NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. JK
will cease to be a state; India now has one less state and two more UTs: From 31st October
Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) will cease to be a state and will be bifurcated into
two Union Territories (UTs). Regarding this, on August 5, the Narendra Modi
government made the monumental decision to change the status of Jammu and
Kashmir and the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was passed by the
parliament and Article 370 was abrogated. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are
now two separate UTs. Jammu and Kashmir will have its own elected legislature
and government, presided over by the appointed Lieutenant-Governor, more or
less like the Delhi and Puducherry models. India now has one less state and two
more Union Terrorities, which takes the tally to 28 states and 9 UTs.
IAS officers Girish Chandra Murmu and R K
Mathur, who has been appointed the new Lieutenant Governors (LG) for the Union
territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh respectively, will be
sworn-in at separate functions to be held in Srinagar and Leh. The appointed
day for the new UTs to come into existence is 31st October 'The National Unity
Day, marked as the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
2.
India celebrated ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ or ‘National Unity Day’ 2019: Rashtriya Ekta
Diwas 2019 (National Unity Day) was celebrated all across the country on 31st
October to commemorate the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Sardar Patel played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence,
and later during the integration of the country. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is
also known as the Iron Man of India. At the time of independence, Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for
independence, and later during the integration of the country by convincing
several princely states to align with the Indian Union. The day of his birth,
therefore, celebrates his efforts and contributions.
In 2014, when a new government formed at
the Centre, it was decided that October 31 be celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta
Diwas. Last year, the government unveiled the ‘Statue of Unity’, sculpted in
honour of Sardar Patel in the Kevadia, Gujarat. Sardar Patel was the first Deputy
Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.
3. TN
became the first state to enact a law on contract farming: Tamil Nadu has
become the first state in the country to enact a law on contract farming with
President Ram Nath Kovind giving assent to the Agricultural Produce and
Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill,
2019. The Bill aims to set a policy framework and institutional mechanism on
agricultural produce and livestock contract farming. The Bill was adopted by
the Tamil Nadu State government in February 2019. The Bill is first-of-its-kind
legislation that assures farm income.
Note: Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu:
Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor: Banwarilal Purohit; Capital of Tamil Nadu:
Chennai.
4.
Bull-Catching Festival ‘Hori Habba’ celebrated in Karnataka: 'Hori Habba', is a popular bull-catching
celebration in Karnataka. It is celebrated during the harvest season. It is an
ancient folk game native to Haveri district of Karnataka and played on the
lines of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and Kambala in Dakshina Kannada district. The
government has not been allowing these traditional games to be played following
a ban on such sports by the Supreme Court in 2017.
5.
IIIT Hyderabad create first ever Indian Brain Atlas: Researchers from
the Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), Telangana
have created the first-ever ‘Indian brain atlas’ (IBA). The Indian brain atlas
was constructed in collaboration with the Department of Imaging Sciences and
Interventional Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences
and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The study has revealed that the
Indian brain, on an average, is smaller in height, width and volume when
compared to Western and other Eastern populations. This will help in early
diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related ailments. The research has
been published in Neurology India, a peer-reviewed journal.
6.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar appointed as Deputy NSA: Former Mumbai
Police Commissioner and Maharashtra DGP Datta Padsalgikar have been appointed
as Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). The 1982-batch IPS officer had
earlier served in the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He had also served as DCP
(Detection) in crime branch, and in EOW (Economic Offences Wing). He retired as
the Director-General of Police (DGP) in 2018.
Note: Present National Security Advisor
(NSA): Ajit Doval.
7.
Anup Kumar Singh takes charge as new DG of National Security Guard: Senior IPS officer
Anup Kumar Singh has taken charge as the new Director General (DG) of the
National Security Guard (NSG). A 1985-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre,
Singh's appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The NSG is a counter-terrorism unit
under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was raised in 1984.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Sharjah International Book Fair 2019: The 38th edition of
the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 was inaugurated by Sheikh Dr
Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Nearly 1800 exhibitors from 77 countries are
participating in the Fair. The fair will showcase 987 activities presenting
scientific, knowledge and literary themes. The theme of the Sharjah
International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 is ‘Open Books Open Minds’ to promote books
and reading across age groups and communities. The Republic of Mexico has been
declared as the Guest of Honour at the 38th edition of SIBF. Sharjah
International Book Fair is an annual event and runs for 11 days.
Note: Capital of the UAE: Abu Dhabi;
Currency of the UAE: Dirham.
2.
Pak releases coin to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak: The government of
Pakistan released a new coin to commemorate the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru
Nanak. The coin worth Pakistan Rupees 50 will be available at the Kartarpur
Sahib along with a postal stamp worth Pakistan Rupees 8 to the travelling
pilgrims. The first group of pilgrims from India is expected to depart for the
neighbouring country on November 9. Islamabad will levy $20 as a service charge
on each Indian, who will visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the shrine of Guru Nanak
Dev in Pakistan. The corridor connects the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur
in India to Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan.
Note: Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran
Khan; President: Arif Alvi; Currency: Pakistani rupee; Capital: Islamabad.
3.
World’s first blockchain-based carbon trading exchange in Singapore: Worlds’ first
blockchain-based carbon trading exchange was launched by the Singapore-based
AirCarbon Pte. This will allow airlines and other corporate buyers to buy as
well sell tokens backed by carbon offset credits approved by the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The company is applying to the Monetary
Authority of Singapore for a recognized market operator license the targets for
the exchange to be fully operational in 2020. The AirCarbon Exchange will
finance the registration costs of some carbon-mitigation projects at no charge
to developers to help generate credits to trade.
4.
World Cities Day: 31 October: The United Nations General Assembly has
designated the 31st October as World Cities Day. The Day is expected to greatly
promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push
forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing
challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development
around the world. This year, the United Nations has selected the theme
“Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations” to
discuss how urbanization can be used to achieve sustainable development.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Shiva Thapa, Pooja Rani clinch gold in Olympic Test event for Boxing: Indian boxer Shiva
Thapa and Pooja Rani clinched gold medals in Olympic Test Event for Boxing in
Tokyo, Japan. While Ashish settled for a silver, ending India’s brilliant
campaign at the Olympic Test Event. Four-time Asian medallist Thapa outpunched
Kazakhstan’s national champion and Asian bronze-winner Sanatali Toltayev 5-0 to
claim the top honours in the 63-kilogram category. Former Asian Games
bronze-medallist Pooja Rani edged past Australia’s Caitlin Parker in
75-kilogram category to ensure that the Indian women’s contingent also had gold
in its kitty. In 69 kilogram category, Ashish, however, lost to Japan’s Sewon
Okazawa to sign off with a silver medal.
2.
India to play its first-ever Day-Night Test: According to the BCCI President
Sourav Ganguly, the Indian cricket team will play its first-ever Day-Night Test
match here against Bangladesh next month. The Test is scheduled to be held at
the Eden Gardens from November 22-26 and will be the second game of a two-match
series.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
India signs MoU with Saudi to launch RuPay card in the Gulf Kingdom: India on 29th
October signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to launch the RuPay card in the
country, making it the third nation in West Asia to initiate India's digital
payment system which will benefit not only the 2.6 million Indians in the Gulf
Kingdom but also Haj and Umrah pilgrims. India has already launched the RuPay
card in the UAE, Bahrain, Singapore and Bhutan.
Note: The RuPay card is a first-of-its-kind
Indian domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network, with acceptance at ATMs,
POS devices and e-commerce websites. It was launched in 2012 to fulfill the
Reserve Bank of India's vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system
of payments.
OBITUARIES
1.
First female UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata passes away: First female UN
refugee chief Sadako Ogata passed away. She served as the Chief of the UN
refugees from 1991-2000. She had also served as the head of the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2003- 2012 and also as the
chairman of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1978-1979.
2.
Former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Venkatachala passes away: N. Venkatachala,
former judge of the Supreme Court and former Lokayukta of Karnataka passed
away. Venkatachala was known for bringing to light the existence of Karnataka’s
autonomous anti-corruption wing as the Lokayukta by conducting raids on public
servants and disclosing their names and particulars of seized assets. He also
functioned as the head of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal under the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, during 1990. He was Lokayukta from
July 3, 2001, to July 2, 2006.
3.
Actor and comedian John Witherspoon passes away: Actor and comedian
John Witherspoon passed away recently. He was best known best known for the hit
Friday franchise and The Wayan Brothers. He made his feature debut in the film
The Jazz Singer (1980) and entered showbiz through stand-up comedy and started
acting in the late 1970s with guest-starring TV roles.
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