Daily GK Updates - 15th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nation pays homage to former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his 88th birth anniversary: The nation pays homage to former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his 88th birth anniversary and remembered his contributions to the country. The birthday of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam the most popular President of India is celebrated as World Students Day. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, better known as the ‘Missile Man of India’ for his contributions towards the development of the country’s missile projects was born on October 15, 1931, at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. Dr Kalam made innumerable contributions to Indian defence. Dr Kalam’s commitment, patriotism and vision to make India a strong nation will continue to inspire people. In 2002, Dr Kalam became the 11th President of India and famously became the ‘People’s President’ for his friendly nature to one and all. The former President suffered a cardiac arrest on July 27, 2015, and passed away while giving a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong.

2. Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot on A320 aircraft: Air India became the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A320 aircraft with passengers on board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice versa. The national carrier’s Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani flagged off flight AI665, which was carried to runway using Taxibot at terminal 3 of the Delhi airport to Mumbai. It is a pilot-controlled semi-robotic towbarless aircraft tractor used as alternate taxiing equipment. Taxibots will also help in decongesting boarding gates and the apron area by providing efficient pushbacks. It is the first such usage on any Airbus aircraft worldwide.

3. IIT Madras to collaborate with ExxonMobil for research in Energy and Biofuels: IIT Madras will collaborate with ExxonMobil on Research in Energy and Biofuels. The 5-year joint-research agreement focuses on biofuels, data analytics, gas conversion and transport, and is intended towards finding low-emission solutions. ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) for research on energy and biofuels is the research and engineering arm of ExxonMobil Corporation, a leading global oil, natural gas, and petrochemicals company. ExxonMobil works with over 80 universities around the world. India is the 3rd highest producer of agro-residues globally with the surplus potential of over 230 million tonnes per year after China and Brazil.

Note: Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil: Darren W. Woods; Headquarters of ExxonMobil: Texas, United States.

4. Nitin Gadkari inaugurates conference on ‘One Nation One Tag – FASTag’ in New Delhi: Union Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a conference on ‘One Nation One Tag – FASTag’ in New Delhi to roll out the process for having a unified electronic system across the country. Under this system the same FASTag affixed on the windscreen of a vehicle can be used to pay toll across all toll plazas in the country. ‘One nation, one FASTag’ rule to be implemented from 1st December 2019

5. DPIIT launches website, mobile app for IPR: Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra launched the website and mobile application L2Pro India [Learn to Protect, Secure and Maximize Your Innovation] on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). The website and app have been developed by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM)-DPIIT in collaboration with Qualcomm and National Law University (NLU), Delhi. The website and app will be very useful to the startup community which holds great promise for India and its economy. The L2Pro has been successfully implemented in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, benefiting immensely from close collaboration with respective IP organizations and public research institutions. The learning app has been customized for India in order to ensure that innovation which is fundamental to startups are protected, managed and commercialised.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kais Saied elected as new President of Tunisia: Kais Saied is elected as the new President of Tunisia after a landslide victory in recently concluded Presidential runoff. The Independent law professor Kais Saied won against his rival, Nabil Karoui. He won Tunisia’s presidential election with 73% of votes. The elections followed the death of President Beji Caid Essebsi in July 2019.

Note: Capital of Tunisia: Tunis; Currency of Tunisia: Tunisian Dinar.

2. 2nd phase of LOTUS-HR launched in New Delhi: India and the Netherlands has launched the 2nd phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program at Barapullah drain in New Delhi. This project was launched by Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan and the Dutch Royal couple, Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The Dutch Royal couple is on a five-day visit to India at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind. The project aims to demonstrate a holistic waste-water management approach that will produce clean water which can be reused for various purposes. The (LOTUS-HR) project was set up in 2017 at the Sun Dial Park here as part of a collaboration between the governments of India and the Netherlands.

