monthly gk and current affairs capsule oct ober 2017 iti complex at borboruah, d ibrugarh by assam...
TRANSCRIPT
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – October 2017
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Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – October 2017
CONTENTS
S. No Topics Page No.
1. Important Days 2
2. Important State Wise National News 3
3. Important Ministry Affairs 12
4. Important Banking News 15
5. Important Financial & Economy Affairs 18
6. Important International News 25
7. Important Appointments 35
8. Important Awards and Honors 36
9. Important MoU and Agreements 30
10. Important Summit & Conference 46
11. Important Mobile App and Web Portal 47
12 Important Defence News 48
13. Important Schemes And Programs 50
14. Important Ranking and Indexes 51
15. Important Books and Authors 53
16. Important Sports News 53
17. Important Obituaries 62
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – October 2017
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IMPORTANT DAYS
1st October - International Day of Older Persons
Theme: Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in
Society
1st October - World Vegetarian Day
2nd October - World Habitat Day
Theme: Housing Policies: Affordable Homes
2nd October - International Day of Non-Violence
3rd October - World Architecture Day
Theme: Climate Change Action!
4th October - World Animal Day
4th Oct – 10th Oct - World Space Week
Theme: Exploring New Worlds in Space
5th October - World Teachers' Day
Theme: Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers
5th October - World Ballet Day
8th October - Indian Air Force Day
9th October - World Post Day
10th October - World Mental Health Day
Theme: Mental health in the workplace
10th October - World Day Against the Death Penalty
11th October - International Day of Girl Child
Theme: EmPOWER girls: Before, during and after conflict
12th October - World Arthritis Day
Theme: It’s in your hands, take action
12th October - World Sight Day
Theme: Make Vision Count
14th October - World Standards Day
15th October - World Students' day
15th October - International Day of Rural Women
16th October - World Food Day
17th October - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Theme: Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies
20th October - World Osteoporosis Day
20th October - World Statistics Day
21st October - Police Commemoration Day
24th October - United Nations Day
24th October - World Polio Day
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – October 2017
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27th October- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
Theme: Discover, remember and share
31st October - National Unity Day
31st October - World Cities Day
31st October - World Savings Day
30th Oct – 4th Nov 2017 - Vigilance Awareness week
Theme: My Vision – Corruption Free india
.
STATE WISE NEWS
Andhra Pradesh
Capital – Amaravati; CM – Chandrababu Naidu; Governor - Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan
Chandrababu Naidu Launches 'Swachh Andhra Mission'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Swachh Andhra Mission on the occasion of
Gandhi Jayanti. Ace shuttler PV Sindhu has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Swachh Andhra.
Arunachal Pradesh
Capital – Itanagar; CM – PremaKhandu; Governor - B D Mishra
Arunachal Assembly approves Kamle as 23rd district
Arunachal Pradesh State Assembly passed Arunachal Pradesh (Re-Orgaisation of Districts) Amendment Bill
2017 to create a new district named ‘Kamle’.Kamle is the 23rd district of Arunachal Pradesh. It has been
created by bifurcating the present Upper and Lower Subansiri districts. It has six administrative units (three
each from Upper Subansiri and Lower Subansiri).
Useful Info
State – Arunachal Pradesh
Capital – Itanagar
CM – PremaKhandu
Governor - B D Mishra
Assam
Capital – Dispur; CM – Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor - Prof. Jagdish Mukhi
Country’s First ITI for Divyangans in Assam
Foundation stone for the first ever Industrial Training Institute for the Divyangans exclusively was laid at
Dibrugarh ITI Complex at Borboruah, Dibrugarh by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. As per the
guidelines of National Council for Vocational Training, the ITI will have sixty seats for three different trades
with 20 seats per trade. The three different trades included in the curriculum are Computer Operator and
Programming Assistant, Cutting and Sewing Technology and Hair & Skin Care.
ISRO to Set up Research Centre in Guwahati
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – October 2017
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The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will set up a research centre in Guwahati, Assam for start
ups, academicians, environmentalists and entrepreneurs. ISRO would set up the exclusive research facility in
Assam to explore the possibility of using geospatial technology, which include data generated through global
positioning system (GPS), geographical information systems (GIS) and satellite remote sensing for expediting
the development of Assam.
Useful Info
ISRO headquarters - Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chairman of ISRO - A. S. Kiran Kumar
Bihar
Capital – Patna; CM – Nitish Kumar; Governor – Satya Pal Malik
Bihar Cabinet Approves Reservation for ‘Divyangs’ in Govt Jobs
The Bihar Cabinet has approved reservations for persons with disabilities in government jobs and educational
institutions. The cabinet gave its approval during a meeting presided by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The
provision has been brought in accordance with the Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016. The cabinet also
approved establishment of a state advisory board for the empowerment of ‘Divyangjan’ as envisaged in the
Act.
PM lays Foundation Stone for Infrastructure Projects in Bihar
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for four sewerage projects under the Namami
Gange programme; and four National Highway projects, at Mokama in Bihar. The total outlay of these projects
is over Rs. 3700 crore. The four sewerage projects include Sewage Treatment Plant at Beur, Sewerage
System with Sewer Network at Beur, Sewage Treatment Plant at Karmalichak and STP and Sewer Network at
Saidpur. These projects together will create new STP capacity of 120 MLD and upgrade the existing 20 MLD
for Beur.
Gujarat
Capital – Gandhi Nagar; CM – Vijay Rupani; Governor – Om Prakash Kohli
PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone for Bridge in Dwarka, Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a four-lane cable-stayed bridge between Okha and
Beyt Dwarka. The bridge is a link between old and new Dwarka. The 2.32 km bridge, including 900 metres of
central double span cable-stayed portion, will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 962.43 crore. The four-lane
27.20-metre wide bridge will have 2.50 metre wide footpaths on each side. Solar panels installed on the roof
of footpath will produce 1 MW power for street lights on the bridge.
Useful Info
Present Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi
1st Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru
PM Modi lays foundation stone for Bhadbhut Barrage over Narmada River
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Bhadbhut Barrage to be built over Narmada River
in Bharuch Gujarat. Mr Modi also flagged off the Antyodaya Express between Udhna in Surat and Jaynagar in
Bihar. Prime Minister is now addressing a public meeting at Bharuch.
Prime Minister Launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in
Gujarat. Through this programme, Government of India aims to reach each and every child under two years of
age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation program.
IMI is supported by 11 other ministries and departments.
Gujarat Government Announces Garments & Apparel Policy 2017
Gujarat Government has announced the Garments and Apparel Policy-2017, with the aim of creating more
opportunities in the garment sector of Gujarat and to create huge employment opportunities for women
through the apparel industry. This Policy is prepared with an aim to make Gujarat number 1 in textile which
produces more of cotton. The State government will also provide incentives for garment unit owners for
generating employment by providing subsidy in wages. The women workers will get Rs 4,000 subsidy, while
their male counterparts will get Rs 3,500.
Hirasar Greenfield Airport Project in Gujarat gets Green Clearance
The Centre has given green clearance for a greenfield airport project at Hirasar, about 28 km from Rajkot in
Gujarat, at a cost of over Rs. 1,400 crores.The state government has proposed a new airport in Rajkot district
as the existing one is small and the earlier plan to extend the current runway could not materialise because of
high land cost. The Environment Ministry has given the environment clearance to the Gujarat State Aviation
Infrastructure Company Ltd (GSAICL) for development of a greenfield airport at Rajkot.
Useful Info
State – Gujarat
Capital – Gandhinagar
CM – Vijay Rupani
Governor – Om PrakashKohli
PM Modi Inaugurates first phase of Ghogha-Dahej RORO ferry service in Gujarat
Prime Minister NarendraModihas inaugurated the first phase of ambitious Ghogha-Dahej Roll-on Roll-off ferry
service at Ghogha in Bhavnagar district in Gujarat.With the opening of this 615-cores rupees ferry service, the
distance between Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions could be covered in less than an hour via-sea route.
This passenger movement service reduced the distance between the Ghogha and Dahej from 310 kilometres
by road to just 30 kilometres, which can be covered in one hour.
Himachal Pradesh
Capital – Shimla; CM – Virbhadra Singh; Governor - Acharya Dev Vrat
Himachal Pradesh Implements Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme
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Himachal Pradesh government implemented the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS) to provide
easy access to curative geriatric health care services by way of additional cover. The scheme would provide
top-up coverage of Rs 30,000 per senior citizen to all existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) smart
card holders. This would be in addition to the basic coverage of Rs 30,000 in Trust and Society mode.
Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru; CM – Siddaramaiah; Governor - Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
Karnataka Launches mid-day Meals Scheme for Pregnant Women
The Karnataka government launched the Rs. 302-crore Mathru Poorna scheme, aimed at providing free mid-
day meals to pregnant and lactating women in rural areas. The meals, which will be provided in Anganwadi
centres, will include an egg, rice, pulses, vegetables, and milk. This is aimed at reducing child malnutrition and
in turn curb infant mortality.
SAP Launches Asia Pacific Japan Region's First Leonardo Centre in Bengaluru
Tech major SAP announced the launch of Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region's first SAP Leonardo Center in
Bengaluru. The fourth SAP Leonardo Center globally, the facility is a go-to place for SAP's ecosystem for
digital inspiration and co-innovation.Other SAP Leonardo Centers locations include New York-US, Paris-
France, and Sao Leopoldo-Brazil. It combines a high concentration of customers and partners with one of
SAP's largest market units.
PM Modi Inaugurated Bidar-Kalaburagi New Railway Line in Karnataka
Prime Minister NarendraModi dedicated theBidar - Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the Nation by unveiling a
plaque at Bidar Railway Station, in Karnataka.Prime Minister also flagged off the DEMU Service between
Bidar and Kalaburagi.
Useful Info
DEMU - Diesel Electric Multiple Unit
Kerala
Capital – Tiruvananthapuram; CM – Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor - P Sathasivam
President launches Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project Jeevamritham in Kerala
President Ram Nath Kovind has said, the Nation requires more people who use their knowledge for the
betterment of the nation and society. He was speaking at an event in Amrithapuri in Kollam in Kerala.
President launched 100 crore rupees Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project "Jeevamritham "to provide filtration
system for cleaning drinking water to 5000 villages across India, in kollam district in kerala.
President launches Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project Jeevamritham in Kerala
President Ram Nath Kovind has launched 100 crore rupees Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project
"Jeevamritham "to provide filtration system for cleaning drinking water to 5000 villages across India, in kollam
district in kerala. The President also distributed the certificates to three village out of 12 villages in the States
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of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chatisgarh, Uttarakand, Maharashtra and kerala, which were
adopted by the Math, verified as Open Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat Abhiyan.
Academics to Get Sabbatical Leave to begin Startups in Kerala
Kerala government has given green signal to a proposal of the state Startup Mission (KSUM) to accord
sabbatical leave to the faculty members of all colleges who intend to establish startups. An expert panel,
headed by KSUM CEO SajiGopinath, will select 10 faculty members on a pilot basis for the implementation of
the project.The new initiative would help members of the academic community in the state to become part of
entrepreneurship, a statement. According to the proposal, teachers can start their own startups, form their
groups or join as founders/co-founders along with students.
Useful Info
State – Kerala
Capital – Tiruvananthapuram
CM – PinarayiVijayan
Governor – P.Sathasivam
Periyar National Park, also known as Periyar Tiger Reserve, is in the mountainous Western Ghats of Kerala.
Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai; CM – Devendra Fadnavis; Governor – Vidyasagar Rao
President Ramnath Kovind inaugurates Shirdi airport in Maharashtra
President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the Shirdi airport in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The
President also flagged off the inaugural flight of Alliance Air from Shirdi to Mumbai. The flight will take around
45 minutes. Besides Alliance Air, two other Airlines will be operating flights between Mumbai and Shirdi. The
airport will initially have four flights to Mumbai and one each from Delhi and Hyderabad. After inauguration, the
President said, this infrastructure development will create new employment opportunities. President also
inaugurated the Centenary Celebrations of Samadhi of Shri Saibaba at the famous Sai Mandir at Shirdi. The
President also attended a function in Mumbai where Urban Maharashtra was declared as open defecation
free.
Maharashtra Launched Web Portal with Information on New Government Schemes
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘MahaLabharthi‘ web portal that will help people get information
about all the government schemes that they are eligible for. The government is now working to connect the
web portal with other websites, to allow people to apply for the welfare schemes. The web portal,
https://www.mahalabharthi.in, works on the basis of personal, educational and professional information
provided by a person while registering on it.
Maharashtra Government releases Rs 4000 crore in phase 1 of Loan Waiver Scheme
Chief Minister of Maharashtra DevendraFadnavis has released a sum of Rs 4,000 crore under the first phase
of the over Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme. In the first phase, will cover more than 8 lakh farmers,
Fadnavis stated as he listed initiatives taken by his government towards increasing investment in the
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agriculture sector.The State Government has released Rs 4,000 crore of which Rs 3,200 crore will be for
writing off the loans of 4.62 lakh farmers. The remaining Rs 800 crore will be in the form of incentive for 3.78
lakh farmers who are paying their loans on time.
Useful Info
State – Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai
CM – DevendraFadnavis
Governor – VidyasagarRao
Madhya Pradesh
Capital – Bhopal; CM - Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor – Om PrakashKohli
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Launches 'BhavantarBhugtanYojana'
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the ambitious 'BhavantarBhugtanYojna'
for the farmers of the state.Madhya Pradesh is the first state to lend money to farmers at zero percent interest.
The government has approved a web of irrigation projects across the Sagar District which will cover 96-
hectare fields.
Madhya Pradesh Tops in Digital Initiatives: Survey
Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the top state in terms of digital initiatives undertaken, with a maximum
score of 100.1 on performance index, followed by Maharashtra at 99.9 and Andhra Pradesh at 99.8, according
to a report by Coeus Age Consulting.Chhattisgarh (97.4) and Karnataka (95.3) occupied the fourth and fifth
positions in the list, respectively. The report is based on a comparative assessment of digital initiatives by 36
states and Union Territories.
Punjab
Capital – Chandigarh; CM – Amarinder Singh; Governor - V. P. Singh Badnore
Punjab CM restores special family pension for widows of govt employees killed by terrorists
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh restored the Special Family Pension for widows of
government employees killed by extremists.The scheme was revoked in 2016 by the erstwhile ShiromaniAkali
Dal Government.Restoring this scheme was one of the pre-poll promises made by Captain Amarinder Singh
before the February 2017 State elections.
Puducherry
Puducherry Becomes an Associate Member of BCCI
The Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) was chosen by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) as an
associate member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This means Puducherry will be allowed
to play the Ranji Trophy in 2018.
Useful Info
Puducherry CM – V. Narayanasamy
Governor – KiranBedi
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Chairman of BCCI is VinodRai
BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
P. Damodaran is the secretary of CAP
Rajasthan
Capital – Jaipur; CM – Vasundhara Raje Scindia; Governor - Kalyan Singh
Rajasthan Assembly First in India to Call Motions Online
Going digital, the Rajasthan assembly has become the first in India to call attention and adjournment motions
and proposals online from legislators to send them to the state government. Speaker Kailash Meghwal has
inaugurated the new system by sending a call for an attention motion to the state government with a click of
the mouse. The system is expected to save time, labour and use of paper in the functioning of the assembly,
and also help legislators in bringing attention to urgent public issues.
