016, altogether Ö According to a recent UGC notification, no
7,007 primary schools are functioning university or college will be eligible for
without a building in the state. The report grants from the central government unless
also mentioned that buildings of 1,006 accredited by National Assessment and
schools are under construction and funds Accreditation Council (NAAC). If any
have been sanctioned for construction of 66 unaccredited institution is getting grants, the
other school buildings. Altogether 9,016 commission will issue a notice and stop the
primary schools in Bihar, on the other hand, allocation immediately.
are in dire straits as they are functioning
without proper infrastructure. Ö “As things stand today, only five universities
— Chanakya National Law University
· UGC may grant heritage status to Patna (CNLU), L N Mithila University (LNMU),
University Magadh University (MU), Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University
Ö Hundred-year-old Patna University (PU) is (BRABU) and Kameshwar Singh
likely to get heritage status along with a Darbhanga Sanskrit University (KSDSU)
handsome grant from the University Grants — have been accredited by NAAC. While
Commission (UGC) soon. CNLU has got grade A, MU has been
accredited with grade C. The remaining
Ö A proposal for the purpose has been submit-
universities, including the 100-year-old
ted to the UGC. The proposal highlights the
Patna University (PU), have not yet applied
landmark achievements of this seventh oldest
for accreditation,” an education department
university of the country and its contributions
source said.
to the national freedom struggle has been
submitted to the UGC. · Union Cabinet clears stalled North Koel
Reservoir Project in Bihar.
Ö Also, the Union department of posts has
agreed in principle to release a special Ö The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to
postage stamp commemorating 100 years of complete the balance works of North Koel
the university to mark its centenary celebra- Reservoir Project in Bihar, stalled since
tions likely to be held in September-October 1993.
this year.
Ö Under the revived project, storage of water
Ö The 154-year-old Patna College is not only in Mandal dam to be constructed under it
the oldest institution of higher education in will be will be restricted at a lower level than
Bihar but also a mother of host of institu- envisaged earlier.
tions, including Patna Law College, Bihar
College of Engineering (now NIT-Patna) and Ö The project is situated on the North Koel
Patna Science College. river, a tributary of Sone River. It aims to
provide irrigation to 111,521 hectares of
· ‘Ambitious’ UGC schemes fall flat. land annually.
Ö The University Grants Commission (UGC), · Bihar School Examination Board sacks
in a bid to shape up the education scenario, 188 ‘incompetent’ staff.
has introduced several “ambitious” devel-
opment schemes over the years. However, Ö The Bihar School Examination Board
most of the higher education institutions of (BSEB) sacked 188 ad hoc and daily wages
the state failed to take advantage of them.
16
 employees from the service at the office of Disaster Management Department release
Bihar Intermediate Council. said.

Ö After the merger of the Bihar Intermediate Ö Army choppers, NDRF and PAC (flood)
Education Council (BIEC) with BSEB in jawans continued relief and rescue opera-
2007, the number of posts was reduced. tions in the badly hit areas.
The board scrutinised all the employees and
found 188 of them not meeting the criteria · PM to visit flood-hit Bihar on August 26,
for the post they are holding. death toll 341

· Union Cabinet to revive Bihar dam Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on August
proposal. 26 undertake an aerial survey of flood-
affected districts of Bihar, which reported 37
Ö The Union Cabinet has decided to revive the more deaths on Tuesday taking the toll to 341.
North Koel Reservoir Project, stalled since
1993, and claims it will irrigate over 40,000 Ö While Kishanganj reported 12 deaths, seven
hectares in some of the most backward and people met their watery grave in West
drought-prone regions in Jharkhand and Champaran, five in Gopalganj, four each in
Bihar. However the centre piece of the Araria and Madhepura, two each in Sitamarhi
project, the Mandal dam, will be made and Supaul and one died in Madhubani.
smaller than proposed and capacity reduced
by up to 85%, to accede to environmental Ö State water resources department and DMD
and forest norms. The dam threatened to officials were a tad worried about the possibil-
submerge portions of the Betla National ity of flood situation worsening with the India
Park and Palamau Tiger Reserve and in its Meteorological Department forecasting light
truncated avatar will cause only “minimal” rainfall in the catchment area of the rivers in the
submergence of the reserve, according to an state.
official.
· Suvidha Kendra opens to facilitate
Ö Earlier, the Centre has faced formidable entrepreneurs.
challenges to clearing the Ken Betwa river
Ö Experts will be available at the centre
project that will part submerge the iconic
located at the pollution control board office
Panna Tiger reserve.
to explain how to submit proposals and
· Flood situation worsens in Bihar, death projects online and get them approved by
toll rises to 253 the PCB.

Ö The toll in Bihar floods rose to 253 on Ö Many small and medium entrepreneurs from
Sunday as the situation worsened further small cities and suburbs are not very familiar
with more areas getting affected and around with environmental laws and rules.
1.26 crore people hit by the deluge.
Ö At the kendra, such people will get all
Ö Araria district accounted for 57 deaths facilities and guidance. The Suvidha Kendra
alone, followed by Sitamarhi (31), West experts will even update applicants about
Champaran (29), Katihar (23), East issues raised by the PCB and help them get
Champaran (19) while 13 each have died in things cleared.
Madhubani, Supaul and Madhepura, a
· Bihar moots new drainage plan to tackle
floodwaters.
17
Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar said the state Ö A sizeable number of the nearly quarter
government would make a comprehensive million pilgrims visiting Gaya to perform
drainage plan to drain out floodwaters fast ‘pindadaan’ for the salvation of their ances-
and reduce the impact of the floods, which tral souls, being villagers from far off places
caused 26 more deaths as the toll mounted in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan
to 367 in the state on Wednesday. and elsewhere in the country, promotion of
use of toilets is going to be a challenging job.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected
to make an aerial survey of the worst flood- · Prime Minister Narendra Modi an-
hit Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj and Araria nounces assistance of Rs 500 crore for
districts on S The CM said the restoration flood-hit Bihar
and repair work on roads, bridges and
culverts damaged in the floods would be Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
taken up on a war footing and power supply immediate assistance of Rs 500 crore to
would also be restored soon. flood ravaged Bihar.

· Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves Ö He held detailed review meeting with Bihar
for Bihar to conduct aerial survey of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over relief
flood-affected regions operations, compensation and rehabilitation
work in flood affected areas.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached
Purnea on a day-long visit to Bihar to take Ö Around one crore seventy lakh people in 21
stock of the flood situation in the state. districts are affected by recent floods. 415
have so far lost their lives.
Ö He is undertaking an aerial survey of the
worst-affected bordering districts of Araria, · SC refuses more time to liquor compa-
Purnea, Katihar, and Kishanganj. Over one nies to remove stock from Bihar.
crore seventy lakhs people in 21 districts are
affected by recent floods. 415 have, so far, Ö In a big blow to liquor manufacturers, the
lost their lives. Supreme Court rejected their plea for
more time to transport stocks out of Bihar,
· Pitrapaksha Mela area to be made the deadline for which ended on July 31
ODF. after a new law on prohibition was enacted
by the Nitish Kumar government in Octo-
Ö The Pitrapaksha Mela area spread over a ber last year.
large part of old Gaya is to be made open
defecation free (ODF) this year. Ö The SC, which had last year stayed the
Patna high court’s order striking down the
Ö Pitrapaksha this year beings on September prohibition policy, had permitted liquor
5. manufacturers to move their stocks outside
the state by March 31. It later extended the
Ö Besides regular toilets, 80 temporary toilets deadline to May 31 and again to July 31.
would be constructed in the Mela area for
use by the pilgrims visiting Gaya for · Nepal PM calls for joint efforts to fight
‘pindadaan’ rituals during the fortnight long flood fury
period.
Ö Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba,
on the second day of his two-day-long visit to

18
 Bodh Gayavisited the Mahabodhi temple and 2015 state assembly elections. The pack-
offered prayers at the seat of Buddha’s enlight- age include Rs 1,500 crore for a 65km ring
enment. road.

Ö Deuba referred to Buddha’s Nepal connec- Ö It was also decided to form an exclusive
tions and said the founder of Buddhism was cell in the revenue and land reforms depart-
born in a royal family in Lumbini, which is part ment for expediting the works of land
of present Nepal. acquisition for construction of different
proposed roads. CM also asked the RCD
Ö Deuba also said that like Bihar, Nepal too officials to make arrangements of sufficient
suffered from flood fury and emphasised on the number of street lights on urban roads.
need for cooperation in the fight against the
flood menace. · Government to improve sports facilities
in state: Sushil Modi
· Bihar govt approves outer ring road
project for Patna. Ö Altogether 294 national and nine interna-
tional level athletes from state were
Ö The state capital will soon have an outer ring honoured at ‘Khel Samman Samaroh 2017’,
road which will cross through Kanhauli (near jointly organised by the state youth, art and
Bihta), Naubatpur, Lakhna, Daniyawan, Fatuha culture department and Bihar State Sports
and Kachchi Dargarh. Authority at Pataliputra Sports Complex.
Ö CM Nitish Kumar, while reviewing works of Ö Addressing the function, deputy CM Sushil
the road construction department (RCD), Kumar Modi said the government has
approved alignment for the proposed outer ring planned several measures to improve sports
road. facilities in the state and support the athletes.
“The budget for Khel Samman Samaroh has
Ö The ring road project is part of the special been increased from Rs 30 lakh earlier to Rs
package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore announced for 2 crore now,” Modi said.
Bihar by PM Narendra Modi during the 2015
state assembly elections. The package include Ö He added when Jharkhand and Bihar were
Rs 1,500 crore for a 65km ring road. one state, most of the athletes were from
Jharkhand region as they used to receive
Ö Besides the outer ring road, the meeting also financial help from the industrialists there.
approved the alignment of the proposed addi-
tional four-lane bridge parallel to the Mahatma Ö Adding the government has allotted 91 acres
Gandhi Setu on river Ganga. of land for construction of an international
cricket stadium and a sports academy at
· Bihar govt approves outer ring road Rajgir.
project for Patna

Ö The state capital will soon have an outer · Hold Swachh Bharat contests, says Bihar
ring road which will cross through Kanhauli government.
(near Bihta), Naubatpur, Lakhna,
Ö The state education department on Tuesday
Daniyawan, Fatuha and Kachchi Dargarh.
directed the district education officers (DEOs)
Ö The ring road project is part of the special to ask school heads to organize a painting and
package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore announced essay writing competition on the Swachh
for Bihar by PM Narendra Modi during the
19
 Bharat Mission on the occasion of Teachers’ Ö Even as the 100-year-old Patna University
Day. (PU) is likely to get heritage tag from the
UGC shortly due to the recent initiative
Ö The contests will be organized at the school, taken by vice-chancellor (VC) Ras Bihari
district and state levels on September 5, 11, Prasad Singh, most of its old buildings are ill-
18 respectively. Each school will select the maintained. The state government had
three best paintings and essays and send them launched a special drive to protect the old
to their respective DEOs. All the winners will buildings four years ago, but nothing con-
be given cash reward and a National Swachh crete happened.
Bharat Award on Gandhi Jayanti,” said an
official. Ö The 154-year-old Patna College is not only
the oldest institution of higher education in
Ö A few days ago, the Union government had Bihar, but also a mother of host of institu-
asked different states to organize competitions tions.
in schools to celebrate the anniversary of the
Swachh Bharat Mission. · CM orders 3-fold increase in teams of
· Bihar government to provide land, state disaster response force.
buildings for cellphone tower.
Ö Bihar CM Nitish Kumar ordered increasing
Ö The state government would allot its land the teams of State Disaster Response
and buildings to mobile phone service Force(SDRF) to 50 from the existing 16 to
providers to install towers in order to solve ensure timely rescue of trapped people in
the call drop and poor connectivity problems case of any type of calamities in the state.
in the state. One team of SDRF comprises 45 trained
personnel.
Ö The service providers would not install
mobile phone towers on government land or Ö Referring to the difficulties faced by rescue
buildings within 100 metres of schools, teams in saving people during the recent flash
colleges, hospitals and anganwadi centres. floods in north Bihar, CM also ordered for
The service providers would be allotted keeping at least five boats in each flood-
government land or its buildings for mobile prone panchayats under 28 districts which
phone towers through open bidding at the are usually hit by the floods. CM also
rate of Rs25,000 per tower under municipal ordered the education department to make
corporation areas. They would be charged necessary budgetary provisions for retrofit-
Rs20,000 per tower in the areas under the ting in school buildings.
jurisdiction of nagar parishads and nagar
· Drink driving deaths down 60% in Bihar
panchayats. In the rural areas, they would be
charged reserve money of Rs15,000. Ö Prohibition seems to have helped Bihar rein
in deaths caused by drunk driving, with the
Ö The allotment of land or buildings would be
number of such fatalities dropping 60%
made for five years, after that it would be
between 2015 and 2016.
renewed for five years again on the 50%
increase in the charges. Ö The liquor ban came into force in the state in
2016. Meanwhile, the number of fatalities
· Patna university heritage buildings stand
caused by drunk driving almost doubled in
neglected.
Uttar Pradesh in the same span —from
1,404 in 2015 to 2,716 in 2016 — accord-
20
 ing to the government’s latest report on road Ö The Bihar Museum has been conceptualized
accidents. to give it a pride of place, both nationally
and internationally, as had been enjoyed by
· Umga hills to find place on Bihar tourism Patna Museum. Besides, Bihar Museum has
map soon been planned and constructed as per
international standards with an audiovisual
Ö A group of ancient temples on Umga
facility.
hillsunder Madanpur block of Aurangabad
district will soon find a prominent place on Ö Even as Bihar Museum has been put under a
the tourism map of Bihar. trust, the state government would have its
representatives in the governing body and all
Ö The state government has sought a detailed
its would be recruited as per the state
report from the district administration
government rules.
regarding the possibilities of tourism devel-
opment near Umga hills. · Bihar Chief minister announces sops for
IT firms
Ö Historians says these temples were built in
8th century AD. Most of the temples are in Ö Chief minister announced a slew of incen-
very bad condition and there is an urgent tives for firms in IT, ITes and electronics
need of maintenance. The biggest temple on manufacturing sectors interested in setting
the hilltop is Umga Sun temple, which is in its up their units in Bihar. The incentives include
original shape. It is believed that this temple exemption from stamp duty, registration fees
is the replica of the famous sun temple of and land conversion fees, tax incentives,
Deo. employment cost subsidy and skill develop-
ment subsidy for SC/ ST and women
Ö There are five stone inscriptions in the Umga
employees.
hills which are very valuable from the ar-
chaeological point of view. Ö The incentives would be provided to those
· No more surplus rainfall in 11 districts. units in IT, ITes and electronics manufactur-
ing and design sectors which entail invest-
Ö Monsoon rainfall in Bihar, which had surged ment of more than Rs 5 crore and provide
to 3% surplus by the end of August, has employment to more than 50 workers.
plunged to 3% deficiency following lull in
Ö Exemption from stamp duty, registration fees
rainfall over the last fortnight.
and land conversion fees apart, the tax
Ö As per figures available on the official incentive talk about 100% reimbursement of
website of India Meteorological Department state GST on the net tax payable for initial
(IMD), 11 of 38 districts in the state fall in five years of production.
deficient rainfall category (-20 to -59%) .
Ö The skill development subsidy, on the other
Patna too is standing at 24% rainfall defi-
ciency. hand, talks about providing skill develop-
ment subsidy of Rs 20,000 per employee or
· Chief minister to open Bihar Museum the corresponding rate under Bihar Skill
on Oct 2 Development Mission (BSDM), whichever
is lower. The incentive will be applicable for
Ö The eight-decade-old Patna Museum to be training of employees or staff, who are
the newly constructed Bihar Museum soon. domicile of Bihar and shall have to be
employed for at least one year.
21
· Government focuses on skill develop- ers, media, and others on a common plat-
ment form to advocate gender equality.

Ö Students pursuing studies in professional and Ö Bandhan Tod is part of Gender Alliance’s
technical training institutions of the state strategy to support the state government’s
government, such as ITIs, engineering and efforts to end child marriage and dowry.
nursing colleges, would have to compulso-
rily undertake 240 hours of training in · Soon, Bihar to have own industrial
computer literacy, English and behavioural security force
skills under Kushal Yuva Programme (KYP)
Ö The state cabinet approved the constitution
of the state government.
of the state industrial security force and
Ö The beneficiaries of self-help allowance sanctioned 2,698 posts for its battalion. It
(SHA) scheme under seven resolves of the would work on the lines of Central Indus-
state government are also required to trial Security Force (CISF) for providing
undertake the KYP training. The SHA security to banks, financial and industrial
scheme entails monthly allowance of Rs organizations, including Bihar State Milk
1,000 for youths in the age group of 20-25 Co-operative Federation Ltd (COMFED).
years for a period of two years.
Ö In another major decision, the government
Ö Govt launched three schemes - student released funds to the tune of Rs516 crore
credit card for providing education loan of from Bihar Contingency Fund (BCF) for
up to Rs 4 lakh, KYP and SHA - under flood relief and compensation.
‘Arthik Hal, Yuvaon Ko Bal’ programme of
· Only 477 villages left to be electrified in
the state government on October 2 last
Bihar
year.
Ö As part of government’s resolve to provide
Ö 21 proposals have been cleared and corre-
free electricity connection to every house-
sponding funds released as per Bihar Start-
hold by end of this year, 38,596 villages out
Up Policy, 2017. State government has set
of a total of 39,073 villages have been
up a corpus of Rs 500 crore for funding
electrified and work is on to accomplish the
start-ups under the seven resolves.
task on time.
· Bandhan Tod: An Android app to fight
Ö Government has been working on “seven
child marriage in Bihar
resolves” of good governance which incor-
Ö Launched by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil porates popular programmes like free
Kumar Modi, the ‘Bandhan Tod’ app will try electricity connection to every household,
to create awareness on resisting child drinking water, sewage, toilet and road in
marriage and will also provide round-the- every villages among others.
clock help to adolescent girls saying no to
Ö The CM instructed the disaster management
the practice in the form of an SOS button.
department to do needful for toilets damaged
Ö The Gender Alliance is an initiative of the in the recent flood in parts of Bihar.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
· Rs 389 Crore Dam in Bhagalpur, Bihar
and was started to bring together civil
Collapses a Day Before Inauguration
societies, activists, academicians, research-

22
 Ö The Rs. 389 crore worth Gateshwar Panth Ö The convention hall christened ‘Bapu Hall’
Canal Project suffered a major blow as a has the capacity to seat 5,000 people, and
part of the dam in Bihar’s Bhagalpur col- its inauguration will coincide with the launch
lapsed a day before it was to be inaugurated of state government’s ambitious drive against
by CM Nitish Kumar. dowry and child marriage at a function in the
hall on the day.
Ö Jharkhand was also to be benefited from this Ö The drive, part of the ongoing centenary
project. Through this project, the irrigation celebrations of Champaran Satyagraha, is
facility would have been available in 18620 aimed at eradicating the social evils which
hectares in Bhagalpur and 22658 hectares in the Mahatma fought against.
Godda district of Jharkhand.
· Rs 2,820 crore NABARD loan
· Bihar to develop ‘organic corridors’ for rural roads
alongside both banks of Ganga
Ö National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Ö Bihar government decided to launch a Development (NABARD) handed over a
unique plan of developing “organic corri- letter of approval for Rs 2820.41 crore term
dors” alongside both banks of river Ganga loan under the Nabard Infrastructure Devel-
by encouraging vegetable farmers of se- opment Assistance (NIDA) to the state.
lected riverine villages not to use chemical
fertilisers in their fields. Besides providing Ö The state’s rural works department had
some financial incentives for using “only earlier submitted a project of Rs 3,827 crore
organic manures” in the fields falling under under the NIDA for financial assistance for
the corridor, the government would also constructing rural roads under the Gram-tola
suggest the farmers to re-use treated waters Sampark Yojana.
of those sewerages which fall in the holy
river. Ö Besides, the government has also sought a
loan of Rs696 crore for tree plantation in 26
Ö The “organic corridor” scheme will be districts, and another chunk for the imple-
launched in the last week of coming Octo- mentation of the North Koel Karo Project
ber from a village near Patna. (NKKP), which was cleared by the Centre
recently. The NKKP is meant for starting the
Ö Bihar at present requires 15 lakh quintals of irrigation project in Jharkhand and Bihar.
seeds of different crops per annum whereas
the state produces only five lakh quintals of · Bihar CM invited to attend ‘Aapravasi
seeds. Highlighting the huge gap between Diwas’ in Mauritius
requirement and production of seeds in the
state. Ö High Commissioner of Mauritius to India
called on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at the
· Bihar CM to open 5,000-seat Bapu Hall latter’s official residence at 1, Anne Marg
on October 2 here and invited him to his country on
November 2 on the occasion of the 183th
Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate anniversary of ‘Aapravasi Diwas’ in
the main convention hall in Samrat Ashok Mauritius.
International Convention Centre near Gandhi
Maidan on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti Ö ‘Aapravasi Diwas’ is observed in Mauritius
on October 2. every year on November 2 to commemorate
23
 arrival of first batch of indentured labourers specially invited to narrate their problems at
from India. the panchayat.

Ö Bihar holds a special relation with Mauritius Ö Talking about the silk sector, CM said the
since long time. More than 60% population silk sector could progress further by increas-
of Mauritius is of Indian origin. Majority of ing the involvement of women through
them are Bhojpuri speaking people having Jeevika, a government initiative to provide
roots in Bihar. livelihood to women in rural areas.
· Greenfield airport likely in Nalanda Ö The CM further said the industries and
cooperative departments should convene a
Ö The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on joint meeting under the chairmanship of
Monday proposed to develop a greenfield development commissioner to find out ways
airport at Rajgir in Nalanda district. A for increasing the number of handloom
presentation in this regard was made by cooperative societies.
Centre for Environment Planning and Tech-
nology (CEPT), Ahmedabad, at a meeting · President Ram Nath Kovind to launch
between Union civil aviation minister Ashok third phase of Bihar agri roadmap
Gajapathi Raju and chief minister Nitish
Kumar. Ö President Ram Nath Kovind would be in
Patna on November 9 to launch the second
Ö TPS is an area planning technique on the phase of ambitious agriculture roadmap
concept of land readjustment. The govern- (2017-22) of Nitish Kumar government.
ment need not acquire land for developing This would be the maiden official visit of
infrastructure, but the landowners themselves Kovind in Bihar after being elected as
are made stakeholders. The new areas for President of India in July.
growth to be opened up for development are
clearly marked and divided into smaller Ö Kovind was governor of Bihar before his
plots, which are reorganized by making election as the president. Bihar CM Nitish
provisions for roads, water supply, sewerage Kumar had supported the candidature of
and other public amenities. Kovind by the BJP despite being a member
of the anti-BJP Grand Alliance back then.
· Govt committed to strengthening loom
sectors: CM Ö The first phase of agriculture roadmap was
launched in 2008 to bring rainbow revolu-
Ö CM Nitish Kumar favoured strengthening tion, followed by launch of its second phase
the traditional systems of cloth weaving in the by former president Pranab Mukherjee on
state. October 3, 2012 in Patna.
Ö Presiding over a Udyami Panchayat at the Ö 89 per cent people of Bihar live in rural
CM secretariat, Nitish said his government areas and 76 per cent people are dependent
would take all necessary steps to strengthen on agriculture sector for their livelihood.
loom sectors — both hand and power — to
create job opportunities for the families · New cell to look after Patna district
involved in traditional cloth making. parks

Ö Entrepreneurs related to looms and silk Ö The Bihar cabinet headed by CM Nitish
industries as well as weavers and dyers were Kumar gave the nod to two infrastructure
schemes, including a state environment and
24
 forests department proposal to form Patna Ö Buddhist monks and devotees from
Park Circle and a road construction depart- several South East Asian countries also
ment (RCD) proposal to widen the attended the function in which chief
13.247km road from Punaichak to monk of the Nipponzan Myohoji sect
Rukanpura via Samanpura. (Japan Buddha Sangha), Ven S Shugei,
led the peace prayers.
Ö Altogether 35 posts of different categories
have been sanctioned for the park circle, · A festival not confined to Bihar
which will be tasked with looking after the
100-odd parks in Patna district. It was in Ö Chhath was earlier confined to Bihar and
September 2014 that the state government Biharis, but it has now been celebrated
had decided to hand over the parks to the across the country and even by people from
forests department for their maintenance. different regions.

· ADRI signs MoU with Singapore insti- Ö Many people do it out of devotion to Sun
tute God, considered the only Pratyaksh Devta
(visible god), while others keep fast for
Ö Patna-based social science research institute health and their progeny.
Asian Development Research Institute
(ADRI) and the Institute of South Asian Ö It started expanding from Bihar and several
Studies (ISAS)-National University of other bordering towns in eastern Uttar
Singapore (NUS) had their first joint Pradesh in the early 90s. Today, it is per-
roundtable in Singapore. formed across the country and even abroad.
It does not involve any idol worship and all
Ö The meet on ‘Political economy of develop- devotees pray to Sun God and other ele-
ment in eastern India’ also saw the signing of ments of Mother Nature.
an MoU between the two institutes.
· New PhD regulations in Bihar universi-
Ö ISAS director Prof Subrata Kumar Mitra, in ties
his welcome address, said the growth
trajectory of eastern India has been an Ö PhD aspirants in Bihar will now be required
intriguing research subject for NUS scholars. to adhere to the new regulations approved
“This collaboration with ADRI is going to act by the chancellor about a month back. The
as a catalysing factor to encourage and new guidelines are based on the UGC
support their understanding of the eastern (Minimum Standards and Procedure for
India. Award of M Phil/PhD Degrees) Regulations,
2016.
· Governor opens 48th annual ceremony
of Rajgir stupa Ö The ordinance has been sent to all the
universities in the state after its approval by
Ö Amid chants of ‘Namu Myôhô the chancellor.
Renge Kyô’, Bihar governor Satya Pal
Malikopened the 48th annual ceremony Ö Earlier, the revised UGC PhD guidelines of
of the World Peace Pagoda (Vishwa 2009 were implemented in the universities of
Shanti Stupa) atop the Ratnagiri Hills in Bihar in 2012. Even before the universities
Rajgir. could fully adopt these guidelines, the UGC
issued fresh guidelines in 2016.

25
Ö The latest guidelines suggest that the PhD questions correctly and yet was awarded
programme shall be for a minimum duration poor marks due to the BSEB’s negligence.
of three years (instead of two years as The petitioner was shown to have scored
prescribed earlier), including course work, nine out of 100 in Sanskrit and 29 out of 80
and a maximum of six years (instead of four marks in Science. She filed a writ petition in
years).Women and persons with disability the HC claiming she couldn’t have fared so
may be allowed a relaxation of two years for poorly.
Ph D in the maximum duration. In addition,
the women candidates may be provided Ö The court asked her to deposit Rs 40,000
maternity/child care leave once in entire which she would have to forego if her claims
duration for up to 240 days. were found to be untrue after re-evaluation.
The BSEB conducted re-evaluation and the
· Low air pollution in Patna this Diwali girl scored 80 in Sanskrit and 61 in Science.
The BSEB admitted her answer sheets were
Ö Fireworks lit up the city skyline on Diwali earlier not evaluated properly.
night while violating noise and pollution
norms even though the air pollution level in
· Bihar government staff denied advance
the state capital was quite low as compared
payment due to confusion
to the previous year.
Ö The benefit of advance payment of salary and
Ö As per data furnished by Bihar State Pollu-
allowance could not be availed by all the state
tion Control Board (BSPCB) on Friday, the
government employees due to confusion over
level of respiratory suspended particulate
allowances in the light of 7th Pay Commission
matter (RSPM) was recorded at 379.72
recommendations, which became effective
microgram per cubic metre (g/m3) of air
from October 11.
against 685.97g/m3 on Diwali night last year.
In fact, the RSPM level on Diwali was only Ö The cabinet, on October 12, took the deci-
slightly higher than on October 12 when it sion regarding payment of allowances effec-
was 327.72g/m3. tive from October 11 in the light of the 7th Pay
Commission, implying that they could get al-
Ö BSPCB furnished details on air and noise
lowances only for 20 days up to October 31.
pollution using the monitoring of air and noise
However, the bills the departments submitted
level through its portable device installed at
before the treasuries had asked for allowances
Boring Road crossing. In order to compare
for the entire month, as per the old rates, as a
the air and noise pollution level on Diwali
result of which the treasuries refused payment.
day with normal days, BSPCB did the
monitor the two parameters on October 12 · PM launches infra projects worth Rs
as well. 3,769 crore in Bihar

· Bihar board fined Rs 5 lakh for wrongly Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated
failing girl his commitment to developing eastern region
while laying the foundation of infrastructure
Ö The Bihar School Examination Board projects worth Rs3,769 crore, including
(BSEB) was fined Rs 5 lakh by the Patna sewage treatment plants for Patna, the four-
HC for flunking a meritorious girl in the Class laning of Aunta-Simariya section of NH-31
X exam this year. A bench passed the order and the construction of a six-lane bridge
after it became evident during the trial that over the Ganga at a function in the ‘Taal’
petitioner Priyanka Singh had answered the
26
 area of Mokama, approximately 90km from Ö As per plan, 90% immunisation coverage
Patna. would be achieved by December 2018.
Significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Ö He also said over 3 crore poor families in the launched the “Intensified Mission
country have been provided LPG connection Indradhanush” at his hometown, Vadnagar,
during the last three years and two crore in Gujarat.
more will get a connection in the next two
years. Ö Initially, 16 districts of the state, which have
been affected by the recent floods and
· Four new old age homes to be opened in where the immunisation coverage is low,
state soon have been taken up for the programme.
They include Darbhanga, Madhubani,
Ö With the objective of sheltering elderly
Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Lakhisarai, Katihar
people, especially those abandoned by their
and Patna (urban).
next of kin or otherwise having none to look
after them, the Bihar government is set to Ö Choubey said the special drive for
open four new old age homes in different immunisation would be effectively launched
towns in the coming months. in the entire state from November 7, 2017.
Ö These new homes will take the total number Ö The mission has been launched to accelerate
of such institutions to nine. There are already the process of immunisation by covering 5%
five old age homes functioning in the state at and more children every year with an aim to
Patna, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Gaya and achieve the target of full coverage by 2020.
Bhagalpur. Together, they have 127 inmates According to an official data, during the
at present. years 2009-2013, the immunisation cover-
age in the country increased only by 1%
Ö The need for new old age homes is attrib-
every year, which the union ministry of health
uted to the rising number of elderly being left
and family welfare found too low. Hence the
to fend for themselves by their immediate
“Mission Indradhanush” was launched.
family or being unable to sustain themselves
out of poverty. As such, even after the · Prime Minister lays Foundation Stone
addition of four new homes, the capacities for Infrastructure Projects in Bihar
created will be grossly inadequate.
Ö The Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the
Ö Officials said apart from running old age foundation stone for four sewerage projects
homes, state government provides old age under the Namami Gange programme;
pension to 44 lakh elderly people under the and four National Highway projects, at
old age pension scheme. Mokama in Bihar.
· Choubey launches mega national Ö The total outlay of these projects is over Rs.
immunisation prog for kids in Bihar 3700 crore.
Ö As part of a nationwide programme, Union Ö The four sewerage projects include Sewage
minister of state for health and family welfare Treatment Plant at Beur, Sewerage System
Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched ‘Intensi- with Sewer Network at Beur, Sewage
fied Mission Indradhanush’, in the state Treatment Plant at Karmalichak and STP
capital with an aim to immunise all children in and Sewer Network at Saidpur.
Bihar against preventable diseases.

27
 Ö These projects together will create new STP Ö The provision has been brought in accor-
capacity of 120 MLD and upgrade the dance with the Persons With Disabilities Act,
existing 20 MLD for Beur. 2016.

· Prime Minister to lay foundation stone Ö The cabinet also approved the establishment
of multiple sewerage and highways of a state advisory board for the empower-
projects in Bihar ment of ‘Divyangjan’ as envisaged in the Act.

Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid founda- · CM launches state health department
tion stone of four sewerage and four National schemes
Highways projects, worth over Rs 3,760
crores, in Bihar. Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated 63
schemes worth Rs 252 crore and laid stones
Ö The cost of four sewerage projects at Beur,
of another 50 schemes worth Rs 614 crore
Karmalichak and Saidpur is estimated at Rs of the health department.
738.04 crore under the ‘Namami Gange’
(Ganga rejuvenation) programme. Ö The schemes for which stones were laid
included a graduate nursing college with
Ö Besides these four projects, the National
hostel in every government medical college
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has also and GNM (general nursing and midwifery)
planned seven other sewerage projects for training centre-cum- hospital in each district.
Patna and Bhagalpur which are at various stages These schemes are part of the CM’s ‘Saat
of implementation. Nischay (seven resolves) initiative.
Ö Two out of the seven projects – JHARKHAND
Ö Digha and Kankarbagh sewerage zones
· Guv Advocates Addiction-Free
(worth Rs 1402.89 crore) - are sanctioned
under Hybrid Annuity-based PPP mode.At Jharkhand
present, Patna having population of over 1.6 Ö Amid the government lending no ears to the
million generates 220 MLD of sewage. The city
voices of liquor ban from one part of the
has, however, capacity to treat only 109 MLD
State to the other at intervals, Governor
of sewage. The sewage load is expected to be
Droupadi Murmu has suggested the govern-
320 MLD by the year 2035.
ment to move ahead on addiction substance
· Bihar Cabinet Approves Reservation for free society and to not merely run after
‘Divyangs’ in Govt Jobs enhanced revenues. In a programme
organised in Central Institute of Psychiatry
Ö The Bihar Cabinet approved reservations (CIP) on the occasion of World Mental
for persons with disabilities in government Health
jobs and educational institutions.
Ö that the Government not only stands on its
Ö The cabinet gave its approval during a target of providing 25,000 jobs to skilled
meeting presided by Chief Minister Nitish youths by January 12 next year but also
Kumar. delivers quality workforce to the industry,
Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma on Thursday
sought help from every single stakeholder
who wants to see skill development mission
in State turning into a mass movement.
28
Ö Verma said that Jharkhand has taken a leap · Bihar continues to struggle with
of faith among investors and industries which healthcare
were eager to tap all the potentials of yet
untapped State full of opportunities. Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s initiatives in
the healthcare sector has borne fruit, but
Ö “The Government tries to employ the youths there is a still a long way to go says the
in the State itself. In this regard, steps have National Family Health Survey report-4 for
been taken to start 19 and 74 industries in Bihar.
the first and second phases respectively. The
CM has targeted to provide the nation the Ö The report notes that while fertility is declin-
most reliable work force by training 50 lakh ing and early marriage has decreased
youths between 15-30 years age group. ‘substantially’, it still remains high with total
fertility rate remaining at a high of 3.4
children per woman overall and 3.6 for rural
areas.
· Bihar to observe Dolphin Week in Oct Ö Significantly, despite the huge thrust on
every year equipping hospitals to meet high healthcare
demand in the first NDA government, the
Ö Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi NHFS report says women continue to lack
said that Bihar would observe Dolphin Week proper care during pregnancy and delivery
in October from next year. Speaking at a with just one in 7 woman being served and
function on National Dolphin Day, he 36% of births taking place at home.
announced several measures for the conser-
vation of the national aquatic animal, Ganga Ö The good news is that infant mortality rate
Dolphin. has dropped but still remains highest in India
with one in 21 children dying in the first year
Ö Dolphin Day is observed nationally every of life.
year on October 5, falling in the wildlife
week that is observed from October 2 to 8 Ö While diarrhoea continues to be the biggest
in the country every year. worry, use of family planning has actually
decreased in the last decade with only 24%
Ö He said within a few months the formalities of women practising contraception currently.
of establishing the national dolphin research
centre at Patna University will be completed · AFSPA zone reduced in 2 northeast
for which a fund of Rs 20 crore had been states
sanctioned in 2014.
Ö The Union home ministry has brought down
· Unable to distribute school books, state the range of ‘disturbed area’ under the
plans pay outs controversial Armed Forces (Special Pow-
ers) Act (AFSPA) 1958 in Meghalaya and
Ö Having failed to provide books in schools Arunachal Pradesh following improvement in
even after a lapse of seven months in the the law and order situation.
ongoing academic session, the government is
now planning to provide money to some 1.5 Ö A notification issued by the ministry said
crore class 1-8 students at the time of areas under the ‘disturbed area’ tag in
admission so that they could purchase them Meghalaya along the border with Assam has
from the market. been reduced to 10 km from the previous 20
29
 km under Section 3 of AFSPA up to March by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vigyan
31, 2018. Bhawan in New Delhi

Ö Earlier this year, the ministry declared the Ö The duo got the National Swachh Bharat
areas falling within the 20 km wide belt in award for essay writing competition orga-
Meghalaya on the Assam border as ‘dis- nized by the Union ministry for drinking
turbed area’. In Arunachal, the notification water and sanitation under the ‘Swachh
said areas under the jurisdiction of 11 police Sankalp Se Swachh Siddhi’ programme.
stations in eight districts bordering Assam
have been declared to be “disturbed area” Ö The participants went through various rounds
up to March 31, 2018. of competition at school, inter-school,
district and national levels. The competitions
· Satya Pal Malik sworn in as Bihar were held in Bihar under the guidance of
Governor Bihar Education Project Council between
August 16 and September 15.
Ö Satya Pal Malik sworn in as the Governor
of Bihar at the Raj Bhavan. · President Kovind to launch third phase
of agriculture road map on Nov 9
Ö He administered the oath of office by Chief
Justice of the Patna High Court Justice Rajendra Ö President Ram Nath Kovind will launch the
Menon, in presence of a host of dignitaries third phase of Bihar agriculture road map
including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy (2017-22) at Bapu Hall of Samrat Ashok
Chief Minister Sushil Kumar. International Convention centre in Patna on
November 9.
· With 4 more galleries, Bihar Museum
opens for visitors Ö This would be Kovind’s maiden official visit
to the state after being elected President of
Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated four India in July. He was Bihar governor before
galleries of regional art, contemporary art, his nomination for the Presidential election.
historical art and Bihari Diaspora at the Bihar
Museum Ö The third phase includes programmes by as
many as 12 departments, including agricul-
Ö The museum was also reopened for visitors. ture, animal husbandry and power. Among
It had been closed since March 28 this year other objectives, the road map is aimed at
for maintenance. The world-class museum setting up an exclusive 1,500MW power
was inaugurated by the CM on August 7, network for agriculture sector to reduce the
2015 with just three galleries. farmers’ dependence on diesel generator
sets for farming. The plan also includes
Ö The CM also referred to Patna high court’s innovative idea of integrating solar power
questioning over the Rs500-crore budget for with fisheries. The state government is also
Bihar Museum. The matter was raised working on plan to connect villages with a
through a PIL in March 2015. population of more than 250 people through
road network to provide access to whole-
· PM awards 2 school students from Bihar sale markets.
Ö On the third anniversary of launch of Ö It also targeted raising the irrigation capacity
‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, two government of the state from 82% in 2012 to 159% this
school students from Bihar - Vikas Prasad year and further to 209% by 2022 broadly
and Chandrakanta Naina - were felicitated
30
 through 14.64 lakh private tubewells. CM crore families in rural and urban areas by
Nitish Kumar wants to ensure one Bihari December 2018.
cuisine in every Indian’s plate by then.
Ö State energy department has already pro-
· HC orders equal pay for contract teach- vided meter-based electricity supply to more
ers than 13 lakh households till date under
Mukhya Mantri Vidyut Sambandh Yojana,
Ö In a major relief to around four lakh teachers commonly known as Har Ghar Bijli scheme,
working on contract in the state government which was launched by CM Nitish Kumar
schools, the Patna high court (HC) on on November 15 last year. The state has
Tuesday said they were eligible for pay and allocated Rs1,896 crore for providing
other benefits on a par with their regular electricity to 35 lakh APL (above poverty
counterparts. line) households under the scheme.
Ö A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Ö The energy department is also set to achieve
Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay 100% rural electrification by December-end.
also said the ‘Niyojit Shikshak Niyukti Sources said out of the targeted 39,073
Niyamawali’ formulated by the state govern- villages in the state, only around 400 are left
ment in 2006 was unconstitutional as Article for electrification.
14 of the Constitution stipulates equality
before law. · Bihar Government to apply reservation
formula in engaging outsourced employ-
Ö It was under this ‘niyamawali’ that the ees
contractual teachers were appointed on a
fixed salary. Ö The Bihar government decided to follow its
reservation policy while engaging profession-
Ö The HC gave its order on a bunch of peti- als and other employees through outsourcing
tions filed by the Bihar Secondary Teachers agencies.
Struggle Committee and Bihar Madhyamik
Shikshak Sangh (BMSS) as well as nine Ö The new policy will make private
other petitioners. outsourcing agencies recruit manpower
based on the reservation policy of the state
· State seeks Rs 1,100 crore from Centre government if they want to work with the
for power connections state agencies.

Ö The state energy department is to submit Ö Thousands of IT professionals have been

within a week a detailed project report to engaged by the state government and the
the Centre to seek Rs1100 crore for provid- district administrations to run IT operations
ing household electricity connections under including Beltron and skill development
Saubhagya scheme that envisages payment centres.
of power installation charges to every
· BSEB introduces new exam pattern for
household in 60:40 ratio by the Centre and
state, respectively. 2018; 50% questions to be objective

Ö The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Ö In the latest development, Bihar School
Yojana or Saubhagya scheme launched by Education Board (BSEB) has changed its
PM Narendra Modi on September 25 aims examination pattern and marking scheme for
at providing electricity connections to over 4
31
 the Senior Secondary Annual and Supple- introduce reservations in the private sector.
mentary examination. The NCBC had recommended that the
Centre enact a law to make it mandatory for
Ö For subjects with a practical component the private sector to reserve 27% of jobs for
(such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, other backward classes (OBCs).
Physical Education, Psychology, Geography,
Home Science, Agriculture, Computer Ö Nitish also pointed out that in 2006 when the
Science etc.), the theory paper would be of state government had appointed retired army
70 marks. Out of these, 35 marks will be men by forming the special auxiliary police
allotted to objective questions. There would (SAP), the state’s reservation rules were
be 35 objective questions, each carrying 1 totally followed.
mark.
· President Ram Nath Kovind in Patna to
· Farmers from state urged to join No- launch agriculture road map today
vember 20 rally
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind will
Ö Jai Kisan Andolan founder and social launch the third phase of Bihar agricul-
scientist Yogendra Yadav appealed to ture road map (2017-22) at Samrat
farmers of the state to participate in the mass Ashok International Convention Centre
rally of farmers to be held in New Delhi on here on Thursday. This will be the his
November 20 over twin demands of All maiden official visit to the state after his
India Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti - election as President of the country in
loan waiver and fixation of minimum support July. Earlier, Kovind was the governor of
price (MSP) for agricultural produces at Bihar.
one-and-a-half times of their cost of produc-
tion as recommended by the M S Ö Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh
Swaminathan Commission that submitted its said governor Satya Pal Malik, CM
report to the Centre in 2007. Nitish Kumar and several other dignitar-
ies would attend the programme. The
· Nitish Kumar favours quota for back- first phase of Bihar agriculture road map
ward classes in private sector jobs was launched in 2008 to bring rainbow
revolution. It was followed by its second
Ö Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar favoured phase launch by former President
reservation for backward classes in private Pranab Mukherjee on October 3, 2012.
sector jobs and said there should be a
debate on the topic at the national level. Ö Sources in agriculture department
said the state spent Rs1.49 lakh crore on
Ö Nitish Kumar also defended Bihar the execution of the second phase of
government’s recent decision to extend agriculture roadmap. Around Rs1.54
provisions of reservation in the jobs of lakh crore has been allocated for the
outsourced services. third phase with emphasis on organic
farming.
Ö Almost a year back, the National Commis-
sion for Backward Classes (NCBC) had · Bihar to have organic farming corridors
suggested enacting a central legislation to along Ganges: Nitish
make private firms set aside jobs for
marginalised sections. But the NDA govern- Ö Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
ment at the Centre later denied any move to today said the state would give a boost to
32
 organic farming by forming a “corridor” Ö Patna University (PU) vice-chancellor Rash
along both sides of the river Ganges.
Bihari Prasad Singh has expressed satisfac-
Ö “Organic farming is the way forward. tion over high enrolment of girls in different
Many enterprising farmers in our state have courses. “It is a matter of pride that more
taken initiatives on their own to take up this than 60% of the students enrolled in different
type of farming. We are going to promote courses in PU are girls,” he said.
it in a big way by building an organic
farming corridor along both sides of the Ö Adding that PU is not only empowering the
Ganges flowing through the state,” Kumar girl students but also fulfilling the dreams of
said. great visionary and educationist Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad who advocated for
Ö The chief minister was speaking after promoting girls’ education.
welcoming President Ram Nath Kovind
who was here to launch the Bihar · Soon, Bihar to recruit over 1,000 SIS after
government’s ambitious “third agricultural a 13-year gap
roadmap”, for the period 2017- 2022,
containing schemes worth Rs 1.54 lakh Ö Bihar will soon advertise over 1,000 posts of
crore. sub-inspectors (SI) to be filled through direct
recruitment. Decks were cleared for the same
· Bihar govt’s bid to attract investors in following an amendment to the Bihar Police
textile sector Manual, 1978 on August 30.

Ö Department of Industries, Government of Ö The government has already identified the posts
Bihar in association with Apparel Export of SI to be filled through promotions from
Promotion Council(AEPC) organised an among assistant sub-inspectors, the process of
apparel meet at Ludhiana which is underway.

Ö The objective of the meeting was to show- Ö In direct recruitment, posts will be reserved for
case initiatives taken by Bihar government to sportspersons with commendable perfor-
attract investment in apparel and textile mances at national-international level competi-
sector. tions. They will be recruited separately, as per
laid down provisions.
Ö Speaking on the occasion, Dr Siddharth
said, “Around 2000 acres of land is available Ö Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission
with our state government and it is ready to (BPSSC) will carry out recruitments through a
be alloted as per requirement of Investor. two-phase exhaustive combined competitive
Skilled labour availability is the strength of exam, starting with a preliminary test. The
our state and we have launched an online successful candidates in the preliminary test will
single window clearance system wherein be called for mains written test comprising of
investor can submit proposal for investment two papers, which would be followed by a
from anywhere in the world and approval physical eligibility test.
will be granted to him online
· Patna air pollution worse than that of
· 60% students enrolled in Patna Univer- Delhi
sity courses are girls: VC
Ö Air pollution in Patna on Wednesday
deteriorated further to ‘very severe’
category as the air quality index (AQI)
33
 released by Central Pollution Control Ö The prison will have an official telephone
Board (CPCB) was recorded at 404, facility by November 15 to be availed by the
worse than Delhi’s 308. This is the first jail inmates as per laid down norms.
time this year that the AQI level crossed
the 400 mark. Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate
this facility during a function held on the
Ö Patna was, in fact, the sixth most premises of the newly constructed Bihar
polluted city in the country in terms of Institute of Correctional Administration in
AQI level, which was the highest at Hajipur.
Lucknow (486), followed by Ghaziabad
(467), Kanpur (448), Moradabad (420) Ö The state government has allotted Rs 9-
and Noida (410). crore to the BSNL to install telephone
booths inside jails for the inmates.
Ö The AQI is an assessment of the air
quality taking into account eight pollut- Ö According to the plan, each of the eight
ants: PM2.5 (particulate matter less than central jails will have three telephone booths,
2.5 micron), PM10 (particulate matter while the district and the sub-jails will have
less than 10 micron), nitrogen oxides, two and one booth respectively.
sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monox-
ide, ammonia and lead. Ö Prison officials had seized more than 1000
cellphones during checks in prisons in the
Ö Alarm bell starts ringing once past two years. Earlier, the state’s jail
pollution crosses the 300 mark. AQI of department had spent lakhs of rupees to
400 and above is unbreathable and install jammers in jails to block the use of
harmful for health. The severe category cellphones by hardcore criminals, but to little
AQI affects healthy people and seriously effect.
impacts those with existing diseases.
· Bihar government set to roll out battery-
Ö The AQI in Patna had last crossed run buses, autos
400 mark in November-December
Ö The Bihar government has taken cognizance
2015 and the Bihar State Pollution
of the rise in air pollution in Patna and is
Control Board (BSPCB) had issued an
planning to roll out battery-operated public
advisory to various departments and
transport vehicles on the city roads to check
agencies for taking immediate steps to
pollutionAccording to him, the Energy
curb air pollution in the city.
Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has been
· No need to hide mobiles, now jail in- assigned the installation as well as mainte-
mates can officially make calls nance and repair work. A proposal to this
effect was approved by the state cabinet last
month.
Ö Making phone calls secretly from prisons is a
big menace the jail authorities have to Ö The street lights will be monitored through a
grapple with. Quite frequently, mobile common surveillance system and the EESL
phones are recovered during raids in prisons. will be given 72 hours to repair defunct
lights. Or else, they will have to pay Rs 25 as
Ö Now, making phone calls will be legal for
penalty per light per day.
more than 30,000 inmates of at least 30 jails,
including eight central prisons, in Bihar. Health minister flags off 65 ambulances

34
State health minister Mangal Pandey flagged off 65 years whereas 30% boys, 5% unmarried
ambulances of the 102 service from the premises of and 27% married girls had multiple partners,
State Health Society, Bihar in Patna.The health depart- a survey conducted on ‘understanding the
ment has outsourced the toll-free 102 call centre as well lives of adolescents and young adults’
as the operation and management of the fleet of ambu- (UDAYA) in Bihar has found.
lances and mortuary vans to a consortium of
Pashupatinath Distributors Pvt Ltd and Sammaan Ö Population Council, a research organization,
Foundation, Patna.The 102 call centre functions 24x7 conducted the survey between January and
with 50 operators and one doctor each working in the July 2016 on 10.433 adolescents in the age
first two shifts from 6am to 2pm and 2pm to 10pm. The group of 10 to 19 years in 36 districts of
night shift from 10pm to 6am is managed by 25 opera- Bihar.
tors and one doctor.
Ö The study also highlighted the fact that most
The ambulance service is provided free of cost to of the adolescents were not aware about
pregnant women, infants, senior citizens, BPL card safe sex and only 31% of the boys and 17%
holders, accident victims, kala-azar patients and the of the girls surveyed used contraceptive
children referred under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya during their first sexual encounter and only
Karyakram. 28% boys and 7-11% girls had always used
contraception methods.

Ö The main objective of the survey was to

profile the needs of adolescents based on
· Opt for e-rickshaw, carpool to reduce their situation, track the changes in their
pollution: BSPCB situation as they grow older and provide help
to ensure their holistic well-being.
Ö Alarming rise in pollution level and worsen-
ing air quality index of the state capital, Bihar · Young schoolgoers target of state anti-
State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has tobacco drive
appealed to the people to take initiative for
making the atmosphere cleaner and healthier. Ö Mobile medical teams engaged in conducting
routine health check-up of children in
Ö In a press release, the BSPCB appealed to government schools and Aanganwadi centres
people not to burn tyres, biomass, solid in Bihar under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya
waste, etc. in open air. Karyakram (RBSK) will now also create
awareness on hazards of consuming tobacco
Ö The pollution board has also urged the products.
people to opt for e-rickshaw in place of auto
rickshaws and take recourse to carpooling Ö The State Health Society (SHS) said all civil
to reduce fuel consumption and thereby surgeons had been directed to ask medical
reduce the level of pollution to some extent. teams to make children aware of diseases
As per a recent report of the CEED, trans- caused by tobacco consumption. The SHS
port sector contributes to around 20% of the said adolescents and children were being
total pollution in Bihar. targeted to create long-term clients of
tobacco and increase its consumption base
· ‘22% boys, 29% girls in Bihar have sex in Bihar.
before 15 years of age’
Ö Altogether 53.5% adults of the state were
Ö Almost 22% boys and 29% girls had sexual already using tobacco, the SHS said quoting
encounters before attaining the age of 15
35
 the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday
report, released a few years ago. launched an excavation work at the
Jayanagar hills, 125km from Patna, in
· HC seeks Bihar government reply on Lakhisarai district.
new rules
Ö The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
Ö The Patna high court ordered the state recently approved the excavation for a year
government to file a counter affidavit within based on the recent discovery of a medieval
three weeks regarding the anomalies in period monastery (6-10th century AD) at
newly formed rules and regulations for Jayanagar. The exercise is to be jointly
engaging law officers. carried out by the Bihar Virasat Vikas Samiti
and Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan.
Ö Under the new rules, only those lawyers
having at least 20 years of experience are Ö Nitish directed the state officials to take
eligible for appointment as additional advo- steps for the preservation and protection of
cate general and senior standing counsel in seven archaeological sites in and around the
the Supreme Court while Article 217 of the Jayanagar hills.
Constitution states that at least 10 years of
experience is required for appointment as Ö Quite a number of historical monuments,
high court judge or advocate general including Buddhist monasteries and
Brahminical temples belonging to this have
· Bihar to host Commonwealth Parliamen-
been found in and around Lakhisarai.
tary Association’s conference from Feb
16 · Declare Cyclopean Wall as heritage
site: CM Nitish Kumar
Ö Speakers of state assemblies and chairper-
sons of legislative councils from across the Ö Chief minister Nitish Kumar pitched for a
country as well as heads of legislative bodies world heritage status to 22km-long
of some neighbouring countries would Cyclopean Wall while inaugurating the three-
converge here in February 2018 to take part day Rajgir Mahotsav at Rajgir International
in the four-day conference of India region Convention Centre (RICC).
chapter of the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association(CPA). Ö The Cyclopean Wall at Rajgir is among the
oldest specimens of this type of masonry
Ö Choudhary, who recently attended in the across the world. Our government’s efforts
CPA’s conference at Dhaka in Bangladesh, got world heritage site status to the ancient
followed by a post-conference study tour of Nalanda University. We will make efforts to
Hong Kong, Japan and the US, also said get the same status to the Cyclopean Wall.
that after observing the functioning of legisla-
tive bodies in different countries, he had · Bihar House passes bill for planned
come to the conclusion that the legislature in development of industrial areas
India is among the best and the most vibrant
than most of the democracies across the Ö The legislative assembly on Tuesday passed
globe. a bill seeking to further empower the Bihar
Industrial Development Authority for ensur-
· Nitish Kumar launches excavation at ing systematic growth of industrial areas,
Jayanagar hills in Lakhisarai amid a walkout staged by opposition parties.

36
Ö The Bihar Industrial Development Authority
(Amendment), Bill, 2017, provides, among
other things, cancellation of a land allotment
by the authority if the concerned land has not
been used for the stated purpose over a
certain specified period.

Ö The Bill also empowers the authority to take

stern action against encroachments on its
land.

· Bihar House passes bill for planned

development of industrial areas

Ö The legislative assembly on Tuesday passed

a bill seeking to further empower the Bihar
Industrial Development Authority for ensur-
ing systematic growth of industrial areas,
amid a walkout staged by opposition parties.

Ö The Bihar Industrial Development Authority

(Amendment), Bill, 2017, provides, among
other things, cancellation of a land allotment
by the authority if the concerned land has not
been used for the stated purpose over a
certain specified period.

Ö The Bill also empowers the authority to take

stern action against encroachments on its
land.

37
 National Affairs
· Ö The event was held at Yash Raj Stu-
Priyanka Chopra to endorse Skill India
dios in Mumbai.
campaign
Ö Besides, Vinali Bhatnagar won the
Ö Actress Priyanka Chopra will soon be Miss Active crown whereas Vamika Nidhi
seen endorsing government’s flagship Skill won the special award of ‘Body Beauti-
India campaign, with the National Skill ful’.
Development Corporation roping in the
Bollywood celebrity as an ambassador for · India’s Largest Municipal Bond
the initiative. Programme Launched
Ö Priyanka will use her celebrity status Ö The Pune Municipal Corporation
to motivate youngsters to hone their abili- (PMC) became the first municipal corpo-
ties through a media campaign. ration in the country to tap money through
Ö Earlier, Indian cricket captain Virat municipal bonds in 14 years.
Kohli, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, Ö The AA+ rated PMC’s municipal
Bollywood actors Sidharth Malhotra and bonds raised Rs 200 crore at 7.59 per
Shabana Azmi and singer Mohit Chauhan cent rate at the Bombay Stock Exchange
had also become goodwill envoys for Skill (BSE). This is the first-ever mobilisation
India. of debt capital by a municipal corporation
on the BSE BOND platform.
· Government launches VAJRA Scheme
Ö This will also be the first issuance since
Ö Department of Science and Technol- the publication of ‘Issue and Listing of Debt
ogy has launched VAJRA (Visiting Ad- Securities by Municipalities Regulations,
vanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme 2015’ by Securities and Exchange Board
that enables NRIs and overseas scientific of India (SEBI). The 10-year bonds will
community to participate and contribute be used by the Pune Municipal Corpora-
to research and development in India. tion (PMC) for a Rs 2,300-crore water
project. The scheme is aimed at providing
Ö The scheme would promote broad
water 24×7 for all residents of Pune.
areas of research like energy, health, ad-
vance material among others. Public
funded academic institutions and national
· Uttarakhand and Haryana Declared Open
laboratories will be eligible for hosting the Defecation Free States
VAJRA Faculty. The VAJRA faculty can Ö Under the Swachh Bharat Mission
reside in India for a minimum of 1 month Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and
and a maximum of 3 months a year. rural Haryana have been declared as the
4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF)
· Haryana girl Manushi Chhillar is Femina States of India. Already, Sikkim, Himachal
Miss India World 2017. Pradesh and Kerala, have been declared
ODF.
Ö The 54th Femina Miss India World
2017 winner is Manushi Chhillar from Ö As per the government sources, na-
Haryana, while the first runner-up is Sana tionally the sanitation coverage has in-
Dua from Jammu and Kashmir and the creased from 42% to over 64% since the
second runner-up is Priyanka Kumari from launch of SBM. Uttarakhand has 13 dis-
Bihar.
38
 tricts, 95 blocks, 7256 gram panchayats June 2017. During 1994-2017 period, the
and 15751 villages while Haryana has 21 vehicle has launched 48 Indian satellites
districts, 124 blocks, and 6083 gram and 209 satellites for customers from
panchayats. All these have been declared abroad.
as ODF. With this, the total number of
ODF states in the country have increased Besides, the vehicle successfully launched
to 5 covering more than 2 lakh villages and two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008
147 districts across the country. and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 –
that later traveled to Moon and Mars re-
· PSLV-C38 Successfully Launches 31 spectively.
Satellites in a Single Flight.
· Dr Jitendra Singh launches new training
Ö ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle programme ‘COMMIT’.
PSLV-C38 successfully launched the 712
kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with Ö The Minister of State for Development
30 co-passenger satellites from Satish of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime
Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Griev-
Sriharikota. ances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and
Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh launched a new
Ö This is the thirty ninth consecutively training programme Comprehensive
successful mission of PSLV. Online Modified Modules on Induc-
tion Training (COMMIT) for State
Ö The total number of Indian satellites Government officials.
launched by PSLV now stands at 48.
Ö The objective of this training
Ö One of the 30 co-passenger satellites programme is to improve the public ser-
carried by PSLV-C38 was the 15 kg vice delivery mechanism and provide citi-
NIUSAT, a University/Academic Institute zen centric administration through capac-
satellite from Nurul Islam University, Tamil ity building of officials who interact with
Nadu, India. the citizens on day-to-day basis.
Ö The remaining 29 co-passenger satel- Ö Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the new
lites carried were 14 international customer training programme will supplement the
satellites from USA (10), United Kingdom earlier training programme and the advan-
(3), Belgium (3), Italy (3), Austria (1), tage of COMMIT is that it is cost effec-
Chile (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (1), tive and has the potential to cover about
France (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Latvia 3.3 lakh officials annually, compared to
(1), Lithuania (1) and Slovakia (1). 10,000 officials under existing 12-Day In-
duction Training Programme (ITP).
Gk byte - PSLV
· Union Government launches National
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is Biopharma Mission
the third generation launch vehicle of In-
dia. It is the first Indian launch vehicle to Ö The Union Ministry of Science & Technol-
be equipped with liquid stages. After its ogy has launched National Biopharma
first successful launch in October 1994, Mission, a first ever Industry-Academia
PSLV emerged as the reliable and versa- mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical
tile workhorse launch vehicle of India with development in India.
39 consecutively successful missions by
39
Ö Under this mission, the ministry also Ö Attorney General for India is the Indian
launched Innovate in India (i3) program to government’s chief legal advisor, and its
create an enabling ecosystem to promote primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of
entrepreneurship and indigenous manufactur- India.He is appointed by the President of
ing in the sector.Indian biopharmaceutical India under Article 76(1) of the Constitution
industry is still 10-15 years behind their and holds office during the pleasure of the
counterparts in the developed countries and President. He is part of Union Executive.
faces stiff competition from Korea, China
and others. Ö Attorney General is the first law officer of the
government of India and acts as top advo-
Ö Innovate in India (i3) program is a cate for Union Government. He is respon-
flagship program of the Government of India sible for giving advice to President/ Union
in collaboration with World Bank. It is Government upon such legal matters and to
committed to make India a hub for design perform such other duties of legal character
and development of novel, affordable and which are assigned to him by the President.
effective biopharmaceutical products and
solutions.It promises to boost the growth of Ö He has right of audience in all courts within
domestic biopharma industry by accelerating the territory of India. He has also the right to
the translation of research concepts into speak and take part in proceedings of both
viable products and supporting clinical the houses of parliament including joint
validation.National Biopharma Mission sittings. But cannot vote in parliament.
Further, he can also be made a member of
Ö The mission aims to enable and nurture an any parliamentary committee but in the
ecosystem for preparing India’s technologi- committee also, he has no power to vote.
cal and product development capabilities in
biopharmaceuticals to be globally competi- · NMCE, ICEX to merge to create India’s
tive level over the next decade. third biggest commodity exchange.

Ö The mission will be implemented by Biotech- Ö National Multi Commodity Exchange

nology Industry Research Assistance Council (NMCE), India’s first demutualised online
(BIRAC), a PSU of Department of Biotech- national multi-commodities exchange will
nology. It will bring together expertise from merge with Indian Commodity Exchange
national and international corridors (ICEX). The merged entity will create
India’s third biggest commodity exchange.
· KK Venugopal appointed as Attorney The largest commodity exchange by volume
General of India is the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)
followed by National Commodity and
Ö President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).
senior advocate and constitutional expert K
Ö The new exchange will offer a wide range of
K Venugopal (86) as the new Attorney
General of India. He will be 15th Attorney contracts, including bullion, oil, rubber, and
General of India. He succeeds Mukul other agri-commodities. It will also offer the
Rohatgi as the country’s top law officer. world’s first diamond futures contract, which
Earlier, in the Morarji Desai’ government has already received in-principle approval
(1977-79), Venugopal had served as from the marker regulator SEBI.Gk byte –
Additional Solicitor General of India Commodity Trading

Gk byte - Attorney General of India

40
Ö Commodity trading is an exchange where Ö India has been running an experimental
various commodities and derivatives prod- facility called a Fast-Breeder Test Reactor
ucts are traded. Most commodity markets (FBTR) now for 27 years.
trade in agricultural products and other raw
materials and contracts based on them. Ö This is a small nuclear reactor a forerunner
These contracts can include spot prices, for the monster that India has constructed at
futures, forwards and options on futures. Kalpakkam called the Prototype Fast
Breeder Reactor (PFBR). This will generate
Ö At present, India has six national commodity electricity commercially using the fast
exchanges namely, Multi Commodity Ex- breeder route.
change (MCX), National Commodity and
Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), National Ö The world’s only commercially operating fast
Multi-Commodity Exchange (NMCE) and breeder reactor is situated in the Ural
Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX), ACE Mountains of Russia at the Beloyarsk
Derivatives exchange (ACE) and Universal Nuclear Power Plant, not far from Russia’s
commodity exchange (UCX) apart from fourth largest city Yekateringburg.
numerous regional exchanges. Government
had established regulatory body is Forward · Achal Kumar Jyoti to be India’s new
Markets Commission (FMC) in 1953. Chief Election Commissioner.

Ö It was merged with the Securities and Ö Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Jyoti
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in Septem- has been appointed the Chief Election
ber 2015. Commissioner (CEC) of India by the
Narendra Modi government.
· Nuclear reactor at Kalpakkam: World’s
envy, India’s pride. Ö He will take charge as the CEC on July 6
after Nasim Zaidi retires.
Ö Hidden from public, on the shores of the Bay
of Bengal at Kalpakkam near Chennai, Ö Jyoti, former Chief Secretary of Gujarat,
Indian nuclear scientists are in the final throes was appointed as the Election Commissioner
of starting a high-tech giant stove more than on May 7, 2015.
15 years in the making. He will join as 21st CEC.
Ö This novel nuclear reactor is a kind of an · Telangana to Have Separate Agriculture
‘akshaya patra’, the mythical goblet with a Budget from Next Year
never-ending supply of food.

Ö The Department of Atomic Energy is getting Ö Telangana would have a separate budget for
ready to commission its ultra-modern agriculture from the next year.
indigenously designed and locally mastered
Ö Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao decided
fast-breeder reactor.
to substantially enhance funds for the agricul-
Ö Called a ‘Fast-Breeder Reactor’, these are ture sector and present a separate agriculture
a special kind of nuclear reactors that budget.
generate more atomic fuel than they consume
Ö Rao also asked the officials to form farmers’
as they work.
associations at various levels — from villages
to the state — to organise the cultivators.

41
· India-Thailand military exercise begins approach as some agriculturists race
their buffaloes as a means to thank the
in Himachal.
god for protecting their animals from
disease. But in recent times, Kambala
Ö A 14-day joint military training exercise Maitree has become an organised rural sport.
2017 between India and Thailand started in
Himachal Pradesh. · New regulations for teacher- training.

Ö The joint exercise of the Indian Army with the

Royal Thailand Army commenced at Bakloh Ö The blueprint being framed by the
in Chamba district. National Council For Teacher Education
(NCTE), promises action against errant
Ö The previous edition of the exercise was held institutions—nearly 3,000 teacher
at Krabi in Thailand in 2016. education colleges may be barred from
admitting fresh students from the next
· President approves ordinance allowing academic year.
Kambala in Karnataka.
Ö By January next year, NCTE will
Ö President Pranab Mukherjee has
put out a ranking of the top 100 teacher
approved the promulgation of The training institutes.
Prevention of cruelty to Animals
(Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017
by the Governor of Karnataka in
Ö While the move could create
pursuance of Article 213 of Constitution. confusion, the government believes it is
The promulgated ordinance legalises essential to curb the growth of poor
Kambala, bullock cart races and bull runs quality institutions and bring
as traditional sports involving animals transparency in teacher training.
and exempt them from The Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Ö NCTE functions under the Union

Ö Kambala is the traditional slush

human resource development (HRD)
ministry. It has already collected
track buffalo race that is held annually in preliminary data through affidavits and
coastal districts of Karnataka to entertain showcause notices it has served to
rural people of the area. Slushy/marshy around 12,000 institutions.
paddy field track is used for Kambala.
The sports season generally starts in
November and lasts till March. The
Ö According to Sources, NCTE is
contest generally takes place between hitting the reset on the grading system,
two pairs of buffaloes, each pair race in with less emphasis on physical assets.
two seprate wet rice fields tracks, Now, physical assets will get just 10%
controlled by a whip-lashing farmer. In weightage, 20% weight will go to
the traditional form of Kambala, buffalo academic assets, 30% to teacher
racing was non-competitive and buffalo transactions and 40% to students’
pairs ran one by one in paddy fields. learning outcome. Currently, there is no
Besides, there was also ritualistic weightage on learning outcomes for
42
approval or accreditation of such education system and for matters
institutions. connected therewith.