3. International Day of Rural Women: 15 October: The International Day of Rural Women is observed on 15th October. The day recognizes the crucial role of women and girls in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities, improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing. This year’s theme is “Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience”. This year’s theme highlights the important role that rural women and girls play in building resilience to face the climate crisis. The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15th October 2008.

4. World Students’ Day: 15 October: World Students’ Day is celebrated every year on October 15 on former president APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday. The day is commemorated on his birth anniversary because of Dr Kalam was a dedicated teacher and identified himself foremost in that role before anything else. Due to the former President’s love for students, various educational institutions in India observe Kalam’s birthday in their own way. In 2010, the United Nations declared October 15 to be World Students’ Day..

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Priyanshu Rajawat wins men’s singles title at Bahrain International Series: Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat wins the men’s singles title at the Bahrain International Series Badminton at Isa Town, Bahrain. 17-year-old Rajawat beat top-seed Jason Anthony Ho-Shue from Canada in the finals 16-21, 21-7, 21-12 in the summit clash. Indian mixed double pair of Juhi Dewangan and Venkat Gaurav Prasad also finished at the top. They defeated Thailand’s Pannawat Theerapanitnun and Kanyanat Sudchoeichom 21-18, 21-16 in 34 minutes to bag the gold medal. Indian men's doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Saurabh Sharma settled for the runners-up position.

Note: King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; Capital: Manama.

2. ICC changes super over rule for all its major events: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has changed the super-over rule for all its major events following the uproar over the outcome of the men’s World Cup final this year when England was declared winners against New Zealand on boundary count. As per new rule, in case of a super over tie, there will be a repeated super over until one team has more runs than the other.

Note: ICC Chairman: Shashank Manohar; Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 13th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup will be held in India from February 9 to March 26, 2023.

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. Director Priyadarshan gets MP govt’s Kishore Kumar award: Noted director and producer Priyadarshan, who has made several blockbuster Malayalam and Hindi films, was conferred the Madhya Pradesh government’s National Kishore Kumar Samman for 2018-19 at a function in Khandwa, MP. The award, instituted by MP Department of Culture, carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation.

2. Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly win Booker Prize: Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges flout the rules by declaring a tie. The Booker rules say the prize must not be divided, but the judges insisted they could not separate Atwood’s – ‘The Testament’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Evaristo, who is the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969. British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s tragicomic ‘Quichotte’ was among the six books shortlisted for the prize. This was the fifth time that the Mumbai-born novelist was shortlisted, including the 1981 win where he bagged the award for “Midnight’s Children”.

Note: The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK and Ireland between October 2018 and September 2019.

Daily GK Updates - 14th October, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi Chaired Meeting on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ Programme: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the meeting on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme in New Delhi. The programme aims at enhancing interaction between people of different cultures from all the states and Union Territories. It is a personal initiative of PM Modi, highlighting India’s cultural diversity in unity and also aims to develop perspective on important issues and help in celebrating the nation’s regional culture. The programme was first announced during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas on October 31, 2015 on the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister of India who worked for the nation’s unity. Initiative on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat was announced by the then finance minister Shri Arun Jaitley during the 2016-17 budget speech.

2. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Launches SUMAN Scheme For Pregnant: The union health and family welfare minister Shri Harsh Vardhan launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) scheme during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCCHFW) in New Delhi, to provide free maternity healthcare benefits.  Website for SUMAN and grievance redressal portal was also launched during the event. The aim of this scheme is to bring down mortality in infants and maternal mortality in the country.

Note: CCHFW: It is an advisory body under Article 263 of the Constitution to advise the Department of Health (DoH), health and family welfare ministry on formulating health policies.

The first CCHFW meeting was held in 1998. All Central Council meetings held from the year 1988 up to 2010, were digitized by health & family welfare ministry in collaboration with the WHO Country Office for India.

3. 10th National Cultural Festival begins in Madhya Pradesh: 10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of Culture from 14th to 21st of October under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ campaign in Madhya Pradesh. The National Cultural festival will display diverse forms of folk, art and culture of 22 states. The concept of National Cultural Festival was conceived in the year 2015.