Rajasthan limits probes against public servants
Rajasthan State Government under Chief Minister VasundharaRaje has passed Criminal Laws (Rajasthan
Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 which seeks to protect serving judges, former judges, magistrates and public
servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without Government’s prior sanction. The
ordinance also seeks to bar the media from reporting on accusations till the sanction to proceed with the
probe is obtained. The ordinance provides 180 days immunity to the officers, during which no investigation
could be ordered nor could any investigation be carried out against serving judges, former judges, magistrates
and public servants in Rajasthan. No decision on request to sanction investigation till the end of immunity
period would automatically mean that sanction has been granted.Violators of the clauses of this ordinance
could face two years of imprisonment.
Rajasthan CM Launches Rajiv Mehrishi's 'India 2017 Yearbook'
Rajasthan Chief Minister VasundharaRaje launched an e-book titled 'India 2017 Yearbook', compiled by the
present Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi.The e-book includes a plethora of
information on important dignitaries, state policy, public schemes and important data about demographics,
trade, economy and many other topics. McGraw Hill is Education is the publisher of the e-book.
Useful Info
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) - Rajiv Mehrishi
Rajiv Mehrishi was the former Union home secretary of India
Tamil Nadu
Capital – Chennai; CM – Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor - Banwarilal Purohit
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple has been adjudged best ‘Swachh Iconic Place’ in India
The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple has been adjudged best ‘Swachh Iconic Place’ in India. Madurai
District Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao and Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar will receive the
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award from Uma Bharati, the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation. A total of 63 compact bins have been
placed and four compactor trucks do the rounds around the temple premises. There are 25 e-toilets and 15
water ATMs for tourists to use. There are two road sweepers and battery operated vehicles specifically
purchased to clean this stretch.
Banwarilal Purohit Sworn-in as Governor of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit was sworn-in by Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee at
the Raj Bhavan in Chennai. He entered the Maharashtra Assembly for the first time in 1978 from the Nagpur
east seat. Mr. Purohit was appointed as Governor of Assam State by the President of India on August 17,
2016.
World’s Largest Combustion Research Centre Inaugurated at IIT Madras
The world’s largest combustion research center was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
(IIT-M) in Tamil Nadu. The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was
inaugurated by NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat. The establishment of the center will give a major boost to
the Indian scientific community and will provide an impetus to research in ‘Alternative Energy and
Environmental Protection’ by focusing on effective utilization of combustion as a means of thermochemical
energy conversion.
Useful Info
IIT-M was established in 1959.
Chairman of IIT-M - Pawan Kumar Goenka
Tamil Nadu Government Laid Foundation Stone for Rs. 198 cr Aerospace Park
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Edapaddi K Palaniswami, laid the foundation stone for an aerospace park at
Kanchipuram district to be set up by the State Government in 245 acres and at an estimated cost ofRs 198
crore.When fully ready, the park will attract a total investment of nearly Rs 1,000 crore and create job
opportunities for nearly 30,000, according to the State government.
Telangana
Capital – Hyderabad; CM – K. Chandrashekar Rao; Governor – Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan
Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 to be Held in Hyderabad
A high-level delegation from the Government of India and the United States met NITI Aayog to plan the 2017
Global Entrepreneurship Summit. The summit will be held on November 28-30 at the Hyderabad International
Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India. This year’s theme is “Women First, Prosperity for All” to celebrate the
entrepreneurial spirit in all its strengths and diversity. The Summit will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi and Advisor to the President, Ivanka Trump, who leads the U.S. delegation.
Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun, Nainital (Judiciary); CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat; Governor - Krishna Kant Paul
Uttarakhand Government Launched 'Solar Briefcase' to Provide Electricity in Remote Areas
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Uttarakhand State Government and a charitable funding agency named Swan Cultural Center and Foundation
launched ‘Solar Briefcase’ in Kedarnath Dham. The initiative was taken to provide electricity to far-flung areas
in the hill state.
Uttar Pradesh
Capital – Lucknow; CM – Yogi Adityanath; Governor – Ram Naik
UP Government doubles ex-gratia amount for police officials
Uttar Pradesh State Government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to double the ex-gratia
amount for police officials martyred on duty.Post this announcement, the ex-gratia amount for Police officials
martyred on duty stands, revised to Rs. 40 lakh from Rs. 20 lakh earlier. Adityanath made this announcement
at the Police Commemoration Day Parade in Lucknow. He also announced that number of medals awarded to
police personnel in all the units of Uttar Pradesh’s Police Department has been increased from 200 to
950. Uttar Pradesh State Government has given jobs to 400 families of deceased police officials. These
measures are aimed to boost the morale of the police force which will in turn help in strengthening the law and
order situation in the state.
UP Declares Vrindavan, Barsana as Sacred Sites
The Uttar Pradesh government issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as
“pavitrateerthsthals (sacred pilgrimage sites)”. No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns
anymore.Principal Secretary (Religious Affairs) Avinish Kumar Awasthi instructed to prohibit meat and liquor
shops in these notified areas. Vrindavan and Barsana are the first two places to be notified as teerthsthal in
government records.
New Delhi
CM of New Delhi – Arvind Kejriwal; Governor of New Delhi – Anil Baijal
GoM on Composition Scheme holds First Meeting in New Delhi
Within a week of being set up, the group of ministers (GoM) on making the GST composition scheme more
attractive held its first meeting in New Delhi. The 5-member GoM, led by Assam Finance Minister Himanta
Biswa Sarma, has also been tasked to revisit Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates for restaurants. With only
over 15.50 lakh businesses out of 98 lakh registered under the GST regime opting for the composition
scheme, the GST Council decided to set up the GoM to examine ways of making it more attractive.
Useful Info
The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and consisting of his state counterparts, had on
October 7 constituted the GoM, which will submit its report by the end of November.
PM Modi Inaugurates 1st ever All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi
Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated the first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi, on
the occasion of the 2nd Ayurveda Day.It is the first institute under the Ministry of AYUSH with a National
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Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation. The institute will have
separate Yoga, Panchakarma, and KriyaKalpa units, among others.
Useful Info
Minister of AYUSH - ShripadYassoNaik
Constituency – North Goa
Goa
Capital – Panaji; CM – Manohar Parrikar; Governor - Mridula Sinha
Vice President Inaugurated 3rd International Conference on Yoga
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the third International Conference on Yoga in New Delhi. The
theme of this year’s conference will be ‘Yoga for Wellness’ The two-day conference has six technical sessions
and experts will deliberate on the scope of yoga in integrated medicine, and control of cancer, depression and
gynaecological disorders and pain management. Around 500 delegates, including those from 44 countries, will
attend the conference.
Useful Info
AYUSH – Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
Minister for AYUSH – Shripad Yasso Naik
Constituency – North Goa
MINISTRY AFFAIRS NEWS
Ministry of Health Adjudged Best for ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been adjudged as the best department for its contribution
during Swachhta Pakhwada, an inter-Ministry initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission of Ministry of Drinking Water
and Sanitation. The Health Ministry observed the Swachhta Pakhwada in February 2017. The award was
presented to the Ministry on 2nd October, the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission. Shri C K Mishra,
Secretary (HFW) received the award on behalf of the Ministry.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Health & Family welfare – Jagat Prakash Nadda
Constituency – Himachal Pradesh, Rajya Sabha
First ASEAN-India Music Festival Begins in New Delhi
The first ever ASEAN-India music festival began at Purana Quila in New Delhi. The 3-day festival is being
organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India in collaboration with Culture Ministry to
celebrate the 25th year anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. It will conclude on 8 October 2017.
The theme for this commemorative year is ‘Shared Values, Common Destiny’.
Useful Info
CM of New Delhi – Arvind Kejriwal
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Governor – Anil Baijal
Government Sets up High-Level Committee for Water Management
Centre has set up a high-level committee for proper management of water resources in the North-Eastern
region. The Committee will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar. It will facilitate optimising
benefits of appropriate water management in the form of hydro-electric power, agriculture, biodiversity
conservation, reduced flood damage erosion, inland water transport, forestry, fishery and eco-tourism. The
committee is also tasked with spelling out actionable steps for optimizing water resources in the region and
chalking out an action plan for the dovetailing of Central schemes.
Useful Info
NITI Aayog Chairman – Narendra Modi
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman – Rajiv Kumar
President Appoints Commission to Examine Sub-Categorisation of OBCs
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed a five-member Committee. The Committee will be headed by Delhi
High Court's former Chief Justice G Rohini to examine sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
under Article 340 of the Constitution. The commission will examine the extent of inequitable distribution of
benefits of reservation among the castes or communities included in the broad category of OBCs with
reference to such classes included in the central list.
Useful Info
Present President of India – Ram Nath Kovind
Present Vice President of India – Venkaiah Naidu
1st President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Haj Committee Recommends Abolishing of Subsidy
The government was appointed Committee on Haj Policy has recommended phasing out of subsidy for Haj
pilgrims and allowing women devotees above 45 years of age to travel in a group of at least four without a
male. The Committee presented its report on New Haj policy 2018-22 to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar
Abbas Naqvi in Mumbai. In view of the Supreme Court direction, the Ministry had set up the Panel under the
Chairmanship of former Secretary Afzal Amanullah to review the existing Haj Policy and to suggest a
framework for new Haj policy 2018-22.
Useful Info
Union Minister of Minority Affairs - Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Constituency – Uttar Pradesh, Rajya Sabha
Group of ministers (GoM) Set Up to Review Composition Scheme
A group of ministers (GoM) has been set up under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make
the composition scheme more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants. The GST Council, chaired
by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had constituted the GoM. With only 15.50 lakh businesses out of the total 98
lakh registered under the goods and services tax (GST) regime opting for the composition scheme, the GST
Council has decided to set up the GoM to examine measures to make it more attractive.
Useful Info
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State – Assam
Capital – Dispur
CM – Sarbananda Sonowal
Governor - Jagdish Mukhi
Aadhaar Made Mandatory For Small Saving Schemes as Post Office Deposits, PPF, KVP
The government has made biometric identification Aadhaar mandatory for all post office deposits, PPF, the
National Savings Certificate scheme and Kisan Vikas Patra. According to the provision, which is already in
effect, all depositors have been given time till December 31, 2017 to provide the 12-digit unique identification
number and link it with their accounts.
Useful Info
Unique Identification Authority of India has its Headquarters (HQ) in New Delhi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UIDAI is Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
Union Home Minister Inaugurated First BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the four-day First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management
Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) in New Delhi. The Exercise will be conducted by the National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The
BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 is being conducted in two phases in Delhi and NCR. The main exercise will comprise
of Table Top Exercise (TTX), Field Training Exercise (FTX) and After Action Review (AAR). The main focus of
the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 will be on testing the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective
activation of inter-Governmental interaction for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster
response.
Useful Info
BIMSTEC stands for ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’,
includes namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Smriti Irani Opens World Largest B2B Handicraft & Gifts Fair
The 44th edition of world largest B2B handicraft and gifts fair entitled IHGF-Delhi Fair (Autumn) 2017 was
inaugurated by Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles in a ceremony at India Expo Centre & Mart,
Greater Noida. It is the 4 Day long fair at state-of-the-art India Expo Centre, Greater Noida. This initiative will
give opportunities to overseas buyers to bring technical know-how investment and marketing network to form
joint ventures for promoting Indian Handicrafts in the world market.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Textiles - Smriti Zubin Irani
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
Union Ministries of Power & Textiles Jointly Launched 'SAATHI' Initiative
The Union Ministries of Power and Textiles have jointly launched an initiative 'SAATHI' (Sustainable and
Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small Industries). Under this initiative, Energy
Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector entity under the Union Ministry of Power, will acquire
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energy efficient Powerlooms, motors and Rapier kits in bulk and provide them to the small and medium
powerloom units.
Centre asks states to name toilets as ‘izzatghar’ in rural areas
The Central Government has asked each state to name the toilets in their rural households as “izzatghar”, or
to use a phrase in regional language equivalent to “house of dignity”.Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
has asked the state government’s principal secretaries, to name toilets in rural areas as “izzatghar”, after
observing the name being used in many parts of Uttar Pradesh.Hindi-speaking areas may continue using the
name “izzatghar”. Other regions could use a name in the local language with the same meaning as that of
“house of dignity”.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation – Uma Bharti
Constituency - Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh
India’s First Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra Launched
The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh along with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated India's first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).It is
launched under skill India Mission. The ministers also laid the foundation for a Skill Development Centre at
MotiBagh and a Centre of Excellence at Dharam Marg, New Delhi.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Home Affairs - Rajnath Singh
Constituency – Lucknow, Rajya Sabha
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – Dharmendra
Pradhan
Constituency – Bihar, Rajya Sabha
BANKING NEWS
Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India Opens Branch in Dehradun
The Reserve Bank of India opened a branch in the Dehradun city to make transactions of the Uttarakhand
State government more convenient. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the RBI's
Branch. Earlier, the state government had to do financial transactions through the Kanpur branch of the RBI.
Useful Info
RBI – Reserve Bank of India
Headquarters of RBI – Mumbai
Present Governor of RBI – Urjit Patel
RBI to soon Launch Financial Literacy Drive in 9 States
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in nine states on the pilot
basis to educate people on e-transactions, formal sector borrowings and insurance purchases. The pilot
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project, according to RBI will be commissioned in the 9 states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha,
Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by the 6 NGOs in collaboration with the
sponsor Banks. The aim of this drive is to inculcate the habit of making a household budget and recording
financial transactions, encourage transactions in savings accounts, and active saving by depositing in banks
through fixed deposits and recurring deposits.
Useful Info
RBI – Reserve Bank of India
Headquarters of RBI – Mumbai
Governor of RBI – Urjit Patel
Fourth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement Released by RBI
On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting, the
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility
(LAF) unchanged at 6.0 per cent. Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the LAF remains at
5.75 per cent, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.25 per cent. The
projection of real Gross Value Added (GVA) growth for 2017-18 has been revised down to 6.7 per cent from
the August 2017 projection of 7.3 per cent, with risks evenly balanced.
Useful Info
RBI – Reserve Bank of India
Headquarters – Mumbai
Present Governor of RBI – Urjit Patel
SBI
SBI to Set Up Country's Largest Innovation Centre at Mumbai
The nation's largest lender State Bank of India is creating a 15,000-sqft innovation center in Navi Mumbai
investing around Rs 100 crore. The center, to be built at its Global IT Centre in Belapur in Navi Mumbai, will
be the largest innovation center by any financial services company in the country. The innovation center is
part of a Rs 200-crore allocation that the bank has earmarked for innovation 2016.
Useful Info
SBI Headquarters – Mumbai
Present Chairman of SBI - Rajnish Kumar
SBI Launched SME Assist for MSME Clients
The State Bank of India has launched a new product to provide a short-term working capital demand loan to
its MSME clients. The new initiative, called SME Assist, would offer loans to MSME customers on the basis of
their input credit claims under Goods and Services Tax (GST). The loan processing fee under the scheme is
Rs 2,000. The companies applying for a loan under the product have to provide a certificate from their
chartered accountant confirming the input credit claims. Under the scheme, the SME borrowers would have a
moratorium period for the first three months.
Useful Info
SBI – State Bank of India
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Headquarters of SBI – Mumbai
Chairman of SBI - Rajnish Kumar
HSBC
HSBC Launches App to Track Trade Transactions
HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) announced the launch of a mobile app - Trade
Transaction Tracker - to help customers track the status of their trade transactions on a real-time basis. This
feature has been built into the existing HSBCnet mobile application and has been launched in selected
countries in which HSBC operates, including India. It will provide a global view of import and export
documentary credit and collections transactions, across markets in one single app.