Gk byte – NCTE · Prime Minister Modi’s Israel Visit:

Important Takeaways.
Ö The National Council for Teacher
Education, in its previous status since
1973, was an advisory body for the
Central and State Governments on all
matters pertaining to teacher education,
with its Secretariat in the Department of
Teacher Education of the National
Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT).

Ö Despite its commendable work in

the academic fields, it could not perform
essential regulatory functions, to ensure
maintenance of standards in teacher
education and preventing proliferation of
substandard teacher education
institutions. The National Policy on
Education (NPE), 1986 and the
Programme of Action thereunder, Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day
envisaged a National Council for Teacher visit to Israel which is the first by an Indian
Education with statutory status and prime minister to Israel resulted in the signing
necessary resources as a first step for of seven agreements on areas including
overhauling the system of teacher space, tech and agriculture. The other
education. prominent takeaways of the visit are the
following:

Ö The National Council for Teacher Ö OCI card

Education as a statutory body came into Prime Minister Modi has assured faster
existence in pursuance of the National facilitation of OCI cards for Jewish Citizens
Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 of Indian origin in Israel. He also assured
(No. 73 of 1993) on the 17th that the OCI card will be given even to those
August,1995. people of Indian origin who had served in
the Israeli government’s compulsory army
Ö The main objective of the NCTE is service.

to achieve planned and coordinated Ö Air Connectivity

development of the teacher education
system throughout the country, the The launch of a new Air India flight connect-
regulation and proper maintenance of ing India and Israel was announced, the flight
Norms and Standards in the teacher

43
 is expected to connect Delhi/Mumbai with · MoU for setting up of India-Israel Industrial
Tel Aviv.
R&D & Technological Innovation Fund
Ö Israeli flower named after PM Modi (I4F)

As a special gesture, a new fast growing · MoU for conservation of water in India
Israeli Crysanthumun flower was named
“MODI” after Prime Minister Narendra · MoU on State Water Utility Reform in India
Modi, during the Indian Premier’s visit to the
Danziger flower farm, which is one of the
leading floriculture companies of Israel
· India-Israel Development Cooperation- 3-
having founded in 1953. year work program in Agriculture (2018-
2020)
Ö Strategic partnership
· Plan of cooperation regarding cooperation in
India and Israel have announced that they atomic clocks
have elevated their ties to a strategic partner-
ship as India has identified Israel as a major · MoU regarding cooperation in GEO-LEO
development and technological partner. Both
optical link.
countries have also agreed to combat
growing radicalization and terrorism and
expand co-operation in cyber security. · MoU regarding cooperation in electric
propulsion for small satellites.
Ö Indian Cultural Centre
· Karnataka launches ‘Elevate 100’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an-
scheme for start-ups
nounced the establishment of an Indian
Cultural Centre in Israel to enhance people- [* File contains invalid data | In-
to-people contacts between the two coun- line.JPG *]
tries. Israel’s has also voiced its strong
support to promote the practice of yoga by Ö The Karnataka government has launched the
designating June 21 as International Yoga ‘Elevate 100’ scheme to identify and nurture
Day. innovative start-ups.
Ö Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund Ö The aim is to identify 100 most innovative start-
(I4F) ups in the state to elevate them to the next level
The $40 million Israel India Innovation of success.
Initiative Fund has been launched as a five-
Ö The Elevate scheme is the brainchild of the start-
year technology fund with an aim at growing
up cell, Karnataka Biotechnology and Infor-
the business relationship between both the
mation Technology Services (KBITS).
countries. The similar type of fund had
boosted Israel’s ties with that of the US in · “JIGYASA” - Student-Scientist connect
the past 40 years. programme launched
Ö India and Israel have signed Total 7 agree-
ments on areas including space, tech and
agriculture.

44
Ö Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect hydrocarbon information that will be avail-
programme was officially launched in the na- able to all.
tional capital.
Ö Besides allowing potential investors to make
Ö Council of Scientific and Industrial Research informed decisions, this will open up a new
(CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya sector in India. There are a number of
Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this companies around the world that make it
programme. their business to simply explore hydrocarbon
basins and sell the information they gather.
Ö The focus is on connecting school students and The new initiative seeks to incentivise such
scientists so as to extend student’s classroom prospectors.
learning with that of a very well planned re-
search laboratory based learning. Ö Concern is whether India can attract enough
investment to meet the government’s objec-
· The new hydrocarbon policy opens tive of reducing oil imports by 10% by 2022,
more exploration especially given the past experience investors
have had with large projects such as KG-
Ö The recently unveiled Open Acreage Licens-
D6. There are after all proven reserves in
ing Policy and the National Data Repository other parts of the world, such as the Gulf of
together are a significant and welcome step Mexico, that could still keep investor appe-
towards opening up the hydrocarbon tite for Indian acreage weak.
exploration and production industry in India.
By placing greater discretion in the hands of · No-detention policy in school may be
explorers and operators, the Licensing scrapped from next academic year:
Policy attempts to address a major draw- Union minister
back in the New Exploration Licensing
Policy, which forced energy explorers to bid Ö The HRD Ministry has decided to remove
for blocks chosen by the government. the no-detention policy for students from
Ö Companies can now apply for particular the next academic year. Under the Right
to Education Act, no child will be
areas they deem to be attractive to invest in,
detained or held back in any class or
and the Centre will put those areas up for
expelled till the completion of
bids. This is more attractive for prospective
elementary education covering classes 1
operators because in the past, the blocks
to 8.
chosen by the government often were large
swathes of land or sea in which only a small Ö Rationale The government’s decision
fraction had hydrocarbon reserves. comes after it had received several
Ö By offering companies the freedom to complaints regarding the deterioration of
the quality of basic education in the
choose exactly the areas they want to
country. In addition, the States have been
explore, and their size, the government has a
asking for the withdrawal of the no-
better chance to woo serious energy inves-
detention policy from the Right to
tors in an effort to help achieve a more
Education Act 2009.
cohesive framework of the country’s energy
security. Tied to this is the National Data Ö As per the critics, the policy has resulted
Repository, which is envisaged as a in remarkable improvement in
centralised database of geological and enrolments but has brought down the
academic standards. Background No-
45
 Detention Policy Under this policy, the death of “security personnel on board” or
students up to class VIII are “ground support staff” as well.
automatically promoted to the next class
without being held back even if they do · India ranked 23rd in second Global
not get a passing grade. Cybersecurity Index (GCI)
Gk byte – No Dentention Policy
Ö India has been ranked 23rd out of
Ö The policy was implemented as part of 165 nations in the second Global
the Continuous and Comprehensive Cybersecurity Index (GCI) that
Evaluation (CCE) under the RTE Act to measures the commitment of nations
ensure all-round development of across the world to cyber security.
students. The concept of CCE which was The Index has been released by the
imported from the West lays emphasis on UN telecommunications agency
evaluating a child through the year, and International Telecommunication
not just based on performance in one or Union (ITU).
two term exams.
Ö India has been listed in the “maturing
Ö The basic objective behind the no- category” of the index with a score
detention policy was to prevent dropouts. of 0.683. Around 77 countries have
The no detention policy in the RTE does been placed in the maturing category
not mean the abolition of assessment as they have developed complex
rather it calls for a replacement of the commitments to cyber security and
traditional system of evaluation with a engage in cybersecurity programmes
continuous and comprehensive and initiatives. Singapore has topped
assessment that is not threatening. The the index with a score of 0.925.
policy also intends to free the students Singapore is followed by United
from the pressure and fear of States (2nd), Malaysia (3rd), Oman
examination and give them a stress-free (4th), Estonia (5th), Mauritius (6th),
academic environment and childhood. Australia (7th), Georgia (8th),
France (9th), Canada (10th) and
· New anti-hijacking law with tougher
Russia (11th). China has been
punishment comes into force
placed at 34th.Gk byte-ITU
Ö A tough new anti-hijacking law that pre- (International Telecommunica-
scribes capital punishment for perpetrators in tion Unit)
the event of the death of “any person” has
come into force following a government Ö ITU is the United Nations
notification. specialised agency for information
and communication technologies
Ö The 2016 Anti-Hijacking Act replaces a (ICTs). ITU has 193 countries as its
1982-vintage law, under which hijackers members and also 800 private-
could be tried for the death penalty only in sector entities and academic institu-
the event of the death of hostages, such as tions. ITU is headquartered in
flight crew, passengers, and security person- Geneva, Switzerland. ITU is respon-
nel. sible for allocating global radio
spectrum and satellite orbits. It also
Ö Under the new law, the perpetrators can be
develops the technical standards that
tried for the death penalty for causing the
46
 ensure networks and technologies to motion and Management (CIPAM)
seamlessly interconnect. It also under the aegis of the Department of
strives to improve access to ICTs Industrial Policy and Promotion.
among the underserved communities
worldwide. Ö The Scheme aims at raising IPR
awareness amongst students, youth,
· India and Bangladesh have decided to authors, artists, budding inventors
construct bridge along Mizoram Border and professionals to inspire them to
create, innovate and protect their
Ö India and Bangladesh have decided creations and inventions across India
to construct a bridge over including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities
Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui river as well as rural areas in the next 3
(also known as Karnaphuli river) to years.
facilitate trade and to improve
communication between the two · Nalco, IDCO to set up Aluminium Park in
countries. Odisha

Ö The decision was taken after Ö Nalco, in collaboration with Odisha

officials from both the side met at Industrial Infrastructure Development
Tlabung town in Mamit district of Corporation (IDCO), is setting up the
Mizoram. first of its kind Aluminium Park in
Angul, Odisha.
Ö The Mamit district is situated adja-
cent to Khagrachari district of Ö Investment to the tune of Rs 180
Southeast Bangladesh. The pro- crore will be made on infrastructure
posed bridge is expected to be of the project which is expected to
constructed as closer as possible to generate 15,000 jobs.
the nearest custom station located in
the Bangladesh side.he proposed Ö Odisha currently contributes about
bridge is expected to serve as an 54 per cent of India’s total aluminium
important link between India and smelting capacity.
Bangladesh. It would improve road
connectivity between the two · Sikkim row: China issues safety advisory
regions. The proposed bridge is also for its citizens in India
expected to strengthen the ties
between the people of the two Ö China has issued a safety advisory for its
countries. citizens staying in or travelling to India, in the
backdrop of the ongoing standoff between
· Scheme for IPR Awareness has the troops of the countries near the Sikkim
launched. sector.

Ö Taking forward the National Intellec- Ö The advisory has asked Chinese citizens to
tual Property Rights (IPR) Policy pay attention to the security situation in India
2016, a ‘Scheme for IPR Awareness as well as to personal security.
– Creative India; Innovative India’ has Ö Border troops from China and India have
been launched by Cell for IPR Pro- been locked in the standoff in the Doklam
47
 area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past gradually displacing coal as an energy source
three weeks after a Chinese Army’s con- in the Country.
struction party attempted to build a road.
Ö With nearly 300 days of sunshine every year,
· Govt to introduce new product pricing India has among the best conditions in the
rules that bar sales over MRP. world to capture and use solar energy.

Ö From January 1, 2018, the price of a Ö Indian government is setting ambitious

packaged goods would no longer targets that include 160 gigawatts (GW) of
depend on where you bought it – be it wind and solar by 2022, the World Bank
a local kirana store, a mall, a five-star said that not only will this help hundreds of
hotel or an airport. The Consumer million people light their homes it will also
Affairs ministry has amended the rules enable children to study at night, provide
that govern packaged commodities to families with refrigerators to preserve their
this effect. food or TVs to entertain themselves.

Ö As per the amended Legal Metrology · Now, sex selection in cows to get fewer male
rules for packaged commodities that calves
will come into effect from the next
calendar year, the Centre has clarified Ö The Union government has asked 10 animal
that the retail sale price shall be the husbandry centres to establish sexed semen
maximum retail price (MRP) inclusive production facilities to boost milk productiv-
of all taxes, with the provision to round ity and tackle the problem of “unwanted
off the price to the nearest rupee or 50 male calves” arising from the cow slaughter
paise. ban.
Ö The new norms also require sellers to Ö Sexing technologies allow farmers to control
enhance the size of letters and numerals for the gender of the calf. Scientists believe the
making declarations about the packaged use of sexed semen will result in the birth of
goods, such as their “Best before date, nine females to every male, thereby helping
month and year” to indicate their shelf life, farmers who prefer milk-producing cows to
for making it easier for consumers. bulls.
Ö Interestingly, for e-commerce marketplaces, Ö Bulls have become a burden on farmers
declaring the month and year in which a because growing mechanisation in agriculture
commodity is manufactured or packed is not has made them near-redundant in the fields.
mandatory and if they fulfill certain condi-
tions, they will not be held liable for whether Ö The environment ministry’s recent rules
the declarations were correct or incorrect. er banning the sale of cattle for slaughter at
for consumers to read vital information. cattle markets have only aggravated the
problem.
· India emerging as front-runner in fight Ö India is the largest milk producer in the
against climate change: World Bank. world. Its total milk production was 155.5
Ö India is emerging as a front runner in the million tonnes in 2015-16, divided almost
global fight against climate change, the World evenly among buffaloes and cows. However,
Bank has said, noting that the solar power is the demand for milk is expected to cross
200 million tonnes by 2021-22.

48
Ö At present, this technology is used only by a Ö States have issued bonds worth Rs 2.32
few rich farmers who can afford to purchase lakh crore covering 86 per cent of the debt
the doses from foreign companies. These (to be taken over by them) so far under
doses come from males of foreign breeds. UDAY scheme, a latest review of power
Opening labs in India will mean producing ministry stated.
the doses in India with indigenous bull and
buffalo semen. Ö As on September 30, 2015, total debt of all
state owned DISCOMs was Rs 3.95 lakh
· India’s first university only for Dalit crore. The 26 states and 1 UT which have
students to come up in Hyderabad by joined the UDAY scheme account for total
2018. outstanding debt of Rs 3.82 lakh crore. Thus
as much as 97 per cent of the total outstand-
Ö If the Telangana government has its way, ing debt of all state DISCOMs has been
Dalit students who wish to pursue their post- covered under the UDAY.
graduation in the state will have an exclusive
university for them by next academic year. Ö Under the scheme, states were required to
take over 75 per cent of discoms debt and
Ö A proposal to establish an exclusive univer- issue bonds for writing off those loans. The
sity for Dalit students in Hyderabad is under discoms are required to pay remaining 25
active consideration of the state government per cent of the debt by issuing bonds.
Ö The university is said to be part of the Gk byte – Uday scheme
government’s policy of providing education
free of cost to students from weaker sections Ö UDAY Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana
from kindergarten to post-graduation (KG to provides for the financial turnaround and
PG) level. revival of Power Distribution companies
(DISCOMs), and importantly also ensures a
Ö At present, there are universities exclusively sustainable permanent solution to the
for women and religious minorities but not problem. It has ambitious target of making all
for weaker sections, though they are given discoms profitable by 2018-19.
reservations in various state-run universities. It has all the 3 elements —

· States issue Rs 2.32 lakh cr bonds under 1. Clear up the legacy issues of past losses
UDAY and debt.

Ö States have issued bonds worth Rs 2.32 2. Provide a financial road map to bring
lakh crore under the UDAY scheme meant tariffs in line with costs by FY19.
for revival of discoms.
3. Provide enough deterrents for the state
Ö The power ministry had launched UDAY govt to not allow the state discoms to become loss
scheme for revival of the debt ridden power ridden post FY18, as losses start to impact their
distribution utilities in November, 2015. FRBM limits.

Ö As per the scheme, total liability opted for · The State govt. will takeover the discom
restructuring by the states through issuance liabilities over 2-5 year period.
of bonds was Rs 2.69 lakh crore, covering
15 states.

49
· This will allow discoms to convert their debt · India tops medal tally at Asian Athlet-
into State bond. These bonds will have a maturity ics.
period of 10-15 years.

· It will allow transfer of 75% outstanding ÖIndia topped the medal tally for first time in the
debts incurred by stressed discoms to States’ debt, history of Asian Athletics Championships,
50% in 2015-16 and 25% in 2016-17. pushing China to second spot.

· The central government will not include the ÖIndia ended the four-day championships on
loans of the discoms in calculation of the state’s top with their highest ever medal haul of 29
deficit till 2016-17. medals (12 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze.

· Electricity is not a central subject, states’ ÖChina ended this edition on second position
cannot be made to participate in the programme. with 8 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze.

· Declaration of Historic City of ÖAsian Athletics Championship 2017 was held

Ahmadabad as a UNESCO’s World in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
Heritage Property. · Kerala proposes ‘stray dog zoos’
ÖIndia now has overall 36 World Heritage
ÖThe Kerala government is planning “stray
Inscriptions with 28 Cultural, 07Natural
dog zoos” to keep them off the streets in
and 01 Mixed site.
the State. The State government informed
ÖIt is under the dynamic and visionary leader- a Supreme Court Bench led by Justice
Dipak Misra that it had asked all district
ship of the Prime Minister of India that India
panchayats to keep aside two to three
has been successful in securing the nomina-
acres and notify them as ‘stray dog zoos’.
tion of the “Historic City of Ahmadabad” on
UNESCO’s World Heritage list on 8th July, ÖThe State government, was responding to a
2017 during the 41st Session of World Heri-
question from the Supreme Court on the
tage Committee. This makes the walled city
construction of shelter homes for the stray
of Ahmedabad the first city in India and the
dog population, which has increased
third in Asia to be inscribed to the World
aggressively over the years and become a
Heritage List. In the past 3 years alone, In-
dangerous presence on the streets, espe-
dia has managed to put five built heritage sites
cially after dark. However, the Animal
on the world heritage list of UNESCO.
Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and
ÖIndia now has overall 36 World Heritage In- activists refused to be convinced by the
solution Kerala has arrived at concerning
scriptions with 28 Cultural, 07 Natural and
stray dogs.
01 Mixed site. While India stands second
largest in number after China in terms of num- · Tamil Nadu reports first case of Zika
ber of world heritage properties in ASPAC
virus
(Asia and Pacific) region,
ÖThe first case of Zika in Tamil Nadu was
ÖIt is overall seventh in the world.
reported from a sleepy hamlet in
ÖFounded in 15th century, the walled city of Krishnagiri district by the state public
health authorities
Ahmadabad, on the eastern bank of the
Sabarmati river, presents a rich architectural
heritage.
50
 ÖAlthough the viral disease is known to have 2. Sexual transmission of Zika virus disease is
existed in India since 1952, Zika attracted possible.
global attention in late 2015 when a surge
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
in the number of babies born with micro-
cephaly — brain damage caused by (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d)
abnormally small heads — was reported in Neither 1 nor 2
northeastern Brazil months after an epi-
demic. Answer (c)

ÖIn February 2016, WHO declared Zika as a Explanation

global health emergency. Since November
2016, three people have been tested ÖZika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that
positive for the virus, according to the was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in
Union health ministry. The patient from monkeys through a network that monitored
Tamil Nadu is the fourth known Zika case yellow fever. Zika virus is primarily trans-
in the country making Tamil Nadu the mitted to people
second state to report the case after
ÖThrough the bite of an infected mosquito
Gujarat.
from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes
GK byte - Zika disease aegypti in tropical regions. Aedes mosqui-
toes usually bite during the day, peaking
ÖLike dengue and chikungunya, Zika is viral during early morning and late afternoon/
disease transmitted by Aedes mosquito. evening. This is the same mosquito that
These mosquitos breed in fresh water by transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow
laying eggs near standing water in buckets, fever. Sexual transmission of Zika virus
pots, and vases mostly in areas of habita- is also possible.
tion.
ÖThe symptoms of Zika are similar to other
ÖMosquitoes become infected when they feed arbovirus infections such as dengue, and
on a person already infected with the virus. include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis,
Infected mosquitoes can then spread the muscle and joint pain, malaise, and head-
virus to other people through bites. ache. Zika virus disease is usually mild and
requires no specific treatment. There is
ÖSigns and symptoms of Zika virus usually currently no vaccine available.
begin two to seven days after being bitten
by an infected mosquito. Most people with · Tax department launches ‘Aaykar Setu’
the viral infection show no symptoms, but for taxpayers
others may have fever, rash, and joint pain
Ö The Income Tax Department has introduced
apart from headache, red eyes (conjunc-
a mobile app, named ‘Aaykar Setu’ which
tivitis) and fatigue.
aims to facilitate taxpayers with solutions to a
PP-Previous Paper (IAS 2017) range of tax-related issues. The app which
was formally launched by Finance Minister
Q. Consider the following statements: Arun Jaitley, will also let people link their
PAN with the 12-digit unique identification
1. In tropical regions, Zika virus disease is transmit- number, Aadhaar.
ted by the same mosquito that transmitted dengue.

51
Ö The app is currently available on the Android former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin
platform but the Central Board of Direct Tendulkar and veteran batting star VVS
Taxes (CBDT) plans to make it available as Laxman.
a desktop service as well.
Ö Zaheer Khan is appointed as the Bowling
Ö It provides ease of use of all the services coach of Indian Cricket Team and Rahul
related to tax payment including tax pay- Dravid is appointed as Batting Coach
ment, tax calculation. Also if a taxpayer has a (Overseas).
problem, this app will help in lodging his
grievance in the e-Nivaran module of the · Odisha to set up International Standard
CBDT. Sports City

Ö The app will also have a section as ‘tax Ö Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
gyaan’ which will be a multiple choice announced to set up an International
question web-based game to provide Standard Sports City recently.
knowledge to the youth accessible from
Ö Kalinga International Sports City will be set
mobile as well as desktop.
up in Bhubaneswar and will be eligible to bid
· National Green Tribunal bans use of for most international competitions including
nylon and synthetic manja. Commonwealth and Asian games.

Ö NGT imposed a ban on nylon and synthetic Ö The state government also signed an expres-
‘manja’ the string used to fly kites as it poses sion of interest with the International
a threat to the lives of birds, animals and Association of Athletics Federation
humans. (IAAF) and the Athletics Federation of India
for setting up of a high-performance acad-
Ö State governments have been directed to emy inside the Kalinga Stadium.
prohibit the “manufacture, sale, storage,
purchase and use” of synthetic ‘manja’ or · Retail inflation at 1.54% in June, lowest in
nylon threads and all other synthetic threads 5 years
used for flying kites.
Ö India’s annual retail inflation eased in June to
Ö The NGT passed the order after People for its slowest pace in more than five years, as
the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) food prices fell, building pressure on the
moved it for a nationwide ban on all forms of central bank to cut interest rate when it
sharp kite-flying strings called manja. meets for a monetary policy review on
August 2.

Ö This is the lowest inflation rate since India

· Ravi Shastri appointed new head coach started releasing retail inflation data in
and Zaheer Khan bowling coach January 2012 based on a combined CPI
index for rural and urban consumers.
Ö Ravi Shastri to become Indian cricket
team’s new head coach where the appoint- Ö Good rains this year could lead to bumper
ment was confirmed by Board of Control for grain production and a further slide in food
Cricket in India (BCCI). prices in Asia’s third-largest economy.

Ö He was chosen by the BCCI’s Cricket Gk byte - Inflation and Index (WPI,CPI)
Advisory Committee (CAC) that includes
52
Ö Inflation is the rising price of goods and · Union Cabinet approves establishment
services over time. Inflation reduces the of International Rice Research Institute
purchasing power of each unit of currency. in Varanasi.
The inflation rate is the percent increase or
decrease of prices during a specified period. Ö It will be named as IRRI South Asia Re-
It’s usually over a month or a year. gional Centre (ISARC) and will be set up
on the campus of National Seed Research
Ö If the inflation rate is more than 50 percent a and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi,
week, that’s hyperinflation. If inflation Uttar Pradesh.
occurs at the same time as a recession, that’s
stagflation. Rising prices in assets like Ö This Centre will be the first International
housing, gold or stocks are called asset Centre in the eastern India and it will play a
inflation. major role in harnessing and sustaining rice
production in the region. It is expected to be
Ö Inflation rates in India are usually quoted as a boon for food production and skill devel-
changes in the Wholesale Price Index opment in the eastern India and similar
(WPI), for all commodities. ecologies in other South Asian and African
countries.
Ö Many developing countries use changes in
the consumer price index (CPI) as their · A.P., Telangana and Gujarat top in ease
central measure of inflation. India used WPI of doing business
as the measure for inflation but new
CPI(combined) is declared as the new Ö Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat are
standard for measuring inflation. the three best-performing states in “ease of
doing business” NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh
Ö CPI numbers are typically measured Kant said.
monthly, and with a significant lag, making
them unsuitable for policy use. India uses Ö One the other hand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Assam fare worst in the rankings.
to measure its rate of inflation.
Ö The World Bank, along with the Centre’s
Ö WPI measures the price of a representative Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
basket of wholesale goods. In India, this (DIPP) was involved in the process of
basket is composed of three groups:- reviewing the evidence submitted by states/
UTs regarding implementation of reforms for
Primary Articles (20.1% of total weight), the rankings.
Fuel and Power (14.9%) · RailCloud – The new security system of
Manufactured Products (65%). Railway.

Ö WPI numbers were typically measured Ö The Indian Railways has launched RailCloud,
weekly by the Ministry of Commerce and a virtual server with an inbuilt security system
Industry. This makes it more timely than the that will enable faster connectivity at a reduced
lagging and infrequent CPI statistic. How- cost.
ever, since 2009 it has been measured
Ö Developed by rail PSU RailTel at an esti-
monthly instead of weekly.
mated cost of about Rs 53 crore, RailCloud

53
 is aimed at optimising server resources and Ö Highlighting the salient features of the
its management. NSP, Shri Nadda stated that the strate-
gies involve strengthening malaria surveil-
Ö RailCloud technology enables maximising the lance, establishing a mechanism for early
usage of available server and storage result- detection and prevention of outbreaks of
ing in accommodation of bigger data and malaria, promoting the prevention of
more applications within same server space. malaria by the use of Long Lasting Im-
This makes the system suitable to meet pregnated Nets (LLINs), effective indoor
higher demand. residual spray and augmenting the man-
power and capacities for effective imple-
· India’s Mithali Raj becomes first to
mentation for the next five years.
score 6000 runs in women’s ODI cricket

Ö Indian captain Mithali Raj created history by · India to host 8th Edition of Theatre
becoming the first player in the history of Olympics ‘The Biggest Theatre Cel-
Women’s One-day International (ODI) ebration of the World’
cricket to score more than 6000 career runs.
Ö India will host the 8th edition of
Ö She broke the previous record of Charlotte Theatre Olympics in 2018, the
Edwards (5992) in 164 innings. biggest theatre celebration of the
world.
Ö She achieved the record feat against Austra-
lia in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 Ö The eight edition of the greatest
match at Bristol. carnival will start from February 17-
April 08, 2018.
· New rules to protect policyholders.
Ö The Theatre Olympics will take
Ö The Insurance Regulatory and place simultaneously in various cities
Development Authority of India across the country.
(IRDA) has notified new rules to
protect policyholder’s interest. Ö There will be five hundred plays and
seven hundred ambience performances
Ö If an insurer delays claims payments, from across the world.
it has to pay a penalty that’s 2% over
the bank rate, which is specified by the · Delhi government to start online RTI
Reserve Bank of India, as on 1 April of portal
that fiscal.
Ö Delhi became the second state to
Ö It has to do so within 30 days from launch e-RTI portal that will enable citi-
when the decision to pay was taken. zens to file online Right to Information
(RTI).
· National Strategic Plan for Malaria
Ö The Central government had launched
Elimination in India (2017-22)
its own online RTI application portal in
Ö The Strategic Plan gives year wise 2013, which allowed users to file que-
elimination targets in various parts of the ries, pay application fee and submit re-
country depending upon the endemicity quests for appeal.
of malaria in the next 5 years.

54
 Ö The Central government had urged the Ö The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management
States to set up their own online appli- (CIPAM) is designated as the National Focal
cation portals. Maharashtra had followed Point for the TISC national network.
suit in 2015 with its own RTI portal.
· Sandeep Patil named brand ambassador
of indoor cricket team
· Dumping in Ganga will be fined from
now. Ö Former Indian batsman Sandeep Patil was
Ö Penalty of Rs 50, 000 will be named as the brand ambassador of the Indian
imposed on those dumping waste in the Indoor Cricket Team.
stretch between Haridwar and Unnao Ö Patil, a member of the 1983 World Cup-win-
of River Ganga, the National Green
ning squad, will be the face of the team in the
Tribunal (NGT) said.
lead-up to the 10th edition of the World In-
Ö No waste dumping should be door Cricket Federation (WICF) World Cup,
allowed within 500 meters from the to be held from September 16-23 at the
edge of the Ganga. Also, 100 meters Insportz Club in Dubai.
from the edge of the river should be · Indian scientists discover supercluster
declared a “no-development zone. of galaxies - SaraswatiA team of Indian
astronomers have identified previously un-
Ö The Tribunal directed the concerned known, extremely large supercluster of galaxies
authorities to complete the setting up of located in the direction of constellation Pisces. It
a sewage treatment plant and cleaning has been named “Saraswati”.A supercluster is a
of drains within two years. chain of galaxies and galaxy clusters. It bound
by gravity consisting of tens of thousands of
· India’s first TISC to be established in galaxies. It often stretches several hundred times
Punjab. the size of clusters of galaxies. So, galaxies are
made of billions of stars and planets and
Ö The Department of Industrial Policy and Pro- grouped into clusters. These clusters of galaxies,
motion (DIPP) signed an Institutional agree- in turn, are grouped together to form superclus-
ment with the Punjab State Council of Sci- ters.
ence and Technology in New Delhi to estab-
lish India’s first Technology and Innovation · India’s first solar powered DEMU train
Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information launched.
Centre, Punjab, under the World Intellectual
Property Organization’s (WIPO) TISC pro- Ö Indian Railways has launched India’s
gram. first solar powered diesel multiple unit
(DEMU) broad gauge train. It is 1600
Ö The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a
Horse Power (HP) train with all solar
dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual
powered coaches. The train will run
Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to fos-
from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh
ter creativity and innovation, thereby promot-
Nagar in Haryana. It will replace an
ing entrepreneurship and enhancing social, eco-
existing non-solar powered rake on the
nomic and cultural development by establish-
same route.
ing a network of TISCs in India.

55
· India tops global index of countries with ening of 65 kms of Imphal-Moreh Sec-
tion of NH-39 in Manipur.
most confidence in their government:
OCED Report Ö The project is being developed with
Ö India has topped in the Organisation ADB’s loan assistance under the South
Asian Sub-Regional Economic Coopera-
for Economic Co-operation and
tion (SASEC) Road Connectivity Invest-
Development’s (OECD) Government at
ment Program which aims at upgradation
a Glance 2017 report. It states that
of road infrastructure in Bangladesh,
Narendra Modi led NDA coalition has
Bhutan, Nepal and India (BBIN) in order
secured 73% trust of people, highest in
to improve the regional connectivity among
the world. OECD’s Government at a
BBIN nations.
Glance report presents an index of
countries that trust their governments the Ö The project corridor is also a part of
most. It determines government’s trust
the Asian Highway No. 01 (AH01) and
levels by whether or not people consider
acts as India’s Gateway to the East.
their government stable and reliable, if
it’s able to protect its citizens from risk · Made-in-India warship to be largest in
and whether it can effectively deliver Lankan navy’s fleet
public services.
ÖThe Sri Lankan Navy is on the verge of
· Government sets up new wing to provide commissioning its largest warship, which
intelligence inputs has been built in India under a 1,000-crore
contract inked four years ago for two such
Ö The Union Government has set up vessels.
Directorate General of Analytics and
Risk Management (DGARM), a new ÖINS Saryu, an offshore patrol vessel
wing to provide intelligence inputs taking inducted into the Indian Navy in Jan 2013.
action against tax evaders. It has been Goa Shipyard Ltd is constructing similar
has been set up will be under the Central vessels for the Sri Lankan Navy.
Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
ÖThe 105-metre long warship, with a dis-
It will also do big data analytics for
taxmen for better policy formulation. placement of around 2,400 tonnes, is
expected to be commissioned into the Sri
Ö The DGARM was set up on 1 July Lankan Navy on August 2.
2017, coinciding with rollout of Goods
and Services Tax (GST). It will function · Govt. panel to study cow deriva-
as an apex body of CBEC for data tives
analytics and risk management and will
ÖHeaded by Science and Technology
report to the chairman of CBEC.
Minister Harsh Vardhan, the commit-
tee will select projects that can help
· Cabinet approves SASEC Road Connec-
scientifically validate the benefits of
tivity Investment Program panchgavya — the concoction of
cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and
Ö The Cabinet Committee on Economic
ghee — in various spheres such as
Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has nutrition, health and agriculture.
given its approval for upgradation and wid-
56
 ÖThe government has given the project and to handle tax compliance issues like
the acronym SVAROP, which stands invoice making.
for Scientific Validation and Research
on Panchagavya, and says it is a Ö The people would be trained under the
“national programme” that’s being Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
conducted by the Department of (PMKVY).
Science and Technology, Department
Ö It will be implemented in 14 states and in
of Biotechnology, and the Council for
the next six months, two lakh people will get
Scientific and Industrial Research
complete training about GST.
(CSIR) of the Ministry of Science
and Technology in collaboration with Ö To mark the second anniversary of Skill
IIT-Delhi. India mission the ministry has inaugurated the
· Matunga becomes India’s first railway training course at 100 centres in the country.
station run by women
· Delhi to host India’s maiden Mobile
ÖThe Central Railway has taken a step Congress from September 27
towards Women Empowerment by
Ö India is setting the stage for the Indian
appointing an all-female work staff at the
Mobile Congress (IMC) in September.
suburban Matunga station.

ÖIt is first such ladies special station in India. Ö The IMC will be held in September this year
for the first time. Then on, it will be an annual
ÖA total of 30 women staffers, including 11 event. The event to be held from September
booking clerks, five RPF personnel, seven 27 to 29 will be organized by telecom
ticket checkers are working under the industry body Cellular Operators’ Associa-
supervision of station manager. tion of India (COAI) with support from the
Department of Telecommunications and
ÖMatunga is a locality in the heart of Mumbai Ministry of Electronics and Information
City towards downtown Mumbai Technology.

· Roger Federer lifts a record 8th · India to have its own GPS system from
Wimbledon Title 2018

ÖRoger Federer won a record eighth Ö India will be having its own GPS system.
Wimbledon title and became the ‘NavIC’ will be operational early 2018. The
tournament’s oldest champion. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) with an operational name of
ÖHe defeated Marin Cilic to win the title. NavIC is currently being tested for its
accuracy and is most likely to be available in
ÖIt is his 11th Wimbledon final and 29th the market for public use early next year.
title.
NavIC the name given by PM Narendra
· Union Government launches GST Modi after the launch of IRNSS-1G, is
training Programme. designed to provide accurate position
information to users within the country.
Ö The Union Government launched a Goods
And Service Tax (GST) training Programme · International Indian Film Academy
to skill around two lakh youths in six months Awards 2017
57
Ö The 18th edition of the International Indian Ö Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
Film Academy Awards was held in New handed over the Information and
York. Broadcasting portfolio to Smt.Smriti
Irani.
Ö Here’s the complete list of the IIFA 2017
winners:Best Film- NeerjaBest Actor Ö The Urban Development Minis-
(Male)- Shahid Kapoor for Udta try given to Shri Narendra Singh Tomar.
PunjabBest Actor (Female)- Alia Bhatt for
Udta PunjabBest Director- AnirudhRoy Ö This announcement came after BJP
Chaudhary for Pink leader Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, who is
the Government’s nominee for the
· India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu wins Victo- position of Vice-President, resigned from
rian Open squash tournament his ministerial responsibilities.

Ö India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu (28) won the · J&K bags best award in adventure
Victorian Open squash tournament held in tourism destination
Melbourne, Australia. In the final he defeated
Rex Hedrick of Australia. Ö The J&K Tourism Department has
received the award in the category of
· Country’s first biomethane bus devel-
‘Best Adventure Tourism Destination
oped by Tata Motors. and Eco-Tourism Destination’ at a 3-
Ö Tata Motors has developed country’s first Day event organized by Indian Interna-
tional Travel Mart, Chennai.
Bio-CNG (bio-methane) bus which was
unveiled recently at a bio-energy
programme, ‘Urja Utsav’.
· Kolkata to host global business meet in
November
Ö At the Urja Utsav held in Pune’s Shiv
Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Tata displayed Ö The Indian Chamber of Commerce
three engines, along with the lead mode. (ICC), in association with the West
Bengal Government, will host Horasis
· National Democratic Alliance Vice Asia Meeting, a Global Business meet-
ing, in the city in November.The two-day
President nominee Venkaiah Naidu
business meet, starting November 26,
resigns his Union Minister Post
will focus on sustainable business
Ö Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu practices in various areas, including
resigned his Union Minister post for his power and energy.
party choosing him as a candidate for the
Vice Presidential Election. · SBI launches ‘SBI Realty’ portal for
home buyers
Ö He was holding two portfolios of
Information and Broadcasting, and Ö India’s largest commercial bank
Housing and Urban Affairs. State Bank of India (SBI) launched SBI
Realty, a dedicated portal that will help
· Smriti Irani gets Information and home buyers to choose flats from its
Broadcasting ministry and Narendra 3,000 approved projects across the
Singh Tomar gets Urban Development country. SBI Realty will be a one stop
integrated website for home buyers. It
58
 will help customers to choose their 2 Rajasthan: It aims to bolster
dream home from 3,000 SBI approved water security in villages under the
projects, which are spread across 13 Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban
states/UTs covering 30 cities. Abhiyan. It aims to enhance the
adaptive capacity of villages by
Ö Using the portal, customers can
making them self-reliant in terms of
compare current and past trends of
water requirement.
prices for properties in various localities
in the city. It will also assist customers in 3 Gujarat: The project seeks
calculating appropriate loan amount a enhance the adaptive capacity of
customer should borrow based on natural resource dependent commu-
income and credit profile. nities to climate change in targeted
villages of Kachchh district.
· Cabinet approves selling 51% stake in
HPCL to ONGC · Google launches job applicant manage-
ment tool ‘Hire’
Ö The Cabinet has given an in-principle
approval to sell the government’s entire Ö Google officially released a new tool
51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan named ‘Hire’ to help small and medium
Petroleum Corp Ltd to Oil and Natural sized businesses recruit talent.
Gas Corp in a bid to create a state-run
integrated oil major that can compete Ö The service is built on G Suite and will
with private and foreign players. allow employers to track candidates’
contact information, resume details and
Ö ONGC chairman Dinesh Sarraf said the calendar invites.
shareholders of both companies would
gain from the deal. Ö It will allow business partners to share
feedback within the candidate’s profile.
Ö The combined market value of ONGC
and HPCL would be $42 billion. · UIDAI launches mAadhaar app for
Aadhaar data on phone
· Environment Ministry approves Projects
in 3 States under NAFCC Ö The Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) has launched
Ö The Union Environment Ministry ap- ‘mAadhaar’, a new mobile application
proved three projects for climate change for syncing Aadhaar data on mobile
adaptation in three states viz. phones. The app allows users to carry
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim for their unique Aadhaar information includ-
funding under the National Adaptation ing name, date of birth, gender, address,
Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC). and the linked photograph, on their
smartphones. The app also allows users
1 Sikkim: The investment aims to
to lock or unlock biometrics data.
address the issue of water security
which are directly identified as Ö The application allows users to have
climate resilience building interven-
their Aadhaar profile on their mobile as
tions under the SAPCC.
a quick and convenient identification

59
 proof. It also lets users lock/unlock their ÖAlso, he will be first from Uttar Pradesh and
biometric data that’s linked to Aadhaar the first person from the BJP to hold the of-
via the app to secure their personal fice of President since Independence.
data. It also allows viewing and sharing
updated Aadhaar profile via QR (Quick ÖHe entered politics in 1994 when he became
Response) code and sharing eKYC a member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha
(electronic Know Your Customer) details from Uttar Pradesh and served as an MP
with service providers such as telecom- for two consecutive terms till 2006.
munications companies.
ÖHe had represented India in the United Na-
· TR Zeliang sworn in as 19th Chief tions in New York and addressed United
Minister of Nagaland Nations General Assembly in October 2002.

ÖOn August 8, 2015, Kovind was appointed

Ö Senior Naga People’s Front (NPF)
governor of Bihar.
legislator TR Zeliang (65) was sworn in
as the 19th chief minister of Nagaland. · Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yoja is
He was administered oath to office and launched.
secrecy by Governor P.B. Acharya.
Earlier Governor had dismissed the ÖThe Union Minister for Finance, Defence
Shurhozelie Liezietsu government under and Corporate Affairs has formally
Clause (I) of Article 164 of the Constitu- launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya
tion after he failed to prove majority on Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) in the national
the floor of the Assembly. capital.

ÖPMVVY is a Pension Scheme announced by

Ö Prior to it, Zeliang had staked claim to
the Government of India exclusively for the
form government in Nagaland with a senior citizens aged 60 years and above
majority support of 47 members in the which is available from 4th May, 2017 to
60 member Legislative Assembly. TR 3rd May, 2018.
Zeliang will now have to prove his
majority on the floor of the House. This ÖThe Scheme can be purchased offline as well
is his second stint as chief minister in a as online through Life Insurance Corpora-
little more than three years. tion (LIC) of India which has been given
the sole privilege to operate this Scheme.
· Ram Nath Kovind elected India’s 14th
President. ÖScheme provides an assured return of 8%
p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30%
ÖRam Nath Kovind was declared elected as p.a. effective) for 10 years.
India’s 14th President polling 65.6% of the
vote defeating the Opposition’s joint candi- · Indian Army inks MoU with DRDO to
date, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira raise MRSAM defence system regi-
Kumar, who secured 34% of the vote. ment

ÖMr. Kovind will be the second Dalit President ÖThe Indian Army has signed MoU with
of India after late President K.R. Narayanan Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) to raise one regi-
ment of the advanced Medium Range

60
 Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM) defence Ö Like Woolmark assures of getting
system. quality wool and Agmark and ISI
marks are assurance that the agricul-
ÖThe Indian Army is planning to have a total ture produce or industrial products
of five regiments of MRSAM defence that you buy are of good quality and
system, which will be deployed opposite to standards, dairy products in the
China and Pakistan. Each regiment consists country including milk pouches will
of four launchers with three missiles each. have a quality mark logo on them.
So five regiments will have total 60 mis-
siles. Ö The dairy products carrying this
quality mark logo will assure the
ÖEarlier the Cabinet Committee on Security consumers that the products are free
(CCS) headed by PM Narendra Modi had from any kind of adulteration.
approved proposal for procuring MRSAM
system for the army. · Centre ask states to set up own
insurance cos for PMFBY
ÖMRSAM- The MRSAM is an advanced, all
weather, mobile, land-based air defence
Ö The Centre said it has asked state
system.
governments to set up their own
ÖIt can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, insurance companies for better
aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance implementation of the crop insurance
aircraft and AWACS aircraft. It is capable scheme and warned the existing
of engaging multiple aerial targets at ranges insurers of strict action in case of
of more than 50 km. irregularities.

Ö As per the lok sabha session the

· Rural Development to launch Aajeevika
question arises regarding the
Grameen Express Yojana.
scheme.There are implementation
ÖThe Ministry of Rural Development will issuesin the government’s flagship
launch a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna
Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural (PMFBY) launched in 2016.
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) which Ö At present, both public and private
will be named as “Aajeevika Grameen insurers are implementing the
Express Yojana (AEGY)”. PMFBY. More companies will
enhance the competition.
ÖIt aims to provide an alternative source of
livelihoods to members of Self Help
Ö The PMFBY has replaced two
Groups (SHGs) under DAY-NRLM by
schemes National Agricultural
facilitating them to operate public transport
Insurance Schemeas well as the
services in backwards rural areas.
Modified NAIS. Government is
ÖThe States have informed about the number working to ensure farmers’ income
of blocks allocated to them to take up this gets doubled by 2022.
sub-scheme in the pilot phases. · Russia keen to sell new fighter
MiG-35 to air force
· Dairy products to carry quality
mark

61
 Ö Russia is keen on selling its new food processing, which will integrate
fighter jet MiG-35 to India with the current and new schemes.
MiG corporation’s chief saying the
country has evinced interest in the Ö The scheme will benefit 20 lakh
aircraft and talks were on to under- farmers and generate 5,30,500
stand its requirements. direct and indirect employment in the
country by the year 2019-20.
Ö The MiG-35 is Russia’s most
advanced 4++ generation multipur- Ö The minister said the government has
pose fighter jet developed. sanctioned 42 food parks and 100
cold chains, of which 10 mega food
Ö MiG aircraft have been used by parks and 30 cold chains are
India for almost 50 years and MiG operational.
corporation proposes its new
products to India among the first Ö “We are expecting all 42 food parks
countries and intends to continue and 100 cold chains to be opera-
supplying India with its most modern tional in two years,” she added.
aircraft.
Ö The government is organising
· Govt eyes USD 10bn investment ‘World Food India 2017’ from
in food processing sector November 3-5 in New Delhi to give
a platform to stake holders to
Ö The government is eyeing an invest- showcase the growing food process-
ment worth USD 10 billion in next ing sector, policies and connect
five years in the food processing global and domestic industry.
sector, Union Minister for Food
Processing Industries Harsimrat · NALSA has launched Web
Kaur Badal said. Application for Legal Services to
Prisoners
Ö It has been seen 40 per cent growth
in FDI in multi-branded food retail Ö NALSA has launched a web appli-
after we announced 100 per cent cation for free Legal Services to
FDI in the sector last year. Prisoners at the conference held at
Indian Law Institute, New Delhi.
Ö The government has set a target of The Conference saw the participa-
USD 10 billion investment in the tion of Member Secretaries and
food processing sector in next 5 administrative officers of 18 State
years. Legal Services Authorities. The
Legal Services Management System
Ö Further, the minister said exports has been developed by the National
have also increased and stood at Informatics Centre (NIC).
USD 1 billion from April-July
period. Ö The State Legal Services Authorities
and District Legal Services Authori-
Ö For this purpose, the government ties will feed into the web application
has launched Rs 6,000 crore ‘Kisan the data for each individual prison
SAMPADA Yojana’ scheme for inmate in the jails within their juris-
diction. The feeds will have details

62
 regarding the representation of ers of cyberspace. It was incepted in 2011 in
prisoners through a counsel in the London.
court.
· Government to launch Aajeevika
· She-box launched for govt staff to Grameen Express Yojana.
report harassment at workplace.

Ö The Union women and child devel-

opment (WCD) ministry on Monday Ö The Union Ministry of Rural Development will
launched “She-box” — an online launch Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana
complaint window to be made (AGEY), a sub-scheme under Deendayal
available at the ministry’s website Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Liveli-
(www.wcd.nic.in), where any hoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
woman employee who faces sexual
harassment or abuse at work can Ö AGEY aims to provide an alternative source of
report the incident. livelihood to members of Self Help Groups
(SHGs) by facilitating them to operate public
Ö Officials said the ministry had been transport services in backward rural areas.
getting numerous complaints from Key Features of AGEYAGEY will provide
women employees alleging delay in safe, affordable and community monitored rural
investigation of such cases, which transport services like e-rickshaws, 3 and 4
necessitated the need to set up the wheeler motorised transport vehicles to
She-box. connect remote villages.

Ö Parliament having cleared the Sexual Ö These transport vehicles will connect villages
Harassment of Women at Work- with key services and amenities including
place (Prevention, Prohibition and access to markets, education and health for the
Redressal) Act in February 2013, its over all economic development of the area.
implementation has so far remained
· India, Bangladesh signed agreement to
patchy.
connect both countries by waterways
· India to host 2017 Global Conference on
Ö India and Bangladesh signed an agreement to
Cyber Space.
connect both the countries by waterways.
Ö India will host Global Conference on Cyber
Ö The waterways will facilitate movement of
Space (GCCS), the world’s largest conference
on cyber space and related issues in New passengers and goods between India’s north-
Delhi in November 2017. east and West Bengal with Bangladesh.

Ö The theme for the GCCS 2017 is ‘Cyber4All: Ö The Union Minister of State for Road Trans-
An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe port, Highways and Shipping Mansukh
and Secure Cyberspace’. Mandaviya informed that infrastructure for the
services would be set up along the major rivers
Ö This is for the first time GCCS is taking place in Bangladesh, West Bengal and the
outside Organisation for Economic Co- Brahmaputra in Assam.
operation and Development (OECD) nations.
· H S Prannoy wins US Open Grand Prix
Ö It is a prestigious International Conference that Gold Badminton title
aims at encouraging dialogue among stakehold-
63
Ö Indian Shuttler H S Prannoy won the 2017 · ISRO’s Satellite-based chips for
Yonex US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton Unmanned Rail Crossings.
tournament title.
Ö ISRO’s satellite-based chips are set
Ö It was third Grand Prix Gold title of badminton. to alert people at unmanned rail
crossings
Ö The 2017 US Open Grand Prix Gold was the
eleventh Grand Prix’s badminton tournament of Ö Satellite-based chip systems devel-
the 2017 Badminton World Federation (BWF) oped by ISRO will be used to alert
Grand Prix and the tournament. road users at unmanned level
crossings about approaching trains.
· India lose to England by 9 runs in ICC
Women’s World Cup final Ö These chips will also help the
railways in tracking train movement
Ö India lost to England by nine runs in the on a real-time basis. Initially, on a
International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s pilot basis the ISRO-developed
World Cup final at Lord’s in London. integrated circuit (IC) chips will be
installed in the Mumbai and
Ö The country England got its fourth Women’s
Guwahati Rajdhani trains.
World Cup.
Ö Hooters will be installed at 20
Ö Player of the Tournament: Tammy Beaumont. unmanned level crossings on
Rajdhani routes for Guwahati and
Ö Player of the Match: Anya Shrubsole. Mumbai.

· Money Parked by Indians in · Odisha to become First State in

Swiss banks hit record low. the Country to Open a Blood Bank
for Cattle
Ö According to the data released by
Zurich-based SNB, money parked Ö Odisha is set to become the first
by Indians in Swiss banks have state in the country to open a blood
nearly halved to 676 Swiss francs bank for cattle. The proposal has
(about Rs. 4,500 crore) in 2016. received the nod from the National
The data release comes ahead of a Agriculture Development
new framework for the automatic Programme (NADP). It is now
exchange of information between awaiting the approval from the state
Switzerland and India to check the government.
menace of black money. SNB
(Swiss National Bank) is Ö The blood bank for cattle would be
Switzerland’s central banking set up on the premises of the Odisha
authority. University of Agriculture and Tech-
nology (OUAT) at an estimated cost
Ö During 2016, the total money held of Rs. 3.25 crore.
by Indians fell by 45 % to stand at
CHF 675.75 million. This is the Ö 60% of the project cost would be
biggest ever yearly decline in such funded by the Central government
funds. and the rest 40% would be funded
by the Odisha state government.
64
 Under this initiative, the blood would · Sachin Siwach wins gold at Common-
be procured voluntarily from the wealth Youth Games
cattle farmers.
Ö World Youth Champion Sachin
Ö The blood bank will also have blood Siwach clinched a gold medal at the
transfusion facility for cattle blood. Commonwealth Youth Games after
The blood bank will help in prevent- defeating Welsh boxer James Nathan
ing cattle deaths during deliveries Prober 4-1 in the final.
and other ailments. It would come
handy in saving the lives of the Ö Siwach, who won gold last year,
domesticated animals.India cel- was the only one of the 103 boxers to
ebrates Kargil Vijay Diwas day is have clinched a gold so far in the
observed on July 26 tournament, taking place in Bahamas.
Ö The Indian nation celebratesKargil
Vijay Diwas Day is observed on July
26. · FSSAI bans Stapler Pins in tea bags
from January 2018.
Ö On the occasion, Defence Minister
Arun Jaitley and three Chiefs of Ser- Ö The Food Safety and Standards
vices will lay a floral tribute at Amar Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the
Jawan Jyoti, India Gate. use of stapler pins in tea bags from
January 2018.
Ö Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on
July 26 every year to commemorate Ö The FSSAI order directs the
India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil War concerned food business operators to
against Pakistan as it was on this day discontinue the manufacture, storage,
that the Indian Army had taken control distribution, sale and import of stapled
of posts across the Himalayas in the tea bags by 1 January 2018.
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir,
after fighting for 60 days. Ö Currently, tea bags are either
stapled or knotted. According to
· Maharashtra, Rajasthan record highest industry estimates, the tea bag segment
cases of child marriage. contributes 3-4% by value of total tea
sales but it is one of the fastest growing
Ö Maharashtra tops the list in child segments at 50-60% year-on-year.
marriage, followed by Rajasthan. 17
districts of Maharashtra, including Ö FSSAI is a nodal statutory agency
Latur, Mumbai and Pune have reported responsible for protecting and promot-
high instances of child marriage. ing public health in India through the
regulation and supervision of food
Ö In Rajasthan, 13 districts, including safety.
Jaipur, Ajmer and Bhilwara, have
reported increasing incidents of child · Union Government launched Mobile
marriage. App ‘Aarambh’ for Road Maintenance
Ö The figures, highlighting the preva- Ö It aims at the use of Geographic
lence of child marriage. Information System (GIS) based
mapping for making road inventories,
65
 condition surveys, and producing cost Ö The two NOPVs — ‘Shachi’ and ‘Shruti’
estimates and other relevant data for — are among five ships being constructed
preparation and monitoring of annual by RDEL under the P-21 project of the
road maintenance plans. Indian Navy.
Ö They also launched a Concept Ö The launch is a significant and milestone
Note and Guidance Note for Mobilising event, as these two NOPVs are the first
Funds for Maintenance of Rural Road. warships to be launched by a private sector
The Concept Note outlines innovative shipyard in India.
ways, which can be adopted by the
State Governments for mobilising · IMF retains India 2017 GDP growth
additional funds for road maintenance. forecast at 7.2%

· Union Government approves construc- Ö The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in

tion of 30,000 affordable houses on its July World Economic Outlook (WEO)
Private land Update has retained India’s projected GDP
growth rate at 7.2% for 2017-18, slightly up
Ö The Centre approved the construction of from 7.1% in the previous year. However,
30,000 houses for the urban poor on private update projects that India’s growth would
land in Maharashtra’s Sholapur. accelerate to 7.7% in 2018-19.
Ö The main aim is to give momentum to Ö India’s economic growth slowed down to
affordable housing in urban areas. 7.1% in 2016-17, sharply lower than 8% in
2015-16 due to the effect of demonetisation
Ö Under the Centre’s flagship programme
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Ö The global economic growth rate will be
the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry 3.5% in 2017 and 3.6% in 2018. The
gave approval to the Central assistance of economic activity in both advanced and
Rs 450 crore for the project. emerging and developing economies is
accelerating.
Ö Under PMAY(U) the Raynagar Coopera-
tive Housing Federation, Sholapur had · Govt launched probe against 30,000 shell
submitted a proposal to build 30,000 houses firms in 2016-17
for its members comprising beedi and textile
workers and other urban poor belonging to Ö India launched its biggest yet fight against the
the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) use of shell companies to evade tax or
at a cost of Rs 1,811 crore. launder money by targetting around 30,000
companies and their directors in 2016-17, a
· Reliance Defence launches first two
government official said on condition of
naval patrol vessels
anonymity.
Ö Reliance Infrastructure subsidiary Reliance
Ö The number is significant because the finance
Defence and Engineering Limited (RDEL) on
ministry and various investigative agencies
Tuesday announced the launch of its first two
launched only 1150 investigations against
Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) at
shell companies in the previous three years.
their shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat.
Ö Shell companies meticulously comply with
statutory requirements such as filing tax
66
 returns and annual reports so that they do · Niti Aayog clears six proposals for high-
not draw attention, unlike defunct compa- tech public transport
nies.

Gk byte - Shell Company Ö Niti Aayog has cleared proposals of

the transport ministry exploring options
Ö Shell Company is a corporate entity without to improve public transport. These
active business operations or significant proposals include mass rapid transporta-
assets. They are often created to avoid taxes tion technologies such as metrino,
and many big companies create shell corpo- hyperloop, pod taxis, stadler buses,
rations to avoid taxes without attracting legal hybrid buses and freight rail road.
actions.
Ö The new technologies are being
Ö It can’t be asserted that shell corporations are
explored by the Government as current
illegal. They are deliberate financial arrange-
public transportation is unable to resolve
ments to avoid taxes. Tax avoidance is not il-
the increasing traffic crisis in the country.
legal, though it is not desirable.

Ö But many shell companies park black money, Ö Metrino: Fully automatic, driverless
carryout illegal transactions and sometimes act small pods travel independently sus-
as facilitators of money laundering. pended over an overhead network which
is usually 5-10 meters above the ground.
Ö Now, there is increasing attempts globally and
nationally from governments to check tax Ö Podtaxi: Small automated vehicles/
avoidance. Hence, shell companies are com-
podcars/cable cars which carry a small
ing under government scanner.
number of passengers. The ropeway-like
Ö The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), system runs on electricity and driverless
which is an inter-governmental body, gives pods and comes down at designated
guidelines in controlling shell companies. stations, thus removing the traffic burden
from crowded roads.
· Boxing Championship 2021 to be held in
India. Ö Hyperloop: A hyperloop comprises
a sealed tube or series of tubes through
Ö The International Boxing Association (AIBA) which a pod may travel free of air
has announced that India will host their first resistance or friction conveying people or
Men’s World Championship in 2021. objects at speeds matching that of an
aircraft.
Ö The announcement was made after a two-day
executive committee meeting that was held in · Union Cabinet clears minimum wage
Moscow. code bill

Ö The AIBA Men’s World Championships 2019 Ö The Union Cabinet approved the
will be held in Russia city of Sochi. The 2018
new wage code bill which will ensure a
Women’s World Championships will also be
minimum wage across all sectors by
held in New Delhi.
integrating four labour related laws.
Ö The 2019 Women’s World Championships will
The new wage code
be held in Trabzon, Turkey.
67
 Ö The Labour Code on Wages Bill will the National Rural Employment Guaran-
tee Act and social security pensions) was
consolidate the Minimum Wages Act,
important in realizing right to life. How-
1948; the Payment of Wages Act,
ever, all reports so far point to the
1936; the Payment of Bonus Act,
devastation and exclusion that Aadhaar-
1965; and the Equal Remuneration
integration is causing in these
Act, 1976.
programmes, Right to Food said, contra-
dicting the claim by the government that
Ö The bill seeks to empower the
Aadhaar was needed for these very
Centre to set a minimum wage across all schemes.
sectors in the country and states will
have to maintain that. Ö The Right to Food Campaign feels
that by putting all the focus on Aadhaar,
Ö However, states will be able to
the government is distracting attention
provide for higher minimum wage in their from the real issues in the implementation
jurisdiction than fixed by the central of these programmes - the need to
government. introduce pulses and oil in the PDS, eggs
and other nutritious items in the MDM
Ö The new minimum wage norms programme, timely payments in
would be applicable for all workers NREGA, raising its contribution to social
irrespective of their pay. security pensions from Rs200, and so
on. The Campaign urges the nine-judge
Ö At present, the minimum wages fixed Constitution bench to take note of
by the Centre and states are applicable mounting evidence of the failure of
to workers getting up to Rs 18,000 Aadhaar in welfare programmes and
pay monthly. demands that all notifications linking
Aadhaar with welfare programmes
Ö This would ensure a universal (NREGA, PDS, MDM, pensions etc)
be immediately withdrawn.
minimum wage for all industries and
workers, including those getting monthly · Ajay Singh wins bronze medal in Asian
pay higher than Rs 18,000. Youth and Junior Weightlifting Champion-
ships.
· Aadhaar disrupting food security: Right
to Food Campaign Ö India’s Ajay Singh won the bronze medal in
Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Cham-
Ö Right to Food Campaign, in a press pionships at Kathmandu, taking India’s tally
release on Thursday, expressed shock to three.
and dismay at the arguments of Attorney
General KK Venugopal in Supreme Ö He got third place in 77 kgs men’s junior
Court in the ongoing case on whether the category lifting 143 kgs in the snatch and
right to privacy is a fundamental right. 172 kgs in clean and jerk.

Ö The Right to Food Campaign said it Ö S. Nirupama Devi won bronze in 69 kgs
women youth category.
welcomed the recognition that the
National Food Security Act (which Ö Konsam Urmila Devi won gold in the 44kg
includes the Public Distribution System, weight category.
68
· National Centre for Seismology · Sagar vani Launched by Union Ministry
launches ‘India Quake’ – An App for Earth- of Earth Science.
quake Parameter Dissemination.
Ö Union Ministry of Earth Science has
Ö Union Minister of Science & Technology, launched Sagar Vani, an integrated informa-
Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & tion dissemination system
Climate Change Dr Harshvardhan launched
an app “India Quake” on the occasion of Ö It includes Multi Lingual SMS, Voice Call/
Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sci- Audio Advisory, Social Media (Facebook,
ences in New Delhi. Twitter, etc.), Mobile Apps (User/Admin
modules), email, Fax, GTS, Digital Display
Ö National Centre for Seismology (NCS) Boards, IVRS, Radio/Television broadcast
operates a national seismological network units, Cloud Channels, etc.
with 84 stations. These stations are con-
nected to NCS headquarter through VSAT Ö The system also has facility to provide
for real time data communication. access to various stakeholders (State
Fishery Departments, Disaster Management
Ö In the event of an earthquake, NCS locates Authorities, NGOs etc.) so that they will be
them using data from its network and able to further disseminate these ocean
disseminate earthquake parameters to all the information and alerts to the user community.
concerned government department and other This ‘Sagar Vani’ system compares with the
stake holders through SMS, email and fax. most advanced countries’ services in terms
of speed of delivery, diverseness of services
· Punjab govt launches ‘Care Companion and omni channel capabilities. It can dissemi-
Programme’. nate services in local languages using ad-
vanced artificial intelligence (AI) and ma-
Ö The objective of this scheme is improving chine learning capabilities
patient outcomes through better family
engagement and education. · Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar
conferred with Japanese honour
Ö This innovative program turns hospital
hallways/wards into classrooms and taps into Ö Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar was
the most compassionate and willing resource conferred with the Japan’s imperial decora-
available for care i.e. the patient’s own tion ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ award for his
family, by teaching the family high-impact contribution to fostering Japan-India ties.
medical skills to take care of their loved ones
in the hospital and at home. Ö Kumar had served as Special Envoy of then
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Japan
Ö Families will learn high-impact health skills during the visit of the Emperor and Empress
for taking care of the new-born baby and of Japan to India in December 2013, and
post-partum mother, specifically, baby contributed to the success of the visit.
hygiene, thermal care, breastfeeding, and
maternal nutrition. The aim is to reduce the · Indian Scientists develop Gelator to
number of baby deaths and complications remove oil from spills.
like infections in the first 30 days’ post-
discharge, and ensure adoption of long-term Ö Scientists from the Indian Institute of Sci-
health pro motive behaviours. ence, Education and Research (IISER),
Thiruvananthapuram have developed gelator
69
 that can suck up oil and congeal it. The Ö The Centre plans to link all canals via a
gelator is hydrophobic material that has geographical information system that would
property of oleilophilic (oil-loving) and allow them to be remotely mapped.
takes up oil when it comes in contact with it.
It can be used to recover marine oil spills Ö The Central government has earmarked Rs.
with a simple, efficient and cost-effective 77,595 crore to states to complete a range
method. of irrigation projects that have been stuck for
decades owing to lack of funds, with the
Ö It is developed using a cheap raw material water ministry committed to ensuring that 99
mannitol and cellulose pulp through a one- such projects would be completed by 2020.
step process. Twenty-three would be completed by 2016-
17 and 31 by 2017-18. One of the major
· ‘Muntra’ - India’s first unmanned tank
reasons for the projects to remain incom-
Ö Defense Research and Development plete was inadequate provision of funds by
Organisation (DRDO) has developed the concerned State governments.
India’s first unmanned tank, which has three Ö Some of these canals could be hundreds of
variants namely surveillance, mine detection
kilometres long and some much smaller.
and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and
bio threats. · Supreme Court bans four toxic chemi-
cals from crackers
Ö It is called Muntra (Mission UNmanned
TRAcked) and has been rolled out of the Ö Ahead of the festive seasons of Dussehra
Chennai lab. and Deepavali, the Supreme Court prohib-
ited the use of five chemicals, labelled as
Ö The tanks will facilitate Indian Armed forces toxic by the Central Pollution Control Board
in conducting unmanned surveillance mis- (CPCB), in the manufacture of firecrackers.
sions. Muntra-S developed for unmanned
surveillance missions, whereas Muntra-M is Ö No firecrackers manufactured by the re-
built for detecting mines. spondents shall contain antimony, lithium,
mercury, arsenic and lead in any form
· Eight national waterways will be un- whatsoever. It is the responsibility of the
veiled soon Petroleum and Explosive Safety
Organisation (PESO) to ensure compliance.
Ö As many as 32 new national waterways in
the country have been considered technically Ö The court had earlier pointed out a lack of
feasible for development of shipping and clarity on the pollutive impact of explosive
navigation. substances used in firecrackers.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon · SBI cuts interest rate on saving a/c
inaugurate eight national waterways (NW). deposits.
Ö Out of 106 newly—declared national Ö Accounts with balance 1 cr or less will earn
waterways (NWs), 32 NWs are considered 3.5% per annum, those above 1 cr will
technically feasible so far. Out of these 32 continue to earn 4%
NWs, the development of seven NWs has
been approved.