Note: nion Minister of State for Culture and Tourism: Prahlad Singh Patel.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRICS culture ministers’ meeting 2019 held in Curitiba, Brazil: Prahlad Singh Patel, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent charge) has participated in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Culture Ministers’ meeting 2019 held in Curitiba, Brazil. BRICS for India is a valuable platform for consultation, coordination and cooperation on contemporary global issues of mutual interest and the member countries have witnessed cultural cooperation reach new heights. A similar program called ‘Bonding Regions & Imagining Cultural Synergies’ is being organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art of India during November-December, 2019 under the aegis of BRICS Alliance of Museums and Art Gallerie.

2. Typhoon Hagibis strikes northern Japan: Typhoon Hagibis strikes Tokyo, capital of Japan after fierce rain and wind paralysed the capital. The cyclone Hagibis which caused floods, landslides and emergency disaster warnings, could be the strongest to hit Tokyo since 1958. Authorities issued evacuation advisories and orders for more than 6 million people across the country as the storm unleashed the heaviest rain and winds in years. Train operators has suspended bullet train services extensively. “Hagibis” means “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Japanese yen; PM: Shinzo Abe.

3. World Standards Day: 14 October: World Standards Day (or International Standards Day) is celebrated internationally each year on 14 October. The aim of World Standards Day is to raise awareness among regulators, industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the global economy. The 2019 theme for WSD is “Video Standards Create a Global Stage”. In 1946 in London, the day October 14 was chosen to celebrate the WSD. The first world standards day was celebrated in 1970 by Mr. FarukSünter, the then President of ISO.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Manju Rani wins silver medal in World Women’s Boxing C’ships: Manju Rani settled for silver medal in World Women’s Boxing Championships at Ulan-Ude in Russia. Russian Ekaterina Paltceva defeated Rani 4 -1 in the 48-kilogram category in the final match of the tournament.

2. Overview of 9th YONEX Dutch Open 2019 held at Topsportcentrum in Almere, Netherlands: The YONEX Dutch Open 2019 was held at Topsportcentrum in Almere, Netherlands from October 8-13, 2019. It was the 9th Super 100 tournament of the 2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour and also part of the Dutch Open championships. It was organized by the Badminton Nederland, sanctioned by the BWF. The total prize money of the tournament was $75,000.

List of Winners:

Category	Winner	Runner
Men’s Singles	Lakshya Sen (India)	Yusuke Onodera (Japan)
Women’s Singles	Wang Zhiyi (China)	Evgeniya Kosetskaya (Russia)
Men’s Doubles	Vladimir Ivanov & Ivan Sozonov (Russia)	Mark Lamsfuss & Marvin Emil Seidel (Germany)
Women’s Doubles	Gabriela Stoeva & Stefani Stoeva (Bulgaria)	Rin Iwanaga & Kie Nakanishi (Japan)
Mixed Doubles	Robin Tabeling & Selena Piek (Netherlands)	Chris Adcock & Gabby Adcock (England)

3. Simone Biles breaks the record for most world medals won by any gymnast: American artistic gymnast Simone Biles (22-years) captures all-time medal record at the World Gymnastics Championship. Biles surpassed Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo's record 23 world medals (won in the 1990s), winning “her 24th and 25th world medals (both gold) at the World Championship competition in Stuttgart. Now, Simone Biles holds the record for the most World Championship medals (25), as well as the most gold medals (19) in World Championship history for an athlete of any gender.