Useful Info
HSBC Headquarters - London, United Kingdom
US central bank fines HSBC $175 mn for Lax Forex Oversight
The US central bank has fined global banking giant HSBC $175 million for failing to oversee foreign exchange
traders who misused confidential client information and colluded with traders at competing banks. Between
2008 and 2013, the bank failed to detect misconduct by senior traders, including its global head of foreign
exchange cash trading, according to the Federal Reserve. The enforcement action comes two months after
the Fed also fined BNP Paribas USD 246 million over similar violations. HSBC was one of six major US and
European banks fined a total of $4.2 billion by global regulators in a November 2014 crackdown for attempted
manipulation of the foreign exchange market.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
President – Donald Trump
The Federal Reserve System is the privately owned central banking system of the United States.
HDFC
HDFC Life Launched Neo, a Bot for Twitter
HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched 'Neo', a servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial intelligence
for customer service. This is the second bot put in operation by HDFC Life, after the launch of SPOK, which
was an email bot to answer customer queries. The Neo bot will be available 24/7 and has the capability to
authenticate customers and give frequently sought details, like fund value, sum assured and premium amount.
Useful Info
HDFC Bank Headquarters – Mumbai
CEO of HDFC Bank - Aditya Puri
ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank committed financial assistance to Armed Forces
ICICI Bank, the country's largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, committed financial assistance of
Rs. 10 crore to the Indian Armed Forces. This contribution by ICICI Bank would be made in two equal
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tranches. This fund will be used for two programs. The first will support post-graduation education of the
widows of the soldiers and education for their wards. The second program will provide financial assistance for
marriages of the daughters of ex-servicemen.
Useful Info
ICICI Bank Headquarters – Mumbai
MD & CEO of ICICI Bank - Chanda Kochhar
Union Defence Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
NABARD
NABARD Buys Additional 7% stake in SIDBI from IDBI Bank
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has bought an additional 7% stake in
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for Rs 900 crore from public sector lender IDBI Bank Ltd.
This is the largest investment made by the apex rural financial institution so far, and raises its total
shareholding in Sidbi to 10%. According to data shared by Sidbi, existing shareholders bought most of these
shares - 6.99% by Nabard, 2.04% by Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC), 0.5% by Vijaya Bank and 0.5% by
Canara Bank. With this, LIC holds 14.25% in SIDBI, Vijaya Bank 0.8% and Canara Bank 3.64%.
Useful Info
NABARD Headquarters – Mumbai
Present Chairman of NABARD – Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
SIDBI Headquarters – Lucknow
CMD of SIDBI – Shri Mohammad Mustafa
IDBI Bank Headquarters – Mumbai
Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank - Mahesh Kumar Jain
FINANCIAL AND ECONOMY
GDP to Hit $6 trillion by 2027 on Digital Leap: Morgan Stanley Report
India is likely to be the world’s fastest-growing large economy in the next 10 years, driven by digitisation,
favourable demographics, globalisation and reforms, according to the Morgan Stanley report. According to the
global financial services major, the trend line in India’s annual GDP growth has been accelerating to 6.9
percent in 2000s, from 5.8 percent in the 1990s, and this momentum is likely to continue in the next decade as
well.
GST Council Reduces Tax Rates on 27 Items, Approves Quarterly Return Filing
In a major relief to common man, small traders and exporters, the GST Council has reduced tax rates on 27
items and allowed the filing of returns on the quarterly basis. The GST Council meeting held under the
Chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi. The council has decided to reduce the
GST rates on dried mangoes, Khakhra, plain chapatis, unbranded Namkeen, unbranded ayurvedic medicines
and paper wastes to 5 percent from 12 percent. Arun Jaitley stated that Food packets used in ICDS scheme,
plastic and rubber wastes will now be taxed at 5 percent instead of 18 percent. The GST Council also
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approved the quarterly filing of returns for businesses with turnover up to 1.5 crore rupees besides raising the
threshold for composition scheme from 75 lakh rupees to one crore rupees.
Useful Info
Union Finance Minister of India – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
Arun Jaitley Attends G-20 Finance Ministers Meeting
The Union Minister for Finance Arun Jaitley participated in the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors (FMCBG) Meeting in Washington D.C. The discussion focused on the agenda items pertaining to
Global Economy and Framework for Growth, Compact with Africa and International Financial Architecture. As
co-chairs of G20 Framework Working Group (FWG), India made the lead intervention during the Second
Round of the Session on ‘Global Economy and Framework for Growth’, which discussed the IMF’s G-20
Report on ‘Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced Growth(SSBG)’.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Defence – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
The Coalition Years 1996-2012: Pranab Mukherjee’s Political Autobiography
Former President Pranab Mukherjee has released the third part of his memoir ‘The Coalition Years: 1996-
2012’, speaking candidly about believing he could have been the Congress choice for the Prime Minister’s
post. Mukherjee’s memoir is the third in the series. The other two are -- The Dramatic Decade: The Indira
Gandhi Years and The Turbulent Years: 1980-1996.
Useful Info
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017.
Pranab Mukherjee's first stint as the Finance minister of India was during the Indira Gandhi government in
1982.
New Guiness Record at IISF Chennai 2017
Day two of the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Anna University campus at Chennai saw the
making of a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Biology Lesson. One thousand forty nine (1049)
students participated in the record breaking session. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth
Science, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that PM Narendra Modi to encourage and promote science and the Govt.
of India has launched many Flagship Programmes in this regard. World Record attempts have been a key part
of India International Science Festival since 2015, which leads to encouragement and popularizing of Science
through public participation. In IISF 2015, students took a successful shot at the Guinness World record for the
world’s largest science Lesson at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Useful Info
India International Science Festival has inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhan.
The 1st IISF was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi in December, 2015.
Y Sujana Chowdary is present Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.
GDP May Grow at 7% in Financial Year 2017-18: NITI Aayog
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According to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, the economic slowdown that began in 2013-14 has
bottomed out and the GDP is likely to grow at 6.9-7 % this fiscal (2017-18) and 7.5% in 2018-19. The
economic growth slowed to 7.1% in 2016-17, the year in which 87% of the currency was demonetised, despite
a very good show by the agricultural sector. On a quarterly basis also, the growth in the first quarter of the
current fiscal had slipped to 5.7%. In the next fiscal year, the growth would be about 7.5%.
Useful Info
NITI Aayog Chairman – Narendra Modi
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman - Rajiv Kumar
The Government of India, in keeping with its reform agenda, constituted the NITI Aayog to replace the
Planning Commission instituted in 1950.
Vanuatu Becomes First Nation to Accept Bitcoin in Exchange for Citizenship
The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has become host to the world’s first government to accept bitcoin
in exchange for citizenship. Vanuatu’s citizenship program costs $200,000 USD, meaning that at current
prices the residency program costs less than 41.5 bitcoins. The Chairman of the Vanuatu Information Center
(VIC)– which oversees Vanuatu citizenship applications - Geoffrey Bond, had sent an official request earlier
this month seeking permission to accept bitcoin as a form of payment.
Useful Info
Country – Vanuatu
Capital – Port Vila
Currency - Vanuatu vatu
Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands that stretch 1,300 kilometres
Direct Tax Collections in First Half of Current Financial Year rise 15.8 percent
The Direct Tax Collections in the first half (April-September) of the current fiscal (2017-18) shows growth of
15.8 percent. According to the Finance Ministry, the provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to
September 2017 show that net collections are at 3.86 lakh crore rupees which is higher than the
corresponding period of last year. Net Direct Tax collections represent 39.4 percent of the total budget
estimates of Direct Taxes for the financial year 2017-18. An amount of 1.77 lakh crore rupees has been
received as Advance Tax up to 30th of September this year, reflecting a growth of 11.5 percent over the
corresponding period of last year.
First US Crude Oil Shipment Arrives in Paradip
The first US crude oil cargo of 1(point)6 million barrels bought by Indian Oil Corporation from the US reached
Paradip Port, Odisha. Indian Oil will process the crude at its East-Coast base refineries, located at Paradip,
Haldia, Barauni and Bongaigaon. Indian Oil, which became the first Indian public sector refiner to source US
crude has placed a cumulative order 3.9 million barrel from the US.
Useful Info
Paradip Port – Odisha
State – Odisha
Capital – Bhubaneshwar
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CM – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir
Airtel Gets Approval for Tigo Merger
Bharti Airtel has received Ghana’s National Communications Authority’s approval for the merger between
Bharti Ghana (Airtel) and Millicom Ghana (Tigo), subject to certain conditions. This merger will result in an
entity which will be the second largest mobile network operations in the country. Based on agreements, which
have been accepted by the merging entities and the payment of relevant fees, a supplementary agreement to
the licences of the merging entities will be signed between the NCA and the merging entities.
Useful Info
Country – Ghana
Capital – Accra
Currency - Ghanaian cedi
Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of ‘Eazy Connect’
Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of ‘Eazy Connect’, that will extend online customer service
to social media platforms. The chatbot will be available through social media platforms and is developed to
respond to the most frequently asked queries.
Useful Info
CEO and MD of Tata AIA Life - Naveen Tahilyani
J Sagar Associates (JSA) Becomes First Law Firm in GIFT City
J Sagar Associates (JSA) is the first law firm to have opened an office at Gujarat International Finance Tec-
City (GIFT). Setting up this office would help JSA consolidate their Financial Services Practice. The office was
inaugurated by Sudhir Mankad - Chairman of GIFT IFSC. Several banks, brokers and stock exchanges
including the BSE and the National Stock Exchange have set-up their operations in GIFT, which will operate
like a tax haven.
Useful Info
Managing Director & Group CEO of GIFT City - Ajay Pandey
Magicbricks Launches India's First Online Property Bidding Platform
Magicbricks announced the launch of India's first online bidding platform for residential and commercial
properties and tied-up with developer M3M for the inaugural 'My Bid, My Home' under which consumers can
bid for ready-to-move-in residential properties in Gurugram. Magicbricks has been recently awarded the
Standardisation, Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) by the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology, making it the country's only real estate portal eligible for a bidding platform for properties.
Useful Info
CEO of Magicbricks - Sudhir Pai
Director of M3M Group - Pankaj Bansal
India's Coffee Output Pegged at Record 3.5 lakh Tons in 2017-18
Coffee output in India is pegged to be a record 3.50 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18 marketing year started this
month on higher acreage. According to the Coffee Board, the final output stood lower by 10.34 percent at 3.12
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lakh tonnes in 2016-17 marketing year from 3.48 lakh tonnes in the previous year. Coffee Board stated that
the crop's forecast for 2017-18 is placed at 3.50 lakh tonnes, comprising 1.03 lakh tonnes of Arabica and 2.47
lakh tonnes of Robusta varieties. Higher output is mainly attributed to the additional bearing area of about
13,500 hectares in traditional growing areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Useful Info
Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee in India.
Govt Okays Rs 2,000 crore to Set up Aadhaar Units in Post Offices
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Rs 2,000 crore specifically for setting up Aadhaar centres in post
offices, a move that will see private contractors phased out from the data collection process. The centres will
have machines approved by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and trained personnel who will
be responsible for the operations. Aadhaar enrolment and updation facilities will be available in around 15,000
post offices by March 31, 2018.
Useful Info
Unique Identification Authority of India has its Headquarters in New Delhi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UIDAI is Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
Shri Ananta Narayan Nanda Secretary is the Director General Postal Services.
GIC Re Launched India’s Third Largest IPO
General Insurance Corp of India (GIC Re) kicked off its mega Rs 11,370 crore initial public offer (IPO). This is
India's third biggest IPO ever after Coal India's Rs 15,200 crore and Reliance Power's Rs 11,700 crore issues.
General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is the largest reinsurance company in India in terms of gross
premiums accepted in fiscal 2017.
Useful Info
GIC Re headquartered – Mumbai
CMD of GIC Re - Alice Vaidyan
Mastercard Launched its First Innovation Centre in India
US-based fintech company Mastercard has announced the launch of its global research and development arm
Mastercard Labs in Pune, India. After Singapore, this will be the second Mastercard Labs in Asia-Pacific, and
ninth in the world. The initiative aims to bring and harness new commerce, payment and technology ideas at a
fast pace in the country.
Useful Info
CEO of Mastercard - Ajay Banga
IBM Launches Blockchain Banking Network to Speed Cross-border Payments
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has announced the launch of IBM
Blockchain, a new blockchain banking solution, that will help financial institutions for cross-border
payments.In the first international payments network of its kind, IBM has partnered with regional
financial services companyKlickEx Group and Stellar.org, a nonprofit organization that supports
an open source blockchain network for financial services.
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Income Tax dept Launches ‘Online Chat’ to answer Taxpayers Queries
The Income Tax Department has launched an ‘online chat’ service for taxpayers so that they can
seek answers to their basic queries and doubts relating to direct tax issues. A window has been
hosted on the main page of the department’s website — www.incometaxindia.gov.in/ — with a
prominent icon stating ‘Live Chat Online - ask your query. ’A team of experts from the
department and independent tax practitioners has been deputed to answer the general queries
of a taxpayer. The first-time initiative is aimed to enhance taxpayer services in the country.
Useful Info
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) provides inputs for policy and planning of direct taxes
in India and is also responsible for the administration of direct tax laws through the IT
Department.
Sushil Chandra is the present chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
GSTN Launches excel-based offline tool to file initial GSTR-3B Returns
Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has launched an excel-based offline tool for
businesses to file initial GSTR- 3B returns. GSTN, in a statement in New Delhi, stated that
taxpayers can download the offline utility from the GSTN portal and after fill in the data the file
can be uploaded on GST portal.After uploading of the return to the GST Portal, the taxpayer has
to preview the form, complete formalities like submit, offset the liability and file their GSTR-3B
Return using digital signature or electronic verification code.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Finance – ArunJaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, RajyaSabha
Honda overtakes Bajaj to seal No 2 spot in domestic bike sales
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has raced past Bajaj Auto to become the second
biggest bike seller in India during the first half of the ongoing fiscal. Market leader Hero
MotoCorpcontinued its hold on the segment selling 33,44,292 units in the first half of the fiscal as
against 30,34,504 units in the year-ago period, a growth of 10.2 percent.During the April-
September period this fiscal, HMSI sold a total of 10,48,143 motorcycles in the domestic market
registering a growth of 19.8 percent. On the other hand, Bajaj Auto sold 10,10,559 units
witnessing a decline of 10.45 percent, according to the latest data from Society of Indian
Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). In the comparable period last fiscal, HMSI sold 8,74,852 units
as against Bajaj Auto’s 11,28,425 units.
Cabinet Approves Rs 2.11 lakh cr PSBs' Capitalisation Plan
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The Indian government has announced an allocation of Rs 2.11 lakh crore over 2 years for the
recapitalization of public sector banks.As part of the plan, the government will essentially issue
bonds to banks worth Rs 1.35 lakh crore while Rs 76,000 crore will come through budgetary
support. Lenders will subscribe to these bonds as part of their investment portfolio. The money
raised by the government will then be used to recapitalize banks.
Useful Info
For the current year, the government has set a fiscal deficit target of 3.2 percent of GDP.
Union Minister for Finance – ArunJaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, RajyaSabha
RIL, First Indian Company to Cross Rs 6 Trillion Market Capital
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs 6 trillion market
capitalization after its shares surged over 75% so far this year and hit a fresh lifetime
high.Currently, its market cap is at Rs 6.02 trillion. The recent rally in the stock was due to tariff
hike by its telecom arm Reliance Jio which, analysts expect, will improve the company’s
profitability. Jio increased its tariff by 15% for its popular 84-day plan at Rs 459, under which
subscribers get 1GB 4G data at high speed per day.