· Centre plans to remote-map canals

70
 Ö The revision would enable the bank to Ö II (Low intensity
maintain its Marginal Cost of funds-based zone) Ö
Lending Rate (MCLR) at existing rates. VI (or less) Ö
43%
· 29 Indian cities and towns highly vulner-
able to earthquakes. Ö III (Moderate
Ö Twenty-nine Indian cities and towns, includ- intensity zone) Ö
ing Delhi and capitals of nine states, fall VII Ö
under “severe” to “very severe” seismic 27%
zones, according to the National Centre for
Ö IV (Severe
Seismology (NCS).
intensity zone) Ö
Ö A majority of these places are in the VIII Ö
Himalayas, one of the most seismically active 18%
regions in the world.
Ö V (Very severe
Ö Delhi, Patna (Bihar), Srinagar (Jammu and intensity zone) Ö
Kashmir), Kohima (Nagaland), Puducherry, IX (and above) Ö
Guwahati (Assam), Gangtok (Sikkim), 12%
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Dehradun
(Uttarakhand), Imphal (Manipur) and
Chandigarh fall under seismic zones IV and
V. · e-RaKAM portal has been launched by
Government.
Ö The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has
classified different regions in the country into Ö The government launched a portal, e-Rashtriya
zones II to V, taking into consideration Kisan Agri Mandi(e-RaKAM), to provide a
earthquake records, tectonic activities and platform to sell agricultural produce. The por-
damage caused, the director of the NCS, tal is a joint initiative by state-run-auctioneer
Vineet Gauhlat, said. MSTC and Central Warehousing Corporation
arm CRWC.
Ö Bureau of Indian Standards, based on the
past seismic history, grouped the country into Ö E-RaKAM is a first-of-its-kind initiative that
four seismic zones, viz. Zone-II, -III, -IV leverages technology to connect farmers of the
and –V. Of these, Zone V is the most smallest villages to the biggest markets of the
seismically active region, while zone II is the world through internet and e-RaKAM cen-
least. The Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity, tres.
which measures the impact of the earth-
Ö Under this initiative, e-RaKAM centres are
quakes on the surface of the earth, broadly
being developed in a phased manner through-
associated with various zones, is as
out the country to facilitate farmers for online
follows:Gk bit - Seismic Zone Intensity
sale of their produce.
on MM scale:
Ö Farmers would be paid through e-Payment
Ö Seismic Zone
directly into their bank accounts.
Ö Intensity on
MMI scale Ö · Reliance Jio launches world’s longest
% of total area 100Gbps submarine-cable-system.
71
 Ö Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched the Asia- Ö It is currently available on Samsung
Africa-Europe (AAE-1) submarine cable sys- smartphones. It enables consumers to make
tem. It is claimed to be world’s longest offline payments without the need for a
100Gbps technology-based. physical Card.

· Third Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Ö It works on 2.5 million Point of Sale (POS)
declared. Card machines across the country through its
Magnetic SecureTransmission (MST)
Ö Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced Third technology.
Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement for
current fiscal.2017-18 on August 2, 2017. · ISRO Launched indigenous
This time, RBI has cut the policy repo rate by Global Positioning System: NavIC
25 basis points (bps) to 6 percent.
Ö Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Repo Rate - 6.00% has deployed an indigenous regional position-
ing system named as “Navigation with Indian
Reverse Repo Rate - 5.75%
Constellation” (NavIC).
Marginal Standing Facility Rate - 6.25%
Ö It consists of seven satellites in a constellation
Bank Rate - 6.25% to provide Position, Navigation and Timing
(PNT) services in Indian mainland and sur-
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) - 4.00% rounding region up to 1500 Km.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) - 20.00% · Maharashtra Government
launches two online portals
MahaDBT, MahaVASTU
· Union Parliament passes Right of
Ö Maharashtra Government launched two online
Children to Free and Compulsory
portals MahaDBT and MahaVASTU to
Education Amendment Bill.
streamline the process of direct benefit
Ö The Union Parliament passed the Right of transfer(DBT).
Children to Free and Compulsory
Education(Amendment) Bill, 2017 with Ö It is the first state in the country to launch such
Rajya Sabha approving it Lok Sabha a system that will provide direct benefits with
Aadhaar authentication.
Ö The Bill amends the Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), Ö MahaDBT portal: It is an Aadhaar-authen-
2009 by extending the deadline for teachers ticated electronic mechanism that will enable
to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifica- direct transfer of benefits for over 40
tions for appointment. schemes.currently implemented.

Ö MahaVASTU portal: It is an online building

· SBI and Samsung collaborate to
permission management system, through which
advance Digital India initiative.
construction approvals will be sanctioned with
Ö The State Bank of India (SBI) and full transparency.
Samsung India announced the availability of
· Second Agri UDAAN Program
Samsung Pay for higher variants of SBI debit
Launched.
card to advance Digital India.

72
Ö The Union Government launched the 2nd aims to study global environmental change
AGRI-UDAAN Program in New Delhi. and natural disasters.

Ö The program focuses on catalyzing scale-up Ö NISAR is a dual frequency (L & S Band)
stage food and agribusiness start-ups through Radar Imaging Satellite. It will be the first
rigorous mentoring, industry networking and radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency.
investor pitching.
· Solar power tariff falls by 80% in seven
Ö The 6-month program is a unique platform years
for scale up stage innovators, entrepreneurs
and startups in the Food and Agribusiness Ö Solar power tariff in the country has
sectors.
fallen by 80% since 2010. The maximum
Ö The programme will help convert innovative tariff for solar power was seen in
December 2010 when 150MW was sold
ideas from India’s rural youth into viable
at Rs 12.76 per unit under the Jawaharlal
businesses startups and help them connect
Nehru Solar Mission. Since then, the tariff
with potential investors. It aims to attract the
has fallen steadily with the lowest tariff
youth from rural India and elsewhere, and
of Rs 2.44 per unit for 500MW in
train them so they can add value to the
Rajasthan.
farmers’ produce.
Ö The solar power tariff has been falling
· IRCTC Launches Book Now,
only when the states or agencies go
Pay Later Scheme For Tatkal Tick-
through the bid mode. Tamil Nadu which
ets
followed the power purchase agreement
Ö Customers can book their Tatkal railway does not figure in the list of states that
ticket and choose to pay later under the new took advantage of falling solar power
scheme announced by the Indian Railway tariff until 2015.
Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC).
Ö Tamil Nadu signed several MoUs with
Ö The users can use ‘pay on delivery’ option solar power companies for Rs 7.01 per
to save payment time, increasing their unit, states like Rajasthan and Madhya
chances of booking a confirmed ticket under Pradesh had firms quoting Rs 5.25 per
the Tatkal quota.=> Till now, this service was unit.
available only for General reservations.

· ISRO, NASA working towards · HeliTaxi Services From Bengaluru

realisation of NISAR Mission by
Airport to Electronic City Launched.
2021.

Ö ISRO and NASA are jointly working on the Ö Hell Taxi a Private helicopter service
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar provider and Bangalore International
(NISAR) mission to co-develop and launch a Airport Limited (BIAL) have partnered to
dual frequency synthetic aperture radar launch HeliTaxi services from Bengaluru
(SAR) satellite by 2021. The satellite will be Airport.
the world’s most expensive earth-imaging
satellite till date, costing around $1.5 billion. It Ö The helicopter service will initially be
launched from Bengaluru Airport to

73
 Electronic City and gradually expanded to Ö Former union minister Muppavarapu
other parts of the city. Venkaiah Naidu (68) was elected as
13th Vice President of India. He will
· Up to 450% mark-up on knee implants, succeed Hamid Ansari, who held the
govt may cap prices position for two consecutive terms of
5 years. With this victory, BJP has
Ö An analysis by the National Pharmaceutical
occupied top three constitutional
Pricing Authority (NPPA) shows that
posts of India- President, Vice-
importers, distributors and hospitals are
President and Prime Minister.
earning hefty trade margins that can range
from 67% to as high as 449%.
Ö Over 98% voting was recorded in
Ö After capping prices of cardiac stents, the the 2017 vice-presidential election.
NPPA report can see the government 98.21% polling was registered for
moving in a similar direction with regard to the election with 771 out of 785
orthopedic knee implants, official sources MPs casting their vote, 11 votes
said, underlining the Centre’s commitment to were found to be invalid. 381 votes
rationalize cost of medical care and make it was the quota set to win the polls.
more affordable and accessible. M. Venkaiah Naidu emerged
victorious by winning 516 votes,
Ö Though NPPA’s analysis of the price data for whereas opposition nominee
knee implants forms a strong basis for the Gopalkrishna Gandhi has secured
government to bring them under price 244 votes.Gk bit- Vice President
control, it is ultimately the health ministry Election in India
which takes a call on placing the devices
under NLEM. Thereafter, NPPA will be Ö The election for the Vice President is
empowered to cap prices of knee implants. conducted through a secret ballot
where only members of both the
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha get to
vote. Members of Parliament will
· India’s first private missile production use special pens for marking their
facility unveiled in Hyderabad. choice. Votes marked with any other
pen are liable to be rejected. In the
Ö India’s first private sector missile sub- Presidential poll, elected members of
systems manufacturing facility Kalyani all state legislative assemblies,
Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS) plant including Delhi and Puducherry, also
inaugurated near Hyderabad.It has been participate in the voting.
established a line with the ‘Make in India’
initiative and Government’s policy to Ö A person needs to satisfy the follow-
encourage private sector participation in ing prerequisites to become a Vice-
defense product.It has invested in designing, President.
developing and manufacturing of weapon
1) Needs to be a citizen of India2) Is
systems including Spike Anti-Tank Guided
at least 35 years old or above.3) is
Missile (ATGM) systems and remote
qualified to become a member of the
weapon.
Rajya Sabha.
· Venkaiah Naidu elected 13th Vice
President of India.
74
 Ö A candidate’s nomination paper Axis Bank (7.7 per cent), SBI (8.6
needs to be subscribed by at least per cent) and Coal India (3.3 per cent)
20 electors as proposers and at least ITC (15.2 per cent), ONGC (5.3 per
another 20 electors as seconders. cent), NTPC (6.7 per cent) will have
And a security deposit of Rs 15,000 3-15 per cent weightage in the ETF.
will be collected from each candi-
date. Ö It will help to speed up Government’s
disinvestment programme budgeted to
Ö As per the Article 324 of the Consti- raise a record Rs 72,500 crores in Fy
tution read with the Presidential and 2018.
Vice-Presidential Elections Act,
Gk bit – ETF
1952 and the Presidential and Vice-
Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, Ö An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is an
the responsibility of the “superinten- investment fund traded on stock ex-
dence, direction and control” the changes, much like stocks. An ETF
Vice-Presidential election lie with the holds assets such as stocks, commodi-
Election Commission of India. ties, or bonds and generally operates
Ö According to the Election Commis- with an arbitrage mechanism designed
to keep it trading close to its net asset
sion, the Electoral College for this
value.
year’s election consists of the
following members: Ö An ETF is a type of fund. It owns as-
Ö From Rajya Sabha: 233 elected and sets (bonds, stocks, gold bars, etc.)
and divides ownership of itself into
12 nominated membersand from
shares that are held by shareholders.
Lok Sabha, 543 elected and 2
The details of the structure (such as a
nominated.
corporation or trust) will vary by coun-
Ö The total members in the Electoral try, and even within one country there
College are 790. may be multiple possible structures.

Ö ETFs were started in 2001 in India.

· Finance Minister Arun Jaitley an-
They comprise a portfolio of equity,
nounces new ETF-Bharat-22. bonds and trade close to its net asset
value. These funds mainly track an in-
Ö Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched
dex, a commodity, or a pool of as-
a new ETF under the name Bharat 22,
sets.
which will comprise shares of 22 com-
panies. · Safexpress sets up its largest south
India logistics park in Hyderabad.
Ö The Finance Minister said that Bharat-
22 ETF will comprise of the
government’s holding in SUUTI, Ö New Delhi-based logistics player
CPSE ETF and PSU banks. Safexpress Private Limited an-
nounced that it has set up its largest
Ö Among the 22 stocks, IOC, BPCL logistics park in the south on the
and NALCO will have 4.4 per cent outskirts of Hyderabad at an invest-
weight each in Bharat-22. Power Grid ment of Rs 30 crore.
will have 7.9 per cent weight, while
75
 Ö Spread over 4 lakh sft, the logistics Ö Environment ministry is on stage I or in
park has the infrastructure to simul- principle approval, which mandates condi-
taneously load and unload 80 trucks tions to be complied with for the issue of the
at a time in all-weather conditions. subsequent stage II or final approval, which
is the prior approval of the central govern-
Ö On the impact of GST on the ment.
logistics sector, while the cost on the
transportation front has shot up by · Vijender won the WBO Oriental Super
10-15% (as there is no GST on Middleweight title.
diesel and the road congestion too is
adding to in efficiency), the cost on Ö Indian Professional boxer Vijender Singh
the inventory and warehousing side won the World Boxing Organization
is expected to come down by 20- (WBO) Oriental Super Middleweight
25% due to uniform taxation. title.
· Around 750 projects awaiting environ- Ö He defeated Zulpikar Maimaitiali of China.
mental clearance: Government.
Ö It was his ninth successive win in his Profes-
Ö Around 750 projects in various states are sional career.
awaiting environmental clearance, with a
maximum of 194 from Maharashtra. · National Handloom Day is observed on
7th August.
Ö A total of 741 proposals are awaiting
environmental clearance of which 194 are Ö The National Handloom Dayis being
from Maharashtra. observed on 7 August every year to honor
the handloom weavers in the country.
Ö 95 proposals from Gujarat and 86 from
Uttar Pradesh were awaiting environmental Ö It is the third edition of the National
clearance. Handloom Day after it was instituted in
2015.
Ö The Environment ministry has taken various
steps to speed up the process of disposing Ö Handloom sector contributes to nearly 15%
the applications for environmental clearance. of the cloth production in the country and
also contributes to the country’s export
Ö They include dedicated online portal for earnings to 95 %.
effective monitoring, standardisation of terms
of reference for preparation of EIA reports · Aparna appointed as Executive Direc-
and the Environment Management Plan, tor of World Bank.
exemption from public consultations to
certain projects, streamlining the procedure Ö The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
among others. (ACC) appointed senior IAS officer from
Gujarat S. Aparna as Executive Director of
Ö Gk bit - The proposals for forest clearances the World Bank.
under the provisions of the Forest (Conser-
vation) Act, 1980, for diversion of forest Ö She replaces Subhash Garg who was
lands, for non-forestry use are considered in recently appointed as Economic Affairs
the Ministry and is accorded in two stages. Secretary, Union Ministry of Finance.

76
 Ö At the World Bank, she will represent the Ö Thousands of people die of end-stage organ
constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan disease in the country every year. Yet, hundreds
and Sri Lanka for three years. of organs such as heart, lungs and liver donated
by the deceased in India are being discarded
Gk bit- World Bank even after families of the deceased volunteered
to donate them, National Organ and Tissue
· World Bank is one of five institutions created
Transplant Organisation data show.
at the Breton Woods Conference in 1944. It is
part of the United Nations system, but its Ö Until 2013, many cities including Mumbai had
governance structure is different. Its headquar- not done a heart transplant because they didn’t
ter is situated at Washington DC. World Bank have a programme to retrieve organs from the
provides loans to developing countries for brain-dead but with a system in place, the
capital programmes. situation is improving.
Ö WorldBank provides loans to developing Ö Organ transplant, although expensive, is the
countries for capital programmes. World only permanent cure for patients with irrepa-
Bank comprises only two institutions viz. rable organ damage. During this procedure,
doctors replace the ailing organ with a healthy
Ö The International Bank for Reconstruction one from a brain-dead patient.
and Development (IBRD) and International
Development Association (IDA). Ö Organisations such as state-level
(SOTTO) and regional-level (ROTTO)
Ö In contrast, World Bank Group comprises organisations will aim to distribute organs in a
three more viz. fair and judicious manner.
Ö Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency · Need to increase cold storage capacity for
(MIGA), International Finance Corporation farm produce.
(IFC) and International Centre for Settle-
ment of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Ö There is a need to increase the cold storage
capacity for farm produce by 30-40 lakh
· India will gain 100% literacy in next 5 tonnes as huge raw foodstuff perish in India, a
years, Union HRD Minister Prakash top official of Ministry of Food Processing
Javadekar says Industry (FPI) .
Ö Union HRD MinisterPrakash Javadekar Ö According to a rough estimate, farm produce
claimed that India would achieve 100 per cent worth Rs one lakh crore perish in India
literacy rate within the next five years. annually for want of adequate storage infra-
structure and processing facility.
Ö “There was a literacy rate of 18 per cent in the
post independence era. Today it has gone up Ö India’s cold storage capacity is 3.5 crore
to 80 per cent and I guarantee that within next tonnes right now, which was short by 30 to 40
five years, it will be 100 per cent. There will be lakh tonnes.
no illiteracy in the country,” he said while
speaking at the ‘Festival of Education’ Ö Minimum Support Price (MSP) system for
organised by the Rajasthan government along perishable raw foodstuff won’t be effective
with education provider GEMS Education. unless the storage and processing facilities are
developed.
· Lack of networking leading to organ
wastage.
77
· Know all about Indian tribes at the click of healthcare delivery and key outcomes in
a mouse. these States. In Education, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand have been
Ö These and many more questions about lifestyle, selected for support to better learning
living conditions and historic facts about tribals outcomes. The six States have been chosen
are being documented in the first attempt to after a rigorous competitive process based
create a unique repertoire of Tribes of India. on comprehensive metrics to determine
potential for impact and likelihood of suc-
Ö The ministry of tribal affairs to create an online cess.
database on Tribes of India, which would
document their evolution, place in history, Ö This three-way partnership between NITI,
contribution in India’s freedom struggle, State Governments and a knowledge partner
changes in lifestyle, eating habits, architecture of for each of the sectors is part of the Sus-
huts or semi-pucca houses, education level, tainable Action for Transforming Human
mortality rate, traditional art, folk dances and Capital (SATH) initiative of NITI Aayog.
other anthropological details.
Ö NITI Aayog has been working to foster co-
Ö The database would include rare photographs operative federalism by ranking states
and videos – running in thousands – collected through health, water, education, and agricul-
from different Tribal Research Institutes tural indices. However, SATH has been
(TRIs) spread across states. Though TRIs launched to go beyond ranking states and to
have always held these photographs, there had handhold them in improving their social
been no attempt to collect them and put them sector indicators. SATH is a challenging and
together in one place as a database. ambitious initiative as the baseline of various
indicators and parameters of education and
Ö At present, 10 crore Scheduled Tribes make health in the States are in public domain. It
up 8.6% of the country’s population. However, defines a new dimension for cooperative
despite the large numbers, there has been no federalism, where NITI Aayog and its
attempt to document their unique lifestyles. knowledge partner will actively aid imple-
mentation of their recommendations, in
Ö The database follows the central government’s addition to just policy inputs.
attempt to document the lives of Scheduled
Tribes and dedicate museums to them. Last · World’s Shortest Woman Unveils 51-
year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had Feet High Book.
called upon states to trace the contribution of
Scheduled Tribes in the freedom struggle of Ö The world’s shortest woman Jyoti Amge
India and build museums. presented a 51-feet high book at a program
on 6 of August.
Ö Since then, states have been working on
several proposals. This online database would Ö The book Kadve Vachan is written by Jain
also have links to state museums once they are saint Acharya Tarun Sagar Maharaj. It was
constructed. unveiled by her in the presence of BJP state
president Ashok Parnami.
· NITI Aayog announces partnership with
6 states for health, education. Ö It is the ninth volume of the book written in
Hindi.
Ö NITI Aayog has selected Uttar Pradesh,
Assam, and Karnataka to improve
78
Ö Amge is considered to be the world’s Ö It is around 10 per cent of the seats to be
shortest woman by the Guinness World sold at the normal fare and thereafter in-
Records at 62.8 cm. creasing it by 10 per cent.

· Justice Dipak Misra set to become 45th Gk bit – Flexi Scheme

Chief Justice of India.
Ö The Railways made changes in the flexi fare
Ö The 63-year-old CJI-designate is the senior- structure to attract last minute travellers and
most judge of the Supreme Courtafter introduced a range of discounts.
Justice Khehar. He will be the third person
from Odisha to be appointed the Chief Ö The 30 per cent tatkal charges have been
Justice of India, after Justices Ranganath waived for these premium trains, a 10 per
Misra and G B Pattanaik. cent rebate on basic fare has been offered
on vacant berths after preparation of first
Ö Justice J.S. Khehar, who is retiring on chart in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto to
August 27, 2017 and Justice Mishra will lure last minute travellers, provision of tatkal
have a tenure of about 14 months till Octo- quota has been reduced to 10 per cent from
ber 2, 2018. 30 per cent of the total berths available and
there is also a provision for discounted fares
Ö Justice Misra was elevated to the Supreme for some trains.
Court on October 10, 2011. He enrolled as
an advocate on February 14, 1977 and · Ankur Mittal Wins Gold Medal in
appointed an Additional Judge of the Orissa Asian Shotgun Championship.
High Court in 1996. After a stint in the
Madhya Pradesh High Court, he became a Ö Indian shooter Ankur Mittal won the indi-
Permanent Judge in December 1997 vidual as well as the team Gold medal in
Men’s double trap at the 7th Asian Shot-
Ö Justice Misra authored the landmark judge- gun Championship.
ment confirming the death penalty of four
convicts in the brutal Nirbhaya gangrape and Ö The Asian Shotgun Championship is held in
murder case. Astana, Kazakhstan.

Ö Justice Misra also hit headline when the Ö UAEs KhaledAlkaabi (70) won the silver in
Bench he was leading ordered for National men’s double trap event and SaifAlshamsy
Anthem and National Flag are featured (53) won the bronze.
before shows in cinema theatres across the
· India ranks 43rd in 2017 Global Retire-
country.
ment Index.
· Indian Railways earned Rs.540 crore
Ö India ranked last at 43rd position in 2017
through flexi fare scheme Global Retirement Index (GRI) published by
Ö The Indian Railways earned an additional French asset management company Natixis
Global.
revenue of Rs 540 crore in less than a year
through the flexible fare scheme. Ö The index ranks 43 countries on the basis of
Ö This scheme launched on 09th September four factors namely the material means to live
comfortably in retirement (Material Well-
2016 is applicable in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and
being); access to quality health services
Duronto trains.
(Health); access to quality financial services
79
 to help preserve savings value and maximize events of the Indian history will be displayed
income (Finances) and a clean and safe through thousands of declassified files and
environment (Quality of Life ). documents.

Ö The Top three countries in 2017 GRI are · Maharashtra to raise $270 m from
Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland. Green Climate Fund.

· NCERT launches web portal to supply Ö The 2030 Water Resources Group
Textbooks online. (2030WRG) will help the Maharashtra
Government raise $270 million from the
Ö The National Council of Educational Re- Green Climate Fund, which will be invested
search and Training (NCERT) launched a in integrated watershed programmes such as
web portal for the supply of textbooks to Jalyukt Shivar Yojana.
schools and individuals.
Ö The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a new
Ö The web portal of NCERT will enable fund under the UN and is guided by the
schools to place orders for their books principles and provisions of the UN Frame-
online. It will also enable individual buyers to work Convention on Climate Change.
place their orders.
Ö The 2030WRG is hosted by the Interna-
Ö The NCERT is an autonomous organization tional Finance Corporation and is public-
set up in 1961 by the Union Government as private-civil society collaboration for water
a literary, scientific and charitable Society resources reform in developing economies.
under the Societies.
Ö Its ultimate aim is to close the gap between
· 75th anniversary of Quit India Move- water demand and supply by the year 2030.
ment.
· Oxford University launches Tamil,
Ö The nation is celebrating the 75th anniversary Gujarati Online Dictionaries
of the Quit India Movement today. A number
of events are being planned to mark the Ö Oxford University Press(OUP) launched
occasion. online dictionaries in Tamil and Gujarati as part
of its special focus on Indian languages.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called
upon countrymen to start a new India Ö Oxford Global Languages (OGL) is a
movement “SANKALP SE SIDDHI”- major initiative from Oxford Dictionaries aims
Attainment through Resolve. to build dictionaries and lexicographical
resources for round 100 of the world’s lan-
Ö Mr Modi, termed the month of August as a guages and to make them available online.
month of revolution as the non-cooperation
movement was launched on 1st of August · Davinder Singh Kang is the first Indian
1920, Quit-India movement on 9th of to Qualify for Javelin Throw Finals
August 1942 and on 15th August 1947 India
became independent. Ö Davinder Singh Kang becomes the first
Indian to qualify for the final round of the
Ö The National Archives of India is organizing javelin throw World Championships.
a special exhibition in New Delhi from today
to mark the 75th year of Quit India Move- Ö He had an 82.22m in his opening throw and
ment and Azad Hind Fauj. The two big then came up with 82.14m in his second.
80
Ö He is the first ever Indian who is qualified in and 97% of storage of average of last ten
the men’s javelin throw final round in any years.
World Championship.
Ö The total storage capacity of these 91
· SEBI allows MCX to launch Gold reservoirs is 157.799 BCM which is about
Option. 62% of the total storage capacity of 253.388
BCM which is estimated to have been created
Ö The Multi Commodity Exchange Limited in the country. 37 Reservoirs out of these 91
(MCX), the country’s largest commodity have hydropower benefit with installed capac-
exchange has received capital markets regula- ity of more than 60 MW.
tor Securities and Exchange Board of India’s
(SEBI) approval to launch options trading in Ö The Western region includes States of
gold. Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 27
reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total
Ö It will allow investors and hedgers to live storage capacity of 27.07 BCM. The total
minimize their price risk at a fraction of the cost live storage available in these reservoirs is
compared to currently available futures trading. 14.74 BCM which is 54% of total live storage
capacity of these reservoirs. The storage
Ö The MCX is the country’s largest metals during corresponding period of last year was
and energy commodity bourse. It is country’s 43% and average storage of last ten years
first listed commodity futures exchange that during corresponding period was 47% of live
facilitates online trading, and clearing and storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus,
settlement of commodity futures transactions, storage during current year is better than the
thereby providing a platform for risk manage- storage of last year and is also better than the
ment. It began functioning in November 2003 average storage of last ten years during the
and operates within the regulatory framework corresponding period.
of the Forward Contracts Regulation Act,
1952 (FCRA, 1952). It offers futures trading · Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana
in bullion, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, (AGEY) launched.
energy, and a number of agricultural commodi-
ties (mentha oil, cardamom, potatoes, palm oil Ö The Government of India has decided to launch
and others). Globally, MCX ranks no. 1 in a new sub-scheme named “Aajeevika Grameen
silver, no. 2 in natural gas, no. 3 in crude oil Express Yojana (AGEY)” as part of the
and gold in futures trading. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
· Water storage of 91 major reservoirs
up by 4%. Ö The Self Help Groups under DAY-NRLM will
operate road transport service in backward ar-
Ö The water storage available in 91 major eas. This will help to provide safe, affordable and
reservoirs of the country for the week ending community monitored rural transport services to
on August 03 was 67.683 BCM which is 43% connect remote villages with key services and
of total storage capacity of these reservoirs, amenities (such as access to markets, education
according to the press information bureau. and health) for the overall economic development
of backward rural areas.
Ö This percentage was at 39 for the week
ending on July 27. The level is 104% of the Ö The beneficiary SHG member will be pro-
storage of corresponding period of last year vided an interest free loan by the CBO from its

81
 Community Investment Fund upto Rs.6.50 lakh Ö The investment was partly used to buy
for purchase of the vehicle. shares of an existing investor Tiger Global and
additional capital in the company.
Ö National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
was launched by the Ministry of Rural Develop- · Centre likely to boost minimum wage,
ment (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011. revise old formula.
Ö In November 2015, the program was re- Ö Giving a major boost to the minimum wages,
named Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana (DAY- the Centre may soon increase the counting of
NRLM). number of members per family from 3 to 6.
Ö Objective of scheme is enabling poors to Ö At present, wife, husband and two children
increase household income through sustainable clubbed together are considered at three units.
livelihood enhancements and improved access to Based on this, government calculates minimum
financial services. wage for agriculture and non-agriculture work-
ers under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The
· Lok Sabha passes State Banks (Repeal
Act is applicable to 47 central sector establish-
and Amendment) Bill, 2017
ments and includes both agriculture and non-
Ö The Lok Sabha passed the State Banks agriculture workers in the country.
(Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017. The
Ö However as per the government officials,
bill seeks to repeal the two Acts namely State
Union labour ministry is now planning to double
Bank of India.
the number of units per family by taking two
Ö It is to amend the State Bank of India children as separate units and including depen-
(SBI) Act, 1955 to remove references to dent parents. This revision will increase wage to
subsidiary banks and powers of State Bank about Rs. 18000 per month from existing Rs
of India (SBI) to act as an agent of the RBI. 9100 per month in C category areas for an
unskilled worker.
Ö The Union Cabinet approved the merger of
five associate banks along with Bharatiya Ö Currently, minimum wages for a domestic
Mahila Bank with SBI. The five banks were worker is Rs 704 for an hour and 5,642 per
State Bank of Bikaner. month for eight hours of work in a month. If the
duration of work exceeds to more than 8 hours,
· SoftBank Vision makes Big investment the hourly rates get double as overtime. For an
in Flipkart. unskilled labour it is Rs 207 per day or Rs
5,382 per month and for skilled labour it is Rs
Ö Softbank fund invests one of its largest 227 per day or Rs 5,902 per month.
shareholders Flipkart Group (Flipkart) India’s
leading e-commerce marketplace announced an · Only govt. can take call on yoga in
investment a mix of primary and secondary schools: SC
capital from SoftBank Vision Fund (Vision
Fund), the world’s largest technology focused ÖThe Supreme Court has dismissed a
investment fund. petition for a direction to the govern-
ment to make yoga education a
Ö This is the biggest ever private investment in compulsory part of the syllabus for
an Indian technology company and will make Classes one to eight.
the Vision Fund one of the largest shareholders
in Flipkart.
82
 Ö“We are nobody to say what is to be taking the fake currency notes and are yet
taught in schools,” a Bench, led by to get back the remaining 45.1 lakh in
Justice Madan B. Lokur, orally counterfeit currency notes.
observed.
ÖThe Parliamentary Standing Committee on
ÖThe Bench denied any relief to peti- Transport, Tourism and Culture raised
tioner and advocate Ashwini Kumar “concerns” about the fake currency notes
Upadhyay, saying it was for the detected at the railway cash counters and
government to take the call on such asked the Railways to procure fake
issues. currency detecting machines.

ÖHis petition had sought a direction to · Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Shaurya’
the government to frame a National commissioned in Goa.
Yoga Policy, saying that right to health
was part of the right to lead a digni- ÖIndian Coast Guard ship “Shaurya”, the fifth
fied life under Article 21 of the in the series of six 105-metre offshore
Constitution. patrol vessels (OPVs), was commissioned
in Goa by Union Minister for Petroleum
· India and Russia to hold Major Tri- and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.
Service ‘Indra’ Combat Exercise in
October. ÖThe ship will be based at Chennai and
operate under the operational and admin-
ÖIndia and Russia for the first time are going istrative control of Commander Coast
to conduct Indra tri-services Guard Region (East) and will be deployed
exerciseinvolving their armies, navies and extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone
the air forces in October 2017 to establish surveillance, apart from safeguarding
military ties. India’s maritime interests.
ÖA total of 350 Indian Army personnel will ÖPresently, the Indian Coast Guard has a
participate in the mega exercise. The fleet of 129 ships and boats, and 72 ships
contingents by the Indian Navy and and boats are at various stages of con-
AirForce (IAF) will also be sizeable. struction at different shipyards in India.
ÖDuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit · Prasoon Joshi replaces Pahlaj Nihalani
to Russia in June 2017, both countries had as CBFC chief.
decided to “upgrade and intensify” defense
cooperation among them. ÖVeteran producer Pahlaj Nihalani was
replaced by writer-lyricist-adman Prasoon
· Railways detect 1.11 crore in fake Joshi as the head of the Central Board of
currency notes in 10 years Film Certification.
ÖThe Railways have detected fake currency
ÖNihalani, a filmmaker, was appointed head
notes with a face value of 1.11 crore at its
of CBFC in 2015 and his incomplete
cash counters in the last 10 years, accord-
tenure has been mired in a number of
ing to the report of a Parliamentary
controversies. Nicknamed ‘Sanskaari
Standing Committee.
Nihalani’ on social media, he has often
ÖThe Railways have recovered 66.2 lakh been criticised for his orthodox approach
from the staff members responsible for
83
 to censoring, and not necessarily certifying Independence Day will go ahead between
films. the two militaries as planned on Tuesday.

Gk bit -CBFC ÖSuch meetings are usually are held on

ceremonial occasions, but there were
ÖThe Central Board of Film Certification doubts if it would happen this time.
(CBFC) (often referred to as the Censor
Board) is a statutory censorship and ÖThere are five meeting points at Bum La
classification body under the Ministry of and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Daulat
Information and Broadcasting, Govern- Beg Oldi and Chushul in Ladakh and
ment of India. It is tasked with “regulating Nathu La in Sikkim.
the public exhibition of films under the
provisions of the Cinematograph Act ÖHowever, there is still no clarity on the
1952. The Board consist of 25 other non- annual bilateral military training exercise
official members and a Chairperson (all of Hand-in-Hand.
whom are appointed by Central Govern-
ment). · Govt. launches national anthem video
in sign language.
Films are certified under 4 categories.

U (Unrestricted Public Exhibition) ÖUnion Minister of State for HRD Mahendra

Nath Pandey, launched an Indian National
Films with the U certification are fit for unrestricted Anthem video in sign language, featuring
public exhibition, and are family friendly. differently-abled and partially differently-
abled children.
U/A (Parental Guidance for children below the
age of 12 years) ÖDirected by filmmaker Govind Nihalani, the
three-minute video features Bollywood
Films with the U/A certification can contain moder-
actor Amitabh Bachchan along with
ate adult themes, that are not strong in nature and physically challenged children performing
can be watched by a child under parental guid- the anthem in sign language with the Red
ance.
Fort in the background.
A (Restricted to adults)
ÖThe video was also launched in Goa,
Films with the A certification are available for Bhopal, Chandigarh and Kolhapur.
public exhibition, but with restriction to adults.
Gk bit: National Anthem
S (Restricted to any special class of persons)
ÖThe song “jana gana mana”. composed
Films with S certification should not be viewed by originally in bangali by Rabindranath
the public. Only people associated with it (Engi- Tagore, is the National Anthem of Inia Its
neers, Doctors, Scientists, etc.) Hindi version was adopted by the Con-
stituent Assembly as the national An-
· Border meeting with China on I-Day. them of India on January 24, 1950. it
was first sung on December 27, 1911
ÖEven as the border standoff between India at the Calcutta Session of the Indian
and China is close to completing two National Congress. The complete song
months, officials said the ceremonial consists of five stanzas. The first stanza
border personnel meetings to mark
84
 consists full version of the National Ö The Prevention of Insult to National
Anthem. Honour Act, 1971 deals with cases of
insults to the Constitution, the national flag
ÖThe playing time of the full version of the and the national anthem with penalty.
national Anthem is approximately 52 However, no section of this Act or Indian
seconds the playing time of the short Panel Code (IPC), 1860 makes it manda-
version consisting of first and last lines of tory for a citizen to stand up when the
the stanza is approximately 20 seconds. national anthem is being played.
ÖThe song “Jana Gana Mana” was first ÖFlag Code of India, 2002, a consolida-
published in January 1912, under the title tion of executive instructions by GoI
‘Bharat Vidhata’ in the Ratva bodhini regarding observing behavior that does
Patrika edited by tagore himself. The song not disrespect the National Flag.
was translated in English by tagore in
1919 under the title ‘Morning sng of ÖThe Supreme Court in 2016 had ordered
India’. cinema halls to mandatorily play the
national anthem before every screening
ÖThe song “jana gana mana”. composed and all those present in cinema halls have
originally in bangali by Rabindranath to stand up to show respect.
Tagore, is the National Anthem of Inia Its
Hindi version was adopted by the Con- · Environment Minister launches ‘Gaj
stituent Assembly as the national Anthem
Yatra’ to mark World Elephant Day
of India on January 24, 1950. it was first
2017
sung on December 27, 1911 at the
Calcutta Session of the Indian National ÖUnion Environment, Forest and Climate
Congress. The complete song consists of Change Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan,
five stanzas. The first stanza consists full launched ‘Gaj Yatra’ , a nationwide
version of the National Anthem. campaign to protect elephants on the
Ö The playing time of the full version of the occasion of World Elephant Day. The
campaign is planned to cover 12 elephant
national Anthem is approximately 52
range states.
seconds the playing time of the short
version consisting of first and last lines of ÖThe Environment Minister released the All
the stanza is approximately 20 seconds. India Census 2017 Report on elephants
as also the Agreed Points of Action on
Ö The song “Jana Gana Mana” was first
Trans-Boundary Conservation of El-
published in January 1912, under the title
ephants by India and Bangladesh and a
‘Bharat Vidhata’ in the Ratva bodhini
document titled ‘Right of Passage’ on
Patrika edited by tagore himself. The song
elephant corridors in India.
was translated in English by tagore in
1919 under the title ‘Morning sng of ÖDuring the period of the campaign, artists
India’. and craftsmen will create life-size works
on the theme of elephants in places along
ÖArticle 51A of the Constitution makes it a
the route of the roadshow, covering 12
fundamental duty for every citizen of India
states that have wild elephants, using local
to abide by the Constitution and respect
art and craft. Specially fabricated vehicles
its ideals and institutions, the national flag
and the national anthem.
85
 will be deployed to display these on pre- India and Pakistan will participate in the
determined routes with campaigners. exercise.

ÖWORLD ELEPHANT DAY: BRIEF

BACKGROUND Ö The IONS is a regional forum of Indian
Ocean littoral states launched by India in
ÖWorld Elephant Day is an annual global
February 2008.
event celebrated across the world on
August 12, dedicated to the preservation Gk bit- IONS
and protection of elephants.

ÖThough a nation-wide population census Ö The IONS is a regional forum of Indian

exercise for elephants is conducted every Ocean littoral states launched by India in
five years, this is the first time than an all- February 2008. It is a voluntary initiative
India synchronised elephant census was that seeks to increase maritime co-
carried out one year in advance, to avoid operation among navies of the littoral
errors in estimation arising from the states of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by
significant movement of elephants across providing an open and inclusive forum for
different states. discussion of regionally relevant maritime
issues.
ÖWorld Elephant Day was conceived in
2011 by Canadian filmmakers Ms. Ö There are 35 members - navies of the IONS
Patricia Sims and Mr. Michael Clark of which have been geographically grouped into
Canazwest Pictures and the Secretary- the following four sub-regions:-
General of the Elephant Reintroduction
Foundation of Thailand, Sivaporn
Dardarananda.
South Asian Littorals - Bangladesh, India,
· IONS maiden maritime search and Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka
rescue exercise will be held in November

Ö Indian Ocean Naval Symposium’s (IONS)

West Asian Littorals - Bahrain, Iran, Iraq,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and
maiden International Maritime Search and Yemen
Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) will be held in
November 2017 in the Bay of Bengal.
East African Littorals - Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt,
Ö The ships and aircraft of the members
Eriteria, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and
and observers of the IONS including China, Tanzania

South East Asian and Australian Littorals - Aus-

tralia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore,
Thailand and Timor Leste

86
 ongoing year and also the commemorative year’s
theme of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”.
PP (Previous Paper) IAS 2017.
Consider the following in respect of Indian Ö Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for this
Ocean Naval Symposium(IONS): event as the Sanchi stupa here strengthens the
state’s cultural affiliation with the ASEAN coun-
1. Inaugural IONS was hold in India in 2015 tries.
under the championship of the Indian Navy.
Ö Taking into account the “Act East Policy” of
2. IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the event be-
increase maritime co-operation among comes even more significant. Over 175 delega-
navies of the littoral states of the Indian tions of youths from Indonesia, Singapore, Phil-
Ocean Region. ippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia,
Which of the above statements is/are correct? Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India will attend
the Summit.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 · Prime Minister Narendra Modi
nor 2
launches website to Honour Gallantry
Answer (b) Award Winners.

· India’s First Online Course on Infusion Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
Therapy Launched a website to honor all the gallantry award
winners since Independence.

Ö Infusion Nurses Society (INS), a global Ö The portal will preserve and tell the
stories of bravest men and women, civilians
authority in infusion therapy launched
as well as armed forces personnel.
India’s first online course on Infusion
Therapy for nurses. Ö The website gives details of the Chakra
Series awardees i.e., Param Vir Chakra,
Ö It mainly aims to train over 3,000 nurses Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra,
in the vital medical procedure. Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. The portal
contains information such as name, unit,
year, citations and photographs of awardees
Ö It deals with all aspects of fluid and till date.
medication infusion, intravenous or · Ministry of Culture Organizes ‘Sankalp
subcutaneous application. Se Siddhi Program’ in Coimbatore

· India-ASEAN Youth Summit to be held in Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched

Bhopal. New India movement from 2017-2022, a
Sankalp Se Siddhi (Attainment through
Ö The event is being organised by Foreign Min- Resolve) Program was organized at
istry, Madhya Pradesh government and India Coimbatore.
Foundation.
Ö The New India Movement 2017-2022
Ö The exercise will mark the 25th anniversary of organized an India free of Poverty, Corruption,
the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership in the Terrorism, Communalism, Casteism, and Un-
cleanliness.
87
 Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Ö IOC bought 1.9 million barrels of US crude
(Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma in its second import tender seeking oil from the
graced the occasion America.
· India raises veg oil import taxes to Ö India, the world’s third-largest oil importer,
protect farmers joins Asian countries like South Korea, Japan,
and China to buy US crude after production
Ö India, the world’s biggest buyer of veg- cuts by Organization of the Petroleum Export-
etable oils, has raised import taxes on crude ing Countries (OPEC) drove up prices of
and refined edible oils to protect local oilseed Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with
farmers from cheaper imports from top a high sulphur content.
suppliers Malaysia and Indonesia. · Union Cabinet approves new metro rail
Ö New Delhi doubled the import tax on crude policy.
palm oils to 15 percent and raised the import Ö The Union Cabinet has approved a new
tax on refined palm oils to 25 percent, increas-
policy for expanding and regulating metro
ing the differential in duty by 10 percentage
rail services in cities across India. This is the
points to encourage local processing.
first such policy document prepared by the
Ö The government also raised the import tax Centre since Metro Rail operations began
on crude soyoil to 17.5 percent from 12.5 in Delhi in 2002.
percent previously. Ö The policy gives a big boost to private
Ö Centre spends about $10 billion a year to players by making private participation
import palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia mandatory for all the three funding options
and relatively smaller quantities of soyoil from – be it a public-private partnership (PPP)
Brazil and Argentina. model with central assistance under the
Viability Gap Funding scheme of the
Ö Large inventories and lower prices have Finance Ministry, a grant from the Centre
fomented a wave of protests by farmers in the under which 10% of the project cost would
big agrarian states of Maharashtra and be given as a lump sum, or a 50:50 equity
Madhya Pradesh. sharing model between the Central and
State governments.
Ö Nearly two-thirds of India’s 1.3 billion
people depend on agriculture to scrape a Ö The policy also seeks to ensure that metro
living. projects are initiated for sound reasons.

· Indian Oil Buys First Shale Oil from Ö The metro project can be proposed only if it
United States. is found to be more cost effective as
opposed to other mass transit projects such
Ö State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as tramways, light rail transit, or bus rapid
brought the country’s first shale oil from the transit system.
United States of America and is looking to
step up imports from America as part of its · India Opens First Partition Museum in
crude diversification strategy. Amritsar.

88
 Ö India’s first museum will open this week in · ‘Indira Canteen Scheme’ Launched in
Amritsar Punjab, as India and Pakistan Bengaluru.
celebrate 70 years as independent nations.
Ö Rahul Gandhi launched the ‘Indira
Ö The museum will include photographs, Canteen’ scheme, dedicated to former
newspaper clippings, donated personal Prime minister Indira Gandhi- a State
items, and screens showing video inter- government initiative to provide food at
views with survivors. low cost to cater to the urban poor.
Ö It will have ‘The Gallery of Hope’, where Ö The canteen, located in Kanakana Palya
visitors can scribble messages of love and (Jayanagar) in Bengaluru, is one of 101
peace. such that opened across various
locations in Bengaluru.
· Odisha Government and Facebook
Launches ‘SheMeansBusiness’ Program. · CCEA approved New Department at
centre – DIPAM (Department of Invest-
Ö Chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘She ment and public Asset Management)
Means Business’ programme of Facebook for
Ö The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,
women entrepreneurs in Odisha.
CCEA has approved the proposal of Depart-
Ö Under the scheme 25, 000 women entrepre- ment of Investment and public Asset Manage-
neurs and self-help group (SHG) members ment, DIPAM for the strategic disinvestment.
will be given training on digital marketing skills The approval will help in speedy completion
within next one year. of strategic disinvestment transactions.

Ö Odisha government’s partnership with Ö The department will set up an alternative

Facebook aimed to reduce the digital divide mechanism comprising of the Finance Minis-
and empower nearly 25,000 women entre- ter, Minister for Road Transport and Highways
preneurs and SHGs. and Minister of Administrative Department, to
decide on the matters relating to terms and
Ö Facebook will also make a database of entre- conditions of the sale from the stage of inviting
preneurs in the state and will monitor their of Express of Interests till inviting of financial
growth, turnover and profit after one year. bid.

· A Book published on 70 years of India’s Ö DIPAM is the nodal agency of Union Finance
independence. Ministry mandated to advise the Union Gov-
ernment in the matters of financial restructur-
Ö “India at 70: Snapshots since Independence”, ing of PSUs and also for attracting investment
written by Roshen Dalal, provides glimpses through capital markets. It will also deal with
of the country’s vast and rich culture, its di- all matters relating to sale of Union
versity and many languages, its eminent per- Government’s equity in PSUs.
sonalities and its achievements in all spheres.
· Environment Minister Launches “Harit
Ö From Partition to the Sino-India war, from the Diwali, Swasth Diwali” Campaign
Emergency to the Kalam years, from the Jan
Lokpal Bill to the recent demonetisation move, Ö Union Minister for Environment, Forest and
the book touches almost all important topics. Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan,

89
 launched the “Harit Diwali, Swasth · Northern States reel under impact of
Diwali” campaign. swine flu.
Ö The Minister impressed upon the children the
Ö While Gujarat may be one of the
importance of their contribution towards
worst-hit States by swine flu this year,
reducing pollution by not bursting harmful fire
with 242 deaths recorded so far, many
crackers during Diwali.
other States are also reeling under the
· NHAI launches mobile App MyFASTag impact of the virus.
and FASTag Partner Rajasthan, Punjab and even Delhi have
not been spared of the H1N1 influenza,
Ö The National Highways Authority of India
with several deaths being reported from
launched two mobile Apps namely
these States.
MyFASTag and FASTag Partner in New
Delhi, to facilitate the availability of FASTags Gk bit – Swine Flu
for Electronic Toll Collection.
Ö Swine influenza is an infection caused by any
Ö MyFASTag is a consumer App can be one of several types of swine influenza
downloaded from the App Store for both viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or
Android and iOS systems. swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) is any
strain of the influenza family of viruses that is
Ö FASTag Partner is a merchant App agencies endemic in pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV
like Common Services Centre, banking strains include influenza C and the subtypes
partners, and vehicle dealers can sell and of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2,
enroll FASTag through this App. H2N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.
Gk bit –FASTag Ö Transmission of the virus from pigs to
humans is not common and does not always
Ö FASTag is a simple to use, reloadable tag lead to human flu, often resulting only in the
which enables automatic deduction of toll production of antibodies in the blood. If
charges and lets you pass through the toll transmission does cause human flu, it is
plaza without stopping for the cash transac- called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular
tion. FASTag is linked to a prepaid account exposure to pigs are at increased risk of
from which the applicable toll amount is swine flu infection.
deducted. The tag employs Radio-fre-
quency Identification (RFID) technol- Ö The most common cause of death is respira-
ogy and is affixed on the vehicle’s tory failure. Other causes of death are
windscreen after the tag account is active. pneumonia (leading to sepsis) high fever
(leading to neurological problems), dehydra-
Ö FASTag is a perfect solution for a hassle tion (from excessive vomiting and diarrhea),
free trip on national highways. FASTag is electrolyte imbalance and kidney failure.
presently operational at 180 toll plazas Fatalities are more likely in young children
across national and state highways. More toll and the elderly.
plazas will be brought under the FASTag
program in the future. · NHRC issues notice on Rohingyas
Ö FASTag has a validity of 5 years and after Ö The National Human Rights Com-
purchasing it, only need to recharge/ top up mission issued a notice to the Union
the FASTag as per your requirement.
90
 Ministry of Home Affairs over the between the Ministries of Road
planned deportation of about 40,000 Transport and Highways as well as
Rohingya immigrants from Myanmar, Petroleum and Natural Gas.
asking for a detailed report within four
weeks. Ö A larger four-bedded ambu-
lance with medical recovery
Ö While stopping short of com- systems that can save lives within
menting on the plan, the NHRC the ‘golden hour’ will be placed
highlighted the Supreme Court’s every 100 km of highway lengths in
decisions that say the Right to Life seven States to begin with: Tamil
and Personal Liberty under Article Nadu, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar
21 of the Constitution apply to all, Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and
irrespective of their citizenship. Maharashtra.
Ö All toll plaza planes will be RFID
Ö It observed that its intervention [Radio-frequency identification] tags-
in the matter was appropriate given enabled by October 31.
the potential implication on the
human rights of the Rohingyas. · Climate change to lower GDP by 1.5%
annually due to crop yield decline.
Ö The NHRC said that though
India was not a signatory to the Ö The parliamentary standing commit-
1951 Convention on Refugees and tee on agriculture has underlined that
the 1967 Protocol, it was a signa- there are evidences of negative impact of
tory to many United Nations and climate change on wheat and paddy
world conventions on human rights. yield across the country, including
Punjab and Haryana, which would hit
· India’s roads to be safer, greener under
1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP)
new NHAI plans every year.

Ö National Highways Authority Ö Significant negative impacts have

of India (NHAI) set to roll out an been projected with medium-term
‘incident management system’. (2010-2039) climate change, eg. yield
Under this, ambulances will be reduction by 4.5 to 9%, depending on
stationed every 50 kilometres to be the magnitude and distribution of warm-
able to respond to any mishap ing. Since agriculture makes up roughly
within 15 minutes of it being 15% of India’s GDP, a 4.5 to 9.0%
reported on a national accident negative impact on production implies
helpline. cost of climate change to be roughly at
1.5% of GDP per year.
Ö A greener drive is also likely
for road users. Trucks running on · Government plans to reduce the number
CNG will be able to hit the high- of PSU banks to 10--15.
ways without worrying about their
fuel tank’s range. Compressed Ö India is looking to reduce the number of
Natural Gas (CNG) fuel stations state-run banks to 10 to 15, more than what
will come up within wayside was envisaged earlier, through a series of
amenities on highways as part of a mergers and acquisitions so that none of the
proposal now under discussion banks become too big to fail, said Sanjeev
91
 Sanyal, principal economic adviser at the ovulatory process, removing an ovum or
finance ministry. ova (egg or eggs) from the woman’s ovaries
and letting sperm fertilise them in a liquid in
Ö The consolidation of the struggling state-run a laboratory. The fertilised egg (zygote)
banks, which have about a 70% market undergoes embryo culture for 2–6 days,
share and account for more than 80% of the and is then transferred to the same or
bad loans in the Indian banking system, is another woman’s uterus, with the intention
aimed at building scale and bolstering their of establishing a successful pregnancy.
risk-taking ability. The government hopes
that this, along with measures such as capital Ö The first successful birth of a child after IVF
infusions in weak banks, will trigger a treatment, Louise Brown, occurred in 1978.
revival.
Ö India’s first test tube baby was
Ö Under the Indradhanush scheme introduced Kanupriya Agarwal.
in 2015, the government had agreed to
infuse 70,000 crore in state-run lenders · IIT entrance exam to go completely
over four years. They were to receive online from 2018.
10,000 crore each in 2017-18 and the
following year. The government has so far Ö The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for
proposed to infuse 8,586 crore in 10 public the prestigious Indian Institute of Technol-
sector banks this year, subject to the ogy (IIT) will go completely online from
recipient banks meeting stringent require- 2018.
ments for improving their health.
Ö In a statement, IIT-Madras Director and
· India’s first calf born to surrogate cow JAB Chairman Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi
in Pune decided that the JEE Advanced will be
conducted in online mode from 2018
Ö India’s first calf delivered by a surrogate or onwards.
recipient cow through In Vitro
Fertilisation (IVF) technology carried out Ö Union Human Resource Development
in a mobile laboratory in Pune. Ministry had earlier introduced the option of
taking the JEE-Mains online.
Ö This is for first time IVF procedure was
successfully implemented at the farm level Ö The JEE-Mains is the entrance examination
with the help of mobile laboratory. for admission to engineering courses offered
across the country and a qualifying exam for
Ö The purpose of producing surrogate calf was JEE-Advanced which is required for
to protect indigenous cow breeds in its admission to the prestigious IITs and NITs.
original form which have been destroyed
due to cross-breeding. · “Swasth Bachche
Swasth Bharat” Programme launched by
Gk bit - In vitro fertilisation govt.
Ö In vitro fertilisation (or fertilization; IVF) Ö The Union Ministry of
is a process of fertilisation where an egg is Human Resource Development (HRD)
combined with sperm outside the body, in Prakash Javadekar launched ‘Swasth
vitro (“in glass”). The process involves Bachche, Swasth Bharat’ Programme.
monitoring and stimulating a woman’s

92
Ö The programme is an ini- Ö It will digitize data re-
tiative of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan lated to FIR registration, investigation and
(KVS) to prepare a physical Health and Fit- charge sheets in all police stations.
ness Profile Card for more than 12 lakhs.
Ö It would help in develop-
Ö It aims to provide a com- ing a national database of crime and criminals
prehensive and inclusive report card for chil-
dren covering all age groups and children of Ö Physical police verifica-
different abilities. tion for a passport will not be needed from
next year as the Centre is planning to connect
Ö Swasth Bachche, Swasth the procedure with the Crime and Criminal
Bharat programme will provide a comprehen- Tracking Network and Systems, CCTNS.
sive and inclusive report card for children cov-
ering all age groups and children of different · Karnataka Govern-
abilities. Making students, teachers and par- ment launches clouding seeding Project
ents aware about the importance of good health “Varshadhari”.
and fitness and encouraging 60 minutes of play
each day is an objective of the programme. Ö Karnataka Government
launched clouding seeding Project
Varshadhari in Bengaluru under which an air-
craft will spray chemicals to induce rainfall.
· Union Government
launches digital police portal under Ö It aims to condense small
CCTNS. water particles by clouds (size less than 10
microns) to droplets of 50 microns, which can
Ö The Union Ministry of constitute rains.
Home Affairs Shri Rajnath Singh launched digi-
tal police portal under Crime and Criminal Ö Cloud seeding (also
Tracking Network and Systems Project known as weather modification technique) is
(CCTNS). an artificial way to induce moisture in the clouds
so as to cause a rainfall.
Ö The portal is a smart po-
licing initiative of the Government to provide Ö The cloud seeding project
services to citizens and aid efficient police in- is an experimental project that will cover
vestigation. Bengaluru, Gadag and Yadgir districts of the
state.
Ö It is a portal of a platform
for citizens to file online crime related com- Gk bit – Cloud seeding
plaints and also request for antecedent verifi-
cation. Ö Cloud seeding is an arti-
ficial way of inducing moisture in the clouds to
Ö CCTNS aims to integrate cause rainfall.
all the data and records of crime into a Core
Application Software (CAS), which is pres- Ö It is the process of
ently spreading across 29 states and 7 union spreading either dry ice, or more commonly,
territories of India. silver iodide aerosols, into the upper part of
clouds to try to stimulate the precipitation pro-
cess and form rain.

93
· Telangana CM nomi- Ö Triple talaq is the practice under which a
nated for Agriculture Leadership Award Muslim man can divorce his wife by simply
2017. uttering “talaq” three times.It is prevalent
among India’s Muslim community majority of
Ö Telangana Chief Minister whom follow the Hanafi Islamic school of
Chandrashekhar Rao has been nominated for law.
the Agriculture Leadership Award 2017 by the
Indian Council of Food and Agriculture. Ö This mode of divorce is not universal among
Muslims across the world, as many other
Ö Telangana Government Islamic schools of thought prefer the divorce
under Rao’s visionary leadership, launched a process to be deferred, in many cases over a
number of schemes that have created far period of three months.
reaching impact on the rural sector and the
touched the lives of millions of farmers, said a Ö The government has cited the example of
statement. many predominantly Muslim countries,
including Pakistan, that have banned
Ö Agriculture Leadership triple talaq.
Award were instituted in 2008 for recognising
excellence and leadership role played by indi- Ö The issue has attracted media attention in the
viduals and organizations towards the devel- past two years since
opment of Indian agriculture and bringing about
rural prosperity. a Muslim organisation, Bharatiya Muslim
Mahila Andolan (BMMA), launched a
Ö The Award would be pre- campaign to ban triple talaq and “nikah
sented on September 5 during the 10th Glo- halala” - a practice where divorced women,
bal Agriculture Leadership Summit at Taj Pal- in case they want to go back to their first
ace, New Delhi. husbands, have to consummate a second
marriage.
· Triple talaq declared illegal by supreme
court. Ö All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB), a non-governmental
Ö Triple talaq, the controversial Muslim
organisation that aims to educate Muslims on
divorce law that allows men to leave their
the protection and application of Islamic
wives immediately by uttering “talaq”
laws, has opposed the move to ban triple
(divorce) thrice, has been banned by the
talaq and polygamy
Supreme Court, which today called it illegal,
retrograde and unworthy. Calling the prac- · NITI Aayog to launch “Mentor India”
tice “bad in law”, a constitution bench of five Campaign
judges said that triple talaq “is not integral
to religious practice and violates constitu- Ö NITI Aayog will launch the Mentor India
tional morality”. Campaign, a strategic nation building initia-
tive to engage leaders who can guide and
Ö Triple talaq is legal for Muslims according to mentor students at more than 900 Atal
the constitution, but several Muslim women Tinkering Labs, established across the
who have been divorced, including by Skype country as a part of the Atal Innovation
and on WhatsApp, had challenged the Mission.
1400-year-old practice.

Gk bit – Triple Talaq

94
Ö Mentor India is aimed at maximizing the Devendra - Para AthleteShri Sardar Singh –
impact of Atal Tinkering Labs, possibly the Hockey
biggest disruption in formal education
2. Dronacharya Awards 2017 The
globally. The idea is to engage leaders who
Dronacharya Awards 2017 are won by Late Dr.
will nurture and guide students in the Atal
R. Gandhi - AthleticsMr. Heera Nand Kataria -
Tinkering Labs. These labs are non-pre-
KabaddiMr. G.S.S.V. Prasad - Badminton
scriptive by nature, and mentors are ex-
(Lifetime) Mr. Brij Bhushan Mohanty - Boxing
pected to be enablers rather than instructors.
(Lifetime)Mr. P.A. Raphel - Hockey (Life-
Ö Atal Tinkering Labs are dedicated works time) Mr. Sanjoy Chakraverthy - Shooting
spaces where students from Class 6th to (Lifetime) Mr. Roshan Lal - Wrestling (Life-
Class 12th learn innovation skills and de- time)3. Arjuna Awards 2017The Arjuna
velop ideas that will go on to transform Awards 2017 are won by Ms. V.J. Surekha -
India. The labs are powered to acquaint ArcheryMs. Khushbir Kaur - AthleticsMr.
students with state-of-the-art equipment Arokia Rajiv - AthleticsMs. Prasanthi Singh -
such as 3D printers, robotics & electronics BasketballSub. LaishramDebendro Singh -
development tools, Internet of things & BoxingMr. CheteshwarPujara - CricketMs.
sensors etc. Harmanpreet Kaur - CricketMs.
OinamBembem Devi - FootballMr. S.S.P.
Ö NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission is Chawrasia - GolfMr. S.V. Sunil - HockeyMr.
among one of the flagship programs of the Jasvir Singh - KabaddiMr. P. N. Prakash -
Government of India to promote innovation ShootingMr. A. Amalraj - Table TennisMr.
and entrepreneurship in the country to set up SakethMyneni - TennisMr. SatyawartKadian -
the Atal Tinkering Labs across the country. WrestlingMr. Mariyappan - Para-AthleteMr.
The Mission has / is in the process of setting Varun Singh Bhati - Para-Athlete.4. Dhyan
up 900+ such labs across India and aims to Chand AwardThe Dhyan Chand Award 2017
have 2,000 such labs by end of 2017. are won by Mr. Bhupender Singh -
AthleticsMr. Syed Shahid Hakim -
· National Sports Awards 2017 FootballMs. Sumarai Tete - Hockey.

Ö The Union Government announced Na- · Govt finalizes new cadre policy of
tional Sports Awards every year to recog- IAS,IPS,IFOS.
nize and reward excellence in sports in India.
Ö A new policy for cadre allocation has been
Ö These awards include Rajiv Gandhi Khel finalised by the Central government for
Ratna Award, Dronacharya Award, Arjuna Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian
Award, Dhyan Chand Award, Maulana Abul Police Service (IPS) and other officers,
Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy. aimed at ensuring “national integration” in the
country’s top bureaucracy.
Ö The awardees will receive their awards from
the President of India at a specially orga- Ö Officers of all-India services—the IAS, IPS
nized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on and Indian Forest Service (IFS)—will have
August 29. to choose cadres from a set of zones instead
of states.
Ö The awards and the winners are

1. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2017The Rajiv Ö The officers of the three services are at
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2017 are won byShri present allocated a cadre state or a set of
states to work in. They may be posted on
95
 central deputation during the course of their Right to freedom of religion, Cultural and
service after fulfilling certain eligibility condi- Educational rights, and Right to constitutional
tions. remedies are the 6 fundamental rights of
India.
Ö The existing 26 cadres have been divided
into five zones in the new policy proposed · OBC Creamy layer limit has been
by the ministry of personnel, public griev- increased.
ances and pensions.
Ö The Union Cabinet also increased the
Ö Zone-I has seven cadres—AGMUT (also “creamy layer” ceiling for the Other Back-
known as Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram ward Classes to 8 lakh per annum from the
and Union Territories), Jammu and Kashmir, existing 6 lakh for Central government jobs.
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, This means that the umbrella of reservation is
Rajasthan and Haryana. widened and those earning up to 8 lakh per
annum would now get the benefits.
Ö Zone-II consists of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand and Odisha. Sub categorization in Other backward castes

Ö Zone-III comprises Gujarat, Maharashtra, Ö To create ‘quota within quota’, the Union
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting
up of a commission to examine the matter of
Ö Zone-IV comprises West Bengal, Sikkim, sub-categorisation of Other Backward
Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Classes (OBCs). The commission has been
Nagaland. mandated to submit is report within 12
weeks from the date of appointment of the
Ö Zone-V will have Telangana, Andhra chairperson.
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
Kerala. Ö The commission, to be set up under Article
340 of the Constitution, will identify the
· Supreme Court declares Right to
respective castes/communities/sub-castes/
Privacy as Fundamental Right. synonyms in the Central list and classify them
into sub-categories.
Ö The Supreme Court of India pronounced
that individual privacy is a fundamental Ö It noted that 10 States — Andhra Pradesh,
right protected by the Constitution. Telangana, Puducherry, Karnataka,
Ö A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar,
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu – had already
Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India
carried out sub-categorization of OBCs.
J.S. Khehar ruled that the right to privacy is
intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under
Article 21, and comes to the various funda- · Union Cabinet renames SAMPADA
mental freedoms in PART III of the Indian Scheme as PMKSY
Constitution. Ö The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
approved the renaming of the new Central
Ö With this now India has total seven funda-
Sector Scheme- SAMPADA (Scheme for
mental rights. Agro-Marine Processing and Development
of Agro-Processing Clusters) as “Pradhan
Ö The Fundamental rights are Right to equality,
Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)”
Right to freedom, Right against exploitation,
96
 for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with a traditional military ceremony held at the na-
the 14th Finance Commission cycle. val base,Kochi.

Ö The new scheme was approved by the Ö The ceremony was presided over by Inspec-
Central Government in the month of May. tor General K R Nautiyal, Commander,
Coast Guard Region (West).
Ö The objective of PMKSY is to supplement
agriculture, modernize processing and Ö ICGS Varuna was fourth of its series, known
decrease Agri-Waste. as Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and built
by Mazagaon Dock, Mumbai.
Ö The implementation of PMKSY will result in
creation of modern infrastructure with
efficient supply chain management from farm
· Odisha Government launches Rooftop
gate to retail outlet.
Solar Project.
Ö It will provide a big boost to the growth of
Ö Odisha Government launched a grid-
food processing sector in the country. connected rooftop solar programme
Ö It will help in providing better prices to through the net-metering system at the State
Secretariat in the capital city of
farmers and is a big step towards doubling of
Bhubaneshwar.
farmers’ income.
Ö The program mainly aims at harnessing
Ö It will create huge employment opportunities
renewable solar capacity through people’s
especially in the rural areas.
participation to further strengthen the grid
· Karnataka ties up with Microsoft to and reduce power losses.
develop India’s first Farm Price Forecast-
Ö The program is being implemented by
ing Model
Odisha Renewable Energy Develop-
ment Agency (OREDA)
Ö Karnataka Government signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
· Union Government told to examine
with software giant Microsoft India to
GM crops impact before rollout decision.
develop a unique price forecasting
model. Ö The Parliamentary Standing Committee
Ö The proposed initiative is claimed to be has recommended that no Genetically
Modified (GM) crop should be
the first-of-its-kind in the country.
introduced unless the biosafety and
Ö The farm price forecasting model will use socio economic desirability is evaluated
latest IT tools in a bid to help farmers, in a transparent process.
administrators, and other stakeholders to
Ö The recommendation was made by the
understand market behavior.
department-related parliamentary
· Coast Guard Ship ‘Varuna’ Decommis- standing committee on science and
sioned. technology and environment and forest.

Ö Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Varuna’ decommis- Ö The Committee also recommended that
sioned with full armed forces honours after an the Environment Ministry (MoEFCC)
illustrious service spanning about 30 years, in
97
 should examine the impact of GM crops under a single roof and work closely with
regularly. states as more and more Indians are going
abroad for employment, education, business
· Andhra Pradesh First to Implement and tourism.
Bharat QR Digital Payments.
Ö Andhra Pradesh’s Eastern Power Distribution · Union Government notifies Banking
Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Regulation Amendment Act.
Power Distribution Corporation of AP Ltd
Ö The Union Government notified the
(SPDCL) have become the first state-owned
Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act,
distribution companies in India to accept pay-
2017.
ments through Bharat QR, the world’s first
interoperable quick response code acceptance Ö The Parliament approved the Banking
solution launched by the Reserve Bank of In- Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017
dia. which replaced an ordinance in this
Ö The Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp project is an regard.
initiative spearheaded by the Government of Ö It empowers the Central government to
Andhra Pradesh and Visa, to develop authorize the Reserve Bank of India
Visakhapatnam into India’s first “less–cash” (RBI) to direct banking companies to
city. resolve specific stressed assets.
Ö Bharat QR is a secure, network-agnostic Ö The RBI had identified 12 accounts each
interface that enables customers to use their having more than Rs. 5000 crore of
smartphones to make payments without outstanding loans and accounting for
divulging information like card numbers and 25% of total NPAs of banks for referral
CVV. for resolution under the bankruptcy law.
The bulk of the NPAs are in various
· MEA to Inaugurate First Videsh Bhavan
sectors including power, steel, road
in Mumbai
infrastructure and textiles.
Ö The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has
decided to integrate all its offices in · India win U-15 SAFF Football Champi-
Maharashtra into a single building – the “Videsh onship
Bhavan” - for effective management of its en-
Ö India football team won the South Asian
gagement with the State Government of
Football Federation (SAFF) Under-15
Maharashtra.
Championship at the ANFA Complex.
Ö Four offices of MEA in Mumbai, namely, (i)
Ö Bangladesh’s Foysal Ahmed declared as
Passport Office, (ii) Office of the Protector
the top scorer of the tournament.
of Emigrants, (iii) Office of the Regional
Director of ICCR, and (iv) Branch Secre- Ö India’s Vikram Pratap Singh was chosen
tariat of MEA, will be integrated and will be as the Best player of the tournament.
functioning from the newly constructed
“Videsh Bhavan”. · P V Sindhu Won Silver at World Badmin-
Ö The pilot project of the Videsh Bhavan of ton Championship 2017
Mumbai is part of the Centre’s policy to
bring together different offices of the MEA
98
Ö PV Sindhu won the Silver medal in Ö He assumes office following the retire-
World Badminton Championship 2017. ment of Justice J.S. Khehar.

