NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ Completes 10 Years: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular radio programme Mann Ki Baat has completed ten years on 3 October. It was on this day in 2014 that Mr Modi started sharing his thoughts through the programme on Akashvani. In the ten-year journey of the programme, the Prime Minister has touched on significant social, cultural, environmental, and behavioural issues that have created a positive impact in the country. Mann Ki Baat has become an important platform for interaction between the Prime Minister and the citizens.
2. Bihar to develop Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as tiger reserve, gets Centre’s nod: The Bihar government will develop the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) as the state’s second tiger reserve. The Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), which is the state’s only national park, has reached its capacity, and now the state government was finalising modalities for translocating the big cats to KWLS. The Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 1,504.96 sq km. The KWLS is bounded in the north by Bhojpur, Buxar and parts of UP’s Ghazipur, in the south by the districts of Palamu and Garhwa of Jharkhand and in the west by the districts of Sonabhadra and Varanasi of UP. On its east are the Aurangabad and Jehanabad districts of Bihar. The sanctuary supports sizable populations of leopard, sloth bear, chital, sambar, wild pig, nilgai, and chowsingha, besides about 70 species of birds.
3. RBI approves appointment of Partha Sengupta as MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved appointment of former Indian Overseas Bank MD & CEO Partha Pratim Sengupta as MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank for a period of three years. Sengupta, a career banker, was groomed at State Bank of India and rose through the ranks to the role of deputy managing director and chief credit officer, before moving to IOB to head it for around two years till December 2022.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India launches ‘Study in India’ campaign at International Education Show in Sharjah: India has officially launched its ‘Study in India’ campaign at the 20th International Education Show in Sharjah, marking a significant push to attract international students to its universities. Organized by EdCIL, a Miniratna company under the Ministry of Education, the campaign seeks to position India as a leading global education hub. The India Pavilion at Expo Centre Sharjah was inaugurated by Ahmed Mohamed Obaid Al Naboodah of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Shri Yatin Patil, Deputy Consul General of India in Dubai. The ‘Study in India’ programme showcases over 590 Indian universities and institutions, offering a variety of courses and exclusive benefits such as fee waivers and scholarships for international students.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Navy Collaborates with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance to Provide Insurance for Naval Civilians: The Indian Navy has signed an MoU with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance to offer life insurance options, including term insurance, tailored specifically for Naval Civilians, thereby providing essential financial security for their families. The year 2024 has been declared the “Year of Naval Civilians” by the Indian Navy, underscoring its commitment to improving the work environment and overall quality of life for civilian staff. This new initiative aligns with the Navy’s focus on fostering inclusivity, instilling a sense of belonging, and promoting welfare measures to support its civilian workforce.
SPORTS
1. Indian Men & Women’s team wins Bronze at Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024: The Indian men’s and women’s teams have won bronze medals in their respective events at the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024, held in Astana, Kazakhstan. This was the first medal for the women’s team in the championships after 1960, when they won bronze at Bombay, while for the men’s team, it was their third consecutive bronze medal.
2. Bronze for the Indian Men’s Team: The India men’s team of Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai lost their semi-final match against the Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 3-0 to settle for a bronze medal in the Championships. This was the third consecutive bronze medal for the India team in the Championships. The Indian team won a bronze medal at the 2021 (Doha, Qatar) and 2023 (Pyeongchang, South Korea) editions of the Asian Table Tennis Championship. Earlier, the Indian team defeated host Kazakhstan’s team 3-1 in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals.
3. Bronze for the Indian Women’s Team: The Indian women’s Table Tennis team of Ayhika Mukherjee, Manika Batra, and Sutirtha Mukherjee lost their semi-final match against the eventual winner, Japan, 3-1. This was the first medal for the Indian women’s team at the Asian Table Tennis Championships since the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) started organising the competition in 1972. The Asian Table Tennis Championships were earlier organised by the Table Tennis Federation of Asia (TTFA). The Indian team won a bronze medal at the 1960 Championships organised by TTFA. The Japanese team won the gold medal in the women’s team event by defeating China in the final.
4. Uttarakhand to host 38th National Games in 2025: The 38th edition of the National Games (Summer & Winter) will be held in Uttarakhand from January 28 to February 14, 2025, the Indian Olympic Association announced. The 37th National Games was held in Goa from 25 September to 9 November 2023. Maharashtra claimed the top spot with a whopping 228 medals, including 80 gold. This will be the first time Winter Games are held outside Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The National Games, organized by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) , aim to identify talent for the Summer Olympics. The first National Games were held in 1924 in Lahore, originally called the All-India Olympic Games.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. World Bank ups India’s growth forecast for FY25 to 7% due to rising private consumption: The World Bank upped India’s economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, ending in March 2025, to 7% year-on-year, up from April’s estimate of 6.6%, helped by a rebound in agricultural output and increased private consumption. The RBI’s rate-setting panel on Wednesday retained its real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast at 7.2 per cent for FY25. With this, the RBI has now pegged growth rate for Q2 at 7% (reduced from 7.2%), Q3 at 7.4% (up from 7.3%%) and Q4 at 7.4%. For Q1 FY26, the growth rate was kept at 7.3%.
2. UPI transactions volume increases 52% to 78.97 bn in Jan-Jun: Report: Instant payment system Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transaction volumes recorded a 52 percent year-on-year surge to 78.97 billion in the first six months of 2024, according to a report. In its India Digital Payments Report for the first half of 2024 (January to June), payment technology service provider Worldline that UPI continues to rule the payment market. The number of UPI transactions rose significantly from 8.03 billion in January 2023 to 13.9 billion by June 2024. This volume growth was matched by an increase in transaction value, which climbed from Rs 12.98 trillion in January 2023 to an impressive Rs 20.07 trillion in June 2024. In terms of volume and value contribution, PhonePe emerged as the top UPI app, followed by Google Pay and Paytm. However, average ticket size (ATS) of UPI transactions saw a decline of 8 percent, the report noted.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. South Korean author Han Kang awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature: The Royal Swedish Academy of Science has selected South Korean novelist Han Kang for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. The 2016 International Booker Prize-winning novelist Han Kang was selected by the Swedish Academy “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” Han Kang is the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.She is the second South Korean to win the Nobel Prize after former President Kim Dae-Jung. President Kim Dae-Jung was conferred the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. Han Kang will receive her 11 million Kroner prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on 10 December 2024, Alfred Nobel’s death anniversary.
2. Indian Nobel Prize Winner in Literature: Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian and Indian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913). He is the only Indian to receive the prize.
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