Useful Info
MukeshAmbani is the CEO of Reliance Industries Limited.
India Overtakes US to Become Second Largest Smartphone Market: Report
India overtake the US to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market, trailing only
China, according to a new report by analyst firm Canalys.In the second quarter of 2017, India’s
smartphone market recovered quickly with shipments growing 23% year-on-year in the third
quarter to reach just over 40 million units. Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE
(long term evolution, or 4G) are the main drivers behind this.
Cabinet Approves Rs 7,000 crore for Construction of Six IIT Campuses
The Union Cabinet has approved over Rs 7,000 crore for construction of permanent campuses of six new
Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) across the country.Each of the permanent campuses to be established at
Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwad (Karnataka), Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), Bhilai
(Chhattisgarh) and Goa will have a facility for housing 1,200 students from the academic year 2020-2021.
Useful Info
Union Human Resource Development Minister - PrakashJavadekar
Constituency – Madhya Pradesh, RajyaSabha
RCom-Sistema Merger Gets Final Nod from DoT
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Reliance Communication had received the final approval on its merger with Sistema from the Department of
Telecommunication (DoT).This merger will also extend validity of RCom's spectrum portfolio in the highly
valued 800 and 850 MHz band in eight major telecom circles across the country - Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, UP-West and West Bengal - by a period of 12 years from 2021 to 2033. This
specific spectrum is best suited for delivering 4G LTE services.
Useful Info
The closure of merger transaction will be completed in November 2017. However, RCom will carry on SSTL
business in India under MTS brand.
The merger between Reliance Communication and SistemaShyam Teleservices Ltd. was announced in 2015.
Anil DhirubhaiAmbani is the Chairman of Reliance Group.
INTERNATIONAL
Austria’s law banning face veils such as burkhas or niqabs has come into effect
Austria’s law banning face veils such as burkhas or niqabs has come into effect from now. according to the
government, acceptance and respect of Austrian values are basic conditions for successful cohabitation
between the majority Austrian population and people from third countries living in Austria. Exemptions under
certain conditions include items like clown disguises at cultural events, work wear such as medical masks, and
scarves in cold weather. There are around 7 lakh Muslims in Austria.
Useful Info
Country – Austria
Capital – Vienna
Currency – Euro
India opens two border crossing points with Myanmar, Bangladesh
India has opened two immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh. In a gazette
notification, the Home Ministry said, the Central government has designated Zorinpui land check post in
Lawngtlai district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid
travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Myanmar. The Central government has also
designated Kawrpuichhuah land check post in Lunglei district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check
post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from
Bangladesh. Zorinpui was selected for a new land custom station along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram
for the Kaladan multi-modal project. Kawarpuchiah is situated in Mizoram along a riverine border with
Bangladesh.
Useful Info
Country – Myanmar, Naypyidaw, Burmese kyat
Country – Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladeshi Taka
China marks 68th National Day
China marked the 68th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China. More than 115,000 people
from across China gathered at the Tiananmen Square at the heart of Beijing to watch the raising of the
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National Flag. At the backdrop was a 17-meter-tall giant display in the shape of a floral basket, which
symbolizes a thriving and prosperous country. The National Day is celebrated with a week-long holiday.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi (Yuan)
GIFT City's IFSC Bags 10th Place in Global Financial Centres Index
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)'s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) has
bagged the 10th spot in the latest edition of Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), London. GIFT IFSC is
ranked tenth, ahead of Luxembourg, Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Toronto and Beijing in the list of the GFCI report,
which has 15 centres that are likely to become more significant in the next few years. Including GIFT City's
IFSC, six of the top ten emerging centres are in Asia.
Useful Info
Country – United Kingdom
Capital – London
Currency – Pound Sterling
India, Nepal to Conduct First Joint Tiger Count
For the first time, Nepal and India will undertake a joint tiger census in their national parks, forests and
protected areas adjoining the two countries using a globally-recognised method. The counting of tigers will
begin from the second week of November. Tiger is an endangered animal listed in the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The last tiger count conducted by Nepal in 2013 puts the
number of adult tigers around 200 in the Himalayan country.
Useful Info
Country – Nepal
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee
Sikh man becomes first minority politician to lead major party in Canada
A 38-year-old Sikh lawyer was on Sunday elected the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, becoming
the first non-white politician to head a major political party in the country. Jagmeet Singh, the Ontario
provincial lawmaker, was elected on the first ballot to lead the party into the 2019 election against Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
Useful Info
Country – Canada
Capital – Ottawa
Currency - Canadian dollar
Russia Launches ‘World’s Biggest & Most Powerful’ Nuclear Icebreaker
Russia has launched the world's largest nuclear-powered icebreaker ship in a bid to expand its strategic
presence in the resource-rich, terrain of the Arctic. The massive vessel, named Sibir (Siberia), was developed
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as part of a huge push by the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation to open up crucial shipping lanes in
the icy Northern Sea Route.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
President of Russia - Vladimir Putin
8th SAARC Speaker, Parliamentarians Conference Started in Sri Lanka
The 8th conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians (ASSP) will take place from
October 4 to 6 at the Hotel Hilton in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Association of SAARC Speakers and
Parliamentarians was set up in 1992 with the vision to promote friendship and understanding amongst the
peoples of South Asia. The first conference of the ASSP was held in India in 1995 and the last one in
Maldives in 2013. The conference was inaugurated by President Maithripala Sirisena Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe. This year’s Conference will emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals, as the main
theme is ‘Association of the SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians’: a platform for the Parliamentarians of
South Asia to work together to reach the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.
Useful Info
Country – Sri Lanka
Capital – Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee
President of Sri Lanka – Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka - Ranil Wickremesinghe
Headquarters of SAARC - Kathmandu, Nepal
India to be Guest Country at the World Government Summit
The World Government Summit announced that India is a guest country in its upcoming gathering. The
Annual Gathering is scheduled from February 11 to 13, 2018. Honorary guests from India will join the notable
list of speakers synonymous with the World Government Summit to showcase the country’s emerging
economic growth, highlight valuable knowledge, skills, and capabilities and elaborate on the country’s unique
culture.
Rio Olympic Committee Chairman Arrested on Corruption Charges
Brazilian police arrested the chairman of the country’s Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman as part of a
probe into alleged vote-buying to secure Rio’s hosting of the 2016 Games. Twenty federal police agents swept
into Rio de Janeiro’s upscale Leblon neighbourhood to arrest 75-year-old Carlos Nuzman.
Useful Info
Country – Brazil
Capital – Brasília
Currency – Brazilian real
Donald Trump is Most Followed World Leader on Twitter, PM Modi Third
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Donald Trump is now the world’s most followed leader on Twitter, while Narendra Modi is the third, according
to the latest report by Twiplomacy, a Burson Marsteller research project that tracks the use of Twitter by
governments and international organisations. Trump overtook Pope Francis by a few thousand followers to
occupy the first place in Twiplomacy’s October report. India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has kept his third
place consistently since 2016. Modi’s own account, @narendramodi, has more than 34 million followers, while
the official @PMOIndia account is at the fourth position with a following of more than 21 million.
Useful Info
Top Three in the List
1st – Donald Trump (US President)
2nd – Pope Francis (Vatican)
3rd – Narendra Modi (Indian Prime Minister)
Hurricane Nate moves Toward second Landfall on Gulf Coast in USA
In the United States, hurricane Nate has made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm with maximum sustained winds of 137 kilometres
per hour is moving north and a second landfall is expected on the Mississippi coast later. A state of
emergency has been declared in four southern US states with Hurricane Nate gathering strength. Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida have issued hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. The
measures apply to parts of the city of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
President – Donald Trump
India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List
India is ranked the eighth most valuable nation brand while the United States retained its top position and
China took the second spot in the league of nations according to Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017. India
went down one spot over the previous year because the economy grew at its slowest pace. India switched
places with Canada and its brand value dropped by one percentage point while that of Canada’s rose 14
percent. China, the fastest growing nation brand in 2017, saw valuation grow 44 percent.
Useful Info
The Top 10 Valuable Nation brands are:
1. United States (Washington D.C, US Dollar)
2. China (Beijing, Renminbi (Yuan))
3. Germany (Berlin, Euro)
4. Japan (Tokyo, Yen)
5. United Kingdom (London, Pound Sterling)
6. France (Paris, Euro)
7. Canada (Ottawa, Canadian Dollar)
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8. India (New Delhi, Indian Rupee)
9. Italy (Rome, Euro)
10. South Korea (Seoul, South Korean Won)
India is Second Largest Market for Pharma: LinkedIn Report
With 13.7 percent contribution to the global pharmaceuticals and biotechnology workforce, India has emerged
as the second largest market for the industry, a report by professional networking giant LinkedIn has revealed.
The report, detailed in the newly released e-book "The Indian Pharma and Biotech Industry", showed that
while New Delhi, Kolkata, and Chandigarh are thriving grounds for talent in this sector in India, talent migration
is highest to the US. Talent migrating to other countries mainly comprises of researchers, scientists, quality
assurance professionals, statistics programmers and data analysts.
Useful Info
CEO of LinkedIn - Jeff Weiner
Safe Cities Index 2017: Tokyo Safest, Delhi 43rd
Japanese capital city Tokyo has topped The Economist Intelligence Unit's Safe Cities Index 2017, which
ranked 60 cities on parameters including personal and health security. Singapore and Japanese city Osaka
have ranked second and third, while Indian cities Delhi and Mumbai have ranked 43rd and 45th respectively.
Useful Info
Country – Japan
Capital –Tokyo
Currency – Japanese Yen
Pakistani city Karachi has been ranked the least safe city in the list.
Global Hunger Index: India Ranks 100 among 119 Countries
India, which has more than a fifth (21 percent) of its children wasted (weigh too little for their height), slipped
three places to 100th in the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI). The ranking of India in the list was 97th in 2016.
The 2017 GHI released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) termed India's hunger
levels ‘serious’ problem at hand. The data from the report showed that India ranked lower than all its
neighboring countries - Nepal (72), Myanmar (77), Bangladesh (88), Sri Lanka (84) and China (29) - except
Pakistan, which has been placed at 106th in the global hunger list.
Useful Info
The hunger report index of 119 countries also showed that in three years’ time India has seen a fall of 45
ranks from 55th in 2014.
US and Israel announced their withdrawal from the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO
The US and Israel announced their withdrawal from the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO after Washington
accused it of anti-Israeli bias. The withdrawal of the United States, which is meant to provide a fifth of
Unesco’s funding, is a major blow for the Paris-based organization. UNESCO is best known for designating
World Heritage Sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.
Useful Info
United States of America – Washington D.C, US Dollar
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Israel – Jerusalem, Israeli new shekel
Present Director-General of UNESCO - Irina Bokova
HPCL, First Indian OMC to Launch Lubricants in Myanmar
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has become the first Oil Marketing Company (OMC) from
India to mark its presence in the lubricant market in Myanmar and to lend more visibility and awareness to the
brand. Having achieved the number one position in the domestic market, HP Lubricants sought to prove itself
in foreign shore by venturing into Myanmar.
Useful Info
Country – Myanmar (Burma)
Capital – Naypyidaw
Currency – Burmese kyat
Chairman & Managing Director of HPCL - M K Surana
VarunDhawan Youngest Indian Actor to get Statue at Tussauds
Actor VarunDhawanwill get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, making him the youngest Indian
actor to have his statue at the museum.VarunDhawan had made his acting debut with 2012 romantic comedy
Student of the Year and since then, his success rate is 100 percent with all the movies like Humpty Sharma Ki
Dulhaniya, Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya and the recent Judwaa 2 entering Rs 100 croreor Rs 200 crore clubs.
Useful Info
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, part of the renowned chain of wax museums founded by Marie Tussaud of
France.
Google Viewed as Most Authentic Brand in India: Survey
Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand, even though Amazon.com tops the list globally,
reveal results of the 2017 "Authentic Brands Study" by the new survey of global communications agency Cohn
& Wolfe.In India, Google is followed by Microsoft, Amazon.com, Maruti Suzuki and Apple. Globally, Apple
takes the second spot after Amazon in the authenticity race.
Useful Info
Google Headquarters – Mountain View, California, United States
CEO of Google – SundarPitchai
Canada chosen as partner country for 2017 Technology Summit, New Delhi
Canada has been chosen as the partner country for the 23rd edition of Technology Summit which is
scheduled to be held from 14th – 15th November, 2017 in New Delhi.This event is India’s largest knowledge
and technology conference and exhibition.It is jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
and the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Useful Info
Country – Canada
Capital – Ottawa
Currency – Canadian Dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Tops the Forbes Rich List of Sport Stars
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Cristiano Ronaldo is the richest sports personality in the world, according to the latest Forbes' Rich List.The
Real Madrid striker has earned an incredible £70million in the last year, along with picking up another
Champions League medal and becoming the inaugural winner of The Best FIFA Men's Player award.
Useful Info
The Top 5 Sports Stars in the List are
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – football
2. LeBron James – basketball
3. Lionel Messi – football
4. Roger Federer – tennis
5. Kevin Durant – basketball
2nd World Congress on Marxism to be Held in Beijing
The 2nd World Congress on Marxism is scheduled to be held at Peking University in Beijing, China in May
2018.The theme of this conference is "Marxism and the Current World and China". The congress coincides
with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth and 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi (Yuan)
11-Year-Old GitanjaliRao Named America’s Top Young Scientist
Gitanjali Rao, an 11-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl, was named as “America’s top young scientist” for
inventing a cost-effective, quick lead-contamination detector in water.The seventh-grade student was inspired
by the large-scale lead contamination in water in Flint, Michigan, that came to light recently. Rao won $25,000
for taking the top position at the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
State of World Population 2017 Report Launched
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem has launched the 2017
State of World Population report in London, UK. The new UNFPA report has been entitled as “Worlds Apart:
Reproductive Health and Rights in an Age of Inequality.”As per the report, economic inequality goes hand in
hand with inequality in reproductive health. As of 2017, half of 1.6 billion women of reproductive age living in
developing regions want to avoid a pregnancy.
Useful Info
Headquarters of UNFPA is located in - New York, US
The new UNFPA report warns-
Only about half of the world’s women hold paid jobs
Globally, women earn 77 per cent of what men get
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Three in five women worldwide lack maternity leave, many pay "motherhood penalty"
Singapore Passport Named 'Most Powerful', India Ranks 75
Singapore's passport has become the most powerful in the world with a Visa-Free Score of 159, according to
the Passport Index developed by advisory firm Arton Capital. This is the first time an Asian country has been
announced as having the most powerful passport.India secured the 75th rank in the index with a Visa-Free
Score of 51. Historically, the top 10 most powerful passports in the world were mostly European, with
Germany having the lead for the past two years. Afghanistan was on bottom most position (94th) with the
score of 22. Pakistan was on 93rd Position with Iraq with the score of 26.
Useful Info
The Top 3 countries with score are-
1. Singapore (159)
2. Germany (158)
3. Sweden, South Korea (157)
India secured the 75th rank
Saudi Arabia, First Country to Grant Citizenship to a Robot
Saudi Arabia has become the first country to give a robot citizenship. The move is an attempt to promote
Saudi Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence and, presumably, allow it to become a full citizen. The
Robot is named as 'Sophia'.Sophia was confirmed as a Saudi citizen during a business event named Future
Investment Initiative in Riyadh. It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship.