Ö She got defeated by Japan’s Nozomi Ö He will have a tenure of about 14

Okuhara. months until October 2, 2018.

Ö For India, it still is a historic edition Ö Born in 1953, 63-year-old Misra joined
since for the first time country’s shuttler the bar in 1977 and began his judicial
are returning with two medals. career at the Orissa high court as an
additional judge in 1996.
Ö Saina Nehwal won a bronze in the same
tournament. Ö Misra also headed the bench that upheld
the death sentence awarded in the
· Raghuram Rajan Pens Book ‘I Do Nirbhaya gang rape case.
What I Do’.
Ö He has also played an active role in the
Ö Raghuram Rajan is all set to publish a crackdown on child pornography
book ‘I Do What I Do’about his tenure websites.
as Governor of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) where he explains economic GK bit- CJI
concepts and talks of issues like toler-
Ö Article 124 of the Constitution of India
ance and connection between political
provides for the manner of appointing
freedom and prosperity.
judges to the Supreme Court.
Ö The book is a collection of essays and
Ö Once appointed, the Chief Justice
speeches during his stint as RBI head.
remains in s office until the age of 65
Ö This is not Mr. Rajan’s first book. He years. He can be removed only through
co-authored “Saving Capitalism from a process of impeachment by Parlia-
the Capitalists” with Luigi Zingales and ment.
wrote “Fault Lines: How Hidden Frac-
tures Still Threaten the World Ö H.J. Kania was the first chief justice of
Economy”, for which he was awarded India.
the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs
Ö Justice Chandrachud (88) was the
prize for best business book.
country’s longest-serving Chief Justice,
having served in that office between
· Dipak Misra Sworn in as Chief Justice
1978 and 1985.
of India

Ö Justice Dipak Misra was sworn in as the

· Vice President to launch Sports Talent
45th Chief Justice of India. Portal on August 28

Ö At a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall Ö Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu
of Rashtrapati Bhawan, President will officially launch the Sports
Ramnath Kovind administered the oath Ministry’s much- awaited National
of office to Mr. Misra. Sports Talent Search Portal at the Indira
Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on August
28.

99
Ö The portal will provide a three step
simple process for registration, profile
creation and upload of achievements. · Union Government to launch Deep
Ocean Mission
Ö It will be available in English and other
regional languages so that it is easier for Ö The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences
any boy or girl who is talented in a (MoES) is going to launch Deep Ocean
particular sport to upload his or her Mission by January 2018 to spur research
achievements from any part of the activities in ocean science.
country.
Ö The proposed inter-ministerial and interdis-
· Jammu and Kashmir Government to Set ciplinary project aims to explore and
Up First Eco-Park harness mineral resources beneath the
ocean floor.
Ö The Jammu and Kashmir Government
decided to build an Eco-Park on over 34 Ö India has 7,500 km of coastline and 2.4
acres of land reclaimed from encroach- million square km of exclusive economic
ers in the state’s Rajouri district. zone (EEZ). The oceans along Indian
peninsula contain enormous opportunities.
Ö The park is a first-of-its-kind project in
the region. · Vice President Launches ‘National
Sports Talent Search Portal’.
Ö It will have a botanical garden, a cactus
garden, a cafeteria and other amenities. Ö The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu
launched the National Sports Talent Search
Ö Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed is the present Portal, a Government initiative to unearth
CM of Jammu and Kashmir. sporting talent from every nook and corner
of the country.
· NPCI Approves Spice Digital’s Opera-
tion Under Bharat Bill Payment System Ö Under the initiative, a child or his parents,
teachers or coaches can upload his bio data
Ö The National Payments Corporation of or video on the portal.
India (NPCI) has given a nod to Spice
Digital Ltd. for processing bill payments Ö The Sports ministry will select talented
under the Bharat Bill Payment System players and impart training to them at
(BBPS) as a Bharat Bill Payment Oper- Sports Authority India centres.
ating Unit (BBPOU).
Ö The ministry also decided to introduce
Ö The BBPS through its centralised bill 1000 scholarships of Rs 5 lakh each for
payment system will allow the users to eight years.
use a single website or outlet to pay all
their monthly or repetitive bills such as · Nitasha Biswas Crowned First Miss
mobile phone and electricity. TransQueen India

Ö Spice Digital forayed into FinTech space Ö Nitasha Biswas, a trans woman from
three years ago. Today, SDL’s Spice Kolkata was crowned the first Miss
Money is India’s leading India stack TransQueen India.
based FinTech Company.
100
 Ö The competition was held in Gurugram, surface surveillance, threat alert and fire
Haryana. Biswas is currently pursuing control.
Masters in Business Management in
Kolkata, West Bengal. Ö Public sector BDL is the missile production
agency for the three armed forces.
Ö On the other hand, Manipur’s Loiloi was
crowned the first runner-up. Biswas will · Gobindobhog Rice Gets Geographical
now go to Thailand for Miss International Indication Status
Queen, while Loiloi will compete at Miss
Ö Gobindobhog rice,a speciality from
Transsexual Australia.
Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got
the geographical indication (GI) status.
· 29 August: National Sports Day
Ö The region of Burdwan (now divided into
Ö National Sports day is celebrated on 29th the districts of east and west Burdwan) is
august every year to mark the birthday of known as the rice bowl of Bengal.
Dhyan Chand.
Ö As a result of getting the GI tag, as the
Ö On this occasion, President Ram Nath certification is also called, rice from other
Kovind will give away the sports Awards. A regions or rice of other varieties cannot be
total of 29 players have been selected to branded as ‘Gobindobhog’.
receive the honours from President.
Gk bit - Geographical Indication (GI)
Ö The President will confer Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna Award, Arjuna Award and Ö GI tag is an insignia on products having a
Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati unique geographical origin and evolution
Bhawan. over centuries with regards to its special
quality or reputation attributes.
Ö The Khel Ratna Award is honoured for the
players’ spectacular and most outstanding Ö It is covered as an element of intellectual
performance in the field of sports over a property rights (IPRs) under Paris Conven-
period of four years at international level. tion for the Protection of Industrial Prop-
The Arjuna Awards are given to recognize erty. At international level, GI is governed
outstanding achievement in National sports by WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related
while the Dronacharya Award is sports Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
coaching honour. (TRIPS).

· Arun Jaitley delivered LRSAM to Ö Darjeeling tea was the first product to
Indian Navy accord with GI tag in India.

Ö Defence Minister Arun Jaitley handed over · Jammu and Kashmir gets Rs 200 crore
the Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile funds under AMRUT mission
(LRSAM) jointly developed by India and
Ö Jammu and Kashmir got Rs 200 crore
Israel, to the Indian Navy, at Bharat Dy-
namics Ltd (BDL) here. funds allocated for the winter capital of
Jammu under the Atal Mission for Rejuve-
Ö LRSAM is an advanced combat suit for nation and Urban Transformation
missile defence against air targets and (AMRUT).
missiles, and has full capabilities of air and
101
 Ö Under AMRUT, Rs 206.15 crore funds Ujjivan Financial Services Limited
have been allocated for Jammu, covering included in the second scheduled to the
the sectors like urban transport, green RBI Act 1934 on 30th Aug 2017.
spaces, drainage, and sewerage.
Ö This grants the ‘Scheduled Bank’
· After Kalpana Chawla, Jalseen Kaur status to Ujjivan Small Finance Bank’
Josan becomes 2nd Indian woman to fly from the date of notification.
for NASA’s Mars Mission
Ö Currently, Ujjivan SFB has 65 full-
Ö Jaslin Kaur Josan becomes the first Indian fledged brick and mortar branches in
Sikh woman to be selected by NASA for eight states and two Union Territories.
the Mars Expedition happening in 2030.
Ö This status will enhance the market
Ö After Kalpana Chawla, Jasleen Kaur Josan acceptability of the bank in its effort to
becomes the 2nd Indian Women and first garner institutional deposits at a com-
Sikh women to be selected by NASA for petitive price and participate more
the Mars Expedition happening in 2030. actively in the inter-bank market. It also
opens the door for issuing Certificates
Ö The mission called the Orion Mission will of Deposits (CDs), which will be an
be the first man mission to the red planet important source of funding.
and candidates were selected from around
the world. · Shri Rajiv Gauba takes over as Union
Home Secretary
· Finance Minister Arun Jaitley an-
nounced GST earnings cross target in Ö Shri Rajiv Gauba, IAS (Jharkhand
maiden month Rs 92,283 crore collected in cadre-1982 batch) took over as
July Secretary to the Government of India
in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ö The Goods and Services tax (GST)
launched on 1 July got off to a good start Ö Mr. Gauba joined the Ministry of
with collections exceeding the revenue Home Affairs as Officer on Special
target for the first month. Duty on June 27, 2017.

Ö Overall the tax collected is Rs 14,894 crore Ö He took charge as the Union Home
as Central GST, Rs 22,722 crore as State Secretary upon the superannuation of
GST and Rs 47,469 crore as Integrated Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.
GST.
· Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail
Ö According to the Finance Minister Arun receives 2016 Saraswati Samman.
Jaitley, taxes worth Rs 92,283 crore were
collected in July from just 64.42 per cent of Ö Eminent Konkani writer
the total taxpayer base. Mahabaleshwar Sail (74) was be-
stowed with prestigious Saraswati
· Ujjivan SFB receives scheduled bank Samman 2016.
status from Reserve Bank of India.
Ö He was awarded for his novel
Ö Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) “Hawthan” portraits about cultural
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of lives of traditional pottery community in
Goa.
102
 Ö The award comprises of plaque and status, especially among women and chil-
a cash prize of Rs.15 lakh by Union dren. As per NFHS-4 the level of under-
minister for commerce and industry weight has decreased by 6.8% and is
Nirmala Sitharaman an event held in stunting by 9.6%. Level of anaemia has
New Delhi. decreased by 11% as compared to NNHS-
3 figures.
Gk bit – Saraswati Samman
· ISRO’s IRNSS-1H Launch has failed
Ö Saraswati Samman is an annual
award bestowed upon Indian citizen for Ö ISRO launched the IRNSS-1H into orbit us-
his outstanding literary work writ- ing the PSLV C39 rocket, but failed. IRNSS-
ten in any 22 Indian language 1H is India’s 8th navigation satellite in the
mentioned in Schedule VIII of Consti- IRNSS series.
tution and published during last 10
years. The award has been named after Ö This happened after the heat shield failed to
Indian goddess of learning Saraswati. separate in the fourth stage. The satellite had
blasted off in the Polar Satellite Launch Ve-
Ö It is considered one of the highest hicle from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The
literary awards in India. It was estab- launch took place from the Second Launch
lished in 1991 by the KK Birla Foun- Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Cen-
dation. It carries cash prize of 15 lakh tre (SDSC) SHAR.
rupees, a citation and a plaque of
goddess Saraswati. Harivansh Rai Ö IRNSS is a part of NavIC or Navigation In-
Bachchan was first recipient of this dian Constellation. NavIC is designed to pro-
award for his autobiography published vide accurate position information service to
in four volumes. users in India as well as a region extending up
to 1500 km from its boundary.
· National Nutrition Week :1st to 7th
September · Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as Comptrol-
ler and Auditor General of India
Ö The National Nutrition Week will be ob-
served throughout the country from 1st to Ö Senior IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi appointed
7th September. The theme of the National as the next Comptroller and Auditor
Nutrition Week for 2017 is “Optimal Infant General (CAG) of India.He succeeds
& Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Shashi Kant Sharma.
Child Health”. The basic objective of this
annual event is to intensify awareness Ö Mehrishi is IAS Officer of 1978 batch and
generation on the importance of nutrition for belonged to Rajasthan cadre.
health which has an impact on development,
productivity, economic growth and ultimately Ö He has a degree in business administration
National development. from Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow.
He also did BA (History) and MA (History)
Ö As, improving the nutritional status of the from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.
population is imperative for National Devel-
Gk bit- CAG
opment. Under nutrition in young children
continues to be a major public health prob-
lem in India. The NFHS4 has not shown an Ö The CAG is mentioned in the Constitution of
encouraging improvement in the nutritional India under Article 148 – 151.

103
 Ö The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the Parliament with a two-thirds majority in both
same status as a judge of Supreme Court of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the
India in Indian order of precedence. grounds of proven misbehavior or incapacity.

Ö His tenure period is 6 years or up to age Ö Monitor and Control of all elections to the
of 65 years, whichever earlier. local government bodies(panchayat, munici-
pality etc) vest with the State Election
Ö Removal of CAG is as difficult and similar to Commissions as envisaged in Article
removal of a Supreme Court Judge. CAG is 243K and Article 243ZA of the Constitu-
not be eligible for any office under GOI tion of India.
post-retirement.
Ö Election commission of india comprises
Ö CAG suggests the account keeping of union 3 members, One Chief Election Commis-
and state with the approval of president. sioner and two additional Commissioners.

Ö The CAG is also the head of the Indian Sunil Arora is 22nd Election commissioner of
Audit and Accounts Department, the affairs india.
of which are managed by officers of Indian
1st Election commissioner of India was
Audit and Accounts Service, and has over
Sukumar Sen.
58,000 employees across the country.
· Railways to rename trains after famous
Ö 1st CAG of India was V. Narahari Rao
literary works
Ö Rajiv Mehrishi is 13th CAG of India
Ö The Railways Ministry is looking at a
proposal to rename trains after famous
· Sunil Arora appointed as Election literary works, referencing not just their
Commissioner of India authors, but the region they come from.

Ö The Union Government appointed former Ö So, passengers travelling to West

Information and Broadcasting secretary Bengal could soon board a train named
Sunil Arora (61) as Election Commissioner. after a novel by Mahashweta Devi and
a train ride to Bihar could reference a
Ö He will have a tenure of four years in the work by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
Election Commission. Ö The Indian Railways also launched the Deen
Ö His appointment comes after former CEC Dayalu coaches to commemorate
Upadhyaya.
Nasim Zaidi’s retirement in July 2017.

Gk bit- Election Commission of India Ö The railways is a secular integrating factor in

(ECI) the country and the names of the trains can
be used to showcase varied cultural identi-
Ö The Election Commission operates under the ties.
authority of Constitution per Article 324,
and subsequently enacted Representation of · Union Minister launches scheme for
the People Act. senior citizens belonging to BPL category

Ö The Chief Election Commissioner of India Ö Union Minister for Social Justice and Empow-
can be removed from his office by the erment, Thaawarchand Gehlot has launched a
104
 scheme that provides for physical aids and · New list of Cabinet ministers and their
assisted-living devices for senior citizens be- portfolios
longing to the BPL category in Gujarat.
Ö List of ministers and their portfolios are given
Ö This ambitious scheme, is expected to benefit belowShri Piyush Goyal - Union Railway
5, 20,000 senior citizens over a period of three Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman - Union
years. Defence MinisterShri Nitin Jairam Gadkari -
Union Minister of Road Transport and High-
Ö The centrally-sponsored scheme, ‘Rashtriya ways; Shipping; and Water Resources, River
Vayoshri Yojana’, was unveiled on April 1 this Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.Shri
year and since then it has already been launched Suresh Prabhu - Union Minister of Com-
in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and merce and Industry.Shri D.V. Sadananda
Maharashtra. Gowda - Union Minister of Statistics and
Programme Implementation.Smt. Uma
Ö Under the scheme, devices will be distributed
Bharati - Union Minister of Drinking Water
to senior citizens free of cost.
and Sanitation.Shri Dharmendra Pradhan -
· Rajiv Gauba is new Home Secretary Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas;
and Skill Development and
Ö Senior IAS officer Rajiv Gauba took charge Entrepreneurship.Shri Alphons
as the Union Home Secretary after incum- Kannanthanam - Union Minister of tourism;
bent Rajiv Mehrishi superannuated and Electronics and Information Technology.

Ö Nine new members were inducted into

Ö A 1982 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand
Council of Ministers of NDA Government led
cadre, Mr. Gauba will have a fixed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent
two-year tenure.
reshuffle. The aim of reshuffle was to reinforce
Ö Mr. Gauba served as Officer on 4Ps — passion, proficiency, professional and
Special Duty in the Home Ministry political acumen in Government.
since June 27 after his name was Hardeep Singh Puri: Minister of State (Inde-
announced as the new Home Secre- pendent Charge) Ministry of Housing and
tary. Urban Affairs.
· Jammu and Kashmir Government to
introduce ‘electric buses’ in Srinagar Satya Pal Singh: MoS Human Resource
Development and MoS Water Resources,
Ö The Jammu and Kashmir Government River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
introduces the electric buses for two cities of
Shiv Pratap Shukla: MoS Finance Ministry.
Srinagar and Jammu under the Atal Mission for
Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation Raj Kumar Singh: MoS (Independent
(AMRUT) scheme. Charge) of Ministry of Power; and MoS
(Independent Charge) of Ministry of New and
Ö It is done with an aim to curb pollution in Renewable Energy
these two cities which were recently declared
‘smart cities’. Virendra Kumar: MoS in Ministry of Women
and Child Development; and MoS in Ministry
Ö Introduction of ‘electric buses’ would help of Minority Affairs
in making the environment healthy and also in
providing a trustworthy public transport.
105
 Anantkumar Hegde: MoS in Ministry of Skill · Govt announces email service for
Development and Entrepreneurship. officials in English, Hindi
· Nirmala Sitharaman: India’s first full
Ö The government today announced email
time woman Defence Minister.
service for its 5 million personnels in English and
Ö Nirmala Sitharaman (58) became first full Hindi in accordance with the email policy.
time woman Defence Minister of India after she
Ö The email policy bars the government
was promoted to the Union Cabinet. She takes
employees from using private email services due
charge of the crucial ministry from Union
to security reasons.
Finacne Minister Arun Jaitley.
Ö The primary domain for English email id will
Ö Ms Sitharaman is second woman to become (at)gov (dot)in and for Hindi email id it will be
Defence Minister of India. First was former sarkar(dot)bharat in Hindi script.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was holding
additional portfolio as Defence Minister from Ö The announcement from MEITY comes
1980-82. about 10 days after Rajasthangovernment
launched first email service for residents in the
· Government drops plan to protect state.
transgender labour rights
Prakriti Khoj’ an Environment Quiz on
Ö The NDA government has dropped Teachers’ Day
plans to recognise transgender persons as The Union Environment Ministry launched
the ‘third gender’ in the country’s labour an environmental awareness initiative on the
law framework. occasion of Teachers’ Day.Under the
In 2014, the Supreme Court had for the initiative, an online environmental quiz compe-
first time recognised transgender persons tition named Prakriti Khoj will be conducted
as the ‘third gender’ and asked the at the national level.The main objective of the
Centre and the States to give them equal quiz is to generate interest among school
opportunities in education and employ- children about the science related to the
ment. environment.The initiative is to motivate
children towards environment conserva-
Ö But now this reform, part of the tion-oriented lifestyles.
Labour Ministry’s draft law to codify
5 September: National Teachers Day.The
wages and aimed at protecting
National Teachers Day is observed every
transgender workers from discrimination,
year on 5th September in India to commemo-
has been shelved following reservations
rate birthday of country’s first Vice President
expressed by the Law Ministry.
and second President Dr Sarvepalli
Ö The Wages Code Bill was drafted Radhakrishnan...
under an exercise to rationalise the
country’s 44 labour laws into four codes Surya Kiran: 12th Indo-Nepal joint Military
covering all the regulations pertaining to exercise startedThe 12th edition of India-
wages, industrial relations, social security Nepal joint military exercise- Surya Kiran XII
and safety, and health and working was held at Nepal Army Battle School (NABS)
conditions. in Saljhandi, Nepal. The 14 day exercise (from
3 to 16 September 2017) focused on skills

106
required counter-terrorism and counter- about the importance of Intellectual Property
terror, forest fighting and natural disaster Rights.It is a sign used on products that have
management operations. The Surya Kiran a specific geographical origin and possess
series of bilateral military exercises are qualities or a reputation that are due to that
conducted bi-annually, alternatively in India origin.The promotion of GIs is in line with the
and Nepal. It is largest exercise in terms of Government’s ‘Make in India’
troop’s participation in series of military campaign.It’s an area of strength and opti-
training exercises undertaken by India with mism for India, whereby the GI tag accorded
various countries.CBDT signs four Advance protection to a number of hand-made and
Pricing Agreement manufactured products, especially in the
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered informal sector.
into four more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs),
pertaining to sectors like telecom, banking, manufac- President inaugurated Link-4 of SAUNI
turing and education in August 2017.The bilateral Scheme in Rajkot
APA was for international transactions between an President Ramnath Kovind will laid the foundation
Indian company and UK-based company.The stone for the link - 4 of Saurashtra Narmada
scheme of CBDT aims to provide certainty to Avataran Irrigation Scheme -SAUNI- Yojana in
taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by Rajkot district. The project launched by Prime
specifying methods of pricing. Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as Chief
Minister of Gujarat aims to fill up 115 major dams by
Gk bit – Advanced Price Agreement (APA) diverting overflow of water from the Sardar Sarovar
An APA is a contract, usually for multiple years, Dam on Narmada River.Three phase of SAUNI
between a taxpayer and at least one tax authority Yojana already dedicated to the people following
specifying the pricing method that the taxpayer will completion of the work.
apply to its related-company transactions. These · NHAI awarded its First International
programmes are designed to help taxpayers volun- Project in Myanmar to Punj Lloyd-Varaha.
tarily resolve actual or potential transfer pricing
disputes in a proactive, cooperative manner, as an Ö The National Highway Authority of India
alternative to the traditional examination process awarded its first international project in
Myanmar to a joint venture of Punj Lloyd-
APAs are generally bi- or multilateral—i.e. they also
Varaha.
include agreements between the taxpayer and one or
more foreign tax administrations under the authority Ö This is for the up gradation of the Yagyi–
of the mutual agreement procedure (MAP) specified Kalewa section in Myanmar to two lanes
in income tax treaties with the earthen shoulder in the engineering,
procurement, and construction mode.
CIPAM-DIPP launches social media campaign
to promote Geographical Indications Ö Punj Lloyd Varaha’s bid was identified as
The Cell for IPR Promotions & Management the most competitive among four qualified
(CIPAM) under the aegis of Department of bidders. It was at Rs. 1,177 crores.
Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP),
· NITI Aayog launches National Nutri-
Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched
tion Strategy.
a social media campaign to promote Indian
Geographical Indications (GIs) with Ö The National Institution for Transforming
#LetsTalkIP an ongoing movement initiated India also called NITI Aayog launched the
by CIPAM to make more people aware
107
 National Nutrition Strategy aimed at · IPL Media Rights To Star India
Kuposhan Mukt Bharat.
Ö Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights for
Ö It intends at bringing nutrition to the center- the next five years have been awarded to Star
stage of the National Development Agenda. India.
Ö It enables states to make strategic choices, Ö Star India won the bid held in Mumbai for vari-
through decentralized planning and local ous media rights of the league at Rs. 16,347.50
innovation, with accountability for nutrition crorefor the period of 2018 – 2022.
outcomes.
Ö For each IPL match BCCI will get Rs. 55 crore
· Health Ministry launches two new compared to Rs. 43 crore for each interna-
contraceptives tional match that India plays.
Ö The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Ö Media rights consist of TV and digital rights
has launched two new contraceptives, an for various segments namely India, Middle
injectable contraceptive MPA under the East, Africa, Europe and America.
‘Antara’ programme and a contraceptive
pill, ‘Chhaya’, in the public health system Ö The previous bid was won by Sony in 2008
to expand the basket of contraceptive for 10 years at Rs. 8200 crore.
choices to meet the emerging needs of
couples. the ‘Antara’ injectable being · Vice president launched Diksha Portal
effective for three months and the ‘Chayya’
pill for one week. Ö VP Naidu launched DIKSHA, a national
digital infrastructure for teachers.
Ö The contraceptives, which are available for
free in medical colleges and district hospi- Ö Through this portal, all teachers across
tals at present, have so far been launched in nation will be equipped with advanced digital
the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, technology. Key facts Diksha portal will
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in
Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Delhi and realm of teacher education. It will aid
Goa. teachers to learn and train themselves for
which assessment resources will be avail-
Ö To help improve the supply and distribution able.
of contraceptives, the Ministry had recently
launched a new software, Family Planning Ö The portal will help teachers boost their
Logistics Management Information System teaching skills and create their own separate
(FP-LMIS), designed to provide robust profile with their skills and knowledge.
information on the demand and distribution
· HDFC Bank listed in Domestic Sys-
of contraceptives to health facilities and
temically Important Banks.
ASHAs.
Ö The Reserve Bank of India listed HDFC
Ö The main objective of the Mission Parivar
Bank as a domestic systemically important
Vikas family planning initiative is to bring
bank (DSIB) under the bucketing structure
down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to
identified last year.
2.1, which is when the population starts
stabilizing, by the year 2025. Ö The additional Common Equity Tier 1
(CET1) requirement for D-SIBs already
108
 been phased-in from April 1, 2016, and will Ö The theme of UNESCO for the year 2017 is
become fully effective from April 1, 2019. ‘Literacy in a digital world’.

Ö The requirement will be in addition to the Ö This year it is 51st International Literacy
capital conservation buffer. Day.
Gk bit – DSIB
Ö The main aim is to mobilize public opinion in
Ö Systemically important bank or a bank that is favour of struggle against illiteracy.
‘too big to fail’, is one whose failure will have
nationwide or worldwide repercussions. A bank Ö The day was established in 1966 by United
failure is a scenario in which the bank or finan- Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
cial institution is unable to pay its depositors Organization (UNESCO).
or fulfill its financial obligations.
· India’s first Hyperloop to come up in
Ö Systemically important banks are perceived as Andhra Pradesh.
banks that are ‘Too Big To Fail (TBTF)’.
Ö India’s first Hyperloop project will come up
Ö RBI choose these banks as DSIBs Primarily in Andhra Pradesh connecting its city cen-
because of their size. The RBI uses a method- tres, Vijayawada and Amaravati.
ology to determine whether a bank is systemi-
cally important or not on the basis of its size, Ö Andhra Pradesh Economic Development
inter-connectedness, substitutability and com- Board (APEDB) inked a memorandum of
plexity. Such banks have been termed as do- understanding (MoU) with Hyperloop
mestic-systemically important banks (D-SIB). Transportation Technologies (HTT) for
developing the project.
· Nestle Sets up First Food Safety Insti-
tute in India. Ö Hyperloop Technology is brainchild idea of
technology entrepreneur Elon Musk who
Ö The new Food Safety and Standards dubs it as the fifth mode of transportation.
Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan
Kumar Agarwal inaugurated the Nestle Ö It is a system of magnetically levitating
Food Safety Institute in Manesar, capsules (pods) that are sent at high speeds
Gurugram.The partnerships with private through low-pressure tubes.
parties on food safety and standards are an
imperative for FSSAI.It is an effort to · India’s Sonam wins Gold in Cadet World
implement a first world regulatory ecosystem Wrestling Championship
in India.The company is working with Nestle
India for setting up the institute at Manesar. Ö India’s Sonam 43 kilogram weight cat-
egory wins Gold in Cadet World Wrestling
· International Literacy Day is observed Championship.
on September 8th
Ö Wrestler Neelam also bagged Bronze Medal
Ö The International Literacy Day (ILD) is in the 43-kilogram weight category.
being observed every year on 8 September
to emphasize the importance of literacy to Ö Meanwhile, Four other wrestlers Simran,
individuals, society. Manisha, Minakshi, Karuna will also fight for
Bronze Medal in different weight categories.

109
· Nagaland to implement DBT under Ö A total of 200 ATMs will be set up to reach
MGNREGA. a targetted 150,000 people. In the first
phase 50 water ATMs will be
Ö Nagaland starts implementing Direct Benefit operationalised by 2018.
Transfer (DBT) under Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act · Assam Govt signs MoU with Google to
(MGNREGA) beginning from the current increase digital literacy across 26,000
financial year. villages.

Ö Presently, 46,894 active MGNREGA Ö Assam Government signed a Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) with Google India,
workers have opened their bank accounts
to provide Internet connection to 26,000
linked with Aadhar and are ready for DBT.
villages and 1,500 tea garden areas in
Ö A total of 1.79 lakh MGNREGA workers Assam to increase digital literacy.
have been verified with Aadhar and being Ö Information Technology Secretary Nitin
processed for an opening bank account. Khare and Google India Country Head
(Policy) Chetan Krishnaswami signed the
Ö Currently, there is 4.25 lakh active job cards
Memorandum of Understanding in the
with 5.82 lakh active MGNREGA workers
presence of Assam Chief Minister
in the state.
Sarbananda Sonowal.
· Union Govt to launch School Chalo
· Successful Flight Test of 3rd Generation
Abhiyan to enrol 80 lakh kids
Anti Tank Guided Missile – NAG
Ö Government will undertake a programme
Ö India’s indigenously developed 3rd generation
known as ‘school chalo abhiyan’from
Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), Nag has
2018 to enrol “70-80 lakh” students in India
been successfully flight tested twice by DRDO
who are out of schools.
against two different targets in the ranges of
Ö Union Human Resource Development Rajasthan.
Minister Prakash Javadekar announced it
Ö The ATGM Nag missile has successfully hit
at the celebration of 51st International
both the targets under different ranges and
Literacy Day-2017.
conditions with very high accuracy as desired
· In Hyderabad, First water ATM inaugu- by the Armed Forces.
rated at Nalgonda X Roads
Ö With these two successful flight trials, and the
Ö Telangana State Home Minister Naini flight test conducted earlier in June in the peak
Narasimha Reddy has inaugurated ‘Any of summer, the complete functionality of Nag
Time Water’ kiosk, known as water ATM ATGM along with launcher system NAMICA
near Nalgonda X Roads which is joint has been established and marked the successful
initiative of Safe Water Network, an interna- completion of development trials of Nag Mis-
tional NGO and Greater Hyderabad Munici- sile.
pal Corporation (GHMC).
· Bharat Petroleum set to get Maharatna
Ö Purified water will be made available at a status
payment of 2 per litre and 20 per 20 litres
Ö State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation
of water.
(BPCL) is all set to become a Maharatna com-
110
 pany. The oil marketing company is at present firms can now decide on investments of up
a Navratna firm. to 15 per cent of their net worth in a project;
the Navaratna companies could invest up to
Ö The decision to elevate BPCL to Maharatna Rs 1,000 crore without explicit government
status was taken by a panel headed by the approval.
Cabinet secretary.
Ö There are currently 7 Maharatnas, 14
Gk bit- Maharatna and Navratna
Navratnas and 53 Miniratnas-I and 16
Ö Maharatna and Navaratna state-owned units Miniratna-II.
operate in strategic fields such as coal, petro- Ö There are multiple factors and criterias for
leum, steel, heavy engineering, power supply,
granting ‘ratna’ status. However, major
telecommunications and transportation ser-
criteria of awarding status are:
vices.
Maharatna
Ö Navratna was the title given originally to 9
Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) identified · Three years with an annual net profit
by the Government of India in 1997 as of over Rs. 2,500 crore
“public sector companies that have com- · Net worth of Rs. 10,000 crore
parative advantages”, giving them greater
autonomy to compete in the global market · Turnover of Rs. 25,000 crore
so as to “support [them] in their drive to
become global giants”. Navratna

Ö PSU companies are divided into three A score of 60 (out of 100), based on
categories: six parameters which include net profit, net
worth, total manpower cost, total cost of
· Maharatna production, cost of services, PBDIT (Profit
Before Depreciation, Interest and Taxes),
· Navratna capital employed, etc.
· Miniratna ( Category 1 and Cat- A company must first be a Miniratna
egory 2) and have 4 independent directors on its
board before it can be made a Navratna.

Miniratna Category-I
Ö Originally, the term Navaratna meant a
talisman or ornament composed of nine Have made profits continuously for the
precious gems. Later, this symbology was last three years or earned a net profit of Rs.
adopted in the courts of Emperor 30 crore or more in one of the three years.
Vikramaditya and the Mughal
emperorAkbar, where the Navaratnas were Miniratna Category-II
a group of nine extraordinary men in their
Have made profits for the last three
respective courts.
years continuously and should have a
Ö In 2009, the government established the positive net worth.
Maharatna status, which raises a The Categorisation entitles the company
company’s investment ceiling from Rs. 1,000 boards to do investments up to a limit
crore to Rs. 5,000 crore. The Maharatna

111
 (depending on the status) without seeking Ö India’s commitment to support Afghanistan
government permission. as a secure, stable, united and prosperous
nation.
Maharatna: up to Rs.1,000 crore –
Rs. 5,000 crore, are free to decide on Ö Both the nations remain united in overcoming
investments up to 15% of their net worth in a challenges posed by cross border terrorism
project. and safe havens and sanctuaries of terrorism.
Navratna: up to Rs. 1,000 crore or · Union Government to host Smart City
15% of their net worth on a single project or
contest with 50 lakh as prize money
30% of their net worth in the whole year (not
exceeding Rs. 1,000 crores). Ö Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry an-
Miniratna-I: up to Rs. 500 crore or nounced a Smart Cities Awards Contest
with a total prize money of 50 lakhs to
equal to their net worth, whichever is lower.
recognise and reward cities and innovative
Miniratna-II: up to Rs. 300 crore or up ideas that promote mission’s goals.
to 50% of their net worth, whichever is
lower. Ö Under the Project Awards category, excel-
lence will be awarded in various categories
such as Improving Governance, Social
Aspects, Culture and Economy, Environment
List of Maharatna impact, Transportation and Mobility and
Water and Sanitation.
1. Coal India Limited
Ö Best performers in each of the categories will
2. Indian Oil Corporation be awarded Rs 5 lakh each.
3. NTPC Limited Ö All projects that will be completed by April
1, 2018, will be eligible for participating in
4. Steel Authority of India limited
the contest.
5. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
· Kochi to host BWF Senior Badminton
6. GAIL (India) Limited World Championships

7. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ö This is the first time in India, Badminton
· India and Afghanistan sign four pacts in World Federation (BWF) World Senior
areas of health and transport Badminton Championship tournament
started in Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium of
Ö External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Kochi which will continue till 17th Septem-
and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan ber.
Salahuddin Rabbani in New Delhi signed
four agreements recently. Ö A total of 175 players will represent India
including Olympians Abhinn Shyam Gupta,
Ö The four agreements were exchanged in Nikhil Kanetkar, and V Diju along with three
areas like health and transport. times Asian Games team bronze medallist
Partho Ganguly and 1982 Asian Games
bronze medallist Leroy D’sa.

112
Ö The President of Badminton Association of Ö FSSAI is a nodal statutory agency respon-
India (BAI) Himanta Biswa Sarma will be sible for protecting and promoting public
hosting BWF tournament. health in India through regulation and super-
vision of food safety.
· National Pension Scheme Upper Age
Limit Raised to 65 · The Project Insights to b launched soon
by Government
Ö The Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA) Ö The Union Finance Ministry is planning to
announced that the upper age limit for joining launch ‘Project Insight’ from October 2017
the National Pension Scheme (NPS) had to monitor high value transactions and detect
been raised to 65 years, from the current tax evaders using technology with a view to
60. curbing circulation of black money.

Ö It is currently open for people between 18 Ö To implement the project government has
and 60, and the Board has approved raising signed contract with Information
the age limit for joining to 65. Technogolgy major L&T Infotect Ltd. The
project will add to list of efforts made by
Ö This aims to open up pensions to sectors government to curb black money like
without pensions. Operation Clean Money’ after
demonetisation, Income Disclosure Scheme,
Ö Currently, only 15-16% of employees in GST implementation, amendment DTAA
India are covered by pensions because with other countries etc.
around 85% of the workforce is in the
unorganized sector. Ö The linking of PAN (Permanent Account
Number) with Aadhaar will be key identifier
· FSSAI launches online platform for food to be used by IT Department to link and
inspection, sampling analyse various transactions relating to tax
payers.
Ö Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) launched ‘FoSCoRIS’, a · India’s first advanced Homoeopathy
nationwide online platform to bring in Virology lab inaugurated in Kolkata
transparency in food safety inspection and
sampling. Ö India’s first state of art virology laboratory
Ö The new system will bring together all key inaugurated at Dr Anjali Chatterjee Regional
stakeholders food businesses, food safety Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata,
officers (FSOs), designated officers, state West Bengal.
food safety commissioners on a nation-wide
IT platform and data related to inspection, Ö The lab plays important in developing new
sampling and test result data will be shared. drugs and technologies in Homoeopathy to
combat emerging challenges of viral diseases.
Ö The system will help to verify compliance
with food safety and hygiene standards by Ö The laboratory is only one of its kind in India
food businesses as per the government for conducting basic and fundamental research
norms. in Homoeopathy for viral diseases like influenza,
dengue.

113
 · Reserve Bank of India introduce Rs 100 Sundarban Biosphere Reserve in Indian
Coin to mark MG Ramachandran’s birth Sundarbans.
centenary
Ö It is part of United Nations Educational,
Ö As per the notification of Finance Ministry, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
the Reserve Bank of India will introduce100 World Heritage site.
rupees coin to mark the birth centenary (hun-
dredth anniversary) of AIADMK founder Late Ö It forms part of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta
Dr. M G Ramachandran. across 9,630 sq. km, distributed among 104
islands.
Ö On the obverse, the face of the coin will bear
Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the center with Ö It has largest tidal halophytic mangrove
Satyamev Jayate inscribed below on it in forest in the world.
Devanagari script.
Ö ZSI is India’s apex organization on animal
Ö On the reverse side, the portrait of Dr. MG taxonomy. It was established in 1916.
Ramachandran will be in the center.
Ö Its main objective is to promote the survey,
Ö The standard weight of the coin will be 35 exploration, research, and documentation on
grams. various aspects of animal taxonomy in the Indian
subcontinent.
· Kerala to open India’s first transgender-
exclusive clinics · Sachin Tendulkar launches project to
develop the poorest ward in Mumbai
Ö Kerala opens India’s first transgender-
exclusive clinics at government medical colleges Ö Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on
across the state. Tuesday launched Mission-24 a programme
aimed at improving the quality of life in one of
Ö They are planning to open Transgender Mumbai’s poorest wards through collaborative
Clinics in all government medical colleges in the efforts in the next 24 months.
state.
Ö The main aim of the program to provide
Ö They also plan to provide facilities for their basic amenities to residents of M-East ward that
surgery at least in two medical colleges. includes slums of Shivaji Nagar, Deonar and
Mankhurd.
Ö The first clinic will be set up at the govern-
ment medical college of Kottayam within the Ö Through this project, the organisations aim to
next two months and will be one of the first provide amenities like secondary schools and
clinics to provide the sex-change surgery. colleges, Anganwadi’s, maternity homes, health
posts and dispensaries in the ward. It also aims
· ZSI releases first compendium of animal to improve sanitation, create more open spaces
species in Indian Sundarbans and look at computer safety.

Ö Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) published · Mamata’s Cabinet Approves Renaming

first of its kind compendium titled Fauna of of West Bengal to ‘Bangla’

114
Ö The West Bengal government cleared a Ö The event also serves as a patriotic re-
proposal to rename the state ‘Bangla’ and will minder to Indian populations of their common
now send a proposal to the Centre for the name roots and unity.
change.
Ö Hindi Divas is celebrated on 14 Septem-
Ö The Mamata Banerjee government had ber because on this day in 1949, the Constituent
earlier too sent a proposal for the change of Assembly of India had adopted Hindi written in
name, but it was rejected by the central govern- Devanagari script as the official language of the
ment. Republic of India.

Ö The earlier proposal had three different

names for the state. · Haryana to create Wifi zone in all 6,078
Gram Panchayats
Ö TMC members said Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee wants to rename West Bengal because Ö The Haryana council of ministers on
the state figures at the bottom of lists prepared Wednesday decided to create one Wi-Fi zone
in alphabetical order in any official circular of the in all 6,078-gram panchayats within two years
central government. Also, it will help MPs from and provide 4G services in every village in the
the state in the Parliament to raise issues in the next three years.
first half of session.
Ö Under the Haryana Information Technology
Ö If the Parliament clears its, then West
(IT) and Electronic System Design and Manu-
Bengal’s position will be raised to four from 28 facturing (ESDM) Policy-2017 approved by the
currently. cabinet, the state government has promised
broadband connectivity to every household and
· Paytm Partners with NPCI
Wi-Fi zone at important public places in all
towns and cities.
Ö Paytm Payments Bank (PPB) partnered with
the National Payments Corporation of India · Union Government launches Operation
(NPCI) to launch a RuPay-powered digital Insaniyat to help Rohingya refugees in
debit card. Bangladesh

Ö The customers will now be able to transact Ö The Ministry of External Affairs started
at all merchants who accept credit and debit Operation Insaniyat to provided assistance to
cards. Bangladesh in response to the humanitarian
crisis being faced by it due to the large influx of
Ö As a payments bank, PPB can take a Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
demand deposit of up to Rs 1 lakh per cus-
tomer, but it cannot undertake lending activities. Ö Rohingya are a stateless ethnic minority
(mostly Muslim) from Rakhine province of
· National Hindi Divas: 14 September Buddhist-majority Myanmar, who are forced
leave their country.
Ö Hindi Divas is an annual day celebrated on
14 September in India. Ö They are a stateless ethnic minority (mostly
Muslim) from Rakhine province of Buddhist-
115
 majority Myanmar, who are forced leave their · President Ram Nath Kovind to launch
country due to communal violence and repeated
nation wide campaign Swacchata Hi
military operations.
Sewa from Kanpur
· Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Termi- Ö President Ram Nath Kovind will launch a
nal (JNPCT) wins “Container Terminal nation wide campaign Swacchata Hi Sewa
of the Year” Award 2017 from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Ö Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal Ö He will administer nation-wide Swachhta Hi

(JNPCT) was awarded “Container Terminal of Seva pledge initiating parallel action in all the
theYear”Award,inMumbai. two lakh 50 thousand plus Gram
Panchayats and cities in India.
Ö This is the 10th edition of the Gateway
Ö The objective of the campaign is to mobilize
Awards.
people and reinforce the public movement
for sanitation to contribute to Mahatma
Ö The excellent strategies to reduce conges- Gandhi’s dream of a Clean India.
tion, smooth delivery of containers and renova-
tion of infrastructure to carry out a trade even in Ö Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal will launch
unfavourable conditions. program campaign at Connaught Place.

Ö Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is sched-

· Odisha to set up the first Odia
uled to visit a village in Karnataka for
language university Cleanliness Program.
Ö The Odisha government passed a bill to
launch the first-ever Odia language university · Karnataka is the First Indian State to
for post-graduation in literature and Approve e-vehicle Policy
linguistics among other subjects.
Ö Karnataka is the first state to roll out an
Ö The university which will be established in Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy
Bhubaneswar will also devise ways to make that looks not only at boosting sales of
Odia script more adaptable to technology. Electrical Vehicles but also setting up charg-
ing infrastructure and special manufacturing
Ö It mainly aims at making Odia script more zones.
adaptable to computer technology.
Ö Karnataka is looking to attract investments
Ö It would also administer PG courses in to the tune of Rs 31,000 crore from compa-
literary criticism, the evolution of East Indian nies looking at R&D and manufacturing of
language scripts, historical scripts, archaeol- electric vehicles in the state.
ogy, musicology and translation into and
from Odia.
· National Engineers Day - September
15th
Ö The Indian nation celebrates Engineer’s Day
to mark the 156th birth anniversary of Sir
Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, one of
the greatest engineers India produced and a

116
 person behind many iconic constructions in the testing of its UPI payment service and
India. was awaiting Reserve Bank of India’s
approval to launch its service in the country.
Ö He will mark the 49th anniversary of the
Engineers Day in India. Ö Google is looking at launching a payment
service ‘Google Tez’, which will include
Ö He began his career as an Assistant Engineer support for Unified Payments Interface
with Public Works Department (PWD) at (UPI) as well as mobile wallets like Paytm
Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1884 and was and MobiKwik.
later requested to join the Indian Irrigation
Commission. As a Public Works Department
engineer, he accomplished several projects
· IAF successfully conducts development
related to maintenance of public buildings, trials of Astra missile
road construction and laying out city devel- Ö The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully
opments plans in several important towns. conducted developmental trials of indig-
enously developed Astra beyond visual
· Maharashtra Chief Minister launches range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).
Maha Mission 1 Million
Ö Total of seven trials of Astra BVRAAM
Ö Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra conducted in various missions and two of
Fadnavis today launched the ‘Maharashtra them were against Pilotless Target
Mission 1 Million’ initiative under which Aircrafts (PTA) successfully fired.
over 10 lakh students across the state will
play football. Ö It is one of the smallest weapon system
developed by DRDO, having a length of
Ö It is the first time in the country and 3.8-metre and weighing 154kg. It is a single
Maharashtra to support was decided by stage solid fuelled missile.
Tawde.

Ö The entire Maharashtra becomes Pro · India’s First Centre for Animal Law set
football the Mission will not only create up at Hyderabad
football players and lovers of the game but Ö India’s first Centre for Animal Law estab-
will also help in overall development of the lished at the city-based
state. NALSARUniversity of Law.
Ö Under the initiative, the state government Ö Union Minister for Women and Child
aims to ensure that children come out in Development Maneka Gandhi inaugurated
open spaces and play. the centre according to a release issued by
Humane Society International (HSI).
· Google to Launch Mobile Payment
Ö The Centre will create curriculum on animal
Service in India
welfare laws, including developing topics for
Ö Google announced to unveil a digital research.
payment service in India that has been
developed for the local market. Ö It will also conduct workshops on animal
laws and animal welfare issues with judicial
Ö National Payments Corporation of India magistrates, animal welfare advocates, law
(NPCI) stated that Google had completed
117
 enforcement agencies and other stakeholders Ö The theme of the year 2017 is ‘Caring for
in the government. all life under the sun’.

Ö The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas,

· India’s Forex Reserves Top $400 billion
protects the Earth from the harmful portion
for the First Time of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve
Ö According to the Reserve Bank of India life on the planet.
Data, India’s foreign-exchange reserves rose
Ö This year marks the 30th anniversary of the
past $400 billion for the first time ever,
strengthening policy makers’ buffers ahead Montreal Protocol.
of an expected reduction in US stimulus. Ö As part of the anniversary celebrations, the
Ö In the previous week, the reserves increased Ozone Secretariat will launch a communica-
by $3.572 billion to $398.122 billion. tion campaign ahead of World Ozone Day
to be marked on 16 September 2017.
Ö The gold reserves remained unchanged at
· Nation’s first Govt. mobile vet clinics
$20.691 billion.
launched
Ö The special drawing rights with the Interna-
Ö Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar
tional Monetary Fund (IMF) increased by
$14.2 million to $1.520 billion. Rao flagged off a hundred mobile veterinary
clinics for as many Assembly constituencies in
the State.
· India’s First Lithium-Ion Battery Unit in
Gujarat Ö The clinics, like 108 for people which are ser-
viced by GVK-EMRI, will also be aided by
Ö Suzuki Motor invest more than Rs 1,150
the same combination on toll free number 1962.
crore along with Japanese partners Toshiba .
and Denso to set up India’s first lithium-ion
battery facility in Gujarat. Ö Billed as the first in the country, the programme
won the appreciation of former Prime Minis-
Ö The announcement by the parent of the
ter Deve Gowda.
country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki is
a major boost to the government’s ambitious · Salman Khan honoured with Global
vehicle electrification and Make in India Diversity Award
initiatives.
Ö Bollywood star Salman Khan has received a
Ö It will hold half the stake and meanwhile, Global Diversity Award at Britain’s House of
Toshiba will own 40% and Denso the Commons.
remaining 10%.
Ö Salman received the award from Keith Vaz,
· International Day for the Preservation British Parliament’s longest-serving Asian MP.
of the Ozone Layer is observed on Ö Keith Vaz praised Salman Khan for being not
September 16th just a megastar for Indian and world cinema,
Ö The International Day for Preservation of but also someone who has done so much for
Ozone Layer (World Ozone Day) is humanitarian causes.
observed every year on September 16 for
the preservation of the Ozone Layer.
118
· Arjan Singh, India’s first ever IAF · Union Government saved 65,000 crores
Marshal, passes away through Direct Benefit Scheme (DBT)

Ö Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh, Ö Union Human Resource Minister Prakash
one of Independent India’s most celebrated Javadekar informed that Central government
soldiers, passed away in the national capital saved Rs 65,000 crore through Direct
on Saturday. He was 98. Benefit Transfer (DBT) in various public
schemes.
Ö One of the heroes of the 1965 war with Paki-
stan, Arjan Singh became the chief of IAF Ö The Scores of welfare schemes have been
when he was just 44. Born on 15 April 1919, linked to DBT, under which the receivables
in Lyalpur, now called Faisalabad, in today’s are transferred directly to the beneficiary’s
Pakistan, Singh was selected for the Empire bank accounts.
Pilot training course at RAF Cranwell, at the
age of 19 in 1938. Ö The government successfully opened 30
crores Jan Dhan bank accounts and 118
Ö On August 1, 1964, Singh took over as the crore Aadhar numbers have been issued.
Chief of Air Staff (CAS) in the rank of Air
Marshal. · Union Minister Rajnath Singh launched
full-fledged intelligence wing of
Ö After his retirement in July 1969, he was ap- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
pointed Indian ambassador to Switzerland.
Ö The Union Ministry of Home Affairs
· Govt considering its own cryptocurrency launched full-fledged intelligence wing of
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
Ö The Central government is considering a pro-
posal to introduce its cryptocurrency similar Ö The intelligence wing will gather actionable
to Bitcoin. information in a bid to enhance operational
efficiency.
Ö Sources also said the government might name
its cryptocurrency “Lakshmi”. Ö The paramilitary force guards India’s bor-
ders with Bhutan and Nepal which are often
Ö Proposal was discussed by a committee of used by criminals and Kashmiri militants
government officials, and the panel found the returning from Pakistan.
idea of setting up and running blockchain for
financial services useful. Ö Around 650 field and staff agents to gather
actionable information and SSB’s intelligence
Ö A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to wing personnel will be deployed on India-
work as a medium of exchange using cryptog- Nepal and India-Bhutan where there are no
raphy to secure the transactions and to con- restrictions on movement of people on either
trol the creation of additional units of the cur- side due to visa-free regime.
rency.
· BCCI nominates MS Dhoni for Padma
Ö Cryptocurrencies are classified as a subset of Bhushan award
digital currencies.
Ö The Indian cricket board nominated
Ö Bitcoin became the first decentralized Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the country’s
cryptocurrency in 2009.

119
 third highest civilian award the Padma · Union Government to launch mobile app
Bhushan for his contribution to the game. for retiring govt staff
Ö Two World titles (2011 50-over World Cup Ö Union Government will launch a mobile
and 2007 World T20), nearly 10,000 runs, application for central government employ-
90 Test matches. ees to help them to monitor the progress of
their pension settlement cases.
· Zero Hunger Programme to be launched
in October Ö Retired employees will also be able to assess
their superannuation funds and record
Ö India’s ambitious Zero Hunger Programme complaints through the pension calculator.
through interventions in farm sector will be
launched on occasion of World Food Day Ö Minister of State for Public Grievances and
(October 16) with focus on agriculture, Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh will launch the
nutrition and health in a symbiotic manner. app in New Delhi.
The Programme will be initiated by Indian
Council of Agricultural Research Ö He will also inaugurate the first Pension
(ICAR). Adalat.

Ö The programme consists of organisations of · Rs. 5 lakh annual scholarship for

a farming system for nutrition, setting up Athletes under revamped Khelo India
genetic gardens for biofortified plants and programme
initiation of ‘Zero Hunger training.
Ö The Narendra Modi government will invest
Ö The program will be launched in three Rs 1,756 crore for a period of three years
districts namely Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), for the revamping of ‘Khelo India’ scheme,
Koraput (Odisha) and Thane (Maharashtra). which has been taken with twin goals:
Sports For All and Sports For Excel-
· Tripura is the First State to Set Up lence.
Family Welfare Committees
Ö Each athlete selected under this scheme will
Ö Tripura becomes the first state in the
receive an annual scholarship worth Rs 5
country to set up family welfare district lakh for 8 consecutive years.
committees to examine the complaints of
women against their husbands and in-laws Ö Some features of this programme:1. A pan
and find an amicable solution.
India scholarship which will sponsor at least
Ö Tripura High Court is the first high court 1000 athletes across India.2. It will cover
among 24 high courts of the country that has around 200 million children in the age group
of 10-18 under a massive national physical
constituted the family welfare district com-
fitness drive.
mittees.

Ö The new system would be valid for the next · Indias First indigenously built Scorpene
six months and after that National Legal submarine INS Kalvari delivered to
Services Authority (NLSA) would submit Navy
a report of its performance to the apex
Ö The first of the Scorpene class submarines,
court, on the basis of which a new course of
action would be decided. INS Kalvari, was delivered to the Indian

120
 Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders · Rajiv Mehrishi Took Oath as New
Limited (MDL). Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
of India
Ö Kalvari is named after the dreaded Tiger
Ö Former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi took
Shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the
Indian Ocean. over as the Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) of India.
Ö Similarly, other Scorpene class submarines Ö He succeeded Shashi Kant Sharma.
Khanderi and Karanj are undergoing trials
and development. Ö He will have a tenure of about three years.

· Kuldeep Yadav becomes First Indian · India Become World No. 1 in Both ODIs
spinner to take hat trick in ODIs and Tests
Ö Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (22-year- Ö India beat Australia by 5 wickets in the third
old from Kanpur) became the first Indian ODI played between the two sides at
spinner to take a hat-trick in ODI cricket Indore.
during the second match of the ongoing
series against Australia at Eden Gardens, Ö Now India is the no. 1 spot in the Interna-
Kolkata. tional Cricket Council (ICC) One-Day
International (ODI) rankings.
Ö Yadav took the wickets of Matthew Wade,
Ashton Agar and Pat Cummins in consecu- Ö This is India’s ninth consecutive ODI win
tive balls in his eighth over. This was the first while it is Australia 11ts successive defeat.
ODI hat-trick by an Indian in over 26 years.
Ö The three Top three teams in ODI are India,
Ö He becomes the third Indian to achieve this South Africa, and Australia.
feat, after Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma.
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
Ö Yadav had also become the first Indian to launch ‘Power for all’ scheme
take a hat-trick in the U-19 World Cup, Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches
achieving the feat against Scotland in 2014. ‘Power for all’ scheme to mark the birth
anniversary of Pandit Deendayal
· Bollywood film Newton chosen as Upadhyaya.
Indias official entry to Oscars 2018
Ö The scheme is expected to cover all rural
Ö The Rajkummar Rao starrer black comedy families after expected electrification of all
bollywood film ‘Newton’ has been selected villages by December end this year.
as India’s official entry in the Best Foreign
Language Film category at Oscars 2018. Ö He inaugurates Oil and Natural Gas Corpo-
ration Limited (ONGC) new corporate
Ö Directed by Amit V Masurkar. office that was renamed Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyaya Urja Bhawan from Rajiv Gandhi
Ö The Film Federation Of India (FFI) con- Urja Bhawan.
firmed this nomination
Ö The green-building built at a cost of Rs. 600
crore was completed a year ago.

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· Tihar Jail, largest jail in India got its · Govt plans ‘lab on boat’ for analysing
first open air gymnasium Brahmaputra river
Ö Open-air gyms for prisoners has now been
Ö A new project of the Department of
set up in jail number 1 of Tihar in west Delhi,
Biotechnology aims at starting a lab on
which is the largest and the most populated
boat on Bramhaputra river for biological
prison in India with over 14,400 inmates.
analysis of the river system.
Ö This gym is mostly used by elderly prisoners
facing problems, like obesity or arthritis. Ö The ambitious project also proposes to
have multiple mobile laboratories on the
· Union Textiles Minister to inaugurate river and its tributaries along with
VASTRA 2017 providing access to local research
institutions.
Ö The 6th Edition of the 4-day international tex-
tile and apparel fair, ‘VASTRA’ will be orga- Ö The first laboratory under the
nized in Jaipur during September 21 – 24, Bramhaputra Biodiversity Biology Boat
2017 at Jaipur Exhibition and Convention (B4) initiative will cover Pasighat,
Centre (JECC), Sitapura. Dibrugarh, Neemati, Tejpur and
Guwahati in Assam.
Ö The fair will be inaugurated by the Union Min-
ister for Textiles and Information & Broad- Gk bit– Brahmaputra River
casting, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani and Chief Min-
ister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje, on Ö The nearly 3,800 kms long river, one of
September 21, 2017. the longest in the world, traverses three
countries China, India and Bangladesh
Ö The expo is an all-encompassing trade fair and to empty itself in the Bay of Bengal.
conference on Textiles and Apparel which will
present a fusion of the finest and the latest in Ö Its origin is in the Angsi glacier.
textile products – from fiber to fashion, ser-
vices and technology. Ö It flows southwest through the Assam
Valley as Brahmaputra and south
· Multi-Agency Exercise ‘Pralay through Bangladesh as the Jamuna (not
Sahayam’ Held to be mistaken with Yamuna of India). In
the vast Ganges Delta, it merges with
Ö A multi-agency exercise was conducted on the
the Padma, the popular name of the
banks of Hussain Sagar Lake as the final event
river Ganges in Bangladesh, and finally
of ‘Pralay Sahayam’ in Hyderabad.
the Meghna and from here it is known
Ö The event demonstrated efforts of all central as Meghna before emptying into the
and state agencies, National Disaster Relief Bay of Bengal.
Force (NDRF) and the Armed Forces towards
· Neighbourhood Action Plan in cities for
jointly tackling an urban flooding scenario in
better Solid Waste Management
Hyderabad.

Ö The exercise brought out the role and function Ö As people have a better connect with
of the State Emergency Operations in coordi- immediate neighborhood, Minister of
nating conduct of the joint operations. Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep
Singh Puri unveiled ‘My Home-My

122
 Neighborhood’ (Ghar Bi Saaf-Pados Bhi country to provide a platform to master
Saaf) campaign with the following six artisans and craftsmen to display as well
components: sell their products.

Ö Segregation of waste at source Ö The ‘Hunar Haat’ is being organised at

Craft Bazaar, Gandhi Thidal Beach,
Ö Compost making from wet waste within Goubert Avenue and will continue till
the premises/neighbourhood/area. September 30 in which master artisans
from 16 states including Uttar Pradesh,
Ö Recycling of dry waste. West Bengal, New Delhi, Kerala,
Karnataka, Puducherry, Assam, Bihar,
Ö Freeing the neighborhood from open Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and
defecation and open urination. Andhra Pradesh will be showcasing their
traditional talent.
Ö Motivating the residents of neighbor-
hood against throwing garbage in open Ö They prepared an E-Portal to provide
spaces. national as well as international markers
to artisans and craftsmen from across
Ö Adopting a nearby park or open place the country.
for collection and waste segregation.
Ö A data bank of artisans and craftsmen
· SBI to teach bankers from South East will be prepared by this year-end, thou-
Asian countries sands of artisans from various parts of
the country have already been regis-
Ö State Bank of India is planning to throw tered.
open its new banking personnel training
institute for employees of other banks in · State Bank of India Eases Minimum
India and other South East Asian coun- Balance Rules On Savings Accounts
tries.
Ö State Bank of India lowered the Minimum
Ö The institute will impart leadership Average Monthly Balance
training to people in the mid-manage- (MAB)requirement in a savings account to
ment level and above with thrust on risk Rs 3,000 from Rs 5,000 and also revised
mitigation, banking regulation and downwards penalties for not maintaining
technology. such a balance.

Ö The focus will be on action-based and Ö From July 1, tax on banking has been
result-oriented research and capacity revised to 18 percent under Goods and
building, Chairperson Arundhati Services Tax (GST), the new indirect tax
Bhattacharya said. regime.

· Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurates Ö The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed
“Hunar Haat” in Puducherry banks to levy charges on non-maintenance of
minimum balance in normal savings accounts.
Ö Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is working to
establish “Hunar Hub” across the
123
· INS TARASA commissioned into Indian ployment Minister, Shri Santosh Kumar
Navy Gangwar will precide over the conference.
Ö INS Tarasa (T94), the fourth and last ship · An 18 year old from Srinagar becomes
in series of Water Jet Fast Attack Craft an ambassador for Swachhata Hi Seva
(WJFAC) was commissioned into Indian
Navy at Naval Dockyard. Ö Bilal Dar, a young boy from Srinagar has be-
come the brand ambassador for Srinagar Mu-
Ö It is an improved variant of Car Nicobar- nicipal Corporation.
class high-speed offshore patrol vessels
(OPVs) built by Kolkata (West Bengal) Ö Dar has been contributing to the ‘Swachhta
based Garden Reach Shipbuilder. Abhiyan’ since the age of 12.

Ö It is named after the picturesque island in the Ö He found a mention in the Hon’ble Prime
Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in Bay of Minister’s recent Mann Ki Baat.
Bengal.
· Kandla Port renamed as Deendayal
· ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission completes Port
3 years in orbit Ö The Kandla Port one of the top 12 major
Ö Indian Space research Organistaion (ISRO) ports in the country renamed as Deendayal
globally acclaimed Mars Orbiter Mission Port from Monday in the name of Hindutva
(MOM) also known as Mangalyaan com- icon Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
pleted three years in Martian orbit.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this
Ö On the occasion of completion of three year while laying the foundation stone for
years, ISRO released MOM second-year Rs933 crore projects at Kandla Port.
science data from September 24, 2014, to
September 23, 2016. Ö The port’s journey began in 1931 with the
construction of a jetty by Maharao
Ö The main plan designed built and launched Khengarji.
by ISRO in a record period of fewer than
two years in Rs.450 crore ($73 million US) Ö It became the number one port in India and
budget, making it cheapest inter-planetary. created history by handling 100 million
tonnes cargo in a year.
· Rajnath Singh to launch PENCIL Portal
at the National Conference on Child · Patanjali’s Acharya Balkrishna among
Labour Top 10 Richest Indians

Ö PENCIL”: an electronic platform for effective Ö Acharya Balkrishna, the associate of

enforcement for no child labour developed by Baba Ramdev-run FMCG company
Ministry of Labour and Employment is going Patanjaliand Radhakishan Damani of D-
to be launched by Home Minister Shri Rajnath Mart are among the top 10 rich people in
Singh on 26th September 2017 in the National the country.
Conference on Child Labour at Pravasi
Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi. Ö He ranked eighth in the Hurun India rich
list 2017. His position rose to 8th
Ö Nobel Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi will be
the guest of honour while the Labour and Em-
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 position from 25th last year after seeing & “Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt
his wealth grow by 173% (e-NWR) System” in New Delhi.

Ö Patanjali, with a turnover of INR 10,561 Ö Shri Paswan informed that the e-NWRs would
crore in 2016-2017 has been a close have no chances of any tempering, mutilation,
competition to major international fudging, loss or damage and with no possibil-
brands. ity of any multiple financing.

Ö Business Tycoon, Mukesh Ambani, with a Ö Hence, these NWRs will not only facilitate an
net worth of INR 257,900 crore is ranked easy pledge financing by banks and other fi-
first in the list for the sixth consecutive nancial institutions but also smooth trading on
year. various trading centres like commodity ex-
changes, electronic National Agriculture Mar-
· India ranks 40th in Global Competitive-
kets (e-NAM) and other electronic platforms.
ness Index
· Thaawarchand Gehlot launches
Ö India ranks 40th among 137 countries in World
‘Divyang Sarathi’
Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness
Index (GCI) 2017-18 although it is one posi- Ö Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Jus-
tion lower than last year. tice and Empowerment launched the Beta ver-
sion of ‘Divyang Sarathi’
Ö Switzerland continues to be the world’s top
competitive economy, while China (27th) and Ö The accessible and comprehensive mobile
Russia (38th) outshine India among the BRICS application for easy dissemination of informa-
group. tion to ‘Divyangjans.
· Israel to boost ‘White Revolution’ in Ö This mobile application aims at providing all
Haryana relevant information pertaining to the Depart-
ment of Empowerment of Persons with Dis-
Ö The ‘White Revolution’ in Haryana is set to
abilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice
get an Israeli boost.
and Empowerment, including its various acts,
Ö A leading state in milk production, Haryana rules, regulations and guidelines, schemes, in-
would now benefit from the techniques and formation about the various outreach institu-
experience of Israel, leader in milk production tions, employment opportunities, and the dis-
in the world, for increasing the average milk ability market in an accessible format.
production.
Ö This application has been developed by the
Ö The average milk production of milch animals two Assistant Secretaries (Shri Anunaya Jha
in Israel is 32 kg per day and it leads the world and Smt. B. Susheela) in the DEPwD.
in milk production.

