Daily GK Updates - 2nd October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AM Raghunath Nambiar takes over as AOC-in-C : Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar on October 1, 2018, took over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Eastern Air Command.He is also a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and was the Project Test Pilot for the Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas’.He had served as a Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at the IAF’s Eastern Air Command in the pas

2. Birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri : The nation celebrates the 114th birth anniversary of India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on October 2.He was the 2nd Prime Minister of India and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress political party.Prime Minister visited the Vijay Ghat to pay tributes to the former prime minister.Shastri coined the slogan ‘jai jawan jai kisan’.

3. PPC launched on 2nd October 2018 : The Central government launched its People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) for panchayats from October 2, 2018, with the slogan “Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas”.During the campaign, structured Gram Sabha meetings will be held for preparing Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) for the next financial year 2019-2020GPDP aims to strengthen the role of elected Panchayat leaders and Women.

4. HRD min gave ‘Swachhata Ranking Awards 2018’ : Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar announced the “Swachh Campus rankings” under 8 different categories on 1 October 2018.Haryana’s Maharashi Dayanand University has been ranked the cleanest government university by the HRD Ministry.Among the technical institutions, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore bagged the top rank.

5. 150 years of Gandhi: The nation today remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat today. Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also paid their tributes to Gandhiji. Every year, the nation pays homage to Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was fondly called Bapu, on his birth anniversary on October 2, which is also known as Gandhi Jayanti. Born in 1869 in Gujarat's Porbandar, Mahatma Gandhi had his early political training in South Africa while working among the local Indian community facing discrimination.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. U.S., Canada agree on free trade pact : Canada and the U.S. have agreed on a new free trade pact that will include Mexico.The new trade deal will be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).USMCA replaces the nearly 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).The trade pact will come up for review every six years.

2. Int Day of Non-Violence observed on Oct 2 : The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October in honor of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.The International Day of Non-Violence is a global observance that promotes non-violence through education and public awareness.On 15 June 2007 the United Nations General Assembly establish 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence.

3. India, Uzbekistan signed 17 agreements : India and Uzbekistan inked 17 agreements on 1 October 2018, including in the areas of defence, space, health and agriculture.They also signed an agreement on cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking.Two agreements in the sectors of innovation, and health and medical science were also signed.The two countries also entered into a pact on cooperation in the pharma sector

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Govt releases agri census data for 2015-16 : The government of India released agriculture census for 2015-16 on 1 October 2018.The average size of operational holding declined to 1.08 hectares (ha) in 2015-16 compared to 1.15 ha in 2010-11.The percentage share of female operational holders has increased from 12.79% in 2010-11 to 13.87% in 2015-16.Agriculture census is conducted by Ministry of Agriculture for every five years.

2. Government took control of IL&FS : The government of India took control of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) on 1 October 2018.The government replaced its board and appointed new board members.Uday Kotak was named as non-executive chairman of the new board.The government moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for replacing the IL&FS Board.

3. Gita Gopinath appointed IMF Chief Economist : India-born economist, Gita Gopinath has been appointed chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).She will succeed Maurice Obstfeld, who announced his retirement in July.She is the second Indian economist to be appointed as IMF chief economist after Raghuram Rajan.She currently serves as professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. ADB and India sign $150 Million Loan : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $150 Million Loan.The loan amount will be used to improve road connectivity and efficiency of the International Trade Corridor in West Bengal and North-Eastern Region of India.The project will give a boost to India’s efforts to promote regional connectivity in South Asia.

SPORTS:

1. India’s flag-bearer at Youth Olympic Games : 16-year-old shooting star Manu Bhaker is named as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Youth Olympic Games at Buenos Aires.A contingent of 68 members, including 46 athletes, departed for Argentina to take part in games from October 6-18.Bhaker had won gold in 10m air pistol at Guadalajara World Cup as well as Commonwealth Games.

2. Mushtaque Ahmad- new Hockey India President  : Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad was is named as the new President of Hockey India (HI).Ahmad is currently serving as the post of Secretary General.He takes over President Rajinder Singh after being elected unopposed.Hockey India is the governing body having an exclusive mandate to conduct all activities for both men and women hockey in India.

Daily GK Updates - 1st October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1.PM Modi inaugurates Mahatma Gandhi Museum at Rajkot : The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi museum at Alfred High school in Rajkot, Gujarat.This Museum captures every nuance of Bapu's philosophy and puts it in the context of history, spread across 40 rooms on two floors.The Prime Minister also unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of a public housing project of 624 houses.He witnessed the e-Gruh Pravesh of 240 beneficiary families.The building has witnessed too many incidents in Mahatma Gandhi’s early life that moulded not only him but the history of this country.

2. Assam govt to launch Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women in tea gardens : Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal has launched Wage Compensation Scheme for Pregnant Women in tea gardens of the state in Guwahati.The scheme will provide better health and nutrition supplements to the pregnant women.An amount of Rs. 12,000 (in 4 instalments) will be given to the pregnant woman so that she could take care of herself and unborn baby without compromising the livelihood of her family.

3. Kolkata launches India’s first flood forecast system : The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) with the support of the Asian Development Bank has launched the country’s first flood forecasting and early-warning system.It will provide real-time data on inundation, rainfall intensity, temperature, air quality and other climate-related dataThis is expected to help policy-makers make informed decisions during disasters.

4. India’s Largest war memorial of India will be built in Jharkhand : According to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, the state government is constructing India's biggest war memorial.Stories of the slain soldiers' bravery will be written in the war memorial which will have a replica of the Kargil War so that the youth can understand their duties towards the nation.

5. Narendra Modi inaugurates the conference on academic leadership on education for a resurgence : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 'Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence' in Delhi.The aim of this conference is to further strengthen the education system in the country.It widens the ambit of education from all round development of an individual to make the youth agents of nation-building.

6. Jayant Mammen Mathew elected president of INS : Jayant Mammen Mathew has been elected as the president of the prestigious Indian Newspaper Society, an apex body of the country’s print media industry for the year 2018-19.He succeeds Akila Urankar of Business Standard.Mr Mathew is the Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day of Older Persons is being observed today : The International Day of Older Persons is observed on 1^st October every year to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse.It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.The theme of the 2018 commemoration is "Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions".

2. Canada agrees to join trade accord with US & Mexico : Canada and the United States reached a deal for Canada, USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) to stay in a free trade pact with the U.S. and Mexico.It replaces the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

3.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Delhi : The United Nations Secretary-General ‘Antonio Guterres’ arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.He will participate in the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre in New Delhi.The UN Chief will also attend the joint inaugural ceremony of the First Assembly of International Solar Alliance, 2nd RE-INVEST Conference and Energy Ministers Meet of Indian Ocean Rim Association of States member countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Ajit Mohan appointed Facebook India MD : Ajit Mohan has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Vice President of the Facebook (its India wing).

Earlier, Mr Ajit has served as chief executive of Hotstar, a streaming platform owned by Twenty-First Century Fox’s Star India arm, since April 2016.

SPORTS:

1.  Yuvraj Wadhwani lifts Asian Junior Squash title : Yuvraj Wadhwani has won the 25th Asian junior individual squash championship title in Chennai.He defeated Anas Ali Shah of Pakistan by 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10 in the final.Yuvraj has become the second Indian (first Veer Chotrani in 2014) to win the Under-13 title.India came out of the championship with a gold, a silver and four bronze medals.

OBITUARIES:

1. Veteran Harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar passes away : Renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar(84-year) passed away in Mumbai.Borkar was conferred the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contributions to Indian music.

He was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

Daily GK Updates - 30th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India celebrated the 2nd Anniversary of Surgical Strikes as Parakram Parv during 29th to 30th September 2018. : The Parakram Parv celebrations were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ‘Combined Commanders’ Conference in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Exhibition to highlight the valour and accomplishments of the Indian Army was also organised by Konark Corps at Jodhpur Military station.

2. Review Committee for Competition Act – 2002 : Government has constituted A Competition Law Review Committee to review the ‘Competition Act-2002’.The Chairperson of the Committee ‘Injeti Srinivas’ will be Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

3. Telecom giant Bharti Enterprises to join hands with Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu called on Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder, and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises. The various IT-based initiative of Andhra government, Mittal expressed his willingness in joining hands with the state government.

4. Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate Worlds largest dome in Pune on Oct 2  The 160 ft dome will be inaugurated at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Loni-Kalbhor campus, on October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. With 160 feet diameter and 263 feet height, this would be one of the largest domes in the world. Earlier the largest dome was at Vatican city with 136 feet diameter and 448 feet height. On October 2, the World Parliament of Science, Religion and Philosophy, organised in the name of the philosopher-saint Dnyaneshwara and Jagadguru Saint Tukaram Maharaj will be inaugurated.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.International Current Affairs : The observance of this day seeks to recognize contribution of unsung heroes behind international diplomacy who work as language professionals to facilitate dialogue and contribute to development and strengthens world peace and security. Theme of International Translation Day 2018 : "Translation: promoting cultural heritage in changing times"

2.India And UN Signed A Five-Year Sustainable Development Framework Amitabh Kant and United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Yuri Afanasiev, signed the Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022, at a special signing ceremony. The NITI Aayog is the national counterpart for the UN in India for the operationalization of the UNSDF.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. World Cup Finals – Archery : Archer Deepika Kumari won bronze in World Cup Finals.Abhishek Verma won a bronze in the men’s compound event.

2. Bajrang Punia with JSW Sports : Bajrang Punia has signed up with athlete management firm JSW Sports.He is current Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

3. 2018 World Wrestling Championships : Senior World Wrestling Championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary.It will start from Oct 20 to Oct 28.

Daily GK Updates - 29th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ravi, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, elected PTI chairman : Ravi, the publisher of The Hindu Group of Newspapers, unanimously elected Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI), the country’s largest news agency.Vijay Kumar Chopra, the chief editor of Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers, unanimously elected Vice Chairman of PTI.Ravi, 70, succeeds Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of the Express Group.

2.Mary Kom has been named brand ambassador of Tribes India : Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom was named as the brand ambassador of TribesIndia, an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the "Punch Tantra" collection to promote tribal artifacts and named Mary Kom as the brand ambassador of "Tribes India"- an initiative to promote tribal artifacts.Punch Tantra is an exclusive collection, which comprises a range of ethic and traditional tribal handicrafts and handloom products, was also unveiled during the event.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Typhoon Trami hit Japan's southern island of Okinawa : Typhoon Trami hit Japan's southern island of Okinawa with a maximum speed of 216 kilometres per hour today.Officials said, at least five people have been injured so far but no one is feared dead.However, the number may rise.

2. Nearly 400 killed in Indonesian quake, tsunami : Nearly 400 people were killed when a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling into the Indonesian island ofThe national disaster agency put the official death toll so far at 384, all of them in the tsunami- struck city of Palu but warned the toll was likely to rise.Some 540 people were badly injured, it added.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  India's external debt declines 2.8 percent $514.4 billion at end-June- RBI :According to the RBI, India's external debt declined 2.8 percent to USD 514.4 billion at June-end over the previous quarter       on account of a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt, and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits.at end-June 2018, the external debt was placed at USD 514.4 billion, recording a decrease of USD 14.9 billion over its level at end-March 2018.As per the RBI, the decrease in the magnitude of external debt was primarily due to valuation gains resulting from the appreciation of the US dollar against the Indian rupee and major currencies.

2.  RBI slaps Rs 5 crore penalty on Karur Vysya Bank : The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of its directives.According to an RBI statement on Friday, the penalty was imposed for non-compliance with its directions on "Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, reporting of frauds, and on the need for discipline at the time of opening of current accounts".

SPORTS:

1. India lift Asia Cup for the 7th time : India has lifted the Asia Cup for a record seventh time.In the final of Asia Cup 2018, India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets on the final ball of the match to successfully defend the title. India won the toss and chose to field.At one time Bangladesh was 120 for no loss but the team was all out on 222 in 48.3 overs. Opener Liton Das scored 121, his maiden ODI ton.

Kuldeep Yadav bagged 3 wickets.

Daily GK Updates - 28th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1.PM Modi inaugurates Parakram Parv in Jodhpur : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the’ Parakram Parv’ at the Combined Commanders' Conference in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.The Parakram Parv has commemorated the second anniversary of the surgical strikes and is being organised by the Konark Corps at the Jodhpur Military station.Similarly, around 53 locations in 51 cities across the country will be showcasing the events highlighting valour of Indian Armed Forces in general and Special Forces in particular.

2. NABARD hosts B2B Grameena Habba in Bengaluru : NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) has organized "Grameena Habba" at Premachandra Sagar Hall near Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar.Grameena Habba is an exhibition cum sale of rural artisan products to provide a platform for weavers, rural artisans, and craftsmen, rural entrepreneurs to display and sell their products.About 40 artisans from across the state is displaying their products for sale.

3.Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurates International conference on plastics recycling and waste management : Hardeep Singh Puri (Housing and Urban Affairs Minister) has inaugurated the International conference on plastics recycling and waste management: Opportunity and Challenges, in New Delhi.Puri emphasized on solid waste management and said, urban rejuvenation has to be green & sustainable and government's flagship programmes.

4.Rajni Kant Misra appointed BSF chief & S S Deswal to head SSB : Rajni Kant Misra (IPS officer- 1984-batch -UP cadre) has been appointed as the director general of the Border Security Force (BSF).Misra is at present serving as the SSB chief.About two-lakh strong BSF guards India's frontier with Pakistan and Bangladesh.Mr. S S Deswal (IPS officer-1984-batch-Haryana cadre) has been appointed as the director general of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Commerce Ministers of India & Bangladesh hold Bilateral Meeting in Dhaka : The Union Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation minister Suresh Prabhu and Tofail Ahmed (Commerce Minister of Bangladesh) hold the bilateral meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh.They reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral relations on the basis of friendship, trust, and understanding for the mutual benefit of the people of Bangladesh and India.

2. High-Level meeting on Tuberculosis at 73rd Session of UNGA held in New York : The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare minister J P Nadda addressed at the ‘High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York (USA).By launching the TB Free India Campaign, India has shown personal commitment to tackle TB head-on as India plans to eliminate TB by 2025.In the current year, India has allocated USD 430 million for implementation of the Plan, which is an increase of 54% over last year.

3. World Rabies Day being observed today : The World Rabies Day is observed on 28th September (since-2007) across the world to raise awareness about the rabies disease and its preventable measures.The day also marks the anniversary of French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur's death, who developed the first rabies vaccine.The World Rabies Day 2018 theme is Rabies: Share the message. Save a life.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship begins in Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated the 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.The pan-Asian yoga event is being held in the country for the second time, organized by Asian Yoga Federation.Competitions would be held under various age groups in six categories including Asian yogasana sports competition, artistic yoga, artistic pair yoga, rhythmic yoga, free flow dance competition, and professional yogasana sports competition.Nearly 450 participants representing 12 Asian countries showcasing their yoga skills will take part in the four-day event.

Daily GK Updates - 27th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  President Kovind clears ordinance to set up a committee to run Medical Council of India : President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to promulgate an Ordinance to set up a committee to run the Medical Council of India (MCI) until Parliament passes legislation to replace the body with a new commission.The notification also stated that until a new council was reconstructed board would be constituted to take over the functioning of MCI.Earlier, the union cabinet cleared the Ordinance.

2. Cabinet approves National Digital Communication Policy : The union cabinet has approved the National Digital Communication Policy 2018 which aims to provide universal broadband connectivity at 50 megabit per second (MBPS) to every citizen.It will also provide one Gbps connectivity to all Gram Panchayats by 2020 and 10 Gbps by 2022.This estimated speed is much faster than the present speed being provided to Gram Panchayats and will enable fast Internet surfing and download of data.

3. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates ‘Lok Manthan 2018’ in Ranchi : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated a national literary and intellectual conference ‘Lok Manthan 2018’ at Khel Gaon in Ranchi.This four-day event is being organized by the Department of Culture of Jharkhand Government in association with an NGO to have discussions on present social and cultural issues facing the country.

4.  Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates Smart City Expo India-2018:

Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated three days long ‘Smart City Expo India-2018’ in Jaipur, Rajasthan.The object of this expo is to have discussions among different experts and groups to utilize benefits of new technology, town planning, capacity management, challenges before socio-economic development and development of networking in the Smart City sector.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The World Tourism Day being observed today : The World Tourism Day (WTD) is being observed annually on 27th September (since-1980) to raise awareness about the importance of tourism.The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.The theme of 2018 is ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’.

2.  27th September: World Maritime Day  : The World Maritime Day is being observed across the world on 27th September (last Thursday of September) to highlight the importance of shipping safety and maritime security.The theme of 2018 is ‘IMO 70: Our Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future’.

3.  Narendra Modi & Emmanuel Macron get UN Champions of the Earth Award : Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded with the prestigious UN's (United Nations) Highest Environmental Award for championing the International Solar Alliance.According to UN Environment, Mr. Modi and Emmanuel Macron (French President) have been awarded in the Policy Leadership category, for their efforts regarding their International Solar Alliance.The award also recognizes the efforts for promoting new areas of co-operation on environmental action.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Govt. increases customs duties on 19 items : The union government has increased Custom Duty on 19 items, including jet fuel, ACs and refrigerators to curb imports of non-essential goods (operational since midnight).The total value of imports of these items in the year 2017-18 was about 86 thousand Crore rupees.The government has also announced an import duty of 5% on aviation turbine fuel (earlier it was nil).Curbing non-essential imports is part of the five-pronged steps announced by the government to check to widen the Current Account Deficit and capital outflows.

DEFENCE:

1.  IAF successfully test-fires air-to-air ‘Astra’ missile : The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) ‘Astra’ has successfully test-fired by the Indian Air Force from Su-30 aircraft Air Force Station, Kalaikunda in West Bengal.Astra is the best in class weapon system and has undergone more than twenty developmental trials.This effort for building a state-of-the-art BVRAAM by Defence Research and Development Organisation together with IAF completed the development phase of the weapon system successfully.

Daily GK Updates - 26th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates air pollution mitigation devices in Delhi :The Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the air pollution control device WAYU (Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit) for traffic junctions at ITO intersection and Mukarba Chowk in Delhi.The air pollution control device 'WAYU' has been developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) and funded by the Department of Science and Technology.It consumes only half a unit of electricity for 10 hours of running and has a maintenance cost of only Rs. 1,500 per month, can purify the air in 500 square meters area.

2. Finance Ministry launched mobile app ‘Jan Dhan Darshak : The union finance Ministry has launched Mobile Application ‘Jan Dhan Darshak’ as a Part of Financial Inclusion (FI) initiative.This app will act as a guide for the common people in locating a financial service touch point at a given location in the country.Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC) have jointly developed this app as a part of the financial inclusion initiative.

3. NITI Aayog to Organize Conference on Empowerment of Women SHGs : Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Jual Oram has inaugurated a Conference on Empowerment of Women SHGs & Organic Farmers Co-operatives from Dantewada, Bastar Region.NITI Aayog has Organized Conference in collaboration with the Tribal Affairs Ministry and Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).

4.  SC constitutes committee over prison reforms : The Supreme Court (SC) has constituted a three-member committee headed by the apex court's Justice (retd.) Amitava Roy to look into the problems in prisons across the country and suggest measures to tackle them.The Government officials will also assist the committee and submit a report before the top court in a stipulated time period.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  India ranks 96th on Economic Freedom Index; HK, Singapore retain top spot : According to the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in conjunction with Canada’s Fraser Institute, India’s rank was still placed 96th (last year 98th) among 162 countries in this year’s report on Economic Freedom in the World.Hong Kong and Singapore again topped the index, Russia (87^th) and South Africa (94^th) are ahead of India while China (108^th) and Brazil (144^th) are behind.India improved its score on parameters such as legal system and property rights, access to sound money, freedom to trade internationally and regulation of credit, labour, and business.

2. Nepalese celebrate Indra Jatra festival : The famous Indra Jatra festival (eight-day long) is being celebrated with gaiety and religious fervor in Kathmandu (Nepal).President Bidya Devi Bhandari and thousands of people attended the Indra Jatra celebrations.The annual festival Indra Jatra is observed to worship the god Devraj Indra, the lord of rain and good harvest.Indra Jatra is mainly celebrated by the Newar community of Kathmandu valley and some other parts of the country.

3. ‘India - Uzbekistan: Dialogue of Cultures’ exhibition inaugurated in New Delhi : Shri Arun Goel (Secretary, Ministry of Culture) has inaugurated the exhibition “India - Uzbekistan: Dialogue of Cultures” at National Museum in New Delhi (till 24^th October).The exhibit will showcase ancient Uzbek manuscripts for onlookers to delve into the historical legacy of the two great nations.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FIANANCE:

1. ADB approves USD 500 mn for Tamil Nadu water supply, sewerage, drainage infra : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved financing of up to USD 500 million for a multi-tranche financing facility (MFF).It will develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in at least 10 cities in Tamil Nadu.The country's first solar-powered sewage treatment plant on a pilot basis will also be part of the programme.

DEFENCE:

1.  Defense Acquisition Council approves procurement of one thousand engines for T-72 tanks : Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 1,000 engines for fitment in T-72 tanks of the Army at an approximate cost of over 2,300 crore rupees.The engines will enhance mobility, agility, and acceleration of T-72 tanks making them more versatile and effective in the battlefield.The DAC has also approved several amendments to Defence Procurement Procedure 2016, the manual governing the defense procurements.

OBITUARIES:

1. Hindi commentator Jasdev Singh passes away : Renowned Hindi commentator Jasdev Singh(87-year) passed away after the prolonged illness.He started his career in All India Radio in 1955 at their Jaipur station.He also did commentary for the Republic Day celeb for 48 long years (from 1963).Mr. Singh covered 9 Olympics, 6 Asian Games & countless Independence Day & Republic Day broadcasts.Jasdev was conferred with the Padma Shri (in 1985) and the Padma Bhushan(in 2008).