NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Kerala Govt To Set Up ₹237 Crore Graphene Production
Facility: The Kerala Government has set up a pilot
production facility of Graphene which will cost ₹200 crores. The Kerala
Digital University would be the implementing agency,
and KINFRA has been appointed as a special purpose vehicle for
infrastructure development. About Graphene: It is the thinnest and strongest
material in the world ever known and has good chemical stability, high
electrical conductivity, and a large surface area while being transparent and
lightweight.
2. Airbus tie-up with IIT Kanpur to promote aerospace
education: The IIT Kanpur and
Airbus signed a MoU to promote research in advanced technologies and
develop programs and activities to enhance technical capabilities Aim: To
facilitate increased collaboration in developing education programs with a
focus on research to foster talent development in the Indian aerospace sector. Objective: To
explore collaboration opportunities with global institutes where students will
get to work on projects relevant to the sector.
3. The Lords of Wankhede: WV Raman, R Kaushik’s book
unveiled: Former India
cricketer W.V. Raman and senior journalist R. Kaushik have set about
exploring the evolution of Indian cricket in these 28 years in the book
The Lords of Wankhede, which was unveiled at a star-studded function. The
tag of a world champion, though, was tough to wear, conceded Vengsarkar. “ It
was very difficult because the BCCI invited the West Indies to India very
soon,” the 67-year-old said, as the audience burst into laughter.
4. Goa CM Pramod Sawant launches ‘Swayampurna e-bazaar’ :
Goa government launched Swayampurna
e-bazaar online platform to give market to different kinds of products
made by self-help groups and women. The Swayampurna e-bazaar is an
extension of the successful Swayampurna Chavath Bazar. Goan entrepreneurs and
self-help groups can contact 9262626262 to join this platform and
sell their products online, One can also shop
via www.goaebazaar.com, thereby supporting rural Goans’ artisans and
craftsmanship.
5. PM Modi chairs meeting of 43rd edition of PRAGATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired the meeting of
the 43rd edition of PRAGATI involving Centre and State governments. PRAGATI
is the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely
Implementation. He reviewed eight key projects spread across seven states
having cumulative worth around 31 thousand crore rupees. Among these, four
projects were concerned with water supply and irrigation, two projects for
expanding National highways and connectivity, and two projects for rail and
metro rail connectivity. These are Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Odisha, West
Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Prime Minister has emphasized that PM Gati
Shakti National Master Plan Portal in conjunction with technologies such as
satellite imagery can help address various issues of implementation and
planning relating to location and land requirements for projects. The Prime
Minister also reviewed ‘Mobile Towers and 4G Coverage under USOF Projects’.
Under the Universal Service Obligation fund, USOF, 33 thousand 573 villages
with 24 thousand 149 mobile towers are to be covered for saturation of mobile
connectivity.
6. “Vimarsh” – National Hackathon on 5G technology
conducted in New Delhi: The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) will
conduct a 5G Hackathon VIMARSH 2023 to address the challenges faced
by Law Enforcement Agencies. The students can submit their ideas between the
1st of November to the 9th of December this year. The grand finale of VIMARSH
2023 will be organized on the 28th of February next year. The Hackathon will be
jointly organized by the Home Ministry, the Department of Telecom, and Telecom
Centres of Excellence India. Nine Problem Statements have been formulated to
conduct a Hackathon with students and startups. A cash award of one lakh 50
thousand rupees will be given to each winning team. The Hackathon will involve
three stages of ideas screening – Stages I and 2 will be done in virtual mode
whereas Stage 3 in physical mode.
7. 26 October 2023 – 76th Accession Day: Jammu and Kashmir is commemorating
its 76th Accession Day on 26 October 2023. This day holds great
significance as it marks the moment when the people of this former princely
state firmly chose their destiny by merging with the Union of India. Despite
being an integral part of India’s celebrated democratic journey, J&K has
faced significant challenges due to persistent external interference of
Pakistan that has aimed to disrupt its internal fabric. At the time of India’s
independence in 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided into two newly formed
nations, India and Pakistan. Alongside these two dominions, there were 580
princely states that had previously accepted the paramountcy of the British
Crown through subsidiary alliances. As per the Indian Independence Act of 1947,
these princely states were granted the choice to remain independent, join India,
or join Pakistan. The process of accession involved the signing of an
Instrument of Accession (IoA) that outlined the terms of the accession.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. In a first, India, EU carry out joint naval drills in
Gulf of Guinea: India and the European Union (EU)
conducted their maiden joint naval exercise in the Gulf of
Guinea on the west coast of Africa in a bid to boost maritime
security cooperation to support the region. During the exercise, Indian
Navy’s INS Sumedha, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, was joined by three EU
Member States’ ships in the Gulf of Guinea Italian Navy Ship ITS Foscari,
French Navy Ship FS Ventôse, and Spanish Navy Ship Tornado.
2. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2023 Celebrates on
27th October: The annual World Day
for Audiovisual Heritage on October 27 reminds us of the importance of
archiving and preserving audiovisual sources. The 2023 World Day for
Audiovisual Heritage theme is "Your Window to the World." It is
also known as AV in short, audiovisual items can be anything from a
short clip or a documentary to speeches or music. Aim: To provide us with
an insight into the social, political, economic, and linguistic realities of a
given environment.