· Paswan launches “Electronic Negotiable

Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) System” · Indian Railways to soon introduce
innovative techniques to eliminate rail
Ö Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of Con- accidents
sumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ö Railway Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed
launched the Web Portal of Warehousing De- that innovative techniques are soon being
velopment and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) introduced to eliminate rail accidents.
125
Ö It includes revamping the existing signaling · National Tourism Award 2017
system by use of TPWS - Train Protection
and Warning System and MTRC, Mobile Ö Hall of fame award for Best State / UT Com-
Train Radio Communication. prehensive Development of Tourism: Gujarat
and Madhya Pradesh
Ö The electrification of rail tracks will be
completed by next 4-5 years. Ö Swachhta Award: Telangana
Ö This will lead to savings in energy costs over Ö Best Maintained and Disabled Friendly Monu-
10,000 crores while reducing pollution and ment: Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad,
dependence on imported diesel. Telangana
· CARA launches monthly “Jan Ö Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station: Ujjain
Sampark” Program to facilitate adoption Railway Station, Madhya Pradesh
Ö The Central Adoption Resource Authority Ö Best Heritege City: Chanderi and Warangal
(CARA) of the Ministry of Women & Child
Development has started a monthly “Jan Ö Best Tourist Guide: K Kasinath Rao,
Sampark” program to enable the public to have Telangana
interaction with its officials and staff for seek-
ing information related to Adoption as well as Ö Excellence in Publishing – Hindi: 8?98M%
flagging their concerns. 2016

Ö The first of its kind programme was held in Ö Excellence in Publishing – English: “The Heart
New Delhi. Nearly 150 Prospective Adop- of Incredible India” (Coffee Table Book) by
tive Parents (PAPs), Adoptive Parents and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board
representatives of agencies participated in the
session, which lasted for more than four hours. · Union Cabinet approves umbrella
· President Ram Nath Kovind launches scheme of Modernisation of Police
‘Adopt a Heritage’ project Forces
Ö The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind launched the Minister Shri Narendra Modi given its
‘Adopt a Heritage’ initiative on World Tour- approval for implementation of umbrella
ism Day, under which heritage sites will be scheme of “Modernisation of Police
entrusted to public and private enterprises and Forces (MPF)” for years 2017-18 to
individuals for maintenance. 2019-20.
Ö The initiative — launched along with ‘Incred- Ö The financial outlay for the scheme over the
ible India 2.0 Campaign’ — is an attempt to three year’s period is Rs.25,060 crore, out
boost Indian tourism with “greater focus on of which the Central Government share will
digital presence and social media”. be Rs.18,636 crore and the States’ share
will be Rs.6,424 crore.
Ö Under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Project, those
entrusted with the development of tourist Ö The central budget outlay of Rs.10,132
amenities at the adopted sites would be known crore earmarked for internal security related
as ‘Monument Mitras’. expenditure for Jammu & Kashmir, the

126
 North Eastern States and left-wing extrem- · Srinagar and Raipur Airports awarded
ism affected States. as Best Airports
Ö It provides for setting up of State-of-Art Ö The Airports Authority of India’s Srinagar In-
forensic science laboratory in Amravati, ternational Airport, Jammu & Kashmir and
Andhra Pradesh and up gradation of Sardar Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur,
Patel Global Centre for Security, Counter- Chhattisgarh have been jointly conferred with
Terrorism and Anti-Insurgency in Jaipur and the prestigious National Tourism Awards
Gujarat Forensic Science University in 2015-16.
Gandhi Nagar.
Ö The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind,
· India International Science Festival presented the award for Best Airport under
2017 ‘rest of India’ category at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi on the occasion of World Tourism
Ö The Ministry of Science and Technology, Min- Day on 27th September, 2017.
istry of Earth Sciences, and Vijnana Bharati
(VIBHA) have come together to organize The
· India Jumps to 14th Rank as Best
India International Science Festival (IISF) ev-
Country for Expats HSBC Survey
ery year, since 2015 to encourage scientific
temper among the masses and showcasing In- Ö According to the HSBC survey, India
dian contribution in the field of S&T over the placed at global rankings by 12 places to
years. take the 14th spot in terms of best coun-
try for expats to live and work.
Ö The previous two editions of IISF held at New
Delhi have been a great success. Ö The list is part of HSBC’s latest ‘expat
explorer survey’ that covered 27,587 expats
Ö The 3rd edition of IISF 2017 will be held in from 159 countries and territories in March
Chennai during 13-16 October, 2017 at vari- and April 2017.
ous venues.
Ö About 71 percent expats in India reported
Ö Emphasizing the role of technologies and in- high levels of confidence in the local
novation, India has declared 2010-20 as the economy, while 58 percent exuded optimism
‘Decade of Innovation’. on political stability.
· ADB to increase annual lending to India
· Maharashtra Government Signs MoU
to $4 billion
with South Korea
Ö The Asian Development Bank said it will in- Ö The Maharashtra government signed a
crease its annual lending to India to a maxi- MoU with South Korea for increased co-
mum of $4 billion between 2018 and 2022 to operation in infrastructure projects like
help fasten inclusive economic transformation development of smart cities, roads, airports,
towards upper middle income status. and metros on the first day of Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis’ visit to that country.
Ö The new lending programme, which includes
private sector operations, is much higher than Ö It helps with implementation strategy, legal
the average $2.65 billion a year in loans ex- systems, policies, technologies and informa-
tended during 2012 and 2016 tion in infrastructure development. Fadnavis

127
 embarked on a three-day tour to South ment) Rules 2017 to prohibit range of
Korea and activities in wetlands.

Ö Wetland is transitional land between terres-

· Veteran actor Tom Alter dies at 67 trial and aquatic ecosystems where the water
table is usually at or near the surface or it
Ö Veteran film, television and theatre actor and
may be land covered by shallow water.
Padma Shri Tom Alter died at aged 67. Alter
acted in over 300 movies apart from numer- Ö There are 115 wetlands officially identified
ous TV shows, most famously as the gang- by Central Government and of those 26 are
ster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera identified as wetlands of international impor-
Junoon which ran for a record five years tance under Ramsar Convention (an interna-
during the 1990s. tional intergovernmental treaty for the
conservation of wetlands to which India is a
Ö In addition to acting, Alter also ventured into
party).
direction and was a sports journalist in the
80s and 90s. Alter has written three books,
· President Ram Nath Kovind appoints
one non-fiction, and two fiction, and in 2008
five new state Governors
was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by
the Indian government in recognition for his Ö President Ram Nath Kovind appointed
services to the field of arts and cinema. five new Governors for the states of
Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu,
· Union Government finalising Electoral Assam, and Meghalaya.
Bonds Scheme
Ö Brig. (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) as the Gover-
Ö The Union Government is finalizing electoral nor of Arunachal Pradesh.
bonds scheme in order to bring greater
transparency in the funding of political Ö Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Bihar.
parties.
Ö Banwarilal Purohit as the Governor of Tamil
Ö The scheme was announced in 2017-18. Nadu.
Ö According to Association for Democratic Ö Prof Jagdish Mukhi as the Governor of
Reforms (ADR), most political parties use Assam.
lax regime on donations to accept cash
donations from anonymous sources. Ö Ganga Prasad as the Governor of
Meghalaya.
Ö Nearly 70% of Rs.11,300 crore in party
funding over an 11-year period came from Ö Devendra Kumar Joshi as the Governor of
unknown sources. Andaman & Nicobar islands.

· Union Government notifies Wetland · Union Government Keeps Interest

(Conservation and Management) Rules Rates Unchanged on Small Savings
2017 Schemes
Ö The Ministry of Environment, Forests Ö The Small Saving Schemes like PPF, Kisan
and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi for
new Wetland (Conservation and Manage- October-December quarter. Investments in
the Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme will

128
 fetch annual rate of 7.8 percent while Kisan Samadhi for which over 11 million pilgrims are
Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield expected from around the world.
7.5 percent and mature in 115 months.
Ö The small town in western Maharashtra is a
Ö The one for girl child savings, Sukanya world-famous pilgrim spot for the ‘samadhi’
Samriddhi Account Scheme will offer 8.3 temple of a 20th century saint, known as
percent annually. Saibaba, who is revered by all communities.

Ö Similarly, the investment on 5-year Senior · MCI to give Unique Permanent Regis-
Citizens Savings Scheme will yield 8.3 tration Number to all doctors
percent.
Ö The Medical Council of India has written to
· India opens two border crossing points the country’s largest body of doctors to help
with Myanmar, Bangladesh digitise India’s registry of doctors through a
unique registration number similar to
Ö India has opened two immigration check posts AADHAAR as part of its ongoing e-gover-
along the borders with Myanmar and nance initiative.
Bangladesh, a reflection of its growing close-
ness with the two eastern neighbours. Ö The move is expected to help doctors prac-
tice in different States without seeking differ-
Ö The home ministry said the central government ent licences across borders.
has designated Zorinpui land check post in
Lawngtlai district of Mizoram as an authorised · Bhopal set to become first state capital
immigration check post for entry into or exit to get trans toilet
from India with valid travel documents for all
classes of passengers to or from Myanmar. Ö Over five months after the union government
asked all states to allow transgender people
Ö In a separate notification, the ministry said the
to use any public toilet of their choice, Bhopal
central government designated Kawrpuichhuah is set to become the first state capital to come
land check post in Lunglei district of Mizoram up with an exclusive toilet for the transgender
as an authorised immigration check post for community.
entry into or exit from India with valid travel
documents for all classes of passengers to or Ö It will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Shivraj
from Bangladesh. Singh Chouhan.

· President Kovind inaugurates Shirdi Ö In April this year, the union ministry of drinking
Airport water and sanitation had issued guidelines to
state governments to put in efforts to make
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the people from the transgender community feel
swank new Shirdi Airport in Ahmednagar and as equal citizens.
the inaugural Alliance Air commercial flight to
Mumbai. · Meenakshi temple wins swachh award

Ö The inauguration of the airport, developed by Ö The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in
Maharashtra Airport Development Corpora- Madurai has been adjudged the cleanest iconic
tion (MADC), also marks the start of the year- place in the country under Swachhta Hi Seva
long centenary celebrations of Shri Saibaba (cleanliness is service) programme.

129
Ö The temple earned the top slot from among OBC communities can also access the
10 iconic places selected under the Swachh benefits of reservation for educational
Bharath Mission in the country. institutions and government jobs.

Ö Dedicated to Meenakshi, an incarnation of Ö The Commission will examine the extent of

Parvati, and her consort Sundareswar, an in- inequitable distribution of benefits of reser-
carnation of Shiva, the temple was adjudged vation among the castes or communities
the Best Swachh Iconic Place from a formi- included in the broad category of OBCs
dable list of contenders that included the Taj with reference to such classes included in
Mahal, Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the Golden the Central List.
Temple, Tirupathi temple and Sri Vaishno Devi
temple. · Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates
Pratham-Shyok bridge in Leh
· GIFT City’s IFSC Bags 10th Place in Ö Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugu-
Global Financial Centres Index rated the Pratham-Shyok bridge that will link
Ö Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Leh to Karakoram, providing connectivity on
(GIFT City)’s International Financial the strategically important Darbuk-Shyok-
Services Centre (IFSC) bagged the 10th Daulat Beg Olde axis for military transport.
spot in the latest edition of Global Finan-
cial Centres Index (GFCI), London. Ö The bridge is a major development on the
Shyok Gong river which will enhance travel of
Ö The rank is tenth ahead of Luxembourg, locals as well as the Army in this strategic re-
Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Toronto and Beijing in gion.
the list of the GFCI report, which has 15
centers that are likely to become more Ö It will increase travel and communication for
significant in the next few years. strategic transport, the Minister said.

Ö GIFT is operational with approximately 10 · The third edition of ‘Women of India

leading banks, 8 insurance companies, and Organic Festival’
participating brokers, and 2 International
Ö To celebrate and promote women entrepre-
Exchanges (India INX and NSE IFSC)
neurs and farmers in the organic sector from
along with around 100 capital market
across India, the Ministry of Women and Child
players have established their base at GIFT
Development is hosting the 3rd annual
IFSC.
‘Women of India Organic Festival’ from Oc-
tober 1st to 15th, 2017, in New Delhi.
· President Ram Nath Kovind appoints
Commission to examine sub- Ö Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Union Minister
categorisation of Other Backward for Women and Child Development, inaugu-
Classes rated the festival in the presence of Shri
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind appointed a Virendra Kumar, Minister of State, Ministry
Commission to examine the sub-categoriza- of Women and Child Development, on Octo-
tion of the Other Backward Classes ber 1 at Dilli Haat (INA).
(OBCs).
Ö With the theme ‘Good for Women; Good for
Ö The sub-categorization of the OBCs will India; Good for You’, the Ministry intends to
ensure that the more backward among the highlight the health and environmental advan-

130
 tages of organic goods, provide a platform for lactating women in rural areas, at Vidhan
women engaged in it and boost the develop- Soudha, in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
ment of sustainable and easily accessible sales
outlets for women producers from the remot- Ö The ‘Mathru Purna’ scheme, aims at
est corners of India. providing pregnant and lactating poor
women in rural areas with one nutritious
· First US Crude Oil Shipment Arrives in meal daily, for 25 days in a month.
Paradip
Ö A full meal of rice, dal with vegetables or
Ö The first United States crude oil cargo of sambar, one boiled egg, and 200ml of milk,
1(point)6 million barrels bought by Indian will be given to pregnant women, through
Oil Corporation from the US reached anganwadis.
Paradip Port, Odisha.
Ö It benefits around 12 lakh women.The food
Ö Indian Oil became the first Indian public will be provided for 15 months, from the
sector refiner to source US crude has start of pregnancy to six months after
placed a cumulative order 3.9 million barrel delivery.
from the US.
· Indian Railways announced No service
Ö They will process the crude at its East- charge on train e-tickets till March
Coast base refineries, located at Paradip, 2018
Haldia, Barauni and Bongaigaon.
Ö The Union Government waived service
· National Highways Authority of India charges in November last year after de-
(NHAI) launches new website and PMIS monetization to encourage digital modes of
Mobile App booking.

Ö The Chairman of National Highways Ö The facility had been extended from June
Authority of India Shri Deepak Kumar 30 and then to September 30.
launched a world-class, new multilingual
website of the organization. Ö The Railway Board directed Indian Rail-
way Catering and Tourism Corporation
Ö He also launched a Project Monitoring (IRCTC) that the benefits be extended till
Information System (PMIS) Moblie App March next year.
that will facilitate close, in-house monitoring
of NHAI projects on a mobile phone. Ö The Service charges on booking train
tickets online through IRCTC ranges from
Ö The system is now digitally monitoring them Rs 20 to 40 per ticket.
through a state-of-the-art Project Monitor-
ing Information System (PMIS) which has · Union Government launches SECURE
been developed in-house along with The Himalaya Project
Boston Consulting Group.
Ö The Union Government launched SE-
· Karnataka launches ‘Mathru Purna’ CURE Himalaya, a six-year project to
scheme for pregnant women ensure conservation of locally and globally
significant biodiversity and land.
Ö Karnataka Chief Minister Mr.Siddaramaiah
launched ‘Mathru Poorna’ scheme, for
the nutritional wellness of pregnant and
131
Ö The Himalayan ecosystem spread over four competitive bidding conducted by Solar
states namely Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
· From Oct 31, speed past toll booths, pay
Ö The system was launched by Union Minis- tax later
try of Environment, Forests and Cli-
mate Change (MoEFCC)in association Ö The Union road transport and highways
with the United Nations Development ministry’s much-hyped Electronic Toll
Programme (UNDP). Collection (ETC), which will allow commut-
ers to travel seamlessly on highways without
· Ministry of Health adjudged best for having to wait in long queues to pay a toll
‘Swachhta Pakhwada’, receives award tax, will finally kick off in all the 370 toll
plazas across the country by October 31
Ö The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has over five years after the system was an-
been adjudged as the best department for its nounced.
contribution during Swachhta Pakhwada, an
inter-Ministry initiative of Swachh Bharat Mis- Ö A vehicle installed with the RFID also called
sion of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sani- FastTags that can be recharged once the
tation. balance becomes zero, will be able to drive
past a toll plaza without having to stop and
Ö The Health Ministry observed the Swachhta pay the toll. The tag will have a unique code
Pakhwada from 1st February, 2017 to 15th that will help identify the vehicles so when
February, 2017. they will pass through a plaza, the system will
read the code and automatically deduct the
Ö The award was presented to the Ministry on toll.
2nd October, 2017, the third anniversary of
Swachh Bharat Mission. Shri C K Mishra,
· Union Government Names Rajnish
Secretary (HFW) received the award on be-
Kumar as SBI’s Next Chairman
half of the Ministry.
Ö The Union Government named Rajnish
· India Renewable Energy to be double Kumar as the new chairman of State Bank
by 2022 of India for a three-year term.

Ö India’s renewable energy capacity will more Ö He succeeds Arundhati Bhattacharya.

than double by 2022 to overtake renewable
expansion in the European Union for the first · Country’s first ITI for dibyangans in
time, International Energy Agency (IEA). Dibrugarh

Ö The country’s renewable energy installed Ö Foundation stone for the first ever Industrial
capacity is 58.30 GW as per the recent Training Institute for the Dibyangans exclusively
government data. was laid at Dibrugarh ITI Complex at
Borboruah, Dibrugarh by Chief Minister
Ö The government has a target of raising it to Sarbananda Sonowal.
175 GW by 2022 including 100 GW of
solar and 60 GW of wind energy. Ö This is a one of a kind institute in the country in
order to set up a new pathway for empower-
Ö Earlier this year, the solar and wind power ment of the differently abled youth of the state.
tariffs dropped to an all-time low of Rs2.44
per unit and Rs3.46 per unit in a tariff-based
132
· RBI keeps repo rate, reverse repo rate Ö The Parv is being inaugurated at the Humayun’s
unchanged Tomb, New Delhi by Dr. Mahesh Sharma,
Minister of State (I/C) for Culture.
Ö The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the
repo rate and reverse repo rate unchanged at · Mukesh Ambani is India’s Wealthiest
6 percent and 5.75 percent respectively. Man for the 10th straight year

Repo Rate: Unchanged at 6% Ö Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani

emerged as India’s wealthiest for the 10th
Revrese Repo Rate: Unchanged at 5.75%
straight year as his net worth swelled to USD
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: Un- 38 billion (nearly Rs 2.5 lakh crore) while the
changed at 6.25% wealth of 100 richest rose by 26 per cent de-
spite economic hiccups.
Bank Rate: Unchanged at 6.25%
Ö Wipro’s Azim Premji was the distant second
Cash Reserve Ratio: Unchanged at 4% with a net worth of USD 19 billion, moving up
two places from last year, while Sun Pharma’s
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): Changed by
Dilip Shanghvi slipped from his earlier second
50 basis points to 19.5%
place to the ninth now (USD 12.1 billion) on
· Gujarat first state to slash VAT on fuel Forbes magazine’s annual ‘India Rich List
prices 2017’.

Ö Ahead of the state assembly elections, the state · Gauri Lankesh is the First Indian Jour-
government has cut value-added tax (VAT) on nalist to win Anna Politkovskaya Award
petrol and diesel, making it the first state to
follow the Centre’s directions to do so. Ö Journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was
shot dead by unknown assailants won the
Ö Recently, the union government cut basic ex- prestigious Anna Politkovskaya Award,
cise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 a litre. instituted by Reach All Women (RAW) in
War. It was honored to award the annual
Ö Gujarat currently levies a 28.96 per cent VAT
Anna Politkovskaya Award for women
on petrol and diesel.
human rights defenders from war and conflict
· Paryatan Parv of M/O Tourism begins zones jointly to Gauri Lankesh posthumously
across the country and to a brave Pakistani activist Gulalai
Ismail, who similarly is fighting against
Ö The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with Islamic extremism.
other Central Ministries, State Governments
and Stakeholders is organizing a “Paryatan · India wins its First Ever Wushu World
Parv” across the country from the 5th to 25th Championship Gold
October 2017.
Ö Pooja Kadian became the first ever Indian
Ö The programme is being organized with the
sportsperson to win a gold medal at the
objective of drawing focus on the benefits of Wushu World Championship in Kazan,
tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of Russia. Pooja, a head constable in the
the country and reinforcing the principle of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) won
“Tourism for All”. gold in the South Asian Games and silver in
the 2013 World Championship.
133
· PAN, Aadhaar card not mandatory for at CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology
jewellery purchase above Rs 50,000 (IMTECH) in Chandigarh.
Ö The Finance Ministry announced that PAN Ö CSIR-IMTECH is a premier microbial insti-
(Permanent Account Number) card and tute under the aegis of the Union Ministry of
Aadhaar card details will not be mandatory Science and Technology.
for jewellery purchases above Rs. 50,000.
Ö The aim of the conference ‘IMTechCon 2017’
Ö Any entity dealing in gems, jewellery that has is to engage industry and academic leaders to
a turnover of Rs. 2 crore or more in a discuss current unmet medical needs globally.
financial year will not be covered under
PMLA (Prevention of Money Launder- · First Edition of the ASEAN India Music
ing Act, 2002) Festival held in New Delhi

Ö This decision was taken at the 22nd GST Ö Ministry of External Affairs, Government of
Council meeting. India in collaboration with Ministry of Culture
and Seher presents the first ever ASEAN-In-
· President to Inaugurate India Water dia Music Festival from October 6th-8th 2017
Week 2017 at Purana Quila in New Delhi.
Ö President Shri Ram Nath Kovind will inaugu- Ö The Festival is being organised to celebrate
rate India Water Week – 2017 on October the 25th year anniversary of ASEAN-India
10, 2017 in New Delhi in the presence of Union Dialogue Relations.
Minister of Water Resources, River Develop-
ment and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Ö The theme for this commemorative year
Gadkari and Union Ministers of State for “Shared Values, Common Destiny” along with
Water Resources, River Development and this Music Festival aims to boost cultural influ-
Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal ences among the peoples of the ASEAN mem-
and Shri Dr. Satya Pal Singh. ber states and India.
Ö About 1500 delegates from India and 13 other · ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2017’
countries will attend the five day international
event. The theme of India Water Week – 2017 Ö The “Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)-
is “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth”. 2017” will be held from 7th to 9th October,
2017 in India’s 1st World Heritage City i.e
Ö The 5th edition of India Water Week (IWW) Ahmadabad, Gujarat.
will be celebrated with a multi disciplinary con-
ference and a concurrently running exhibition Ö So far, this Ministry has organised 5 RSM’s
enriching the theme and showcasing the tech- i.e 2 in Delhi, 1 each in Varanasi, Bengaluru
nologies and solutions available for the areas and RSM North East in all NE State capi-
under deliberation of the meet. tals.

· Three-day Global Medical Conference · 9th Annual ‘World Dental Show 2017’
Begins In Chandigarh opens in Mumbai

Ö A three-day international conference, aimed Ö The 3-day international exhibition -9th Annual
at engaging industry and academic leaders to ‘World Dental Show 2017’ has opened
discuss current unmet medical needs, began Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

134
Ö It is an integral part of Asia’s biggest dental Ö Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II has
event. received Rs. 3,800 crore from European
Investment Bank.
Ö The exhibition was hosted by the Indian Den-
tal Association (IDA). Ö The project will be jointly financed by
European Investment Bank and Asian
Ö It is showcasing the evolving global technolo- Infrastructure Investment Bank, which
gies and techniques in dentistry. will give over Rs. 3,800 crore (EUR 500
million) and Rs. 2,300 crore (EUR 300
· PM Narendra Modi inaugurate million) respectively.
highway projects worth Rs.5,925 crore
in Gujarat · Prez launches Rs 100 crore clean water
initiative
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate
development projects worth 5,925 crore Ö President Ram Nath Kovind launched
during his two-day visit to poll-bound Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s Rs 100
Gujarat. crore clean water initiative for rural India
at the math headquarters in Kerala.
Ö He laid the foundation for construction of Rs
962 crore Cable Stayed Signature Bridge Ö Kovind, who is on his maiden visit to
between Beyt Dwarka and Okha on NH- the southern state after assuming office,
51, Gujarat. inaugurated the

Ö He lay the foundation stone for a greenfield Ö ‘Jivamritam’ filtration system, envis-
airport located near Rajkot and inaugurate a aged to provide clean drinking water to
fully automatic milk processing and packag- 10 million villagers across the nation.
ing plant in Surendranagar.
Ö The programme was organised as part
Ö He will also lay the foundation stone for of the 64th birthday celebrations of spiri-
widening of Ahmedabad-Rajkot section of tual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi,
NH-47 to six lanes. popularly known as ‘Amma’ among her
devotees.
· Indias first Marine Police Training
Institute to be set up at Dev Bhoomi · Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Dwarka launches ‘Intensified Mission
Indradhanush
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
the setting up of India’s first marine police Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi
training institute at Gujarat’s Devbhumi launched an intensive immunization
Dwarka district. drive from Gujarat’s Vadnagar, saying no
child should suffer from any vaccine-pre-
Ö This announcement was given at the founda- ventable disease.
tion stone-laying ceremony of a bridge
between Okha and Beyt Dwarka, during Ö Under the IMI, a seven-day immuni-
PM Narendra Modi’s two day visit to zation drive will be conducted each month
Gujarat. from now till January 2018 in 173 districts
and 17 cities.
Ö Bengaluru Metro gets Rs. 3,800 crore from
European Investment Bank.
135
 Ö These districts include 52 in eight Ö He launched the intensified mission
northeastern states and 121 in 16 other Indradhanush to accelerate progress to-
states. wards the goal of full immunization cover-
age.
Ö The main aim of the program is that
Let no child suffer from any vaccine-pre- · President launches Mata
ventable disease. Amritanandamayi Math Project
Jeevamritham in Kerala
· Reserve Bank of India to soon Launch
Financial Literacy Drive in 9 States Ö President Ram Nath Kovind launched
100 crore rupees Mata
Ö The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Amritanandamayi Math Project
is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 “Jeevamritham “to provide a filtration
blocks in nine states on the pilot basis to system for cleaning drinking water to 5000
educate people on e-transactions, formal villages across India, in Kollam district in
sector borrowings, and insurance pur- Kerala.
chases.
Ö He also distributed the certificates to
Ö According to RBI, it commissions 9 three villages out of 12 villages in the States
states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya
Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand,
Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by Maharashtra, and Kerala, which was
the 6 NGOs in collaboration with the spon- adopted by the Math, verified as Open
sor Banks. Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat
Abhiyan.
Ö The main aim is to inculcate the habit
of making a household budget and record-
ing financial transactions, encourage trans-
actions in savings accounts, and active sav- · Prez launches Rs 100 crore clean water
ing by depositing in banks through fixed initiative
deposits and recurring deposits.
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind launched
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s Rs 100
Foundation Stone for Bhadbhut crore clean water initiative for rural India
Barrage over Narmada River at the math headquarters in Kerala.

Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid Ö Kovind, who is on his maiden visit to
the foundation stone for Bhadbhut Bar- the southern state after assuming office,
rage to be built over Narmada River in inaugurated the
Bharuch Gujarat.
Ö ‘Jivamritam’ filtration system, envis-
Ö He also flagged off the Antyodaya aged to provide clean drinking water to
Express between Udhna in Surat and 10 million villagers across the nation.
Jaynagar in Bihar.
Ö The programme was organised as part
Ö He inaugurated a new 500-crore ru- of the 64th birthday celebrations of spiri-
pees civil hospital and a medical college in tual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi,
Vadnagar, Gujarat.

136
 popularly known as ‘Amma’ among her ing by depositing in banks through fixed
devotees. deposits and recurring deposits.

· Prime Minister Narendra Modi · Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays

launches ‘Intensified Mission Foundation Stone for Bhadbhut
Indradhanush Barrage over Narmada River
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid
launched an intensive immunization the foundation stone for Bhadbhut Bar-
drive from Gujarat’s Vadnagar, saying no rage to be built over Narmada River in
child should suffer from any vaccine-pre- Bharuch Gujarat.
ventable disease.
Ö He also flagged off the Antyodaya
Ö Under the IMI, a seven-day immuni- Express between Udhna in Surat and
zation drive will be conducted each month Jaynagar in Bihar.
from now till January 2018 in 173 districts
and 17 cities. Ö He inaugurated a new 500-crore ru-
pees civil hospital and a medical college in
Ö These districts include 52 in eight Vadnagar, Gujarat.
northeastern states and 121 in 16 other
states. Ö He launched the intensified mission
Indradhanush to accelerate progress to-
Ö The main aim of the program is that wards the goal of full immunization cover-
Let no child suffer from any vaccine-pre- age.
ventable disease.
· President launches Mata
· Reserve Bank of India to soon Launch Amritanandamayi Math Project
Financial Literacy Drive in 9 States Jeevamritham in Kerala
Ö The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Ö President Ram Nath Kovind launched
is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 100 crore rupees Mata
blocks in nine states on the pilot basis to Amritanandamayi Math Project
educate people on e-transactions, formal “Jeevamritham “to provide a filtration
sector borrowings, and insurance pur- system for cleaning drinking water to 5000
chases. villages across India, in Kollam district in
Kerala.
Ö According to RBI, it commissions 9
states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Ö He also distributed the certificates to
Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra three villages out of 12 villages in the States
Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya
the 6 NGOs in collaboration with the spon- Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand,
sor Banks. Maharashtra, and Kerala, which was
adopted by the Math, verified as Open
Ö The main aim is to inculcate the habit Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat
of making a household budget and record- Abhiyan.
ing financial transactions, encourage trans-
actions in savings accounts, and active sav- · 9th Annual ‘World Dental Show 2017’
opens in Mumbai

137
Ö The 3-day international exhibition -9th Annual PM Narendra Modi’s two day visit to
‘World Dental Show 2017’ has opened Gujarat.
Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.
Ö Bengaluru Metro gets Rs. 3,800 crore from
Ö It is an integral part of Asia’s biggest dental European Investment Bank.
event.
Ö Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II has
Ö The exhibition was hosted by the Indian Den- received Rs. 3,800 crore from European
tal Association (IDA). Investment Bank.

Ö It is showcasing the evolving global technolo- Ö The project will be jointly financed by
gies and techniques in dentistry. European Investment Bank and Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank, which
· PM Narendra Modi inaugurate will give over Rs. 3,800 crore (EUR 500
highway projects worth Rs.5,925 crore million) and Rs. 2,300 crore (EUR 300
in Gujarat million) respectively.

Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate

development projects worth 5,925 crore
during his two-day visit to poll-bound · ICICI Bank Aid to Armed Forces
Gujarat.
Ö ICICI Bank the country’s largest private
Ö He laid the foundation for construction of Rs sector bank by consolidated assets, commit-
962 crore Cable Stayed Signature Bridge ted financial assistance of Rs. 10 crores to
between Beyt Dwarka and Okha on NH- the Indian Armed Forces.
51, Gujarat.
Ö This contribution by ICICI Bank would be
Ö He lay the foundation stone for a greenfield made in two equal tranches. This fund will be
airport located near Rajkot and inaugurate a used for two programs.
fully automatic milk processing and packag-
Ö The first will support post-graduation
ing plant in Surendranagar.
education of the widows of the soldiers and
Ö He will also lay the foundation stone for education for their wards.
widening of Ahmedabad-Rajkot section of
Ö The second program will provide financial
NH-47 to six lanes.
assistance for marriages of the daughters of
ex-servicemen.
· Indias first Marine Police Training
Institute to be set up at Dev Bhoomi
· Union Government approved Rs 2,000
Dwarka
crore to set up Aadhaar units in Post
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced offices
the setting up of India’s first marine police
Ö The Central Government approved Rs
training institute at Gujarat’s Devbhumi
2,000 crore for setting up Aadhaar centers in
Dwarka district.
post offices.
Ö This announcement was given at the founda-
Ö The centers will have machines approved by
tion stone-laying ceremony of a bridge
the Unique Identification Authority of India
between Okha and Beyt Dwarka, during

138
 (UIDAI) and trained personnel who will be supported schemes of Rs. 6,655 crore - Skills
responsible for the operations. Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for
Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and
Ö By March 81, 2018, Government will set up Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value
Aadhaar enrolment and update facilities in Enhancement (STRIVE).
around 15,000 post offices.
Ö SANKALP is Rs 4,455 crore Centrally spon-
· Kempegowda Airport will be India’s first sored scheme including Rs. 3,300 crore loan
Aadhaar-enabled airport support from World Bank whereas STRIVE
is a Rs. 2,200 crore - central sector scheme,
Ö Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Air- with half of the scheme outlay as World bank
port (KIA) is all set to be become country’s loan assistance.
first Aadhaar-enabled airport by 2018.
Ö SANKALP and STRIVE are outcome fo-
Ö After a two-month pilot project in February, cused schemes marking shift in government’s
Bangalore InternationalAirport Limited (BIAL) implementation strategy in vocational educa-
has decided to make KIA fully compliant with tion and training from inputs to results.
Aadhaaar-enabled entry and biometric board-
ing system. · SBI to set up country’s largest innova-
tion centre at Mumbai
· India is second largest market for
pharma: LinkedIn Report Ö The nation’s largest lender State Bank of In-
dia is creating a 15,000-sqft innovation centre
Ö The 13.7 percent contribution to the global in Navi Mumbai investing around Rs 100
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology crore.
workforce India has emerged as the second
largest market for the industry, a report by Ö The centre, to be built at its Global IT Centre
professional networking giant LinkedIn has in Belapur in Navi Mumbai, will be the largest
revealed. innovation centre by any financial services com-
pany in the country.
Ö The report, detailed in the newly released e-
book “The Indian Pharma and Biotech Ö The innovation centre is part of a Rs 200-crore
Industry”, showed that while New Delhi, allocation that the bank has earmarked for in-
Kolkata, and Chandigarh are thriving novation last year.
grounds for talent in this sector in India,
talent migration is highest to the US. Talent · Anupam Kher appointed as Chairman
migrating to other countries mainly comprises FTII
of researchers, scientists, quality assurance
professionals, statistics programmers and Ö Shri Anupam Kher, veteran cine star, has been
data analysts. appointed as Chairman of Film and Television
Institute of India (FTII), Pune. Shri Kher suc-
· Cabinet approves SANKALP & ceeds Shri Gajendra Chauhan.
STRIVE Schemes to boost Skill India
Mission Ö Shri Kher who has appeared in over 500 films
is a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2004 and
Ö The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribu-
chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra tion in the field of cinema and arts.
Modi, has approved two new World Bank
Gk bit – FTII
139
· FTII is an autonomous body under the Minis- Ö On the occasion of its 85th anniversary,
try of Information and Broadcasting and is re- the Indian Air Force has launched an
garded as a center of excellence across the innovative mobile health App named
world. ‘MedWatch’ in keeping with the Prime
· Films made by FTII’s students have enjoyed Minister’s vision of ‘Digital India’.
excellent receptions in festivals in India and
abroad and have won National and Interna-
Ö ‘MedWatch’, available on the IAF’s
tional awards. AFCEL network, comprises a host of
features that will provide authentic
· INS Satpura, Kadmatt participates in health information to all IAF personnel.
Passage Exercise in Japan Ö A Reminder Tool to enable timely
Ö Indian Naval Ships Satpura and immunization for the children of all Air
Warriors is an important component of
Kadmatt participated in Passage Exer-
the App. This will directly enable ‘Mis-
cise (PASSEX)with Japanese Marine
sion Indradhanush’ of the Govt of India.
Self Defence Force (JMSDF) held at
Sasebo, Japan. Ö ‘MedWatch’, the first mobile health app
Ö The ships are participating in the exer- in the three Armed Services, was
cise in pursuance of India’s Act East launched by Air Chief Marshal BS
Policy and demonstration of India’s Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff, during
commitment to peace and stability. the Air Force Commanders’ Conference
at New Delhi on 11 Oct 17.
Ö The visit of these ships is part India’s
initiatives to strengthen long-standing, · Yuvraj Singh Named Laureus’ First
mutually supportive and strong relation- Indian Ambassador
ship between Japan and India.
Ö Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was
· Mastercard Launched its First Innova- announced as the Laureus’ first Brand
tion Centre in India Ambassador.

Ö US-based fintech company Mastercard Ö The left-hander becomes Laureus’ first

has announced the launch of its global Indian ambassador and joins a host of
research and development arm cricket legends in the Laureus Family,
Mastercard Labs in Pune, India. including Indian Academy members
Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and
Ö After Singapore, this will be the second Kapil Dev.
Mastercard Labs in Asia-Pacific, and
ninth in the world. · Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani
inaugurated the Indian Handicrafts and
Ö The initiative aims to bring and harness Gift Fair 2017 at Greater Noida
new commerce, payment and technology Ö Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani today
ideas at a fast pace in the country. inaugurated the 44th edition of Indian
Handicrafts and Gift Fair (IHGF) 2017 at
· Launch of Mobile Health App India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater
‘MedWatch’ By the Indian Air Force Noida.
140
Ö The five-day extravaganza hosting a gather- · India Sri Lanka Joint Military exercise
ing of over 2,980 exhibitors will have buyers Mitra Shakti 2017 begins
coming from around 100 countries including
China, Australia, the US and the UK. Ö The fifth India-Sri Lanka Joint Training Exer-
cise MITRA SHAKTI 2017 started with a
Ö The exhibition will end on October 15. grand Opening Ceremony conducted at Aundh
Military Station, Pune.
· Kolkata to host International Puppet
festival from October 26 Ö The exercise is based on Counter Terrorist
Operations and an Infantry company from both
Ö Kolkata will host International Puppet
the countries is participating in the same.
festival for the first time and the six-day long
festival will commence from October 26 to Ö The India - Sri Lanka joint training exercise
31. MITRA SHAKTI 2017 in its fifth edition will
send a strong signal to the world that both In-
Ö West Bengal principal secretary Tourism and
dia and Sri Lanka understand the emerging
Home Affairs Atri Bhattacharya will be
threat of terrorism and stand shoulder to shoul-
inaugurating the festival.
der in countering this menace.
Ö Artists from the UK, Germany, Peru, · DoP launches Sampoorna Bima Gram
Portugal, Italy, Lithuania, Brazil, Singapore Yojana
and India would be participating in the
festival. Ö The Minister for Communications launched the
Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana and an
Ö The puppet festival is aimed at regenerating
initiative for expansion of clientele base of
the emotions attached to puppetry and it will
Postal Life Insurance.
be held at Mohorkunj.
Ö All villages under the Saansad Adarsh Gram
· India proposed to operate a Sri Lankan Yojana will be brought under its ambit.
airport near the Hambantota seaport
Ö Under Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana,
Ö India plans to operate a Sri Lankan airport
at least one village (having a minimum of 100
on the southern tip of the island, where
households) will be identified in each of the
China has invested heavily as part of its Belt
revenue districts of the country, wherein en-
and Road initiative.
deavour will be made to cover all households
Ö China runs the seaport with a 99-year of that identified village with a minimum of one
lease and was planning to expand its RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy each.
footprint in the area with the refinery, which
Ö Coverage of all households in the identified
would be Sri Lanka‘s largest, and an invest-
Sampoorna Bima Gram village is the primary
ment zone of about 6,000 hectares (15,000
objective of this scheme.
acres).
· Worlds largest combustion research
Ö India has offered to set up a joint venture
centre inaugurated at IIT Madras
with Sri Lanka to manage and expand
facilities at the loss-making Mattala airport, Ö The world’s largest combustion research
which sits adjacent to the Hambantota centre which will impart a major boost to the
seaport. Indian scientific community was inaugurated

141
 at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), · Rajasthan Assembly becomes first in
Madras. India to call attention and
adjournment motions online.
Ö The National Centre for Combustion
Research and Development (NCCRD) Ö Going digital, the Rajasthan assembly has
was inaugurated by NITI Aayog member V become the first in India to call attention and
K Saraswat in the presence of Prof adjournment motions and proposals online
Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of from legislators to send them to the state
Science and Technology. government.

Ö NCCRD’s research interests will cover Ö Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Kailash

automotive, thermal power and aerospace Meghwal inaugurated the new system.
propulsion, besides fire research and
microgravity combustion to minor extent. Ö The system is expected to save time, labour
and use of paper in the functioning of the
assembly, and also help legislators in bringing
· PM Modi announces Rs. 10,000 crore
attention to urgent public issues.
for 20 best varsities in India, to make
them world class
Ö At the centenary celebrations of Patna
University (PU), India’s seventh oldest · Union Government has started sending
varsity, PM Narendra Modi said that the money to Gram Panchayats directly
government has decided to allot 10,000 Ö Minister of State Information and Broad-
crore and autonomy to 10 public and 10 casting Rajyavardhan Rathore stated that
private universities over the next five years, Union Government started sending money to
to make them world-class. Gram Panchayatsdirectly so that they can
plan their development works on their own.
Ö The universities will not be selected by the
prime minister or a chief minister or any Ö Around 29 crore new accounts have been
other political figure. Their potential will be opened in last two and half years and now
assessed by a third party agency. benefits of different schemes are being
transferred directly to the accounts of the
· Graduate Muslim Girls to get Rs 51,000 beneficiaries.
Shaadi Shagun from Modi Government
Ö He has made the Banks accountable and if
Ö Meritorious Muslim girls who go on to they refuse to give the loan to any person
complete graduation before marriage will get under MUDRA Yojna then they have to give
a special gift of Rs.51,000 from the a reason.
Narendra Modi government.

Ö The shaadi shagun – as the scheme is called- · INS Kiltan commissioned into Indian
is aimed at incentivising higher education Navy in Visakhapatnam
among minority groups. Ö Indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare
stealth corvette INS Kiltan was commis-
sioned an into the Indian Navy at the Eastern
Naval Command (Naval Dockyard) in
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

142
Ö It is India’s first major warship to have a · Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
superstructure of carbon fiber composite inaugurate All India Institute of
material resulting in improved stealth fea- Ayurveda in New Delhi
tures, lower top weight. Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugu-
rate the All India Institute of Ayurveda at
Ö INS Kiltan commissioned into Indian Navy
Sarita Vihar in New Delhi.
in Visakhapatnam October 16, 2017.
Ö The First ever All India Institute of
· Indian Airports need $45 billion Ayurveda (AIIA) has been set up along the
investment to improve capacity by lines of AIIMS.
2030
Ö Within the short duration of its establishment,
Ö India must invest around $45 billion to AIIA has gained a wide national and Interna-
generate an additional capacity of handling tional recognition.
500- 600 million passengers at its airports
by 2030. Ö It has started working to facilitate quality
patient care, research and bridging the gaps
Ö As per the estimation of Centre for Asia in the scientific information about quality,
Pacific Aviation (CAPA) the country’s top safety, and efficacy of Ayurveda products
17 airports current capacity is 298-316.5 and developing benchmarks of Ayurvedic
million passengers per annum approximately. education, research and healthcare.
Ö The ten airports namely Pune, Jaipur,
Srinagar, Lucknow, Dehradun, Agartala, · Punjab police launches foot patrolling
Guwahati, Kozhikode, Mangalore, and in all districts
Trichy are managed by the Airports Author- Ö Punjab police launched foot patrolling an
ity of India (AAI), are already operating initiative whereby police personnel will patrol
“beyond their design capacity”. designated areas on foot to keep a watch on
anti-social elements.
· Singer T M Krishna wins Indira Gandhi
National Integration Ö The main Objective of foot patrolling is to
reduce incidence of crime by increasing the
Ö Singer T M Krishna won 30th Indira presence of police in vulnerable locations.
Gandhi Award for National Integration
for the year 2015 and 2016. Ö All foot patrol officers will be wearing jungle
boots, specially designed arm-band and will
Ö He is a pre-eminent vocalist in the Carnatic carry weapons, baton, handcuffs, and
tradition of Indian classical music and has wireless sets.
been an activist who has worked to break
down caste-barriers in the society.
· Mahindra launches ‘Prerna’ project for
Ö The award is conferred for promoting women farmers
national integration and strengthening nation’s Ö Auto manufacturer Mahindra and
sense of solidarity. Mahindra celebrated ‘Mahila Kisan Diwas’
and launched a programme, ‘Prerna’ to
Ö It carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.
empower women working in the agriculture
10 lakh.
sector.

143
Ö Prerna’ project is aimed at promoting the use · Ministry of Women and Child
of efficient and ergonomic farm tools and Development launches campaign on
equipment by women who work long hours ‘women for women’
in the fields.
Ö The Ministry of Women and Child Devel-
Ö It is first launched in Odisha, with an aim to opment is undertaking an online campaign
positively impact the lives of over 1,500 #IamThatWoman.
families across 30-plus villages.
Ö The main aim seeks to highlight the various
aspects of women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’
· Footwear Design & Development
women. Ministry of WCD has urged people
Institute Act 2017 Comes into Force
to shun stereotypes associated with women
Ö Footwear Design & Development harming other women. Twitter and
Institute (FDDI) declared an ‘Institute of Facebook users have been encouraged to
National Importance’ under Ministry of tag and share stories of women helping
Commerce & Industry, Government of women with a photograph and post online
India. The FDDI bill was passed by the with the hashtag #IamThatWoman.
Parliament in July 2017.
Ö A woman manager can easily empathize with
Ö The Provisions of FDDI Act 2017 have her female juniors and help her climb the
come into force. ladder of success.

Ö Presently FDDI is imparting skill based

· MCX launches first commodity options
graduate and postgraduate courses in the
trading with gold
fields of footwear, leather goods, retail, and
management to around 2,500 students Ö Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)
across eight campuses spread over India. launched trading in Gold option’s contract in
presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
· Ayurveda 2nd Day is celebrated on 17
Ö Underlying for Gold options contract which
October
is currently available for trading are Gold (1
Ö This year’s 2nd Ayurveda Day is cel- Kg) futures expiring on November 28,
ebrated on 17 October in New Delhi by the 2017, and January 29, 2018.
Ministry of AYUSH.
Ö The Options in securities and commodities
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the market are primarily meant for hedging.
Chief Guest and will also inaugurate the However they are also used for speculation.
country’s first All India Institute of Ayurveda,
Sarita Vihar, New Delhi. · Haryana records 39 percent of all
cancer cases in India
Ö The All India Institute of Ayurveda, set up on
a total area of 10.015 acres on a budget of Ö Cancer is strengthening its grip across India,
Rs 157 crore, is the first medical institute and reportedly, Haryana has a major share,
under the AYUSH ministry to hold the with over 39% of cases recorded in the state.
coveted National Accreditation Board for
Hospitals and Healthcare Providers Ö Approximately 17.3 lakh new cancer cases
(NABH) accreditation. are being estimated by the year 2020 in India,
therefore with the present trends Haryana might
have around 6.5 lakh cancercases by then.
144
Ö Breast cancer has a majority share of cancer Ö A window has been hosted on the main page
cases and is the leading cause for deaths in of the department’s website —
women suffering with non-communicable dis- www.incometaxindia.gov.in/ with a promi-
ease. nent icon stating ‘Live Chat Online - ask
your query.’
Ö According to an Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) report, breast cancer shares Ö A team of experts from the department and
10% of all cases. independent tax practitioners has been
deputed to answer the general queries of a
· Hema Malini’s Biography:Beyond The taxpayer.
Dream Girl
Ö The first-time initiative is aimed to enhance
Ö Deepika Padukone launched the biography of taxpayer services in the country.
veteran actress Hema Malini in Mumbai.
· ACI ranks Hyderabad airport No. 1 in 5
Ö The biography, titled ‘Beyond The Dream Girl’,
to 15 million category
is written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, and was
unveiled on Hema Malini’s 69th birthday (Oc- Ö Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International
tober 16). Airport (RGIA) has ranked No. 1 in the
Airports Council International’s (ACI)
Ö The biography’s foreword has been written by service quality survey in the category of 5 to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 15 million passengers per annum.

Ö GIA was opened in year 2008 and is

operated by GMR Hyderabad International
· Maharashtra Government releases Rs Airport Ltd. (GHIAL).
4000 crore in phase 1 of Loan Waiver
Scheme Ö A trophy for this accomplishment for the
Ö Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra year 2016 was handed over to GHIAL
Fadnavis released a sum of Rs 4,000 crore CEO, SG K Kishore during the 27th ACI
under the first phase of the over Rs 34,000 Ö Africa/world annual general assembly at Port
crore farm loan waiver scheme.
Louis in Mauritius on October 18, 2017.
Ö In the first phase, will cover more than 8 lakh
farmers, Fadnavis stated as he listed initia- · Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
tives taken by his government towards conferred with Swachh Bharat Inter-
increasing investment in the agriculture Ministerial Award
sector. Ö Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
(MoPNG) was awarded Swachh Bharat
· Income Tax dept Launches ‘Online Inter-Ministerial Award in Swachh Bharat
Chat’ to answer Taxpayers Queries National Award ceremony on Gandhi
Ö The Income Tax Department launched an Jayanti, in New Delhi.
‘online chat’ service for taxpayers so that Ö The Swachh Bharat Inter-Ministerial Award
they can seek answers to their basic queries
was given by Minister of State, Ministry of
and doubts relating to direct tax issues.
Drinking Water & Sanitation S.S.Ahluwalia
to MoPNG.

145
Ö The award was received by Senior Adviser Ö With the official creation of the new district,
(PNG). the total number of districts in the state shot up
to 23.
Ö The focus of MoPNG has been not only to
improve peoples’ involvement but also to Ö Chief Minister Pema Khandu introduced the
bring behavioral change through Swachh Arunachal Pradesh Re-Orgaisation of Districts
Bharat Mission. (Amendment) Bill 2017 in the Assembly on
October 14.
· Javed Akhtar to be honoured with
Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award Ö Kamle district, constituting the eastern part of
Lower Subansiri district and western part of
Ö Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar is Upper Subansiri district, would have a popu-
to be honored with the Hridaynath lation of 22,256 of homogeneous people.
Mangeshkar Award will receive Rs.1,00,000
along with a memento. · President to inaugurate International
Ö The programme is being presented to Gita Mahotsav in Haryana
celebrate the 75-year-old music career of
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate
singer Lata Mangeshkar.
the International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra,
Haryana, on November 25.

· Maharashtra Government panel Ö He will also participate in Gita Yajna and

approves 16,000-crore Navi Mumbai Gita Poojan ceremonies at Brahma Sarovar.
airport
Ö The mahotsav which will conclude on
Ö The highest bid from GVK for building the December 3 will have Mauritius as partner
Navi Mumbai International Airport, the country and Uttar Pradesh as partner state.
Project Management and Implementa-
tion Committee (PMIC), headed by the · Kerala govt prohibits using ‘Dalit’,
chief secretary.
‘Harijan’ in official communications
Ö The phase 1 of the Rs16,000 crore NMIA is
likely to be completed by December 2019.
Ö The Kerala Information and Public Relations
Department’s internal circular has directed to
Ö He has offered a greater share in the project avoid usage of words “Dalit” and “Harijan” in its
and the letter of intent is expected to be official communications.
issued within a once the government sanction
is received. Ö The order was issued based on the directive
from Kerala State Commission for Scheduled
· Arunachal Assembly approves Kamle as Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Chair-
23rd district man Justice PN Vijayakumar.

Ö The Arunachal Assembly passed a bill paving Ö The department informed that the govern-
way for creation of a new district to be named ment has also banned the usage of word
Kamle. “Keezhalar” which was used to refer to sched-
uled communities.

146
 · Prime Minister Narendra Modi con- Ö The festival is being organised by the Centre
firmed use of fertilizer & new techniques for Innovation in Science and Social Action in
will help in doubling farmers’ income by association with the State government, Depart-
2022 ment of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani,
Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH),
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers
that the farming community on the right use of Organisations of India, Ayurveda Drug Manu-
fertilizers, advanced techniques, and cash-less facturers Association and Kerala State Indian
transactions will help in doubling farmers’ Systems of Medicine of Medicine Self Financing
income by 2022. Management Association, State Department of
AYUSH, Department of Tourism and Depart-
Ö The cooperative also played an important ment of Industry.
role in the implementation of urea neem-coating
programme rolled out by the government to
curb black marketing of urea.
· Over 500 long distance trains to travel
faster by 15 minutes to up to 2 hours
· GSTN Launches excel-based offline tool
from November
to file initial GSTR-3B Returns
Ö Following directions from railway
Ö Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) minister Piyush Goyal, the Railways
launched an Excel-based offline tool for busi- has adopted an ‘innovative
nesses to file initial GSTR- 3B returns. timetabling’ under which running
time of popular trains will reduce by
Ö They stated that taxpayers can download the 15 minutes to two hours.
offline utility from the GSTN portal and after fill
in the data the file can be uploaded on GST Ö Trains such as the Bhopal-Jodhpur
portal. Express will reach 95 minutes early
while the Guwahati-Indore Special
Ö After uploading of the return to the GST will complete its 2,330-km journey
Portal, the taxpayer has to preview the form, 115 minutes early and the 1929-km
complete formalities like submit, offset the journey of the Ghazipur-Bandra
liability and file their GSTR-3B Return using a Terminus Express will be completed
digital signature or electronic verification code. 95 minutes earlier.
· Centre asks states to name toilets as
· Union Government to organise Global
‘izzat ghar’ in rural areas
Ayurveda meet in Kochi
Ö The Centre has asked each state to
Ö The State government will organize a four name the toilets in their rural households
days International seminar and Global Ayurveda as “izzat ghar”, or to use a phrase in re-
meet in Kochi on February 2018. gional language equivalent to “house of
dignity”.
Ö The main focus of this seminar will be
showcasing Kerala’s achievements in health Ö Ministry of Drinking Water and Sani-
tourism, healthcare, and Ayurveda, she said tation wrote to state government’s princi-
after inaugurating the Ayurveda Day celebrations pal secretaries after observing the name
the other day.
147
 “izzat ghar” being used in many parts of · India’s First Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Uttar Pradesh. Kendra for Skilling in Smart Cities
Ö The ministry with an aim of making Ö The Union Home Minister Rajnath
India open defecation free by October 2, Singh along with Minister of Petroleum
2019 is overseeing the implementation of and Natural Gas and Skill Development
Swachh Bharat Mission in villages. and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra
Pradhan inaugurated India’s first
· Punjab decides to close 800 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra
government schools which have fewer (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in
than 20 students collaboration with New Delhi Munici-
pal Council (NDMC).
Ö The Punjab government will shut
down 800 primary schools with less than Ö It is launched under skill India
20 students, and merge them with Mission. The ministers also laid the
schools nearby. foundation for a Skill Development
Centre at Moti Bagh and a Centre of
Ö The students and staff will be Excellence at Dharam Marg, New Delhi.
accommodated in adjoining schools
situated within a one kilometre-radius. · Asia Cup Hockey 2017 India Beat
Ö The decision is aimed at improving Malaysia To Lift Their 3rd Continental
the utilisation of the teaching staff in the Title
state. Ö India beats Malaysia 2-1 in the finale
to win the 2017 Asia Cup Hockey
· PM Modi to launch Indias first Ro Ro tournament held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
ferry service in Gujarat
Ö It is India’s third continental title.
Ö On his third visit to Gujarat this Ramandeep Singh scored the opening
month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi goal in the third minute while Lalit
will be launching India’s first Roll On- Upadhyay extended India’s lead in the
Roll Off or ‘Ro-Ro’ ferry service 29th minute of the game.
between Ghogha in Saurashtra’s
Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch Ö Lalit Upadhyay won the goal of the
district. match award while Akashdeep Singh
was adjudged the Man of the match.
Ö The service is expected to reduce
the distance between the two coastal · Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan to Get
towns from 310 km by road to 30 km,
Lata Mangeshkar Award
saving time and money. The travel time
will be cut by at least five hours. Ö The playback singers Alka Yagnik
and Udit Narayan and music composers
Ö The ferry service will be able to Usha Khanna, Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik
carry up to 100 vehicles and 250 selected for the Madhya Pradesh
passengers. government’s prestigious National Lata
Mangeshkar Award.

Ö They will be honored for their

contribution in the field of music compo-
148
 sition and singing. Each award winner · Rakesh Asthana appointed CBI special
will get a cash prize of Rs.two lakh, director
shawl, shreephal (coconut) and a
citation. Ö Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh
Asthana has been appointed the special
director of the CBI.

· Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrives Ö Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer,

in India had been serving in the Central Bureau of
Investigation as additional director.
Ö Afghanistan President Mohammad
Ashraf Ghani arrived in New Delhi this Ö Gurbachan Singh has been appointed
morning on one day visit to India. as Special Director of Intelligence Bureau
(IB).
Ö He will meet with President Ram
Nath Kovind and have delegation-level Ö Deepak Kumar Mishra and Sudeep
talks with Prime Minister Narendra Lakhtakia have been promoted as Spe-
Modi. cial DG in the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF).
Ö Both sides will review the entire
gamut of multifaceted bilateral strategic Ö Rajesh Ranjan and AP Maheshwari
partnership. The two countries will have been promoted to the ranks of Spe-
discuss the efforts to combat the menace cial DG in the Border Security Force
of terrorism. They will also hold consul- (BSF)
tations and coordinate on furthering the
shared objective of promoting peace, · BHEL starts execution of 4,000
security, stability, and prosperity in megawatt Yadadri plant in Telangana
Afghanistan.
Ö Bharat Heavy Electricals Lim-
ited (BHEL) announced that it has
· SBI launches ‘2nd SBI Digital
commenced execution of Yadadri
Hackathon’ Digitize For Bank
supercritical thermal power project
Ö State Bank of India (SBI) ordered by the Telangana State Power
launched the second edition of its Generation Corporation Limited
Hackathon. This hackathon has been (TSGENCO).
named ‘Digitize For Bank’.
Ö The project is located at
Ö The main focus is on four ‘Cognitive’ Damaracherla in Nalgonda district of
themes namely Facial Recognition, Telangana and is valued at approximately
Signature Recognition, Voice based Rs 20,400 crore.
Authentication and Cheque Truncation
Value Enhancers. Ö It is the single largest order for
BHEL so far and is also the highest
Ö The winners will get an opportunity value order ever placed in the power
for incubation and acceleration with SBI. sector in India.

149
· Union Cabinet Approves Mega Rs 7lakh Ö Under this initiative, Energy Efficiency
crore Project to Develop 83,000 km Services Limited (EESL), a PSU under
Highways Ministry of Power, will procure energy
efficient power looms, motors.
Ö The Union Cabinet approved the biggest
ever highway project to develop and expand Ö The SAATHI initiative will be jointly imple-
approximately 83,000 km of roads at an mented by EESL and office of Textile
investment of Rs 6.9 lakh crore by 2022. Commissioner on the pan-India basis. It will
be implemented in the key cluster.
Ö The project also includes the new 28,400
km Bharatmala highway program con- · Paika Bidroha’ to be named as 1st War
necting border areas, improving international, of Independence
port and coastal connectivity.

Ö Bharatmala is government’s mega plan and Ö The ‘Paika Bidroha’ (Paika rebellion) of 1817
the second-largest highways project after will find a place in the history books as ‘the
National Highway Development Project that First War of Independence’ from the next aca-
saw the development of about 50,000 km demic session, HRD Minister Prakash
and aims at improving connectivity in border Javadekar said.
and other areas.
Ö Mr. Javadekar had first made the announce-
ment IN Bhubaneswar at a function to mark
· Union Cabinet Approves Rs 2.11 lakh
the bicentenary of the Paika rebellion, and
crores PSBs’ Capitalisation Plan
added that the Centre has allocated Rs. 200
Ö The Indian government announced an crore for commemorating it across the coun-
allocation of Rs 2.11 lakh crore over 2 try.
yearsfor the recapitalization of public sector
banks. Ö Paikas were peasant militia under the Gajapati
rulers of Odisha who rendered military ser-
Ö As part of the plan, the government will vice to the king during times of war.
essentially issue bonds to banks worth Rs
1.35 lakh crore while Rs 76,000 crore will Ö They rebelled against the British rule under the
come through budgetary support. leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhara
as early as 1817.
Ö Lenders will subscribe to these bonds as
part of their investment portfolio. The money · Prime Minister Narendra Modi
raised by the government will then be used Inaugurates Global Conference on
to recapitalize banks. Consumer Protection
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
· Ministries of Power & Textiles join a global conference on consumer protection
hands for SAATHI initiative in New Delhi.
Ö Ministries of Power and Textiles have joined
Ö This is the first time that an international
hands under SAATHI (Sustainable and
conference on consumer protection is being
Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile
organized by India for countries of the
technologies to Help small Industries)
region.
initiative.
Ö The conference is deliberated upon steps
taken by Asian countries to implement the
150
 UN guidelines on consumer protection as Tourism at the closing ceremony of ‘Paryatan
well as challenges faced by consumers of Parv’ at Rajpath Lawns, New Delhi.
financial services and e-commerce.
Ö These companies will be the future ‘Monu-
Ö Twenty-two countries from East, South and ment Mitras’ who would associate pride with
South-East Asia are participating in the their CSR activities.
international conference. These include
China, South Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh Ö SBI Foundation shortlisted for the adoption
and Sri Lanka. of - Jantar Mantar, Delhi.

Ö NBCC shortlisted for the adoption of Purana

· Odisha will be the ‘Focus State’ at
Quila, Delhi.
World Food India-2017
Ö Odisha will be the ‘Focus State’ in the Ö The ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’ of Ministry
World Food India (WFI)-2017, the of Tourism was launched on World Tourism
international food event to be held at New Day i.e. 27thSeptember, 2017 by the Presi-
Delhi from 3 to 5 November 2017. dent of India.

Ö More than 200 global companies from 30

· Indian Navy approves new mission-
countries would participate in the World
based deployment plan
Food India-2017. Odisha will be the ‘Focus
State’ in the event. Ö During the ongoing Naval Commanders’ Con-
ference, Indian Navy approved a “new mis-
Ö Odisha would set up its own Pavilion with sion-based deployment” plan under which
12 stalls. It would showcase various pro- mission-ready ships and aircrafts will be de-
cessed food items of Odisha like spices, ployed along critical sea lanes of communica-
cashew, confectionary items, processed tions.
agro-food, and seafood.
Ö A new transition cycle for ships from mainte-
· Deadline to link Aadhaar with schemes nance periods to operational deployments has
extended till March 31 also been approved by Chief Admiral Suni
Lanba.
Ö The deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar
to avail benefits of various government schemes Ö Several operational issues and efforts to make
would be extended till March 31 next year, Indian Navy self-reliant and modernize its
the Centre told the Supreme Court. warfare capability were also discussed at the
conference.
Ö It told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak
Misra that the deadline for Aadhaar linking to
· Piyush Goyal launches first set of solar
avail benefits of the schemes was to end in
December and it has now been decided to plants with capacity of 5 MW
extend it till March 31, 2018. Ö Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched the
· Letters of Intent’ for 14 monuments first set of solar plants with a total capacity
under ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme of 5 megawatt in New Delhi area.

Ö Seven shortlisted companies were given ‘Let- Ö The project is part of the government’s
ters of Intent’ for fourteen monuments under National Solar Mission in which Indian
‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’ of Ministry of
151
 Railways plans to commission one thousand Ö Currently, its market cap is at Rs 6.02
Megawatt solar plants across its network. trillion.
Ö The railways are working towards speeding Ö The recent rally in the stock was due to tariff
up its electrification and road-map for hike by its telecom arm Reliance Jio which,
identifying various solutions to achieve larger analysts expect, will improve the company’s
goal of transforming Railways as a 100 per profitability. Jio increased its tariff by 15%
cent de-carbonised and most energy effi- for its popular 84-day plan at Rs 459, under
cient. which subscribers get 1GB 4G data at high
speed per day.
· Gokul Natesan Second Indian-Origin
Player to be Signed by NBA G-League · India and US to implement HOSTAC to
Side strengthen maritime security

Ö Gokul Natesan is the 97th pick in the NBA Ö India and the United States have agreed to
draft to became only the second Indian- implement the programme for Helicopter
origin player to be signed by an NBA G- Operations from Ships otherThan
League side. Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).

Ö Amjyot Singh recently became the third Ö This decision was taken during a meeting
Indian to walk into the National Basketball between Indian Defense Minister, Ms.
Association (NBA) league. Nirmala Sitharama and US Secretary of
Defence Jim Mattis.
Ö The Managing Director for India of NBA is
Yannick Colaco. Ö The meeting between Ms. Sitharaman and
Mr. Mattis was held on October 25, 2017,
in the Philippines on sidelines of ASEAN
· Puducherry Becomes an Associate Defense Ministers’ Meeting – Plus.
Member of BCCI
Ö The Cricket Association of Puducherry · Prime Minister Narendra Modi
(CAP) was chosen by the Committee of Inaugurates International Conference
Administrators (CoA) as an associate on Consumer Protection
member of the Board of Control for Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
Cricket in India (BCCI). two-day International Conference on
Consumer Protection for east, south and
Ö This means Puducherry will be allowed to
Southeast Asian countries in New Delhi.
play the Ranji Trophy in 2018.
Ö This conference is being hosted by the
· Reliance Industries Limited is First Department of Consumer Affairs under
Indian Company to Cross Rs 6 Trillion Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food
Market Capital and Public Distribution and the United
Ö Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Nations Conference on Trade and Develop-
ment.
became the first Indian company to cross Rs
6 trillion market capitalization after its shares · National Games to held next year from
surged over 75% so far this year and hit a November 4-17 in Goa
fresh lifetime high.

152
Ö After a lot of delay, Sports Authority of Goa Ö Mahendra Singh Dhoni had reached the
finalised the dates of the 36th National Games, milestone in 2016 while other Indians who
to be held in Goa in 2018 from November 4 have done so are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul
to 17. Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad
Azharuddin. Overall, Kohli, who played his
Ö There was uncertainly over the dates of the 202nd match and 194th innings has become
30-discipline event ever since the Games were the 19th batsman to breach the 9000-run
awarded to the State in 2011. mark, making him the fastest to get there.
Ö The delays to the 34th and 35th editions of
· Union Cabinet approves Rs 7,000 crore
the Games, which were hosted by Jharkhand
for construction of six IIT campuses
and Kerala respectively, affected Goa’s plan
to hold the mega-event. Ö Union Cabinet approved over Rs 7,000
crore for construction of permanent cam-
puses of six new Indian Institute of
· Haryana Government to engage 15000 Technology (IITs).
apprentices in various departments Ö Permanent campuses for six new IITs will be
Ö To strengthen the manpower of various constructed at Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh),
departments of Haryana government, Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwad (Karnataka),
15,000 apprentices will be engaged from Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Bhilai
December. (Chhattisgarh) and Goa.

Ö A sum of Rs 31.64 crore has been allocated Ö Academic sessions of IITs at Tirupati and
by the Finance Department for this purpose. Palakkad started in 2015-16 and at
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Dharwad, Bhilai, Jammu, and Goa it started
Khattar said the Skill Development and in 2016-17.
Industrial Department would be the nodal
department for monitoring engagement of Ö These institutions are currently functioning
apprentices. from temporary campuses with a total
strength of 1530 students.
Ö According to the decision taken by the
government, all departments are required to Ö From the academic year 2020-2021, each
immediately engage apprentices to the extent of the six permanent campuses will have a
of 10 percent of their total manpower, facility for housing 1,200 students, thereby
including contractual or outsourced employ- raising the total strength of students to 7200.
ees, working at directorates and in field
offices. · Union Government Makes Use of Public
Finance Management System
· Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Batsman to Mandatory for Central Schemes
Score 9000 ODI Runs Ö The Centre has made the use of Public
Ö Virat Kohli became the sixth Indian to Finance Management System (PFMS)
complete 9000 ODI runs during the third mandatory for all central schemes.
game against New Zealand. He went on to
score his 32nd ODI century off 96 balls. Ö Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that
making use of the PFMS mandatorily will

153
 ensure benefits of government schemes to Gujarat Fortune giants 55-38 in the summit
reach the last mile. clash of Pro Kabaddi season 5.

Ö The move would help in tracking and Ö Gujarat’s Sachin Tawar was the only player
monitoring the flow of funds to the imple- who had managed to break through Patna
menting agencies. defence and scored 11 points.

Ö A total of 613 schemes of the central Ö The 20-year old raider finishes the 2017
government will be covered under PFMS. edition as the highest raider with 369 raid
The ambit of PFMS coverage includes points and 19 Super 10s.
central sector and centrally sponsored
schemes as well as other expenditures · Dreamnation: Uniting a Country with
including the Finance Commission grants. Handwritten Dreams: A Book on Kalam

Gk bit –PFMS Ö The book ‘Dreamnation: Uniting a Country

with Handwritten Dreams’ was released online
Ö The Public Financial Management System
by Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali
(PFMS),earlier known as Central Plan
Raj recently.
Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS), is a
web-based online software application Ö The book contains inspiring words of Dr A.P.J.
developed and implemented by the Office of Abdul Kalam.
Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
PFMS was initially started during 2009 as a Ö The book was co-authored by Saji Mathew
Central Sector Scheme of Planning Commis- and Jubie John.
sion with the objective of tracking funds
released under all Plan schemes of GoI, and
real time reporting of expenditure at all levels
of Programme implementation. Subsequently
· Rashtriya Ekta Diwas: October 31, 2017
in the year 2013, the scope was enlarged to
cover direct payment to beneficiaries under Ö Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) is
both Plan and non-Plan Schemes. observed on 31 October every year in India.