Useful Info
Country – Saudi Arabia
Capital – Riyadh
Currency – Saudi riyal
Qatar Introduces Minimum Wage for First Time
The tiny Gulf state host of the 2022 football World Cup, Qatar, has committed that it will introduce a minimum
wage for workers in the country. The announcement was made by labour and social affairs minister IssaSaad
al-Jafali al-Nuaimi. The announcement came a day before a meeting of the UN’s International
LabourOrganisation (ILO).Other reforms to labour laws include stopping employers from preventing workers
from leaving the country, a new central authority to ensure that work contracts are being adhered to and
bilateral agreements with 36 countries to protect the legal rights of those who head to the Gulf for work.
Useful Info
Country – Qatar
Capital – Doha
Currency – Qatari riyal
Chile Named Best Country to Visit in 2018
The travel guide company Lonely Planet has ranked Chile as the number one country to visit in 2018 in
its Best in Travel 2018 list.The guide has published the 13th edition of its annual list of the top 10 countries
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every traveler should have on their bucket list for 2018. Chile was the only South American country to earn the
top spot on the list.
Useful Info
Top 5 Countries in the list are:
1. Chile (Santiago, Chilean peso)
2. South Korea (Seoul, South Korean Won)
3. Portugal (Lisbon, Euro)
4. Djibouti (Djibouti, Djiboutian franc)
5. New Zealand (Wellington, New Zealand Dollar)
India has 3rd Highest Number of Family-Owned Businesses: Report
India has 108 publicly-listed family-owned businesses, third highest in the world, while China tops the tally
with 167 such companies followed by the US which has 121, according to the Credit Suisse report.As per the
Credit Suisse Research Institute's (CSRI) latest "CS Family 1000" report, with an average market
capitalisation of USD 6.5 billion, India ranks 5th in Asia Pacific excluding Japan, and 22nd globally, in terms of
average m-cap.
Useful Info
The top 5 countries in terms of number of family-owned companies include-
1. China (Beijing, Renminbi – Yuan)
2. USA (Washington D.C, US Dollar)
3. India (New Delhi, Indian Rupee)
4. France (Paris, Euro)
5. Hong Kong (Hong Kong, Hong Kong Dollar)
Indian Origin Activist Gina Miller Named UK’s Most Influential Black Person of the Year
Indian origin campaigner Gina Miller was named UK’s most influential black person of the year. Gina won a
legal challenge seeking Parliamentary approval for triggering Brexit.52-year-old Miller, ranked on top in the
2018 'Powerlist' of 100 people of African and African Caribbean inheritance published in London by Powerful
Media.
Useful Info
Gina Miller is an investment fund manager and philanthropist.
She took a legal action against British Prime Minister Theresa May demanding that individual members of the
Cabinet have no legal power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Burundi, First Nation to Leave International Criminal Court
Burundi became the first nation ever to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), set up 15 years ago to
prosecute those behind the world’s worst atrocities.Burundi is the only one of three African nations to go
ahead with its withdrawal after making moves last year to leave amid accusations that the court focuses too
much on the continent.
Useful Info
Country – Burundi
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Capital – Bujumbura
Currency - Burundian franc
Headquarters of International Criminal Court (ICC) - Hague, Netherlands
India, US to Implement HOSTAC to Strengthen Maritime Security
To strengthen maritime security, India and the United States have agreed to implement the program for
Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).A decision in this regard was taken
by Defense Minister NirmalaSitharaman and her US Counterpart Jim Mattis during their meeting in Philippines
on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus.They "agreed on the importance of a rules-
based international order" in which all nations are able to prosper, and the "need to work together" against the
common threat ofterrorism.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
Union Defence Minister – NirmalaSitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, RajyaSabha
Italy PM Paolo Gentiloni on Two-Day Visit to India
Prime Minister of Italy Paolo Gentiloni arrived in New Delhi on a two day visit to India. The visit aimed at
strengthening the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries. The last visit of the
Italian Prime Minister to India was in February 2007.
Useful Info
Country – Italy
Capital – Rome
Currency – Euro
Present PM of Italy - Paolo Gentiloni
World’s First Hydrogen Tram Begins Operation in China
The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China, marking a
big step in the application of green energy in public transport.The tram was put into commercial operation for
the first time in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei Province. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no
pollutants. No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is
controlled under 100 degrees Celsius.The tram, having three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40
kilometers at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour after being refilled with 12 kilograms of hydrogen.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi (Yuan)
President – Xi Jinping
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APPOINTMENTS
National Appointments
Designation Person
New chairman of State Bank of India Rajnish Kumar (previously the managing director and CEO
of SBI Capital Markets, the merchant banking arm of the
bank)
New MD & CEO PNB MetLife India Insurance
Company Ltd
Ashish Srivastava
Ambassador of India to the Principality of Monaco Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra
New president of US India Business Council
(USIBC)
Nisha Desai Biswal
New CEO of Freecharge Sangram Singh (Previously served as the head of cards
and payments business at Axis Bank)
New chairman of Film and Television Institute of
India (FTII)
Actor Anupam Kher
Laureus' first Brand Ambassador Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh
The Business Head of 'MobiKwik Payment
Gateway
Rukaiya Rangwala
India's new Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale
New Railway Board Members MK Gupta, DK Gayen
International Appointments in OCT 2017 (1st to 15th)
Designation Person
First Female President of UK's Supreme Court Brenda Hale
New Deputy Director General at WHO Soumya Swaminathan
Headquarters of WHO - Geneva, Switzerland
Director General of WHO - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
FICCI UK Director Param Shah
Mongolia New Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh
Pakistan's New Navy Chief Zafar Mahmood Abbasi
UNESCO Chief Audrey Azoulay
Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia Manika Jain
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Ambassador of India to Switzerland Sibi George
New CEO of Malaysia Airlines Izham Ismail
CEO of HSBC (The Hongkong and Shanghai JayantRikhye
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Banking Corporation)
Interlocutor (Kashmir) Dineshwar Sharma (Ex-Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB))
New CEO of Association of Mutual Funds in India
(AMFI)
NS Venkatesh
MD & CEO of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Suresh Sethi
CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana
Additional Director General, CISF Alok Kumar Pateria
High Commissioner of India to the Republic of
Zambia
N.J.Gangte
RESIGNATION
D Shivakumar Resigns PepsiCo India Chairman and CEO
Umang Bedi Resigns Facebook MD of India
Ranjit Kumar Resigns Solicitor-General of India
AWARDS AND HONORS
Awards Winners
The ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian
honour awarded to individuals for their services to
Germany
Rajesh Nath (Managing Director of VDMA India) The
award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal
Cross of Merit.
Useful Info
Country – Germany
Capital – Berlin
Currency – Euro
Best FMCG in the food sector at the 5th
International Advertising Associations (IAA)
Leadership Awards in Mumbai
The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
(GCMMF), which manages brand AMUL
Useful Info
Headquarters of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
Federation (GCMMF) is in Anand, Gujarat.
Chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
Federation (GCMMF) - Jethabhai P Patel
National award for senior citizens Indian boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu
National Award for Excellence in Public
Administration, Academics and Management for
2017
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak
Useful Info
Present President of India – Ram Nath Kovind
Vice President of India – Venkaiah Naidu
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Mathrubhumi Literary Award for 2016 M K Sanu (Eminent critic, biographer and orator),
recognition of his rich contribution to the Malayalam
literature
Padma Prabha Puraskaram for 2017 Prabha Varma (Eminent poet, lyricist and journalist)
Man Booker Prize 2017 George Saunders (US Author)
Blue Planet Prize Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (Environmental scientist)
World Food Prize Laureate Award 2017 Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina
National Lata Mangeshkar Award 2017 Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan (playback singers), Usha
Khanna, Bappi Lahiri and Anu Malik (music
composers)
AIDS Research Award from the Institute for
Human Virology (IHV) in Baltimore, US
Professors Salim Abdool Karim and Quarraisha
Abdool Karim
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Industrial
Innovation Award, 2017
L&T Technology Services Ltd
AICTE Award for Supporting Start-Ups Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India
(EDII)
Golden Peacock Award in London N Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister)
Lifetime Achievement Award Sharmila Tagore
Complete list of Nobel Prize Winners 2017:
The 2017 Nobel Prize were announced recently in 6 different fields viz. Physiology or
Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. We have compiled all the winners
under one complete table that will make you remember all the winners in a go.
Brief History of the Nobel Prize-
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a
series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace - the Nobel Prizes. The
Nobel Prize distribution was first done on 1901. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
Here is the Complete list of Winners of Nobel Prize 2017-
S. No. Field Description Winner
1. Physiology or Medicine
for the discoveries of molecular mechanisms
controlling the circadian rhythm
Jeffrey C. Hall (USA),
Michael Rosbash (USA) and
Michael W. Young (USA)
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2. Physics
for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and
the observation of gravitational waves
Rainer Weiss (Germany),
Barry C. Barish (USA) and
Kip S. Thorne (USA)
3. Chemistry
for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the
high-resolution structure determination of
biomolecules in solution
Jacques Dubochet
(Switzerland), Joachim
Frank (Germany) and
Richard Henderson
(Scotland)
4.
Literature
in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered
the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection
with the world
Kazuo Ishiguro (Japan)
5. Peace
for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic
humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear
weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to
achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such
weapons
International Campaign to
Abolish Nuclear Weapons
(ICAN) (founded in Australia)
6. Economic Sciences
for contributions to behavioural economics Richard H. Thaler (USA)
Here are some Static and Interesting Facts about the Nobel Prize-
The Nobel Prize in Physics-
1. The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.
2. 111 Nobel Prizes in Physics have been awarded between 1901-2017.
3. 2 women have been awarded the Physics Prize so far.
4. 25 years was the age of the youngest Physics Laureate ever, Lawrence Bragg, when he was awarded the
1915 Physics Prize together with his father.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry-
1. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm,
Sweden.
2. 109 Nobel Prizes in Chemistry have been awarded between 1901 and 2017.
3. 4 women have been awarded the Chemistry Prize so far.
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4. 1 person, Frederick Sanger, has been awarded the Chemistry Prize twice, in 1958 and in 1980.
5. 35 years was the age of the youngest Chemistry Laureate ever, Frédéric Joliot, who was awarded the
Nobel Prize in 1935.
6. 85 years was the age of the oldest Chemistry Laureate, John B. Fenn, when he was awarded the
Chemistry Prize in 2002.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine-
1. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Sweden.
2. 108 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded between 1901 and 2017.
3. 12 women have been awarded the Medicine Prize so far.
4. 32 years was the age of the youngest Medicine Laureate ever, Frederick G. Banting, who was awarded
the 1923 Medicine Prize for the discovery of insulin.
5. 87 years was the age of the oldest Medicine Laureate ever, Peyton Rous, when he was awarded the
Medicine Prize in 1966 for his discovery of tumour-inducing viruses.
The Nobel Prize in Literature-
1. The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden.
2. 110 Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded 1901-2017.
3. 14 women have been awarded the Literature Prize so far.
4. 41 years was the age of the youngest Literature Laureate ever, Rudyard Kipling, best known for The
Jungle Book.
5. 88 years was the age of the oldest Literature Laureate ever, Doris Lessing, when she was awarded the
Prize in 2007.
The Nobel Peace Prize-
1. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of five persons who are chosen by the Norwegian
Storting (Parliament of Norway).
2. 98 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded 1901-2017.
3. 16 women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize so far.
4. 1 Peace Prize Laureate, Le Duc Tho, has declined the Nobel Peace Prize.
5. Malala Yousafzai (17) is the youngest to win Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel-
1. The Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm,
Sweden.
2. 49 Prizes in Economic Sciences have been awarded since 1969.
3. 1 woman have been awarded the Prize in Economic Sciences so far, Elinor Ostrom, in 2009.
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4. 51 years was the age of the youngest Laureate in Economic Sciences ever, Kenneth J. Arrow, who was
awarded in 1972.
5. 90 years was Leonid Hurwicz when he was awarded the Prize - the oldest Laureate in Economic Sciences
ever.
Useful Info
Winners of 2016 Nobel Prize in respective fields are as follows-
1. Physiology or Medicine- Yoshinori Ohsumi,
2. Physics- J. Michael Kosterlitz, Duncan Haldane, David J. Thouless,
3. Chemistry- Fraser Stoddart, Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Ben Feringa,
4. Literature- Bob Dylan,
5. Peace- Juan Manuel Santos,
6. Economic Sciences- Oliver Hart, Bengt Holmstrom.
MoUs & AGREEMENT
Yatra Partners OYO to Expand Hotel Inventory
Yatra Online Inc has tied up with OYO to bring the hospitality firm's inventory on its platform. The partnership
brings OYO's inventory onto an online travel agent platform and with this Yatra's total hotel inventory will
expand to over 70,000 hotels in India.
Useful Info
Co-founder and CEO of Yatra.com - Dhruv Shringi
Founder and CEO of OYO - Ritesh Agarwal
MobiKwik, IRCTC Rail Connect Partner for Ticket Bookings
Digital payments firm MobiKwik announced its partnership with IRCTC Rail connect app, which will allow
customers book railway tickets using the former’s payment gateway. Mobikwik’s Payment Gateway currently
powers payments for more than 3,000 e-commerce websites and apps. The tie-up is aimed at simplifying
payment systems by introducing MobiKwik’s easy-to-use interface for all, which supports payment solution
through channels like debit card, credit card, net Banking, ATM Cards and Wallets.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Railways – Piyush Goyal
Constituency – Maharashtra, Rajya Sabha
Chairman & Managing Director of IRCTC - M. P. Mall
Bangladesh Signs $4.5-bn Loan Deal With India
Bangladesh signed a $4.5 billion third line of credit (LoC) agreement with India for its infrastructure and social
sector development. The agreement was signed in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his
Bangladeshi counterpart A M A Muhith. Economic Relations Division Secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam signed the
deal on behalf of Bangladesh while Managing Director of the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim) David
Rasquinha signed for India. Under the agreement, Bangladesh would have to purchase 65 to 75 percent of
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the services, goods or works from the Indian market with the money to be provided under the third LoC
following the precedence of the previous two nearly identical agreements.
Useful Info
Country – Bangladesh
Capital – Dhaka
Currency - Bangladeshi taka
HDFC Life, Apollo Munich Team up for Dual Cover
HDFC Life Insurance and Apollo Munich Health have come together to launch ‘Click2Protect Health plan’,
which provides both life and health cover under a single plan. This plan combines the benefits of HDFC Life’s
‘Click2Protect 3D Plus (term) protection plan’ and Apollo Munich’s ‘Optima Restore health indemnity plan’.
The features of the product include waiver of future premiums on account of accidental total permanent
disability or on diagnosis of critical illness; and special premium rates for women and non-tobacco users.
Useful Info
HDFC Bank Headquarters – Mumbai
CEO of HDFC Bank - Aditya Puri
Vijaya Bank Inks MoU with HPCL for Digital Payments
Vijaya Bank has entered into an MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for enabling all HPCL
retail outlets with BHIM/UPI merchant solutions. This rollout will empower all petrol pump attendants and LPG
delivery personnel to accept digital payments. Customers can make payments by scanning a payment QR
code, using BHIM Vijaya or any BHIM app that supports payments via UPI. Both Vijaya Bank and HPCL have
inked the pact in line with the GOI initiative to encourage digital payments, especially BHIM/UPI.