4. Dutee Chand breaks her own national record: Star sprinter Dutee Chand (23-years) smashed her own national record in the women’s 100 m semi-finals at the National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi. She surpassed her previous timing of 11.26 second (clocking -11.22 seconds) which she had set at the Asian Championships in April this year. Dutee clocked 11.25 seconds in the final to claim the gold, leaving Archana Suseendran and Himashree Roy behind.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. ICICI Bank launches new FD scheme called “FD health”: Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI Bank) launched a new Fixed deposit (FD) scheme called “FD health” which provides investors a complimentary critical illness cover on 33 critical illnesses for the customers who are in the age bracket of 18-50 years. For the first year, free of cost insurance cover will be provided which can be renewed later. Critical illness cover of Rs 1 lakh from ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company will be provided on opening an FD of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh for tenure of at least 2 years. Earlier, ICICI Bank had launched FD Life (FD offering a free term life insurance) and FD Invest where interest from FDs is invested in monthly Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) of a mutual fund.

Note: ICICI Bank: Headquarters: Mumbai; MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakhshi

2. World Bank cuts growth forecast to 6% from 7.5%: As per reports on South Asia, The World Bank (WB) has sharply lowered India's economic growth projection for FY 20 to 6%. (earlier estimate -7.5%). The report identified softening consumption due to slow growth in rural incomes, domestic demand and credit from NBFCs as a key challenge. Structural factors behind the weak investment were the other concern flagged by the World Bank. Bangladesh (this fiscal year-7.2%) has become the second-fastest growing economy in South Asia after Bhutan.

India’s Growth forecast:

Major credit rating agencies	GDP growth (now)	GDP growth (earlier)
Moody’s	5.8	6.8
OECD	5.9	7.2
World Bank	6	7.5
RBI	6.1	7.2
ADB	6.5	7.2

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer jointly awarded 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) awarded the Sveriges Riksbank (Nobel) Prize in Economic Sciences 2019 in the memory of Alfred Nobel jointly to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to reduce global poverty. Mumbai-born American Banerjee & French-American Duflo are from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, United States of America (USA) and American Michael Kremer is from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. Duflo became the second female economics winner in the prize’s 50-year history (after Elinor Ostrom in 2009) and she is the youngest to receive the award at the age of 46. The trio will share a prize money of 9 million Swedish krona.

DEFENCE

1. 10th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar 2019 ‘ begins in Seattle, US: The joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ between India and the US (United States) begins at Seattle’s (in Washington, US) Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). This is the 10th edition of the joint exercise, which will run until 28 October 2019. It is held alternately in India and America. In 2018, the practice took place in Jaipur, Rajasthan. A 45-member Special Forces contingent of the Indian Army has reached the US to participate in this military exercise on behalf of India. Earlier on September 19, 2019, soldiers from both countries underwent joint military training exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas 2019‘ at the Lewis-McCord base. During the exercise, the US Army played the tune of ‘Jana Gana Mana’.

OBITUARIES

1. Sara Danius, First female head of Nobel’s Literature Award Body Passes Away: Sara Danius, the first women head of the prestigious Swedish body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, has passed away. She was 57. A literature critic, professor and writer, Ms. Danius was elected to a lifetime position on the Swedish Academy’s board in 2013. She became the body’s first female permanent secretary in 2015 and resigned the position in 2018.

Daily GK Updates - 13rd Oct, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. MHoUPA launches “mHariyali” mobile app for ‘Environment Protection: Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has launched a mobile app named “mHariyali” which aims to encourage Public engagement in planting trees and other such Green drives. People can now upload information/photos of any plantation done by them, which is linked to app and will be displayed on the website www.epgc.gov.in. The App provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Singapore set to become the first country to ban ads for unhealthy sugary drinks: The health ministry of Singapore notified that it will ban ads for unhealthy sugary drinks to combat rising diabetes rates. Thus, it will become the first nation in the world to do so. As per the data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 13.7% of adults suffer from diabetes in Singapore. IDF has estimated that the number of people suffering from diabetes in the world is expected to rise to 629 million by 2045 from 420 million people at present.

2. UK to issue coin in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary: The United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr Sajid Javid (Pakistani-origin British finance minister) notified that the UK government will issue a commemorative coin to mark the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The announcement was made at the 21st Edition of the annual GG2 Leadership Awards ceremony 2019 in London hosted to celebrate the British Asian success. UK’s Royal Mint will work on the coin.