Ö The primary objective of PFMS is to Ö This day marks the birth anniversary of Sardar
facilitate sound Public Financial Management Vallabhbhai Patel, who played an instrumental
System for Government of India (GoI) by role in integration of princely state with Indian
establishing an efficient fund flow system as Union post independence.
well as a payment cum accounting network.
Ö Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is also known as Iron
· Patna Pirates won Third Pro Kabaddi man of India.
Successive Title Ö Celebration of October 31 as ‘Rashtriya Ekta
Ö Pardeep Narwal scored incredible 24 points Diwas’ was announced by Prime Minister
to steer Patna Pirates to third consecutive Narendra Modi in 2014.
Pro Kabaddi title.

Ö Pardeep scored 76 points in three playoffs,

helped Patna come from behind and thump

154
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off Ö It will micro and small entrepreneurs across
‘Run for Unity’ to mark Sardar Patel’s the country to directly register their cases re-
birth anniversary lating to delayed payments by Central Minis-
tries/Departments/CPSEs/State Governments.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi today Shri Arun Kumar Panda, Secretary, Ministry
flagged off the Run For Unity in New Delhi of MSME along with other dignitaries and se-
to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of nior officials from the Ministry were also
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. present.
Ö A large number of people, including sports Ö As per the provisions, the buyer is liable to
personalities like Sardar Singh, Deepa pay compound interest with monthly rests to
Karmakar, Suresh Raina and Karnam the supplier on the amount at three times of
Malleswari participated in the Run. the bank rate notified by Reserve Bank in case
he does not make payment to the supplier for
Ö Several programmes are being organized the supplies of goods or services within 45 days
across the country on this occasion. of the day of acceptance of the goods/service
or the deemed day of acceptance.
· Anupam Kher receives Parmod
Mahajan Smriti Award · Government sets up Arun Jaitley led panel
on PSU bank mergers
Ö Anupam Kher received Parmod Mahajan
Smriti Award in Pune. Ö Moving ahead with reforms in the public sec-
tor banking space, the government has consti-
Ö He is the current Chairman of Film and tuted a ministerial panel headed by Finance
Television Institute of India. Minister Arun Jaitley that will oversee merger
proposals of state-owned banks.
Ö Saira Banu, who moved Supreme Court
seeking a ban on instantaneous ‘Triple Ö The other members of the panel include Rail-
Talaq’ among Muslims is the second recipi- way and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and De-
ent of Pramod Mahjan Smriti Award. fence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Ö The awards were presented by Union HRD Ö The panel will oversee the proposals coming
Minister Prakash Javadekar. from boards of PSBs for consolidation.
Ö The award was instituted by Pune-based · Bhutan King to Arrive in India for Four-
organization ‘Muktachhand’ in memory of Day Visit
Late Pramod Mahajan who was the leader
from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a Ö King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel
former Union Cabinet Minister. Wangchuck has arrived in New Delhi on a
four-day visit to India.
· Govt launches MSME Delayed Pay-
Ö He was accompanied by his wife, Queen
ment Portal – MSME Samadhaan Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck.

Ö Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ö During the visit, the King will meet with
Shri Giriraj Singh launched MSME Delayed President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime
Payment Portal – MSME Samadhaan. Minister Narendra Modi.

155
· IAF contingent leaves for Israel to Ö IAS officer P C Meena was appointed
Participate in ‘Ex Blue Flag-17’ Private Secretary to Minister of State for
Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary.
Ö A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air
Force left for Israel today to participate in ex- · India and US Ocean Dialogue held in
ercise ‘Blue Flag-17’. Goa
Ö Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise Ö The India-US Ocean Dialogue, hosted by
which aims to strengthen military cooperation the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, began
amongst participating nations. at the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research-National Institute of Ocean-
Ö Indian Air Force is participating with the C- ography (CSIR-NIO) in Goa.
130J special operations aircraft along with
Garud commandos. Ö It is aimed at promoting sustainable develop-
ment of the Blue Economy. Blue Economy is
Ö The exercise is being conducted at Uvda Air the sustainable use of ocean resources for
Force Base in Israel from 02-16 Nov 17. economic growth, improved livelihoods and
jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.
· Haryana Government Announces
Lifetime Pensions for ‘Hindi · Delhi to host 9th global green film
Satyagrahis’ festival
Ö The state government of Haryana has Ö The 9th edition of ‘CMS Vatavaran’, a
announced lifetime monthly pension of Rs global film festival on environment and
10,000 for ‘Hindi Satyagrahis’ and those wildlife, will begin on November 2, 2017 in
from the state who were jailed during the New Delhi.
Emergency.
Ö The Theme of CMS Vatavaran is “Conser-
Ö The state government also announced that it vation 4 Water”.
would be providing enhanced financial
assistance to World War-II veterans and Ö The event is supported and partnered by
their widows. Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate
Change, National Geographic, United
Ö Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu was the Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Chief Guest for the occasion. Organization (UNESCO), United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and
· Vikram Singh Appointed Private World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Secretary to President
Ö Railway officer Vikram Singh was ap- · Central Government allocated Rs 109
pointed Private Secretary to President Ram crores to promote tourism projects in
Nath Kovind. Singh is a 1997 batch officer Puducherry
of the Indian Railway Traffic Service. Ö Central Government earmarked Rs 109
crores to promote heritage and spiritual
Ö The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
tourism projects under ‘Swadesh Darshan’
has approved his appointment to the post for Scheme in Puducherry.
a period of two years.
Ö The main focuses on integrated development
of tourist circuits around specific themes.
156
· Maharashtra Government Adds 18m to Ö In accordance with several initiatives under-
Shivaji statue, to be World’s Tallest at taken by the Pension Fund Regulatory and
210m. Development Authority (PFRDA) during the
last few years, now any Indian citizen,
Ö The 210-metre-high statue of Chhatrapati
resident or non-resident, between the age of
Shivaji Maharaj received environmental
60 - 65 years, can join NPS and continue up
clearance, making it the world’s tallest
to the age of 70 years.
statue, once built. the Maharashtra govern-
ment plans to build it in the sea off the
Mumbai coast. · Ajay Bisaria Named India’s Next High
Commissioner to Pakistan
Ö The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Ö India appointed Ajay Bisaria as the next
Authority (MCZMA) approved the high commissioner to Pakistan.
government’s application to increase the
height from the earlier proposed 192 Ö He is currently ambassador to Poland.
mmeters
Ö Bisaria takes over from Gautam Bambawale,
Ö Currently, the Spring Temple Buddha statue, who was last month appointed India’s
which stands at 208 metres in China, is the ambassador to China.
world’s tallest statue.
Ö Bisaria was in charge of the Eurasia desk
· Govt to promote Khichdi as ‘Brand that looks after India’s ties with Russia and
India food’. the Central Asian republics, prior to his
appointment as India’s ambassador to
Ö Over 800 kg khichdi, a traditional Indian Poland.
dish relished by both rich and poor, will be
prepared live on November 4 at the World
Food India event here in a bid to create
world record and popularise it as brand · Worlds highest motorable road
India food globally. constructed in Ladakh at a height of
over 19,300 feet
Ö Khichdi has been selected as Brand India
Ö The road was constructed by the Border
Food because it symbolises the country’s unity Roads Organisation (BRO) under Project
in diversity. Himank, in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Ö A giant ‘kadhai’ (frying pan) of the capacity of Kashmir, passing through Umlingla Top at
a height of over 19,300 feet.
1,000 litres and 7 feet in diameter will be used
for slow steam-cooking of more than 800 kg Ö The Project Himank has already constructed
khichdi. roads like Khardangu La at an altitude of
· Maximum Age of Joining NPS Increased 17,900 ft and Changla Pass at 17,695 ft in
Leh by connecting Nobra valley and Durbuk
from 60 to 65 years: Finance Ministry
valley in the cold desert.
Ö The Ministry of Finance increased the
maximum age of joining the National · FASTag to be compulsory for all new
Pension System (NPS) from the existing Four wheelers from Dec 1
60 years to 65 years under NPS - Private
Sector (i.e. all citizen and corporate model). Ö The government made installation of
FASTag, a rechargeable card that uses
157
 passive radio frequency identification (RFID Ö Goa has been ranked as safest place for
) technology to debit toll charges automati- women while Delhi is also ranked very low.
cally, mandatory for all four-wheel automo-
biles sold from December 1. · Aadhaar, Mobile SIM linking should be
done by Feb 6, 2018
Ö For existing vehicles, drivers can buy the tag
Ö The Aadhaar-Mobile SIM linking should be
from designated banks and toll booths and
completed by February 6, under e-KYC
fix them on the windscreen.
verification, the Centre told the Supreme
Ö The ministry notified the changes to relevant Court.
sections of the Central Motor Vehicles
Rules, 1989. Ö The Centre also mandated production of 12-
digit unique Aadhaar number for opening
Ö The move is part of the government’s much- new bank accounts.
hyped electronic toll collection (ETC)
system. Ö The government has introduced three new
methods, including through one-time pass-
word (OTP), to ease the process of linking
· Sikkim to get its first airport this
the Aadhaar identity number with individual
month
mobile numbers.
Ö Sikkim is set to get its first airport by the end
of November, over 30 kilometres from the · Royal Opera House at Mumbai gets
state capital of Gangtok. UNESCO heritage award
Ö The airport, built at an estimated cost of Rs. Ö The restored Royal Opera House, located at
300 crore, was supposed to be completed in Mumbai’s Charni Road, has received the
2012 but faced repeated delays. Award of Merit from the 2017 UNESCO
Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage
Ö It is at an altitude of 4,700 feet, and will be Conservation.
among the five highest Indian airports.
Ö In 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for
Ö Up until now, people travelling to and from Cultural Heritage Conservation, four re-
Sikkim had to trek to Bagdogra in West stored city landmarks were among the 16
Bengal to access the nearest airport. winners from six countries - Australia, China,
India, Iran, New Zealand and Singapore.

Ö Meanwhile, amongst this, all Mumbai

· Goa ranks top, Bihar at bottom of bagged the maximum number of UNESCO
Gender Vulnerability Index Heritage Awards for - Christ Church and
Royal Opera House (Award of Merit),
Ö Goa ranked top and Bihar featured at the low- Bomonjee Hormarjee Wadia Fountain and
est in Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI) re- Clock Tower and Wellington Fountain
leased by Child development NGO Plan In- (Honourable Mention).
dia.
Ö Ahead, Delhi bagged for Haveli Dharampura
Ö The composite index has been developed within in Shahjahanabad.
research for the NGO’s Plan for Every Child
campaign and launched by Women and child Ö The other two winners from India were the
development Ministry. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam,
158
 Tamil Nadu, and the Gateways of Gohad Ö It connects Chisumle and Demchok villages.
Fort near Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
Ö The road passes through Umlingla Top at a
· Tamil Nadu’s Sri Ranganathaswamy height of over 19,300 feet.
Temple wins UNESCO award
· Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana launched
Ö The Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at to promote philately
Srirangam in Tamil Nadu won UNESCO
Asia-Pacific award for cultural heritage Ö Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha
conservation programme in the Awards of launched a Pan India scholarship program for
Merit category. school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH
Yojana to increase the reach of Philately.
Ö It is first temple from Tamil Nadu to grab the
prestigious honour from the UN body. Ö Under the scheme of SPARSH (Scholarship
for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in
· Indira Gandhi International Airport at Stamps as a Hobby), it is proposed to award
Delhi will get 55 additional counters by annual scholarships to children of Standard VI
January 2018 to IX having good academic record and also
pursuing Philately as a hobby through a com-
Ö The Home Ministry approved the addition of
petitive selection process in all postal circles.
55 counters at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Interna-
tional Airport and 1,800 more personnel will Ö Briefing the media after the launch of the
be deployed by January 2018 to deal with scheme, Shri Sinha said that under the scheme,
rising passenger traffic. it is proposed to award 920 scholarships to
students pursuing Philately as a hobby.
Ö The decision was taken at a high-level
meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ö Every Postal Circle will select a maximum of
Rajiv Gauba. 40 scholarships representing 10 students each
from Standard VI, VII, VIII & IX.
Ö The Delhi International Airport Limited
(DIAL) will provide space for at least 10 Ö The amount of Scholarship will be Rs. 6000/-
more immigration counters at departure area per annum @ Rs. 500/- per month.
by November 15 while additional space will
be provided for another 10 immigration · Indian Air Force, DRDO successfully test
counters to be functional by January 2018. fire guided Glide Bomb
Ö Defence Research and Development
· BRO Builds World’s Highest Motorable
Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air
Road in Ladakh
Force (IAF) successfully tested an indig-
Ö The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) enously-built lightweight ‘glide bomb’ at the
built the world’s highest motorable road Integrated Test Range in Odisha’s
at a height of over 19,300 feet. Chandipur.

Ö The road has been constructed in the Ö Designated as the Smart Anti-Airfield
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Weapon (SAAW), the bomb released from
the IAF aircraft was guided through preci-
Ö The 86-kilometre long strategic road has sion navigation system.
been constructed under ‘Project Himank’
of the BRO. Ö Chairman DRDO - Dr. S Christopher
159
· Goa to hold Nobel Prize Series-India sector during the World Food India event, and
2018 with government funds put together the total
investments signed have reached $18.84 bil-
Ö The Goa government executed a trilateral lion.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Ö Badal announced that a dedicated cell has
the Department of Bio-Technology, Ministry
been put in place to ensure each of the 50
of Science and Technology and Nobel Me-
memoranda of understandings (MoUs) signed
dia, Sweden to hold the ‘Nobel Prize Series
materialise on the ground level and help boost
— India 2018 to be held from February 1-28
food processing levels from the current 10 per
next year.
cent.
Ö The Nobel series has earlier been organised
Ö She also said that Maharashtra and Telangana
in Gujarat.
governments announced their own food pro-
Ö The event will consist of exhibition from the cessing policy at the event and called upon
Nobel Museum and Nobel dialogues in which other states to do so.
Nobel laureates will interact with school chil-
Ö The three-day World Food India saw partici-
dren and teachers.
pation from 60 countries and over 50 global
· Telangana set to get 24x7 power supply CEOs.
to boost agriculture sector
Ö A Guinness World Records was also created
Ö Telangana set to provide 24x7 power sup- by cooking 918 kg of Khichdi at the event.
ply in order to boost farm sector.
· Kerala road accident victims to get free
Ö The state government decided to take this ini- aid for 1st 48 hrs
tiative by supplying ‘quality’ and ‘uninterrupted’
Ö The Kerala government has decided to set
power on an experimental basis in the entire
up a ‘trauma care’ policy to provide road
state to the agricultural sector.
accident victims free treatment for the first 48
Ö Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao did ex- hours.
perimental basis 24-hour power supply would Ö It plans to reimburse the treatment cost by first
be given from Monday night for five or six days paying hospitals and later getting it back from
all over the state for the agriculture sector. insurance companies.
Ö Transco, Genco and Discoms SPDCL and Ö This would be launched in government medi-
NPDCL have invested about Rs. 12,000 cal colleges, district and taluk hospitals and
Crore to strengthen the distribution and sup- major private medical institutions.
ply systems. About 23 lakh pump sets are in
use in the State farm sector. Ö Kerala State chief minister - Pinarayi Vijayan
· Investments worth $11 bn committed
· Aadhaar linked IRCTC accounts can
during World Food India: Harsimrat
book 12 tickets a month
Kaur
Ö Indian Railways has increased the monthly
Ö Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur cap on tickets booked on the IRCTC portal
Badal said $11.25 billion investments were from six to 12 for Aadhaar-verified passen-
committed in the country’s food processing gers.

160
Ö The move aims to encourage passengers to Ö The event, which is being hosted in
link the 12-digit unique numbers to their Guwahati, Assam is scheduled to be held
online booking accounts on IRCTC. from November 19 to 26.

Ö However, passengers can continue to book Ö The 34-year-old is currently in Vietnam for
up to six tickets a month without validating the Asian Championships and has reached
their Aadhaar number. the semi-finals of the tournament.

· Govt may make gold jewellery

hallmarking mandatory by January
Ö The government is planning to make hall-
marking along with carat count mandatory · Tokyo’s AI ‘boy’ first bot to gain a
for the gold jewellery sold in India, by residency
January 2018.
Ö Microsoft as a joint developer, an AI
Ö It will be done for jewellery in three catego- character was made an official resident
ries — 14 carat, 18 carat and 22 carat. of a busy central Tokyo district in Japan.

Ö Food and Consumers Affairs Minister - Ram Ö He doesn’t exist physically. He is a

Vilas Paswan. virtual chatty seven-year-old boy.
· India beat China to win women’s hockey Ö The virtual boy was named “Shibuya
Asia Cup Mirai”. Mirai, whose name means
“future” in the Japanese language.
Ö India won their biggest title in recent years as
they completed a historic win over China in Ö He can have text conversations with
the women’s Hockey Asia Cup. humans on the widely used LINE mes-
saging app.
Ö This was India’s second Asia Cup title win af-
ter they had beaten Japan in 2004 in New Delhi. Ö He can reply to messages and make
light-hearted alterations to the selfies he
Ö Playing the final for the first time since 2009, is sent.
India managed to hold off China 5-4 in shootout
in the final in Kakamighara, Japan. · Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash
Javadekar inaugurates ‘Chintan Shivir’
Ö India had already qualified for the 2018
Women’s World Cup. Ö Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash
Javadekar inaugurated a two-day
· Mary Kom Named Women’s Youth National Workshop ‘Chintan
World Championships Ambassador Shivir’organized by Department of
Ö Five-time world champion and Olympic School Education and Literacy, Ministry
bronze medalist MC Mary Kom named as of Human Resource Development in
the ambassador of the upcoming AIBA New Delhi.
Women’s Youth World Championships.
Ö The main aim of the workshop is to
provide holistic education relevant for
21st century India and to bring together

161
 key stakeholders from various NGOs, Ö The new system uses a highly direc-
private sector and individuals to deliber- tional antenna system - “Wide Aperture
ate on key themes in the education Log Periodic Antenna Array [LPDA]”
sector. system. This antenna system has ad-
dressed the coverage restrictions of the
Ö He informed that workshop mainly old ILS, and will provide guidance to the
focuses on five themes i.e. Digital aircraft to a much lower height and
education, Life Skill education, Experi- improved precision.
mental learning, Physical Education and
Value education. Ö This is turn will enhance the safety of
the aircraft during landing.
· Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia
designated Finance Secretary Ö The state of the art equipment is manu-
factured by M/s Indra Navia AS, Nor-
Ö Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has way.
been designated as the new Finance
Secretary. · Indian Railways launches main arch on
world’s highest bridge on Chenab
Ö Adhia is a 1981 batch IAS officer of
Gujarat cadre. Ö Indian Railwayslaunched the main arch
of the world’s highest bridge on the river
Ö The vacancy was caused following the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi
superannuation of Ashok Lavasa last district which will provide direct connec-
month. tivity to the Kashmir valley.
Ö There are five departments under the Ö The bridge will stand 359 meters above
Finance Ministry — Expenditure, the bed of the River Chenab and will be
Economic Affairs, Financial Services, 30 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower
Revenue and Department of Investment in Paris.
and Public Asset management (DIPAM).
Ö The 1.3-km-long bridge is being con-
· Commissioning of new Instrument structed at a cost of Rs. 1,250 crore.
Landing System at Chennai Airport
Ö The bridge would be completed by May
Ö Airports Authority of India has replaced 2019.
the existing Instrument Landing System
(ILS) for runway 07 at Chennai Interna- Ö The bridge could withstand winds up to
tional airport at a cost of Rs. 5.0 Crores. 260 kmph and its lifespan will be 120
years.
Ö ILS provides the necessary guidance to
pilots as they approach for landing at the · Manipur to host International Sangai
runway. The new ILS will facilitate fest from Nov 21
smooth landing of the aircrafts at
Ö Manipur is to host the 10-day Sangai Interna-
Chennai Airport even during rain, low
clouds, smog etc. and provide an im- tional Festival beginning November 21, that
proved guidance to the Aircrafts. will feature polo and a 21-km half marathon
among other activities, with most countries
confirming their participation.
162
Ö Most of the Southeast Asian countries are ex- own Paytm BHIM UPI ID on the app, using
pected to participate in the colourful festival. which customers can transfer money.

· Coal India launched “Grahak Sadak Ö Using BHIM UPI users can create their own
Koyla Vitaran App” Paytm BHIM UPI ID on the app, which will
be issued by Paytm Payments Bank.
Ö Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways
& Coal has launched ‘Grahak Sadak Koyla Ö As per the National Payments Corpora-
Vitaran App’ benefitting customers of Coal tion of India (NPCI) guidelines, users can
India Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road send up to Rs. 1 lakh a day using BHIM
mode. UPI and there is no receiving limit.

Ö The customer friendly app, launched recently · Central Government approves National
in Kolkata on CIL’s Foundation Day, helps Highway project to connect two sacred
achieve transparency in despatch operations, places of Sahibzadas in Punjab
as a tool to monitor, whether the despatches
are made on the fair principle of ‘First in First Ö Prime Minister Modi led central government
Out’ and keeps track of all the activities from given an approval of the national highway to
issuance of Sale Order to physical delivery of link the Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and Sri
coal by road. Chamkaur Sahib.

· DRDO Conducts Successful Flight Trial Ö The national highway would be constructed
of ‘NIRBHAY’ at the cost of Rs500 crores for connecting
both the religious places.
Ö Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) achieved yet another Ö The approval 31 kilometer stretch of this
feat with the successful test flight of national highway would be connected from
‘NIRBHAY’ - India’s first indigenously de- National Highway-5 near Prem Nagar -
signed and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Morinda - Chamkaur Sahib - Bela - Panyali
Cruise Missile which can be deployed from with National Highway-344A.
multiple platforms.
· Reserve Bank of India to launch public
Ö It was successfully test fired from the Integrated awareness campaign through SMSes
Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.
Ö Reserve Bank of India - RBI launch a
Ö The missile has the capability to loiter and cruise public awareness campaign through SMSes
at 0.7 Mach, at altitudes as low as 100 m. to educate public about various banking
regulations and facilities available.
Ö The flight test achieved all the mission objec-
tives completely from lift-off till the final splash, Ö It is the first time it uses the media SMS and
boosting the confidence of all scientists asso- emails as those used by the fraudsters.
ciated with the trial.
Ö The public can give a missed call to 86919-
60000 to get more information through
· Paytm introduces BHIM UPI for Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS)
seamless money transfer on fake calls and emails as well as invest
Ö Paytm introduced payments using BHIM wisely and cautiously in chit funds.
UPI through which users can create their

163
· Kerala government launched She Pad Ö The protocol updates the existing framework
scheme for school girls in Kerala of the exchange of tax-related information to
a latest international standard which will help
Ö Kerala government launched a new scheme
curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between
for school students named ‘She Pad’in
the two countries and will also enable mutual
Kerala.
assistance in collection of taxes.
Ö It will benefit the girls of classes 6 to 12 in
· Saina Beats Sindhu to Clinch Badminton
Kerala and will be implemented in 300
National Championship
schools in 114 panchayats this year.
Ö Saina Nehwal defeated PV Sindhu 21-17, 27-
Ö Women’s Development Corporation in
25 in the final of the National Badminton
collaboration with the local governments will
Championships.
be implementing it, this year in 300 schools.
Ö With this win, the Olympic bronze medailist
Ö This will be expanded to all schools in
has clinched her third nationals title in as many
Kerala in the coming years.
appearances.
· Maharashtra Government to set up Ö Saina took the first game quite comfortably,
village climate resilient committees winning it 21-17. However, Sindhu, too, fought
Ö The Maharashtra state government de- back brilliantly in the second game, but her
cided to set up a committee for the imple- efforts went in vain.
mentation of a Rs.4,000-crore project on
· Modi, Hasina, Mamata flag-off
climate resilience agriculture in 5,000 villages
Kolkata-Khulna train service
of 15 districts in the state.
Ö A new passenger train service between
Ö The seven-member panel, headed by the
Kolkata and Bangladesh’s southwestern in-
Principal Secretary (Agriculture), has been
dustrial city of Khulna was flagged off by Prime
set up with a target of selecting 4,000
Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh coun-
drought-prone villages for the implementa-
terpart Sheikh Hasina and the West Bengal
tion of the project.
chief minister.
Ö The programme aims to reduce farmers’
Ö A fully air-conditioned weekly passenger train
dependence on unpredictable weather cycles
service ‘Bandhan Express’ will run every
and enhance the resilience of agriculture to
Thursday from both Kolkata and Khulna.
climate change and vulnerability through
research and use of technology. Ö On the occasion, Modi said the ties of friend-
ship between India and Bangladesh have fur-
· Government Notifies Tax Avoidance ther strengthened.
Protocol Between India and New
Zealand · ‘Suno RBI Kya Kehta Hai’ campaign
against fake offers soon
Ö The Union Government notified the third
protocol between India and New Zealand Ö The Reserve Bank will soon launch an aware-
for the avoidance of double taxation and ness campaign - Suno RBI Kya Kehta Hai -
prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to through SMSes to warn the public against fall-
taxes on income. ing prey to unsolicited and fictitious offers from
fraudsters.
164
Ö The drive comes amid rising instances of (Maintenance of Records) Second Amend-
fraudsters trying to dupe gullible customers by ment Rules, 2017.
promising them lucrative financial gains and
prize money through e-mails and SMSes, and Ö This norm of linking Aadhaar number to
even through phone calls. insurance policies will apply to new custom-
ers as well as existing policyholders.
Ö The cautionary messages will be sent from
‘RBISAY’ sender ID. Ö Besides, it will apply not only to life insur-
ance policies but also to general insurance
· Union minister Alphons elected unop- policies.
posed to Rajya Sabha
Ö Insurance industry experts believe that this
Ö Union Minister of State for Tourism and BJP norm will be helpful during claims settlement.
leader Alphons Kannanthanam was elected
unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. · Dubai based Emirates NBD bank begins
operations in India
Ö The seat fell vacant after M Venkaiah Naidu s
election as the country’s vice president on Ö United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) second
August 5. largest bank, Emirates NBD started opera-
tions in India by opening a branch in
Ö Secretary of the legislative assembly Prithvi Raj Mumbai.
said Kannanthanam was elected unopposed
as no other nomination was filed for the seat. Ö Plan to invest USD 100 million capital into
its Indian operations over a period of time.
· PayPal Launches Domestic Payments in
Ö The Mumbai branch is Emirates NBD’s fifth
India
international branch outside of its
Ö American digital payments company PayPal UAE.Emirates NBD’s Mumbai branch will
launched domestic operations in India. offer a range of services to corporate,
institutional clients and Small and Medium
Ö At launch, Indian consumers will be able to Enterprises (SMEs).
make transactions at select online merchants.

Ö Merchants offering PayPal will be able to

process both local and global payments · India became the first country to
through the platform getting access to partner with Facebook on disaster
PayPal’s more than 200 million customers response
around the world and in India through a
single integration. Ö India is the first country to partner with social
networking site Facebook on disaster
response, Union minister Kiren Rijiju
· IRDA makes linking of Aadhaar with
announced at the inaugural meeting of the
insurance policy mandatory
‘India Disaster Response Summit’,
Ö Insurance Regulatory and Development organised jointly by the National Disaster
Authority of India (IRDA) announced that Management Authority (NDMA) and
linking of Aadhaar number to insurance Facebook.
policies is now a mandatory requirement
under Prevention of Money-laundering

165
Ö The programme will be piloted in two Ö 23rd meeting of GST council, chaired by
disaster-prone states - Assam and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, was
Uttarakhand. held in Guwahati.

· Cabinet approves Creation of National · The 2nd edition of National

Testing Agency Entrepreneurship Awards hosted by
MSDE
Ö The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has approved creation Ö The Ministry of Skill Development &
of National Testing Agency (NTA) as a Soci- Entrepreneurship (MSDE) awarded the
ety registered under the Indian Societies Reg- National Entrepreneurship Awards 2017
istration Act, 1860, and as an autonomous and marking the completion of three years of its
self-sustained premier testing organization to inception.
conduct entrance examinations for higher edu-
cational institutions. Ö This year 15 winners across various catego-
ries were awarded.
Ö The NTA would initially conduct those
entrance examinations which are currently Ö Winners were given a cash award of Rs 5
being conducted by the CBSE. lakh (enterprises and individuals) and Rs.
10 lakhs(organizations/institutes) along with
Ö Other examinations will be taken up gradu- a certificate and trophy recognizing their
ally after NTA is fully geared up. efforts of being the change agents in India’s
development.
Ö The entrance examinations will be conducted
in online mode at least twice a year, thereby · Government to give proxy voting
giving adequate opportunity to candidates to rights to over 25 million Non Resident
bring out their best. Indians
Ö In order to serve the requirements of the Ö The government has decided to give proxy
rural students, it would locate the centres at voting rights to over 25 million non-resident
sub-district/district level and as far as Indians (NRIs) spread across the world,
possible would undertake hands-on training Attorney general KK Venugopal told the
to the students. Supreme Court.

· GST Council cuts tax slab for 178 items Ö The Election Commission of India had
from 28% to 18% already recommended that the government
take necessary steps to amend the law for
Ö Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that out of 228 NRI voters. It had prepared a report titled
items in the 28% tax bracket, 178 have been ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options
put into the lower tax category of 18%. It will for Voting by Overseas Electors’ and
be applicable from 15th of this month. presented it to the court in October 2014.

Ö Tax rate will be 5% uniform for all AC or · Telangana Government Declares Urdu
non-AC restaurants, except those in hotels as Second Official Language
with tariffs of more than Rs. 7,500, which
will continue to be taxed at 18%. Outdoor Ö Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar
catering will be taxed at 18% with ITC. Rao declared Urdu as the state’s second
official language.

166
Ö Every office in the state has an Urdu speak- provide high-speed broadband service in all
ing officer. Gram Panchayats by March 2019.

Ö The demand to make Urdu a second lan- Ö It will be implemented at an outlay of around
guage had been there for a long time. 34 thousand crore rupees.

· WCD Ministry to celebrate CCI Festi- Ö Department of Telecommunications

val “Hausala 2017” (DoT) is organizing a National Conference
in New Delhi in which it will sign MoUs with
Ö The Ministry of Women and Child Develop- states for the implementation of the second
ment will celebrate the Child Rights Week phase of BharatNet.
(Hausla 2017) from 16th to 20th November,
2017. Ö Under this phase, broadband connectivity
will be provided in remaining 1.5 lakh Gram
Ö The country celebrates the Children’s Day on Panchayats in the country.
14th November and the International Child
Rights Day is celebrated on 20th November Ö Almost 90 thousand installations have been
every year. completed and broadband services are
expected to commence in 80 thousand Gram
Ö The period between the two important events Panchayats soon.
will be celebrated as Child Rights Week by
WCD Ministry by hosting an Inter CCI Festi- · Home loan limit for Central
val for the children who reside in Child Care Government employees raised to Rs.25
Institutions (CCIs). Lakh from earlier Rs.7.5 lakh
· Varanasi Tops The List of Country’s Ö The government has raised the maximum
Most Polluted City amount that a Central government employee
can borrow from the government for house-
Ö A report by the Central Pollution Control building to Rs.25 lakh from the earlier
Board (CPCB) has found that the air quality Rs.7.5 lakh.
of holy city Varanasi is most polluted among
the 42 cities monitored recently. Ö The interest rate on the loan amount shall be
at a uniform rate of 8.5% at simple interest,
Ö Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4 PM in place of the earlier four slabs of interest
was at an alarming 491, followed by Gurugram rates ranging from 6% to 9.5%.
at 480, Delhi at 468, Lucknow at 462 and
Kanpur at 461. · New airport to come up on
Lakshadweep Minicoy Island
Ö Notably, pollution level is categorised as ‘se-
vere’ when the AQI ranges between 401 and Ö The Island Development Agency (IDA)
500, which affects healthy people and seri- decided today to develop an airport at
ously impacts those with existing diseases. Minicoy Island to boost tourism and
promote tuna fishing industry for improving
· Union Government to launch livelihoods in Lakshadweep.
BharatNet Phase 2 project
Ö This decision was taken at the second
Ö The Union government will launch its second meeting of the IDA chaired by Union Home
and final phase of the BharatNet project to Minister Rajnath Singh.

167
 Ö The IDA was set up on June 1 this year, · Dantewada hosts India 1st Tribal
following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Entrepreneurship Summit
review meeting for the holistic development
Ö To inspire, nurture and promote the spirit of
of islands.
entrepreneurship in tribal youth, the NITI
Aayog in partnership with the US govern-
· Odisha and West Bengal to hold joint ment organized India’s first Tribal Entre-
coastal security exercise preneurship Summit at Dantewada.

Ö Odisha and its neighboring state West Bengal Ö The summit is inaugurated by MoS Science
soon organize a joint security exercise named and Technology YS Chowdhary held at
as ‘Sagar Kavach’ along the 630 km long Dantewada in the Bastar region of
coastline. It is a real-time security exercise, Chhattisgarh.
conducted with an aim to check the efficacy
of the security parameters and preparedness Ö This event is an 8th Global Entrepreneurship
of various security forces namely Indian Navy, Summit, being held in India which ensures
Marine police force, Indian Coast Guard yet another step towards tribal-centric
(ICG), Forest Department, Fisheries and dis- sustainable and inclusive development.
trict administration. During the course of this
two-day exercise, a simulated terror attack · Rajyavardhan Rathore releases the
named ‘red force’ will be organized at a ran- India Youth Development Index and
dom place along the coast of Odisha or West Report 2017
Bengal.
Ö Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and
· Northeast to get India’s first ever ‘Air Sports (Independent Charge), Col.
Dispensary’ Rajyavardhan Rathore released the ‘India
Youth Development Index and Report
Ö Northeast is all set to get India’s first-ever “Air 2017’ in New Delhi.
Dispensary” based in a helicopter and the
Union Ministry of Development of Northeast Ö In India Youth Development Index 2017, the
(DONER) has already contributed Rs. 25 five dimensions of Global Youth Develop-
crore as part of the initial funding for this initia- ment Index (Global YDI) have been re-
tive. tained.

Ö As per the envisaged plan, Dr Jitendra Singh Ö These five dimensions are education, health
said, to begin with, helicopter will be based at and well-being, employment and opportu-
two locations, namely Imphal in Manipur and nity, political participation and civic partici-
Meghalaya in Shillong. pation for young people.

Ö Both of these cities have premier postgradu- · Rice Field laboratory in Manila named
ate medical institutes from where specialist after PM Modi
doctors, along with the necessary equipment
Ö While on his visit to Philippines, PM Narendra
and paramedical staff, would be able to move
Modi visited the International Rice Research
into the helicopter and hold a dispensary/OPD
Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Philippines and
in different locations across the eight States of
inaugurated ‘Shri Narendra Modi Resilient
North Eastern Region.
Rice Field Laboratory’.

168
Ö He also presented two Indian rice seed vari- India started functioning as a responsible
eties to the IRRI gene bank. body overlooking the works of the press as
a whole body on this day.
Ö IRRI is a premier research organisation dedi-
cated to reducing poverty and hunger through Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted
rice science. media on National Press Day, which is
commemorated every year on November
16, and appreciated their contribution to
· Union Government Launched Bharat 22 make India a democratic country.
ETF
Ö The Union Government launched the · Union Government to introduce BS-VI
‘Bharat 22’ exchange traded fund (ETF) grade auto fuels in National capital
managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Territory in 2018 instead of 2020
targeting an initial amount of about Rs8,000
crore. Ö The Petroleum Ministry in consultation with
Public Oil Marketing Companies has
Ö The ETF is part of the government’s overall decided for preponement of BS-VI grade
disinvestment programme and mirrors the auto fuels in National Capital Territory of
S&P BSE Bharat 22 Index, which com- Delhi from 1st April next year instead of 1st
prises select companies from the CPSE April 2020.
(central public sector enterprises) universe,
stakes held under the Specified Undertaking Ö This is part of government’s concerted
of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), and efforts to reduce vehicular emissions and
state-run banks. improve fuel efficiency with an aim to
reduce the carbon footprints and keep a
healthy environment.
· Indian Second-Highest Public Bingers in Ö India has followed the regulatory pathway
the World for fuel quality and vehicle emissions stan-
Ö Binge watching in public is the new trend in dards termed as Bharat Stage or BS.
India, and Indians are the second-highest
public bingers in the world (88 percent),
just behind Mexico (89 percent), according · Mukesh Ambani Topped Forbes List of
to a survey released by online streaming Asia’s Richest Families
platform Netflix.
Ö India’s Ambani family topped the Forbes
Ö The survey was conducted by list of Asia’s Richest Families for the first
SurveyMonkey from August 24 – Septem- time with a net worth of $44.8 billion, up
ber 7, 2017, and based on 37,056 re- $19 billion from the previous year.
sponses.
Ö The collective wealth of Asia’s 50 richest
families on the list is a record $699
· National Press Day is observed on billion, according to the Forbes.
November 16
Ö The Top 3 Families in Asia-1. India’s
Ö India celebrated the National Press Day Ambani Family- $44.8 billion2. Korea’s
on November 16 as the Press Council of
169
 Lee family- $40.8 billion3. Hong Kong’s Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –
Kwok family- ‘Saubhagya’ Web Portal.

Ö The Top 3 Families in India-1. India’s Ö The portal can be accessed at http://
Ambani Family- (Rank 1; $44.8 billion2. saubhagya.gov.in.Addressing the media
Premji family (Rank 11; $19.2 billion net during the event, Shri Singh said that the
worth)3. Mittal family (Rank 14; $17.2 Saubhagya Dashboard is a platform for
billion). monitoring household electrification
progress, which would disseminate
· Cabinet approves the establishment of
information on Household Electrification
the National Anti-profiteering Authority
Status (State, District, village-wise),
Ö The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Household Progress on live basis, State-
Minister Narendra Modi has given its wise Target vs Achievement, Monthly
approval for the creation of the posts of Electrification Progress, etc.
Chairman and Technical Members of
· Nagaland becomes first North East
the National Anti-profiteering Authority
state to launch PoS for electricity bill
(NAA) under GST, following up immedi-
payments
ately on sharp reduction in the GST
rates of a large number of items of mass Ö Nagaland became the first among the
consumption. North Eastern states to launch Point of
Sale (PoS) for electricity bill payment.
Ö This paves the way for the immediate
establishment of this apex body, which is Ö The PoS facility was formally launched
mandated to ensure that the benefits of by State Chief Secretary, Pankaj Kumar,
the reduction in GST rates on goods or at Kohima Electrical Subdivision-1 in
services are passed on to the ultimate Kohima on 16th November 2017.
consumers by way of a reduction in
prices. Ö The Chief Engineer of Power Depart-
ment, Khose Sale informed that PoS
Ö The establishment of the NAA, to be
services will be extended to other major
headed by a senior officer of the level of
cities and districts of Nagaland.
Secretary to the Government of India
with four Technical Members from the · RBI Governor Urjit Patel Appointed to
Centre and/or the States, is one more Advisory Board of BIS
measure aimed at reassuring consumers
that Government is fully committed to Ö RBI Governor Urjit Patelwas appointed
take all possible steps to ensure the to the Financial Stability Institute Advi-
benefits of implementation of GST in sory Board of the Bank of International
terms of lower prices of the goods and Settlement (BIS).
services reach them.
Ö The Bank of International Settlement is
· Government launches ‘Saubhagya’ a global financial organization owned by
Web-Portal major central banks from across the
world.
Ö Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC)
for Power and New & Renewable En- Ö The Financial Stability Institute (FSI) of
ergy, launched the Pradhan Mantri the BIS assists financial sector authori-

170
 ties worldwide in strengthening their Ö TB is a bacterial disease caused by Myco-
financial systems. bacterium tuberculosis bacteria that most
often affect lungs. The disease is spread from
· Moody’s Upgrades India’s Sovereign person to person through the air.
Rating for First Time in 14 Years

Ö The International rating agency · Indias First Mega Coastal

Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Economic Zone to Come up in
India’s local and foreign currency issuer Maharashtra
ratings to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed Ö The Union Government has given the go-
the outlook on the rating to stable from ahead for setting up India’s first mega
positive. Moody’s has revised the coastal economic zone (CEZ) at the
sovereign rating of India a notch above Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra as
investment grade after a long gap of 14 part of a plan to develop 14 such industrial
years. Moody’s has also upgraded clusters to spur manufacturing and generate
India’s local currency senior unsecured jobs.
rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and its short-
term local currency rating to P-2 from P- Ö About 45 companies across telecom, auto
3. and IT sectors will soon bid for 200 hectares
of land to set up manufacturing units in the
· Maharashtra Bans Plastic zone.
Bottles at Government Offices,
Hotels Ö The plan envisages a total investment of Rs
15,000 crore in the first phase and creation
Ö The Maharashtra government, in a bid to be- of more than 1.5 lakh jobs.
come plastic-free state from March 2018 on
Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year, has · Union Cabinet increases carpet
banned packaged water bottles in Mantralaya area of houses under Pradhan
and other government offices. Mantri Awas Yojana
Ö Plastic bottles of mineral water have also been Ö The Union Cabinet approved an increase in
banned at hotels and the regulation will soon carpet area of houses eligible for interest
be imposed on restaurants. subsidy under Credit Linked Subsidy
Scheme (CLSS) for Middle Income
· Union Government introduces Group (MIG) under Pradhan Mantri
Daily Drug Regimen for treatment AwasYojana (Urban). The purpose is to
of Tuberculosis further enhance the scope, coverage, and
outreach of Scheme for Middle Income
Ö The Ministry of Health & Family Wel-
Group (MIG) under Pradhan Mantri
fare launched Daily Drug Regimen for
AwasYojana (Urban).
treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) patients
across the country under The Revis. Ö The purpose is to further enhance the scope,
coverage, and outreach of Scheme and
Ö Under it, Health Ministry is providing a
outreach of Scheme.
thrice-weekly regimen for treatment of TB,
however, it has now decided to change Ö The limit of 120 sqm and 150 sqm is seen as
treatment strategy for TB patients. reasonable enhancement and it will cater to

171
 the market generally scouted by MIG · RBL Bank Opens All Women
belonging to two income category. Branch in Chennai
Ö Private sector RBL Bankhas set up an all-
· Vice President launches Journey
women branch in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
of Women Law Reforms and The
Law Commission of India Some Ö The branch would be managed by eight
Insights book women and offer all products and services
Ö Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu across liability and assets.
received the first copy of the book
‘Journey of Women Law Reforms and The Ö RBL Bank currently serves 3.54 million
Law Commission of India Some Insights’, customers. It has 246 branches and 389
from the Author former Joint Secretary, ATM services across the country.
Dr. Pavan Sharma.
· Manushi Chhillar wins Miss
Ö The author has made an excellent analysis World 2017 title
and more such studies can help focus
Ö India’s Manushi Chhillar (20) was
nation’s attention to important areas like
crowned coveted Miss World crown for
matrimonial laws, property laws, laws
the year 2017.
relating to inheritance, succession, guardian-
ship as well as NRI marriages and issues of Ö The win comes 17 years after Priyanka
sexual violence. Chopra brought home.

Ö The winner of 2016 title, Puerto Rico’s

Stephanie Del Valle passed on her crown to
· Gleadovia konyakianorum is a Ms Chhillar at a grand event held in Sanya in
Parasitic plant found in Nagaland China.
Ö Scientists from Botanical Survey of India
(BSI) have discovered a new species of Ö She is sixth Indian woman to win the cov-
parasitic flowering plant named Gleadovia eted title of Miss World. Reita Faria was first
konyakianorum. Indian woman to claim title back in 1966,
followed by Aishwariya Rai.
Ö The species was named in honor of Konyak
tribe of Nagas. · Indian Oil sets up India’s first
electric vehicle charging station in
Ö The plant was discovered in the semi- Nagpur
evergreen forest at an altitude of 1,500-
1,600 meters during an experiment. Ö State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
announced launch of nation’s first electric ve-
Ö Though it has no chlorophyll, the plant has a hicle charging in Nagpur.
vascular system and extracts its nutrition
from the host plant with the help of a hausto- Ö IOC, in collaboration with Ola, launched the
rium. country’s first electric charging station at one
of its petrol-diesel stations in Nagpur.

Ö Nagpur is the first city to introduce Electric

Public Transportation Model in India.

172
 · Modi govt 3rd most trusted in Atom Egoyan will receive Lifetime Achieve-
the world ment Award.

Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s govern- Ö Union Information and Broadcasting Minister
ment has ranked third in World Economic Smriti Irani and Goa Chief Minister Manohar
Forum’s list of most trusted governments. Parrikar among others, were present at the
event.
Ö The report reveals that almost three quarters
(74 percent) of Indians say they have Ö The International Film Festival of India (IFFI),
confidence in their national government. founded in 1952, is one of the most significant
film festivals in Asia.
Ö The list is topped by Switzerland, followed
by Indonesia, while India grabs the third · Women’s Youth World Boxing
spot. Ch’ship begins in Guwahati

· India Signs Loan Agreement with Ö Women’s Youth World Boxing Championship
World Bank for USD 100 Million begins in Guwahati on 20 November.

Ö A Guarantee Agreement for IBRD/CTF loan Ö In AIBA women youth boxing championship
of USD 98 million and Grant Agreement for being held in Guwahati , Indian pugilists will
USD 2 million for the “Shared Infrastructure start their campaign on 21 November.
for Solar Parks Project” was signed with the
Ö Three young boxers will lock horn in the pre-
World Bank.
liminaries.
Ö The project consists of two components viz.
Ö Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal has
(i) Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks (esti-
inaugurated the event in presence of office
mated total project cost of USD 100 million,
bearers from AIBA and Boxing Federation of
including USD 75 million in IBRD loan and
USD 23 million in CTF Loan) and (ii) Techni-
cal Assistance (USD 2 million in CTF Grant).
· India becomes second largest fish
Ö The objective of the project is to increase so- producing country in the world
lar generation capacity through establishment
of large-scale parks in the country. Ö 21st November is celebrated as a
World of Fisheries Day worldwide every
· International Film Festival of year.
India (IFFI) inaugurated in Goa
Ö In India, which is the second largest
Ö The 48th edition of International Film Festival fish producing country, the World Fisher-
of India (IFFI 2017) was inaugurated by Shah ies Day is being celebrated from 21st
Rukh Khan on 20 November at the Dr November, 2014 and it is being celebrated
Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium in for the fourth consecutive year.
Bambolim, Goa.
Ö The theme of this year is “2022 ka
Ö Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured hai sapnaa…... kisaan ki aay ho
with the Indian Film Personality of the Year duguna – Sankalp se siddhi”.
Award at the event, while Canadian director

173
· India ranks 51 on IMD Talent Rankings some outstanding questions in solar
physics.
Ö India ranked 51st among 63 coun-
tries on the IMD Talent Rankings in Ö The satellite carrying six payloads
terms of ability to attract, develop and will be launched from Sriharikota in
retain talent. Andhra Pradesh on the PSLV- XL
launch vehicle.
Ö The annual IMD World Talent
Ranking covers 63 countries and as- Ö It will be launched into the halo orbit
sessed methods countries adopted to around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of
attract and retain talent. the Sun-Earth system.
Ö Switzerland topped list followed by Ö The second edition of India’s moon
Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Finland, mission, Chandrayaan II is scheduled
Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Swe- for launch in March 2018.
den and Luxembourg in top 10.
Ö The space agency is aiming to
Ö Globally, Europe continues to double its satellite launches next year
dominate rankings being most competi- from the current eight to nine annually to
tive countries. Leading Asian economies 20 every year.
in rankings are Singapore, Hong Kong
and Taiwan. · Brahmos Flight test from IAFs Su-30MKI
Fighter Aircraft
· President inaugurated the 8th Manipur
Sangai Festival Ö Brahmos, the world’s fastest
supersonic cruise missile created history
Ö The Honourable President of India, after it was successfully flight-tested first
Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 8th time from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF)
Manipur Sangai Festival 2017. frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI
against a sea-based target in the Bay of
Ö The goal of the festival is to double Bengal.
the number of attendees compared to pre-
vious festivals held since inception. Ö The successful maiden test firing of
Brahmos Air Launched Cruise Mis-
Ö The President also inaugurated the sile (ALCM) from Su-30MKI will
North East Development Summit to de- significantly bolster the IAF’s air combat
velop the North East Region. operations capability from stand-off
ranges.
· India’s first mission to the Sun to be
launched in 2019 · Cabinet approves a new scheme ‘
Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendra’
Ö India’s mission to the Sun will be
launched in 2019 from Sriharikota in
Ö The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
Andhra Pradesh. chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Ö The main aim of the solar mission is Modi has given its approval for expansion of
the schemes of Ministry of Women and Child
to improve our understanding of dynami-
Development under Umbrella Scheme “Mis-
cal processes of the sun and help resolve

174
 sion for Protection and Empowerment for · Shubhangi Swaroop becomes first
Women” for a period 2017-18 to 2019-20. female pilot in Indian Navy
Ö CCEA has also given approval to the new Ö Bareilly’s Shubhangi Swaroop became the
scheme called ‘Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti first-ever female pilot to be inducted into the
Kendra’, which will empower rural women Indian Navy.
through community participation to create an
Ö Swaroop who has been appointed in the
environment in which they realize their full po-
Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) branch
tential.
will now undergo pilot training at Dundigal
Ö Expansion under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao has Air Force Academy near Hyderabad.
also been approved based on the successful
Ö She is among the 328 cadets who passed
implementation in 161 districts.
out from the Indian Naval Academy’s first
Ö The financial outlay during 2017-18 to 2019- batch of female officers.
20 will be Rs.3,636.85 crore with a Central
Share of approximately Rs.3,084.96 crore.
· Cabinet approves India’s Membership · Facebook Aims to Train 5 lakh Indians
for EBRD on Digital Skills by 2020
Ö Social networking giant Facebook stated
Ö The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Min-
that it expects to train about five lakh people
ister Narendra Modi has approved India’s
in India on digital skills by 2020 and has
Membership for European Bank for Recon-
unveiled two programmes designed for
struction & Development (EBRD)
individuals and start-ups.
Ö Necessary steps will be initiated by the De-
Ö The two programmes - Facebook Digital
partment of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Fi-
Training and Facebook Startup Training
nance to acquire the membership of the EBRD.
Hubs - are being rolled out in India before
Ö Membership of EBRD would enhance India’s any other country.
international profile and promote its economic
Ö Apart from these two, Facebook also runs
interests.
offline training programmes as well as
· Prime Minister launches Umang app Blueprint (free online training for advertising
on Facebook).
Ö Prime minister Narendra Modi has launched
Umang mobile application, an integrated
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
platform for government to citizen services.
inaugurate 5th Global Conference on
Umang- an acronym for “unified mobile app
Cyber Space in New Delhi
for new age” e-governance - currently hosts
around 162 services from 33 government Ö The Global Conference on Cyber Space will
departments of central and state govern- begin in New Delhi.
ments.
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugu-
Ö The app has been developed by the minis- rate the two-day mega event. For the first
try of electronics and information tech- time, the event is being organized in India.
nology (MEITY).
Ö The theme of the conference is Cyber for All:
A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for
Sustainable Development.
175
Ö The story of Digital India and Digital Inclu-
sion of citizens will be discussed in the · SBI launches YONO, an Integrated app
conference. for Financial Services
Ö Over 10 thousand delegates will take part in Ö State Bank of India, the country’s largest
the conference in person. There will also be public sector bank, has launched a unified in-
virtual participation from over 2800 locations tegrated app called YONO (You Need Only
across the world that will be connected in an One) that would offer all kinds of financial and
interactive mode. lifestyle products.

· Exclusive ‘Rural Livelihood’ scheme for Ö YONO will also allow customers to meet their
Northeast lifestyle needs across 14 categories including
booking and renting cabs, entertainment, din-
Ö The unique scheme under the title “North East ing experience, travel and stay, medical needs.
Rural Livelihood Project” is being supported
by the World Bank and will primarily benefit Ö To provide the customised offers and dis-
the tribals and the lower socioeconomic counts, SBI has partnered with e-commerce
groups, including women, in the North-East- players including Amazon, Uber, Ola, Myntra,
ern Region (NER). Jabong, Shoppers Stop, Cox & Kings, Tho-
mas Cook, Yatra, Airbnb, Swiggy, and Byus.
Ö To begin with, four states, - Mizoram,
Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, will be taken
up for helping the tribal and even the non-tribal · Union Government to initiate Safe city
lower groups living in remote areas. plan for women in eight cities
Ö The project is aimed at assisting over 10,000 Ö Union Government will soon initiate a com-
Self Help Groups (SHGs) and benefit about prehensive ‘safe city’ plan for women in eight
three lakh poor households. cities for women in eight metropolitan cities of
the country.
· TN has highest number of women entre-
preneurs: Report Ö The Safe city plan will serve as robust emer-
gency response system and provides police-
Ö Tamil Nadu has the highest number of women verified public transport will come into place.
entrepreneurs in India, followed by Kerala and
West Bengal, reveals a new report. Ö The plan will be forwarded by respective State
Level Committee headed by Chief Secretary
Ö Nearly 80 per cent of women entrepreneurs of the state.
in India are self-financing their businesses, with
little utilisation of the various government
schemes. · Reserve Bank of India Raises
Shareholding Limit of ARCs
Ö Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka,
Rajasthan, and West Bengal have emerged as Ö The Reserve bank of India (RBI) allowed
top five states offering the maximum number Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) to
of schemes for women entrepreneurs, it said. hold more than 26% post-conversion of
debt into equity in companies undergoing
restructuring.

176
Ö In a notification, the central bank notified the Ö Odisha government has decided to launch a
extent of shareholding post-conversion will new scheme worth Rs 635 crore to provide
be in accordance with permissible foreign irrigation facility to about 55,000 hectare of
direct investment (FDI) limit for that specific agricultural land across the state.
sector.
Ö The scheme, “Nabakrushna Choudhury
Seccha Unnayan Yojana”, has been named
· HRD ministry launches Digital after former chief minister and freedom fighter
Signature campaign on Constitution Nabakrushna Choudhury.
Day
Ö The scheme would be implemented with an
Ö The Ministry of Human Resources Affairs outlay of Rs 635 crore over a period of three
Development launched a Digital years.
Signaturecampaign on Constitution Day af-
firming faith in Indian Constitution and to gen- Ö Under the scheme, 46,296 hectare command
erate awareness on fundamental duties en- area of 14 major and medium irrigations and
shrined in the Constitution. Giving the link in a 284 minor irrigation projects will be revived.
tweet, Mr Javadekar stated that people can
join the campaign by filling a form online. · Migratory Birds start Arriving in Chilika
Lake
Ö The 26th November is celebrated as Consti-
tution Day. Ö After a long flight of thousands of miles, not
often punctuated by breaks, lakhs of migra-
tory birds have made their way to the
Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water
· Punjab govt to give Rs. 75,000 aid for lagoon.
SC, inter-caste marriages
Ö The Major bird congregations have been
Ö The Punjab government will give an assistance spotted in the wetlands of the Nalabana Bird
of Rs. 75,000 for marriages of couples be- Sanctuary inside Chilika and Mangalajodi, a
longing to the Scheduled Caste (SC) as well major village on the banks of the lake.
as the inter-caste marriages in the state.

Ö Under the new scheme the non-governmental · MHA Conducted Multi State Mega
organisations (NGOs), Trusts and other so- Mock Tsunami Exercise 2017
cial welfare institutions arranging more than 10 Ö The Indian Tsunami Early Warning
marriages of SC and inter-caste couples will Centre (ITEWC) based at Indian National
be given financial assistance to the tune of Rs Centre for Ocean Information Services
75,000 per couple. (INCOIS) had conducted “Multi-State
Mega Mock Exercise of Tsunami for
Ö A sum of Rs. 60,000 would be given for pur- East Coast of India”.
chasing household items such as utensils, fur-
niture and gold and Rs 15,000 per couple to Ö The Participants in the drill included State
the organiser or concerned organisation as Disaster Management Authorities of West
consolation prize Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry.
· Odisha to launch new irrigation scheme

177
Ö The mock drill was conducted in collabora- to Pluralsight’s unique adaptive assess-
tion with the Ministry of Home Affairs ment engine, which will help them match
(MHA) and the National Disaster Re- their unique learning path based on their
sponse Force (NDRF). skill level and interest.

· DANX-17: Defence of Andaman and · Maharashtra stands as the Indias single

Nicobar Islands Exercise concludes largest consumer of electricity
Ö The Defence of Andaman and Nicobar Ö Maharashtra stands as the single
Islands Exercise (DANX-2017) was largest consumer of electricity in India,
conducted under the aegis of Andaman & followed by Uttar Pradesh and
Nicobar Command from 20 to 24 Novem- Telangana. With a demand for 75,169
ber 2017. million units (MU) during April to
September, revealed data carried out by
Ö The main objective of the five-day exercise Central Electricity Authority.
was to practice and validate procedures and
drills of all Command forces aimed at Ö With the increasing demand, there
defending strategic Andaman and Nicobar was an increase of 8.6% over the
Island. demand for 69,216 MU in the year ago.

Ö The purpose of the exercise was for adopt- Ö Among the larger states, Uttar
ing planning and precise execution of Com- Pradesh showed a growth of 15.37%
mand plans by forces in a synergistic manner. year-on-year to 65,284 MU.

Ö Rajasthan and Telangana too

showed good growth of 54.8% and
· Google offers 1,30,000 scholarships for 15.34%, respectively.
developers and students for Skill India
mission Ö Tripura with a consumption of
around 1,000 MU saw its demand grow
Ö With an aim to boost ‘Skill India’ at a whopping 94.39%.
mission, Google now joined hands with
Pluralsight and Udacity for a new Ö This growth would have been higher
scholarship program that will help 130K but for the drag from some other states.
developers and students from India to Tamil Nadu saw growth slip by 0.42%
gain the necessary skills needed to be from a year ago. Madhya Pradesh’s
successful in the constantly changing demand was almost unchanged, while
technology landscape. Gujarat’s demand rose by only 0.57%.
Ö Google partners with Pluralsight and Ö The Rating agency Investment
Udacity to provide training in emerging Information and Credit Rating Agency
technologies like Mobile and Web ICRA Limited warned in a recent report
Development, Machine Learning, AR/ that it is unclear whether such high
VR, AI, and Cloud Platforms. growth overall would be sustainable.
Ö Google will also provide 1000 full
nano degree scholarships from the
30,000 scholarships being offered.
Interested candidates will also get access
178
· Bamboo not a tree any more President Ö The Father of Milk Revolution is also
Clears Ordinance Amending Forest Act the founder of the popular dairy brand in
India, Amul.
Ö President Ram Nath Kovind
cleared an ordinance amending the
Indian Forest Act, 1927. The ordinance · Gopi Thonakal becomes 1st Indian man
omits bamboo grown in non-forest areas to win Asian Marathon Championship
from the definition of trees, thereby Ö Gopi Thonakal created history by
exempting it from requiring permits for becoming first Indian man to win Asian
felling or transportation. Marathon Championship.
Ö Before the ordinance was issued, the Ö He achieved the feat in the 16th
definition of tree in the Act included edition of the prestigious event in China.
palm, bamboo, brushwood, and cane.
Ö It is a biennial international competi-
Ö Bamboo grown in forest areas shall tion in marathon road running for Asian
continue to be governed by the Forest athletes.
Conservation Act, 1980.
Ö It is organized by the Asian Athletics
· NPPA cap prices of 51 essential Association.
medicines
· Golden Temple Awarded as Most
Ö The drug price regulator National
Visited Place of the World
Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA) capped prices of 51 essential Ö The Golden Temple has been
medicines, including those used for the awarded the ‘most visited place of the
treatment of cancer, heart conditions, world’ by ‘World Book of Records’
pain and skin problems. (WBR), a London-based organisation.

Ö They notified ceiling prices of 36 Ö General secretary of WBR India

medicines and revised ceiling prices of chapter, Surbhi Kaul, and president of
15 medicines. WBR Punjab chapter, Randeep Singh
Kohli, gave this award to Shiromani
Ö All manufacturers of scheduled Gurdwara Pharbandhak Committee
formulations, selling branded or generic (SGPC) chief secretary Roop Singh and
or both versions of scheduled formula- other senior officials at Teja Singh
tions (drugs) at price higher than ceiling Samundari Hall, Amritsar.
price.
· NK Singh appointed chairman of 15th
· National Milk Day: 26 November Finance Commission
Ö India celebrates National Milk Day on Ö The government has announced that former
November 26, the birthday of Verghese revenue secretary NK Singh will be the chair-
Kurien, the Father of White Revolution in man of the 15th Finance Commission (FC) that
India. will recommend distribution of taxes between
the Centre and the states.
Ö India credits Kurien for his billion-litre
idea that made the country among the Ö Other members of the Commission are former
large-scale producers of milk in the world. economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das,
179
 former chief economic adviser Ashok Lahiri, Child Development (NIPCCD) of WCD
Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand and Ministry.
Georgetown University Adjunct Professor
Anoop Singh. Ö It is for the first time ever initiative of this
scale has been taken up to train EWRs who
Ö Finance Commission is a body set up under will go out and administer villages profes-
Article 280(1) of the Constitution. sionally.

Ö The recommendations of the previous 14th · One Hundred and Fifteen Backward
Finance Commission, chaired by former Re- Districts in India to be Transformed by
serve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Y V 2022
Reddy, are valid from 2015 to 2020.
Ö The Union government embarked upon a
Ö The recommendations of the 15th Finance major policy initiative for the rapid transfor-
Commission will be implemented for the pe- mation of 115 backward districts across
riod starting 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025. the country by 2022.

· Odisha Launches Rs 96-crores scheme Ö Senior level government officials, at the rank
to Increase Fish Production of Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary,
have been nominated as ‘Prabhari’ officers
Ö Odisha government launched a scheme to for each district.
boost fish production in the state with a
budgetary provision of Rs 96 crore. Ö A detailed briefing of these officials was held
under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary
Ö The ‘Fish Pond Yojana’ scheme was P.K. Sinha.
launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
while inaugurating a workshop on ‘Doubling · Health Ministry Wins Bronze Medal at
of Farmer Income through Dairy and Allied the India International Trade Fair 2017
Farming Practices’ in Bhubaneswar.
Ö Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Ö The scheme aims to create additional 2,200 awarded the Bronze Medal for its creative
hectares of freshwater aquaculture farming and informative display at the 37th India
with 50 percent financial assistance to International Trade Fair 2017 being held
farmers. at Pragati Maidan.

· Union Government launches intensive Ö The award was presented by Shri C R

program to train Elected Women Chaudhary, Minister of State (Commerce
Representatives of PRI and Industry) at a function organized to
award the winners.
Ö The Union Ministry of Women and Child
Development (WCD) launched an inten- · Snehlata appointed first woman
sive training program for Elected Women Lok Sabha Secretary General
Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj
Institutions and Master Trainers in New Ö Snehlata Shrivastava has been appointed as
Delhi. the new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha,
a notification issued by the secretariat of the
Ö It is capacity building program organized by lower house said
National Institute of Public Cooperation and
.
180
Ö She will be the first woman secretary general Ö The Best Actor (Male) Award goes to Nahuel
of the Lok Sabha and will assume charge on Perez Biscaryat.
December 1.
Ö The Best Actor (Female) goes to Parvathy T
Ö Her tenure will end on November 30, 2018. K.

Ö She will take over a day after current incum- Ö Mahesh Narayan also walks away with the
bent Anup Mishra relinquishes charge. Special Jury Award for his directorial debut
‘Take Off’.
Ö Rama Devi holds the distinction of the being
the first woman secretary general of the Rajya The Indian Film Personality of the Year
Sabha. Award was presented to Bollywood legend
Amitabh Bachchan
· B.N. Sharma apointed Chairman
of the National Anti-profiteering · Madhya Pradesh becomes 1st
Authority state to launch Panch Parmeshwar
portal for digital gram panchayats
Ö In an immediate follow up action of last week’s
Cabinet approval for creation of the posts of Ö Madhya Pradeshbecomes the first state in
Chairman and Technical Members of the Na- the country to adopt Panch Parmeshwar
tional Anti-profiteering Authority under GST, portal and app system for making
the Government has issued orders appointing panchayat’s functioning more transparent
senior IAS officer Shri B.N. Sharma, as the easy and reliable.
first Chairman of this apex Authority in the rank
of Secretary to Government of India. Ö It is the first state in the country to adopt this
system in which all acts and dealings of the
Ö Shri B.N. Sharma, an IAS officer of 1985 gram panchayats will be displayed on the
batch belonging to Rajasthan cadre, is currently public domain.
posted as Additional Secretary in the Depart-
ment of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. Ö It will prove to be a milestone to implement
digital and cashless dealings in even far-flung
Ö Shri B.N. Sharma has been closely associated villages under the Digital India Campaign of
with the formulation of GST and its implemen- Government of India.
tation.
· Manipur welcomes SAUBHAGYA
· 120 Beats Per Minute wins the scheme to achieve electricity in
Golden Peacock at IFFI 2017 every corner
Ö Morocco born French Director Robin Ö ‘SAUBHAGYA’ scheme introduced with an
Campillo’s drama film ‘ 120 BPM’ or ‘120 aim to transform the lives, especially poorest
Beats Per Minute’ has won the coveted Golden of the poor by providing power supply to
Peacock Award at the 48th International Film every household of the country.
Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in
Goa on November 28. Ö Launching the scheme, Union Minister of
State for Power and New & Renewable
Ö Chinese director Vivian Qu won the Best Di- Energy RK Singh revealed that Manipur has
rector Award for her 2017 film ‘Angels Wear been doing well in terms of power generation
White’. because of new initiatives were taken by the
government.
181
Ö Saubhagya is a scheme launched to achieve · DAC approves procurement of
universal household electrification in all parts new radio technology for Indian
of the country at a cost of Rs 16,320 crore Navy
including Gross Budgetary Support (GBS)
Ö The Union Defence Ministry approved
of Rs 12,320 crore from the Centre. Minis-
procurement of 260 Software Defined
ter further is the vision of Prime Minister
Radios (SDR), naval communication sets for
Narendra Modi to provide electricity to
Indian Navy at cost of Rs. 49.
· Skill India partners with Airbnb Ö The decision was taken at a meeting of
to Upskill hospitality Entrepreneurs Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired
Ö The Ministry of Skill Development and by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Entrepreneurship’s implementation arm
Ö These 260 SDRs will be procured under the
National Skill Development Corporation
category of buy (India Designed Developed
(NSDC) and the Tourism and Hospitality
& Manufactured).
Sector Skill Council (THSC) signed a
tripartite a MoU with Airbnb to provide
hospitality skills training to hospitality micro- · Mirabai Chanu lifts 194 kgs to
entrepreneurs in India. win gold medal at 2017 World
Weightlifting Championships
Ö Through the partnership, the Ministry of Skill Ö Mirabai Chanu became only the second
Development & Entrepreneurship, Airbnb, Indian (after Karnam Malleswari) to win the
NSDC and THSC will work together to gold medal at the World Weightlifting
create an accredited skill development Championships in Anaheim, USA.
module for hospitality entrepreneurs offering
homestay facilities, unique accommodations Ö After achieving the feat Chanu was left in
and local experiences. tears as he went up to the podium to collect
her medal.
· West Bengal to get World Bank
subsidy to buy 130 electric buses Ö Since last year’s mediocre performance at
the Rio Olympics Chanu put in a lot of effort
Ö West Bengal State Transport Minister in her game and is deservedly reaping the
Suvendu Adhikari mentioned that the state benefits.
government has negotiated with the World
Bank to avail subsidy to buy 130 electric
· Odisha Chief Minister unveils
buses.
logo and mascot of Hockey World
Ö World Bank has agreed to provide a subsidy Cup 2018
of Rs seven lakh per bus. Ö Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
unveiled the logo and mascot for the Hockey
Ö Out of the 130 electric buses, 100 would Men’s World Cup 2018 at Kalinga Stadium
operate in Kolkata and the remaining 30 will in Bhubaneswar.
operate in industrial towns of Durgapur and
Asansol. Ö He also launched the countdown timer for
the international event scheduled to be held
Ö Bus depots in these towns are equipped with here from November 28 to December 16,
charging batteries. The electric buses would 2018.
run 150 km on a single charge.
182
Ö He gave away cash awards worth Rs 76.75
lakh to 59 sportspersons from the state for
their outstanding contributions in their
respective sports.

Ö Hockey players Dipsan Tirkey, Amit

Rohidas, Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka,
Namita Toppo and Rashmita Minz were
given a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh each.

183
 International Affairs
· UN: India to become more populous partnerships but do not grant them full
marital rights which include the possibility
than China by 2024.
to jointly adopt children.
Ö According to the World population
Ö The new law can enter into force
Prospectus: The Revision released by
after receiving the nod from the upper
the United Nations, India with 1.3 billion
house of Parliament and the President,
inhabitants would surpass China’s
though those are formalities. Though
population of 1.4 billion by 2024, to
Chancellor Angela Merkel had voted
become the World’s populous country.
against the measure, she had allowed her
Ö As per the report, the concentration party members to vote as per their
of global population growth in the conscience.
poorest countries is presenting a chal-
Ö Many European countries have a
lenge. The population growth is ex-
same-sex marriage law. In the countries
pected to come from the 47 least
like Norway, Sweden, Denmark (ex-
developed countries where the fertility
cluding the Faroe Islands), Finland,
rate is around 4.3 births per woman.
Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, France,
· International Day Against Drug Abuse
the UK (except Northern Ireland and
and Illicit Trafficking: 26 June Jersey), and the Republic of Ireland civil
marriages are legally recognised. But in
Ö By resolution 42/112 of 7 December Austria and Italy, only civil partnerships
1987, the UN General Assembly decided are permitted.
to observe 26 June as the International Day
against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. · Estonia to open the world’s first data
Ö It aims to achieve the goal of an inter- embassy in Luxembourg
national society free of drug abuse.
Ö The world’s first ever data embassy is
Ö The theme for 2017 is: “Listen First - set for launch next year after the Estonian
Listening to children and youth is the first government signed a deal with Luxem-
step to help them grow healthy and safe.” bourg.
Ö According to the report, Nigeria Ö Estonia is planning to keep backup
which is currently at the seventh place is files of its vital information on servers in
expected to become the third most the duchy in order to guarantee country’s
populous country by 2050 replacing the digital continuity.
US.

· Germany legalises Same-Sex Marriage · India 1st country to give to UN Tax Fund
with $100,000 contribution
Ö Germany has legalised same-sex
Ö India has contributed $100,000 to a
marriage in line with a host of other
European countries. German lawmakers UN fund to help developing countries ac-
had voted 393 for- and 226 against tively participate in the discussion of tax
legalising same-sex marriage. Salient issues, becoming the first country to make
Facts Since 2001 Germany permits the contribution.
same-sex couples to enter into civil
184
 Ö The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to sup- space program that can rival that of the US or
port the work of the Committee of Ex- Russia.
perts on International Cooperation in Tax
Matters (the UN Tax Ö The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope
Committee).Voluntary contributions for the (HXMT) took off from China’s Jiuquan Sat-
fund have been called for by the UN and ellite Launch Center, the country’s first satel-
the committee since its establishment in lite launch site, located in Inner Mongolia via a
2006. domestically-developed Long March-4B
rocket.

Ö Once in orbit, the telescope will be used to

· NASA launches Rocket to produce observe high-energy entities like black holes,
Colourful Artificial Clouds pulsars and gamma-ray bursts in order to un-
derstand more about their energy sources.
Ö The NASA has successfully
launched Terrier-Improved Malamute · World’s first train that runs on virtual
sounding rocket that created colourful tracks in China
artificial clouds visible in the skies of the
US. The rocket was launched from its Ö China has unveiled the world’s first ‘railless’
Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. train - a train that runs on virtual tracks.
Ö The artificial clouds are formed Ö China is also testing a bus that can straddle the
through the interaction of barium,
road, and allow traffic to pass under it.
strontium and cupric-oxide. The vapour
tracers will help in understanding the Ö New train is part of China’s attempts to de-
movement of the particles in the iono- velop “intelligent rail express system”. Instead
sphere. It will help to learn more about of railway tracks, the train runs on rubber tyres.
the movement of the air currents at that
altitude. Ö The train can move at a maximum speed of 70
km/hour.
Gk Byte – Ionosphere
· 65 million people displaced in 2016: UN
The ionosphere is called so because it is
ionised by solar radiation. It plays an Ö Record 65.6 million people worldwide were
important part in atmospheric electricity forcibly displaced from their homes owing to
and forms the inner edge of the mag- conflict or persecution by the end of 2016
netosphere. Ionosphere stretches from
50 to 1,000 km and typically overlaps Ö It includes 22.5 million refugees, 40.3 million
both the exosphere and the thermo- internally displaced people and 2.8 million asy-
sphere. It has practical importance lum seekers.
because it influences, for example, radio
propagation on the Earth. It is also Ö For the third consecutive year, Turkey hosted
responsible for auroras. the largest number of refugees worldwide, with
2.9 million people.
· China launches its first X-ray space
telescope. Ö It was followed by Pakistan (1.4 million),
Lebanon (1 million), Iran (979,400), Uganda
Ö China launched its first x-ray telescope, a sig- (940,800), and Ethiopia (791,600)
nificant step in the country’s race to develop a
185
 · Sharjah named World Book Capital. and greater visibility, leading to more clicks. Google,
which is required to pay the fine within 90 days, may
Ö Sharjah has been named the ‘World Book appeal the decision.
Capital’ title for 2019 by United Nations Edu-
cational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Gk byte - EU
(UNESCO).
Ö European Union is as an economic and
Ö The honour is a recognition of the emirate’s political partnership consisting of 28 member
pioneering role in supporting and expanding countries. A law made in European Parlia-
the local and regional publishing industries. ment is applicable and binding on all Mem-
ber States directly. It is a single market
Ö The accolade is an important addition to allowing the free movement of goods and
Sharjah’s existing portfolio of milestones like, people. The union has its own currency, the
Capital of Arab Culture (1998), Capital of Is- Euro, which is being used by 19 member
lamic Culture (2014), and Capital of Arab countries. The capital of European Union is
Tourism (2015). located in Brussels, Belgium.
· World Bank approves $500 million
grant package for Afghanistan projects.
Ö The European Commission (EC) is an
institution of the European Union, respon-
sible for proposing legislation, implementing
Ö The World Bank has approved financing worth
decisions, upholding the EU treaties and
more than $500 million for Afghanistan to sup-
managing the day-to-day business of the EU
port a string of projects to boost the economy,
help improve service delivery in five cities and
support Afghan refugees sent back from Paki-
stan.

Ö The bank said the six grants, including donor

money, worth some $520 million would help
the Afghan government

· European Commission’s fine on Google.

Ö The long arm of the European Commission

has once again struck the technology world with the
imposition of a €2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) fine on
Google for the company’s abuse of its market
position.

Ö The Commission found that Google abused

its dominance in the Internet search market to give
itself an unfair advantage in another market —
comparison shopping services. Google’s comparison
shopping service disadvantaged competitors by
placing them lower in its search results, systemati-
cally giving Google’s own services higher placement

186
· North Korea claims successful test of its and added that it will never accept a nuclear-
armed North Korea. The ICBM testing
first intercontinental missile
represents a new escalation of the threat to
US and its allies and partners, the region and
the world.

Ö North Korea will be 8th nation in the world

to successfully test ICBM. Other countries
that have ICBM technology are US, Russia,
China, UK, France, Israel and India.

Ö Gk byte - Intercontinental ballistic

missile (ICBM)

Ö An ICBM is a missile launched by a land-

based system that is intended to carry
nuclear payloads. To qualify as an ICBM, a
missile must have a minimum range of
5,500km. The most significant difference
between an ICBM and other ballistic
missiles is its greater range and speed. It
enables countries to strike exceptionally
distant targets with minimum warning.

Ö An intermediate-range ballistic missile

(IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of
3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles),
Ö North Korea has claimed that it has success- between a medium-range ballistic missile
fully test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 into waters missile (ICBM)
near Sea of Japan. The claim was confirmed Ballistic missile vs. Cruise missile
by United States. The launch appeared to be
North Korea’s most successful missile test Ö A ballistic missile is launched directly into the
since its ballistic missile programme gathered high layers of the earth’s atmosphere. It
pace in the late 1990s. The successful test travels well outside the atmosphere and then
also marks North Korea’s the final step in the warhead detaches and falls back to
becoming confident and powerful nuclear earth. It follows the path of a ball thrown
state that can strike anywhere on Earth. upwards which falls down. Since it depends
on gravity to reach its target, it’s called a
Ö Based on missile’s height and trajectory ballistic missile.A cruise missile does exactly
path, US scientists claim that missile could according to its name. It cruises, over land
potentially be powerful enough to reach or over water. Its working is similar to a jet
Alaska. The missile had reached an altitude engine powered airplane.
higher and flew longer than any of the North
Korea’s previous similar tests. The missile · Italy passes bill to make torture illegal
had landed in Japan’s exclusive economic
zone. US has strongly condemned the launch

187
Ö Italian lawmakers have finally passed a bill argue that it will not have any impact
making torture a crime under national law, af- on reducing the global stockpile of
ter years of parliamentary back-and-forth. 15000 atomic weapons.

Ö Rome signed the UN Convention Against Tor- · 2017 G20 Hamburg summit.
ture in 1984 but had never transferred it into
national legislation. Ö The 2017 G20 Hamburg summit was the
twelfth meeting of the Group of Twenty
· UNESCO puts city of Hebron on its heri- (G20), which was held on 7–8 July 2017, at
Hamburg Messe, in the city of Hamburg,
tage in danger list.
Germany
Ö UNESCO has declared the Old City AGREED
of Hebron an endangered world heri-
tage site, sparking outrage from Israel Ö To support free trade and open markets
in a new spat at the international body.
Ö Countries can use “legitimate trade defense
Ö Meeting in Poland, the UN’s cultural instruments” to protect their companies if
trade partners are taking advantage of them.
arm voted 12 to three — with six ab-
stentions — to give heritage status to Ö To fight terrorism by, among other things,
Hebron’s Old City in the occupied pushing internet providers to detect and
West Bank, which is home to more remove extremist content.
than 200,000 Palestinians and a few
hundred Israeli settlers. Ö To make a renewed push to reduce excess
steel production capacity — primarily in
· 122 Countries adopts historic global China.
treaty to ban Nuclear Weapons.
COULDN’T AGREE
Ö The United Nations has adopted a
historic global treaty banning nuclear Ö To unanimously support the Paris agreement
weapons. The treaty was adopted on climate change
by a vote of 122 members in favour.
Ö To pursue United Nations sanctions such as
The Netherlands was the only
asset freezes and travel bans against crimi-
country who voted against the treaty.
nals smuggling people from Africa and the
Singapore abstained from voting.
Middle East to Europe.
Ö The nine nuclear powers, namely, the
· SBI in Nepal launches digital village
United States, Russia, Britain, China,
initiative.
France, India, Pakistan, North
Korea and Israel neither took part in Ö The State Bank of India has launched a
the negotiations nor cast their vote. digital village initiative in Nepal by
Even Japan the sole sufferer of installing a cash recycling centre.
atomic attack refrained from taking
part in the negotiations. Most of the Ö The digital village initiative has been
NATO countries too boycotted the launched in Jarisingpouwa in
negotiations. The nuclear powers Shankarapur Rural Municipality, 25 km
view the treaty as unrealistic and east from Kathmandu.
188
Ö The bank has also distributed 430 ÖLimited numbers are permitted to land
debit cards to the people of the local- on the island in the Sea of Japan
ity, which is considered remote area (East Sea)
due to the hill side location though it is
ÖUNESCO’s heritage committee considered
not very far from Kathmandu city.
33 sites for the prestigious status at its
Ö Solar street lights were also installed in annual gathering in Poland.
the area. The SBI in Nepal also
celebrated its 25 years of establishment ÖUNESCO’s World Heritage list
on July 7 includes over 1,000 sites, monuments
and natural phenomena that are of
· Iraq PM announces ‘victory’ over “outstanding universal value” to
Islamic State. humankind.
Ö Iraq’s prime minister celebrated with troops ÖIt includes treasures such as Australia’s
on Sunday after they drove Islamic State Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal in
militants from some of their last strongholds India, and the rock-carved city of
in Mosul. Petra in modern-day Jordan
Ö Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul · MALABAR 2017 Trilateral Naval
to declare victory over IS in the more than Exercise
eight-month old operation to drive the
militants out. ÖIndia, Japan and United States (US) navies
have kicked off 2017 MALABAR trilat-
Ö The militants captured Mosul, Iraq’s second eral naval Exercise near Chennai in Bay of
largest city, in a matter of days in the summer Bengal. This year it is the 21st edition of
of 2014. the naval exercise.

Ö IS still hold several smaller towns and ÖIn this edition of the exercise, total of around
villages across Iraq and Syria. 15 warships, two submarines and scores of
fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and heli-
· Japan’s men-only island gets UNESCO copters from three navies will take part.
heritage tag
ÖIndian Navy, aircraft carrier INS
ÖA men-only island in Japan where Vikramaditya is participating for the first
women are banned and male visitors time.
must bathe naked in the sea before
visiting its shrine, has been declared a ÖMalabar Exercise began as an Indo-US
UNESCO World Heritage site. bilateral naval drill in 1992. Since then it is
held annually. Japan had formally joined the
ÖThe tiny landmass of Okinoshima is exercise as a permanent participant in
permanently manned by a Shinto 2015. The primary aim of this multilateral
priest who prays to the island’s exercise is to increase interoperability
goddess, in a tradition that has been amongst the three navies and develop
kept up for centuries. common understanding of procedures for
Maritime Security Operations and deepen
defence relations.

· to Fly Over Great Red Spot.

189
Ö NASA’s Juno spacecraft is about to get the Ö Vietnam has granted ONGC Videsh a two-
best-ever look at Jupiter’s famous Great year extension to explore oil block 128 in
Red Spot. Jupiter’s mysterious Great Red the South China Sea. The permission was
Spot is probably the best-known feature of first granted in the year 2006 which is due to
Jupiter. expire in mid-June.

Ö It became first space probe to complete Ö The part of the oil block 128 is in the U-
flyby of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. shaped ‘nine-dash line,’ the area which is
claimed by China. The area is also a route
Ö The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a massive for more than $5 trillion in trade every year
storm (cyclone) measuring about 16,000 km and is also claimed by the Philippines,
in diameter. It is largest known storm in the Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
solar system.
· Liu Xiaobo, Chinese dissident who won
Gk byte - Juno Space craft Nobel prize, dies.
Ö NASA had launched unmanned spacecraft Ö Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu
Juno on August 5, 2011 from Cape
Xiaobo, China’s most prominent
Canaveral, Florida as part of its New
political prisoner, died on Thursday at
Frontiers program. It has been orbiting
a hospital in the country’s northeast,
Jupiter, solar system’s largest planet from
officials said. He was 61.
July 2016. The spacecraft has been named
from Greco-Roman mythology. It is orbiting Ö Chinese literary critic, writer, human
Jupiter from pole to pole, 5,000 kilometers rights activist who called for political
above planet’s cloud tops. It has mission life reforms and end of communist single-
istill February 2018. party rule. He is also known for his
role in 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-
· 22nd World Petroleum Congress held at
tests in Beijing.
Istanbul.
Ö Liu is the third person to have been
Ö Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while
Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
in prison or detention, after Germany’s
chaired a Ministerial Session on the subject
Carl von Ossietzky (1935) and
“Current Economic Strategies in Indian Oil &
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi (1991).In-
Gas Sector”.
dia ranks 116 out of 157 nations on
Ö He also chaired a Plenary Session on Sustainable Development Goal
‘Supply and Demand Challenges for Oil, Ö India ranked low 116 out of 157 nations on
Gas and Products’ at the 22nd World
the 2017 Sustainable Development Goal
Petroleum Congress at Istanbul, Turkey.
(SDG) Index and Dashboard report re-
Ö The Minister launched an event on Hydro- leased by Sustainable Development Solu-
carbon Exploration & Licensing Policy tions Network (SDSN) and Bertelsmann
(HELP) as a part of process of promoting Stiftung.
the upcoming oil & gas bidding rounds in Ö The Top Countries in the Index are 2017
India.
SDG Index were Sweden (1st), Denmark
· Vietnam renews Indian Oil Deal in South (2nd), Finland (3rd), Norway (4th), Czech
China Sea. Republic (5th).
190
 Ö The SDGs are the set of 17 non-binding Ö The key objective of IFM is to pave
goals featuring 169 targets to be imple- the way for identifying and solving
mented from 2015 to 2030. They were problems faced by EU companies and
adopted by member countries of United investors with regard to their operations
Nations at the 2015 UN Sustainable Devel- in India. It will cover both new investors
opment Summit held in New York. as well as those already present in India.
· India contributes additional $1 million to · India launches solar project in Egypt
India-UN Development Partnership Fund.
ÖIndia has launched a solar project with
Ö India has contributed an additional $1
state-of-the-art technology to elec-
million to India-UN Development Partner-
trify a remote village in Egypt.
ship Fund launched to support sustainable
development projects across the developing ÖThe Solar Electrification Project, an
world. off-grid system that is ideal for
Ö Earlier, India had made an initial contribution remote locations, has been launched
at Agaween village in the Western
of $1 million when the fund was created. The
Desert in Matrouh Governorate,
amount was allocated for the implementation
close to the Libyan border.
of a project benefiting seven Small Island
Developing States in South Pacific Ocean. ÖIndia provided all the solar panels and
sub-systems, machinery, equipment
· 15 July: World Youth Skills Day and technical support, as well as
training for technicians, while the
Ö The World Youth Skills Day is Egyptian government provided the
observed globally on 15 July every year location for implementation of the
to raise awareness about the importance project.
of investing in youth skills development.
· Facebook declines Pak’s request over cell
Observance of the day aims to create
more awareness on training and the phone number link-up
development of skills for the youth of
today and also create better employment ÖFacebook has declined Pakistan
opportunities for the youth. 2017 Theme government’s request to link all
is “Skills for All”. accounts with the users’ mobile
phone numbers.
· India, European Union establish Invest-
ÖPakistan had suggested that Facebook
ment Facilitation Mechanism.
accounts be linked with users’ mobile
phone numbers. However, the
Ö India and European Union (EU)
management of Facebook believed it
have established Investment Facilitation was more feasible to sync accounts
Mechanism (IFM) for EU Investments in with email addresses.
India. The mechanism will allow for a
close coordination between EU and ÖThe purpose of the request - was to
India with an aim to promote and help the government deal with fake
facilitate EU investment in India. accounts, which were often used to
spread hate material in cyberspace.

191
 ÖThis was the first time that a senior is absolutely silent and incredibly effec-
member of Facebook’s management tive.
dealing with global public policy had
visited Pakistan to discuss measures · Nelson Mandela International Day – 18
for addressing the issue of misuse of July
social media platforms especially
Facebook which has over 33 million Ö Nelson Mandela International Day
users in the country at the moment. (or Mandela Day) is celebrated every
year on 18th July to honour the former
· Indonesia renames part of South China
Nobel Prize winner.
Sea.
Ö The day is commemorated with the
Ö Indonesia has named waters in its exclusive
slogan Take Action! Inspire Change.
economic zone that overlap with China’s
expansive claim to the South China Sea as Ö The United Nations officially de-
the North Natuna Sea. clared this day in November 2009.
Mandela was former President of South
Ö China claims most of the South China Sea, Africa.
putting it in dispute with many southeast
Asian nations, and has carried out extensive Ö Nelson Mandela was awarded
land reclamation. India’s highest civilian honour, the
Bharat Ratna in 1990 for his role in
Ö Philippines also has claims to the South the anti-apartheid movement. Apart from
China Sea. Pakistan national Khan Abdul Ghaffar
Khan, he is the only non-Indian to have
Ö Iceland appraised world’s most peaceful
received the award.
nation, India 137th Iceland has been named
the world’s most peaceful nation, besting the
Global Peace Index for the tenth back to
· Australia joins International Solar
back year. New Zealand and Portugal have Alliance
finished the top three, while Syria has been
named the slightest peacefu Ö Australia became the 35th country to join the
International Solar Alliance, an initiative
· US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weap- launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
ons System in November 2015 in Paris.

Ö United States Navy successfully Ö It is co-led by India and France.

tested the world’s first-ever active Laser
Weapons System (LaWS). In the test, Ö The aim was to support developing countries
the LaWS deployed aboard the USS to boost their solar production capacity.
Ponce amphibious transport ship was
able to destroy a drone in flight and Ö The solar alliance, whose head office is in In-
moving targets on the Persian Gulf. USS dia, has grown stronger in the past two years
Ponce is first ship in the world to be with more countries joining the group and sign-
deployed with such advanced weapons ing the agreement.
systemLaWS operates within an invisible
· IMF approves conditional $1.8 billion loan
part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It
to Greece.

192
ÖThe International Monetary Fund’s Ö Researchers from a southeastern
board approved a $1.8 billion loan to Spanish university announced the
Greece but will only release the discovery of a molecule that could
money if the country gets debt relief be used as a potential drug to fight
from its European creditors. the effects of a Zika virus infection.

ÖThe IMF has praised Greece for taking Ö Scientists belonging to its
steps to reduce its budget deficits, Bioinformatics and High-Perfor-
including expanding its tax base and mance Computing research group
cutting spending on pensions. But the had found that a compound previ-
lending agency is pressuring Greece’s ously used as an antibiotic countered
eurozone lenders to provide enough the symptoms of the mosquito-borne
relief to ensure the battered country disease.
can pay its bills.
Ö The molecular structure of the
ÖIf an agreement on debt relief is proteins involved in the Zika virus’
reached, the IMF will join the replication process was first de-
eurozone lenders in an ongoing scribed only a year ago.
bailout.
· Iran and Iraq sign accord to boost military
· UNESCO has named Sharjah as cooperation
the World Book Capital for 2019.
Ö Iran and Iraq signed an agreement on
Ö Sharjah was chosen for its efforts to Sunday to step up military cooperation and
make books accessible to its entire the fight against terrorism and extremism.
population. Salient Highlights
Sharjah was selected to underline Ö Iran-Iraq ties have improved since Iran’s
the efforts taken by it to make books long-time enemy Saddam Hussein was
accessible for reading to as many toppled in 2003 and an Iraqi government led
people as possible, especially the by Shia Muslims came to power. Iran is
marginalised populations. mostly a Shia nation.
Ö It has followed an innovative and Ö Tensions between Iran and the United States
inclusive community-focused activity have heightened since the election of Mr.
programme to engage people, in Trump, who has often accused Tehran of
particular, the very large migrant backing militant groups and destabilising the
population. Sharjah is the 19th city region.
to be named as World Book Capital
by the UNESCO. India third largest terror target after Iraq and
Afghanistan: US report.
Ö Sharjah has become the first among
the Gulf Cooperation Council and
third in the Arab world and the
Middle East to receive this presti- Ö India has displaced Pakistan on a list
gious recognition. of countries facing terror attacks in
2016, with higher fatalities and inju-
· Spanish scientists develop ‘anti- ries than its restive neighbour, accord-
Zika drug’

193
 ing to data compiled by the US state · Bolivia declared total independence
department. from World Bank & IMF
Ö Out of 11,072 terror attacks in 2016 Ö Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has been
worldwide, India bore the brunt of highlighting his government’s independence
927, 16% more than 2015 (798). from international money lending organiza-
tions and their detrimental impact the nation.
Ö More than half of the terror attacks in
India in 2016 took place in four states Ö Some of Bolivia’s largest resistance struggles
– J&K, Chhattisgarh, Manipur and in the last 60 years have targeted the eco-
Jharkhand. Iraq is on the top of the nomic policies carried out by the Interna-
list. tional Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
· World’s oldest emoji discovered’
· BRICS Youth Forum opens in Beijing
on pottery
Ö The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum
Ö Archaeologists have discov-
opened in Beijing, China to discuss the
ered what may be the world’s
development of the youth in the coun-
oldest emoji — a smiley face
tries.
painted on an 3,700-year-old
piece of pottery. Ö The theme of the three-day forum is
‘Enhance BRICS Partnership,
Ö During an excavation at an
Promote Youth Development’.
ancient city whose remains are
in modern-day Turkey near the Ö The five BRICS countries are Brazil,
Syrian border, archaeologists Russia, India, China and South Africa
found the ancient pitcher with first came up with the idea of establish-
three visible paint strokes on it ing a dialogue mechanism for BRICS
— two dots for eyes and a youth in 2014 during a meeting be-
curve for a smile. tween BRICS leaders in South Africa.
· World’s first floating wind farm starts in · Scientists develop new software that
Scotland can crate 3D models from 2D photographs
Ö The world’s first full-scale floating
wind farm started to take shape off the
Ö Scientists have developed new
north-east coast of Scotland.The Peter Artificial intelligence (AI) software
head wind farm is known as Hywind, is called SurfNet that can create three
a trial. dimensional (3D) models from 2D
photographs.
Ö It is a tech development project to
ensure it’s working in open sea condi- Ö SurfNet software using hundreds of
tions. thousands of 2D shapes of objects can
reconstruct it a model in 3Dimensions.
Ö The Hywind project is being run in
collaboration with the Abu Dhabi firm Ö It can be used in robotics, object
Masdar.
recognition and even self-driving cars.
SurfNet will give them the ability to

194
 understand the 3D environment around Ö It took place at the Imam Khomeini National
them using standard 2D cameras. Space Station in Semnan, 220 kilometres
(138 miles) east of Tehran.
· Indonesia to host AFC U-19 Champion-
ship
· Amazon’s Jeff Bezos briefly overtakes
Gates to become world’s richest.
Ö The Asian Football Confederation
(AFC) Competition Committee Ö Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became the
awarded Indonesia the hosting of the world’s richest person, as a jump in the
AFC Under-19 Championship 2018. share price of the US tech giant enabled him
to overtake Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Ö The AFC U-19 championship is
Ö He is chairman and chief executive of the
scheduled to be held from 18 October to Seattle-based company, was worth almost
4 November 2018. $91billions after Amazon’s share price rose
more than 1 per cent in morning trading in
Ö The committee felt that Indonesia New York.
was regarded as the most favourable
among the bidders. Ö According to Forbes, Gates is the richest
person in the magazine’s annual rankings in
· Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif March for the past four years and for 18 of
resigns over Panama Papers verdict. the past 22 years.

Ö Nawaz Sharif resigned as Prime Minister of · 29th July - International Tiger Day.
Pakistan following a decision by the
country’s Supreme Court to disqualify him Ö This year’s International Tiger Day would be
from office. celebrated with the slogan ‘Fresh Ecology
For Tigers’ Protection’.
Ö He is only the second after former prime
minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to be dismissed Ö This was first celebrated in 2010 and was
by the Supreme Court. founded at an international summit that had
been called in response to the shocking news
Ö Due to a probe into his family’s wealth that 97% of all wild tigers had disappeared
following the 2015 Panama Papers Mr in the last century, with only around 3,000
Sharif’s children to offshore companies. left alive.

· Iran successfully launches satellite- Ö Tigers are on the brink of extinction and
carrying rocket. International World Tiger Day aims to bring
attention to this fact and try to halt their
Ö Iran successfully launched a satellite-carrying decline. International World Tiger Day aims
rocket Simorghinto space recently. to bring attention to this fact and try to halt
their decline.
Ö The launch of a “Simorgh” rocket that is
capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250
kilograms (550 pounds). “Simorgh” means
“phoenix” in Farsi.

195
· Caeleb Dressel becomes first ever · July 30 - United Nation’s World Day
Swimmer to win three gold medals in one against Trafficking in Persons.
night at worlds Championship.
Ö The United Nations World Day against
Ö The 20-year-old Caeleb Dresselas Trafficking in Persons is observed on 30
America’s newest star of the pool recently July across the world.
became the first swimmer to win three gold
Ö This year, the United Nations Office on
medals on a single night at either the worlds
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selected ‘Act
or the Olympics.
to Protect and Assist Trafficked Per-
Ö Caeleb Dressel accomplished this feat at sons’ as the focus of the Day.
2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships
Ö The theme aims at one of the most pressing
in Budapest, Hungary.
issues of the largest mixed migration move-
ments of refugees and migrants.
· Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared as
interim Pakistan Prime Minister · Ramon Magsaysay award , 2017
Ö Pakistan Muslim League selected Minister
Ö The six winners of this year’s Ramon
for Petroleum and Natural Resources,
Magsaysay Awards, regarded as Asia’s
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to be the interim
version of the Nobel Prize.
Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Ö A Japanese (Ishizawa, Yoshiaki) historian
Ö Nawaz Sharif recently resigned as Pakistan
who helped Cambodians preserve the
Prime Minister after the Supreme Court
Angkor temples
disqualified him from holding public office.
Ö A Sri Lankan teacher (Shanmugam
· Sri Lanka and China sign $1.1 billion Gethise) who counselled war widows and
Hambantota Port Deal. orphans to overcome their nightmares are
Ö Sri Lanka signed $1.1 billion deal to the among an Indonesian working for the return
United States of America to sell a 70% stake of large tracts of forest land to indigenous
in the strategic Hambantota deep-sea port to communities
China.
Ö A Singaporean (Tay,Tony) who leads the
Ö It is a deep-water port in the southern tip of cooking of 6,000 meals a day for the
Sri Lanka. destitute

Ö The deal was signed between Sri Lanka Ö A Philippine (Philippine Educational
Ports Authority (SLPA) and China Mer- Theatre Association) theatre group which
chants Port Holding Company (CMPort) stood up to a dictatorship and a Filipino who
oversaw the opening of job-generating
Ö These sea lines run through several major export processing zones.
maritime choke points such as the Strait of
Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Mal- Ö One more Philippine (De Lima, Lilia) for
acca and the Lombok Strait as well as other harnessing sustained, non-stop and credible
strategic maritime centres in Pakistan, public service.
Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and
Somalia.

196
 Ö An Indonesian (Nababan, Abdon) For Ö The election has been widely criticized
giving compelling face and voice to Adat because thousands of voters were excluded
communities and their rights. and there were blazing abuses of the elec-
toral process.
Ö The awards, named after a Philippine
president who died in a 1957 plane crash, Ö He is the leader of the People’s National
are to be presented in Manila on August 31. Congress and represents the constituency of
Ialibu-Pangia.
· Switzerland - World’s longest pedes-
trian suspension bridge opens. · World breastfeeding week is observed
from August 1st to August 7th.
Ö The world’s longest pedestrian suspension
bridge the Europaweg (Europe Bridge) a Ö World breastfeeding weekis being cel-
ribbon-thin span nearly a third of a mile long ebrated from 1st to 7th August every year.
at in Randa, Switzerland.
Ö The theme for the year 2017 is “Sustaining
Ö It measures 1,620 feet long and rises as high Breastfeeding Together”.
as 278 feet above the Grabengufer ravine.
Ö It was first celebrated in 1992 by World
Ö It replaces an older bridge which was closed Alliance for Breastfeeding World
in 2010 after it was damaged by falling Breastfeeding WeekAction (WABA) and is
rocks. now observed in over 120 countries by
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
· China opens its first overseas Military World Health Organization (WHO) and their
base in Djibouti partners including individuals, organizations,
and governments.
Ö China formally launched its first overseas
naval facility in Djibouti, an East African · Qatar to become first Arab state
nation. to offer permanent residency to
some non-citizens.
Ö Five Chinese formations and Djibouti’s
Three Services HonorGuard took part in Ö Qatar’s Cabinet approved a draft law
the launch ceremony on 1 of August making permanent residency available to
2017. some non-citizens of the country.

Ö The event marked the 90th anniversary of Ö Under the new law, Residency permits will
the Chinese military Services. be granted to children of Qatari women
married to foreigners.
Ö Djibouti is a tiny East African nation of
around 887,000 people, is between Ö Gulf Arab countries have a high number of
Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. expatriate workers but do not allow natural-
ization of foreigners except in rare cases.
Ö Dijbouti is known as horn of Africa.
GK bit – Qatar
· Peter O’Neill re-elected as Prime
Minister of Papua New Guinea. Ö Qatar (Capital Doah) is a high-income
economy, backed by the world’s third-largest
Ö Peter O’Neill has been reappointed as
natural-gas reserves and oil reserves. The
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
197
 country has the highest per capita income in tional Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and
the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a Israel’s space agency.
country of very high human development and
is the most advanced Arab state for human Ö They were launched from Korou, in French
development. Qatar is a significant power in Guiana, at 10:56 PM (local time).
the Arab world, supporting several rebel
groups during the Arab Spring both financially Ö Venus will photograph 110 specific sites
and through its globally expanding media across the world every two days for two-and-
group, Al Jazeera Media Network. For its a-half years, charting the impact of climate
size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence change on ecosystems and agriculture as well
in the world, and has been identified as a as studying carbon stocks and plant evolution.
middle power. Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA · Philippines bans private use of Fire-
World Cup, becoming the first Arab country
crackers
to do so.
Ö Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte
Ö In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the
signed an executive order banning the private
United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, among
use of firecrackers in the country.
other Gulf states, cut off diplomatic relations
with Qatar, accusing it of supporting and Ö Health authorities recorded 350 fireworks-
funding terrorism and manipulating internal related injuries as the country welcomed
affairs of its neighboring states, causing the 2017.
2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis.
· Hassan Rouhani sworn in as · United States approves Sale of UAV
Iran’s president for a second term. Technology to India
Ö Hassan Rouhani officially was sworn in as Ö The United States cleared the sale of
the President of Iran for a second term. the state-of-the-art Guardian 22
unmanned Guardian flights to India.
Ö As per Iran’s Election Law, a President Elect
is required to get the Leader’s approval Ö The deal to sell Unmanned Aerial
before being sworn-in before the Parliament. Vehicle (UAV) flights to India is
estimated to be worth $2 to $3
Ö Rouhani won the re-election in May 2017, billion.
after securing 57% of the votes. He defeated
his main contender Ebrahim Raeisi. Ö The transfer of the state-of-the-art
UAV technology to India will be the
· VENUS - Satellite launched by Israel to first significant progress after India’s
monitor climate change and vegetation. entry into the exclusive Missile
Technology Control Regime
Ö Two satellites are launched by Israel including (MTCR) and after the US has
one dedicated to monitoring the effects of cli- designated India as a major defence
mate change on vegetation were successfully partner.
launched into orbit.
Ö Last year, the Indian Navy requested
Ö The Vegetation and Environment moni- for this Intelligence, Surveillance, and
toring on a New Micro Satellite — or Ve- Reconnaissance (ISR) platform.
nus — is a joint effort between France’s Na-

198
 · United States to sell C-17 Globemaster country, joining regional Arab states that
already shut the station after accusing the
Transport Aircraft to India.
broadcaster of inciting violence.
Ö The United States of America
Ö Jordan and Saudi Arabia have recently
(USA) decided to sell one C-17
closed Al-Jazeera’s local offices, while the
transport aircraft to India.
channel and its affiliate sites have been
Ö The sale of USD 366.2 million C-17 blocked in Saudi Arabia, United Arab
transport aircraft manufactured by Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.
Boeing also includes one Missile
· U.K. denies agreeing to €40 billion Brexit
Warning System, one Countermea-
Bill
sures Dispensing System, one
Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Ö Britain does not recognise media reports that
Transponder and precision naviga- the government is willing to pay €40 billion
tion equipment. (approx. 3.1 trillion) to exit the European
Union, Prime Minister said.
Ö The Boeing C-17A Globemaster III
military airlift aircraft is one of the Ö The so-called “exit bill” is one of the first
most flexible cargo aircraft of the US issues on the Brexit negotiating agenda, and
Air Force fleet. also one of the most contentious. The EU
has floated a figure of €60 billion, while
· NASA’s Hubble detects Exoplanet with Britain has not indicated how much it would
glowing water atmosphere. be prepared to pay.
Ö NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope discov- Ö Britain has less than two years to negotiate
ered the strongest evidence to date for the the terms of its exit from the EU — an
stratosphere on a planet outside our solar unprecedented untangling of more than 40
system, WASP-121b. years of legal, economic and political ties.
Ö The stratosphere is a layer of atmosphere in US submits official withdrawal from
which temperature increases with higher Paris climate pact
altitudes.
Ö The United States has officially informed the
Ö The discovery was made by an International United Nations that it will withdraw from the
team of researchers led by the University of Paris Climate Agreement. But would con-
Exeter by observing glowing water mol- tinue to participate in UN climate change
ecules in WASP-121b’s atmosphere. meetings during the withdrawal process.
Ö The WASP-121b exoplanet is gas giant Ö Earlier, US had pledged as part of the Paris
commonly referred to as a ‘hot Jupiter’. It accord to cut US greenhouse gas emissions
has 1.2 times greater mass and 1.9 times by as much as 28 percent from 2005 levels
greater radius than Jupiter. by 2025 to help slow global warming.
· After Arab states, Israel seeks to ban Al- Gk bit – Paris Climate Agreement
Jazeera.
Ö Paris climate agreement is an agreement
Ö Israel seeks to ban Qatar’s flagship Al- within the United Nations Framework
Jazeera news network from operating in the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
199
 dealing with greenhouse gas emissions operations, the establishment of international
mitigation, adaptationand finance starting in sanctions, and the authorization of military
the year 2020. action through Security Council resolutions;
it is the only UN body with the authority to
Ö 196 Countries presented at the 21st Con- issue binding resolutions to member states.
ference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in The Security Council held its first session on
Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 17 January 1946.
December 2015. As of August 2017, 195
UNFCCC members have signed the agree- Ö The Security Council consists of fifteen
ment, 159 of which have ratified it. members.

Ö China, the United States (left now) and 5 are permanent -

India, the countries with three of the four US,UK,FRANCE,RUSSIA and CHINA.
largest greenhouse gas emissions of the
signatories’ total (about 42% together). Ö 10 non-permanent members, elected on a
regional basis to serve two-year terms. The
· UN Security Council imposes new body’s presidency rotates monthly among its
sanctions on North Korea. members.

Ö United Nations Security Council (UNSC) · Oldest man in the World Yisrael Kristal
has passed a resolution imposing new aged 113 died in Israel.
sanctions on North Korea for its continued
intercontinental ballistic missile testing and Ö World’s oldest man, Holocaust survivor
violations of UN resolutions. The UNSC Yisrael Kristal (aged 113) who was
unanimously approved tough new sanctions recognised by Guinness World Records last
last night including a ban on coal and other year (on March 11, 2016) as the world’s
exports worth over 1 billion dollars. oldest living man, died in Israel.Mr Kristal was
born in Poland on September 15, 1903 and
Ö The resolution prevents North Korea from later moved to Israel in 1950.
increasing the number of workers it sends
abroad. It also prohibits all new joint ven- · Facebook launches Youtube Competitor
tures with North Korea, bans new invest- called Watch.
ment in the current joint companies and adds
Ö Facebook launched Youtube competitor
nine North Korean officials and four entities
called ‘Watch’ recently.
including North Korea’s main foreign
exchange bank to the UN sanctions black- Ö Watch is a platform for all creators and
list. publishers to find an audience, build a commu-
Gk bit – UNSC nity of passionate fans, and earn money for
their work.
Ö The United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of Ö In the first phase “Watch’’ will be intro-
the United Nations, charged with the mainte- duced to a limited group of people in the US
nance of international peace and security as and plan to bring the experience to more
well as accepting new members to the people soon.
United Nations and approving any changes
· World Health Organisation appointed
to its United Nations Charter. Its powers
Milkha Singh as Goodwill Ambassador for
include the establishment of peacekeeping
physical activity.
200
Ö Legendary athlete Milkha Singh was in South Asia. The flag which is 120
appointed as the World Health Organisation’s by 180 feet was installed on a 400
(WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for physical feet pole was hoisted by Pakistan
activity in the South-East Asia Region (SEAR). Army Chief on Wagah-Attari border.

Ö Milkha Singh was also known as ‘the Flying ÖThe tallest flag was planned after India
Sikh’ and is a Padma Shri awardee. He had hoisted a flag at the height of 360 feet
won medals in athletics in Commonwealth and last year. Pakistan authorities said it
Asian games. was eighth tallest flag in the world.
India’s flag was torn apart due to
· International Youth Day celebrated strong winds at least four times since
globally. its hoisting but it has planned again to
hoist the flag after Pakistan hoisted its
Ö International Youth Day (IYD) is observed flag.
world wide annually on 12 August to pay
attention to youth issues. Gk bit – Wagah
Ö Wagah is a village situated in Lahore
Ö This day was designated by the United
District, Punjab, Pakistan and serves as a goods
Nations (UN) in 1999 with the adoption of
transit terminal and a railway station between Paki-
Resolution 54/120.
stan and India,[1] and lies on the old Grand Trunk
Ö The first IYD was observed on August 12, Road between Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and
2000. Amritsar, India. The border is located 24 kilometres
(15 mi) from Lahore and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from
Ö Theme of IYD 2017 is:- “Youth Building
Amritsar. It is also 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the
Peace”.
bordering village of Attari.
· New Species of Bat- ‘Yoda’
Ö Wagah border evening ceremony is a
popular sight to visitors from both countries where
ÖAn unusual breed of fruit bat —
military guards of both countries hoist and later down
previously nicknamed ‘Yoda’ due to
their flags in an apparent tit for tat reactions. The
its resemblance to the Jedi Master in
military guards usually having big traditional ‘Punjab’
the popular Star Wars movies — has
moustaches cross each other by bangingtheir feet on
now officially been registered as a
new species. the ground.

ÖDiscovered in a remote rainforest of · Chinese Vice Premier arrives in Paki-

Papua New Guinea, the bat has been stan for Independence Day celebrations.
renamed the happy (Hamamas) tube-
nosed fruit bat. Its unusual features ÖChinese Vice Premier Wang Yang
saw it affectionately referred to as the arrived Pakistan to take part in
‘Yoda bat’. Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day
celebrations on 14th August.
· Pakistan hoists flag taller than the
tricolour on Wagah border. ÖMr. Wang, the “special guest” for the
Independence Day, is accompanied
ÖPakistan on its 70th Independence Day by a high-level delegation on the two-
hoisted what it claimed the tallest flag day visit.
201
 ÖHe was received at Benazir Bhutto that can still elicit a potent and robust immune
International Airport by officials of response. It produces a potent protective
Pakistan government and Chinese immune response against Zika Virus and also
Embassy. not produce antibodies that may be cross
reactive for West Nile fever, Dengue, Yellow
ÖThe visit to Pakistan and Nepal by the fever or others.
top Chinese official comes as India
and China have been locked in a · China bans imports from N. Korea.
military standoff for nearly two
months at Doklam near Sikkim. Ö China will halt iron, iron ore and seafood
imports from North Korea, following through
ÖThe face-off began on June 16 after on new UN sanctions after U.S. pressure for
Chinese troops tried to build a road Beijing to strong arm Pyongyang over its ally’s
in the disputed area. India has pro- nuclear programme.
tested the move saying China was
unilaterally changing the status quo at Ö China, which is suspected of failing to
the trijunction with India’s ally, enforce past UN measures, accounts for 90%
Bhutan. of North Korea’s trade.

· World Health Organisation declared Ö Among the latest banned products, China
Somalia as Free Polio. imported $74.4 million worth of iron ore in the
first five months of this year, almost equalling
Ö The United Nations World Health the figure for all of 2016.
Organisation (WHO) declared no record of
any case of polio disease in Somalia in the last · Nepal and China sign three agreements
three years declaring the country polio free. to boost energy, economic ties

Ö Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan are the Ö China and Nepal signed three agreement to
remaining countries where polio is still being further boost their ties in power, energy and
recorded. economic sectors.

Ö The agreements signed cover oil and gas

Ö Somalia is still responding to an outbreak of
resources exploration, economic and techno-
acute watery diarrhea/cholera which began in logical cooperation and promotion of invest-
January 2017. ment.
· World’s first plant-based Zika vaccine Ö These agreements were signed after visiting
Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang held discus-
Ö Scientists from US have developed the sions with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Ministers
world’s first plant-based Zika vaccine that may Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar and Krishna Bahadur
be more effective, safer and cheaper than other Mahara.
vaccines against the mosquito-borne Zika
virus. The vaccine was developed using · Melbourne named as World’s Most
proteins derived from Tobacco plant. Cur- Liveable City
rently, there are no licensed vaccines or
therapeutics available to combat Zika. Ö According to the Economist Intelligence
Unit’s Global Liveability Report 2017,
Ö The plant protein-based vaccine uses Melbourne (in Australia) world’s most
smallest and most unique part of the Zika virus
202
 liveable city for a record seventh year in a Afghanistan and 14 billion cubic metres
row. (490 billion cubic feet) to each Pakistan
and India.
Ö Melbourne scored an overall rating of 97.5
out of 100 on the liveability index. · India Signs Global Environment Facility
(GEF) Grant Agreement
Ö It is the first time in the survey’s 15-year
history that a city has held the No 1 rank in Ö The Government of India, the Governments
its own right for seven consecutive years. of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the
Indian Council of Forestry Research and
· India moves to revive TAPI gas pipeline. Education and the World Bank signed a
US$ 24.64 million grant from the Global
Ö India will host the next steering Environment Facility (GEF) to improve
committee meeting of the proposed forest quality, sustainable land management
1,814 kilometre-long Turkmenistan- and benefits from Non-Timber Forest
Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas Produce for forest dependent communities in
pipeline. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Ö The decision was came during the sixth Ö The Ecosystem Services Improvement
joint Inter-Governmental Committee Project will support the Government of
(IGC) meeting on trade, economic, India’s Green India Mission’s (GIM) goal of
scientific and technological cooperation. protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s
forest cover and responding to climate
Ö The pipeline, that had its ground- change.
breaking ceremony in December 2015,
has seen flagging interest since then for · US, Japan Boost Defence Cooperation
a number of reasons. India’s effort is to with India, S Korea, Australia
tap Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gasfields,
which are the fourth largest in the Ö The US and Japan have agreed to advance
world. their multilateral security and defence coop-
eration with countries like India, South Korea
Gk bit- TAPI and Australia in view of North Korea’s dan-
Ö The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Paki- gerous provocative behaviour.
stan–India Pipeline (TAPI), also known Ö The ministers highlighted ongoing Alliance ef-
as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a
forts to advance trilateral and multilateral se-
natural gaspipeline being developed by the
curity and defence cooperation with other part-
Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will
ners in the region, notably the Republic of
transport Caspian Sea natural gas from
Korea, Australia, India and Southeast Asian
Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into
countries.
Pakistan and then to India. Construction
on the project started in Turkmenistan on Ö US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told that
December 13th, 2015. The pipeline is in cooperation with other nations, they will
expected to be operational by 2019. continue to employ diplomatic and economic
pressure to convince North Korea to end its
Ö The capacity will be 33 billion cubic metres
illegal nuclear and ballistic missile program.
(1.2 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas per
year of which 5 billion cubic metres (180
billion cubic feet) will be provided to
203
· Tamil to head Sri Lanka Navy, first since · China to relaunch one of the world’s
1970 fastest bullet trains

Ö Rear Admiral Travis Sinniah was Ö China is relaunching one of the world’s
on Friday appointed as the chief of Sri fastest bullet trains, capable of running at
Lanka’s naval forces, making him the 350 kilometers (217 miles) per hour.
first from the minority Tamil community
to head the Navy since the brutal civil Ö The trains will service the route from Beijing
war erupted in the country 45 years ago. to Shanghai starting next month, making the
1,250-kilometer (777-mile) journey in just 4
hours, 30 minutes. Other routes are being
Ö The Navy chief is the first from
added.
the Tamil community to head the
Navy since the outbreak of the civil Ö It has spent an estimated $360 billion on
war in the north and east of the high-speed rail, building by far the largest
island in 1972. network in the world.
Ö He successfully commanded a · World’s smallest surgical robot –
mission in 2007 to destroy the Versius
LTTE’s weapons smuggling ships
in international waters off Indonesia Ö Scientists in the United Kingdom (UK) have
and Australia developed the world’s smallest surgical
· India and Japan work on developing robot called Versius. It was developed using
SEZs in Africa low-cost technology used in mobile phones
and space industries. The robot can mimic
human arm and can be used to carry out a
Ö Japan and India have finalised a blueprint for
wide range of surgical procedures.
developing Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
in African countries, an attempt aimed at · First Regional Centre of NDB Opens in
countering the expanding Chinese footprint South Africa
in the continent.

Ö The first SEZ that Indian companies will take Ö The first regional centre of
part in will come up around Mombasa port the New Development Bank, set up by India
in Kenya, which is being developed with and other BRICS nations, was officially opened
Japanese assistance. in Johannesburg by South African President
Jacob Zuma and the banks Indian head K V
Ö Mombasa port is the gateway to the east Kamath.
African market where Indian firms have
considerable influence and presence. Ö The New Development
Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the
Ö India and Japan are warming up to Africa BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral
amid China’s rapidly expanding economic development bank established by the BRICS
and strategic influence in the continent. Nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa) with an initial authorised capital of the
Ö China’s new military base in Djibouti — the bank is USD 100 billion.
first in the region — has raised concerns as
it points to China’s strategic intent in the Ö The idea for setting up
continent. NDB was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS
204
 summit in 2012 held in New Delhi. The cre- Supreme Court disqualified the incumbent
ation of a NDB was the main theme of the Nawaz Sharif for dishonesty following the
meeting. Panama papers scandal.
· India welcomes U.S. President Donald · Microsoft Launches ‘Project
Trump’s new Afghanistan policy Brainwave’ for Real-Time AI.
Ö India on Tuesday welcomed United States Ö Software giant Microsoft announced its
President Donald Trump’s new policy on ‘Project Brainwave’ deep learning accel-
Afghanistan. saying his move will help target eration platform for real-time artificial
“safe havens” of terrorism in South Asia. A intelligence (AI).
former diplomat said that his call for an end
to Pakistan’s involvement in terrorism in Ö The ‘Project Brainwave’ uses the massive
Afghanistan and his support for Afghan-led field-programmable gate array (FPGA)
peace process addressed a core Indian infrastructure that Microsoft has been
concern. deploying over the past few years.
Ö The former diplomat said Mr. Trump had Ö Real-time AI is becoming increasingly
supported long-held Indian foreign policy important as cloud infrastructures process
principles of non-intervention and non- live data streams, whether they be search
interference and ended uncertainties over the queries, videos, sensor streams, or interac-
U.S.’ involvement in Afghanistan. tions with users.
· Uruguay - world’s first country to · Android Oreo released by Google
legally sell marijuana in pharmacies
Ö Google launched its version 8.0 of the
Ö Uruguay became the first country in the operating system as Android Oreo.
world to legally sell marijuana over the
counter in pharmacies. Ö The Oreo boasts of a two times faster boot
speed, autofill option, and a longer battery
Ö The South American country had already life.
legalized cultivation, distribution and con-
sumption of marijuana in 2013 but authoriza- Ö The new update comes with a Picture-in-
tion for pharmacies has not been secured Picture feature that allows the user to see
until now. Marijuana dispensed in pharma- two apps simultaneously.
cies starting in the last month.
Ö Google is also making it easier to log into
· Pakistan PM travels to Saudi on his first different apps, extending the autofill feature
official visit abroad currently available on the website, to apps.
The much-awaited Android instant apps,
Ö Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shahid which can be accessed right from the
Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday travelled to browser without requiring installation, are
Saudi Arabia on a day-long visit — his first also set to take off with Android Oreo.
foreign trip since assuming office — to
discuss bilateral ties with top Saudi leader- · President Donald Trump signs memo
ship. banning transgender recruits from US
military
Ö Mr. Abbasi, 58, was sworn-in as Pakistan’s
18th Prime Minister on August 1 after the
205
 Ö President Donald Trumpdirected the Station’ to Indonesia that will help improves
Pentagon to declare an indefinite ban on access to Internet at railway stations and other
transgender individuals joining the military, locations.
but he appeared to leave open the possibility
of allowing some already in uniform to Ö Google is partnering with CBN and Fiberstar
remain in the military. to bring high-speed public Wi-Fi to hundreds
of locations across Indonesia.
Ö The Obama administration in June 2016
changed longstanding policy declaring that Ö Google, in collaboration with Railtel, has rolled
troops could serve openly as transgender out free Wi-Fi service at several railway sta-
individuals. tions in India, offering high-speed internet to
millions of people.
Ö Around 2,500 transgender personnel may be
serving on active duty, and 1,500 in the Ö Google launched its first free WiFi services at
reserves. Mumbai Central station in January 2016.

· A New Bridge Over Mechi River at · London to Host 2018 Table Tennis Team
Indo-Nepal Border. World Cup

Ö Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved Ö England has been awarded the right to host
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the 2018 Table Tennis Team World Cup, which
be signed between India and Nepal for laying will be held in London.
down implementation arrangement on Cost
sharing, Schedules and Safeguard issues for Ö The event will take place at the Copper Box
starting construction of a new Bridge over Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Mechi River at Indo-Nepal border. from 22-25 February.

Ö The cost of construction would be funded by Ö It will be the first major table tennis-only event
Government of India through ADB loan. The to be held in London since Wembley hosted
new bridge is part of up-gradation of the the 1954 World Championships.
Kakarvitta (Nepal) to Panitanki Bypass
Ö The last team World Cup was held in Dubai in
(India) on NH 327B. Mechi Bridge is the
2015, in which 12 men and 12 women teams
ending point of Asian Highway 02 in India
took part.
leading to Nepal and provides critical
connectivity to Nepal.
· US Imposes Financial Sanctions on
Ö The construction of the bridge will improve Venezuela
regional connectivity and has potential to
strengthen cross border trade between both Ö The US slapped “strong” financial sanctions
the countries and cementing ties by strength- on the dictatorship in Venezuela, barring
ening industrial, social and cultural ex- banks from any new deals with the govern-
changes. ment. US President Donald Trump has
signed an executive order imposing “strong,
· Google Expands Public Wi-Fi to Indone- new financial sanctions” on Venezuela.
sia.
Ö The president’s new action prohibits dealings
Ö After a successful run in India, Google has in new debt and equity issued by the govern-
brought its public Wi-Fi programme ‘Google ment of Venezuela and its state oil company.

206
 Ö It also prohibits dealings in certain existing Ö The United Nations (UN) global nuclear
bonds owned by the Venezuelan public watchdog, International Atomic Energy
sector, as well as dividend payments to the Agency (IAEA) has opened world’s first
government of Venezuela,” White House low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank in
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a Oskemen in Kazakhstan.
statement after Trump signed the executive
order. Ö The bank is owned and managed by IAEA.
It will be the first of its kind LEU bank not to
· India and Germany signed agreement be under control of any individual country.
to improve grid integration of renewable Ö It manages 123 tons of uranium in Angarsk,
energy
Russia but it is under the control of Russian
Ö India and Germany signed an agreement on Government.
technical cooperation under the Indo- · Prime minister Narendra Modi to
German Energy Programme – Green
Attend 9th BRICS Summit in China
Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC).
Ö Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend
Ö The main aim of this programme is to
the 9th Brazil, Russia, India, China and
improve the sector framework and condi-
South Africa (BRICS) Summit, Xiamen in
tions for grid integration of renewable
China’s Fujian province during 3rd to 5th of
energy.
September.
Ö Around 60 years, the Deutsche Gesellschaft
Ö He will pay a State visit to Myanmar from
fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
September 5th to 7th.
GmbH has been working jointly with part-
ners in India for sustainable economic, Ö It is his first bilateral State visit to Myanmar.
ecological, and social development.
Gk bit – BRICS
· Kenya Imposes World’s Toughest Law
Ö Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Against Plastic Bags
Africa. Originally the first four were
Ö The country Kenya imposed a law that grouped as “BRIC” (or “the BRICs”),
selling or even using plastic bags will risk before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
imprisonment of up to four years or fines of
Ö As of 2017, the five BRICS countries
$40,000.
represent over 3.6 billion people, or about
Ö It is the world’s toughest law which is aimed 40% of the world population; all five mem-
at reducing plastic pollution came into effect. bers are in the top 25 of the world by
population, and four are in the top 10.
Ö The East African nation joins more than 40
other countries that have banned, partly Ö Currently, there are two components that
banned or taxed single use plastic bags, make up the financial architecture of BRICS,
including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy. namely, the New Development Bank
(NDB) and the Contingent Reserve
· IAEA opens world’s first low Enriched Arrangement (CRA). Both of these
Uranium bank in Kazakhstan components were signed into treaty in 2014
and became active in 2015.

207
 Ö The New Development Bank (NDB), Ö It is the only Indian organization which has
formerly referred to as the BRICS Devel- found a place amongst the Top 100 Global
opment Bank, is a multilateral development Institutions.
bank operated by the BRICS states. The
bank’s primary focus of lending will be Ö The ranking was topped by the Chinese
infrastructure projects. Academy of Sciences.

Ö The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrange- Gk bit – CSIR

ment (CRA) is a framework for providing
Ö The Council of Scientific and Industrial
protection against global liquidity pres-
Research (CSIR) was established by the
sures. This includes currency issues where
Government of India in 1942 is an autono-
members’ national currencies are being
mous body that has emerged as the largest
adversely affected by global financial pres-
research and development organisation in
sures.
India. It runs thirty-seven laboratories and
· India and Myanmar to sign MoU for thirty-nine field stations or extension centres
conservation of quake-damaged Pagodas throughout the nation, with a collective staff
at Bagan. of over 17,000 workers. Its Chairman is
Prime minister of India.
Ö The Union Cabinet approved the
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) · World’s biggest and powerful X-ray
between India and Myanmar for the laser gun unveiled.
conservation of earthquake-damaged
Ö The world’s largest and powerful X-ray
pagodas at Bagan.
laser- European X-ray Free Electron
Ö The MoU will be signed during the Laser(XFEL) unveiled in Hamburg, Ger-
official state visit of Prime Minister many.
Narendra Modi to Myanmar during 6-7
Ö The XEFL is series of 3.4-kilometer tunnels
September 2017.
up to 38 meters underground near the city of
Ö Pagodas are the Buddhist temple Hamburg.
typically in the form of a many-tiered
Ö It took 8 years to build 1.5-billion-euro
tower built in traditions originating as
($1.7 billion) facility.
stupa in historic South Asia.
Ö It has the capacity to generate extremely
· CSIR ranked 9th Public Research
intense laser flashes, at a rate of 27,000 per
Institution of the World
second generated by Self-Amplified
Ö India’s largest autonomous public organiza- Spontaneous Emission (SASE).
tion Council of Scientific and Industrial
· World’s highest sandcastle built in
Research (CSIR) ranked ninth in the
German city
world.
Ö The world’s highest sandcastle is now
Ö The institute has been ranked ninth amongst
standing 16.68 meters tall in the German
a total of 1,207 government institutions,
city of Duisburg.
according to the Scimago Institutions ranking
World Report 2017. Ö A German travel operator organized the
construction of the mammoth sandcastle,
208
 bringing in 3,500 tons of sand over the past China announced $80 Million Funding Plan
three and a half weeks to the site at a former for BRICS
steelworks in the inland city. China gave 500 million yuan ($76.4 million) for a
BRICS economic and technology cooperation plan,
Ö The new sandcastle is decorated with sand
and another $4 million for projects at the BRICS
models of tourist attractions such as Athens’
countries’ New Development Bank stated Chinese
Acropolis, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia and
President Xi Jinping.The announcement came amid
the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
questions over the relevance of BRICS and China’s
· World record breaking 288 days in commitment to its New Development Bank (NDB)
outer space by Astronaut Peggy Whitson in light of the Belt and Road initiative and the China-
led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Ö National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration (NASA) astronaut Peggy Whitson · India and Japan to step up Defence
finishing a 288-day mission that put her over Cooperation
the top as the American who has spent the
Ö India and Japan agreed to collaborate
most cumulative amount of time in space.
closely in defence production, including on
Ö The oldest female astronaut in the history of dual-use technologies.
space exploration was the first female Interna-
Ö Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his
tional Space Station commander and holds the
Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera
record for number of spacewalks by a woman.
signed the agreement during India-Japan
· Nepal Signs UN Development Assis- annual defence ministerial dialogue in Tokyo.
tance Plan
Ö The two countries resolved to ramp up
Ö Nepal has signed a USD 635 million UN overall military engagement under the
assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out bilateral special strategic framework.
the country’s development strategy for the next
Ö The countries agreed to commence technical
five years.
discussions for research collaboration in the
Ö The package involves many individual UN areas of Unmanned Ground Vehicles and
agencies National Planning Commission apex Robotics.
advisory body of the Government of Nepal
Ö India planned to buy the US-2 ShinMaywa
and the United Nations Country Team
aircraft from Japan for its navy.
(UNCT) in Nepal signed the United Nations
Development Assistance Framework · United States of America proposes new
(UNDAF). sanctions against North Korea
Ö The strong alignment of the UNDAF with Ö United States of America (USA) proposed a
the national plans, international conventions range of new sanctions against North Korea,
and the Nepal government provides the including an oil ban and a freeze on leader
foundation to support the Government of Kim Jong-un’s assets.
Nepal’s efforts in ensuring that ‘no one is left
behind’ as laid out in the Sustainable Develop- Ö They drafted a UN resolution in response to
ment Goals. Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test which will be
considered by members of the UN Security
Council.
209
 Ö The draft calls for bans on supplying a range Ö Tottenham’s new stadium will include the
of oil products to North Korea and purchas- world’s first retractable pitch, which is due to
ing its textile exports. open in 2018, allowing the venue to hold
both football and NFL matches.
· India, Myanmar sign eleven MoUs in a
range of sectors Ö Sheffield engineering company SCX have
been recruited to build the retractable pitch.
Ö India and Myanmar have signed 11 Memo-
randa of Understanding (MoUs) agreements Ö Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, referred
in a range of sectors, including one on simply as Tottenham or Spurs, is an English
maritime security cooperation. football club located in Tottenham, Haringey,
London.
Ö The 11 MoUs also includes one between the
Election Commission and Union Election of · University of Oxford ranks top in 2018
Myanmar, the national level electoral com- World University Rankings, In India
mission of Myanmar.apart from this some IISc Bangalore ranks first
important are, MoU on Maritime Security
Cooperation and Mou for Cultural Exchange Ö World University Rankings which was
Programme for the year 2017-2020. published by the Times Higher Education
(THE) are:1. University of Oxford2. Uni-
· India and Sri Lanka Begin Joint Naval versity of Cambridge3. Caltech, Stanford
Exercise SLINEX 2017 University.IISc, Bangalore has been named
the top university in India. The other top
Ö Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy begin the Indian Universities are:2. IIT-Bombay3. IIT-
2017 Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) Delhi
at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
· James Anderson (35-year-old) became
Ö The biennial Joint Indo-Lanka Maritime the third pacer, sixth bowler overall and
Fleet Exercise will conclude on 14th first Englishman to take 500 Test wick-
September. ets

Ö It paves the way for operational effective- Ö Windies’ pacer Courtney Walsh was the
ness through a common understanding of first fast bowler to achieve the feat, fol-
neighboring Navies. lowed by Australia’s Glenn McGrath.

· US Open: Sloane Stephens wins

Ö It mainly emphasis on maintaining effective
Women’s Singles Title
maritime security in the region by integrating
forces through cooperation, coordination, Ö American Sloane Stephens lifted the US
and collaboration leading to a mutual under- Open women’s singles title.
standing of limitations and capabilities, to
enhance service interoperability and system Ö She ranked 83rd completed a spectacular
compatibility in countering challenges. return from injury to beat 15th seed Keys 6-
3, 6-0 in the finals.
· World’s first Dividing Retractable
Football pitch at new stadium of Ö She started the tournament when she was
Tottenham ranked in the 900s and has now ended it as
the US Open Champion.

210
· India won 2nd SABA U-16 Champion- rediscover its soul, will inspire people to dis-
ship cover more empathy.

Ö India won 2nd South Asian Basketball, · Halimah Yacob is the First Female
SABA, Under - 16 Championship President of Singapore

Ö They defeated Bhutan by 131-50 in its last Ö Halimah Yacob sworn-in as the 8th
league match at Kathmandu in Nepal. President of Singapore.

Ö India now qualified for 2017 International Ö She became the country’s first female
Basketball Federation, FIBA, Under-16 President and the first in five decades to come
Asian Championship to be played in Malay- from the Malay ethnicity.
sia later this year.
Ö She was certified by the Presidential Elec-
· Rafael Nadal won 2017 US Open title tions Commission as the only eligible candidate
for his 16th Grand Slam Title and there was no opponent.
Ö Rafael Nadal (Spain) won the 2017 US
Open title in men’s single category. Ö Singapore, officially the Republic of
Singapore, sometimes referred to as the “Lion
Ö He defeated Kevin Anderson from South City”, the “Garden City” or the “Little Red
Africa. Dot”, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia.

Ö The other category winners areJean-Julien · Air Forces of Pakistan, China Begin
Rojer (Netherlands) and Horia Tecau won ‘Shaheen VI’ Exercises
the Men’s Double Championship.Chan
Yung-jan (Chinese Taipei) and Martina Ö The Pakistan Air Force and the Chinese
Hingis (Switzerland) won Women’s Double People’s Liberation Army-Air Force (PLAAF)
Championship.Martina Hingis (Switzerland) began joint training exercises dubbed ‘Shaheen
and Jamie Murray (United Kingdom) won VI’ in China.
the Mixed Doubles Championship.
Ö The exercises will run until September 27.
· Satya Nadella announces his first book
‘Hit Refresh’.
Ö According to Xinhua, China’s state news
Ö Tech giant Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya agency China had sent a wide range of aerial as-
Nadella’s first book in which explores his per- sets and troops.
sonal journey, the company’s ongoing trans-
formation and the wave of technological Ö The Shaheen series of exercises between the
change will hit the stands later this month. two countries, who are close partners, began in
March 2011 and has since gone through five ma-
Ö The book titled ‘Hit Refresh’ carries a fore- jor iterations.
word by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and
will go on sale globally on September 26. · India up 2 spots on WEF Human Capital
Index.
Ö Nadella, 50, said he hoped that the book,
which tells the story of Microsoft’s quest to

211
Ö India has moved up two spots on the World special envoy for the oceans, seeking to gal-
Economic Forum’s (WEF) Human Capital vanize efforts to protect the world’s seas.
Index 2017.
Ö Peter Thomson played a leading role at the
Ö The country ranks 103rd of 130 countries, up first-ever UN conference on oceans in June.
from 105th the year before.
Ö The 193 UN member states issued an urgent
Ö Norway leads the latest rankings, followed by call for action to reverse the decline in the health
Finland, Switzerland, the US and Denmark. and productivity of the world’s oceans.

Ö India ranks even lower than Kenya (78th), · Paris and Los Angeles confirmed as
Myanmar (89th) and Ghana (72nd). hosts of 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games

· International Day of Democracy on Ö After three failed attempts and 12 years after
September 15th the demoralizing and disheartening loss to the
London bid in 2005, Paris has finally been
Ö The International Day of Democracy is awarded the Olympic Games it has craved.
observed on September 15th across the
world. Ö International Olympic Committee (IOC) con-
firmed that the French capital would host the
Ö The theme of the year 2017 is Democracy 2024 Olympics, while Los Angeles was
and Conflict prevention. awarded the 2028 Games.

Ö This year’s theme of democracy and conflict Ö Tokyo, Japan will host 2020 Olympic Games.
prevention focuses on the critical need to
strengthen democratic institutions to promote · India-Japan ink Open Sky Agreement
peace and stability.
Ö India and Japan agreed to ink open sky
arrangement to allow airlines from both
· Unstoppable: My Life So Far’: Maria
countries to operate an unlimited number of
Sharapova’s autobiography flights.
Ö The book titled ‘Unstoppable: My Life So Far’ Ö In this regard, both countries exchanged
authored by tennis star Maria Sharapova was RoD (Record of Discussions) on civil
released recently. aviation cooperation with respect to open
sky.
Ö In this gripping autobiography, the five-time
Grand Slam winner recounts the story of her Ö The open sky agreement will be signed in
phenomenal rise to success. accordance with the National Civil Avia-
tion Policy (NACP), 2016.
Ö Unstoppable is an inspiring tale of persistence,
pulsing with fearlessness and candor. Gk bit - Open Sky

· UN chief appoints first UN envoy for Ö Open skies is an international policy

oceans. concept that calls for the liberalization of the
rules and regulations of the international
Ö UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has aviation industry—especially commercial
appointed the outgoing president Peter aviation—in order to create a free-market
Thomson of the General Assembly as the first environment for the airline industry
212
· German citizenship is ranked the most · India ranks third among countries that
valuable in the world faced most natural disasters

Ö Germans have the most powerful passports in Ö India ranked third among the countries that have
the world, they also have the highest quality of faced the most natural disasters in the last half
citizenship, according to a new report. century, UN secretary-general Antonio
Guterres said pleading for unwavering inter-
Ö The consultancy Henley & Partners’ first Qual- national action on climate change.
ity of Nationality Index (QNI) ranks the value
of 161 nations’ citizenship on a scale of 0 to Ö The United States, followed by China, India,
100%. the Philippines and Indonesia, have experi-
enced the most disasters since 1995.
Ö European nations dominated the top 20 spots.
Ö Climate change was among the seven global
· India and US armies begin ‘Yudh Abhyas threats that he listed needing immediate global
2017’ military exercise action.
Ö The 13th edition Yudh Abhyas 2017, a joint · India to conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC
military training exercise between India and Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’
United States held at Joint Base Lewis from October 10-13
McChord, Washington.
Ö The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Manage-
Ö Yudh Abhyas is annual bilateral military ment Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC
exercise, alternately held by the two coun- DMEx-2017) are conducted by the Na-
tries. tional Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
as the lead agency from October 10-13,
Ö Both sides jointly trained, planned and 2017 in Delhi and the National Capital
executed series of well-developed tactical Region (NCR).
drills for neutralization of likely threats that
may be encountered. Ö It is a platform for sharing Best Practices on
all aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction
· Japan releases postage stamps on (DRR), strengthening regional response and
Indian yoga experts coordination for Disaster Management
among the BIMSTEC member countries.
Ö Acknowledging the role played by yoga leg-
end Bishnu Charan Ghosh and his family mem-
bers in spreading Indian postural yoga in Ja- · Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Internet
pan, the Japanese postal department has re- Calling Apps like WhatsApp and Skype
leased postage stamps on four of Bengal’s fa- Ö Saudi Arabia government introduced the ban
mous exponents of the ancient Indian prac- of internet phone calls - known as Voice
tice. Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) in 2013.
Ö The stamps on Bishnu Charan Ghosh, his son
Ö Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince,
Biswanath Ghosh, daughter Karuna Ghosh and
Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban on
Karuna’s father in law Asutosh Ghosh, that
voice calls on Skype, Whatsapp and other
were released recently in Japan, were official
applications to make Saudi Arabia more
showcased here by the Japanese Consul Gen-
attractive for business.
eral in Kolkata, Masayuki Taga.

213
· Nigerian Zannah Mustapha wins UN Ö Such cabins, called Qsuites will be rolled
High Commission for Refugees 2017 out next in flights from Paris and New York.
Award
Ö For Educating Boko Haram Victims, a · Liliane Bettencourt, Richest Woman in
Nigerian, Mr Zannah Mustapha, the the World Dies at 94
Director, Future Prowess Islamic Foundation Ö French businesswoman and heiress of
School, has won the UN High Commission cosmetics giant L’Oreal Liliane Bettencourt,
for Refugees (UNHCR) 2017 Nansen 94, has died.In March 2017, Forbes ranked
Refugees Award. Bettencourt the world’s richest woman,
putting her net worth at $39.5 billion.
Ö Mr Mustapha will be presented with his
award at ceremony in the Swiss city of
· China bans export of key petroleum
Geneva on 2 October.
products to North Korea
· International Day of Peace -21st Ö China ban exports of some petroleum
September products to North Korea and as well as
imports of textiles from the isolated North, in
Ö Each year the International Day of Peace is line with a UN Security Council resolution,
observed around the world on 21 Septem- passed after Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test.
ber. This day was established in 1981 by
unanimous United Nations (UN) resolution. Ö The USA and South Korea are technically
still at war with North Korea because the
Ö Theme for 2017 is “Together for Peace: 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce
Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.” and not a peace treaty.

· China launches fastest bullet train in · China and Australia joint military
the World, running between Beijing training exercise called Panda
and Shanghai Kangaroo 2017 held in Kunming
Ö China launches the world’s fastest bullet train Ö China and Australia joint military training
‘Fuxing’ between Beijing and Shanghai at exercise called “Panda-Kangaroo 2017”
350 kms per hour, covering the 1,250-km- concluded in Kunming, capital of southwest
long distance in just 4 hours and 30 minutes. China’s Yunnan Province, on September 20.

Ö China has the world’s longest high-speed rail Ö This exercise kicked off on September 10,
China and Australia each sent 10 soldiers to
network of over 22,000 kilometres, about
participate in the joint training.
60% per cent of the world’s total.

· FIFA Women World Cup France 2019

· Qatar Airways becomes the World’s
official slogan, emblem launched
First Airline to launch Double beds in
Business Class Ö Official emblem and slogan for FIFA
Women’s World Cup France 2019 were
Ö Qatar Airways has put double beds in the unveiled at the Musee de l’Homme, Paris,
business class sections of aeroplanes from France.Emblem:- To symbolise the eighth
London to Doha in Qatar. edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup,
competition trophy wrapped in blue and
214
 white, with eight shards of light around · Australia announces new space agency
football at the top of the trophy.Slogan:- to develop domestic space industry
“Dare To Shine”.FIFA President - Gianni
Infantino. Ö Australia will establish a national space
agency as part of long-term plan to develop
· India will rank top in Retail Destination the country’s domestic space industry.
in 2017 by replacing China
Ö Minister for Education and Training Simon
Ö India has replaced China as the top retail Birmingham made the announcement at the
destination in 2017, as part of the global International Astronautical Congress.
retail development index.
Ö The global space industry sector has been
Ö According to India Retail Report 2017, over
growing at a compound annual growth rate
the past 12-15 months, 100 percent cash
of 9.52 percent from 1998 to 2015.
and carry operations are gaining significance
in India with Thailand’s Siam Makro being
the latest entrant in this space following · Pakistan,Russia begin joint military
Metro, Walmart and Booker. drills DRUZBA 2017
Ö The joint exercise DRUZBA 2017 between
· Saudi Arabia allows women into stadium
special forces of Pakistan and Russia Armies
for first time started in Minralney Vody, Russia.
Ö Saudi Arabia has invited women to a sports Ö Pakistan and Russia are holding two-week
stadium for the first time to attend the long joint military drill focusing on counter-
kingdom’s 87th National Day celebrations with terrorism operations to enhance military ties
their families. between the two countries.

Ö This marks a shift from previous celebrations Ö The joint exercise will enhance and further
in the kingdom where women are effectively strengthen military ties between the two
barred from sports arenas. countries and share Pakistan Army’s experi-
ence in the war against terrorism.
Ö Saudi Arabia has strict restrictions for women,
including barring them from driving. Ö Last year, Russia held its first-ever military
exercises with Pakistan and also started
· Angela Merkel Wins 4th Term as selling weapons to Islamabad.
Chancellor of Germany · India third in nuclear power installations
Ö Angela Merkel won a fourth term as
Ö India is third in the world in the number of
chancellor in Germany elections that lifted
nuclear reactors being installed, at six, while
the far-right party Alternative for Germany
China is leading at 20, the World Nuclear In-
into parliament for the first time since the
dustry Status Report 2017, released this month,
immediate aftermath World War II.
shows.
Ö Her nearest rivals, the Social Democrats, Ö The number of nuclear reactor units under con-
and their candidate Martin Schulz came in struction is, however, declining globally for the
the second position with a post-war record fourth year in a row.
low 20.8 percent.
N
215
· World Tourism Day: 27 September microbiologist, who developed the first
rabies vaccine.
Ö Since 1980, the United Nations World Tour-
ism Organization has celebrated World Tour- · World Maritime Day - 28 September
ism Day on September 27.
Ö The World Maritime Dayis celebrated
Ö This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, across the world on 28 September across
the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. the world.
The adoption of these Statutes is considered a
milestone in global tourism. Ö The theme for 2017 World Maritime Day is
‘Connecting Ships, Ports and People’.
Ö World Tourism Day 2017 is celebrated on the
theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for De- Ö The main aim is to do so by focusing on
velopment’. helping International Maritime Organiza-
tion (IMO) member states to develop and
· 72nd session of United Nations General implement maritime strategies to invest in a
Assembly joined-up, interagency approach.

Ö 72nd Regular Session of UN (United Nations) · Russia and US Partner to Build 1st Ever
General Assembly (UNGA 72) was held at Space Station Near Moon
UN Headquarters, in New York.
Ö Russian and the United States space
Ö Mr.Miroslav Lajcak presided over the 72nd agencies, Roscosmos and NASA, have
session of the UNGA. agreed to jointly build a “deep space
gateway”, the first-ever astronaut-tended
Ö External Affairs Minister of India Ms.Sushma space station around the Moon.
Swaraj addressed the 72nd session of United
Nations General Assembly. Ö It would help prepare for manned missions
to deep space destinations including Mars.
Ö During this session, 50 countries signed a treaty
to ban nuclear weapons, which was first signed Ö NASA and Roscosmos are two of the major
by Brazil. partners in the $100-billion Earth-orbiting
International Space Station (ISS).
Ö The countries that have signed the treaty would
not develop, test, produce, manufacture, ac-
· Two US Lawmakers Introduce Legisla-
quire, possess or stock nuclear weapons un-
tion in House of Rep. to Support India’s
der any circumstances.
Permanent Membership to UNSC
· World Rabies Day - 28th September Ö In the United States, two influential Demo-
Ö World Rabies Day is celebrated annually cratic lawmakers have introduced a
to raise awareness about rabies prevention. legislation in the House of Representative to
support India’s permanent membership to
Ö The 2017 World Rabies Day theme is the UN Security Council.
‘Rabies: Zero by 30’.
Ö It is Introduced by Congressman Ami Bera
Ö This day also marks the anniversary of Louis and Congressman Frank Pallone, the
Pasteur’s death, the French chemist, and resolution would put the House officially on
record in support of India’s bid. Ami Bera,

216
 Vice Ranking Member on the House Foreign Ö The United Arab Emirates has begun collect-
Affairs Committee and longest serving ing new “sin” taxes on tobacco products, en-
Indian-American in Congress stated that ergy drinks and soft drinks.
securing a permanent spot for India on the
UN Security Council would strengthen Ö Tobacco and energy drinks will be taxed at
democracy around the world. 100 percent and soft drinks at 50 percent.

The new tax push comes as the UAE and other

· Angola Swears in its First New
oil-rich Gulf nations have struggled with low
President After 38 Years
global energy prices.
Ö Angola swore in Joao Lourenco as the
country’s President making him the first new · Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and
President of the country in 38 years. Michael W Young win 2017 Nobel prize
in physiology or medicine
Ö He served as Angola’s Defence Minister
earlier, vowed to attract more foreign Ö The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet
investment. decided to award the 2017 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine jointly to the
Ö The People’s Movement for the Liberation American trio of Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael
of Angola (MPLA) governed since Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their
Angola’s hard-fought independence from discoveries of molecular mechanisms con-
Portugal in 1975 with Dos Santos taking trolling the circadian rhythm.
power in 1979.
Ö The winners will share a prize of 9m Swed-
· International Day of Older Persons: ish kronor (£825,000), and each receives a
October 1 medal engraved with their name.

Ö It is the 108th time the prize has been

Ö The International Day of Older Persons is ob-
awarded and was announced at the Nobel
served on October 1 each year. Forum at the Karolinska Institute in
Ö On December 14, 1990 the United Nations Stockholm, Sweden.
General Assembly voted to establish October
1 as the International Day of Older Persons as · Indian Entrepreneur wins UK Business
recorded in Resolution 45/106. Award for Innovative IT Solutions
Ö Birendra Sasmal, CEO of Subah won the
Ö The day was observed for the first time on
International Business Person of the Year at
October 1, 1991.
the Asian Achievers Awards in London for
Ö The theme of the International Day of Older turning the company into a thriving IT,
Persons 2017 is “Stepping into the Future: telecoms and manufacturing success story
Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Par- with operations across West Africa.
ticipation of Older Persons in Society.”
· Nobel prize in physics awarded for
· UAE begins collecting ‘sin’ taxes on discovery of gravitational waves
tobacco, energy drinks
Ö Three American physicists have won the Nobel
prize in physics for the first observations of
gravitational waves.

217
Ö Rainer Weiss has been awarded one half of · Kazuo Ishiguro wins Nobel Prize in
the 9m Swedish kronor (£825,000) prize, an- Literature
nounced by the Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences in Stockholm. Ö British author Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for
his novel The Remains of the Day, has won
Ö Kip Thorne and Barry Barish will share the the Nobel Literature Prize on October 5.
other half of the prize.
Ö “In novels of great emotional force, has un-
Ö All three scientists have played leading roles in covered the abyss beneath our illusory sense
the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave of connection with the world,” the Academy
Observatory, or Ligo, experiment, which in wrote in its citation.
2015 made the first historic observation of
gravitational waves. Ö Born in Nagasaki, he moved to Britain with
his family when he was five years old.
· The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017
Ö Of the 114 laureates honoured since the prize
Ö The 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry has been was first awarded to France’s Sully
awarded to three scientists for improving im- Prudhomme in 1901, only 14 are women.
ages made of biological molecules.
· Nobel Peace Prize 2017 Announced
Ö Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Rich-
ard Henderson will share the nine million kro- Ö The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided
nor (£831,000) prize. to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 to
the International Campaign to Abolish
Ö They developed a technique called cryo-elec-
Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its work to
tron microscopy (cryo-EM), which simplifies draw attention to the catastrophic humanitar-
the process for looking at the machinery of ian consequences of any use of nuclear
life. weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts
Ö Prof Dubochet was born in Switzerland, to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such
weapons”.
Joachim Frank is German and Richard
Henderson is from Edinburgh, UK. Ö The Prize calls upon nuclear-armed states to
initiate negotiations to the gradual elimination
· World Space Week is observed from of the world’s 15,000 nuclear weapons
October 4th to October 10th adding that ICAN has in the past year given
Ö The World Space Week is observed from the efforts to achieve a world without nuclear
4th to 10th October. weapons a new direction and new vigor.

Ö The theme of 2017 is ‘Exploring New · Donald Trump is Most Followed World
Worlds In Space’. Leader on Twitter, PM Modi Third
Ö On October 4th1957 Sputnik 1 was Ö Donald Trump is the world’s most followed
launched. leader on Twitter, while Narendra Modi is
Ö It was the first human-made, Earth-orbiting the third, according to the latest report by
Twiplomacy, a Burson Marsteller research
satellite. Second, the signing of The Outer
project that tracks the use of Twitter by
Space Treaty on October 10th 1967.
governments and international organizations.

218
Ö He overtook Pope Francis by a few thou- Ö This Exercise will be a platform for sharing Best
sand followers to occupy the first place in Practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Re-
Diplomacy’s October report. India’s prime duction (DRR), strengthening regional re-
minister Narendra Modi has kept his third sponse and coordination for Disaster Manage-
place consistently since 2016. Modi’s own ment among the BIMSTEC member countries.
account.
Ö The main focus of the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017
will be on testing the region’s preparedness
· India and European Union 14th summit, and resilience towards effective activation of
Three key pacts inked; both sides agree inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agree-
to strengthen trade and security ties ments for immediate deployment of regional
resources for disaster response.
Ö India and the European Union agreed to
strengthen ties in key areas of trade and
· Anupama Clinches World Open Under-
security after their 14th summit, which was
16 Snooker Championship Title
held on 6th October, 2017. The two sides
also inked three pacts, including one on an Ö India’s Anupama Ramachandran
international solar alliance. India and the EU clinched the World Open Under-16
have been strategic partners since 2004. Snooker Championship title at St. Pe-
Important Persons: President of the Euro- tersburg in Russia.
pean Council - Mr. Donald Franciszek Tusk
President of the European Commission - Mr. Ö In the girl’s category, second seed
Jean-Claude Juncker. Anupama knocked out her compatriot and
top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1 to be-
· UN ends 13-year military peacekeeping come World Open Under-16 champion.
mission in Haiti
Ö This is the Federation of Billiards
Ö The UN soldiers left Haiti finishing their 13 year Sports of Russia hosted this first-ever
military peacekeeping mission in Haiti. World Open championships for Under-16
boys and girls.
Ö A UN peacekeeping mission helped to main-
tain order in Haiti through 13 years of political · India drops a rank, is eighth most
turmoil and disaster. valuable nation brand.

Ö UN troops reached more than 10,000 in num- Ö India is ranked the eighth most valu-
ber after the January 2010 earthquake. able nation brand while the United States
retained its top position and China took
Ö The UN lowered its flag at its headquarters in the second spot in the league of nations
Port-au-Prince. according to Brand Finance’s Nation
Brands 2017.
· India to conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC Di-
Ö India went down one spot over the
saster Management Exercise- 2017’
previous year, the report said, because the
Ö The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management economy grew at its slowest pace.
Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017)
will be conducted by the National Disaster Ö China, the fastest growing nation brand
Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency in 2017, saw valuation grow 44 per cent.
from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the
National Capital Region (NCR).
219
· Anupama Clinches World Open Under- Ö The UN lowered its flag at its headquarters in
16 Snooker Championship Title Port-au-Prince.
Ö India’s Anupama Ramachandran
clinched the World Open Under-16 · India to conduct the First ‘BIMSTEC Di-
Snooker Championship title at St. Pe- saster Management Exercise- 2017’
tersburg in Russia. Ö The First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management
Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017)
Ö In the girl’s category, second seed will be conducted by the National Disaster
Anupama knocked out her compatriot and Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency
top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1 to be- from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the
come World Open Under-16 champion. National Capital Region (NCR).
Ö This is the Federation of Billiards Ö This Exercise will be a platform for sharing Best
Sports of Russia hosted this first-ever Practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Re-
World Open championships for Under-16 duction (DRR), strengthening regional re-
boys and girls. sponse and coordination for Disaster Manage-
ment among the BIMSTEC member countries.
· India drops a rank, is eighth most
valuable nation brand. Ö The main focus of the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017
Ö India is ranked the eighth most valu- will be on testing the region’s preparedness
able nation brand while the United States and resilience towards effective activation of
retained its top position and China took inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agree-
the second spot in the league of nations ments for immediate deployment of regional
according to Brand Finance’s Nation resources for disaster response.
Brands 2017.
· International Day of the Girl Child is
Ö India went down one spot over the observed on 11 October
previous year, the report said, because the
economy grew at its slowest pace. Ö 11th October marked is marked as the
International Day of the Girl Child.
Ö China, the fastest growing nation brand
Ö The day theme is The Power of the Ado-
in 2017, saw valuation grow 44 per cent.
lescent Girl: Vision for 2030.
· UN ends 13-year military peacekeeping
Ö The main aim of the day is to highlight and
mission in Haiti
address the needs and challenges girls face
Ö The UN soldiers left Haiti finishing their 13 year while promoting girls’ empowerment and the
military peacekeeping mission in Haiti. fulfillment of their human rights.

Ö A UN peacekeeping mission helped to main- · Japan launches fourth Michibiki

tain order in Haiti through 13 years of political satellite for hi-tech GPS
turmoil and disaster.
Ö The Japan Aerospace Exploration
Ö UN troops reached more than 10,000 in num- Agency (JAXA) successfully launched
ber after the January 2010 earthquake. Michibiki-4 satellite (QZSS-4) onboard of
H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space
Centre.

220
Ö It was the fourth satellite in Michibiki series Ö It raised the global growth estimate marginally
i.e. Quasi-Zenith Satellite System for 2017 to 3.6% while flagging downside
(QZSS), which is a satellite-based high- risks.
precision global positioning system.
· FIFA suspends Pakistan from interna-
Ö Michibiki-4 is third QZSS satellite to be tional football
launched in 2017 and once operational it will
bring the constellation of QZSS to its Ö Pakistan has been suspended from interna-
operating capacity of four until a planned tional football because of what global soccer
expansion to 8 satellites occurs around body FIFA described as undue third-party in-
2023. terference in the country’s football federation
(PFF).
· Madhu Valli from USA crowned Miss
India Worldwide Ö FIFA said in a statement that the suspension
would prevent Pakistani teams, including the
Ö Madhu Valli, an emerging hip hop artist and a national side, from playing in international
student of criminal law at George Mason Uni- competition and the PFF from benefiting
versity in Virginia, has been crowned as Miss from FIFA development and training
India Worldwide 2017. programmes.

Ö Stephanie Madavane from France was de- · Indian football team qualifies for 2019
clared runner up at the 26th edition of the beauty AFC Asian Cup
pageant held in New Jersey.
Ö Indian football team registered a command-
Ö The beauty pageant attracts people of Indian ing win over Macau by 4-1 in AFC Asian
origin from across the world. Cup qualifying match at the Sree Kanteerava
Stadium in Bengaluru.
Ö Sarita Pattnaik from Texas was declared Mrs
India Worldwide. Ö India after winning this match has also
qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup which
Ö Organised by New York-based India Festival is going to be held in the UAE.
Committee, Miss India Worldwide is the only
international Indian pageant with affiliates in Ö India played and lost the match in the
over 35 countries and considered among the tournament was in 2011 while their only
top ethnic pageants in the world. appearance before that was way back in
1984. In the 2011 edition that was held in
· IMF cuts India’s 2017 growth forecast Doha, India.
Ö The International Monetary Fund (IMF) pared · US, Israel withdraws from UNESCO
its growth forecast for India by half a percent-
age point to 6.7% for 2017. Ö The US and its ally Israel have announced they
will withdraw from the United Nations Scien-
Ö In its latest World Economic Outlook, IMF tific and Cultural Organization, accusing the
said the world economy is going through a body of “anti-Israel bias”.
cyclical upswing that began midway through
2016. Ö The US would establish an “observer mission”
to replace its representation at the Paris-based
agency.

221
Ö The US was angered in 2011 when UNESCO Ö The country’s serious hunger level is driven by
members granted Palestine full membership of high child malnutrition and underlines need for
the body, despite opposition from its ally Is- stronger commitment to the social sector, the
rael. International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) said in its report.
Gk bit – UNESCO
Ö India stood at 97th position in last year’s
Ö UNESCO’s headquarters is in Paris. rankings.

Ö This organization of the United Nations has Ö Central African Republic ranked last.
been working since 1946.
Ö Chile, Cuba and Turkey have a GHI score of
Ö It is known for marking world heritage. less than 5 and have ranked as the best na-
tions on the index.
Ö Irina Bokova is the secretary General of
UNESCO.
· Amazon and Microsoft Ties up to
Launch Deep Learning Platform
· SpaceX completes successful launch of
recycled rocket Falcon 9 Ö Amazon Web Services (AWS) and
Microsoft have teamed up to launch an
Ö SpaceX launched its recycled rocket Falcon open-source and deep learning interface
9 and landed it on a drone ship in the Atlantic ‘Gluon’ that will help developers to deploy
Ocean. machine learning models across several
platforms.
Ö The main aims is to provide television cover-
age and communications capabilities to North Ö The interface would give developers a place
America, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. where they can prototype, build, train and
deploy machine learning models.
Ö It is a “dual-mission” satellite for the US-
based operator EchoStar and Luxembourg- · Worlds First negative emissions plant
based operator SES.
starts operations in Iceland, turning
carbon dioxide into stone
Ö This is the 18th successful landing of Falcon 9
rocket first stage. Ö The world’s first “negative emissions” plant
that turns carbon dioxide into carbonate
Ö The Falcon 9’s first stage had previously flown rocks has begun operations in Iceland.
on a cargo mission to the International Space
Station in February 2017. Ö The EU-backed project at one of the
world’s largest geothermal power plants in
· India 100th on global hunger index Hellisheidi, Iceland, will capture CO2 from
ambient air for permanent storage under-
ground.
Ö India has a “serious” hunger problem and ranks
100th out of 119 countries on the global hun-
ger index with a GHI score of 31.4, behind
North Korea, Bangladesh and Iraq but ahead
of Pakistan, according to a report.

222
· HPCL becomes first Indian Oil · World Students’ Day: 15 October
Marketing Company to launch
lubricants in Myanmar Ö World Students’ Day is celebrated on 15 Oc-
tober every year on the occasion of birth anni-
Ö HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corpora- versary of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
tion Ltd) has become the first Oil Marketing
Company (OMC) from India to mark its Ö The most loved President of India, APJ Abdul
presence in the lubricant market in Kalam was a scientist who made India proud
Myanmar. with his missile defense programme.
Ö HPCL has chosen commercial hubs of Ö But his favourite job was teaching and that’s
Yangon and Mandalay how he wanted the world to remember him.

· Facebook launches food delivery Ö Due to his love for students and focus on pro-
service in US moting education, the United Nations declared
his birthday (October 15) as ‘World Student’s
Ö Facebook launched a service in the United Day’ in 2010.
States, through which users can order food
and get it delivered by using Facebook’s app
· World Food Day is observed on 16th
or website.
October
Ö The feature allows users to browse nearby Ö Food and Agricultural Organisation of
restaurants by visiting the ‘Order Food’ United Nations (FAO) celebrates World
section on Facebook’s ‘Explore’ menu. Food Day each year on 16 October to
commemorate the founding of the Organiza-
Ö The social media giant has partnered with tion in 1945. Events are organized in over
food ordering services like Delivery.com 150 countries across the world, making it
for the same. one of the most celebrated days of the UN
calendar.
Ö Restaurant partners include Chipotle, Five
Guys, Papa John’s and Jack in the Box. Ö The Theme for World Food Day 2017 is
“Change the future of migration. Invest
· Vanuatu became the First Nation to in food security and rural development”.
accept bitcoin as Payment for its
Citizenship Program Ö The day is to celebrate the progress we have
already made towards reaching
Ö Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, has
#ZeroHunger.
become the first nation to accept Bitcoins as
payment for its ‘investment citizenship’
program. · Audrey Azoulay elected as Director
General of UNESCO
Ö A family of up to four can receive Vanuatu Ö Former French Culture Minister Audrey
passports by paying the Bitcoin equivalent of Azoulay (45) was elected as new Director-
$280,000 (1.8 crore). General of United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
Ö Vanuatu citizenship allows individuals to
(UNESCO) the UN’s education, science,
reside on the island, and travel to over 100
and culture agency.
countries without a visa.
Ö She succeeds Irina Bokova of Bulgaria.
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Ö She defeated Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz · US Author George Saunders Wins 2017
al-Kawari in the final 30-28 vote after she Man Booker Prize
won a runoff with a third finalist from Egypt.
Ö US author George Saunders won the 2017
Man Booker Prize.
· Roger Federer Cruises to Shanghai
Masters Title Ö He became only the second American writer
Ö Roger Federer won world number one to win Britain’s renowned Prize, which was
Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3 to win the Shanghai awarded for his first full-length novel “Lin-
Masters and register his fourth victory of coln in the Bardo”.
the year over his Spanish rival.
Ö The 2016 Man Booker Prize went to ‘The
Ö He is the only man who can still stop Nadal Sellout’ by Paul Beatty.
ending the year as number one, took an hour
and 12 minutes to claim his sixth title of the · Zimbabwe bans Fruit, Vegetable
year and his second Shanghai crown with a imports as Forex Crunch Deepens
clinical performance.
Ö The east African landlocked country Zimba-
Ö He has also won a record eighth Wimbledon bwe, with immediate effect, banned the
title & became the tournament’s oldest import of fruits and vegetables to preserve
champion with a straight-sets victory over the scarce foreign currencies.
Marin Cilic. Federer claimed his 19th Grand
Ö Last year Zimbabwe spent more than $80
Slam title in Wimbledon title 2017.
million on fruit and vegetables which included
· “Exercise INDRA - 2017: Indo-Russia tomatoes, onions, carrots, grapes, apples
Joint Exercise” and oranges.

Ö Exercise INDRA-2017, the first ever Tri Ser- Ö Many of the Zimbabweans are keeping U.S.
vices Joint Exercise between Indian and Rus- dollars at home or they are spending in
sian Armed Forces will be conducted in the buying Hard Currency on the black market.
Eastern Military District of Russia from 19 to This same situation was prevailing during the
29 Oct 2017. period of hyperinflation a decade ago.

Ö Exercise INDRA in its pre6vious nine avatars · Pakistan elected among 15 nations to
has been conducted as a single service exer- UN Human Rights Council
cise alternately between the two countries.
Ö The15 member nations including Pakistan
Ö The year 2017 marks a major milestone as have been elected to serve on the United
this Exercise has been upgraded to involve all Nations (UN) Human Rights Council.
the three Services of the Armed Forces (Army,
Ö 15 new member nations who have been
Navy & Air Force), which further accentuates
the importance of Joint Services in the present elected are Afghanistan, Angola, Australia,
world environment. Chile, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Ö Exercise INDRA-2017 will be conducted at Peru, Qatar, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain and
the 249th Combined Army Range Sergeevisky Ukraine.
and in the Sea of Japan near Vladivostok.
· Google Viewed as Most Authentic
Brand in India: Survey
224
Ö Indian consumers regard Google as the most Ö Gandhi owned the land in 1897 and used to
authentic brand, even though Amazon.com tops hold public meetings there when the Natal In-
the list globally, reveal results of a new survey. dian Congress planned its fight against laws
discriminating against Indians in South Africa.
Ö In India, Google is followed by Microsoft,
Amazon.com, Maruti Suzuki and Apple. · India, Brazil, South Africa sign IBSA
Ö Globally, Apple takes the second spot after Trust Fund agreement
Amazon in the authenticity race, according to Ö India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA)
the results revealed by Cohn & Wolfe. have signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement
that seeks to fight poverty in developing
· USA to provide EMALS technology to countries.
India for aircraft carriers
Ö It was signed at the 8th IBSA trilateral
Ö Donald Trump Ministerial Commission Meeting in Durban,
Government has promised to provide the South Africa.
Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch
System(EMALS) technology to India for Ö It is an international tripartite grouping for
aircraft carriers. promoting international cooperation among
these countries.
Ö S Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson will be visiting India soon
· India and Russia to participate in first-
and before his visit, Trump administration has
ever tri-services military exercise
informed of its decision to give EMALS to
India. Ö The first-ever Tri-Services Joint Exercise
between Indian and Russian Armed Forces,
Ö EMALS also INDRA-2017 began.
weighs less, is expected to cost less and
require less maintenance, and can launch Ö The Indian contingent comprises of 350
aircraft that are heavier or lighter. personnel from Army, 80 from Air Force,
two IL 76 aircraft and one Frigate and
Ö This EMAL will Corvette each from the Navy.
help to launch heavy combat planes from the
short runway of an aircraft carrier using Ö It is a landmark event in the history of Indo-
electromagnetic force, instead of the old Russian defense co-operation and will
steam-powered catapults. strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operabil-
ity and enable sharing of best practices
· Gandhi mu- between both the armed forces.
seum inaugurated in Durban

Ö A Gandhi museum has been inaugurated on a · World Statistics Day is celebrated on

small piece of land once owned by Mahatma 20th October
Gandhi in the coastal city of Durban. Ö At its 41st Session in February 2010, the
United Nations Statistical Commission
Ö Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh proposed celebrating 20th October 2010 as
inaugurated the museum, which will reflect the World Statistics Day.
life and universal influence of Mahatma Gandhi.
Ö It was first observed in the year 2010 and
2015.
225
 Ö It emphasizes the critical role of high-quality Ö This report has
official statistical information in analysis and been authored by United Nations Children’s
informed policy decision-making in support Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization
of sustainable development. (WHO), World Bank Group and United
Nations.
· Jacinda Ardern to be New Zealand’s
next PM
· Nepal tops Asia Pacific list of nations
Ö Jacinda Ardern will become New Zealand’s elected to UNHRC
next prime minister 26 days after the country’s Ö The United Nations General Assem-
electorate cast their votes. bly (UNGA) elected 15 States to serve
on the United Nations Human Rights
Ö Labour party will form a coalition government Council (UNHRC) of which Nepal
with NZ First, along with the backing of the topped the countries representing the
Green party, which means Ardern, 37, be- Asian Group in the 47-member council.
comes New Zealand’s third female prime min-
ister. Ö UNHRC, Geneva-based highest
intergovernmental body looking into
Ö Ardern, who also becomes New Zealand’s matters relating to protection and
youngest prime minister for 150 years, said promotion of human rights globally,
she was committed to forming a strong and elects its members through a secret
durable government. ballot.
· Environmental scientist Schellnhuber Ö Nepal topped the Asia-Pacific group
receives Blue Planet Prize with 165 votes followed by Qatar with
155, Pakistan with 151, and Afghani-
Ö The world’s most prestigious award for pio-
stan by 130. All got elected. Malaysia
neers in environmental science was given to
lost with 129.
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber in Tokyo.
Ö The newly elected countries are
Ö He is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Cli-
Afghanistan, Angola, Australia, Chile, the
mate Impact Research (PIK), a member of
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
the Leibniz Association.
Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru,
Ö The Blue Planet Prize, coming along with 50 Qatar, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain and
million yen, honors outstanding thinkers who Ukraine.
help to meet challenges of planetary dimen-
sions. · India and Bangladesh resolve to fight
common challenge of terrorism
together
· India among five countries responsible
for 50% newborn deaths Ö External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj called on Bangladesh Prime
Ö As per a report Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka dis-
titled “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality cussed ways to deepen bilateral co-
2017”, India along with Pakistan, Nigeria, operation.
Congo, and Ethiopia is responsible for half of all
newborn deaths in the world. Ö Both countries are determined to
protect their societies from hate, vio-
226
 lence, and terror by adopting a zero celebrates everything that the UN
tolerance policy and a comprehensive represents and has achieved since its
approach. establishment in 1945.

Ö She will open the new Chancery at Ö All the member states of the United
the Indian High Commission and inaugu- Nations contribute finances to its opera-
rate 15 projects. tion to help further its goals.

· Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe named · Cristiano Ronaldo Named Best FIFA

WHO ‘goodwill ambassador’ Men’s Player
Ö Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Ö Ronaldo presented the award at
was named a “goodwill ambassador” for The Best FIFA Football Awards
the World Health Organization by the ceremony in London, UK.
agency’s first African leader, with the
United States calling it “disappointing.” Ö The award, which covers the period
of November 2016 to July 2017, is
Ö The 93-year-old Mugabe, the world’s voted by national team coaches, cap-
oldest head of state, faces U.S. sanctions tains, selected media and fans.
over his government’s human rights abuses.
Other awards are
Ö WHO director-general Tedros
Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia announced the Ö Netherlands’ Lieke Martens won
appointment at a conference in Uruguay. The Best FIFA Women’s Player award.

Ö Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud won

· Bangladesh Signs Gas Oil Deal with the Puskas Award for the year’s best
India goal after his acrobatic scorpion kick.
Ö Bangladesh signed long-term sales
and purchase agreement with an Indian Ö The Fair Play Award went to
refiner to import gas oil to meet the Slovakia’s Francis Kone, who saved the
country’s energy demand. life of Martin Berkovec during a Czech
First League game.
Ö The deal between Bangladesh
Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Ö Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane
Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) was named the Best FIFA Men’s
was signed in presence of India’s Coach.
external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj,
Ö Juventus’ Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi
who arrived in Dhaka recently on a two-
Buffon was named the best goalkeeper
day visit to discuss bilateral issues.
of the year.
· United Nations Day is observed on 24th
· Nicaragua signs Paris climate
October
agreement
Ö United Nations Day is observed
Ö Central American country Nicaragua signed
globally on 24 October.
the Paris climate change agreement and
Ö It marks the 72nd anniversary of the presented the relevant documents for the
UN Charter’s entry into force and agreement at the United Nations.

227
Ö Earlier, Nicaraguan Government did not sign Ö South Korea and Portugal have ranked sec-
the agreement arguing that the accord did ond and third respectively, while Djibouti and
not put sufficient onus on wealthy countries New Zealand have completed the top five.
to tackle climate change and was not ambi-
tious enough in its objectives. Ö The other countries featured on the list are
Malta, Georgia, Mauritius, China and South
Ö It is to be noted that Nicaragua has no oil Africa.
and its government pursues green energy
· Indian ship in Indonesia for joint exer-
policies. More than 50% of its electricity is
cise – CORPAT
produced by geothermic, wind, solar,
biomass and wave power.
Ö Indian Naval ship Sukanya reached Belawan
· India and Asian Development Bank port, Indonesia to take part in the 30th edition
Sign $300 Million Loan of CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) and third
Bilateral exercise between the Indian and In-
Ö The Asian Development Bank and the donesian navies.
Government of India signed a $300 million
loan to continue a series of fiscal reforms in Ö The exercise is aimed at fostering closer mari-
the State of West Bengal to improve the time ties with countries located on the rim of
quality of public service delivery. the Indian Ocean.

Ö The Second West Bengal Development · Saudi Arabia bestows humanoid robot
Finance Program targets a further increase in with citizenship
public investment through the reduction of
Ö A humanoid named Sophia has made history
unproductive expenditure.
by becoming the first robot in the world to be
· Singapore Passport World’s ‘Most granted citizenship.
Powerful’
Ö Saudi Arabia offered citizenship to the robot,
designed by entrepreneur David Hanson.
Ö Singapore has the world’s “most powerful”
passport, according to a global ranking topped Ö The particulars of the citizenship were not dis-
for the first time by an Asian country. cussed, and it’s not clear if Sophia will have
the same rights as a human Saudi Arabian citi-
Ö India ranked at 75th position, three notches zen.
better than its previous ranking.

Ö According to the ‘Global Passport Power · Qatar Introduces Minimum Wage for
Rank 2017’ by global financial advisory firm First Time
Arton Capital, Germany is ranked second, Ö The tiny Gulf state host of the 2022 football
followed by Sweden and South Korea in third World Cup Qatar committed that it will
place. introduce a minimum wage for workers in
· Chile named best country to visit in 2018 the country.

Ö The announcement was made by labour and

Ö Chile has been named the best country to visit social affairs minister Issa Saad al-Jafali al-
next year by Lonely Planet in its ‘Best in Travel Nuaimi.
2018’ list.

228
Ö The announcement came a day before a $90.1 billion that the online edition of the
meeting of the UN’s International Labour magazine attributes to Gates.
Organisation (ILO)
Ö This is not the first time that Bezos has
outpaced Gates it previously happened in the
· India has 3rd Highest Number of
month of July 2017.
Family-Owned Businesses
Ö India has 108 publicly-listed family-owned · Rwanda gets first cricket stadium
businesses, third highest in the world, while
China tops the tally with 167 such compa- Ö Rwanda’s first cricket stadium was inaugu-
nies followed by the US which has 121, rated on 29thoct 2017 byPresident Paul
according to the Credit Suisse report. Kagame as a permanent home for develop-
ing the sport in the country.
Ö As per the Credit Suisse Research Institute’s
(CSRI) latest “CS Family 1000” report, with Ö The Rwandan Cricket Stadium Foundation
an average market capitalisation of USD 6.5 was set up by Alby Shale, the son of a late
billion, India ranks 5th in Asia Pacific exclud- British politician and cricket lover who
ing Japan, and 22nd globally, in terms of visited Rwanda to do aid work.
average m-cap.
Ö Rwanda’s national cricket association
estimates that only around 4,000 people
· Burundi becomes first country to leave currently play cricket.
International Criminal Court
Ö African country Burundi has withdrawn from · India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in
International Criminal Court (ICC) with 2020
effect has thus become the first nation.
Ö India will host the next United Nations
Ö International Criminal Court is an interna- (UN) global wildlife conference in 2020.
tional tribunal (located in Hague, Nether-
Ö India will host the next CMS Conference of
lands) having authority to prosecute individu-
the Parties CMSCOP13.
als for the international crimes of genocide,
crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Ö It was officially announced at the closing
CMSCOP12 plenary, in Manila, Philippines.
Ö In recent years, governments of three African
countries, South Africa, Gambia and Burundi Ö The six-day 12th Meeting of the Conference
expressed their intent to leave ICC citing the of the Parties to the Convention on Migra-
reason that it focuses too much on African tory Species (CMS COP12) is the only
nations. international treaty devoted exclusively to
migratory animal species.
· Jeff Bezos Replaces Gates as World’s
Richest Person with $90.6-bn Fortune Ö The theme of the Conference was ‘Their
Future is Our Future - Sustainable
Ö According to Forbes magazine, Jeff Bezos
Development for Wildlife and People’.
surpassed Bill Gates as the richest person in
the world.

Ö The fortune of Amazon’s founder reached

some $90.6 billion,compared with the

229
· England beat Spain 5-2 to Win First- its border with Pakistan and can be easily
ever U-17 Title accessed from India’s western coast.
Ö England scripted a dramatic turnaround in
· India Makes it to Top 100 in ‘ease of
Kolkata to win the 2017 FIFA U17 World
doing business World Bank
Cupfor the very first time after a 5-2 win
over Ö India broke into the top 100 in the World
Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings,
Ö European U17 champions Spain. notching up the biggest improvement among
all countries on the back of big gains on a
Ö Spain appeared to throw in the towel after number of measures.
letting slip a commanding lead, and their woe
was compounded by further strikes from Ö The rise to the 100th position from 130 last
Marc Guehi and Foden to round off a year made India one of the top 10 best-
comprehensive 5-2 victory. improved countries and rounded off a day of
good news on the economic front for the
· Saudi Arabia to Allow Women into government.
Sports Stadiums from 2018
Ö The World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2018
Ö Turki Al-Asheikh, Chairman of the General is Reforming to Create Jobs’ report ranks
Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia announced 190 countries on the basis of a combined
that Saudi women will now be able to attend score on 10 parameters.
sports events in stadiums starting from 2018.
Ö India is the only large country this year to
Ö The move is aimed at empowering and have achieved such a significant shift.
engaging women in the society as an integral
part of the development process. · India tops list of new tuberculosis cases
in 2016: WHO
Ö All these changes support Saudi Arabia’s
“Vision 2030” plan for economic and social Ö India topped the list of seven countries, ac-
reforms. counting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million
new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in
· India Sends 1st Wheat Shipment to 2016, according to a new report by the World
Afghanistan via Chabahar port Health Organisation.

Ö Iran’s key strategic port of Chabahar Ö India was followed by Indonesia, China, Phil-
became operational with the maiden ship- ippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa,
ment of wheat from India to Afghanistan. It according to a Global TB Report 2017 re-
was flagged off from Kandla port in Gujarat. leased by the WHO.

Ö This is a major push for India’s Afghan Ö An estimated 1.7 million people died from TB
outreach bypassing Pakistan for the first time in 2016, including nearly 400,000 people who
under the 2016 Indo-Afghan-Iran trilateral were co-infected with HIV, recording a drop
pact. by 4 per cent as compared to 2015, the re-
port said.
Ö Chabahar port is strategically located in
· Brunei named most improved economy
Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich
Iran’s southern coast in Gulf of Oman near in the world

230
Ö Brunei Darussalam has been named the most she ranked 32nd in World’s 100 Most
improved economy in the world for the third Powerful Women list by Forbes.
year in a row in the World Bank’s Doing Busi-
ness Report 2018. Ö CEO of HCL Enterprise Roshni Nadar
Malhotra, Chairperson of Biocon Kiran
Ö The report, which measures the efficiency and Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Hindustan
regulatory environment of domestic businesses Times Group Shobhana Bhartia and actress
of 190 economies, records Brunei jumping a Priyanka Chopra are the other Indian
significant 16 places to rank 56 worldwide. women who featured on the list.
· Shinzo Abe re-elected as Japanese PM · India slips 21 slots on WEF Gender Gap
index 2017
Ö Following snap polls, Japan’s Lower House
of Parliament has re-elected Shinzo Abe of the Ö India slipped 21 places on the World Eco-
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as the Prime nomic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap
Minister. index to 108, behind neighbours China and
Bangladesh, primarily due to less participation
Ö Abe’s party won the snap elections held on of women in the economy and low wages.
October 22.
Ö At the top of the Global Gender Gap Index is
Ö The 63-year-old leader, received 312 votes Iceland.
in favour, out of 465 in the House of Repre-
sentatives. Ö The country has closed nearly 88% of its gap.
It has been the world’s most gender-equal
Ö Abe, as leader of the LDP, has now been re-
country for nine years.
elected for a third consecutive term after he
took office in December 2012. · Indo – Kazakhstan Joint Exercise
“PRABAL DOSTYK 2017” Begins
· German Chancellor Angela Merkel has
topped Forbes 100 Most Powerful Ö A fourteen day joint training exercise
Women list “PRABAL DOSTYK – 2017” between the
Ö German Chancellor Angela Merkel has Indian Army and the Kazakhstan Army com-
menced with the Opening Ceremony at
topped Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women
Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
list for the 7th consecutive year and for the
12th time in total. Ö The joint exercise is aimed at enhancing the
Ö UK PM Theresa May was ranked second military ties between the two countries as also
at achieving interoperability between the two
on the list.
armies.
Ö Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-Chair
Ö The training contingents comprise of platoon
Melinda Gates at the third position.
strength from the 11th Gorkha Rifles of the
Ö Forbes names Chanda Kochhar the most Indian Army and a similar strength of the
powerful woman in India Kazakhstan Army.

Ö CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar was

named the most powerful woman in India as

231
· Air New Zealand wins Airline Ö As a result, the name of the country will be
Excellence Award for the 5th time changed to the Latin equivalent ‘Qazaqstan.’
Ö Air New Zealand has been crowned “2018 · World Tsunami Awareness Day: No-
Airline of the Year” by leading international vember 5
aviation.
Ö World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed
Ö The award marks the 5th consecutive year on 5 November every year across the world.
Air New Zealand has received the top
honour in its Airline Excellence Awards. Ö In December 2015, the UN General Assem-
bly designated 5 November as World Tsunami
Ö It is followed by Qantas Airways, Singapore Awareness Day.
Airlines, Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic.
Ö The first Tsunami Awareness Day was ob-
Ö Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, All Nippon served in 2016.
Airways, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific and
Japan Airlines are also featured on the list. Ö The focus of World Tsunami Awareness Day
2017 will be at reducing the number of affected
· Kenneth Juster Confirmed as the Next people globally by disasters.
US Ambassador to India
· Guinea becomes new member of Inter-
Ö The US Senate confirmed by a voice vote national Solar Alliance
the nomination of Kenneth Juster as the
next US Ambassador to India. Ö In tune with India’s growing engagements with
Africa, External Affairs Minister Sushma
Ö Juster, 62, has played a key role in the Swaraj held a meeting with Guinea’s Foreign
landmark Indo-US civil nuclear deal. Minister, Mamady Toure, during the course of
which the latter handed over his country’s in-
Ö He will replace Richard Verma as the top strument accession to the India-initiated Inter-
American diplomat to India. national Solar Alliance (ISA).

Ö Juster is soon expected to be headed to Ö Toure invited the Indian government and In-
India for the Global Entrepreneurship dian business to participate in the Investors
Summit (GES) in Hyderabad. Conference to be held at Paris in third week
of November 2017.
Ö The annual summit is being co-hosted by
India and the United States.
· HSBC Bank pledges $100 billion of
· Kazakhstan to change its name by 2025 finance by 2025 to combat climate
change
Ö The central Asian country of Kazakhstan is Ö HSBC Bank pledged to provide $100
changing its name to Qazaqstan in a challenge billion in financing and investment by 2025
to Russian influence over the country. to help combat climate change.They
promised $100billion of finance for low-
Ö The former Soviet state announced that it will carbon technology and sustainable devel-
appoint a national committee to oversee the opment by 2025 as part its commitment to
country’s transition from Russian Cyrillic to a tackling climate change and other “green”
Latin-based alphabet by 2025. goals.They would become more transpar-
ent about risks to its business and to those
232
 of its clients from climate change by adopt- · India Re-elected Member of UNESCO
ing recommendations made by the Task Executive Board
Force on Climate-Related Financial
Disclosures. Ö India re-elected as the member of the
UNESCO’s executive board, its top deci-
sion-making body.
· Ola inks partnership with Microsoft for
enhanced passenger experience Ö The election was held at the 39th session of
Ö The transportation network company Ola the General Conference of the UNESCO in
announced its strategic partnership with Paris, France.
Microsoft company and thereby choosing
the Microsoft as its preferred cloud provider. Ö The General Conference consists of the
representatives of the States Members of the
Ö Ola Play customers will be able to use organization.
productivity tools such as Office 365 and
Each country has one vote, irrespective of its
Skype for Business, as well as voice-
size or the extent of its contribution to the
assisted controls built using Microsoft
budget.
Cognitive Services and bot framework, in-
car during their rides.
· Uber joins forces with NASA to develop
Ö It helps transform the car into a high-per- flying taxis
forming, intelligent vehicle, capable of Ö Uber unveiled a partnership with NASA
assessing fuel efficiency, engine performance, (National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
and driver performance. tration) to develop flying taxis priced com-
petitively with standard Uber journeys.
· India at 7th Position in Business
Optimism Ranking Ö The first demonstration flights are expected
in 2020 and will move into commercial
Ö India slipped in ‘business optimism’ index
operations by 2023, with plenty of time for
to the 7th position in the September quarter,
the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
from the 2nd slot in the previous three
months, showing clear signs of lag in the Ö An Uber Air journey would take three times
economy, as per Grant Thornton’s Interna- less time than the same journey by car.
tional Business Report (IBR).
· APEC 2017 summit to be held in Viet-
Ö Indonesia is at the top, followed by Finland nam
(2nd), the Netherlands (3rd), Philippines
(4th), and Austria (5th). According to the Ö APEC 2017 is the year-long hosting of Asia-
quarterly global survey on business opti- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet-
mism. ing to be held in Vietnam.
Ö Indian businesses have expressed low Ö It will culminate with the APEC Economic
confidence over revenue expectations in the Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang to be hosted
next 12 months. at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula
Resort.

233
Ö It marks the second time Vietnam will be Ö The Index put the United States (US) at 10th
playing host to the APEC, having hosted the position with Chinese Taipei, Macedonia and
event previously in 2006. Bolivia being the other three vulnerable coun-
tries in the list of top ten.
Ö It is scheduled on 10-11 November.
· 31st ASEAN Summit started in Philip-
· UNHCR to get Mother Teresa Award pines
2017 for social justice
Ö The Philippines will conclude its year-long
Ö The United Nations High Commissioner for ASEAN hosting duties with the 31st ASEAN
Refugees (UNHCR) has been named as the Summit from 12-14 November.
recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial
Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an Ö Around 20 world leaders are in the Philippines
acknowledgement of its exceptional work to attend the 31st Association of Southeast
worldwide. Asian Nations (Asean) Summit.

Ö The Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Ö ASEAN’s theme for 2017 is ‘Partnering for
Social Justice, which is instituted in 2005, Change, Engaging the World’.
will be presented to the UNHCR on De-
cember 10, 2017. Ö It was formed on 8 August 1967. It has 10
member countries.
· World Pneumonia Day: November 12
Ö Rodrigo Duterte is the current Chairman of the
Ö World Pneumonia Day is observed on 12th organization.
November every year around the world.
· World Diabetes Day: 14 November
Ö World Pneumonia Day was first observed in
2009 when over 100 organisations joined to Ö World Diabetes Day is the primary global
form the Global Coalition against Child Pneu- awareness campaign focusing on diabetes
monia. mellitus and is observed on November 14 each
year.
Ö World Pneumonia Day helps to highlight the
Ö Led by the International Diabetes Federation
severity of pneumonia and encourages more
(IDF), each World Diabetes Day focuses on
organisations to look at ways of fighting the
a theme related to diabetes.
disease.
Ö Type 2 Diabetes is largely preventable and
· Extreme weather events: India 6th most
treatable non-communicable disease that is
vulnerable country
rapidly increasing in numbers worldwide.
Ö India is the sixth most vulnerable country in
Ö Type 1 Diabetes is not preventable but can be
the world in terms of facing extreme weather
treated with insulin shots.
events with Haiti, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Sri Lanka
and Vietnam taking top five positions in the Ö This year’s theme is ‘Women and diabetes –
fresh list of nations facing climate risk. our right to a healthy future’.
Ö The ranking was released here by the German
watch, an independent Berlin-based develop-
ment and environmental organization, in its lat-
est global climate risk index (CRI).
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· United Nations hosts first talks on use 1995 to generate public awareness of the dan-
of killer robots in Geneva gers of intolerance. It is observed on 16 No-
vember.
Ö United Nations is set to open its first official
talks on the use of autonomous weapons, Ö In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by reso-
including killer robots, at the Convention on lution 51/95) invited UN Member States to
Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) observe the International Day for Tolerance
for 5 days, in Geneva. on 16 November.
Ö The meeting is chaired by Indian ambassa- Ö This year’s theme is ‘Together’.
dor on disarmament, Amandeep Gill.
· India to Host Global Conference on
Ö The discussion will also include civil society Cyber Space 2017
and technology companies.
Ö India, for the first time ever, is going to host
Ö It will be partly focused on understanding the the Global Conference on Cyber Space
types of weapons in the pipeline. (GCCS), one of the world’s largest confer-
ences in the field of Cyber Space and related
issues, on 23 & 24 November 2017, at
· Indonesian beauty queen crowned Aerocity, New Delhi.
Miss International 2017
Ö The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri
Ö Indonesia’s Kevin Lillianawas crowned Narendra Modi will inaugurate the mega event,
Miss International 2017 at an event held at while Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Hon’ble Minister
the Tokyo Dome City Hall. of External Affairs will deliver the keynote ad-
dress in the Valedictory function.
Ö Lilliana also won the award for being the
best-dressed contestant. Ö Themed on Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclu-
sive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development,
· Syria Signs up Paris Agreement on this is the fifth edition of GCCS wherein inter-
Climate Change national leaders, policymakers, industry ex-
perts, think tanks and cyber experts will gather
Ö According to the UN report, Syria officially to deliberate on issues and challenges for op-
signed up to the Paris Agreement, leaving timally using cyber space.
the United States as the only country to
reject the global climate-rescue pact. · Canada Has Been Declared The
World’s Best Travel Destination For
Ö War-torn Syria became the 169th of 196 2017
countries that are members of the UN
climate convention to take the legal step of Ö Major travel publication Travel+Leisure has
ratification. After Nicaragua signed up in named Canada ‘the destination of the year’ in
October 2017, Syria and USA were the their recent feature.
only countries not to have adopted the pact.
Ö The selection was based on data from polls
· International Day for Tolerance: 16 conducted on travel agents, arrival statistics
November and cultural relevance.
Ö The International Day for Tolerance is an an- · India’s global rank up for reduc-
nual observance declared by UNESCO in ing greenhouse gas emissions
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Ö India is ranked 14th in this year’s Climate Ö World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United
Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2018 out Nations international observance day, cel-
of 56 nations for reducing greenhouse gas ebrated on 19 November, to raise awareness
(GHG) emissions. of the global sanitation crisis.

Ö The top three rankings are still unoccupied as Ö This is done through public communications,
the report says no country is on a Paris-com- campaigns, reports and events. Worldwide,
patible path. 4.5 billion people live without safely managed
sanitation.
Ö Sweden ranks fourth in this year’s CCPI, fol-
lowing the empty top three. Ö Theme for the year 2017 is ‘Wastewater.’

· Qaumi Ekta Week Observed · Qatar the Richest Country in the

Across Country World Per Capita
Ö The Qaumi Ekta Week is being observed Ö Based on the per capita income of its
across the country from 19th November to people, Qatar has been named the world’s
foster and reinforce the spirit of communal richest country as per the recent International
harmony and national Integration. Monetary Fund (IMF) report.

Ö As part of the week-long programmes 19th Ö The per capita GDP (gross domestic prod-
November 2017 day is being observed as uct) of Qatar is over Rs. 81 lakh.
National Integration Day.
Ö With per capita GDP of over Rs. 38 lakh,
Ö The last day of the Qaumi Ekta Week will be the United States is at No. 12. India, with a
observed as Conservation Day and several GDP of over Rs. 4 lakh per person, is not
meetings and functions will be organized to even in the top 100.
emphasize the growing need for awareness
and action to conserve the environment. Ö The Top 3 Countries in the list are

Ö Qatar- GDP of Rs. 81 lakh per person.

· India and France Agree to
Deepen Security Co-operation Ö Luxembourg- GDP of Rs. 70 lakh per
Ö India and France have agreed to deepen person.
security cooperation, bilaterally and in the Ö Singapore- GDP of Rs. 60 lakh per person.
multilateral fora, and strengthen strong
commitment to combating terrorism in all its
· Afghanistan Wins Maiden
forms and manifestations.
Under-19 Asia Cup
Ö After holding delegation-level talks with Ö Afghanistan stunned favorites Pakistan by a
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of massive 185 runs to clinch their maiden
France Jean Yves-Le Drain, External Affairs Under-19 Asia Cup title, in Kuala Lumpur,
Minister Sushma Swaraj stated both coun- Malaysia.
tries have vowed to get rid of the menace of
terrorism. Ö Ikram Ali khil was the man of the match
against Pakistan U19 in the ACC U19 Youth
· World Toilet Day: 19 November Asia Cup Final for his 107 not out and

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 Mujeeb Zadran was the man of series for his Ö They also discussed ways to implement a last-
20 wickets in the tournament. ing peace in Ukraine,” where pro-Russian
separatists have been fighting troops loyal to
· NASA launches Joint Polar Kyiv and how to keep international pressure
Satellite System-1 on North Korea to end its nuclear weapon
and missile development programs.
Ö The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) launched a next- · NASA tests Supersonic Parachute for
generation satellite called the Joint Polar Mars 2020 mission
Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1).
Ö The National Aeronautics and
Ö It was launched into orbit atop United Space Administration (NASA)
Launch Alliance-built Delta II rocket from successfully tested supersonic landing
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. parachute that will be deployed in its
Mars rover mission set to launch in
Ö It is is first multi-day weather forecasts
2020.
satellite in NOAA’s series of four, next-
generation operational environmental satel- Ö The mission will rely on a special
lites representing major advancements in parachute to slow spacecraft down as it
observations used for severe weather enters Martian atmosphere at over 5.4
prediction and environmental monitoring. It is kilometers per second.
designed to monitor weather around world
and help improve forecasts. Ö It was first of several tests in support
of NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission.
· India’s nominee Dalveer
Bhandari re-elected to ICJ
· India and Russia join hands to provide
Ö India’s nominee to the International Court of visa free entry for flight crew members
Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected Ö India and Russia have joined their
to the fifth and the last seat of the world court hands and signed a pact for giving visa-
after Britain withdrew its candidate from the free entry to the crew members of
election. chartered and scheduled flights in both
the nations.
Ö Mr. Bhandari received 183-193 votes in the
General Assembly and secured all the 15 votes Ö The agreement will facilitate visa-free
in the Security Council after separate and si- entry, stay and exit of the crew of aircraft
multaneous elections were held at the UN of the designated airlines as well as other
headquarters in New York. aircraft companies operating chartered
and scheduled flights in the respective
· Donald Trump and Putin Agree territories on a reciprocal basis. This
to Support UN in Syrian Peace ease has made the relationship between
Process the two nations more concrete.
Ö USA President Donald Trump and Russian
Ö The Visa requirements for crew
President Vladimir Putin have agreed to sup-
members are administrative entry
port the U.N. effort to “peacefully resolve”
restrictions imposed by the countries for
the nearly seven-year-long Syrian civil war.
the pilot or a member of the crew during
a transit.
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 Ö The crew visas are associated with Ö The event will be the last held in the sport
the request for permission to enter a before Para-Badminton makes its
country for a short duration and perform Paralympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020.
the predefined duties in the given areas,
distinct from actual formal permission for
an alien to enter and remain in the
country. · China Successfully Launches Remote
Sensing Satellites
· Emmerson Mnangagwa to be Sworn in Ö China successfully launched remote sensing
as Zimbabwe’s New President satellites designed to conduct electromag-
Ö Zimbabwe’s former Vice President netic probes and other experiments.
Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in
Ö The satellites launched on board of Long
as the President of the country.
March-2C rocket from Xichang Satellite
Ö Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan
stated that the ruling ZANU-PF party has province.
nominated him to fill the vacancy left by Mr.
Robert Mugabe. · WHO for first time releases guidelines
on child sex abuse
Ö He stepped down after 37 years ruling the
country. Ö The World Health Organisation (WHO)
for first time formulated clinical guidelines on
Ö Mr. Mnangagwa’s dismissal from the Vice responding to children and adolescents who
President post led the ruling party and the have been sexually abused.
military to intervene and forced Mr. Mugabe
to resign. Ö The guidelines are grounded in human rights
standards and ethical principles.
· Basel to become first city to jointly
Ö They will assist frontline health care provid-
host Badminton and Para Badminton
World Championships in 2019 ers general practitioners, gynaecologists,
nurses and others who may directly receive
Ö Basel will become the first city to jointly victim of sexual abuse or may identify sexual
host the Badminton and Para-Badminton abuse during the course.
World Championships in 2019.
· Iran allows women weightlifters to
Ö The Badminton World Federation
compete internationally
(BWF)confirmed that the two tournaments:
Badminton and Para-Badminton World Ö The President of the
Championships will be held simultaneously IranWeightlifting Federation has said
for the first time. that the nation will allow women
weightlifters to compete internationally,
Ö Basel beat off competition from Tokyo to after establishing the Iran Weightlifting
land the 2019 Para-Badminton World Federation Women’s Committee.
Championships in a vote which was
delayed by the BWF Council to allow Ö The federation’s chief also said that
further discussions. the women weightlifters can compete
wearing special clothes for Muslim
athletes.
238
· Worlds first AI politician developed most contestants ever, including the first-
SAM ever representatives of Cambodia, Laos
and Nepal.
Ö Scientists from New Zealand have
developed world’s first artificial intelli- · 7th world military games to be held at
gence politician named SAM. Wuhan in China
Ö It was created by Nick Gerritsen, Ö The 7th international military games will be held
the entrepreneur in New Zealand. in Wuhan city in the central China’s Hubei Prov-
ince.
Ö The virtual politician SAM can
answer person’s queries regarding local Ö It comprises 329 competitions in 27 catego-
issues such as policies around housing, ries and is expected to attract around 8,000
education and immigration. participants from more than 100 countries and
regions.
· Indonesia raises Bali volcano alert to
highest level Ö The slogan is of the games is “Military glory,
world peace”.
Ö Indonesia raised its warning for
Bali’s Mount Agung volcano to the top Ö The games were inaugurated in Rome in 1995.
level four alert closed the holiday island’s
airport and told residents near the Ö It is a multi-sport event organised every four
summit to immediately evacuate, warning years by the CISM.
of the “imminent” risk of a larger erup-
tion. · India and Greece sign Air Services
Agreement
Ö Bali’s airport was closed for 24
hours, disrupting 445 flights and some Ö India and Greece have signed Air Ser-
59,000 passengers, due to the eruption vices Agreement (ASA) and MoU on
warning and the presence of volcanic ash Cooperation (MoC) in the field of New and
from Agung. Renewable Energy.

Ö The agreements were signed after bilateral

· South Africa Contestant wins Miss
talks between External Affairs Minister
Universe crown (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and her visiting
Ö Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who counterpart Minister for Foreign Affairs of
recently earned a business management Greece Nikos Kotzias in New Delhi.
degree crowned during the event at The
AXIS theatre at Planet Hollywood Ö ASA is signed between countries to decide
casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. on a number of flights that airlines can fly into
each other’s countries.
Ö The runner-up was Miss Colombia
Laura Gonzalez, while the second · France wins davis cup for 10th
runner-up was Miss Jamaica, Davina time
Bennett.
Ö Lucas Pouille ended a 16-year drought for
Ö Ninety-two women from around the France in the Davis Cup, winning the decisive
world participated in the decades-old match for the hosts to beat Belgium 3-2 in the
competition. This year’s edition had the final.
239
Ö Pouille’s lopsided 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 win over Steve place in Australia where the practice will be
Darcis in the second reverse singles gave legal.
France its 10th Davis Cup title, after a run of
three losses in finals. Ö The scheme will be accessible only to
terminally ill patients over 18 living in Victoria
with less than six months to live.
· Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of
Freedom of Oxford Award Ö That applying must be determined by
Ö Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu multiple doctors to be suffering intolerable
Kyi has been stripped of the Freedom of pain and be of sound mind
Oxford award over her “inaction” in
handling the raging Rohingya refugee crisis
and turning a “blind eye to violence” in the
country that forced over 600,000 people to
flee to Bangladesh.

Ö Oxford City Council in London voted

unanimously to permanently remove the
honour given to 72-year-old Suu Kyi in
1997.

· Uhuru Kenyatta sworn in as

Kenyan president for second term

Ö Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in as president of

Kenya following two disputed polls and waves
of deadly protests.

Ö The official results, published on 11 August,

give Kenyatta 54.27 percent to Odinga’s
44.74 percent.

Ö A fresh election is held on 26 October after

protest, with Kenyatta winning 98 percent of
the vote as Odinga’s call for a boycott is held.

· Victoria becomes first Australian

state to legalise euthanasia
Ö Victoria became the first Australian state to
legalise assisted dying, or euthanasia, as
lawmakers voted to allow terminally ill
patients the right to request a lethal drug to
end their lives from June 2019.

Ö The legislation was passed in Victoria after

100 hours of debate, making it the only

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