Useful Info
Vijaya Bank Headquarters – Bengaluru
MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank - R A Sankaranarayanan
India, EIB Ink Pact for Financing Bangalore Metro Rail Project
India and European Investment Bank (EIB) signed the finance contract for lending of 300 million euros (about
Rs 2,293 crore) for Bangalore Metro Rail Project phase-II. Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II is to be
jointly financed by the EIB (500 million euros) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (300 million euros).
The project relates to extension of East-West and North-South lines for Bangalore Metro Rail which includes a
total length of 72.095 km (13.79 km underground) and 61 stations with 12 underground stations. The project
implementation period is 5 years from date of commencement.
Useful Info
EIB - European Investment Bank
Headquarters of EIB – Luxembourg
President of European Investment Bank - Werner Hoyer
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and UP Sign MoU to Boost Culture and Tourism
An MoU was signed by Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha
Bharat’ program, to boost cultural ties. Under the program, the states will connect with each other to know
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more about the culture, heritage and traditions of each other. The programme aims at actively enhancing
interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different states and union territories, with the objective
of promoting greater mutual understanding among them.
Useful Info
Arunachal Pradesh – Itanagar, CM - Pema Khandu, Governor - Brigadier BD Mishra (Retd)
Meghalaya – Shillong, CM - Mukul Sangma, Governor - Ganga Prasad
Uttar Pradesh – Lucknow, CM – Yogi Adityanath, Governor – Ram Naik
India and Ethiopia has signed agreements on trade, communication and media
India and Ethiopia has signed agreements on trade, communication and media to boost bilateral ties. The
agreements were signed after wide-ranging talks between President Ram Nath Kovind and his Ethiopian
counterpart Mulatu Teshome at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The two leaders discussed economic relations
between the two countries and also support to Ethiopia in the power healthcare, and education sectors. The
President also thanked Ethiopia for its participation in the International Solar Alliance (ISA), established in
2015.
Useful Info
Country – Ethiopia
Capital – Addis Ababa
Currency - Ethiopian Birr
Reliance Commercial Finance Inks Agreement with IREDA for Rs 300 cr Loan
Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd has signed an agreement with Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency Ltd (IREDA) for Rs.300 crore loan, in Mumbai. RCFL finances wind and solar energy projects besides
providing assistance for developing infrastructure and projects in renewable energy space backed by the
government.
Useful Info
Executive Director and CEO of Reliance Commercial Finance - Devang Mody
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of IREDA - KS Popli
IIT Kharagpur Signs MoU with Samsung for Digital Academy
IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a
digital academy on the institute’s campus. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the
institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-
based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances.
Useful Info
Samsung is an electronics company based in South Korea.
Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics - Dr Oh-Hyun Kwon
Visa has tied up with the Andhra Pradesh government for Digital Dhan Sankalp project
Visa has tied up with the Andhra Pradesh government for Digital Dhan Sankalp project. It is an initiative to
develop Visakhapatnam into India’s first ‘less cash’ city. The e-transformation of large state-owned service
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providers of the state into digital payments mode under the Vizag Digital Dhan Sankalp (VDDS) project is now
accessible to over 90 percent of the city’s two million-strong population.
Useful Info
State – Andhra Pradesh
Capital – Amaravati
CM – Chandrababu Naidu
Governor - E.S Lakshmi Narasimhan
LG India Ties up with Bajaj Finserv
Consumer Electronics major LG Electronics India announced the launch of an exclusive OEM co-branded
card in partnership with Bajaj Finserv. As per the company, the co-branded card will enable customers to buy
all LG products at no-cost EMI option across all LG formats. It will be available to customers buying LG
products on a minimum invoice amount of Rs 7,000 and maximum of up to Rs 2 lakh.
Useful Info
LG - South Korean Electronics Company
MD of LG Electronics India - Kim Ki Wan
Amazon, Microsoft Ties up to Launch Deep Learning Platform
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft have teamed up to launch an open-source and deep learning
interface 'Gluon' that will help developers to deploy machine learning models across several platforms. The
interface would give developers a place where they can prototype, build, train and deploy machine learning
models.
Useful Info
CEO of Microsoft - Satya Nadella
Odisha Government Department Signs MOU with SBI
The Odisha government's Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection and the State Bank of India have signed
an MOU for integration of SBI e-Pay with the cyber treasury. The MoU is a landmark initiative by the state
government to facilitate revenue collection from citizens through digital banking platform. The SBI e-Pay is the
payment aggregator service wing of the bank which will facilitate on line payment of government dues by the
customers of any public/ private sector banks by using the payment gateway of SBI.
Useful Info
State – Odisha
Capital – Bhubaneswar
CM – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir
SBI headquarters - Mumbai, Maharashtra
Present Chairman of SBI - Rajnish Kumar
Myntra, Textile Ministry Tie-up to Promote Handloom Industry
E-commerce major Myntra launched its CSR initiative in association with the Union Textile Ministry, to work
directly with weavers and elevate their economic stature. With an initiative to uplift the handloom products in
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India, the company (Myntra) is committing itself along with some of its partner brands to bring artisans and
their products online, providing them access to new customers and opportunities. These products will retail on
Myntra via a dedicated online store, thereby creating a one-stop shop for all handloom products.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Textiles - Smriti Zubin Irani
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
Flipkart is the Parent Organization of Myntra.
NIIF Inks Pact Worth $1 billion with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India has signed an investment agreement worth $1
billion with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). The government has set up NIIF with the aim to attract
investments from both domestic and international sources for infrastructure development in commercially
viable projects. As part of the comprehensive partnership agreement, ADIA will become the first institutional
investor in NIIF’s Master Fund and a shareholder in National Investment and Infrastructure Limited, the NIIF’s
investment management company.
Useful Info
CEO of NIIF (National Investment and Infrastructure Fund) - Sujoy Bose
India Signs Pact to Send Interns to Japan for Training
India has signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) with Japan to send youngsters there as technical
interns for on-the-job training for a period of three to five years. The MoC on Technical Intern Training
Programme was signed by Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Japanese Minister of Health,
Labour, and Welfare with Katsunobu Kato in Tokyo. India is the third country with which Japan has signed the
MoC.
Useful Info
Country – Japan
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Japanese Yen
Present Prime Minister of Japan - Shinzo Abe
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) Signs Pact for IP Management
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) has signed an MoU each with European Business
Technology Centre (EBTC) and Lovely Professional University. EBTC is a not-for-profit organization
facilitating Europe-India cross-border collaboration in technology transfer and IP management. The MoU is for
capacity building in intellectual property management by organizing training programmes in IP management
and patent research and analysis and commercialization of IPRs.
Useful Info
NRDC - National Research Development Corporation
Chairman & Managing Director of NRDC - H Purushotham
Bangladesh Signs Gas Oil Deal with India
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Bangladesh has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement with an Indian refiner to import gas oil to
meet the country’s energy demand. The deal between Bangladesh Petroleum Corp. (BPC) and Numaligarh
Refinery Ltd (NRL) was signed in presence of India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who arrived in
Dhaka recently on a two-day visit to discuss bilateral issues. Under the deal, BPC will take up to 250,000
tonnes of gas oil each year from NRL for the first three years of the deal to the BPC’s northern fuel depot via a
131-km (79 mile) pipeline, which will be built by India.
Useful Info
Country – Bangladesh
Capital – Dhaka
Currency – Bangladeshi Taka
Nicaragua Signs Paris Climate Agreement
Central American country Nicaragua has signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, leaving the United
States and Syria as the only two countries holing out to sign this global climate pact. According to Nicaragua's
President Daniel Ortega, the Paris Agreement is the only international mechanism that offers the conditions to
face global warming and its effects. Previously, Nicaragua refused to sign the agreement on the grounds that
it did not require to combat global warming.
Useful Info
President Donald Trump on 1 June 2017 withdrew the United States from the landmark 2015 Paris agreement to
fight climate change.
Till June 2017, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, 148 of which have ratified it.
GMR Hyderabad Airport, Malaysia Tourism, MAHB Sign Pact to Promote Tourism
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and Malaysia
Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) have come together to promote the growth of tourism traffic. An MoU was
inked to promote tourism from the catchment area of Hyderabad to Malaysia and also explore new locations
for connectivity. Over 100,000 passengers travel between Hyderabad and Malaysia every year and the traffic
has grown by 28% CAGR in the last five years.
Useful Info
GHIAL - GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd
CEO of GHIAL - SGK Kishore
MAHB - Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad
Managing Director of MAHB - Mohd Badlisham Ghazali
India and France Agree to Strengthen Bilateral Defence Cooperation
India and France have agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation as a key Pillar of strategic
partnership between the two countries. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and French Minister for the
Armed Forces, Ms. Florence Parly discussed a range of measures to expand military to military ties. The joint
Naval exercise named the VARUNA is scheduled in early 2018 between the two countries. The two Ministers
also comprehensively reviewed developments in defence equipment and industry cooperation, where France
is a major partner.
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Useful Info
Country – France
Capital – Paris
Currency – Euro
Union Defence Minister of India – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
Emmanuel Macron is the President of France
Karnataka Govt Signs MoU with Microsoft
The Karnataka Government announced the signing of an MoU with Microsoft Corporation India Private
Limited with an intention to empower smallholder farmers with technology-oriented solutions that will help
them increase income. The MoU will experiment with Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission and
Department of Agriculture to help improve price forecasting practices to benefit farmers.
Useful Info
State – Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
CM – Siddaramaiah
Governor - Vajubhai Vala
Satya Nadella is the CEO of Microsoft
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
India, EU to Hold 14th Summit Talks in New Delhi
President of European Council, Donald Franciszek Tusk and President of the European Commission, Jean-
Claude Juncker will be on a three-day visit to India to hold the 14th India-EU Summit on 6th of next month in
New Delhi. The summit aims at deepening the India-EU Strategic Partnership and advance collaboration in
priority areas for India’s growth and development. During their visit starting from 5th of October, they will also
attend India-EU Business event on the sidelines of the summit.
Useful Info
CM of New Delhi – Arvind Kejriwal
Governor – Anil Baijal
International Conference on Dialogue of Civilizations – IV
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Ministry of Culture is hosting an international conference on
“Dialogue of Civilizations – IV” from 8th to 15th October 2017 at Delhi, Gandhinagar and Dholavira. This
conference is fourth in this series of ‘dialogues’ initiated by National Geographic Society in 2013. The
objective of the conference is to encourage scholarly and public discourse about the five ancient, literate
civilizations of the world, i.e. Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, China and Mesoamerica.
Useful Info
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The first conference of this series was inaugurated in Guatemala in 2013 followed by Turkey in 2014 and
China in 2015.
Prof. B.B. Lal is a Padma Bhushan awardee on ‘Harappan Civilization’, which introduced the earliest
civilization of South Asia to the scholars working on other ancient civilizations.
First Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee Held
The First Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee was held in New Delhi. Shri TVSN Prasad,
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Mr. Stephen Bouwhuis, First Assistant Secretary,
International and Auscheck Division, Criminal Justice Group, Attorney-General's Department led the
respective delegations. This meeting was a follow-up to the MoU on Cooperation in Combating International
Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime exchanged between the two sides during the visit of Australian
Prime Minister Mr. Malcolm Turnbull to New Delhi in April 2016.
PM Modi’s Economic Advisory Council Holds its First Meeting
The recently constituted Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) held its first meeting in
New Delhi to deliberate upon and lay out a roadmap to give a leg up to the Indian economy in the short term
after GDP growth for the first quarter fell to a three-year low of 5.7%. The EAC-PM is chaired by Dr. Bibey
Debroy. Key issues for the discussion include ways to boost consumer demand, attract private investments
and measures to incentivize job creation in the country, people familiar with the agenda said.
Useful Info
Present PM of India – Narendra Modi
Union Minister for Finance – Arun Jaitley
India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in 2020
India will host the next United Nations (UN) global wildlife conference in 2020. India will host the next CMS
Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13. It was officially announced at the closing CMSCOP12 plenary, in
Manila, Philippines.The six-day 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS COP12) is the only international treaty devoted exclusively to migratory animal species. The
theme of the Conference was ‘Their Future is Our Future - Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People’.
Useful Info
CMS COP is a triennial summit that brings together States through which migratory animals pass through.
The CMS COP is held once in three years.
MOBILE APP AND WEB PORTAL
Prasar Bharati launches Online Application System for AIR Auditions
Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash has launched an online application system for music auditions
across all genres for the All India Radio. The initiative was launched on the occasion of 64th Akashvani
Sangeet Sammelan in New Delhi. It is believed that with the introduction of this facility, the aspirants who want
to apply and get themselves graded will have a better experience in terms of accessibility and availability.
Chairman NHAI Launches New Website and PMIS Mobile App
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The Chairman of National Highways Authority of India Shri Deepak Kumar launched a world-class, new
multilingual website of the organization. He also launched a Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS)
Moblie App that will facilitate close, in-house monitoring of NHAI projects on a mobile phone. To ensure timely
delivery of its projects, the NHAI is now digitally monitoring them through a state-of-the-art Project Monitoring
Information System (PMIS), which has been developed in-house along with The Boston Consulting Group.
Useful Info
Chairman of National Highways Authority of India - Shri Deepak Kumar
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways - Nitin Gadkari
Constituency – Nagpur (Maharashtra)
Flipkart Launched Private Label MarQ for Large Appliances Category
Flipkart announced the launch of MarQ, an in-house brand in the large appliances category. MarQ is an in-
house brand of Flipkart, that sells large appliances. This has been done in a move expands Flipkart’s self-
branded offerings on its marketplace.
Useful Info
Flipkart Headquarters – Bengaluru
Group CEO of Flipkart is Binny Bansal
CEO of Flipkart is Kalyan Krishnamurthy
DEFENCE
Integrated Defence Staff celebrates 17th Raising Day
Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters celebrated its 17th Raising Day today. To commemorate the occasion,
Chief of the IDS to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Lt General Satish Dua paid homage to the
valiant martyrs of the Armed Forces by laying a wreath at ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’, India Gate in New Delhi. Senior
officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the IDS were present on the occasion. A Tri Services guard was in
accompaniment. IDS Headquarters was created in October 2001 in the aftermath of ‘Operation Vijay’ in Kargil
war. The main objective was to promote synergy among the three Services and to integrate them with the
Ministry of Defence.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Defence – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Rajya Sabha, Karnataka
Defence Minister to commission INS Kiltan into Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has commissioned an indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare stealth
corvette INS Kiltan into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. According to Defence
Minister, INS Kiltan strengthens India's defence system and will be a shining armour in 'Make in India'
programme as it is totally built indigenously.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Defence - Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
Kiltan is the latest indigenous warship after Shivalik class, Kolkata class and sister ships.
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Admiral Sunil Lanba is present Navy chief.
Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam, is situated in Andhra Pradesh.
Indian Air Force Launched Health Mobile App 'MedWatch'
The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched an innovative health mobile App named `MedWatch' on the occasion of
its 85th anniversary. It was launched by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa during the Air Force Commanders'
Conference in New Delhi. The Mobile app was launched to keep up with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
vision of ‘Digital India'.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Defence – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
Indian Army organises Jashn -e-Kokernag to strengthen jawan-awam relationship
With the slogan of“Jawan aur Awaam Amun Hai Muqam”( Army and Locals together, peace will prevail ), 19
batch Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army organised ‘Jashn-e-Breng’ festival in Kokernag village of the
Anantnag district to promote peace and brotherhood between security forces and the local population.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Defence – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
INDRA – 2017: Indo-Russia’s first-ever tri-service joint exercise begins in Vladivostok,Russia
Exercise INDRA-2017, the first ever Tri Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces
begun in Vladivostok, Russia. The previous editions of INDRA Exercise between India and Russia were
single service bilateral exercise. ‘INDRA-2017’ marks the first bilateral exercise in which all the three Services
of the Armed Forces viz. Army, Navy & Air Force of India and Russia will participate.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
India, Russia to Participate in first-ever Tri-services Military Exercise
The first-ever Tri Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces, INDRA-2017 began
near Vladivostok in Russia. Two indigenously built Indian Naval ships INS Satpura and INS Kadmatt reached
Vladivostok Port and were given a traditional ceremonial welcome. The Indian contingent for the Exercise is
led by the Task Force Commander Major General ND Prasad. The Exercise INDRA in its previous nine
editions has been conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
30th Edition of CORPAT Begins Between Indian-Indonesian Navy
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Indian Navy Ship Sukanya under the command of Commander SA Deodhar has arrived at Belawan
Indonesia to participate in the 30th edition of CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) and 3rd Bilateral exercise
between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy. The exercise is aimed to foster closer maritime ties with
countries located on the rim of the Indian Ocean. The two navies have been carrying out CORPAT on
respective sides of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002.
Useful Info
Country – Indonesia
Capital – Jakarta
Currency – Indonesian rupiah
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar Assumes Charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, AVSM, VSM has assumed charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS) from
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh AVSM at a formal ceremony held in New Delhi. Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P,
AVSM, VSM is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The Flag Officer was commissioned in the
Indian Navy on 01 Jul 81 and is a specialist in Missiles & Gunnery.
Useful Info
Present Chief of Naval Staff of Indian Navy - Sunil Lanba
Union Defence Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
SCHEMES AND PROGRAMS
Mahindra Launches 'Prerna' Project for Women Farmers
Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a program, Prerna, to empower women working in the agriculture sector by
promoting efficient and ergonomic farm tools and equipment. The project will be initially launched in the state of
Odisha, with the intention to positively impact the lives of over 1,500 families across 30-plus villages.The first
project under Prerna is a collaboration between Mahindra & Mahindra, the Central Institution for Women in
Agriculture (CIWA), a department of the IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Hema Malini's Biography 'HemaMalini: Beyond the Dream Girl' Launched
Actress DeepikaPadukone launched HemaMalini's biography 'HemaMalini: Beyond the Dream Girl' on the
occasion of Hema's 69th birthday.The biography has been penned by journalist turned writer Ram Kamal
Mukherjee and also contains a short foreword written by Prime Minister NarendraModi.
Ministry WCD Launched Campaign on 'women for women'
In an attempt to end Gender bias in women against women, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is
undertaking an online campaign #IamThatWoman.Through the campaign, the Ministry seeks to highlight the
various aspects of women standing 'by' and 'for' women. Ministry of WCD has urged people to shun stereotypes
associated with women harming other women.
Useful Info
Minister for Women and Child Development - Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
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Constituency - Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh)
7 Companies Given LoI for 14 monuments Under ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’
Seven shortlisted companies were given ‘Letters of Intent’ for fourteen monuments under ‘Adopt a Heritage
Scheme’ of Ministry of Tourism at the closing ceremony of ‘ParyatanParv’ at Rajpath Lawns, New Delhi.These
companies will be the future ‘Monument Mitras’ who would associate pride with their CSR activities.
1. SBI Foundation shortlisted for the adoption of -
JantarMantar, Delhi.
2. TK International Limited shortlisted for the adoption of -
Sun Temple, Konark
Raja Rani Temple, Bhubaneshwar
Ratnagiri Monuments, Jajpur, Odisha
3. Yatra Online Pvt. Limited shortlisted for the adoption of:
Hampi, Karnataka
Leh Palace, Jammu & Kashmir
QutubMinar, Delhi
Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
4. Travel Corporation of India Ltd. shortlisted for the adoption of:
Mattancherry Palace Museum, Kochi
Safdarjung Tomb, Delhi
5. Adventure Tour Operator Association of India shortlisted for the adoption of :
Gangotri Temple Area and Trail to Gaumukh
Mt. StokKangri, Laddakh, Jammu and Kashmir
6. Special Holidays Travel Pvt. Ltd. (With) Rotary Club of Delhi shortlisted for the adoption of:
AgrasenkiBaoli, Delhi
7. NBCC shortlisted for the adoption of:
PuranaQuila, Delhi.
3rd ‘Global Investors’ India Forum Held in New Delhi
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R. K. Singh addressed the 3rd Global
Investors’ India Forum in New Delhi.The theme of the event was 'Ideate, Innovate, Implement and Invest in India’
and it was attended by global industry stalwarts. In the forum, major focus was given on generation of electricity
and its distribution across the country. The event was organized by the ASSOCHAM.
RANKING and INDEX
Forbes India Rich List 2017: Mukesh Ambani Richest With $38 Billion
Forbes Magazine has released its India Rich List for 2017, with Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh
Ambani topping the charts for the 10th consecutive year with a net worth of $38 billion. Mr Ambani is followed
by tech czar Azim Premji who jumped two places with the net worth of $19 billion. Ranked third are the
Hinduja brothers who added $3.2 billion to their net worth. According to Forbes, the combined net worth of
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the 100 richest Indians stood at $479 billion, a jump of 26% from $374 billion in 2016. Acharya Balkrishna,
CEO of Patanjali Ayurved, figures at No. 19 with net worth of $6.55 billion.
Useful Info
The Top 10 Indian in the List are as follows-
Rank Name Net Worth ($ Billion) Company
1 Mukesh Ambani 38 Reliance Industries
2 Azim Premji 19 Wipro
3 Hinduja brothers 18.4 Ashok Leyland
4 Lakshmi Mittal 16.5 Arcelormittal
5 Pallonji Mistry 16 Shapoorji Pallonji Group
6 Godrej family 14.2 Godrej Group
7 Shiv Nadar 13.6 HCL Technologies
8 Kumar Birla 12.6 Aditya Birla Group
9 Dilip Shanghvi 12.1 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries
10 Gautam Adani 11 Adani Ports & SEZ
Most Pollution-linked Deaths Occur in India
With 2.51 million deaths in 2015, India has been ranked No. 1 in pollution-related deaths, according to a
report by The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. China recorded the second highest number of
such deaths (1.8 million). India accounted for about 28 percent of an estimated nine million pollution linked
deaths worldwide in 2015.The Lancet Commission on pollution and health is a two-year project in which more
than 40 international health and environmental authors led by environmental scientist Philip Landrigan were
involved.
Jaipur, Srinagar top ranked airports in small aerodrome
Jaipur and Srinagar Airport got first and second rank respectively in the category of 2-5 million passengers in
Airport Council International (ACI)-Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey.Dr.GuruprasadMohapatra,
Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and his team received the ACI-ASQ Award at a function held in
Mauritius.This is for the second consecutive time Jaipur Airport has been rated the Best Airport in the World
in the traffic volume of 2 to 5 million passengers per year. Jaipur was ranked as the Best Airport in the same
category in 2016 also.
Useful Info
AAI - Airports Authority of India
Headquarters of AAI – New Delhi
Chairman - Dr.Guruprasad Mohapatra
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BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Book on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Inspirational Words Released
An illustrative book containing inspiring words of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was released online by Indian women
cricket team captain Mithali Raj on the 86th birth anniversary of the former President. Titled "Dreamnation:
Uniting a Country with Handwritten Dreams", the book includes a collection of 200-plus handcrafted and
handwritten postcards from across India. The book is Co-authored by Saji Mathew and Jubie John and
published by Bloomsbury.
Useful Info
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007.
Other important books of Dr. Kalam includes My Journey (Book of Poems) and Wings of Fire.
SPORTS NEWS
Badminton
KidambiSrikanth Lifts Denmark Open Superseries Trophy 2017
In Badminton, ace Indian shuttlerKidambiSrikanth has lifted the Denmark Open Superseries trophy at Odense,
Denmark.In the title clash, Srikanth, seeded 8th, defeated South Korea’s Lee Hyun-il in straight games, 21-10,
21-5 to bag his third Super Series title of the year and fifth overall. It was the first time Srikanth and Lee had
faced each other.
Useful Info
KidambiSrikanth has recently (June 2017) won Australia Open Super Series title.
Country – Denmark
Capital – Copenhagen
Currency –Danish krone
KidambiSrikanth Wins French Open to Clinch 4th Super Series Title of 2017
India's KidambiSrikanthcreated history as he became the first Indian player to win four Superseries titles in a
year after he won the men's singles title at the French Open. He defeated Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-14, 21-
13 in the final to achieve this feat. This win was another addition to the Indian's list of firsts as he also became
the only Indian to win the French Open since it became a Superseries event in 2007.
Useful Info
Other three sports Championship won this year (2017) by KidambiSrikanth are as follows-
1. Denmark Open Superseries Trophy
2. Australia Open Super Series
3. Indonesia Open Super Series
Basketball
Amjyot Singh Becomes Third Indian in NBA
The 6-foot-9-inch Chandigarh hoopster Amjyot Singh became the third Indian - after Satnam Singh and
Palpreet Singh Brar to walk into the National Basketball Association (NBA) league.Amjyot made it to the
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NBA's minor league - the G-League. The Indian skipper was picked by Oklahoma City Blue. The OKC Blue is
NBA development league affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder, an American professional basketball team.
Scott Fleming Joins NBA India as Head of Basketball Operations
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that former India men’s national team head
coach Scott Fleming has joined NBA India as Head of Basketball Operations. Scott Fleming will oversee the
league’s youth and elite basketball development in India, including the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program,
NBA Academy India and NBA Basketball School.
Useful Info
NBA Headquarters in - New York City, USA
Cricket
John Hastings Retires From Test and ODI Cricket
Australian fast bowler John Hastings has called it quits from Test Match and ODIs, citing recurring injuries as
the reason. The 31-year-old wants to solely focus on T20 cricket. He has represented Australia in one test, 29
ODIs and 9 T20Is. In 2016 Hastings was the world's leading ODI fast bowler after picking up 29 wickets in 15
matches, the equal second-most dismissals alongside South Africa's Imran Tahir and behind teammate Adam
Zampa.
Useful Info
Country – Australia
Capital – Canberra
Currency – Australian Dollar
New Test Championship, ODI League Gets ICC’s Nod
The International Cricket Council Board has given an in-principle nod to the proposed nine-team Test
Championship and a 13-team One-Day International league at the end of the meeting in Auckland. The Test
competition will begin after the 2019 World Cup and the 50-over event sometime in 2020. The Test
Championship will have nine teams play six series over two years – three at home and three away.
Useful Info
ICC Headquarters – Dubai
Chief executive officer of ICC - Dave Richardson
Shakib first from Bangladesh in MCC World Cricket Committee
Premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the first cricketer from Bangladesh to be inducted in the MCC
World Cricket Committee under the chairmanship of Mike Gatting. Also added to the committee are Suzie
Bates, Ian Bishop and Kumar Dharmasena. Shakib Al Hasan is regarded as one of Bangladesh's finest
players since they were awarded the Test status in 2000, with the all-rounder having played 51 Test matches
and 177 one-day internationals.
Useful Info
Michael Gatting is an English former Cricketer.
Suzie Bates is a New Zealand woman Cricketer.
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Kumar Dharmasena is a Sri Lankan cricket umpire and former international cricketer, who played Tests and ODIs
for Sri Lanka.
Indian Pacer Ashish Nehra has Announced Retirement
Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has confirmed his retirement from International Cricket. He will play his last match
against New Zealand on November 1, 2017. The 38-year-old has represented India for 18 years. He has
played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T20Is for India, taking 235 international wickets.
Useful Info
Ashish Nehra has picked up 235 wickets across all three international formats so far
Ravi Shastri becomes World’s Highest Earning Cricket Coach
Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri is the world’s highest-earning cricket coach in the world. He is paid
around1.17 million dollars per year from the BCCI which is more than the salary of Indian cricket team’s
captain ViratKohli. But most importantly it does not include the money he earns from advertising. Next to Ravi
Shastri, the Australia coach Darren Lehmann who earns around $0.55 million.
ViratKohli Overtakes Lionel Messi in Forbes List by $1 Million
According to the list released by Forbes, ViratKohli ranks ahead of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messiwhen it
comes to brand value. The captain of the Indian cricket has a brand value of $14.5 million which puts him
ahead of Messi on the 7th spot in the top 10 list revealed by Forbes. The brand value is an athlete’s earnings
(excluding salary and bonus from their sport and all investment income), minus the average income of the top
10 athletes in the same sport. Tennis legend Roger Federer leads the list with a brand value of $37.2m.
Useful Info
Here is the list of top 10 athletes with highest brand value:
1. Roger Federer $37.2m
2. LeBron James $33.4m
3. Usain Bolt $27m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo $21.5m
5. Phil Mickelson $19.6m
6. Tiger Woods $16.6m
7. ViratKohli $14.5m
8. Rory McIlroy $13.6m
9. Lionel Messi $13.5m
10. Steph Curry $13.4m
ViratKohli Becomes Fastest Batsman to Score 9000 ODI Runs
ViratKohlibecame the sixth Indian to complete 9000 ODI runs during the third game against New Zealand. He
went on to score his 32nd ODI century off 96 balls. Mahendra Singh Dhonihad reached the milestone in 2016
while other Indians who have done so are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, SouravGanguly and Mohammad
Azharuddin. Overall, Kohli, who played his 202nd match and 194th innings has become the 19th batsman to
breach the 9000-run mark, making him the fastest to get there.
Useful Info
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Kohli had recently surpassed Australian great Ricky Ponting in the list of most ODI hundreds with his 31st ton.
Kohli has broken de Villiers' record of the the fastest cricketer to reach the milestone, with the South African
batsman taking 205 innings.
Golf
GaganjeetBhullar Clinches Macao Open Golf Title 2017
GaganjeetBhullar had completed a wire-to-wire victory and lifted his eighth Asian Tour title at the Macau
Open. He drained five birdies on the front nine and won by three shots despite a nerve-jangling double
bogey.The 29-year-old fired rounds of 64, 65, 74 and 68 for an aggregate score of 13-under 271, lifting his
first Asian Tour trophy of the year.
Useful Info
Bhullar is also the 2012 champion in Macau.
Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China
Hockey
Asia Cup Hockey 2017: India Beat Malaysia To Lift Their 3rd Continental Title
India beats Malaysia 2-1 in the finale to win the 2017 Asia Cup Hockey tournament held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh. This was India's third continental title. RamandeepSingh scored the opening goal in the third
minute while LalitUpadhyay extended India's lead in the 29th minute of the game.India had reached the final
after defeating Pakistan 4-nil in the semi-finals. LalitUpadhyay won the goal of the match award while
Akashdeep Singh was adjudged the Man of the match.
Useful Info
2017 Asia Cup Hockey tournament held in - Dhaka, Bangladesh
Country – Bangladesh
Capital – Dhaka
Currency - Bangladeshi Taka
Winner – India
Johor Cup Hockey: Indian Junior Team Win Bronze Medal
Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team beat hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the Bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan of
Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, in Malaysia. Goals from Vishal Antil (15’, 25’), Vivek
Prasad (11’) and ShilanandLakra (21’) were enough for India to finish their tournament with the Bronze medal.
Useful Info
Country – Malaysia
Capital – Kuala Lumpur
Currency – Malaysian ringgit
Present PM of Malaysia - NajibRazak
Kabaddi
Patna Pirates Clinched Third Pro Kabaddi Successive Title
PardeepNarwal scored incredible 24 points to steer Patna Pirates to third consecutive Pro Kabaddi title.
Pardeep, who had scored 76 points in three playoffs, helped Patna come from behind and thump Gujarat
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Fortunegiants 55-38 in the summit clash of Pro Kabaddi season 5. Gujarat’s SachinTawar was the only player
who had managed to break through Patna defence and scored 11 points. The 20-year old raider finishes the
2017 edition as the highest raider with 369 raid points and 19 Super 10s.
Sailing
Legendary Brazilian Sailor Robert Scheidt Retires from Olympics
Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 gold medal-winning sailor Robert Scheidt (44 years old) has announced his
retirement from Olympic competition, ending a career that spanned a quarter of a century.He would continue
to participate in non-Olympic events and support Brazil's elite sailors as they prepare for the 2020 Tokyo
Games. Scheidt won Olympic gold in the laser class in 1996 and 2004 while also claiming silver at the Sydney
2000 and Beijing 2008 Games.
Useful Info
Robert Scheidt claimed bronze in London in 2012 and finished fourth in Rio 2016.
Tennis
Roger Federer Cruises to Shanghai Masters Title
Roger Federer has brushed aside world number one Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-3 to win the Shanghai Masters and
register his fourth victory of the year over his Spanish rival. The Swiss world number two beat Nadal in the
finals of the Australian Open and Miami Masters and in the last 16 at Indian Wells earlier this year, and never
looked like losing to his long-time rival in Shanghai, firing 10 aces as he cruised to victory. Federer, the only
man who can still stop Nadal ending the year as number one, took an hour and 12 minutes to claim his sixth
title of the year and his second Shanghai crown with a clinical performance.
Useful Info
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked World Number 1 in men's singles
Roger Federer has also won a record eighth Wimbledon title & became the tournament’s oldest champion with a
straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic. Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title in Wimbledon title 2017.
Maria Sharapova Wins Tianjin Open, Claims First Title Since Drugs Ban
Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapovawas made to fight by 102nd-ranked teenager
ArynaSabalenkaat the Tianjin Open before winning her first title since her 15-month doping ban. The former
world number one, who returned to action in April, came from behind in both sets and needed four
championship points in the tie-breaker before beating the 19-year-old 7-5, 7-6 (10/8).
Useful Info
Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player
Wrestling
Meet Kavita Devi, India’s First Woman Wrestler to Sign for WWE
Kavita Devi, a former competitive powerlifter, has become the first ever Indian woman to be signed by the
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).JinderMahal, the current WWE champion, confirmed the news in a
special visit to New Delhi. Hailing from Haryana, Kavita underwent training to be a professional wrestler under
the guidance of The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) at his Punjab based wrestling promotion and training
academy. She also won a gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games.
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Useful Info
Kavita Devi also has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to compete in a WWE ring, as she was a
featured participant in the Mae Young Classic women’s tournament.
Snooker
Anupama Clinches World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship Title
India’s Anupama Ramachandran has clinched the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St.
Petersburg in Russia. In the girls category, second seed Anupama Ramachandran of India knocked out her
compatriot and top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1 to become World Open Under-16 champion.
Rafael Nadal Wins China Open Title
World number one Rafael Nadal (Spain) won his sixth title of this year. He defeated Nick Kyrgios
(Australia) at the China Open 2017. Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, came to the Chinese capital Beijing
on the back of winning his third US Open.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi (Yuan)
Rafael Nadal – Spanish Professional Tennis Player
Racing
Jagan Wins Sixth Title in a Row at National Motorcycle Racing
TVS Racing’s mascot Jagan Kumar notched his sixth straight title in the premier Super Sport Indian class on a
rain-affected day to bring down the curtain on the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing
Championship in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The event was organised by Madras Motorsports Club. It was
sponsored by MRF Tyres.
Food Ball
FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 Started
The much-awaited FIFA U-17 World Cup started with four opening day matches to be played in Delhi and
Mumbai. The opening matches would be played by teams in Group A and B. In Delhi, the inaugural match
would be played between Group A teams Colombia and Ghana at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, followed by
hosts India who would take on Team USA in the second match. In Mumbai, Group B team New Zealand
would be taking on Turkey in the first game at DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Useful Info
The Official Mascot of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 is a clouded leopard called Kheleo.
This is the first FIFA tournament hosted by India.
The final will be held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 28 October 2017.
Iceland, Smallest Country to Qualify for Football World Cup 2018
Iceland created history by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. This is the first time that Iceland qualified for the
World Cup. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Johann Berg Gudmundsson scored 2-0 against Kosovo to bag a spot in
Group I of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) World Cup Qualifying. Iceland became the
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smallest country to clinch a position at the 21st FIFA World Cup. The previous smallest country to have
reached the World Cup was Trinidad & Tobago.
Useful Info
Country – Iceland
Capital – Reykjavík
Currency – Icelandic króna
21st FIFA World Cup will be held in 2018 in Russia.
This is the first time when Iceland and Panama will be participants.
FIFA Suspends Pakistan Football Federation
FIFA has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect in accordance with
the decision of the Bureau of the FIFA Council on account of undue third-party interference. The national and
club teams will not be allowed to take part in international competitions till the suspension is lifted. FIFA
suspended PFF since its accounts were in control of a court-appointed administrator, which is against FIFA
rules. The suspension will be lifted when the body becomes independent.
Useful Info
FIFA – Fédération Internationale de Football Association
Headquarters of FIFA – Zürich, Switzerland
President of FIFA - Gianni Infantino
Arjen Robben Retires from International Football
Netherlands captain Arjen Robben announced the end of his international career after his country failed to
reach the 2018 World Cup finals despite a 2-0 win over Sweden. The 33-year-old Robben scored 37 times in
96 appearances for The Netherlands and helped them reach the 2010 World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to
Spain after extra-time.
Useful Info
Country – Netherland
Capital – Amsterdam
Currency – Euro
India Beat Macau to Qualify for 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Indian football team has qualified for the 2019 Asian Cup after they had a convincing 4-1 win over Macau with
two matches still to go in the qualifying round. This is the third time the country has qualified for the continental
showpiece. India has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup finals only twice in the past 37 years. The last time it
happened was in 2011 and their only appearance before that was way back in 1984.
Useful Info
The 2019 FC Asian Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates.
Mohun Bagan Lift Governor's Gold Cup for 10th Time
Maidan heavyweights Mohun Bagan has won the 37th All India Governor's Gold Cup football tournament for
the 10th time by defeating Partha Chakra by a narrow 1-0 margin. In the final match played at Paljor Stadium
(Gangtok), Mohun Bagan's striker GA Kramah scored the lone goal in the seventh minute. Chief Minister of
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Sikkim Pawan Kumar Chamling attended the final and gave away trophies and cash prize to winners and the
runner-up.
Useful Info
Paljor Stadium, also known as Palzor Stadium is an association football stadium located in Gangtok, Sikkim.
Mohun Bagan is a football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Cristiano Ronaldo Named Best FIFA Men's Player
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi and Neymar to win the Best FIFA Men's Player
award for the second year running. Ronaldo was presented the award at The Best FIFA Football Awards
ceremony in London, UK. The award, which covers the period of November 2016 to July 2017, is voted by
national team coaches, captains, selected media and fans.
Useful Info
Other Awards presented in the ceremony are as follows
Netherlands' Lieke Martens won The Best FIFA Women's Player award.
Arsenal forward Olivier Giroudwon the Puskas Award for the year's best goal after his acrobatic scorpion kick.
The Fair Play Award went toSlovacko's Francis Kone, who saved the life of Martin Berkovec during a Czech First
League game.
Real Madrid coach ZinedineZidane was named the Best FIFA Men's Coach.
Juventus' Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was named the best goalkeeper of the year.
Gokul Natesan, Second Indian-Origin Player to be Signed by NBA G-League Side
Gokul Natesan is the 97th pick in the NBA draft to becameonly the second Indian-origin player to be signed by
an NBA G-League side. Natesan, 23, was picked by Canton Charge, a minor league affiliate team of
Cleveland Cavaliers, completing a remarkable journey of the computer science graduate, who shuffled
between playing college basketball and designing apps.
Useful Info
Managing Director for India of NBA is YannickColaco
England beat Spain 5-2 to Win First-ever U-17 Title
England scripted a dramatic turnaround in Kolkata to win the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup for the very first time
after a 5-2 win over European U17 champions Spain. Spain appeared to throw in the towel after letting slip a
commanding lead, and their woe was compounded by further strikes from Marc Guehi and Foden to round off
a comprehensive 5-2 victory.
Useful Info
Winner – England
Country – Spain
Capital – Madrid
Currency – Euro
Shooting
JituRai and HeenaSidhu Strike Gold in ISSF World Cup
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JituRai and HeenaSidhucombined to give India their first gold medal of the International Shooting Sports
Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final in New Delhi. They clinched the top honors in the 10m air pistol mixed
team event on the opening day of competitions. Rai and Sidhu picked up their third gold together in the mixed
team event, being held officially for the first time at an ISSF World Cup.
Useful Info
JituRai is a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist.
HinaSidhu is also a Commonwealth Games gold-winner.
Amanpreet Wins Bronze at ISSF World Cup Final
India's Amanpreet Singh clinched a bronze medal in his maiden appearance in an ISSF World Cup Final, in
New Delhi. JituRai fizzled out to finish seventh on the fourth day of competition. World Cup silver
medallistAmanpreet shot 202.2 to win the bronze in the final of men's 50m pistol. Rai could manage only
123.2 to finish last in the seven- man final. This was India's first individual medal in the ongoing edition of the
prestigious tournament.
Useful Info
JituRai and HeenaSidhu have won the gold in 10m mixed air pistol on the opening day.
ISSF World Cup Final: Sangram Wins Silver in Double Trap
SangramDahiya won a silver in the ISSF World Cup Final, in New Delhi. Double trap exponent Sangram
clinched his first-ever senior medal in International Shooting Sports Federation tournament. He was taking
part in the prestigious event for the first time.
Useful Info
JituRai and HeenaSidhu have won the gold in 10m mixed air pistol on the opening day.
Amanpreet Singh clinched a bronze medal in the final of men's 50m pistol.
Table Tennis
India's Selena Clinches Triple Gold at Egypt Junior and Cadet TT
India's young paddler Selena Selvakumar completed a golden sweep in the Egypt Junior and Cadet Table
Tennis Open, adding the junior girls' singles and doubles titles at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.The 17-year-old
Chennai had claimed the Girls' Team gold earlier to make it three out of three. She remained unbeaten all
through this elite 2017 ITTF World Junior Circuit event.
Useful Info
Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Open 2017 – Egypt
Country – Egypt
Capital – Cairo
Currency - Egyptian pound
Others
India wins its First Ever Wushu World Championship Gold
Pooja Kadian became the first ever Indian sportsperson to win a gold medal at the Wushu World
Championship in Kazan, Russia. Kadian, who competed in the women's 75kg Sanda category, defeated
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Russia's Evgeniya Stepanova in the final. Pooja, a head constable in the CRPF, had earlier won gold in the
South Asian Games and silver in the 2013 World Championship.
Useful Info
Wushu World Championship 2017 – Russia
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
India's First Portal Dedicated to Para-Sports Launched
In a bid to create awareness about para-sports and provide a platform to para sportspersons to narrate their
stories of triumph and adversity, "thenationspride.com", the country's first portal dedicated to para-sports was
launched. thenationspride.com is a non-profit initiative, helmed by 17-year-old Mumbai student and sports
enthusiast, Saachi Munot.
Useful Info
Union minister of Youth Affairs and Sports - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
Constituency – Jaipur, Rajasthan
Gurusaidutt Wins Bulgarian International Tournament
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt clinched the men's singles title at the Bulgarian
International Future Series tournament. Gurusaidutt has defeated Muhammed Ali Kurt (Turkey) in a 35-
minute match. Gurusaidutt will also participate in Senior Nationals Championship in November 2017.
Useful Info
Country – Bulgaria
Capital – Sofia
Currency – Bulgarian lev
Indian Pair Win Gold at World Archery Youth Championship 2017
Mixed pair of Jemson Ningthoujam and Ankita Bhakat clinched the gold medal as India returned with three
medals from the World Archery Youth Championship in Rosario, Argentina. This is India’s first world title at the
youth championships since Deepika Kumari’s victories in 2009 and 2011. India also bagged one silver and
one bronze in a promising show by the youngsters.
Useful Info
Country – Argentina;
Capital – Buenos Aires
Currency - Argentine Peso
OBITUARY
Former Union Minister Purushottam Lal Kaushik Passes Away
Former Union minister and socialist leader Purushottam Lal Kaushik died due to age-related ailments at his
home in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district. He was 87. He had served as tourism and civil aviation minister
in the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai's cabinet during 1977- 1979. He headed the Information and
Broadcasting Ministry in the then Prime Minister Charan Singh's cabinet during July 1979-January 1980.
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Filmmaker Kundan Shah Passes Away
Veteran director Kundan Shah, best known for the dark comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, passed away at his
home, family sources said. He was 69. Shah passed away after suffering a heart attack. He made his
directorial debut on television in 1986 with the popular series Nukkad.
Historian Satish Chandra Passes Away
Veteran and one of India’s eminent historian Satish Chandra passed away the age of 95. Satish’s important
works include Mughal Empire and its downfall. He was also the author of NCERT’s leading history book
‘History of Medieval India’. Chandra has founded JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies. He was also the
chairman and vice chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India during the 1970s.
Shamsher Khan, India's First Olympic Swimmer Passes Away
India's first Olympic swimmer Shamsher Khan passed away in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district. He was 87.
Mr. Khan had represented India in 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He was the first swimmer to represent India in
Olympics. He narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in 200-meter butterfly and breaststroke events in
Melbourne Games. Khan, who created a national record in the butterfly event, had learned swimming after
joining the Army in 1946.
Useful Info
Shamsher Khan took part in the 1962 war against China and the 1971 war against Pakistan.
Veteran British Actor Roy Dotrice Passes Away
Roy Dotrice, a veteran British actor, died in London. He was 94. Dotrice was known for his role as Leopold
Mozart in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus and his many theater and TV roles. He won many accolades
throughout his lengthy career including a Tony Award in 2000 for his role in the Broadway revival of A Moon
for the Misbegotten.
Legendary Filmmaker I V Sasi Passes Away
Veteran Malayalam director I V Sasi, best known for his films “Avalude Ravukal” and “Devasuram” died. He
was 69. His debut directorial venture was “Ulsavam”, which released in 1975.
Padma Vibhushan Thumri Singer Girija Devi Passes Away
Eminent classical singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi died in Kolkata. She was 88 years old.
She was considered as the "Queen of Thumri" and fondly called Appa Ji. She was from the "Benaras
Gharana".
Malayalam Writer Punathil Kunjabdulla Passes Away
Renowned Malayalam writer Punathil Kunjabdulla passed away in Kozhikode following a prolonged illness. He
was 77. Kunjabdulla is regarded as one of the major figures of modernism in Malayalam literature. He won the
Sahitya Akademi award for his novel Smarakasilakal in 1980 and the Kerala Sahithya Akademi award twice
for the same novel in 1978 and for Malamukalile Abdulla in 1980.
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