Note: UK Capital: London; Currency: Pound sterling

3. India becomes a member of G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance: India became a member of Group of 20 (G20) Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance which works towards advancing the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies. The World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation serves as secretariat for the Alliance. It will constitute global regulations and policy standards for the use of connected devices in public spaces.

About G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance: It is a league of 16 (after India joined) of the world’s leading city networks and technology governance organisations. It was established in June 2019, in conjunction with the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.

4. India ranked 82nd in 2019 Henley Passport Index ranking, Japan and Singapore top the list: Latest 2019 Henley Passport Index ranking was released. In the report, India is currently ranked at 82nd place in 2019, which is one place down from its previous rank of 81 in 2018. Japan and Singapore both hold the most powerful passport by ranking 1st in the list. The study was conducted by Henley & Partners. The index measures the strength of all the passports around the world, based on mobility scores which denotes the number of destinations that could be accessed by the passport-holders of a specific country, without a pre-departure visa. Japanese and Singaporean passport holders can visit a total of 190 countries without a prior visa, thus its mobility score is 190. India’s mobility score is 59. Afghanistan ranks last at 107th position in the list.

Ranks:

Rank	Country
1	Japan and Singapore
2	South Korea, Germany and Finland
3	Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg
4	France, Spain and Sweden
5	Austria, Netherlands and Portugal
82	India

5. International day for disaster reduction: 13 October: The International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) was observed to promote global culture towards risk awareness and disaster reduction. The theme for the year 2019 is “Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services”. In 1989, the International Day for Disaster Reduction was started by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). According to the UN, the primary objective is to focus on the target of the Sendai Framework, which highlights “Substantially to reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and education facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. American Olympic swimming champion Conor Dwyer announces retirement: American competition swimmer and 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Conor James Dwyer (30) has announced his retirement after being handed a 20-month doping ban for having testosterone in the form of pellets, surgically inserted into his body. His ban was made effective on December 21, 2019, & he won’t be eligible for Tokyo Games 2020. He had failed a series of anti-doping tests (three times) between November 15 and December 20, 2018.

2. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run a marathon in under 2 hours: An Olympic champion and world record holder from Kenya Eliud Kipchoge, aged 34, became the first person to run a marathon in under 2 hours by finishing the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40.2 seconds in Vienna’s Prater Park, Austria. He covered the distance of 26.2miles. The marathon was organised and funded by the British chemical company INEOS. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will not recognise the run as an official record because it was not in open competition.

3. Valtteri Bottas wins Formula One Japanese Grand Prix 2019: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes – Finland) has won the F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2019 Title. This is his third title for the season. Sebastian Vettel was second, Lewis Hamilton was third and Alexander Albon remained fourth.

4. Daniil Medvedev wins Shanghai Masters title 2019 (Tennis): Daniil Medvedev (of Russia) has won the Men’s singles title at Shanghai Masters 2019 (Tennis). He defeated Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-4, 6-1. In the men’s double category Mate Pavić and Bruno Soares are the winners.

5. Overview of World Youth Chess Championship 2019 held in Mumbai, India: World Youth Chess Championship 2019 was held in Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel in Mumbai, India from 1st to 13th October 2019. The Championship was organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or International Chess Federation. India bagged seven medals (highest medals than any other country) in the Championship including 1 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Russia won 5 medals in the Championship and followed by India. Medals won by Indian Players in the World Youth Chess Championship 2019:

Indian Player	Event	Medal
Praggnanandhaa R	Open U18	Gold
Agrawal Vantika	Girls U18	Silver
Srihari L R	Open U14	Silver
Deshmukh Divya	Girls U14	Silver
Ghosh Aronyak	Open U16	Bronze
Sreeshwan Maralakshikari	Open U14	Bronze
Ravi Rakshitta	Girls U14	Bronze

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. Reserve Bank imposes a monetary penalty on Balancehero India & Toyota Financial: In exercise of the powers vested under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, Country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 12.88 lakh on Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer Balancehero India Private Limited for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines. Toyota Financial Services India Limited (TFSIN), the Indian subsidiary of Toyota Financial Services Corporation (TFSC) has also faced Rs 5 lakh penalty for non-compliance with directions issued by RBI on ‘Monitoring of Frauds in NBFCs (Non-Banking Financial Companies).