3. Slovakia's Fico appointed prime minister for fourth
time: Robert Fico has been
appointed as prime minister of Slovakia for the fourth time. He will
attend an EU summit in Brussels where the nation-first populist’s fellow
leaders should get an early indication. President Zuzana Čaputová formally
approved the new three-party coalition government led by Fico, whose party won
elections last month on pledges to end military aid to Ukraine, slash
immigration and defend Slovakian sovereignty
4. China launches Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship: China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned
spaceship from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. A Long March-2F
carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft with three
Chinese astronauts, known as taikonauts, blasted off. This is the
30th flight mission of China's manned space program, all of which are
successful, and the 12th manned mission of the program. The trio will be
welcomed by the Shenzhou-16 crew and conduct the country's third
in-orbit rotation.
5. 27 October – World Day for Audiovisual Heritage: The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) is observed
on October 27 every year to draw attention to the significance of
audiovisual documents and to urge people to take immediate action. We may learn
about the lives and cultures of people from all around the world through
audiovisual archives. They serve as invaluable testimony to our common history
and a crucial source of knowledge. Theme 2023 – Your Window to the World The
preservation and accessibility of audiovisual heritage are crucial goals for
both memory institutions and the broader public. On October 27, 1980, during
the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Belgrade, Serbia, the Recommendation for the
Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images was adopted. This recommendation
marked a significant step in recognizing the importance of preserving and
safeguarding audiovisual materials for their cultural and historical
significance.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Amol Muzumdar Takes Over as Head Coach of India Women:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced Amol
Muzumdar would take over as the Indian women’s cricket head coach. He
has served as the head coach of the Mumbai Ranji team till the 2022–2023
domestic campaign. He has also held coaching positions with the South
African national team and IPL team Rajasthan Royals. A domestic titan, he
scored over 11,000 first-class runs in 171 matches including 30 centuries
during his 21-year playing career.
2. Deepthi Jevanji won Gold in Women’s 400m-T20 event at
Asian Para Games: India’s Deepthi Jeevanji has clinched
the gold medal in the women’s 400m-T20 event at the Asian Para Games 2023.
Deepthi clocked a timing of 56.69 seconds to finish more than two whole seconds
ahead of her nearest rival Orawan Kaising of Thailand, who secured the silver
medal with a time of 59s. Niina Knno of Japan finished third with a timing of
59.73s in Hangzhou.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Zerodha Fund House Launches Its Maiden Mutual Fund
Schemes: Zerodha Fund House launched its maiden
funds Zerodha Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund and Zerodha ELSS
Tax Saver Nifty LargeMidcap 250 Index Fund, open-ended, passive, index
equity mutual fund schemes. The NFO opened on 20th October 2023 and will
remain open till 3rd November 2023. It is a joint venture between Zerodha
Broking Limited and Smallcase Technologies Pvt Ltd
It is
India’s only passive-only AMC which will build simple, transparent, affordable
mutual funds
2. Kotak Bank partnered with NeSL to issue electronic
Bank Guarantee: Kotak Mahindra Bank has partnered
with National E-Governance Services Limited to issue its
inaugural electronic Bank Guarantee through its platform. This
collaboration is poised to usher in the era of digital trade, effectively
eliminating the traditional paper-based issuance of Bank Guarantees. The
digital transformation encompasses the issuance, modifications, closures,
digital stamping, and signing processes, resulting in a significant reduction
in the guaranteed turnaround time (TAT). This new approach enables guarantees
to be processed in just a few hours, a stark improvement compared to the two to
three working days required by the conventional paper-based method. Additionally,
the e-BG enhances security by mitigating authentication risks.
3. IndusInd Bank partnered with Viamericas to enhance
Fast Remit platform: IndusInd Bank has collaborated with Viamericas Corporation to
offer non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the US digital inward remittance
services on the ‘Indus Fast Remit’ platform. The service will offer competitive
exchange rates on remittances to India. NRIs can initiate remittance
transactions using the auto debit payment mode (automated clearing house – ACH)
through their overseas bank accounts on the Fast Remit platform. Viamericas
Corporation will leverage its existing Vostro relationship with IndusInd Bank
to credit beneficiary accounts in India, utilizing the RBI’s RDA scheme. The
digital remittance platform assures customers transparency of payment status,
the exact INR amount to be received by the beneficiary, and the expected
delivery time.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. 2 Indian-Americans awarded with America’s highest scientific award: Two Indian American scientists were awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by US President Joe Biden at the White House. The two Indian-Americans — Ashok Gadgil and Subra Suresh — were awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the National Medal of Science, respectively. The scientists, who were honoured at the event, made discoveries enabling lifesaving medical treatments, helping fight the opioid epidemic, improving food security, advancing accessibility, and much more. The National Medal of Science is the nation’s highest scientific honour, established by the US Congress in 1959 and administered by the US National Science Foundation. It is bestowed by the President of the United States on individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions in biology, computer sciences, education sciences, engineering, geosciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and social, behavioural, and economic sciences.
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