Note: Balancehero India Private Limited Formation: 2014; Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana

TFSIN Founded: 2011; Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka

2. ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’ joint mass media campaign to begin: Life Insurance Council has decided to launch the Indian life insurance industry’s first joint mass media campaign with the slogan ‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’ (first thing is life insurance) within a month whose total cost will be around Rs 100 crore. For this purpose, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India will provide Rs 40 crore. It will be a joint effort of 24 Indian life insurance companies. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of life insurance. The tagline will also be presented in the major Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla among others.

3. ADB signs $190 million worth loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India (GoI) have signed the Tranche 2 loan agreement worth $190 million to upgrade 754 kilometers of Rajasthan state highways and major district roads (MDRs) to two-lane or intermediate-lane standards. The project consists of constructing over 200 bus stops, 70 km of the hard shoulder, and 2 km of raised sidewalk on project roads that will benefit commuters and pedestrians, especially women and children. The construction of roads will be based on public-private partnership (PPP) with the participation of Hybrid Annuity Mode and engineering procurement construction (EPC). The loan agreement has been signed in the presence of Shri Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary (Fund Bank and ADB), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India, and Mr Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB.

Note: ADB Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines

Rajasthan Capital: Jaipur; Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot; Governor: Kalraj Mishra

4. Mastercard India appoints Vikas Varma as COO: Mastercard India, payment technology major, elevated Mr. Vikas Varma as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the firm. He will take up the responsibility related to new partnerships and development of digital payment solutions and has been serving the firm since 2005.i. Recently, Mastercard had announced an investment of USD 1 billion (around Rs 7,100 crore) in India over the next 5 years.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. India ranked 7th in Brand Finance Nation Brands 2019; USA tops: An annual report on the most valuable and strongest nation brands named Brand Finance Nation Brands 2019 was released by Brand Finance in which India was ranked 7th from 9th rank of 2018 with 18.7% growth in brand value to $2,562 bn. The list was topped by the United States of America (USA) with 7.2% growth in brand value to $27,751 bn. Developing economies grew 31.3 times faster in growth than the developed economies. Singapore emerged as the world’s strongest nation brand with the Brand Strength Index (BSI) score 90.5 out of 100. Only India jumped to the 7th spot whereas no new countries made it to Top 10

Most valuable nation brands:

Rank	Nation	Brand value
1	USA	$27,751 bn
2	China	$19,486 bn
3	Germany	$4,855 bn
4	Japan	$4,533 bn
5	United Kingdom (UK)	$3,851 bn
7	India	$2,562 bn

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt Felicitated With Indira Gandhi Award: Noted environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the Indira Gandhi award for national integration for the year 2017-2018, for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country. Uttarakhand based 85 year old Bhatt will be presented the 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration on October 31 in New Delhi. It consists of a citation and Rs 10 lakh in cash. The award was instituted by the Indian National Congress in memory of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and is presented on Oct 31, the day she was killed.

DEFENCE

1. 2nd edition of Indo-Japan joint military exercise “Dharma Guardian 2019” to be held in Vairengte, Mizoram: The 2nd joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian-2019’ to promote military cooperation between India and Japan will be held in Mizoram. The event is being held from 19 October- 2 November 2019 at Counter Insurgency Warfare School located in Vairengte, Mizoram. Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will participate in the exercise with the aim to share their views on various aspects related to the work of the army. This joint military exercise will improve mutual relations between the two countries and will help in fighting against terrorism. ‘Dharma Guardian exercise is an annual training event, which is being held in India since 2018.

Note: Japan Capital: Tokyo; Currency: Japanese yen; Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe