A2Z IBPS PO 2018 Current Affairs PDF

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MOU/Agreement Countries

 India and Russia signed a document for cooperation on a new nuclear power project in India with the latest VVER- 1200 type reactors powered by advanced fuel.  Indian and Russia signed the USD 5.4 billion S-400 air defence system deal in New Delhi while Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit.  To promote innovative cooperation between students of India and Russia, a Memorandum of Understanding was exchanged between India’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the Russian Federation’s SIRIUS Educational Foundation in the presence of the PM Narendra Modi and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in New Delhi.  India and Myanmar signed an important MoU for the appointment of a private Port Operator for the Operation and Maintenance of Sittwe Port, Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated facilities included in the Kaladan Multi Model Transit Transport Project in implementation of India’s Act East Policy.  The Union Cabinet approved an agreement signed among BRICS nations for cooperation in the social and labour sphere. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding among India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, regarding cooperation in the social and labour sphere.  India and the United Kingdom will collaborate on research on different aspects of the Ganga delta region and the Bay of Bengal. The two countries are also collaborating in several areas of earth sciences and weather, like the monsoon.  India and Japan decided to cooperate for the first time in the areas of Indian traditional medicinal systems such as Yoga and Ayurveda to provide holistic healthcare and wellness in both the countries.  India and Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Kathmandu on preliminary engineering-cum- traffic survey of the proposed Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli agreed to foster bilateral ties.  India and France have signed an implementation agreement on “Mobilise Your City” (MYC) in the presence of MoS, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri and Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India. The MYC will support three pilot cities — Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.  The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa on cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Malta for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and BruneiDarussalam on cooperation in the operation of telemetry tracking and telecommand station for satellite and launch vehicles, and for cooperation in the field of space research, science and applications.  India and Niger signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre (MGICC) in Niamey, Niger with the Indian government’s grant assistance.  The US and India have formed an alliance comprising leading experts in public and private sectors to combat the menace of tuberculosis. US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Mark Green announced

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the formation of ‘USAID-India End TB Alliance’ at an event in New York in presence of Union Health Minister J P Nadda. USAID is making an initial USD 30 million commitment.  CEO NITI Aayog, 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.

MOU Industry/States/Others

 UNICEF and NASSCOM Foundation signed an agreement to strengthen child rights through meaningful business interventions. With this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organisations will work collaboratively on two key areas including national sensitisation on ‘child online protection’ and ‘encouraging innovations for child rights’ in the country.  The Indian Space Research Organisation will set up a centre at the Central University Jammu (CUJ) to expand its presence to the northernmost state of India.  India and Sri Lanka signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for construction of 1200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of 60 crore Srilankan rupees.  The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Internet City (DIC) to facilitate expansion of Indian businesses in the Middle East.  Nasscom, the IT industry body, has signed a partnership with the government of Hiroshima under which the two sides will co-invest in creating a Japan-India IT Corridor.  Country’s largest lender State Bank of India(SBI) and payments solution provider Hitachi Payment Services India entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for establishing a card acceptance and digital payment platform.  The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced that it would work with WhatsApp to educate and train Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on how WhatsApp Business app can help them grow their businesses.  Software major Adobe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to launch an “Adobe Digital Disha” programme across vocational institutes in India.The programme is focused on helping vocational institutes leverage the power of a free online and mobile graphic design app “Adobe Spark” to integrate creativity and digital literacy into classrooms and curriculum.  NITI Aayog, Intel and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, TIFR are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence, ICTAI.  In a big push to modernise India’s emergency response infrastructure, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),Department of Space are collaborating together to set up an advance Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER).  In a bid to battle the issue of counterfeit drugs in India, NITI Aayog joined hands with Cloud major Oracle, Apollo Hospitals and global pharmaceutical manufacturer Strides Pharma Sciences to pilot a real drug supply chain, using Blockchain decentralised ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) software.  The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission, has partnered with Google to launch the Loo Review campaign to encourage all local guides in India to rate and review public toilets on Google Maps.  The Union Ministry of Water Resources, the NABARD and the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) signed a revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for funding of central share of 99 prioritised irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).

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 National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed an MoU with SME Corporation Malaysia for exchange of information and cooperation in areas such as policies to aid development of small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the two countries.  Prasar Bharati and Mizzima Media Group of Myanmar signed an MoU to realize cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting and content sharing.  A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Health Agency (NHA), to provide capacity building for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to ensure effective rollout and continued quality implementation. Appointments and Resignations

Name Post Institution National Disaster Response Force chief Sanjay Kumar was given additional charge of the post of Director General of Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards. Justice Ranjan Gogoi 46th Chief Justice of India Succeeds Dipak Misra Ravi Venkatesan UNICEF’s special representative of young people Gita Gopinath Chief Economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Jayant Mammen President of Indian Newspaper Society Mathew Rangachari Sridharan First chief of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) Mohd Mushtaque Hockey India president Succeeds Rajinder Singh Ahmad Vikram Limaye Chairman of the working group committee of He is NSE’s Managing Director and World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) CEO Arkady Dvorkovich FIDE (World Chess Federation) President 89th FIDE Congress held at Batumi in Georgia Sandeep Bakhshi MD & CEO of ICICI Bank After Chanda Kochhar quit the position. Rakesh Sharma MD of IDBI Bank Bank of Baroda’s MD and CEO P S Jayakumar gets one-year extension RBI clears re-appointment of Aditya Puri as HDFC Bank MD Satish Kumar Gupta MD & CEO of Paytm Payments Bank Tushar Mehta Solicitor General of India Succeeds Ranjit Kumar Pravin Srivastava Chief Statistician of India(CSI) Nimesh Shah Chairperson of Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) Arundhati Advisor of ChrysCapital Advisors LLP She is former SBI chairperson Bhattacharya Suresh Nambath Editor of The Hindu Nageshwar Rao Interim Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Sanjay Kumar Mishra Interim Director of the Enforcement Directorate

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(ED) Sajjan Jindal Treasurer Of World Steel Association Srinivasan Swamy Chairman and world president of International Advertising Association Pankaj Sharma Ambassador and India’s permanent He will replace Amandeep Gill. representative to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament Ranjan Gogoi Chief Justice of India He will take charge on October 3, 2018 after Justice Dipak Misra’s retirement. Anil Khosla Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force He will succeed Shirish Baban Deo L K Advani Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha Shivakumar Chairman of the board of The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) N. Ravi Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI) Vijay Kumar Chopra Vice-Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI) Sunil Mehta Chairman of Indian Banks Association (IBA) He is Punjab National Bank’s managing director and chief executive. He will succeed Usha Ananthasubramanian Anshula Kant Managing Director of State Bank of India Will succeed B Sriram Prashant Kumar Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SBI Amitabh Chaudhry Chief Executive and Managing Director of Axis After Shikha Sharma’s tenure will end Bank in December Ashwani Bhatia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Will take over from Anuradha Rao SBI Mutual Fund Vibha Padalkar Executive director and Chief financial officer of Will succeed Amitabh Chaudhary, HDFC Standard Life who joined Axis Bank on September 8. Tajinder Mukherjee Chairman and Managing Director of National Insurance Company Limited (NIC) R Madhavan Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Anil Kumar Chaudhary‘ Chairman and Managing Director of Steel Authority of India Ltd Poonam Khetrapal Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Singh Akshay Kumar Ambassador of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation MC Mary Kom Brand Ambassador of BSNL Hima Das Sports Ambassador of Assam nicknamed the "Dhing Express", is an Indian sprint runner from Assam Anushka Sharma and Signed in to promote and endorse the Skill India Varun Dhawan Mission, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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Actress Jaya Prada Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of The government has decided to Nepal tourism observe the year 2020 as the ‘Visit Nepal Year’ campaign Ajit Mohan Facebook India’s vice-president and managing director Punch Tantra Brand Ambassador of Tribes India Collection and Ms. Mary Kom Vikram Misri India’s Ambassador to China Arun Jaitley Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate He took charge after a 3 month Affairs interval. In Mr. Jaitley’s absence, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took care of Finance and Corporate Affairs. M.K. Stalin DMK President Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a state political party in the state of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry. Balesh Sharma Vodafone Idea’s first CEO The merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular is complete after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger, creating India’s largest telecom operator with over 400 million subscribers, a joint statement by the two companies said on 31 August. G Satheesh Reddy Chairman of the Defence Research Development S Christopher Organisation (DRDO) Satya Pal Malik Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Will replace NN Vohra Lal Ji Tandon Governor of Bihar Will replace Satya Pal Malik Satyadeo Narayan Arya Governor of Haryana Will replace Kaptan Singh Solanki Kaptan Singh Solanki Governor of Tripura Will replace Tathagata Roy Tathagata Roy Governor of Meghalaya Will replace Ganga Prasad Ganga Prasad Governor of Sikkim Will replace Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil Baby Rani Maurya Governor of Uttarakhand Will replace Krishan Kant Paul Sandeep Bakhshi Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ICICI Bank Rana Kapoor Yes Bank CEO Re-appointed Prachi Mishra Managing Director and Chief India Economist of Goldman Sachs Ashish Kumar Bhutani Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) Geeta Mittal First woman judge of J&K High Court Ram Sewak Sharma Chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Re-appointed for 2 years Authority of India (TRAI) Rekha Sharma Chairperson of National Commission for Women Lalitha Kumarmangalam (had

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demitted office in September 2017) Justice Manjula Chellur Chairperson of Appellate Tribunal for Electricity Justice Ranjana P. Desai (who retired on November 30, 2017)

N Raghuram Chairman of the International Nitrogen Initiative Raghuram is the first Indian and (INI) Asian to be elected to the Chair. He will succeed Mark Sutton of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh. Uday Kumar Varma Assocham Secretary General Actor Akshay Kumar Road Safety Brand Ambassador By Road Transport & Highways Ministry Raveena Tandon Brand Ambassador of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) Parineeti Chopra Brand Ambassador of fashion brand Rangriti by Biba Apparels Pvt Ltd Satya S. Tripathi Assistant Secretary-General at UN Environment Programme’s New York office Michelle Bachelet UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (Chile’s twice-serving president) Keith Enright Chief Privacy Officer of Google Brett Kavanaugh 114th US Supreme Court justice Succeeds Justice Anthony Kennedy Ramon Laguarta CEO of PepsiCo Succeeds Indra Nooyi Adam Mosseri Instagram Head Sahle-Work Zewde President of Ethiopia 1st Woman president Barham Salih President of Iraq Paul Biya President of Cameroon Michael D Higgins President of Ireland Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil

Emmerson Mnangagwa President of Zimbabwe Iván Duque Márquez President of Columbia Juan Manuel Santos Calderón Mario Abdo Benítez President of Paraguay Horacio Cartes Ibrahim Boubacar Keita President of Mali Re-elected for a 5 year term Ibrahim Mohamed President of Maldives Solih Dr Arif Alvi President of Pakistan He will succeed Mamnoon Hussain Moutaz Mousa Prime Minister of Sudan He will succeed Bakri Hassan Saleh Abdallah Scott Morrison Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull Imran Khan Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Maeen Abdulmalik Prime Minister of Yemen Mahinda Rajpaksa Prime Minister of Sri Lanka HMD Global, which designs and sells phones under the Nokia brand has appointed Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt as

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the ‘face of Nokia phones’ in India. RESIGNATION: Veteran actor Anupam Kher has resigned from his position as chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) MJ Akbar, who faces multiple charges of sexual harassment, resigned as Union minister of state for external affairs. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley resigned. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) received the resignation of its Chinese president Meng Hongwei. Angela Merkel has announced she will quit as German chancellor when her mandate ends in 2021, as she sought to draw a line under a series of political crises that have rocked her fragile coalition. Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding Limited said its chief executive officer Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as the chairman of the board next year. Elon Musk to step down as Tesla Chairman. Tesla - The electric car maker he founded Archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, who guided Indian compound archery team to two silver in the Jakarta Asian Games, has resigned as the national coach after being denied the Dronacharya award. Anil Ambani resigned as director of Reliance Naval and Engineering. National Housing Bank (NHB) Managing Director Sriram Kalyanaraman has resigned amidst allegations of favouring housing finance companies. Indian origin business executive Indra K. Nooyi will step down as the Chief Executive of global food and beverages major PepsiCo, Inc. in October. Allahabad Bank’s MD and CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian was fired on her last day in office, in relation to the PNB scam. She had served as the CEO and Managing Director of PNB from 2015 to 2017, and was named in the CBI chargesheet. Paytm Payments Bank CEO Renu Satti has resigned from the role and will now head Paytm’s new retail initiative.

Name Post Institution/Country Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki has been given the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Governor Acharya Devvratis on leave. Actress Richa Chadha has become the face and voice of the Save the Elephants campaign by animal rights organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). M. Venkaiah Naidu Chancellor Pondicherry Central University B. Sriram MD and CEO IDBI Bank T Latha MD and CEO Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited Surendra Rosha India CEO Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Saraswati Prasad Chairman and Managing Steel Authority of India (SAIL) Director Adarsh Kumar Goel Chairman National Green Tribunal (NGT) K B Vijay Srinivas Director and General United India Insurance Company Manager Vishwas Patel Chairman Payments Council of India Janardan Singh Gehlot President International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) Rajat Sharma (‘Aap Ki Adalat’ President Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) anchor and senior journalist) MukeshAmbani Managing Director Reliance Industries (RIL)

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Actor Akshay Kumar Ambassador Revital H Medicine of Sun Pharma Consumer Healthcare Company Dr. Sandeep Sanchet President Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi Rajan Kohli President Wipro Ltd Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe Chairman All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Imran Khan Prime Minister Pakistan Recep Tayyip Erdogan President Republic of Turkey López Obrador President Mexico

 Ajay Data, Founder & CEO of Data XGen Plus and a global leader in email linguistic services, is selected as a new council member of Country Code Supporting Organisation (ccNSO). Ajay Data is the first Indian to have been selected as a member of ccNSO.  The Asia-Pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) elected Fayyaz Sheheryar, Director-General of All India Radio, as its new President. This is the first time India has been elected for the position of president of AIBD.  National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh was announced as the new Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman after he received 125 votes, while Congress’ BK Hariprasad got 105 votes out of the total 332.  The Indian Banks’ Association has appointed Egon Zehnder International (Headquarters – Zürich, Switzerland) as a ‘Knowledge Partner’ to the Banks Board Bureau to design, implement and institutionalise a flagship leadership development strategy for public sector banks in India.

Government Appoints New MD & CEOs At 10 PSBs

The government appointed managing directors (MDs) and chief executive officers (CEOs) for 10 public sector banks. Five of the new MD and CEOs are currently functioning as Deputy MDs of State Bank of India (SBI).  Mrutyunjay Mahapatra and Padmaja Chundru, both Deputy MDs in State Bank of India, have been appointed as MD and CEO of Syndicate Bank and Indian Bank respectively.  Three other Dy MDs of SBI , Pallav Mohapatra, J Packirisamy and Karnam Shekhar have also been appointed as MD and CEO of Central Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Dena Bank, respectively.  S S Mallikarjuna Rao has been appointed MD and CEO of Allahabad Bank.He is currently the Executive Director of Syndicate Bank.  A S Rajeev, Executive Director of Indian Bank, has been named MD and CEO of Bank of Maharashtra.  Atul Kumar Goel and S Harisankar have been appointed MD and CEO in UCO Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank respectively. Goel is ED, Union Bank of India, and Harisankar is the Executive Director of Allahabad Bank.  Ashok Kumar Pradhan will be MD and CEO of United Bank of India. He is currently ED of the United Bank.

Awards and Recognitions

Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a national award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will be given every year to police personnel who do “exemplary work” in rescue and relief operations during any kind of disasters. US lawmakers, including four Indian Americans, have moved a resolution in the US House of Representatives to posthumously award the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi in recognition of his promotion

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of peace and non-violence. Indian origin Minal Patel Davis won the US’ Presidential Medal for her work against sex slavery and labour exploitation 2018 Commonwealth Association India for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Award Miss Universe India 2018 Nehal Chudasama She will now be representing India at Miss Universe. India’s first Miss Trans Queen Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh 18th Miss Deaf Asia 2018 title Nishtha Dudeja from She is the first Indian to have won any title at the Haryana Miss Deaf World Pageant Miss Grand International 2018 Clara Sosa from Paraguay Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 PM Narendra Modi For his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth 4th annual Carnot Prize 2018 Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal Ekalabya Puraskar, 2018 Hockey player Lilima Minz The Ekalabya Puraskar has been instituted by (from Odisha) IMPaCT, the social wing of IMFA (Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys), which has been promoting literature, sports, the arts, culture and other socially meaningful activities in the state for decades. Mid-day Young Achiever Icons Ruhaan Rajput (Actor) Award 2018 Dhanvantari Award Sultan A. Pradhan He is eminent surgical oncologist of Mumbai Deming Prize for 2018 Indus Towers It is world’s largest telecom tower company (outside China). Won the prize, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. UN Food and Agriculture Sikkim Becoming the world’s first totally organic Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy agriculture state. Gold Award “Oscar for best policies” Sikkim Hridaynath Award for Lifetime Mohammed Zahur He is National Award winning music director Achievement Khayyam Hashmi, famous as ‘Khayyam’ Social Entrepreneur of the Year Prema Gopalan award 2018 International Olympic Suheil F. Tandon Committee’s Sport and Active Society Commission’s Grant Award Vishwa Konkani book award HM Pernal For ‘Beeg Ani Beegath’, a collection of short stories

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in Konkani Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Marsel van Oosten For his photo “The Golden Couple” 2018 (Dutch) Young Wildlife Photographer of Arshdeep Singh For his photograph ‘Pipe Owls’ the Year (Asia) Award (Jalandhar, Punjab) Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Pandit Vishwa Mohan Achievement Award Bhatt Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize US-based Dalit Writer Ants Among Elephant: An Untouchable Family And Sujatha Gidla The Making Of Modern India 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Jurist Fali S. Nariman Award for Excellence in Public Administration UN Investment Promotion Award Invest India in recognition of its efforts to boost investments in the renewable energy sector in India Sri Maharshi Valmiki award Former prime minister H D Karnataka government conferred the award Deve Gowda World Agriculture Prize Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan Indian National Science Academy Ashis Mukherjee (INSA) Teachers Award (2018) JCB Prize for Literature, India’s Benyamin (Malyalam For book ‘Jasmine Days’. richest literary prize author) Tagore Award for Cultural Manipuri dancer Sh. Harmony for 2014 Rajkumar Singhajit Singh Tagore Award for Cultural Chhayanaut (a cultural Harmony for 2015 organization of Bangladesh) Tagore Award for Cultural One of India's greatest Harmony for 2016 sculptors, Sh. Ram Vanji Sutar World Health Summit Startup Roopam Sharma award, 2018 Meryl Streep Award for Excellence Aishwarya Rai Bachchan She got the award at the first Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award Wyler Award for Excellence in Zoya Akhtar She got the award at the first Women in Film and Direction Television (WIFT) India Award WIFT Emerald Award Janhvi Kapoor She got the award at the first Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award Sarala Puraskar Odia poet Satrughna For his poetry collection ‘Misra Dhrupad’. Pandav Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman Ramakanta Rath It is Odisha’s highest literary award 2018 24th Rajiv Gandhi National Gopalkrishna Gandhi Former West Bengal Governor Sadbhavana Award Sangita Kalanidhi Award Aruna Sairam (Carnatic vocalist)

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Special Lifetime Achievement T.H. Vinayakram (ghatam Music Academy announced the award. Award maestro) National Kalidas Samman AnjolieElaMenon (one of She received award for visual arts from the India's leading Madhya Pradesh government contemporary artists) British Indian of the Year Ishwar Sharma He is an Indian-origin schoolboy who is the under- 11 UK national yoga champion Golden Man Booker Prize ‘The English Patient’ It is the wartime love story by Michael Ondaatje who is Sri Lanka-born Canadian poet Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Gopalkrishna Gandhi He is former West Bengal Governor Award “Shalaka Samman” for 2017-18 Javed Akhtar Hindi Academy Delhi gave the award Hindu Playwright Award 2018 Annie Zaidi Award for her play Untitled-1 Legion of Merit (Degree of General Dalbir Singh Awarded by US government for exceptionally Commander) Suhag (Retired) meritorious service as chief of the Army staff, Indian Army Dr B.C. Roy National Award Eminent neurosurgeon Dr As Eminent Medical Person of the Year award B.K. Misra 2018 Balzan Prize for Terre des Hommes (An humanitarian achievement. international children rights charity) based in Switzerland Meera Puruskar by Rajasthan Sawai Singh Shekhawat He is poet and writer Sahitya Academy Smita Patil award for best actor Anushka Sharma ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award Actor-director Pankaj Kapur ‘Lata Mangeshkar Award’ for 2018 Vijay Patil Given by Maharashtra Government American actress Anne Hathaway Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Equality Award 2018 Gleitsman Award Malala Yousafzai For her work promoting girls’ education. Sakharov prize Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director imprisoned in Russia 50th Man Booker Prize Anna Burns She won prize for her novel ‘Milkman’, becoming the first author from Northern Ireland to win the most prestigious English-language literary award. New Academy prize in literature Guadeloupean novelist Maryse Conde 2018 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Evan Atar Adaha He is a surgeon who runs a remote hospital in Award South Sudan.

 Haryana’s Maharshi Dayanand University has been declared the cleanest government varsity by the HRD Ministry, followed by Guru Nanak Dev University in Punjab’s Amritsar.

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 Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the richest Indian for the 11th consecutive year with a net worth of $47.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine.  The Indian postal services honoured the Narayan Seva Sansthan, the Udaipur-based non-profit organisation, by launching their postal stamps of Rs 5.  The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation has won the ‘ISSA Good Practice Award’ for Administrative Solution for Coverage Extension at the ”Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific” held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, was conferred ‘Honoris Causa’ by the University of Engineering & Management (UEM).  The US National Cancer Institute has give the “Outstanding Investigator Award” to Professor Arul Chinnaiyan, from the University of Michigan, and $6.5 million in funding over seven years, to identify cancer biomarkers to improve diagnosis and develop new targeted therapies.  Nandakumar Rajalakshmi , an India-born woman research scholar from the University of Washington won the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award for 2018 for using smartphones to detect life-threatening symptoms, the California- based Marconi Society.  State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) bagged the “Rajbhasha Kirti” award for outstanding performance in implementing the Official Language Policy during 2017-18.  Actors Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das were among 13 others who were awarded the Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar in New Delhi for their contribution to the society and championing the cause of equity, social justice and human welfare.  BSNL yet again swept WiFi Leadership Awards 2018 by bagging six awards and emerged as the largest public WiFi focused organization while Vipin Tyagi, Executive Director, C-DOT was conferred WiFi Leader of the Year at My India WiFi India Summit & Awards 2018 organised by DigiAnalysys in New Delhi.  Six airports of the Airports Authority of India have been conferred with seven international awards. The Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017 at Customer Excellence Global Summit at Halifax, Canada. Based on the results of the survey carried out by the ACI, a global non-profit organisation of Airport Operators on ASQ, Lucknow Airport has been rated as the world’s top airport in the ‘Best Airport by Size’ category, among the airports handling two to five million passengers per year. It has also bagged the award for “Best airport by size and Region” among the airports handling two to five million passengers per year in the whole Asia Pacific region. Indore Airport has bagged the award for ‘Best Airport by Region’ among the airports handling under two million passengers per year in Asia-Pacific region. Ahmedabad Airport has been rated as the ‘Most Improved Airport’ in Asia-Pacific region. Indore and Ahmedabad airports are the two first time winners from India for 2017. While Kolkata and Pune airports have been ranked third in the world in the ‘Best Airport by Size’ category, among the airports handling five to 15 million passengers per year, Chennai Airport has been adjudged the third best in the world in the category – ‘Best Airport by Size’ among airports handling 15-25 million passengers per year.  GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has received the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality World no.1 airport award trophy in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category for the second consecutive year.  The national capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has bagged the title of Best Airport to handle over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017.

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 Kerala Tourism‘s vigorous efforts to get back on track in the wake of recent devastating floods got a shot in the arm as it walked away with two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns.  All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months as part of a mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project.  The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) has become the first ever metro rail corporation from India to bag the International ‘Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents’ (RoSPA) Award.  Mousumi Khatua made it a philosophy of her life and scripted history as she became the first woman from Kalyani City, West Bengal to climb Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.  Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua have created history by climbing Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth award for the year 2018. The United Nations recognised Modi with its highest environmental honour in the policy leadership category for his efforts to eliminate all single use plastic in India by 2022. President of France, Emmanuel Macron has also been awarded in the same category for his work on the Global Pact for the Environment. Cochin International Airport was also awarded for its leadership in use of sustainable energy in the category of entrepreneurial vision. The airport is world’s first fully solar-powered airport.  Prominent entrepreneur and achiever from Gujarat, Chiranjiv Patel has bagged the prestigious “BW 40 under 40” award in BW Business World’s second edition of 40 Under 40 Summit and awards held in Gurugram.  Outstanding Parliamentarians Award for the year 2013 was given to Manipur’s Governor and five time Rajya Sabha member Dr Najma A. Heptulla and for year 2014, the award was presented to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha member Hukumdev Narayan Yadav. President Ram Nath Kovind presented Outstanding Parliamentarians Award for the year 2015 to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. Trinamool Congress’ Dinesh Trivedi was also honoured by the Outstanding Parliamentarians Award for the year 2016. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Member of Parliament (MP) from Odisha’s Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahatab was also honoured with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2017.  K. Anvar Sadath, vice chairman and executive director of Kerala Infrastructure and Technology For Education (KITE), has become the first Indian to receive The International Contributions Award.  An Indian-born, Australian-raised mathematics genius Akshay Venkatesh has been awarded the Fields Medal, which is often called the Nobel Prize of mathematics.  Shimla-based filmmaker Devkanya Lotheta’s film “Behind the Bars” has won the first prize under the Short Film Award Scheme — 2018 of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).  Indian-American high school student Avi Goel has won the world championship at the International Geography Bee’s junior varsity division which was held in Berlin, Germany. 14-year old Avi is a tenth grader at Silver Creek High School in Evergreen, San Jose, California.  Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie was the most influential woman in history, Britain’s BBC found in a poll, highlighting her role in curing cancer. Readers of BBC History magazine ranked Polish-born Madam Curie at the top

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of a list of 100 women who changed the world, for becoming the first person to win two Nobel Prizes and for her research into radioactivity – a word that she coined.  “Lost in Transaltion” actress Scarlett Johansson (American actress and singer) has been named as the world’s highest paid female actress by Forbes.  Smitha V. Crishna, a third-generation heir of the Godrej family, ranks first in the Kotak Wealth Hurun-Leading Wealthy Women 2018 list with an estimated wealth of ₹ 37,570 crore. Ms. Smitha owns one-fifth of the Godrej Group.  Delhi government’s additional director of health S K Arora has been awarded the prestigious WHO World No Tobacco Day 2017 Award for his extraordinary contribution towards tobacco control.  Reliance Power said its wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance Power Netherlands BV has won an international arbitration award of $56 million (Rs 390 crore).  PepsiCo’s India-born CEO Indra Nooyi will be honoured with the Game Changer of the Year award by a global cultural organisation in recognition of her business achievements, humanitarian record and advocacy for women and girls around the world.  Two Indian nationals, Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk, were given the Ramon Magsaysay award, popularly known as Asia’s Nobel Prize. Vatwani has dedicated his life for rescuing mentally ill people from the streets of India — who number around 400,000 according to estimates — and providing them with shelter and treatment through his Shraddha Rehabilitaion Foundation. Wangchuk has been recognised for “his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community—driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world”.  Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K. has become the first Indian poet invited to record his poems at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. in ‘The Poet and the Poem’ series conducted by poet Grace Cavalieri.  India’s Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project has won the World Bank’s internal award for exceptional performance in achieving many development goals.  Dr. T.K Chand received Knowledge Excellence Award from Secretary, Mines, Govt. of India for Outstanding Contribution in Aluminium Knowledge domain at the 22nd International Conference on Non-Ferrous Minerals and Metals 2018 at Ranchi, Jharkhand.  Major General VD Dogra became the first serving Indian Army officer to complete an Ironman triathlon.  SatyarupSiddhanta has become the second Indian mountaineer after MalliMastanBabu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world.  A team comprising experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur and the University of Oxford has been selected for an award for exceptional research-led innovation to mitigate arsenic poisoning in the Ganga- Brahmaputra delta in the north and northeast India.  India Heritage Walk Festival, a collaboration of Sahapedia and YES Arts & Culture, has been awarded the PATA ( Pacific Asia Travel Association ) Gold Award 2018 for its recently concluded pan-India event.  Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), the marketers of the popular Amul brand of milk and dairy products, has been awarded the ‘Marketer of the Year’ award by the International Advertising Association of India (IAAI).

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 The United Nations has honoured the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) with ‘Champion of Earth’ award for being the first airport in the world to be completely powered by solar energy. CIAL is the first airport in the world to receive the highest environmental award issued by the United Nations.  Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk are among the winners of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2018.|  Bharat Vatwani is a psychiatrist who works for mentally-ill people living on the streets. Sonam Wangchuk, known for his reforms in the education sector in Ladakh.  The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often referred to as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.

National Tourism Awards 2016-17

 Qutub Minar begged an award for being the best monument for differently-abled, while Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Mandu (Madhya Pradesh)were jointly declared the ‘Best Heritage City’ in the country.  Andhra Pradesh bagged the first prize in state category for comprehensive development of tourism. It got the prize for promoting Andhra Pradesh Tourism as a global tourism brand.  ‘INTACH Heritage Walks Delhi’ along with ‘Indore Heritage Walk’ were together announced winners in the category of ‘Best Heritage Walk’.

Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2018

 Top 3 States- 1) Haryana, 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra  Top 3 Districts 1) Satara, Maharashtra 2) Rewari, Haryana 3) Pedapalli, Telangana  States with maximum citizen participation 1) Uttar Pradesh 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra  Districts with maximum citizens’ participation 1) Nashik, Maharashtra 2) Solapur, Maharashtra 3) Chittorgarh, Rajasthan Conference and Summits

Summit Place . Extra Knowledge 4th Edition Of Global Partners’ Forum India (New Delhi) . in December 2018 UNICEF’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn India . in December 2018 and Child Health stakeholders meeting 17th edition of Old World Theatre festival New Delhi . 2nd World Conference on Access to Medical New Delhi Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030 14th Hospitality India and Explore the World New Delhi . Nepal won tourism award Annual International Travel Awards India International Silk Fair New Delhi . Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 New Delhi Theme - ‘Connecting Farmers to Market’ 5th edition of Women of India National Organic New Delhi Fest 2018 10th Edition of BIOFACH INDIA New Delhi Theme - Enhancing export of organic products trade from India – strategies and synergies India Mobile Congress 2018 New Delhi Theme - New Digital Horizons –

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Connect. Create. Innovate Technology summit between India and Italy New Delhi National Conference on Child Marriage New Delhi . Motivating & Attracting Youth in Agriculture New Delhi . (MAYA) Investors’ Conference for the Holistic Pravasi Bharatiya . NITI Aayog hosted the conference Development of Islands Kendra, New Delhi Defence & Homeland Security Expo and New Delhi . Conference 2018 2+2 dialogue between India and the United New Delhi Communications Compatibility and States Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed between the two nations Conference on E-Mobility in Indian Railways New Delhi 71st Session of the WHO Regional Committee New Delhi . for South-East Asia International Aviation Summit New Delhi Global Mobility Summit – MOVE New Delhi World Summit on Accreditation New Delhi Theme - Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome-Based Accreditation Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation New Delhi Ministry of Drinking Water and Convention (MGISC) Sanitation will organize the convention to mark the beginning of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi The ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) New Delhi First General Assembly of the International Solar New Delhi Alliance, ISA National Orientation workshop on National e- New Delhi Vidhan Application (NeVA) 7th National Conference on Excellence in New Delhi Theme - Excellence in Workplace Safety Workplace Safety & Occupational Health 2nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) New Delhi Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo, (REINVEST- 2018) Jaipur Art Summit Metro Edition New Delhi International Round Table Conference on ‘Data New Delhi for New India’ First ever India Tourism Mart (ITM) New Delhi To be held in September 2018 MOVE: Global Mobility Summit New Delhi NITI Aayog, in collaboration with various ministries and industry partners will organize summit in September, 2018 Exhibition titled “Arth: Art for Earth” New Delhi Conference of Heads of AYUSH National New Delhi Institutes

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National Traders’ Conclave New Delhi Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 Varanasi, Uttar Theme: Role of Indian Diaspora in Pradesh building a New India 18th International Children’s Film Festival Kolkata, West Bengal Smart City Expo India 2018 Jaipur, Rajasthan Global Investors Meet 2019 Tamil Nadu Indian Association of Tour Operator’s (IATO) Visakhapatnam, annual convention Andhra Pradesh First summit of US-India Business Council Mumbai, Maharashtra Theme - ‘US and India connecting our (USIBC) future’ USIBC president- Nisha Desai Biswal Aero India 2019 Bengaluru, Karnataka 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council Bengaluru, Karnataka

Regional Conference on Good Governance Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India’s 1st Corn Festival Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh India International Science Festival (IISF) Lucknow, Uttar Theme - Science for Transformation Pradesh Krishi Kumbh 2018 Lucknow, Uttar Krishi Kumbh is having Haryana and Pradesh Jharkhand as partner states and Japan and Israel as partner countries 21st meeting of the Central Zonal Council Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 36th Indian Carpets Expo Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Sustainable mountain development summit VII Shimla, Himachal . Pradesh 23rd meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council Kolkata, West Bengal National Khadi Festival 2018 Mumbai India Chem 2018, the 10th Biennial International Mumbai Exhibition & Conference Vishwa Shanti Ahimsa Sammelan Nashik, Maharashtra India’s Largest Apparel Trade Show – The 67th Mumbai, Maharashtra National Garment Fair” 4th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals Indore, Madhya Pradesh 67th plenary meeting on north east council Shillong, Meghalaya (NEC) India’s first private sector triennial (Named the Odisha Triennial will see the convergence of Odisha Triennial of International Art) artists from the national and international scene. 2nd National Tourism Conclave Jaipur, Rajasthan International Blockchain Congress Hyderabad, Telangana

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First-ever metal craft exhibition Chilling village in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir International Union of Food Science and India To be held in Navi Mumbai in October Technology (IUFoST) 2018. Fifth act east business show Meghalaya The show was hosted to strengthen business ties between ASEAN countries northeastern states. ATAL (Arunachal Transformation & Aspirational Arunachal Pradesh To be held in September Leadership) Conclave India Baja 2018 Jaisalmer, Rajasthan It is the Indian edition of the greatest challenge of all extreme motorsport competitions in the world ‘One District One Product’ Summit Lucknow, Uttar Under the ‘One District One Product’ Pradesh scheme, the state government has set a goal of providing employment to 25 lakh people in five years through the financial assistance of Rs. 25,000 crores. 4th Annual Sustainable Smart Cities India Bengaluru, Karnataka. Conference Bengaluru Space Expo Bengaluru, Karnataka To be held in September. Theme - Creating dynamism in Indian space ecosystem 6th International Buddhist Conclave 2018 New Delhi and Ajanta (Maharashtra) World’s largest Water Colour Festival Ranchi, Jharkhand 14th International GCA Conference on Media Jaipur, Rajasthan and Communication 2nd edition of the Sagar conference Bambolim, Goa “Udbhav Utsav” (International Dance Festival) Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference Gandhinagar, Gujarat International Conference on Status and Bangaram coral Island Theme - “Reef for Life” Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) of Union Territory of Lakshadweep 5th National Summit on Good and Replicable Kaziranga, Assam Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care Systems 1st Trilateral Meeting Among India, Afghanistan Tehran, Iran And Iran India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee Meeting Nairobi, Kenya Indian Ocean Conference Hanoi, Vietnam Theme - Building Regional Architectures 11th World Hindi Conference Port Louis, Mauritius Theme - “Hindi World and Indian Culture” or “Hindi Vishwa Aur Bharatiy Sanskriti”.

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24th World Congress of Philosophy (WCP) Beijing, China Theme - “Learning To Be Human” Mountain Echoes Literature Festival Thimphu, Bhutan 4th Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum Colombo, Sri Lanka Theme - Advancing Election Transparency and Integrity: Promoting and Defending Democracy Together G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting Salta, Argentina Theme - Building consensus for fair and sustainable development Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 Birgunj, Nepal Special meeting of Senior Officials of the Bay of Kathmandu, Nepal Theme - Towards a peaceful, Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Bengal Region First SAARC Agri Cooperative Business Forum Kathmandu, Nepal Theme - Organizing and Strengthening Family Farmers 6th RCEP Trade Ministers’ Meeting Singapore 7th meeting of education ministers of member Astana, Kazakhstan states of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2nd International Conference On Primary Health Astana, Kazakhstan Care 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit Brussels, Belgium 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, Dushanbe, Tajikistan meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2018 UN Day Concert New York, USA 87th Izmir International Tradeshow Turkey India was the Partner Country First tripartite meeting of India, Iran and Kabul, Afghanistan Afghanistan International Women Entrepreneurs Summit Kathmandu, Nepal Theme - “Equality begins with 2018 Economic Empowerment” 4th BIMSTEC summit Kathmandu, Nepal Sri Lanka has now become the new chair of the BIMSTEC. The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Singapore Meeting (EAS-EMM) 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting Singapore (AEM) 4th International Ayurveda Congress Leiden, Netherlands World Hindu Congress Chicago, USA Theme - ‘Think collectively, Achieve valiantly’ 73rd session of the UN General Assembly New York, USA World Economic Forum for the Association of Vietnam Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) Dubai, UAE

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4th Eastern Economic Forum Vladivostok, Russia Theme - The Far East: Expanding the Range of Possibilities 23rd Meeting of India-Russia Intergovernmental Moscow, Russia Commission G-20 Trade And Investment Ministerial Meeting Mar del Plata, Argentina 7th UNWTO Global Summit Seoul, Republic of WTO - World Tourism Organization Korea WTO organized summit on Urban Tourism: A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism Women Foreign Ministers meeting Montreal, Canada 5th World Internet Conference (WIC) China in its river town of Wuzhen 17th World Sanskrit Conference Vancouver, Canada. . India Japan AI and Fintech Forum Tokyo, Japan . Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Ulaanbaatar, Theme of the meet -- ‘Preventing Reduction Mongolia Disaster Risk: Protecting Sustainable Development’. Asean Education Ministers Meeting (ASED) Myanmar  Will be held in October 2018. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) partner countries include India, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, the US and Australia.

The International Congress of Parliamentary Dublin, Ireland  It is international conference of female Women’s Caucuses parliamentarians

5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Tokyo, Japan . Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional ministerial meeting World Cities Summit (WCS) Singapore UNCTAD meeting of a third inter-governmental Geneva . group of experts on consumer protection 10th edition of BRICS Summit Johannesburg, South Theme - ‘BRICS in Africa: Collaboration Africa for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution’ 3rd BRICS Media Forum Cape Town, South Theme - “BRICS Media Cooperation – Africa Fostering an Inclusive, Just World Order” 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting Durban, South Africa Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Kathmandu, Nepal To be held in Nepal from August 31, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) 2018 Summit Nepal-India Think Tank Summit 2018 Kathmandu, Nepal 8th India-Oman Joint Commission meeting Muscat, Oman 11th World Hindi Conference or Vishwa Hindi Port Louis, Mauritius

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Sammellan Global Disability Summit 2018 London, UK

International News

 Hurricane Willa hit Mexican coast.  World’s first full-sized Hyperloop capsule ‘Watch’ unveiled in Spain.  Typhoon Yutu makes landfall in Philippines.  The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report said the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.  Global average sea-level could rise by nearly eight feet by 2100 and 50 feet by 2300 if greenhouse gas emissions remain high, said researchers at the Rutgers University in the US.  Hurricane Michael hits the western tip of Cuba with strong winds and heavy rains as it whipped through the Yucatan Channel on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium built with Indian grant assistance of Rs. 300 million at the University of Ruhuna, Matara in the Southern Province, was dedicated to the people of Sri Lanka.  In Malaysia, the cabinet has decided to abolish the death penalty.  The World Bank launched a new $150 million fund intended to help insure vulnerable countries against natural disasters and the increasing risk of climate change-linked crises.  Canada Becomes 2nd Country To Legalize Recreational Cannabis  Sri Lanka sets up ‘Break Into India Strategy Committee’ to formulate a strategy to help Sri Lankan businesses invest more the Indian market  The world’s longest sea bridge Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened for traffic on October 24. The 55- kilometer-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world’s longest sea bridge.  The world’s largest airport terminal “under one roof” with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers officially opened on October 29 in Istanbul, Turkey.  The global populations of vertebrates – mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles – have declined by 60 per cent since 1970, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report “Living Planet Report of the Global Fund for Nature”.  The Republic of Seychelles has launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond a financial instrument designed to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects.  Nearly 7,000 people gathered in northern Indonesia to witness the inauguration of ‘Little India Gate’, the first-of- its-kind structure in the country which recognises the contribution of Indian community in the development of Medan city.  In a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), Japan announced joining the group submitting the instrument of ratification. Japan will be the 71st country to sign and 48th country to ratify the ISA Framework.

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 International tourist arrivals hit record high in 2017 with India leading the growth in South Asian region. According to data from the UN’s tourism organisation, a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record.  Typhoon Jebi left trail of destruction across Japan. Kansai airport, a major transport hub serving Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, was cut off when an ocean tanker hit and damaged its bridge to the mainland.  Russia will launch the biggest military drills “Vostok-2018” (East-2018) in its history involving 300,000 troops as well as Chinese soldiers, in a move NATO denounced as “exercising large-scale conflict”.  Hurricane Florence, packing sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h), seems to have its sights set on the Carolinas. Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate along the coast of North and South Carolina and Virginia, according to news reports.  Seven countries including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey are at risk of exchange rate crisis as investors re-assess their risks following the contagion in Argentina and Turkey, a new index by Nomura says. According to the global financial services major, emerging markets are under pressure as investors re-assess the risks amid monetary policy normalisation in developed markets, trade protectionism and China’s economic slowdown.  South Africa declared an official end to the world’s worst recorded listeria outbreak after it killed 216 people and sickened more than 1,000 since early 2017.  Typhoon Mangkhut has left multiple dead as the storm pummelled the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain that set off landslides, damaged an airport terminal and ripped off tin roofs.  Google is set to shut down its alternate mailing app “Inbox” in March 2019, giving users time to shift to the traditional Gmail by then, the company has said in a blog post.  The UN says more people went hungry in 2017 than at any time in the previous decade as food deprivation on the rise due to conflict and climate change.  UN to hold Climate Summit in September 2019  The World Health Organization (WHO) released SAFER, a new initiative and technical package outlining five high- impact strategies that can help governments reduce the harmful use of alcohol and related health, social and economic consequences.  Germany rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but eco-friendly technology.  Days after pulling out of the Bimstec joint military exercise in India at the last minute, the Nepal Army began its second wargame with the Chinese military at Chengdu, China. The “Sagarmatha Friendship-2” (Mt Everest Friendship Exercise-2018) military exercise in China’s Sichuan province will last 10 days.  Nepal is likely to be the first country in the world to double its tiger population. On the occasion of National Conservation Day on 23 September, Nepal announced that there are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, nearly doubling the baseline of around 121 tigers in 2009.  World Bank and United Nations have launched Famine Action Mechanism (FAM) as an important new tool to help predict and prevent famine. FAM will give a more accurate picture of food security in real time, triggering early action from donors and humanitarian agencies that will save lives and prevent further suffering.  A statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled at the UN headquarters to honour the South African President’s 100th birth anniversary.  A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the late South African leader’s birth.This year marks the 100th anniversary of Mandela’s birth, and the U.N. is declaring 2019-2028 the “Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace.

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 Argentina has received the biggest loan package ever from the International Monetary Fund, aimed at shoring up the country’s ailing finances a whopping $57.1bn that will be disbursed over the next three years.  The UAE will host the Interfaith Alliance Forum in Abu Dhabi on 19th and 20th November.  In Nepal, the famous Indra Jatra festival is being celebrated in Kathmandu with gaiety and religious fervor. The eight day long annual festival is observed to worship Indra, the lord of rain and good harvest.  Typhoon Trami hit Japan’s southern island of Okinawa with a maximum speed of 216 kilometres per hour.  Tsunami and earthquake in Indonesia kill over 400.  An intertidal art gallery, filled with around 30 sculptures acting as a habitat for coral and other marine species, was opened in the Maldives. The gallery, called the Coralarium, is located at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi resort.  Chinese scientists claimed to have created the world’ first single-chromosome yeast while not affecting the majority of its functions, a breakthrough that could help in furthering research related to aging and diseases in humans.  India plans to launch an “Understanding India” programme in China to “demystify” the country and create a better understanding of it.  Typhoon Jongdari made landfall in Shanghai’s coastal Jinshan district, according to the National Meteorological Centre. The situation has been handled in a timely manner and the rain has weakened, it said.  Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port is gearing up to become a leading port in the Indian Ocean region. The location of the port had always been extremely advantageous as it was located just a little less than half a nautical mile from the sea lanes.  In Sri Lanka, the ten-day festival of the historic Esala Maha Perehera began In Kandy with a grand procession. The procession set off from the biggest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, Sri Dalada Maligawa at an auspicious time.  India handed over the first lot of houses built for Indian-origin people in Sri Lanka’s tea plantation areas on 12th August, 2018. India had committed 60,000 houses under the ‘innovative Indian housing project’. It is the largest Indian assistance project in any country with a grant of over USD 350 million.  In a ceremony on the sidelines of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore, Iran officially joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.  Japan has pipped China as the world’s second-largest stock market. The Chinese market was worth $6.09 trillion next to Japan’s $6.17 trillion.  Facebook announced the launch of a “Digital Literacy Library” to help young people build the skills they need to safely enjoy online technology.  Apple Inc. became the first U.S.-based company with a market value of $1 trillion, four decades after it was co- founded by Steve Jobs in a Silicon Valley garage and later revolutionized the worlds of computing, music and mobile communications.  Typhoon Jongdari made landfall in Shanghai’s coastal Jinshan district, according to the National Meteorological Centre. The situation has been handled in a timely manner and the rain has weakened, it said.  The Indian Embassy in Nepal handed over 30 ambulances and six buses to various hospitals, non-profit charitable organizations and educational institutions of Nepal on the occasion of India’s 72nd Independence Day.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated ‘Panini Language Laboratory’ at Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) at Port Louis in Mauritius.

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 An influential American lawmaker has said she would introduce a historic legislation to posthumously award Mahatma Gandhi a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the US, for inspiring peaceful movements for civil rights around the world.  Iran unveiled its first domestic fighter jet with President Hassan Rouhani insisting that Tehran’s military strength was only designed to deter enemies and create “lasting peace”.  Scientists have set a new Guinness World Record by creating the smallest medical robot – a device measuring just 120 nanometres that could assist in future cancer and Alzheimer’s treatments.  Two women, Jayshree Ullal and Neerja Sethi, who belong to an Indian background, have secured a place on Forbes list of Americas 60 richest self- made women, ranking on the 18th and 21st spot, respectively.  Asia’s first arbitration centre specialized (International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT)) in intellectual property is slated to open in Tokyo, Japan in September to resolve the growing number of disputes in the region.  According to the study titled ‘The start of a new poverty narrative’, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number 2 spot.  The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) would be operated as a Sri Lanka-India joint venture. The $210 million facility, 241km south-east of Colombo, is dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport” due to a lack of flights. India would operate the airport as a Sri Lanka-India joint venture.  Nepal and India will Jointly Promote Tourism  Nepali and Indian officials agreed to an early finalization of an MoU for Preliminary Engineering cum Traffic Survey of the Raxaul-Kathmandu rail line.  Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated a library in Kathmandu built by the Indian Government in the presence of Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri.  Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the world’s largest state-of-the-art visa centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh with modern facilities, promising shorter waiting times for applicants.  Militaries of India and Pakistan will be part of a mega anti-terror drill in Russia named “Peace Mission” in August 2018 which is being organised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It will be for the first time since Independence that India and Pakistan will both be part of a military exercise.  India’s latest frontline warship INS Trikand has reached Sri Lanka on a goodwill visit. The Sri Lanka Navy ceremonially welcomed the state-of-the-art warship in accordance with naval traditions.  Indian naval ship INS Sumitra became the first-ever warship to enter port of Sabang in Indonesia. The warship was deployed in Malacca Straits.  The UN Security Council adopted a resolution 2427, aimed at a framework for mainstreaming protection, rights, well-being and empowerment of children throughout the conflict cycle.  Not educating girls or creating barriers in their school education globally costs between USD 15 trillion to USD 30 trillion, the World Bank said as the UN marks ‘Malala Day’ on July 12.  Iceland was elected to take up the seat left vacant at the United Nations Human Rights Council after the United States quit the body.  Myanmar has joined the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), becoming the 68th member of the grouping that is aiming at optimum utilisation of solar energy.

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 In Turkey, the state of emergency, which was imposed after the failed coup two years ago, came to an end on 19th July. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared emergency on 20th July 2016, five days after warplanes bombed Ankara and clashes broke out in Istanbul that claimed 249 lives.  The UN has entered into a partnership with Google to monitor the impacts of human activity on global ecosystems by using sophisticated online tools.  The UN has cut its peacekeeping budget by $610 million for the current year while the monthly payment to each peacekeeper will increase by $96 per month.  The UN member states have approved a 6.69 billion US Dollar budget for 13 peacekeeping operations for the year 2018-19.  Disney has launched a campaign titled ‘Dream Big Princess’ with an aim to inspire and support aspiring women filmmakers.  The world’s first digital art museum opened its doors to the public in Tokyo, Japan allowing patrons to step all the way into the artworks.  The 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting held in Bahrain’s capital Manama, with 19 new sites inscribed to the World Heritage List.The World Heritage List now contains 1,092 sites in 167 countries.The next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.  Mount Fanjingshan, situated in China’s southwestern province of Guizhou, was inscribed to the World Heritage List at the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting in Bahrain.  One of Colombia’s last remaining national environmental treasures, and the country’s largest national park (Chiribiquete National Park), has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  China, UAE, Cyprus and significantly, Mauritius, along with 21 other countries have been tagged as “high-risk jurisdictions” by global banks acting as custodians for foreign funds which comprise the largest group of investors in the Indian stock market.  Video sharing platform YouTube has announced the investment of $25 million to counter the spread of fake news on its platform.  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), world sugar production is likely to hit a record 187.6 million tonnes (mt) this year on account of increase in output in India, the EU, Thailand and China.  Google has rolled out “caller ID and spam protection” on its Phone app with which the app itself would be able to filter out calls that it detects to be spams, eliminating all notifications and alerts for those calls as well.  Twin stamps of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela will be released during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.  China has successfully launched an optical remote sensing satellite – Gaofen-11, as part of its high-resolution Earth observation project which will also provide data for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). National News  Humanoid Robot Sophia, who was in India, says the country is colourful, diverse and beautiful. Developed by Hong Kong based company Hanson Robotics, Sophia is modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn, and is known for her human-like appearance and behavior compared to other robotic variants. Sophia uses artificial intelligence, visual data processing and facial recognition.  South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived on his first state visit to India during which he held talks with Prime Minister NarendraModi on key issues such as the situation on the Korean peninsula, and ways to boost trade and defence cooperation.

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 Prime Minister of Bhutan TsheringTobgay arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit during which both the countries held discussions on a host of issues, including economic cooperation and security ties.  The Statue of Unity, a 182-metre giant structure built in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, has been inaugrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The imposing monument, touted as the world’s tallest statue, is twice the height of Statue of Liberty and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district. PM Modi also inaugurated the ‘Wall of Unity’ (a monument defining India’s unity) near the statue.  Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit to India.  Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrived in New Delhi.  United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi on his maiden visit to India as the head of the world body that coincides with the commencement of events marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Israel, India commemorated Centenary of the Battle of Haifa on September 23. The Battle of Haifa is being commemorated in Israel, Delhi and Jaipur.  India and Nepal have agreed to explore the possibility of using high resolution satellite images in boundary survey work during the 5th meeting of the Nepal-India Boundary Working Group (BWG), which concluded in Kathmandu.  In commemoration of the International Day of Non-violence, marked on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the UN postal agency issued a new collection of stamps featuring artistic interpretation of ‘The Knotted Gun’, an iconic global sculpture giving the message of peace and non-violence.  India and Uzbekistan set an annual bilateral trade target of $1 billion to be achieved within two years and agreed to boost connectivity as the two sides signed 17 agreements across a range of sectors following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New Delhi.  India and Japan concluded a USD 75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement, a move that will help in bringing greater stability in foreign exchange and capital markets in the country.  The Indian embassy in the Netherlands released commemorative stamps in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.  India has launched a massive operation ‘Operation Samudra Maitri’ to provide assistance to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia, dispatching two aircraft and three naval ships carrying relief material to the country.  Despite the government and Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) crackdown on cryptocurrency in India, virtual currency exchange Unocoin has installed a currency deposit and dispensing ATM at Kemp Fort Mall in Bengaluru.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated government’s aim to ensure that all the homeless get shelter by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence.  The country’s biggest skill competition, ‘India Skills 2018′ has concluded in New Delhi.  Stressing that India would generate 40 per cent of power from non-fossil fuels by 2030, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for connecting solar energy supply across borders giving the mantra of ‘One World One Sun One Grid’.  Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said that 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres will be converted into wellness centers by 2022.  Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched SATAT, a innovative initiative in New Delhi with PSU Oil Marketing Companies. Titled SATAT, the initiative is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.

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 SIDBI has launched a national level entrepreneurship awareness campaign ‘Udyam Abhilasha’, in 115 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog in 28 States reaching to around 15,000 youth.  IIT-Kharagpur has been named the national coordinating institute of the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.  The Union Cabinet approved a hike in the minimum support prices (MSPs) for rabi crops for 2018-19.  Indian Railways have plans to develop 640 Utkrisht rakes under its project of upgrading the mail/express trains in the next two years at a cost of Rs 400 crore.  Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Reliance Jio started a campaign to train people about using the mobile messaging platform responsibly on their JioPhones.  The 46th edition of Cervantino International Festival, to be held in Mexico, will see India participating as a guest of honour, with an elaborate programme of performing arts.  Travellers will soon be able to enter airports in the country with facial recognition biometric under the government’s Digi Yatra initiative.  The government has approved a Rs 469.41 crore package for the revival of closed NEPA mill in Madhya Pradesh  Salaries in India are projected to rise 10% in 2019, same as the actual increase in 2018, according to the latest Q3 2018 Salary Budget Planning Report released by Willis Towers Watson, the global advisory, broking and solutions company.  The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched a mobile health app ‘Med’ to provide health information to the users, including first-aid and other health and nutritional topics.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched India for Humanity initiative in New Delhi as part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next one year.  The Union Cabinet approved the closure of the loss incurring Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), National Jute Manufactures Corporation Limited (NJMC) and its subsidiary Birds Jute and Exports Limited (BJEL).  The Union Cabinet approved the merger of two regulatory institutions (National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA)) into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) in order to improve skilling standards and the market relevance of skill development programmes.  The Union Cabinet has approved the payment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days‘ wages for the financial year 2017-18 for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees.  India suffered a whopping USD 79.5 billion economic loss due to climate-related disasters in the last 20 years, according to a UN report which highlights the impact of extreme weather events on the global economy.  India has a target of 100 gigawatt (GW) installed capacity of solar energy by 2022, of which 40 GW is projected to come from rooftop solar systems.  The Central Government has approved a special package for employment generation in leather and footwear sector. Centre has approved four projects worth over 105 crore rupees to promote leather industry in Tamil Nadu.  India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body for a period of three years beginning 1 January 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category.  India and Australia held the second ‘2+2’ secretary-level dialogue in Canberra.  India and China have launched their first joint programme for Afghanistan to train its diplomats.  The Election Commission of India is introducing the unique internet based mobile app C-vigil in the upcoming assembly polls. The ‘CVIGIL’, which stands for ‘citizens’ vigil’, will be operationalised for the first time as a pilot project.

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 IRCTC has launched a new AI-based assistant, Disha for their website. This new assistant will be prompt in answering generic queries about most frequently asked questions on the ticket booking platform. One can spot the new assistant at the bottom right of the screen on the new IRCTC website.  The government is continuously working on achieving the goal of zero hunger by 2030 in a systematic manner, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.  Government has announced 100 crore rupee award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme. Apart from discoms, employees would also collectively get 50 lakh rupees award for completing the task of electrifying households under the scheme which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year.  The government launched a national campaign ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ on the World Food Day under which a pan- India cycle rally is being organised to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy.  The North Central Railways (NCR) launched two mobile apps, ‘NCR RASTA’ and ‘Yatri RASTA’, for its employees and passengers, respectively, for locating assets and stations.  Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan inaugurated a mobile app called Roudram created by a student named Sudha to empower women. Roudram app aims at giving women assistance in times of emergency.  Kuligod in Karnataka’s Belagavi district is the country’s best developed village, but more than a third of the gram panchayats ranked in the top 10 are in Andhra Pradesh, according to the findings of an ongoing Rural Development Ministry survey.  PM Narendra Modi dedicated the National Police Memorial (NPM) to the nation. Oct 21 is observed as the ‘Police Commemoration Day’ every year in memory of the policemen killed at Hot Springs in Ladakh by the Chinese troops on this date in 1959.  The National Commission for Women has come out with a dedicated e-mail address ‘[email protected]’ to report instances of sexual harassment at workplace after several such complaints were made to the body by women who have narrated their ordeal under the ‘MeToo’ movement on social media.  Union minister for shipping Nitin Gadkari and Mahrashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged-off India’s first luxury cruise ship, “Angriya” which will operate between Mumbai and Goa.  Environment Ministry has launched Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali campaign. This campaign was initiated in 2017-18 wherein large number of school children participated and took pledge to minimize bursting of crackers. The Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali campaign is now merged with “Green Good Deed” movement that has been initiated as a social mobilization for conservation and protection of environment.  PM Modi launched ‘Main Nahi Hum’ Portal In New Delhi.  The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) launched scheme ‘Impactful Policy Research in Social Science’ (IMPRESS) in New Delhi in which it will be spending Rs 200 crore for promoting research in social sciences.  India will become the world’s third largest aviation market around 2024 surpassing the United Kingdom, global airlines’ body International Air Transport Association (IATA) said as it projected total air passenger numbers to touch 8.2 billion in 2037.  India has donated $300,000 to a programme to train commanders for UN peacekeeping.  As part of its efforts to train 3,00,000 people in India on digital literacy by end of 2018, Facebook has announced the launch of the Digital Literacy Library, a collection of lessons in six local languages – Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.  The country’s first engine-less train, widely regarded as the success to the Shatabdi Express will hit the tracks on October 29. Known as Train 18, this train is run by a self-propulsion module without a separate engine. The train is

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capable of running at a speed of 160 kmph and comes with technical features for enhanced quick acceleration. Train 18 was developed by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory in 18 months.  Concerned over the “disappearance” of many intangible legacy of India over time, the United Nations (UN) will soon launch a project on creating an “inventory” of art forms, craftsmanship and other intangible cultural heritage of the country.  The Kingdom of Netherlands will be the Partner Country 25th DST – CII Technology Summit to be organized in 2019.  India has become the first and only SAARC country to have a quit-line number on tobacco products. The Union Health Ministry has already made 85% pictorial health warning mandatory on both sides of packets containing cigarettes, bidis, and chewing tobacco. The quit-line number will be printed on all tobacco products manufactured after September 1, 2018. India is the fourth country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco.  To encourage practice of ayurveda, India has set up an Ayush Information Cell at its embassy premises in Romania to create awareness about the traditional Indian system of medicine.  India will organise ‘Gandhi March’ from the iconic Peace Palace at the Hague to Grote Kerk to launch the two-year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Netherlands.  Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in India on his maiden state visit to the country, during which he hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost bilateral strategic partnership.  Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in New Delhi to hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a number of key issues of mutual interests. He met PM Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi.  The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with the support of the Asian Development Bank launched the country’s first flood forecasting and early-warning system.  In a verdict which only strengthens the concept of ‘gender equality’, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the entry of women in Sabarimala temple, Pathanamthitta District‎, Kerala. ‎  271 mn Indians moved out of poverty: UN. India has made momentous progress in reducing multidimensional poverty with its incidence almost halving between 2005-06 and 2015-16, climbing down to 27.5 per cent from 54.7 per cent, according to estimates from the 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong Airport near Gangtok in Sikkim on September 24, nine years after the foundation stone was laid. The state’s first airport and country’s 100th is situated at an altitude of 4,500 feet above sea level.  Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh were awarded the best performing states in terms of “Ease of Living Index” under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018, in New Delhi. The MoHUA released the first ever ‘Ease of Living Index’ covering 111 Indian cities, which serves as a litmus test to help assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives.  In a bid to boost credit availability to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched a web portal ‘www.psbloansin59minutes.com’ through which one can avail loans up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes. The portal will enable principal approval of loans up to Rs 1 crore for MSMEs from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and 5 Public Sector Banks (PSBs).  Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC) have jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative.  The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to convert Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) into a government- owned company. The government will now own 100 per cent of the IT backbone to the new indirect tax regime.

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Currently, the Centre and states together hold 49 per cent stake in GSTN. The remaining 51 per cent is held by five private financial institutions – HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, NSE Strategic Investment Co and LIC Housing Finance Ltd.  The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 5,538–crore package as part of a comprehensive policy for the sugar industry to deal with the surplus domestic stock and help mills clear dues of cane growers.  The Union Cabinet approved a new telecom policy, National Digital Communications Policy 2018, designed to provide ‘broadband to all’, Union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha announced.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) that aims “to change the the banking system in the country”. The launch was done at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Click here to read about IPPB  In a first-of-its-scale heritage mapping and digitisation project, Google and Ministry of Railways launched a project that aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the Indian Railways. The two-year digitisation project “The Railways- Lifeline of a Nation” is a comprehensive digital document viewable on Google’s Arts and Culture website. It was launched at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi.  Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre said. The decision to count the OBCs in the next Census was to get a correct perspective on the social status in the country. The 2011 Census collected information in 29 categories that included a separate column for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes. The OBCs would also be an option in the column in 2021. The enumerators will start “house listing” in 2020 and the headcount will begin from February 2021. “It was also informed that nearly 25 lakh enumerators are trained and engaged for the gigantic exercise and accurate collection of data will be ensured in Census 2021.”  Nearly Rs 400 crore has been released by the Centre to 10 states, having international borders, for developing forward areas as part of an ambitious plan to ameliorate the problems of those living in these isolated locations. An amount of Rs 399.44 crore has been released to the governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and West Bengal under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) so far during 2018-19.  India will emerge as the biggest passenger car market by 2030, with every second car being sold will be here in the country, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.  Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched Coffee Connect – India coffee field force app and Coffee KrishiTharanga – digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders at a function. The mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency. NABARD has partly funded the Pilot project.  India has set a target to generate100 GW solar energy by 2022 for increasing share of carbon free energy in the energy mix.  The Government has approved a proposal to increase wages of artisans by over 36%, from five rupees 50 paisa per hank to seven rupees 50 paisa.  Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377. A five-judge bench led by CJI Dipak Misra diluted Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, to exclude all kinds of adult consensual sexual behaviour. The law will still stand on the statute book to deal with unnatural sexual offences against minors and animals such as sodomy and bestiality.  The government decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme, meaning that it will continue indefinitely and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. To make the scheme more attractive, the government has decided to double the overdraft facility from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. Arun Jaitely said that 32.41 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme and as much Rs 81,200 crore has been deposited in them so far.

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Jaitley said 53% of the PMJDY account holders are women, while 83 per cent of the accounts are seeded with Aadhaar.  The Union government doubled the pecuniary limit to Rs. 20 lakh for filing loan recovery application in the Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) by banks and financial institutions, to help reduce pendency of such cases.As a result, any bank or financial institution or a consortium of banks or financial institutions cannot approach DRTs if the amount due is less than Rs. 20 lakh.  The Indian e-commerce market would become worth over $100 billion by the year 2022, with a growth of around 25 per cent from the current level, according to a joint report by PwC and Nasscom – Propelling India towards global leadership in e-commerce.  The water storage level of 91 major reservoirs in India have gone up by four per cent in the last one week, according to data provided by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.  In order to improve the ease of doing business with Indian Railways, the national transporter has taken a significant step. Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry has launched the Aapoorti mobile app of Indian Railways e-procurement system (IREPS).  India has decided to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the learning level of 15 year olds, after a gap of nine years, a senior HRD Ministry official said.  The government has said that treatment of childhood cancer will be covered under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The scheme will provide health insurance cover of five lakh rupees to poor families. BPL and lower-middle- class families will benefit from it.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Tripura jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing. These include 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh, Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link and Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways.  India launches new digital bridge with Africa -- e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project.  Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launched a web portal www.railsahyog.in. The web portal will provide a platform for the Corporates and PSUs to contribute to creation of amenities at/near Railway Stations through Corporate Social Responsibility funds. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani with other Railway Board Members, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Shri Dr Inder Jit Singh and Senior Officials of Railways and Coal were present on the occasion.  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a Rs 100 crore Indian Culinary Institute, built by the Ministry of Tourism, close to Renigunta airport, 15 km from Tirupati.  Nine years after Apsara – the country’s first and oldest atomic reactor was shut down, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) set in motion Apsara-upgraded (U).  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on collaborative research on distributed ledger and blockchain technology in the context of development of digital economy by Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) with the participating member banks, under the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism.  With an aim to boost the pro-farmer initiatives of the government, the Centre approved a new Umbrella Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA). The scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. In addition to this, budget provision for procurement operations has also been increased and Rs.15,053 crore is sanctioned for PM-AASHA implementation.

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 The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’, which aims at fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a Clean India.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund with an outlay of Rs 10,881 crore for 2017-18 to 2028-29 to boost the dairy sector.  India’s first underwater robotic drone developed at Maker Village in Kochi, which can send real-time video of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance, was launched.  BEML Limited, a defence public sector company, has launched an indigenously designed and developed country’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck(Model BH205-E), with an objective of strengthening the ‘Make in India’ initiative.  The health ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 fixed dose combinations (FDCs) of drugs with immediate effect and restricted another six. This brings to an end a protracted legal battle between manufacturers of these combination drugs and the ministry, which has been working since 2016 to get these “irrational” and “unsafe” drugs banned. Among the roughly 6,000 brands estimated to be affected by the ban are popular drugs like the painkiller Saridon, the skin cream Panderm, combination diabetes drug Gluconorm PG, antibiotic Lupidiclox and antibacterial Taxim AZ.  Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the country’s first National Scholarship Portal Mobile App (NSP Mobile App) in New Delhi.  Four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the need for total electrification of the country’s rail network, the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 100 per cent electrification of the Indian Railways, tentatively by 2021-22, settling a decades-long debate.  The Union Cabinet approved new Umbrella Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, PM- AASHA. The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018.  Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated a network of 3,404 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) spread across the country to help students get familiar with the pattern of competitive exams to be conducted by the newly established National Testing Agency (NTA).  The Power Ministry launched an ambitious programme on energy efficiency in chillers that consume more than 40 per cent of total energy in commercial buildings. The Chiller Star Labelling Programme has been formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the programme is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid up to December 31, 2020  State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) will prepare a detailed project report for development of Palaly airport in Sri Lanka. This would be the first project for the AAI in the island nation.  President Ram Nath Kovind launched a logo and web portal for the upcoming celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The portal – gandhi.gov.in is participatory in nature and all participating organisations will be able to upload their activities regarding the commemoration of the occasion. It also has a unique feature Gandhipedia which will be a repository of Gandhian knowledge and will continue to grow with time. The logo and web portal is part of the two-year-long celebrations from October 2, 2018 to October 2, 2020 across the country and on foreign soil to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.  Union home minister Rajnath Singh launched two smart fencing pilot projects along the 198-km-long India-Pakistan international border in Jammu and Kashmir.

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 As many as 20 lakh people have joined the modified Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY), taking the total number of account holders in the flagship financial inclusion programme to 32.61 crore as on September 5, according to finance ministry data.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, jointly inaugurated the India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline projects through video conferencing. Modi and Hasina inaugurated the work of the pipeline from their respective capitals, New Delhi and Dhaka.  The home ministry launched a portal ‘e-Sahaj’ that will enable individuals and private companies to submit applications and view their status online.  The Union Minister of State Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ‘Pension Adalat’, organised by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi’s Dwarka.  The size of the Indian economy will double to $5 trillion by 2022 with manufacturing and agriculture contributing $1 trillion each, and the various states are competing with each other to help achieve this goal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.  India has contributed a whopping $1 million for the installation of solar panels on the roof of the imposing UN building at the world body’s headquarters. The contribution will help reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy.  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched two separate portals to strengthen Women Safety in the country. The portal ‘cybercrime.gov.in’ will receive complaints from citizens on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape. The other portal ‘National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO)’, is accessible only to law enforcement agencies and will assist in effectively tracking and investigating cases of sexual offences.  Union Minister of State for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Giriraj Singh, launched MSME Insider – a monthly e-newsletter of the Ministry.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made a new Budget Dashboard on Budget, Expenditure and Bill Payment position. The Budget Dashboard also incorporates Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Health Research.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi aid the foundation stone for the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi‘s Dwarka.  In a major victory for northeastern indie cinema and female filmmakers, Rima Das’ National Award-winning Assamese film Village Rockstars has been selected as India’s official entry to the 91 Academy Awards, 2019.  The government announced three initiatives to take banking to the last mile comprising a financial inclusion index, geographical mapping of banking servicesand hassle-free online loans for MSMEs valuing upto Rs 1 crore. Arun Jaitley launched a common online platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) credit which will enable businesses to get loans upto Rs 1 croreapproved through a completely automated process within just 59 minutes. The government also announced a financial inclusion index, which would be released by the end of this year and would rate states on their performance on last-mile banking services availability.

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The government also announced a banking services infrastructure locator app “Jan Dhan Darshak” which aims to to bring banking within reach of every citizens through over five lakh “banking touch points” comprising of bank branches, banking correspondents, ATMs, common service centres and post offices. The GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping of banking services will be a convenient method for any person to find the nearest banking touch point.  Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control device Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit, WAYU, at ITO in New Delhi.  Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in Shillong announced that the government will spend Rs 1.5 lakh crore for improving national highways in the northeastern states of the country.  A colossal dome shaped structure (world’s largest dome) will be inaugurated at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology’s (MIT), Pune on October 2.  Aadhaar linking with PAN mandatory, not needed for bank A/Cs, CBSE, NEET, UGC, school admissions, Mobile connections. The Court, while announcing its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar said, “Aadhaar not needed for opening a bank A/C, and no mobile company can demand Aadhaar card for connections.” The apex court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, hence barring private companied from seeking Aadhaar details of consumers.  The Centre announced to enhance its contribution to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) from 75 per cent to 90 per cent with effect from April 1 this year.  Economic affairs secretary S C Garg announced reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by Rs 70,000 crore and maintained that the government will contain fiscal deficit target at 3.3 per cent.  Union KJ Alphons presented the National Tourism Awards 2016-17 and launched the ‘Incredible India’ mobile app and the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification” programme on the occasion of World Tourism Day.  The Union Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved raising of Extra Budgetary Resources (EBR) of Rs 15,000 crore through NABARD for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) during 2018-19.  The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a dedicated portal to connect cargo owners and shippers with real time data on availability of vessels. Named as the ‘Forum of Cargo-Owners and Logistics-Operators’ (FOCAL), the link of the portal is available on the homepage of IWAI.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi set rolling a new slogan, ‘Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas’, about his government as he gave away over 1 lakh houses to women under the flagship Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (rural) scheme, calling it a Rakshabandhan gift.  The Supreme Court will have three serving women judges for the first time, after the Centre cleared the elevation of Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee. The other two judges are R Banumathi, appointed in August 2014, and Indu Malhotra, appointed in April 2018. Notably, SC will have a total of 22 male judges including two new male appointees.  Ranchi man Ranjit Srivastava,38, has developed Indian version of ‘Sophia,’ a social humanoid robot developed by a Hong Kong based company, named Rashmi which can speak Hindi, Bhojpuri and Marathi along with English.  FICCI Ladies Organisation, the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has launched a mobile application “WOW” (Wellness of Women) aimed at creating awareness on preventive healthcare. This easy to use platform allows users to talk to doctors through video conferencing or connect with them via voice or email.

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 Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched the Mission Solar Charkha for implementation of 50 Solar Charkha Clusters across the country with a budget of Rs.550 crore for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20. The scheme will generate direct employment to nearly one lakh persons.  The Ministry of Culture launched a scheme called “Seva Bhoj Yojna” to reimburse central share of CGST and IGST on food, prasad, langar or bhandara offered by religious and charitable institutions. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs 325.00 crore for financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20.  The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the first extension of Concessional Financing Scheme (CFS) to support Indian Entities bidding for strategically important infrastructure projects abroad for five years till 2023.  In order to sustain and accelerate the adoption of energy efficient textile technologies in the power loom sector and cost savings due to use of such technology, Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Power (GoI) have joined hands under the initiative SAATHI (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help Small Industries).  Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a logo and tagline for Geographical Indications (GI) to increase awareness about intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the country.  The Governor of Manipur, Dr. Najma A. Heptulla inaugurated the project ‘Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom’ implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India on August 14. The project is the first project to be completed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Government of India. The project which covers two sites – Kangla Fort in Imphal and Khongjom was taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 72,22,82607 under the Union Ministry of Tourism.  The central government launched an online management system – Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) – to expedite land acquisition and the bidding process for road construction.  PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) have signed an MoU to establish India-Nepal Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal. It will further strengthen economic engagement between the two countries.  The Government of India has released 470 million Nepali rupees grant for Terai roads project in Nepal. The amount has been released to maintain fund liquidity for the ongoing construction of 14 road packages under Postal Highway Project.  PM Modi inaugurated 400-bed Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Nepal Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala has been built by the Government of India with an assistance of over 20 crore Nepali rupees.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of Independence Day, announced the launch of ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan’ on September 25. The scheme is the flagship project of Ayushman Bharat, the national healthcare policy launched by the Government earlier this year. Ayushman Bharat, also refered to as ‘Modicare’, was launched by the Government of India in February this year.  A mere 19 per cent of people in the 15-65 age group use Internet in India, according to a report named “AfterAccess: ICT access and use in India and the Global South”. It was published by Lirneasia, a policy and regulation think tank in collaboration with the Cellular Operators Association of India.  The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the joint issue of postage stamps between India and South Africa on the theme of 20 years of strategic partnership between the two countries. A commemorative postage stamp, released

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in June, depicts the images of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh thinker Deendayal Upadhyaya and Oliver Reginald Tambo of South Africa.  The Ministry of HRD has embarked on a major and new initiative Project called ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM), which will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses. This covers all higher education subjects and skill sector courses.  Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Aviation Suresh Prabhu launched ‘Niryat Mitra’ – mobile App in New Delhi. It provides wide range of information required to undertake international trade right from the policy provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures.  HRD Minister has said that IIT-PAL lectures would now be available in handheld devices via the ‘SWAYAM’ portal in order to reduce students’ dependence on coaching classes.  On the occasion of “World Biofuel Day 2018” on 10th August, PM Narendra Modi unveiled a Booklet on “National Policy on Biofuels 2018”, and launched “Pro Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single window Hub”[PARIVESH].  Giving a boost to rural road connectivity, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) beyond the 12th five year plan period.  Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry announced a spending of Rs 418 crore from 2018-20 on collaborative research between Indian and foreign institutes under the ‘Scheme for promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration’ (SPARC).  Santhali has become the first Indian tribal language to get a Wikipedia edition in its own script after the Santhali Wikipedia went live earlier this month. Santhali is written in Ol Chiki script and spoken by 6.4 million people, according to the 2001 census, in India alone and its speakers live mostly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam. It is also spoken in Bangladesh and Nepal.  The civil aviation ministry has approved a proposal for setting up of water aerodromes in the country, with Chilika Lake in Odisha, Sardar Sarovar Dam and Sabarmati River Front in Gujarat being identified in the first phase for development of such facilities.  The Union Government has unlocked green funds worth over Rs 66,000 crore to increase the country’s forest cover.  The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Minister of State for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition entitled ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Proscribed Literature) in the premises of National Archives of India, in New Delhi.  NITI Aayog has launched “Pitch to MOVE” – a mobility pitch competition that aims to provide budding entrepreneurs of India a unique opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a distinguished jury.  In the wake of PM Modi’s vision for creating digital museums at stations using QR code, Ministry of Railway has made “digital screens” operational at 22 stations on this Independence Day (15.08.2018) as an innovative low cost solution to spread awareness among public about the opulent heritage of Indian Railways. Being initiated on a pilot basis, the project aims at showcasing the legacy of Indian Railways through one to two minute-long movie clips on digital LED screens at the entrance gate of railway stations and also at different comfort areas.  Urdu author Ismat Chughtai, known for her literary works exploring free speech, social liberation, and gender equality, was on 21st August paid homage by search engine giant Google with a colourful doodle on her 107th birthday.

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 INS Vikramaditya, India’s only aircraft carrier, is going to be fitted with marine hydraulic system for the first time as part of its upgrade that will give an edge to the air-capable wing of the ship.  IIT-Kharagpur launched its Re-Water Research Institute, which will primarily look at treating and converting sewage water into potable water. The pilot plant at IIT-Kharagpur is expected to be ready by March 2019.  The health ministry issued new images for the pictorial warning on packs of cigarette and other tobacco products. The new pictures, which will be used with effect from September 1, will have to be accompanied with a quitline number. According to a health ministry order, all packs of tobacco products must have “tobacco causes cancer” and “tobacco causes painful death” written in white on a red background, and the words “quit today call 1800-11-2356” in white on a black background along with the pictorial warning.  The Centre declared the Kerala floods a ‘calamity of severe nature’, amid demands for declaring it a national disaster.  Under its scheme SPARC to forge international research partnerships, the Human Research Development (HRD) Ministry will fund 600 projects in top-ranked institutes with a total of about Rs 400 crore, according to the IIT- Kharagpur, the coordinating centre for the scheme. SPARC – Scheme for promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration  After the launch of the government e-marketplace (GeM), the centre is trying to replicate its success at a much larger scale by bringing together all logistics players on one platform through a national logistics e-marketplace for better price discovery and reducing logistics cost. The test run for the online logistics marketplace is likely to begin by March 2019.  The highest pollution is due to transport in the national capital of Delhi. At the same time, Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal has the lowest level of pollution. The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has released the report named The Urban Commute after studying 14 cities in the country. The cities which CSE has studied include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kochi, Bhopal, Vijayawada and Chandigarh.  Aptly called Neta app, which was unveiled by former President Pranab Mukherjee, the technology platform will let users rate their MLAs and MPs and is being billed as an instrument to gauge voter sentiment across constituencies in the country. The app is created by 27-year-old entrepreneur Pratham Mittal.  Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off Kathgodam-Dehradun Naini-Doon Janshatabdi Express via video conferencing from Rail Bhavan. The new train will be providing direct connectivity between two important hill stations of Uttarakhand– Mussoorie and Nainital.  In a major decision, the defence ministry approved procurement of 111 utility helicopters for the navy at a cost of overRs 21,000 crore. Ministry cleared procurement proposals worth nearly Rs 46,000 crore which included the acquisition of the helicopters.  Real average daily wages in India almost doubled in the first two decades after economic reforms, but low pay and wage inequality remains a serious challenge to inclusive growth, the International Labour Organization warned in its India Wage Report published recently.  The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said 126 MW wind power capacity, part of country’s first inter state transmission system (ISTS) auction, is commissioned in Bhuj,Gujarat.  The committee on review of penal provisions of Company Act 2013 submitted its final report to Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi. The Committee (Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Injeti Srinivas) was constituted by the government last month to review the existing framework dealing with offences

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under the Companies Act, 2013 and related matters and make recommendations to promote better corporate compliance.  No-frills airline SpiceJet today operated India’s first test flight powered by biojet fuel, marking a new chapter in the fast-growing domestic aviation sector. The nearly 45-minute flight from Dehradun to the national capital was operated with a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially powered by biojet fuel made from Jatropha plant.  An MoU was signed for the implementation of 362-km Indore-Manmad New Railway Line Project in New Delhi. Talking about the project, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said, the first of its kind of project will not only reduce the distance by a huge margin but also boost the developmental process of the tribal areas along the line.  Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here with 6 states for the construction of the Lakhwar multi-purpose project in the upper Yamuna basin to deal with water crisis. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath), Rajasthan (Vasundhara Raje Scindia), Uttarakhand (Trivendra Singh Rawat), Himachal Pradesh (Jai Ram Thakur), Haryana (Manohar Lal Khattar) and (Delhi Arvind Kejriwal) signed the MoU. Under the agreement, the 204-metres high project will be constructed near Uttarakhand’s Lohari village with live storage capacity of 330.66 million cubic metres (MCM).  Understanding the importance of regional languages in India, search giant Google has announced a new program that will empower offline newspapers and magazines in India to bring their content online. Announced during the fourth edition of ‘Google for India’ event, the Project Navlekha claims to bring offline content online in just a few clicks. Google is using its expertise in artificial intelligence for Project Navlekha, using which, it will quickly render any PDF with Indian language content into editable text, overcoming issues that usually occur when you try to copy text in Indian languages from a PDF.  The Centre has sanctioned Rs 730 crore for the Gujarat’s Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada river for the current year and also committed soft loan of Rs 1,500 crore for the state’s other irrigation projects, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on 28 August.  The third edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model – Smart India Hackathon 2019 was launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for the umbrella scheme “Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART)”, for implementation during the period from 2017-18 to 2019-20 at an overall cost ofRs.1623 crore.  The Union cabinet approved an additional 2 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for central government employees. The hike will come into effect from July 1, 2018.  In a bid to increase its market share in India’s payments market, Google rebranded its payments app Google Tez into Google Pay, introduced new features and widened its scope with new tie-ups. Launched first in India last year as Google Tez, the re-branded Google Pay will now be offered in other countries too. Google said it will be unifying all of Google’s payment offerings globally.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been invited by the United Nations (UN) to deliver a keynote address at an event, titled ‘Financing Sustainable Agriculture: Global Challenges and Opportunities’ – to be organised on the sideline of the annual UN General Assembly in New York on September 24.  NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr.Rajiv Kumar, and Chief Executive Officer Shri. Amitabh Kant, unveiled a series of events to take place in the‘Mobility Week’ from 31 August to 6 September 2018, in the run up to MOVE: The Global Mobility Summit 2018 on 7 and 8 September 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Summit will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

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 Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched the Innovation Cell and Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements, ARIIA in New Delhi.  India will head the Asia Pacific Region of World Customs Organisation (WCO) for two years as its Vice Chair. According to a Finance Ministry release, the position will enable India to take on leadership role of Asia Pacific Region of the organisation.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India in New Delhi.  Indian Railways is all set to establish its footprint in Sri Lanka with the export of six DMU (diesel multiple units) train sets consisting of 78 modern coaches worth Rs 600 crore. All train sets would be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.  Nepal plans to operate its first ever broad-gauge passenger railway service from Janakpur town to Indian border town Jayanagar in Bihar starting December.  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched an Online Guidance System for determining notifiability of merger & acquisitions. The Guidance System has been named as “Do It Yourself (DIY): A notifiability check for mergers & acquisitions under the Competition Act, 2002”.  Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched its first in-house single umbrella e-marketing system that can be accessed from anywhere in India for sale and purchase of its products.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved proposal for expanding the scope of Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) by enhancing its capital base to Rs. 10,000 crore and tasking it to mobiliseRs. 1,00,000 crore for Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education or RISE by 2022.  More than 19,500 languages or dialects are spoken in India as mother tongues, according to the latest analysis of a census released recently.There are 121 languages which are spoken by 10,000 or more people in India, which has a population of 121 crore, it said.  Bringing the best of Google to Indian startups, Google announced Launchpad Accelerator India — a new comprehensive mentorship program, tailored exclusively for startups based in India, deploying Machine Learning/AI to build solutions for India’s local needs.  Driven by increased focus on digital transformation, the demand for data scientists in India shot up by 417 per cent in the past one year, according to a new study titled “Talent Supply Index” (TSI) by data-driven hiring solution provider Belong Technologies India Pvt Ltd.  The Union Government has granted the Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) status to six institutions including 3 from Public Sector and 3 from Private Sector.Three Public Universities granted the Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) status: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IISc Bangalore. Three Private Universities granted the Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) status: Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation, BITS Pilani, Manipal Academy of Higher Education.  The Cabinet approved India’s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Copyright Treaty, and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) extending copyright coverage to the internet and digital spheres.  The Union Cabinet approved the transfer of a 5.99 acre Sashastra SeemaBal (SSB) plot in Tawang to the Arunachal Pradesh government for constructing a multipurpose ground.  The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod for the continuation, up to 2020, of eight schemes of the Home Ministry for relief and rehabilitation of migrants under the umbrella scheme “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates”.

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 Highlighting the need to systemise disaster data by setting up a database on a sustainable basis, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju announced that it will be India’s endeavour to set up disaster database expeditiously well before the target date of 2020.  Government launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018 in New Delhi. The month long survey will begin on 1st August.  With an aim of eliminating human entry into septic tanks and drains for cleaning, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has launched a ‘technology challenge’ seeking suitable solutions from individuals and NGOs.  To fast track the resolution of area based infrastructure issues, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the Local Area Plan (LAP) and Town Plan Schemes (TPS) for 25 smart cities in the country, under which the ministry will provide Rs 2 crore as central assistance to every city for planned urban expansion.  Under the guidance of Piyush Goyal, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Railways and Coal, in order to capture the lost traffic through the new delivery model for domestic cargo, Indian Railways has introduced Double Stack Dwarf Container Services.This train was booked from the Reliance Rail Siding at Kanalus to Rewari in the state of Haryana.  The Indian Railways is planning to launch a special train on November 14, along the route taken by Lord Ram in the Hindu epic Ramayana.This 800-seater tourist train, named ‘Sri Ramayana Express’, will start from Delhi and reach Rameswaram in 16 days.  The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUA) has launched two programmes India Smart Cities Fellowship (ISCF) and the India Smart Cities Internship (ISCI) to give youth the chance to work In the domain of urban planning and governance.  The central government think tank NITI Aayog has unveiled the blueprint of ‘National Health Stack’ (NHS), a shared digital healthcare infrastructure. The blueprint is in line with the implementation of the Centre’s flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat and other public healthcare programmes in the country.  The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has developed a mobile app ‘GST Verify’ to protect interest of consumers.It is an android app to verify if the person collecting GST from the consumer is eligible to collect it or not. It also provides the details of the person/ company collecting GST.  India’s first biofortified sorghum (jowar), with significantly higher iron and zinc than regular sorghum, has been formally launched.  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a commemorative coin of Rs 125 denomination to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of scientist Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and 12th Statistics Day.  The Aadhaar issuing authority Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made Virtual ID (VID) system operational with its Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) which have migrated to VID and UID Token.The Virtual ID is a 16-digit random number mapped with the Aadhaar number.  The Income Tax Department has introduced an ‘instant’ Aadhaar-based PAN allotment service for individuals seeking to file taxes for the first time. The facility is free of cost and instant allotment of e-PAN is available only for a limited period on a first-come-first-serve basis for valid Aadhaar holders.  According to data from National Health Profile 2018, Rabies is the only disease that had a 100% death rate in India in 2017.  The Election Commission launched a mobile app, “cVIGIL”, for citizens to report any violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during elections.  Union Minister of Coal, Railways, Finance & Corporate Affairs, Piyush Goyal launched the Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS) and Mobile Application ‘Khan Prahari’ developed by CMPDI, Ranchi in New Delhi.

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Khan Prahari is a tool for reporting any activity taking place related to illegal coal mining like rat-hole mining, pilferage etc.  The Sunil Mehta Committee, set up to look into the faster resolution of stressed assets, has recommended the creation of an asset management company for the resolution of stressed loans worth more than Rs500 crore. Sunil Mehta committee on bad loans resolution has recommended a five-pronged strategy Project ‘SASHAKT’ to deal with Non-performing Assets in the country’s banking system. The five-pronged strategy includes: SME resolution approach,Bank-led resolution approach,AMC/AIF led resolution approach,NCLT/IBC approach, andAsset-trading platform.  Despite the fact that technology can today help people to work from anywhere, nearly half the people in India want more “mobile-free” time to devote to their friends and family, showed results of “Live Life” survey by American Express and research firm Morning Consult.  The National Security Guard will be the first central paramilitary force to opt for e-ticketing instead of the railway warrant under an agreement signed with the IRCTC.  Reiterating that the central government was focused on development of sea route and inland waterways to boostcruise tourism in India, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said that under Sagarmala project, the government will give Rs 500 crore to Shipping Corporation of India to lease out cruises to promote cruise tourism.  Train 18 – the code name given to the India’s ambitious semi high-speed train that is a ‘Made in India’ initiative will soon roll out by September. The train that is made by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) based in Chennai has the capacity to run at the speed of 160 Kmph.  State-owned BSNL launched India’s first Internet telephony service “Wings”. This service would allow customers to make and receive calls over the Internet from anywhere in India or abroad.  The Indian Army has joined hands with the State bank of India (SBI) on the Defence Salary Package, which will include free personal accident death and total disability cover.  The Archaeological Survey of India has issued an order allowing photography within the premises of all centrally protected monuments or sites, except at Ajanta Caves, Leh Palace and TajMahal.  In an attempt to engage with the people of India on the important issues of water conservation and water management, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has launched a video contest titled “JalBachao, Video Banao, PuruskarPao”.  The National Health Agency (NHA) has launched a pilot for the Beneficiary Identification System (BIS) for confirmation of 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families eligible for health coverage under Ayushman Bharat, or Modicare.  The Telecom Commission has approved the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) net neutrality recommendations that bar service providers from discriminating against internet content and services by blocking, throttling or granting them higher speed access.  UIDAI announced that the estimated savings and gains since the inception of Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) stood at over Rs 90,000 crore as on March 31 this year.  NitiAayog has proposed 15-point action plan for combating air pollution in ten most polluted cities in the country, including Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi. The draft action plan titled ‘Breathe India’ includes encouraging electric vehicles, phasing out private diesel vehicle and development of crop residue utilisation policy.  The latest census figure of 2011 shows Sanskrit has earned 10,000 new speakers in a span of 10 years, a growth of 71 per cent, though the ancient language may be the least-spoken language in India. According to the 2011 data, released recently, 24,821 people have registered Sanskrit as their mother tongue, in comparison to 14,135 people

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who had said Sanskrit was their mother tongue in 2001.According to the data, Hindi remains India’s most spoken language followed by Bengali.  Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), a large-scale fertiliser cooperative federation has taken another step to serve and connect the farmers digitally by launching a social e-commerce app and web portal, “IFFCO iMandi”.  The government is planning to build 1,911 kilometres of international connectivity roads over the five year period ending 2022 under its flagship Bharatmala scheme.  In a move to put a check on vehicle thefts, the government will soon notify a new standard for automobile industry to use a technology which involves spraying thousands of small dots laser etched with a vehicle identification number throughout the vehicle body, including their engines. The technology named MicroDots makes it almost impossible to remove the dots and hence, the car’s identity can be established at any stage.  The government will print and hand-deliver about 110 million ‘family cards’ for the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in a major public contact programme by organising ‘Ayushman Pakhwaras’ in villages as it seeks to implement the Prime Minister’s signature move.  After 165 years of its birth, Indian Railways is set to get its first publicly-owned dedicated corridor for freight trains on August 15, when the country will be celebrating its 72nd Independence Day.  Bollywood singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh is all set to get his own wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in the national capital.  India accounts for one-fifth of global deaths due to floods, according to government data that lends perspective to a new World Bank study that says climate change will lower the standards of living of nearly half of the countrys population by 2050.  The ‘BIMARU’ Indian states – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – have the highest numbers of partially immunized and non-immunized children, according to UN bodies WHO and Unicef.  Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid the foundation stone of India’s first National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The proposed institute will impart training to trainers and create a skill-based ecosystem to meet the industry demands.  One of the country’s first Defence incubators will come up in Hyderabad, which is India’s missile development centre and fast emerging the hub for aerospace industries.  NABARD has launched a centre for accelerating concerted action on climate change by various stakeholders including government, private and financial sectors. The Centre for Climate Change has been set up in Lucknow.  Kerala stands as the best governed state in the country and Karnataka is in the fourth position, said the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).  A countrywide initiative called Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme, which aims to build a bridge between the police and young students by educating them in crime prevention and ethics through classes at school and outside, was launched by home minister Rajnath Singh.  Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan has unveiled the first of a kind Air Quality and Weather Forecast System, SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting) at Chandni Chowk in New Delhi. The giant true colour LED display will give real-time air quality index on 24×7 basis with colour coding along with 72- hour advance forecast.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi digitally launched an India-assisted emergency ambulance service in Sri Lanka. Apart from providing ambulances, the grant also covers the training of manpower in India and meeting operational costs for one year.  To improve the livelihood of people on the border, India and Bangladesh will set up six more “border haats” (markets) in addition to the existing four.

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 The environment ministry has decided to re-introduce a scheme for awarding Indian authors for their original work in Hindi on subjects related to environment including pollution and climate change. The Medini Puraskar Yojna, which aims at promoting original writing of books in Hindi, will have four awards for authors of various environmental topics.  The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched a contest, #Childline1098, inviting people to share images of the Childline 1098 logo that they spot at unique locations and send it with a tagline, to mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30.  Scheme titled ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ is being implemented by the Ministry of Culture with the objective of reinvigorating and revitalizing various institutions, groups, individuals, identified non-MoC institutions, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars so that they may engage in activities/ projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Indian Government has decided to gift a cancer therapy machine to the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, which will not only serve the people of Uganda but also the people of many East African countries.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to build a Gandhi Heritage Centre in Uganda’s Jinja, where a statue of Mahatma Gandhi now stands.  India has extended lines of credit (LoCs) worth $200 million to Rwanda as Prime Minister Narendra Modi (who was on a visit to Rwanda) announced that the first Indian diplomatic mission will be opened in the East African nation. Prime Modi also visited a village in Rwanda and donated 200 cows for an economic development project of the East African nation.  The IT ministry launched a desktop software e-Aksharayan to enable editing of text printed on scanned documents and it can be downloaded for free from its website.  The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, laid the foundation stone for permanent campus of National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women at Mohali, Punjab. This is the first NSTI Institute for Punjab and only one of its kind in India which is exclusively for women.  Health Minister J.P. Nadda launched the ‘National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme’ with the goal of ending viral hepatitis, or inflammation of liver, as a public health threat by 2030.  Government of India has approved a new scheme namely Mahila Shakti Kendra for implementation during 2017- 18 upto 2019-20 to empower rural women through community participation.  The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee on data protection in India has suggested amendments to various laws including the Aadhaar Act to provide for imposition of penalties on data fiduciaries and compensations to data principals for violations of the data protection law.  All the 13 lakh employees of the Indian Railways will take turns to swear an oath publicly to “bring about integrity” and “eradicate corruption”. Termed “Mission Satyanishtha”, the program will involve railwaymen attending formal training course on probity and integrity in public life.  R Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission and Arvind Gupta CEO, MyGov launched the “#InnovateIndia Platform”, a collaboration between the Atal Innovation Mission and MyGov, a citizen-centric platform of the Government of India.  Minister of State for communications Manoj Sinha in Lok Sabha told MP Virender Kashyap that all villages adopted by the Member of Parliaments under ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna’, will be provided free WiFi services across India by the Government.

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Ayushman Bharat

The National Health Agency (NHA), the apex body implementing the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), has launched a website and a helpline number to help prospective beneficiaries check if their name is there in the final list. One can visit the website mera.pmjay.gov.in or call up the helpline (14555) to check their enrolment.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ayushman Bharat, world’s largest government-funded healthcare scheme in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.  With the roll out of the Centre’s flagship scheme which has been renamed as PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), the Narendra Modi-led NDA government aims to provide healthcare facilities to over 10 crore families covering urban and rural poor. All NDA chief ministers launched the scheme from their respective states.  The scheme became operational from September 25 on the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. The ambitious scheme offers an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh, which will cover 10 crore poor families or almost 50 crore persons.

Below is a brief summary of the extent and importance of the scheme.

 The scheme is targeted at poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational categories of urban workers’ families.  There will be no cap on the family size and age under the AB-NHPS. The scheme will be cashless and paperless at public hospitals and empanelled private hospitals.  Ayushman Bharat may cost the exchequer around Rs 5,000 crore this year because of the time taken to rollout the scheme.  The scheme will cost Rs 10,000 crore when its rolled out across India next year. While this year there are likely to be 8 crore beneficiaries, the target is to cover 10 crore by FY 20.  The scheme aims to provide a benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. It will subsume the existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), launched in 2008 by the UPA government.

State News

Andhra Pradesh  More than 150 tribals from the states affected by Maoist insurgency began a Shanti Padyatra or peace march from a village in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district to appeal to all sides to give peace a chance.  Cyclone Titli has intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and will make a landfall in areas bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh along the eastern coast.  UNESCO MGIEP in association with Government of Andhra Pradesh announces TECH 2018, an international conference which aims to showcase the role of games and digital learning to create peaceful and sustainable societies. Will be held Novotel, Vizag City, Andhra Pradesh.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the launch of ‘Yuva Nestam Scheme’ on October 2, which would provide unemployment dole of Rs 1000 each to empower youth.  The government and Mastercard introduced e-Rythu, a mobile platform that provides farmers an easy and secure way to buy, sell and receive payments for agricultural products via their feature phones.

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 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu flagged off the ‘Swachh Dhara’ programme in Amravati, with an aim to provide clean drinking water across the state.  The government announced to start an unemployment allowance for the state’s youth from October 2018. The candidates can register online on the website yuvanestham.ap.gov.in. to be part of the scheme.  The Andhra Pradesh Government has approved the “Mukhyamantri Yuva Nestam” scheme that makes unemployed youth in the state, eligible of receiving Rs 1000 per month from the government.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister unveiled the world’s first-ever high energy storage device in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. The thermal battery, first-of-its-kind anywhere in the world, is a revolutionary and disruptive technology patented by Dr. Patrick Glynn in 2016 in India.  Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the top ranked state in the Union government’s latest ease of doing business index for states. The index is jointly prepared by the World Bank and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).Meghalaya was ranked last at 36th position and appeared as the worst performing state.  The commerce ministry has approved a proposal of HCL Technologies to set up a new IT special economic zone (SEZ) in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, with a proposed investment of Rs 408.48 crore.The ministry has recently constituted a group, headed by Bharat Forge Chairman Baba Kalyani, to study the SEZ policy.  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) entered in an agreement with Andhra Pradesh Government to set up a ‘Design University’ for gaming in Visakhapatnam.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated ‘Anna Canteen’, which will serve food for just Rs. 5. The canteen would serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at the same rate.  CM launched ‘e-Pragati portal’, a digital platform for governance in the state, would help to connect all the state government departments and act as a stand-alone to resolve the issues.  Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the ‘Project Gandiva’. This project aims to achieve medals in Olympic Games in a span of ten years. The government wants to make Andhra Pradesh No.1 in the country in athletics.

Arunachal Pradesh  Arunachal Pradesh Government launched the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana and Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana in Itanagar.  The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with The British Council in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.  Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first State in North East India to introduce Smart e-Public Distribution System (e- PDS), a solution developed by the Madras Security Printers, a company specializing in system integration and solutions for e-governance projects.

Assam  Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated an Indo-Bhutan Border Trade Centre at Darranga in Tamulpur, Baksa District, Assam. Sonowal termed it a red-letter day and said that the trade centre will lead to strengthening of Indo-Bhutan relations.  The Assam government will provide electricity connection to all households by December 31st this year under SOUVAGYA scheme.  The Assam government will launch the Universal Pension scheme in the state on the 2nd October, the birth anniversary of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. Under the scheme, the pension will be given to citizens over 60 years of age.

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 Assam became the first state to offer financial assistance under a special scheme for pregnant tea garden workers.They will also not be engaged in work from the third trimester of pregnancy to three months after delivery. Women form the bulk of the workforce in the state’s 800-odd tea gardens.  Northeast and Assam Petro-chemicals, a state-owned company launched Asia’s first cannister-based and India’s first “Methanol Cooking Fuel Program”.  The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is set to launch a Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) service in Assam from Neamati to Manjuli island.  Assam’s third Bihu festival, known as Kati Bihu, was being celebrated across the state. On the occasion of Kati Bihu, women in urban and rural areas, try to ward off evil and pray for a rich harvest by lighting earthen lamps.  Amid tight security, the second and the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam was released in Guwahati. Out of 3,29,91,384 total applicants, 2,89,83,677 people have been found eligible to be included in the National Register of Citizens.  In Assam, the Panchayat and Rural Development Department has stressed on accelerating the pace of overall development of rural areas through successful implementation of various programmes. The department has also taken steps for conducting a door to door survey under Prime Minister Awas Yojna Grameen  The Central Government which aims to improve digital connectivity and infuse digital literacy in all the states of the country, recently launched the ‘Digital Northeast Vision Document 2022’ in Guwahati.  Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in Assam has become the first oil public sector undertaking (PSU) to adopt an online legal compliance system by introducing ‘Legatrix’.  Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal laid foundation stone for the state’s first cultural university at Majuli to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore.  The Assam government has decided to set up a separate directorate for the Divyangs. The Social Welfare department will give 1 thousand rupees per month to all Divyangs as stipend.  In a unique and first ever in the country, Assam government has decided to implement a scheme to part away with 10 to 15 per cent of state government employees’ monthly salary if they are found guilty of not taking adequate care of their dependent elderly parents and physically challenged siblings.

Bihar  India’s first dolphin research centre was launched in Patna. National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC, set up on the banks of the Ganga river, is India’s and Asia’s first.  After Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan (betel vine), Bihar’s Shahi litchi has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and has become an exclusive brand in the national and international market.  Bihar and Nepal are now connected by bus. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service between Bihar and Nepal. The service will link Bodh Gaya and Patna in Bihar to Kathmandu and Janakpur in Nepal.  Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has launched an ambitious scheme - ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’ - which promises to provide Rs 54,100 from the birth of a girl child till she graduates.  With the launch of cost-effective innovative water project, Bihar will soon provide the cheapest drinking water in the world. The first of such a water project was launched in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, by Sulabh International, an organisation that introduced the concept of ‘SulabhSauchalya’ in the country.With the help of this project, the people will easily be able to get pure and clean water only in 50paisa/litre.The ‘SulabhJal’ project converts contaminated pond and river water into safe drinking water.

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Chandigarh  The Central government has sent an advisory to the Chandigarh Administration to follow the notification issued by the Delhi Government giving exemption to Sikh women from wearing protective headgear (helmet) while riding two-wheelers in the city.

Chhattisgarh  The country’s first tribal tourism circuit was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.  Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has launched an ambitious scheme - ‘Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana’ - which promises to provide Rs 54,100 from the birth of a girl child till she graduates.  Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh announced that Chhattisgarh is the first among the 28 other states in the country to provide Right to Skills’ Development to the youth  President Ram Nath Kovind launched Chhattisgarh government’s Sanchar Kranti Yojna at Jagdalpur in the Naxal- affected Bastar region of the state. Under the scheme, 50 lakh smartphones will be distributed free of cost to the people.  Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh launched an online portal and mobile app called ‘Aabhaar-Aapki seva ka’ by the online pension management system for the pensioners of the stateActress Kangana Ranaut and .  Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh launched a smartphone distribution scheme called ‘Mobile Tihar’ under Sanchar Kranti Yojna.

Delhi  Delhi has toppled Gujarat from the top spot in a list of 21 states and union territories with the most investment potential, according to a report by economic think-tank NCAER.  Parts of the national capital will now enjoy free Wi-Fi and high-speed broadband as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched a slew of “smart city” projects in a function.  Ahead of the Independence Day, the Delhi Police inducted India’s first all-woman Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team for anti-terrorist operations.  Delhi government signed a twin city agreement with the Moscow administration for cooperation in the fields of education, healthcare, sports, tourism, transport and environment for a period of three years.  A Korean War memorial will be built in New Delhi to commemorate India’s role in the war that ended in an armistice in 1953.  Calling it a “historic step” and “revolutionary change”, the Delhi government launched the doorstep delivery of 40 public services for the people living in the national capital. Now people will not have to waste their time and money for multiple trips to the government offices. They just need to call on 1076 and request for the service they want. They need to pay Rs 50 and can get 40 services at their doorstep. Driving license, new water or sewer connection and disconnection will also be provided under the scheme between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. through a ‘Mobile Sahayak’.  The Delhi Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are slated to sign an agreement this week for cooperation in urban regeneration. The agreement will be signed during Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ongoing trip to Seoul.

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 In what was termed a “historic” occasion, Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal launched the “Happiness Curriculum” for students of nursery to Class 8 in government schools. The curriculum was launched in the presence of the Dalai Lama.  The Delhi government launched the “Connect Delhi” initiative in a bid to make commuting easy for the residents of national capital.The initiative will carry out a holistic planning exercise covering all public transport to ensure all areas of Delhi are connected.  The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has joined hands with US-based chip-designer Nvidia Corp to set up a Centre of Excellence in Delhi to offer the industry a complete design and implementation environment for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based applications.  Indo Korea Technology Exchange Centre inaugurated at NSIC campus, Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi.  The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra announced that all private hospitals in Delhi, which were given land on concessional rate, must provide free treatment to certain percentage of poor patients.  The Delhi government would send 77,000 senior citizens along with one adult attendant each on all-expenses paid pilgrimages every year, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approving the scheme called Mukhyamantri Tirthyatra Yojana.  India’s first asymmetrical cable-stayed Signature Bridge connecting the Outer Ring Road with Wazirabad will open by October end.  With alarming shortage of staff in the Health Department, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal set up a deadline of September 15 to fill up all vacancies on contract.  The Delhi High Court constituted a five-member committee to examine the punishment and death sentencing awarded in the sexual harassment cases.  The Delhi Cabinet approved a scheme under which farmers in the national capital can lease out part of their agricultural land for setting up solar panels for additional income. Under the ‘Mukhyanmantri Kissan Aaye Badhotri Solar Yojna,’ any farmer can rent out not more than one third of his land to a private firm to set up solar panels at a rate of Rs one lakh per annum per acre.  Amid opposition by some members, the government decided that a museum for all prime ministers of the countrywould be constructed in the Teen Murti Bhavan complex that houses the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML).

Goa  Goa International Film Festival from 20th to 28th of November will have Jharkhand as a partner state.  Goa government’s Women and Child Development Ministry launched a universal helpline service (181) for women in distress in the coastal state.  The Goa government inked an MoU with Portugal and said that the coastal state was looking at the European nation, with which it has a historical link, for its model of development.  Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar flagged off the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s app-based taxi service called “GoaMiles” in Panaji. “GoaMiles”, would ensure that commuters are not cheated and at the same time would increase the earnings of taxi drivers by “two to three” times.

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Gujarat  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the state’s first ‘Food Agro Infrastructure Mega Food Park’, jointly built by Central and Gujarat Governments at a cost of Rs.120-crore on 70-acre plot, at Shah Village in Mangrol taluka in Surat district.  CM launched the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Pax ferry service. The ferry, which connects Saurashtra to South Gujarat, carries passengers and vehicles across the Gulf of Khambhat between Ghogha, Bhavnagar district and Dahej, Bharuch district.  The Gujarat Government has partnered with a top India-centric American advocacy group for the Vibrant Gujarat summit in January 2019, which is expected to be attended by some of the top American corporate leaders. Gujarat will host the ninth edition of the annual industry summit ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ from January 18 to 20, 2019, in Gandhinagar.  The first of its kind university in the country on the transport sector, the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), started operations this week. Currently, it is functioning out of the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared Kutch as ‘scarcity hit district’ after it received just 26.51 percent rains this monsoon. He said that drinking water pipeline projects worth Rs. 296 crore for Kutch district would be taken up on a war footing.  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Industries and Mines Department under the Gujarat government and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).The MoU was signed with an aim to recognize a mutual desire to further enhance and strengthen Korea – Gujarat trade.  Prime Minister NarendraModi will inaugurate the Statue of Unity on October 31, the birth anniversary of SardarVallabhbhai Patel in Kevadiya near SardarSarovar Dam in the tribal-dominated Narmada district, about 190 kilometres from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.  BJP president Amit Shah unveiled a stainless steel Charkha at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The charkha, which is 21 feet in length, 11 feet in height,and 6.5 feet in breadth, is made of chromium-nickel stainless steel and is installed on the Sabarmati Riverfront near the Riverfront Park, right across the Sabarmati Ashram.  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched ‘PoshanAbhiyan’--a statewide mission to eradicate malnutrition among children by providing them nutritious food through Anganwadicentres.The CM also launched ‘Purna’ project to eliminate malnutrition among girls in the age group of 14 to 18. ‘Purna’ stands for Prevention of Under Nutrition and Reduction of Nutritional Anaemia among Adolescent Girls.  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has given in-principle approval for the 39-crore rupees ‘SeemaDarshan’ project for developing more infrastructure facilities from T-Junction to Zero Point at Nadabet near Suigam in Banaskantha district to instil patriotism through a unique Gujarat initiative for border tourism.  In order to promote the Sanskrit language, the Gujarat state government has decided to form the Sanskrit Bhasha Vikas Board. The state will also be celebrating a Sanskrit Utsav, which will begin from Raksha Bandhan and have various activities around the language.  The Gujarat government has come out with an ‘Urban Sanitation and Cleanliness Policy’ for better management of solid and liquid waste in cities.

Haryana  In collaboration with the Haryana government, Indian IT industry’s apex body Nasscom launched in Haryana its Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things (CoE – IoT).

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 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said an anti-terrorist force ‘Kavach‘ — will be set up to further strengthen the security arrangements in the state.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 64-foot-tall statue of peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram at his native village Sampla in Haryana’s Rohtak district.  First of its kind in Haryana, National Autism Intervention Research Centre was launched in Gurugram at Fortis Memorial Research Institute.  Haryana Government has decided to introduce “Pashu Sanjeevni Sewa” in the state under which free of cost quality veterinary services and health care facilities for the livestock would be made available at the doorstep of livestock farmers through mobile veterinary clinics.  The Haryana government on September 10 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of over Rs 900 crore.  Haryana will be made stray cattle-free by January 26 next year. Strict actions would be taken against those, whose cattle are found roaming on the roads and fine would also be imposed on them.  Expanding its infrastructure footprint in India, online retail major Amazon India opened its largest fulfilment centre (FC) in Haryana with a view to enhance customer experience ahead of the festive season.  CM Manohar Lal Khattar dedicated the state’s first civil airport at Hisar to the people of Haryana, saying it would open the possibilities of creating an economic corridor and vibrant industrial ecosystem.  The Haryana Health Department will launch an intensive diarrhoea control campaign from July 15 to 30 under which ORS and zinc packets would be distributed to about 26.5 lakh children below five years of age across the state.  The Haryana Education Department has launched ‘I am not afraid of English’ initiative to promote English language right from Class 1 in the state’s primary schools.  Haryana has topped the states in per capita revenue collection under GST and has become fourth highest generator of e-way bills in the country.  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Paudhagiri’ campaign, aimed at increasing the green cover in the state. Under this campaign, 22 lakh students from class 6 to 12 of all government and private schools in Haryana will plant a sapling each during three months of monsoon — July, August and September

Himachal Pradesh  For the first time in India, a railway station will be built inside a tunnel at a height of 3,000 metres, on the strategic Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line close to the Sino-India border. Once completed, the Keylong station in Himachal Pradesh will be the first on the railway network to be inside a tunnel.  Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched an awareness campaign named “Horn Not Ok” along with a statewide mobile app “Shoor Nahin” or no noise in Shimla and Manali. The mobile app “Shoor Nahin”, is an initiative to check noise pollution in the state. The app has been developed to report any noise pollution complaint to authorities.  After Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh Government is all set to ban the use of plastic and thermocol cutlery in the state.  The Himachal Pradesh government announced a subsidy of 10 per cent or Rs 4,000 per KW, whichever is less, to all domestic consumers, institutions and those in the social sectors for installation of solar power plants at the rooftop of their buildings.

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Jammu & Kashmir

 J&K has been declared Open Defecation Free in September 2018.  The five-day Naropa Festival concluded with a grand ‘Chondol Dance’ performed by as many as 299 Ladakhi women attired in traditional costume breaking the Guinness World Records.  The Central Reserve Police Force launched ‘Madadgaar Helpline’, a distress helpline for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, with the aim of providing immediate assistance to locals.

Jharkhand  China will be Jharkhand’s partner country at the Food Processing Summit slated in November.  The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cleared the Jharkhand government’s proposal to rename a railway station in Garhwa district after Lord Krishna. The Raghubar Das government had proposed that Nagar Untari town and railway station be renamed as Banshidhar Nagar, after Banshidhar Temple, which is dedicated to Krishna, in Garhwa.  The Jharkhand government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Insurance Company Ltd to provide medical facilities to the people of the state under the Centre’s flagship health scheme – Ayushman Bharat Yojana.  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a national literary and intellectual conference- “Lok Manthan 2018” at Khel Gaon in Ranchi.  Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das said their government is constructing India’s biggest war memorial.  Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that the first ‘Khadi Mall’ of the country will be opened soon in Ranchi.

Karnataka  The Karnataka Department of Social Welfare has launched Unnati, a scheme to foster entrepreneurs working on rural and social impact technologies. As part of the scheme, the department will invest up to Rs 20 crore to create end-to-end support infrastructure for start-ups and entrepreneurs from a marginalised background.  Over a dozen women achievers from different walks of life participated in a day-long festival at a UN forum in Bengaluru. Created and curated by veteran journalist Barkha Dutta for ‘We The Women’ forum, the fest themed on #openingdoors and #breakingbarriers was marked by dialogues on issues such as the fight for women against the religious orthodoxy whether in ending Triple Talaq or demanding the right to enter Sabarimala.  The country’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru.  Ayushman Bharat call centre was formally inaugurated in Bengaluru by CEO of Ayushman Bharat Dr. Indu Bhushan.  Looking to further cement its position in India, South Korean tech major Samsung set up what is arguably the world’s largest mobile experience centre in Bengaluru, barely two months after it opened its biggest mobile factory in Noida.  Bengaluru International Airport (BAIL) is planning to roll out face recognition facility for the passengers of select airlines in a bid to make the boarding process paperless. The airport operator has inked a deal with Lisbon-based biometric solutions service provider, Vision Box, to implement this technology at the airport.  The government of Karnataka launched the ‘Swachhameva Jayate’ campaign in a bid to step up the cleanliness and hygiene efforts of the state. It programme, implemented by the Rural Decelopment and Panchayat Raj Department of the state, will first focus on rural areas.

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 Karnataka launched a round-the-clock information and grievance helpline for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) across the state. ‘Kalyana Kendra’ (welfare centre) helpline will allow members of these communities to get information on the state’s welfare programmes for them as well as register complaints. The helpline telephone number is 080-22634300 while Whatsapp and text messaging services can be accessed on 9901100000.  Union minister of chemicals and FertilisersAnanth Kumar announced that the country’s first e-waste recycling unit will come up in Bengaluru, Karnataka.  Indian IT industry apex body Nasscom has opened a Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.  The South Western Railway launched a Captain service in the Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express train to ensure comfortable journey to long-distance passengers.  Software major Wipro would work with the Karnataka government to fight air pollution in the state, especially Bengaluru.  According to US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Karnataka is the new national leader in renewable energy generation. It has overtaken Tamil Nadu that had long been India’s top renewables market.  A team of doctors led by Dr. Shamee Shastry from the blood bank of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal identified a rare blood group called ‘pp’ or ‘P null’ phenotype.

Kerala  Kerala is now set to become the first smoke-free State in the country with public sector oil companies eyeing 100% LPG penetration.  Kerala will need about Rs 31,000 crore for recovery and reconstruction following the century’s worst floods, according to a UN report presented to the Chief Minister by UN Resident Coordinator in India Yuri Afanasiev.  Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the country’s largest Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.  Ministry of Tourism sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development of a rural circuit in Kerala. Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons announced that under this project, the ministry will be developing three cruises with a budget of Rs 80.37 crores.  The World Bank (WB) team estimated that Kerala would require around Rs. 25,050 crore for reconstruction of the flood-ravaged economy and infrastructure.  Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab have emerged as the top performers in the first ever State Energy Efficiency Index released by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with Kerala leading the chart.  Industry chamber CII said a task force chaired by its former President Kris Gopalakrishnan is working on comprehensive relief for flood-affected in Kerala in coordination with the state and district administrations.  The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has decided to set up a cyclone-warning centre in Thiruvananthapuram. At present, national weather forecaster India Meteorological Department (IMD) has cyclone warning centres only in Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.  HDFC Bank has announced that it will adopt 30 villages in flood-hit Kerala as part of its long-term relief and rehabilitation efforts.This initiative is aimed at helping people in the worst-hit parts of the State recover.  India’s first air-conditioned Bed Space Dormitory- Peter’s Inn, was thrown open for public at MG Road Metro Station in Kochi, Kerala.The State Bank of India (SBI) announced special term loan for repair and renovation of homes to help the flood affected citizens of Kerala.

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As part of this scheme, the bank offers loan of upto Rs 10 lakh at a reduced interest rate of 8.45 per cent per annum along with waiver of processing fee. The special rate will be applicable for home loan applications for repair and renovation submitted on or before November 30, 2018.

Madhya Pradesh  The Union Cabinet approved two Metro rail projects in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh in Indore and Bhopal.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in Sehore district of MP instead of earlier approved Bhopal location.  Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched Dial 100 Mobile app, which will help the needy at the time of emergency. According to Chouhan, as soon as police receive the call through Dial 100 application, Madhya Pradesh Police will reach the location as soon as possible.  In Madhya Pradesh, in a first of its kind initiative, “Mil -Banche”, an interactive programme between schools and society is being organized in all government schools of the state.  The Madhya Pradesh State Government launched an outstanding power bill waiver scheme and subsidised power scheme called ‘Sambal’ for labourers and poor families. Under SambalYojana, the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families would be provided electricity at a cost of Rs 200 per month.  In Madhya Pradesh, in a first of its kind initiative, the state govt will appoint girls as a district Brand Ambassador who have recorded significant achievements in any field under the BetiBachao-BetiPadhao scheme.

Maharashtra  Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the world’s largest dome at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT)’s World Peace University (MIT-WPU) campus at Loni Kalbhor on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Alphonso Mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra, finally gets a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag.  The Maharashtra government launched a website Maha Madat and a mobile application which will use modern technology to analyse the drought situation in the state by collecting data on rainfall, crop situation and underground water.  The World Economic Forum announced its new Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in India, which would aim to bring together the government and business leaders to pilot emerging technology policies. It will be based in Maharashtra.  A big Indian tricolour measuring 20×30 feet and 350 feet above the ground was unfurled at the majestic Haj House in Mumbai by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.  Mumbai’s iconic heritage cinema METRO INOX is India’s First Rooftop Solar Powered Cinema and South Mumbai’s Largest Multiplex. It has launched two INSIGNIA screens which are 100% solar powered. It has become the first multiplex in India to join the solar revolution.  Thousands of people thronged the streets of Maharashtra’s Nagpur city to celebrate the Marbat festival. As per the tradition, the devotees took out a procession carrying effigies that represent evil forces. The clay effigies or ‘Marbats’ of Kali (black) and Pivli (Yellow) were the main attraction of the procession.  Maharashtra has the highest number of people living with HIV in India which is around 3.30 lakh, contributing 15 per cent of total immunodeficiency virus-affected people in the country which is 21.40 lakh, according to the latest data by Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

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 The Madhya Pradesh government announced the creation of a new district ‘Niwari’. The new district would include three tehsils of the present Tikamgarh district – Niwari, Orchha and Prithvipur.  A special film festival on the theme “Freedom Struggle and Freedom Fighters” was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 15th August. The festival was organized by the Films Division to mark India’s 72nd Independence Day.  Nearly two years after a resolution was passed in the Maharashtra Assembly, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has finally been rechristened as Chhatrapati Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport. Mumbai’s airport was formerly known as Sahar International Airport. It was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in 1999.  The Maharashtra government announced a new scheme called ‘Kanya Van SamruddhiYojana‘, wherein farmers families where girl children are born, will be given saplings for plantation. The scheme is aimed at empowering women and promoting tree plantation.  In order to reduce electricity losses, the Maharashtra government will on August 15, 2018 launch a new scheme allocating one transformer per farmer. Two lakh farmers will be given electricity connection for high voltage distribution line which will ensure uninterrupted power supply under the scheme “one farmer one transformer”.  The Elphinstone Road station in Mumbai has been renamed as Prabhadevi station. The new name came into effect from the midnight of July 18.

Manipur  The Lok Sabha passed the National Sports University bill, 2017, which seeks to establish a National Sports University in Manipur to promote sports education.  Manipur declared as 23rd open defecation free state. It is the 5th state in the North East to get the ODF tag.

Meghalaya  Centre would set up a sports stadium of international standard for persons with disability in Meghalaya.  Meghalaya government is all set to launch a new scheme Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries on October 26 next to meet the requirements of the state.  The Behdienkhlam Festival of the Raij Tuber, one of the most colourful and the biggest festivals in the Jaintia Hills region concluded amidst thousands of spectators from across the state and outside.  The Meghalaya government launched ‘Meghalaya Milk Mission’ and First Meghalaya Bull Fair on 28th July, 2018. The Mission aims to plug the demand and supply gap in the availability of per capita milk, to generate alternate livelihoods for the rural people through the dairy sector and to create and revive dairy co-operatives.

Mizoram  A joint border conference was held between India and Bangladesh at Aizawl and delegates from both sides deliberated on the border issues between the two countries.  The first international festival of Mizoram – Mizo Hnahthlak International festival – was organised in Aizawl, which brought the Mizo ethnic community from across borders.

Nagaland  The Nagaland government has declared the Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary as an elephant reserve making it the 30th reserve for jumbos in the country.

Odisha  Inaugurating the three-day conclave Kalahandi Dialogue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the Regional Research & Technology Transfer Station (RRTTS), Bhawanipatna, will henceforth be the Centre of Excellence for cotton, tropical fruit, crops and aromatic rice.

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 CM launched his government’s own food security scheme on Gandhi Jayanti that would cover 25 lakh people in the first phase, who were left out under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)-2013.  CM launched a common city payment card system “Odyssey City Card” for Bhubaneswar. Joint initiative of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd and the ICICI Bank  CM launched the “Nirman Kusuma Yojana” to provide financial assistance to children of construction workers for pursuing technical education.  Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is going to set up country’s first biofuel plant at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district in Odisha by 2020.  Cyclone Titli has intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and will make a landfall in areas bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh along the eastern coast.  CM launched a new web portal of ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ (www.ova.gov.in) to promote the Odia language and literature at the Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar.  CM launched India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System (EDWS). The inauguration coincided with Odisha Government observing Disaster Preparedness Day. On this day, 19 years ago, the state was left devastated by “Super Cyclone” in 1999.  CM launched a scheme to increase the use of solar energy in the agriculture sector. Under the “Soura Jalanidhi” scheme, 5,000 solar pumps will be given to farmers with up to 90 per cent subsidy. It will create irrigation potential for 2,500 acres in the state.  In western Odisha, the festival of Harvest Nuakhai is being celebrated. After harvest of new paddy of this season, rice has been processed and offered to Goddess Samaleswari in Sambalpur. People of western Odisha have also arranged Nuakhai Vetghat programs in Capital city Bhubaneswar.  Odisha government introduced a system to rate industries based on the amount of pollutants generated by them. They will be given star rating from one to five with the most polluting industry getting one star while the industry with highest compliance rate with pollution control norms will get five stars.  Cyclonic storm ‘Daye‘ is likely to cause damage to the road, rail and communication channels in various districts of Odisha.  The Odisha assembly passed a unanimous resolution to name the Jharsuguda airport after eminent freedom fighter and son of the soil Veer Surendra Sai.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the theme of Odisha Conclave 2018. The flagship biennial business event of the Government of Odisha will be themed on ‘I am Odisha’.  Odisha’s CM inaugurated Odisha Bhawan in Chennai.  Odisha government has decided to adopt the ‘No Work No Pay’ policy with regard to the strike by the block grant teachers and lecturers.  The Odisha government would reward people on returning used bottles and Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (OMFED) polythene containers from October this year.  Union Minister for Oil and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched Prime Minister Narendra Modi authored book ‘Exam Warriors’ in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar city in Odia language.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a universal health scheme – Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) – in the state that will benefit 70 lakh families.

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 The Odisha Government has tied up with Japan for its mega investment Conclave 2018 to take place in November this year. The state has already identified 600 acres near capital city Bhubaneswar that could serve as a dedicated industrial park for Japanese investors. While Japan will be ‘Country Partner’ to the Make in Odisha conclave, SBI is banking partner for the event.  The Odisha government is setting up a world-class interpretation centre at Dangamal near Bhitarkanika National Park to showcase its efforts in protecting crocodiles and preserving its rich mangrove diversity.  CM Naveen Patnaik launched ‘My Heart Beats for Hockey’ campaign, a promotional event that aims to spread the passion and love for the game ahead of the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018.  CM launched the ‘Mu Hero…Mu Odisha’ Campaign in Cuttack that aims to recognise exemplary works by Odia boys and girls towards social transformation.  The Odisha government signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based ‘Malaria No More’ and India-based Malaria Elimination Trust to curb Malaria menace in the state.  NSIC Integrated Marketing Development Centre for MSMEs inaugurated in Bhubaneshwar  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a ban on the use of plastic in the state from October 2, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.  The Odisha government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for effective management of disasters.  The Bhitarkanika National Park (Odisha) has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine crocodiles in the country with a record number of their nesting sites spotted in it. Altogether 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found this time by enumerators.  The Odisha government has increased, from the present Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh, the incentive to encourage inter- caste marriage among the Hindu community.  The Odisha government has constituted a ‘Heritage Cabinet’ to preserve the Odia language and the state’s culture. The cabinet comprises eight members and will be headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.  Union Minister DharmendraPradhan inaugurated a multimedia exhibition of the various schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi organised by Regional Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) at Saradhabali near Bholanath Vidyapith in Puri, Odisha.  A special unit of the Odisha Police has launched a drive to bust an international syndicate that peddles “endangered” pangolin, one of the world’s most illegally traded mammals.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the state government would implement its own food security actfrom October 2 this year. Odisha’s own food security act would cover nearly 34.44 lakh people who have been left out from the National Food Security Act (NFSA), he said.  CM inaugurated the Rs 300 crore Rukura Medium Irrigation Dam project in Sundargarh district.  CM launched the ‘Green Mahanadi Mission’, a plantation drive under which 2 crore saplings will be planted along the Mahanadi river and its tributaries.

Punjab  The country’s first gallery on robotic dinosaurs was opened to the public at the Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala.  Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched PUDA 360, an e-properties module to facilitate online property transactions. It is aimed at bringing greater efficiency and transparency in the functioning of Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA).

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 Border states Punjab & Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement to re-start work on the Rs 2,793-crore Shahpur Kandi project.  Punjab Minister announced that Punjab, the first state in India to launch a mobile app ‘i-Hariyali’ to supply free saplings, has provided 13 lakh saplings to people through this endeavour so far.  Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a mandatory dope test of all government employees, including police personnel, from the time of their recruitment through every stage of their service.  Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has finalized a blue print to further develop prestigious Virasat-e-Khalsa, a museum of the Sikhs, at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.  The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, laid the foundation stone for permanent campus of National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women at Mohali, Punjab. This is the first NSTI Institute for Punjab and only one of its kind in India which is exclusively for women.

Sikkim  The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

Rajasthan  Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the city’s ‘Dravyavati River Rejuvenation Project’ executed by Tata Projects Ltd. spread over 47.5 km rain-fed riverfront.  In a bid to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Digital India’ campaign, Rajasthan government will soon distribute mobile phones to women under the Bhamashah Yojana. Focused on women who fall under the Below Poverty Line (BPL).  Salman Khan will officially inaugurate “Umang“, a centre for special children in Jaipur.  To mark the second anniversary of the Surgical strikes, carried out by the Indian army, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Parakram Parv at the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Jodhpur.  Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to implement the national policy on biofuels unveiled by the centre in May this year. High-power Biofuel Authority approved this implementation.  On the eve of Independence Day, the Rajasthan government will organise a human chain along the 650-km-long Pakistan border under a programme, ‘Shahadat ko Salam’. The programme will be organised by the state government with the help of Border Security Force and the Army on August 14.  Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje announced that the state will observe September as the “month of nutrition” to create awareness among people living in the state.  Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the Bhamashah Techno Hub in Jhalana Industrial Area of Jaipur. She said the country’s biggest centre equipped with the ultra-modern technology will help around 700 entrepreneurs to work under one roof and realise their dreams.  Microsoft has signed an MoU with the Rajasthan government to provide free digital training to 9,500 college students in one year. The initiative was taken for the enhancement of digital learning and capacity building of college students in the state.  The government in Rajasthan approved one percent reservation for ‘Gujjars’ and four other backward castes.  India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) and light bulletproof vehicles (LBPV) will be set up by DCM Shriram Industries Group on the campus of Shriram Rayons in Kota, Rajasthan.

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 The city of Udaipur has once again in 2018 been ranked among the World’s Best Cities by Travel + Leisure. Udaipur, the heritage-city built by the Maharanas of Mewar in the 16th century, is on the third place among the 15 of the world’s best cities.  Mobile app ‘Bijli Mitra’ launched for replacement of transformers. It will provide ease for farmers to get their defunct transformers replaced within six hours of registering a complaint through mobile app.

Tamil Nadu  The Tamil Nadu government said it had signed an MoU with the Central government to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in association with state-run Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).  In September, the Tamil Nadu government has prohibited the manufacture, sale (including online sale), distribution, trade, display, marketing, import and possession of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, popularly known as e-cigarettes.  Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years.  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated ‘India’s tallest film studio’ built by Federation of Film employees Union of South India on August 26 in Kalaignar city, Paiyanur. The studio is named after former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Various floors in this studio will also get their names after former Chief Ministers who were a part of the film industry.  CM E.Palanisamy launched an app and a website www.plasticpollutionfreetn.org on plastic pollution free Tamilnadu. He announced the appointment of actors Suriya, Karthi, Jyothika and Vivek as brand ambassadors of the state’s plastic-free Tamil Nadu campaign and to promote eco-friendly bags. The State Government has announced that plastic will be banned from January 1 2019.  The Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that a 24-hour helpline has been set up to investigate issues faced by inter-caste couples and offer them necessary assistance and protection.

Telangana

 British Deputy High Commissioner Hyderabad Andrew Fleming launched the SRiX Agri-Business Academy, India’s first agri and food business online learning platform, at SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) Campus, Warangal, Telangana.  Hyberabad Police inaugurated the Bharosa Centre at the Kondapur Area Hospital in Telangana. The Bharosa Centre would help women in distress along with dealing with cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act too.  For the first time in India, dog owners will have a dedicated dog park to visit. Set up in Hyderabad, the park is spread across an area of 1.3 acres.  The government of Telangana signed MoUs with Tech Mahindra, Nucleus Vision and Eleven01 Foundation to launch India’s first Blockchain District (Hyderabad), which will provide a complete ecosystem for the growth of blockchain technology.  National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank (NWGRB) was inaugurated at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) Laboratory of Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) facility in Hyderabad, Telangana.  The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated in Telangana with the launch of two major schemes – free eye screening for all citizens and life insurance for farmers. Under ‘Kanti Velugu’, the entire population of 3.7 crore will be provided free eye care. The authorities will not only

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conduct eye screening but will also provide free medicines, spectacles and arrange for free surgeries, if required. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao also announced the implementation of another scheme, ‘Rytu Bima’, aimed at providing life insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to every farmer.  State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) will set up a Civil Aviation Research Organisation (CARO)at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad aimed at “finding indigenous solutions” to meet the challenges posed by the growing air traffic.  The Telangana government has allotted 200 acres to three different women entrepreneurs’ associations in the state.  Industry body Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) in partnership with the Telangana government launched a digital campaign, ThinkForHealth, calling for ideas to improve access to healthcare in India.  The government of Telangana will set up of a state-of-the-art B-Hub, which will have a scale-up manufacturing facility for biopharma based R&D. AB-Hub will be a first of its kind initiative in the country, aimed at providing much needed support to the biopharma R&D activities.

Tripura  ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre inaugurated at the National Institute of Technology Agartala.  Tripura Government would set up a flute performance research institute to take out the traditional musical act and its eminence as a traditional musical instrument across the world.  The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister NarendraModi, renamed the Agartala airport after Tripura’s last ruler Maharaja BirBikram Kishore Manikya.  Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar inaugurated the seven-day long “Kharchi Puja” at Puran Habeli, seven km from the state capital. The annual festival is meant to cleanse the sins of mortal souls. Originally a Hindu tribals’ festivity, it is now observed by all communities and religion.

Uttarakhand  The Uttarakhand Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to declare cow the ‘Rashtra Mata’ or the mother of the nation.  Uttarakhand has been ranked the best among states in the country for the construction of maximum number of roads under the PMGSY during 2017-2018.  The Uttarakhand High Court banned the commercial use of elephants in Corbett Tiger Reserve besides restricting the number of vehicles entering its ranges in a day to 100.  In a first, the Uttarakhand High Court accorded the status of ‘legal person or entity’ to the animals in the state. The HC stated that “they have a distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.”

Uttar Pradesh  In a first, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved the setting up of a political training institute in Ghaziabad.  The Uttar Pradesh government approved the proposal to rename Allahabad as ‘Prayagraj’.  The Uttar Pradesh government has made the man-animal conflict a ‘State Declared Disaster’ bringing such incidents under the ambit of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to ensure better coordination and relief during such mishaps in the state.  South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook will be the Chief Guest at the Deepotsav event being organised by the Uttar Pradesh government on November 6.  The Minister for Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Gandhi, along with Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Adityanath Yogi inaugurated the widows’ home ‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

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Krishna Kutir is a special home for 1000 widows set up by the Ministry of Women & Child Development under Swadhar Greh scheme of the Ministry and is the largest ever facility of its kind created by a government organization. It has been constructed at a cost of 57.48 Crores.  In Uttar Pradesh, Rail Minister Piyush Goyal along with Chief Minister of State Yogi Adityanath launched the official website of Kumbh Mela, 2019 in Lucknow. They also launched a social media App related to the Mela. The website www.kumbh.gov.in provides detail about location, trains, accessibility, weather and accommodations which will be a great help for pilgrims.  Lucknow’s famous ‘Hazratganj Chauraha’ will be renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as ‘Atal Chowk’.  The Lucknow Municipal Corporation launched an anti-open defecation campaign, titled “Khule me shauch ki ghanti bajao – siti bajao” (whistleblowing campaign against open defection), in line with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision to make the capital city Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2.  Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said that the state would become open defecation free by October 2, 2019, with his government constructed over 1.36 crore toilets in the last 17 months.  The Uttar Pradesh Police are set to launch a first of its kind dial-FIR scheme in the country where a common man can register regular crimes without going to a police station even as it is preparing an online photographic dossier of criminals that will be provided to policemen on 22,000 new i-pads.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will undertake an exhaustive study in Uttar Pradesh to add value to mango growing, guava, potato and pulse farming, and submit a report to the state government.  Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled a stature of BJP ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on the Agra University campus.  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah inaugurated the new Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction railway station, which was earlier known as Mughalsarai.  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a defence industrial corridor in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The move is part of the government’s efforts to develop specialised zones dedicated to defence production in the state. Six nodal points, Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Jhansi have been identified in state for the corridor. Another defence corridor was also launched in Tamil Nadu.  CM formed a three member-committee to look after the security arrangements in the prisons across the state. Committee head - Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh.  With encephalitis claiming the lives of hundreds of children every year in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, the Gorakhpur administration has launched an android based smart phone application - ‘Stop JE/AES’ - to combat the epidemic.  South Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung opened the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturing factory in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.  UP CM announced a ban on plastic bags, cups and glasses across the state from July 15.  The Uttar Pradesh Police signed anMoU with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for crime mapping analytics and predictive systems.  The Prime Minister, NarendraModi, laid the Foundation Stone of the Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing a large public gathering, he described the occasion as the start of a new chapter in the development journey of the State.  PM launched the much awaited Bansagar canal in Mirzapur which is expected to provide a big boost to irrigation.

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 The government has announced that it is set to complete the multi-modal terminal at Varanasi by November this year, while two others at Sahibganj and Haldia would be completed next year.  In a bid to strengthen the expertise and capabilities of the employees of North-Eastern Railways, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha inaugurated Regional Rail Training Institute (RRTI) at Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur.

West Bengal  The city of Kolkata will be the venue for the next event of the ‘CuppaSchoola’ karate tournament, run by the Indian Professional Karate Council (IPKC) and the Boutspro Ultimate Karate League.  Major General A.K. Sanyal, General Officer Commanding, Bengal Sub-area, inaugurated State Bank of India (SBI)’s e- facilitation and e-corner facility for Indian army veterans at the Army Complex near Fort William, Kolkata.  Observing the National Nutrition Week, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state government has adopted a multi-sectoral strategy to reduce under-nutrition and anaemia among women and children in a targeted manner by 2020.  In an attempt to combat human trafficking, the West Bengal government has rolled out a scheme, Swayangsiddha, in different districts of the State. Swayangsiddha, which means self-reliance, will be executed by the West Bengal Police.  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the British Council and the state government will sign anMoU to promote cultural, educational and skill development exchanges between Britain and Bengal.  West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee set a “one person one car” policy for ministers and bureaucrats and mandated economy class for all domestic air travel in a bid to cut costs incurred by the state government.Banerjee also formed a committee, to be headed by chief secretary Malay Kumar De, to supervise progress of government projects.  Kolkata Police has unleashed a new weapon against eve-teasers, stalkers and roadside Romeos: an all-woman motorbike squad, “The Winners”, a special all-women patrolling team to combat and prevent crimes like molestation, eve-teasing etc. to make public places safer for women.  The West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution to rename the state as ‘Bangla’ in three languages — Bengali, English and Hindi.

Finance and Banking News  The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization collectively sought liberalisation of the global service sector, asserting that the barriers to these services trade currently is roughly as high as those to trade in goods about a half century ago. The report “Reinvigorating Trade and Inclusive Growth” brought out collectively by the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.  RBI approved the proposal of Kerala government for the formation of Kerala Bank. RBI approved formation of ‘Kerala Bank’ having Rs 650 bn in deposits. The decision was taken by special task force headed by Chairman M S Sriram. The bank will be formed by consolidating State Cooperative Bank and the 14 district cooperatives.  The Reserve Bank issued guidelines for operating Electronic Trading Platforms (ETPs) to transact in eligible instruments. Trading on electronic platforms is being encouraged across the world as it enhances pricing transparency, processing efficiency and risk control. An entity seeking authorisation as an ETP operator under the directions will maintain a minimum net-worth of Rs 5 crore.

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 The Reserve Bank of India increased lenders’ single borrower exposure limit for Non-Banking Finance Companies which do not finance infrastructure, from 10% to 15% of capital funds, until December 31, 2018.  In a move aimed at promoting digital transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released operational guidelines to facilitate payments among prepaid instruments (PPI) such as mobile wallets. The guidelines elaborate on requirements for achieving inter-operability for mobile wallets and cards, and norms for customer protection and grievance redressal. Interoperability is the technical compatibility that enables a payment system to be used in conjunction with other payment systems. Interoperability allows PPI issuers, system providers and system participants in different systems to undertake, clear and settle payment transactions across systems without participating in multiple systems.  Life insurer PNB Metlife has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered customer service app ‘Khushi’.  Syndicate Bank got Rs 728-cr capital infusion from government.  RBI lifted the ban on Fino Payments Bank to open new accounts.  The nation’s largest bank, State Bank of India launched its wealth business services by opening “SBI Wealth Hub” at the Lalbagh branch in Mangaluru. SBI is the first PSU bank in the country to introduce comprehensive wealth business services for its clients.  The Reserve Bank of India announced that it will inject Rs 36,000 crore liquidity into the system through purchase of government bonds in October to meet the festival season demand for funds. Rs 12,000 crore was injected on October 11  The Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has announced the closure of 51 branches across the country as part of cost- cutting measures being implemented in the banking industry.  The National Housing Bank (NHB) increased its refinance limit to Rs 30,000 crore to make more funds available to eligible housing finance companies.  State Bank of India has signed an MoU with Kathmandu-based National Banking Institute (NBI) for the development of human resources of the latter.  IDFC Bank has proposed to change its name to ‘IDFC First Bank Ltd’ as it is in the process of amalgamating non- banking financial company Capital First with itself.  The government along with UN body FAO has launched an agriculture project with USD 33.5 million grant from Global Environment Facility (GEF) that seeks to bring transformative change in the farm sector through conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will ease the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) norms from October to induce liquidity into the financial system, amid concerns of a credit crunch. The increase in ‘Facility to Avail Liquidity for Liquidity Coverage Ratio’ (FALLCR), will effect from October 1, 2018, from the existing 11 per cent to 13 per cent will take the carve out from SLR available to banks to 15 per cent of their NDTL (Net Demand and Time Liabilities)”.  RBI has withdrawn the general permission given to Bandhan Bank to open new branches and it can now do so only with prior approval of the central bank.  The RBI has cancelled the licence of Rajasthan-based Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.  RBI asked all scheduled commercial banks with more than 10 branches to appoint an internal ombudsman (IO). The apex bank has, however, excluded regional rural banks (RRBs) from appointing IOs. The internal ombudsman scheme was introduced by the RBI to strengthen the internal grievance of banks and to ensure that the complaints of the customers are redressed. In order to further enhance the independence of the IO

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and also to strengthen the monitoring system over functioning of the IO mechanism, the central bank said it has reviewed the arrangement in the form of ‘Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018’.  RBI told banks to share a maximum 80% credit risk when they originate priority sector loans jointly with non- banking finance companies (NBFCs). The regulator also said the lenders will charge a single interest rate to borrowers.  Moving ahead with consolidation of public sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank. The merged entity or amalgamated bank would be India’s third largest.  PayU India has received RBI’s approval to operate its own non-banking financial company (NBFC).  India Post Payments Bank and Bajaj Allianz announced a five-year partnership to sell life insurance products on a revenue share basis.  The State Bank of India (SBI) asked non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) not to worry about credit availability as it would continue to support them.  Fitch Ratings placed Bank of Baroda’s (BoB) viability rating on ‘rating watch negative’ following the government announcement to merge it with Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank.  RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of its directives.  Karur Vysya Bank Ltd (KVB) has rolled out KVB Next, a tab-based digital initiative.The initiative is intended to help eligible retail and business customers get in principle sanctions for their loans within 15 minutes.  HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the `WPP and Kantar Millward Brown’s BrandZ 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands’ ranking, with a rise of 21 per cent in its brand value to USD 21.7 billion.  Private sector non-life insurer HDFC Ergo has launched a personal cyber insurance policy that will provide cover to individuals and families from cyber crimes, including cyber attacks, identity theft, phishing, and reputational risks such as bullying and trolling.  Airtel Payment Bank, India’s first payments bank, has announced that its customers can now make card-less cash withdrawals at over 100,000 ATMs across India.  The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore each on three public sector banks for non-compliance with its directions on “Fraud – Classification and Reporting”. According to the RBI, the penalty was imposed individually on all the three banks — Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, Union Bank of India — on August 30, 2018.  Micro, small and medium enterprises will now be able to get quick overdraft of up to Rs 1 crore for working capital requirements, based on their goods and services tax (GST) returns. ICICI Bank announced the facility known as ‘GST Business Loan’ and said it would be available to any such business, including non-customers of the bank.  Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with online financial services company RupeeBoss.com for the integration of the bank’s chat bot based platform to support instant loan eligibilities for its several loan products.  Leading life insurance brand ICICI Prudential Life has partnered with India’s largest urban co-operative bank Saraswat Co-operative to offer life insurance products ranging from protection to wealth creation.  The World Bank has priced the world’s first public bond created and managed using only blockchain in $100 million ($73.16 million) deal designed to test how the technology might improve decades-old bond sales practices.  A central government report has ranked Punjab National Bank (PNB) as the best PSU bank in the overall digital transactions category in India.  A major deadline in the process of resolving the country’s most pressing corporate and banking problem of NPAs, or bad loans, ended on 27th August with the RBI having set a six-month time frame for finalising resolution plans for around 70 large stressed accounts worth over Rs 3.8 lakh crore.  All the 1.55 lakh post offices in the country would be linked to the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) system by December 31, 2018. The India Post Payments Bank is scheduled to be launched nation-wide on September 1.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for revision of the project outlay for setting up of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) from Rs. 800 crore to Rs. 1,435 crore. IPPB services shall be available at 650 IPPB branches and 3250 Access Points from 1st September 2018 and in all 1.55 lakh post offices (Access Points) by December 2018.  Mauritius-based SBM Group has received Reserve Bank of India’s approval to operate in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary route — the first foreign lender to receive such a licence after local incorporation was introduced in 2013.  French company IDEMIA has become the first company to be given the certification to manufacture and personalise RuPay chip contact and contactless cards on the qSPARC v2 platform. The certification is issued by the National Payments Corporation of India.  India’s co-operative banking sector is set to undergo a transformation with the concept of Umbrella Organisation (UO) of Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) seen as an answer to issues plaguing the sector. Gujarat is the first State in the country to have an UO for the UCB sector.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will transfer Rs 50,000 crore as surplus to the central government for the year ended June 30, 2018.  As many as 21 public sector banks (PSBs) and three major private sector lenders have collected a whopping Rs 5,000 crore from customers for non-maintenance of minimum balance in their accounts in 2017-18.  State Bank of India (SBI) launched the Multi-Option Payment Acceptance Device or MOPAD, a unified payment option that accepts multiple payment methods. Under this, customers will be able to pay through credit or debit cards, Bharat QR, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and SBI Buddy (e-wallet) at a Point of Sale (PoS) terminal. This initiative aims at providing digital convenience to customers and ease of doing business for merchants at the same time.  Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is considered to be the most patriotic brand, according to a survey conducted by UK-based online market research and data analytics firm YouGov, followed by Tata Motors, Patanjali, Reliance Jio and BSNL. Around 16% respondents ranked SBI to be the most patriotic brand overall, followed by Tata Motors and Patanjali with 8% each, and Reliance Jio and BSNL with 6% each.  Axis Bank has become the first bank in the country to introduce Iris Scan Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based transactions through its micro ATM tablets.  Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has launched a new digital platform ‘MyDeal’ to simplify capital raising process through capital markets by providing real-time access to information such as investors’ feedback, profiles, client orders and deal pricing.  DBS Bank has been named the world’s best bank by Global Finance magazine, in a reflection of its ability to invest in digital innovation while still maintaining stable operations for its customers. DBS is the first Asian bank to receive the accolade from the New York-based publication, which last year gave the title to ING Bank.  Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank launched a new deposit scheme ‘Vikas Bonanza 456’, offering higher rate of interest. The scheme is applicable to all segments of depositors.  Fino Payments Bank has been barred by the Reserve Bank of India from adding new customers since the end of May 2018.  HDFC Life Insurance Company inked an agreement with Vijaya Bank to tap customers of the state-owned lender.  Edelweiss Tokio Life insurance and Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) have announced a bancassurance partnership. The stated aim is to push life insurance to the rural population.

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 Exim Bank of India has signed a multilateral cooperation agreement with member development banks of BRICS to undertake “collaborative research” in distributed ledger/blockchain technology.  Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has entered into a bancassurance deal with Vijaya Bank. This corporate agency agreement will enable distribution of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance products through the bank’s network of 2,129 branches across the country.  In an effort to offer hassle-free and seamless financing options to its customers, Bajaj Finance Ltd., the lending arm of Bajaj Finserv along with RBL Bank Ltd. offer interest-free cash withdrawal facility for up to 50 days through Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard.  Airtel Payments Bank has tied up with Bharti Axa Life Insurance to offer the bank’s customers insurance cover under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). With this, Airtel Payments Bank also becomes the first payments bank in India to offer the Government of India-backed life insurance scheme.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that the licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank in Alwar, Rajasthan has been cancelled as it is not in a position to pay its depositors in full as and when their claims accrue, among other reasons. It also added that the cancellation of the licence is effective from the close of business on July 5.  The Reserve Bank of India has issued licence to Bank of China to operate in India.  The Union Cabinet extended the recapitalisation scheme for “Regional Rural Banks” (RRBs) for the next three years. This will enable the RRBs to maintain the minimum prescribed capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of 9%.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made it compulsory to incorporate purchaser’s name on the face of payment instrumentalities like demand draft, pay order, banker’s cheques and other instruments to prevent money laundering.  The committee on bad-loan resolution led by Punjab National Bank chairman Sunil Mehta has suggested a live auction mechanism to help banks free up security receipts worth Rs 90,000 crore in their investment books that can used to revive credit growth.Recommendations were reviewed that seek to achieve this through an asset trading platform (ATP) recommended under Project Sashakt, the broad contours of which had been announced on July 2.  The government has approved capital infusion of Rs 11,336 crore in five public sector banks, including scam-hit Punjab National Bank, Corporation Bank and Andhra Bank, to help them meet regulatory capital requirements.  Bank credit grew by 12.84 per cent to Rs 86,16,408 crore in the fortnight ended June 22, according to RBI data.  SBI Card has announced the launch of ‘ELA’ (Electronic Live Assistant), a virtual assistant for customer support and services. Driven by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, ELA will revolutionise the way customers interact with the company.  HDFC Bank has gone past Russia’s Sberbank to become the most valuable bank in the emerging market outside China. HDFC Bank’s current market capitalisation is $78.4 billion against Sberbank’s $74.4 billion.  Private sector lender Yes Bank has received the final regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to commence its mutual fund business.  After running into rough weather due to Aadhaar-related e-KYC issues, Airtel Payments Bank has received requisite approvals from the Reserve Bank of India and UIDAI to start acquiring new customers.  India has become the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) headquartered in London, United Kingdom.  Repco Micro Finance Ltd, a non-banking finance company promoted by Repco Bank, received Nabard 2018 award for its service to self-help group (SHG) linkage in Tamil Nadu for the fiscal year 2017-18.

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 A micro-finance company-turned-Jana Small Finance Bank headquartered in Bengaluru began its operations for greater financial inclusion. One of the 10 financial institutions to get banking license from the Reserve Bank of India in April 2017, Jana aims to be an inclusive digitised bank serving all customer segments and communities across the country.  Bank of Baroda has set up a dedicated team of lawyers to speed up recovery of bad loans that get embroiled in litigation. The Legal War Room will monitor the progress of recovery actions made by those specialised branches, over and above the identified 380 accounts.  The Lok Sabha passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018.  ICICI Bank Ltd, India’s largest private sector lender by assets, reported a net loss of Rs 120 crore on a stand-alone basis for the June quarter, on account of rising bad loans and treasury losses. The bank had reported a profit of Rs 2,049 crore in the year-ago period. This is the first time that the bank has reported losses from its India operations.  Leading mortgage lender HDFC has been awarded the best performing primary lending institution in credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and LIG (Low Income Group) category.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50 percent while maintain neutral stance on the stability in the market. The six member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said that its decision is consistent with the neutral stance of monetary policy in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 percent. Highlighting the inflation, the MPC projected 4.6 percent in Q2FY19, 4.8 percent in H2 of FY19 and 5 percent in Q1FY20. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel said that Monetary Policy committee (MPC) has projected the GDP growth at 7.4% for this fiscal year as in the June statement.

Current Rates:  Repo Rate: 6.50%  Reverse Repo Rate: 6.25%  Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: 6.75%  Bank Rate: 6.75%  Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): 4%  Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR): 19.5%

RBI to issue new Rs 100 notes in lavender colour

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue Rs 100 denomination bank notes. According to the RBI, the new bank notes will be in the “Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series”.

 The new denomination has motif of ‘RANI KI VAV’ – a stepwell located on the banks of Saraswati river in Gujarat’s Patan, on the reverse.

 The base colour of the note is lavender. The note has other designs, geometric patterns aligning with the overall colour scheme, both at the obverse and reverse.

 All the earlier series of bank notes in Rs 100 denomination will continue to be legal tender.

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Business News  Reliance Health Insurance has got the R3 approval from Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI)  Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm said it registered over 137 million UPI transactions in September, becoming the leading contributor to Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments with over 33 per cent of the overall market share. The company also announced the launch of its Spam-proof “SMS Inbox” as part of its “Paytm Inbox”.  Tata Communications, a leading global digital infrastructure provider, is acquiring Teleena, a Netherlands-based Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity specialist and mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).  Bharti Airtel has acquired technology of artificial intelligence (AI) service provider AuthMe ID Services.  Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has acquired Glint, a California-based employee engagement company that helps organisations get feedback from employees.  Microsoft completes $7.5 billion acquisition of GitHub  IBM to acquire Red Hat for $34 bn  Domestic mobile wallet player, MobiKwik announced its foray into India’s wealth management market with the acquisition of Clearfunds, an online mutual fund investment platform based out of Mumbai, for an undisclosed amount.  MobiKwik announced the launch of its breakthrough product called ‘Boost’, that offers instant loan approval and disbursal to MobiKwik users. MobiKwik is the first wallet player to disburse loan amount in the user’s mobile wallet. Users can apply for loans ranging from Rs. 5,000 upto Rs 60,000 through MobiKwik app.  E-commerce major Flipkart has partnered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to offer customised insurance solutions to power its mobile phone protection programme for all leading mobile phone brands that are sold on its platform.  Paytm has launched a QR-based smartphone payment settlement service in Japan in collaboration with SoftBank and Yahoo Japan Corporation.  Google’s social network, Google +, was announced by the tech giant to be shutting down over a reported failure to reveal a security issue that affected hundreds of thousands of accounts.  Tech major IBM India and NITI Aayog announced an internship programme for the top performing under-18 students selected by the ATAL Innovation Mission, a flagship programme of the government to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd’s quarterly earnings from the financial sector have edged past that of Accenture Plc, which is nearly double its size, making the Mumbai-based company the world’s largest pure-play information technology (IT) and consulting firm servicing mega banks and insurers.  In a move aimed at creating a payments acceptance network for unorganized retail including small merchants and kirana stores where consumers can make payments, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with Financial Software and Systems (FSS), a payments technology company to ensure that micro-merchants are able to accept payments over any channel – online, unified payments interface (UPI), quick-response (QR) codes, Aadhaar and IPPB accounts.  Unlimit, the only end-to-end IoT service provider in India, part of Reliance ADA Group, announced its partnership with State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The partnership provides comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services to the enterprise customers across India. Through this partnership, Unlimit will leverage BSNL’s ubiquitous and seamless wireless network footprint pan India to provide its solutions and services across industries.

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 Cisco, a U.S.-based firm, that makes networking telecommunications equipment, has signed two agreements with the NITI Aayog and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to speed up its Country Digital Acceleration programme in India.  Infosys announced a definitive agreement to acquire Fluido, a salesforce advisor and consulting partner in Nordics that has expertise in cloud consulting, implementation and training services.  The board of Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) has approved the merger of its unit Aditya Birla Telecom Ltd. (ABTL) with itself, moving a step closer towards monetizing the company’s 11.15% stake in Indus Towers to pare debt.  State-run telecom firm BSNL has inked a pact with Japan’s Softbank and NTT Communications to roll out 5G and internet of things (IoT) technology in India.  Apple announced it has completed the acquisition of Shazam, one of the world’s most popular music recognition mobile apps. Apple struck a deal with Shazam for a likely sum of nearly $400 million.  Flipkart has acquired an Israel-based analytics start-up called Upstream Commerce, as India’s largest online retailer looks to help its massive seller base with services such as real-time pricing and product assortment information.  Telecom major Bharti Airtel launched its “Bandwith on Demand” platform globally to enable businesses manage bandwidth requirements on a real-time basis.  Bandhan Bank has surpassed YES Bank’s market capitalisation (market cap) to become the sixth most valuable private sector bank and seventh most valued listed lender.  Reliance Industries announced that its telecom subsidiary Jio has entered into an MoU with State Bank of India (SBI) to deepen their digital partnership.  PayPal, a global technology platform and digital payments leader, has announced its strategic partnership with HDFC Bank to offer safer, faster and convenient payment experiences for the bank’s card holders.  Digital payments major Paytm announced the acquisition of Bengaluru-based smart-savings management start-up Balance Tech for an undisclosed amount.  Paytm has partnered with Alibaba to start its cloud business in Bengaluru. This will provide AI tools to developers, startups and enterprises with CRM, campaign management and payment solutions.  Retail giant Walmart Inc. acquired approximately 77 per cent stake in e-commerce major Flipkart. Remainder of the business is held by other shareholders, including Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Tencent, Tiger Global and Microsoft Corp.  The Competition Commission has cleared US retail giant Walmart’s proposed acquisition of Flipkart, a deal estimated to be worth $16 billion. In May, Walmart announced acquisition of 77 per cent stake of Flipkart in its biggest takeover till date.  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of food and agri products manufacturer Ruchi Soya by consumer edible oils major Adani Wilmar.  Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched BSNL WINGS, a VOIP based service. In WINGS, there is no SIM or cable wiring as is a VOIP service through an app. The WINGS service offers unlimited free audio/video calling for one year.  Online retailer Flipkart has acquired AI-led speech recognition Liv.ai, in a bid to target the next 200 million online shoppers.  Online retailer Flipkart has launched an independent platform for refurbished products, starting with a mobile site. Called ‘2GUD’, the platform initially offers smartphones, laptops, tablets and electronic accessories, with large

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appliances to be added soon. Prices will vary from 50-80% of the original product’s price depending on the level of certification.  Digital marketplace for financial services Freecharge has announced the launch of a new category of service offering in partnership with AbhiBus.  The merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular is complete after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger, creating India’s largest telecom operator with over 400 million subscribers. Now - Vodafone Idea Limited  The telecom ministry approved the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular Ltd. that will create the country’s largest mobile services operator.  The BhartiInfratel, a mobile infrastructure company, has got the the approval of competition watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) for merging its operations with Indus Towers.  Manappuram Finance has agreed to buy 85.39 per cent stake in Indian School Finance (ISFC) for over Rs 212 crore.  IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited, a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal and General (UK), has announced its tie-up with Oxigen Services India Pvt. Ltd., to establish distribution of its insurance products at Oxigen retail outlets.  Reliance has become India’s largest payer of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Excise and Customs Duty, and Income Tax in the private sector.  Facebook has announced it is shutting down its fitness app “Moves”, Android app “Hello” and anonymous social media app “tbh”. Facebook is deprecating these apps due to low usage.  HDFC securities announced launch of Mutual Funds transactional capabilities on Facebook Messenger through their virtual assistant, Arya.  Payments-wallet services provider Paytm has launched foreign exchange services in 20 international currencies. It would offer “multi-currency forex card and forex cash”.  Walmart has entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft on “digital transformation” for the onetime retail industry leader.  Flipkart’s digital payment subsidiary PhonePe has acquired Zopper Retail – a hyperlocal Point of Sale (POS) platform for small and medium businesses. The acquisition is a part of the company’s strategy to aggressively ramp up its offline business.  The board of Life Insurance Corporation of India approved the acquisition of up to 51 per cent stake in debt-ridden IDBI Bank.  Indian banks and financial institutions (FIs) have entered into an inter-creditor agreement (ICA) to expedite the resolution of banks’ non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, and ensure smooth credit flow, acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced. Goyal also told, the agreement, as suggested by a committee headed by state- run Punjab National Bank (PNB) Chairman Sunil Mehta, is a “huge step forward” towards resolving the stressed assets issue and has been worked out under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).  Digital payments company Paytm is now on an expansion spree to build a ‘New Retail’ model to equip shopkeepers with technology, logistics and marketing capabilities.  SoftBank Group Corp. said it will unveil a digital payments service in Japan, and has partnered Paytm for the service. The service PayPay will be introduced by SoftBank’s JV PayPay Corporation. PayPay will team up with Paytm, a SoftBank Vision Fund portfolio company, to utilise Paytm’s technology and expertise in mobile payments.

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Economy News  World Bank: East Asia-Pacific to grow 6.3% in 2018  World Bank: India projected to accelerate to 7.3 per cent in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5 per cent in the next two years.  In its World Economic Outlook, the IMF said India will grow 7.3% in FY19 and 7.4% in FY20  UNCTAD expects India’s GDP to rise 7% in 2018.  India’s external debt declined 2.8 per cent 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.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs) from lenders under the automatic route. The RBI decision comes on the back of a fast depreciating rupee and rising oil prices.  Gross direct tax collection in the first six months of the financial year grew 16.7 percent to Rs 5.47 lakh crore.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed new norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to attract long-term and stable FPI investments into debt markets while allowing them operational flexibility.  The Reserve Bank of India’s September round of the Consumer Confidence Survey — reflecting households’ perceptions and expectations on the general economic situation, the employment scenario, the overall price situation and their own income and spending showed the consumers are pessimistic about the current situation. Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 94.8 points, down from 98.3 in the previous June 2018 round of the survey.  The Centre has notified a higher interest rate of 8% for the non-government provident, superannuation, and gratuity funds, effective from October 1.  The government has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4 percentage points to 8 per cent for the October-December quarter.  The share of private investments in the infrastructure sector has fallen to a decadal low of around 25 per cent in FY18 steeply down from a high of 37 per cent in FY08, says a report.  Driven by increased Cloud adoption, worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.8 trillion in 2019, an increase of 3.2 per cent from expected spending of $3.7 trillion in 2018, according to the latest forecast by market research firm Gartner.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it will maintain its growth forecast for this year in Asia at 6 percent but warned of the fallout of the ongoing trade tensions between China and the US for the region. For 2019, the ADB has cut its growth prospects slightly to 5.8 percent, according to the latest update of the bank’s annual Asian Development Outlook.  India is expected to grow at a healthy 7.3% in fiscal year 2018, helped by improved domestic demand and a steady revival in industrial growth, the Asian Development Bank said in a new report. The ADB kept its growth forecasts unchanged at 7.3% for 2018 and 7.6% for 2019.  The Finance Ministry expressed the hope that economy may expand at 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal  Fitch Ratings upped India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.8% from 7.4% earlier, but flagged rising oil bill and higher interest rates as key concerns.  Economic policy think-tank NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research – HQ: Delhi) has retained India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal at 7.4 per cent citing comfortable agricultural sector outlook and a marked improvement in the external sector.  India is approaching towards USD 100 billion FDI inflow per annum by 2022 as volumes of foreign direct investment are increasing year after year.

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 The country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $1.3 billion to $401.790 billion in the week to September 21, helped by a rise in foreign currency assets.  The World Bank has endorsed an ambitious five-year framework for India under which it is expected to receive $25- 30 billion in financial support for its transition from a low-middle income to a high-middle income country.  In a report titled ‘A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia’, World bank estimates India’s potential trade in goods with South Asia at $62 billion against its actual trade of $19 billion, which is a mere 3% of its global trade and about $43 billion below its potential.  The RBI tweaked norms for exchange of mutilated notes following the introduction of Rs. 2,000, Rs.200 and other lower denomination currencies. Post demonetisation in November 2016, the Reserve Bank introduced Rs.200 and Rs.2,000 notes. Besides, it came out with smaller notes of Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100 and Rs.500. Public can exchange mutilated or defective notes at RBI offices and designated bank branches across the country for either full or half value, depending upon the condition of the currency. Making amendments to the RBI (Note Refund) Rules, 2009, the central bank said this has been done to enable the public to exchange mutilated notes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) series, which are smaller compared to the earlier series.  RBI liberalised some aspects of the external commercial borrowings (ECBs) policy including those related to rupee- denominated bonds to help check rupee depreciation. Till date, ECB up to $50 million or its equivalent could be raised by eligible borrowers with minimum average maturity period of three years. The decision to revise the minimum average maturity period of three years to one year.  Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said that India is committed to be a five trillion dollar economy by 2025 while addressing at the India-Malta Business Forum in Floriana, Malta.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the new insolvency law, indirect tax regime and demonetization will help drive India’s growth rate and sustain it at 8 per cent.  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) is working on the guidelines for ‘Sandbox’ method which will allow insurers to test products in a particular geography or among a set of few policyholders before they are available in the market. The regulator has also asked insurance firms to come out with long-term health insurance policies, which are currently only available in two wheeler and four wheeler insurance.  The compulsory personal accident cover for owner-driven vehicles under motor insurance policies has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.  In a relief to foreign investors worried over new know your customer (KYC) and beneficiary ownership norms, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) initiated a public consultation process for finalizing the new guidelines, after a high-powered panel suggested changes on several contentious proposals and more time for compliance. The report was submitted by a panel headed by HR Khan, former deputy governor of the RBI.  The government is determined to keep fiscal deficit within the budgeted level of 3.3 per cent of GDP as the country cannot afford to have a twin deficit problem.  The foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector rose to USD 6.2 billion in the last fiscal, a near five-fold increase from USD 1.3 billion in 2015-16  Around 22.5 crore e-way bills have been generated across India till September 13 since the new electronic billing system was introduced on April 1, the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) said.  The country’s current account deficit (CAD) as a percentage of GDP declined marginally to 2.4% in the April-June quarter of fiscal 2019 against 2.5% in the year ago period, RBI data showed. The rupee is declining against the US dollar due to global factors as well as concerns of higher trade deficit on account of sustained high crude oil prices.

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 Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, whereas total FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the financial year, a marginal rise over the $36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal, according to RBI data.  The Indian insurance industry is expected to grow to USD 280 billion by 2019-20 aided by the government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat and increasing awareness about need for protection, according to an Assocham-APAS study. Insurance penetration in the country reached 3.7 per cent in 2017 from 2.71 per cent in 2001.  According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT (Internet of Things) service, Global Internet of Things (IoT) cellular connections will cross five billion mark by 2025 and China will continue to lead by contributing almost two- thirds of such connections.  By influencing purchases of credit cards, insurance and loans, mobiles will create $985 billion sales opportunity for financial services brands in India by 2022, says a new Facebook-KPMG report titled “Eliminating friction in financial services path to purchase”.  Smartphone users in India are consuming an average 1GB data per day from an average 4GB a month not long ago and spending more than 90 minutes on online activities daily across the entry-level, mid and premium segments, the “Nielsen Smartphone 2018” report said.  More than a billion smartphones will be sold in India over the next five years, taking the number of users to surpass 700 million by 2022, Counterpoint Research said.  The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in its meeting decided to start a pilot project to give 20 per cent cashback of the GST paid to incentivise digital payment in the country.  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as the top source of inward remittances, while Kerala has received the maximum funds sent from abroad, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s survey of inward remittances for 2016-17.  India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves plunged by $1.82 billion during the week ended August 10. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) weekly statistical supplement, the overall forex reserves plunged to $400.88 billion from $402.70 billion reported for the week ended August 3.  The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) drastically cut the timeline for listing of debt securities to 6 days from 12 days at present. This will make the existing process of issuance of such securities simpler and cost- effective. The new rule would be applicable for all public issues of debt securities from October 1, 2018.  All India Financial Inclusion Survey (NAFIS), conducted by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), revealed that farm households register higher income than the families solely dependent on non-farm livelihood activities in rural areas.  The Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL) (Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra) said that the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has become the first public sector enterprise to make a transaction on the “TReDS platform”.  No ATM will be replenished with cash after 9pm in cities and 6pm in rural areas from next year, and two armed guards will accompany crisp notes in transit as per a new directive issued by the home ministry. The deadline for putting money in the ATMs located in Maoist-hit areas is 4 pm while private cash handling agencies must collect money from the banks in the first half of the day and transport notes only in armoured vehicles. The new Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) would come into effect from February 8, 2019 in view of the spurt in incidents of attacks on cash vans, cash vaults, ATM frauds and other internal frauds leading to increased sense of insecurity.

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 Individual city, region and company commitments in India could reduce emissions to 225-255 MtCO2e/year by 2030, more than the emissions generated by the country’s industrial processes in 2014, a new international study said on 30 August. The study comes from Data-Driven Yale, New Climate Institute, PBL Environmental Assessment Agency in partnership with CDP and is the most comprehensive assessment to date of sub-national commitments to reduce greenhouse gases.  FDI In Country Rises 23% To About 13 Billion Dollars In 1st Quarter. Singapore was the largest source of FDI during April to June quarter with 6.52 billion dollars.  India’s economy is expected to clock GDP growth of 7.5% in this financial year according to a Morgan Stanley report. The growth recovery will remain robust, supported initially by consumption and exports.  According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India’s GDP is poised to grow by 7.3 per cent in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5 per cent in 2019-20 on strengthening of investment and robust private consumption.  The Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.4% in the current fiscal, higher than the previous year, according to Ficci’s Economic Outlook Survey.  India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised down its FY19 economic growth forecast to 7.2% from 7.4% earlier.  India’s current account deficit (CAD) is expected to widen to 2.8 percent of the GDP in this financial year, says a Nomura report.  Indian economy clocked double digit growth in 2006-07: The new estimates released by a government constituted committee suggest that GDP growth in the period 2004-05 to 2011-12 may have been higher than reckoned earlier. According to the report, the growth of the Indian economy is 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points higher for each year.  The country’s GDP is expected to grow by 7.7% in the April-June quarter on the back of a pick-up in leading indicators like cement production, sale of vehicles and bank credit, according to State Bank of India (SBI).  Global credit ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service expects the Indian economy to grow by around 7.5% in 2018 and 2019.  State Bank of India said it has ‘set its house in order’ and the credit growth is expected to see 10 per cent growth by the end of the current fiscal.  The Reserve Bank expects India’s economic growth rate to grow at 7.4% in the current financial year on pick up in industrial activity and good monsoon.  India’s GDP grew at 8.2 per cent in 2018-19 Q1, government data showed on 31 August.  President Ram NathKovind said the Indian economy is set for a surge in the next decade with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) size doubling to 5 trillion US dollars probably by 2025.  Union Minister ArunJaitley said that after the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), there was an increase of 18% in Direct tax collections.  Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India seems to be petering out with the inflows growth rate recording a five-year low of 3 per cent at USD 44.85 billion in 2017-18.According to the latest data of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), FDI in 2017-18 grew by only 3 per cent to USD 44.85 billion.  According to NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, the Indian economy is “on the cusp of a major sustained and ongoing recovery” and poised to grow above 8% from the next year.He also insisted that the weakening of the rupee should not be a cause of worry as it is still “overvalued” in terms of the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER).  According to Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, India’s digital economy is expected to touch a $1 trillion mark by 2022.

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 According to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), India’s economic growth is poised to rise to 7.4% in 2018 and 7.5% in 2019 as the economy has been able to navigate through growth obstacles due to demonetisation and impact of GST rollout.  The International Monetary Fund said India remains a key driver of global growth. However, the World Economic Outlook forecast cut India’s GDP outlook one-tenth for this year to 7.3 per cent and three-tenths for next year to 7.5 per cent.  According to a report by Asian Development Bank (ADB), India continues to be the fastest growing economy in Asia and is on track to meet current fiscal year’s projected growth of 7.3 per cent.  According to industry body Ficci, despite short-term challenges India’s economic growth story remains intact and the country’s GDP is expected to grow around 7.5 per cent in the current financial year.  The government has slashed the minimum annual deposit requirement for accounts under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana to Rs 250 from Rs 1,000 – a move that will enable more number of people to take advantage of the girl child savings scheme. The government amended the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Rules – 2016 to state that the minimum initial deposit to open the account would be Rs 250.  According to a joint report by The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Deloitte, as the Internet of Things (IoT) adoption picks up in India, sectors like energy and utilities, industrial manufacturing, transport and logistics and agriculture will lead the market and industrial IoT will surpass the consumer IoT space in the country by 2020. The report was released on the sideline of “IoT for Smart India” summit held in New Delhi.  State-owned BSNL launched its Virtual Network Operator Services on a pan-India basis in collaboration with Virtual Network Operators (VNO) – Adpay Mobile Payment India and Plintron India.

Small Saving Schemes (October-December)

Interest Rates:  Public Provident Fund: 8%  National Saving Certificates: 8%  Kisan Vikas Patras (KVPs): 7.%.  Senior Citizen’s Savings Scheme of five-year period: 8.7%  Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana for the girl child: 8.5%.  The government retained the interest on savings deposits at 4%, compounded annually. Following the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council meeting in New Delhi, Interim Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced reduced GST rates for a variety of commodities.

 Apart from a 100 per cent waiver of GST on sanitary pads, the council has decided to nullify tax on raw materials such as stone, marble and wood, used by for making handicrafts like sculptures.  The GST charged for commodities such as lithium-ion batteries, vacuum cleaners, food grinders, mixers, storage water heaters, head dryers, hand dryers, paint, varnishes, water cooler, milk cooler, ice cream coolers, perfumes, toilet sprays and other toiletries has been slashed from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.  The GST on handbags, jewellery box, wooden box for paintings, glass art ware, ornamental framed mirrors, handmade lamps, wax, natural gum, iron and brass products have been reduced from 18 per cent to 12 per cent.  Various fabrics, like Chenille fabrics, mats made via handlooms, fertilizer-grade phosphoric acid, which were earlier under the 12 per cent bracket, will be charged 5 per cent, while the GST on washing machine reduced from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.

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Science & Technology  Stepping up space cooperation, India and France inked an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first human space mission. India plans to send three humans to space before 2022. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s mission is significant as it would make India one of the four countries in the world after Russia, US and China to launch a manned space flight.  The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 44th flight put into orbit two UK earth observation satellites in a textbook launch. NovaSAR is an S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite intended for forest mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring. S1-4 is a high resolution Optical Earth Observation Satellite, used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and for the disaster monitoring.  NASA’s only robot exploring the Asteroid Belt is about to die. So the space agency is hosting a live event to celebrate its discoveries.  In a bid to understand Earth’s ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, snow cover and permafrost, NASA successfully launched its Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. The satellite with a three-year mission was launched with liftoff aboard a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  In a major shot in the arm for paramilitary and police forces, scientists at a central research institute claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.  A planet-hunting orbital telescope designed to detect worlds beyond our solar system discovered two distant planets this week five months after its launch. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, better known as TESS, made an early discovery of “super-Earth” and “hot Earth” planets in solar systems at least 49 light-years away, marking the satellite’s first discovery since its April launch.  The Japanese space agency JAXA said that it has made history by successfully landing two unmanned rovers on an asteroid. The rovers are collectively known as MINERVA-II1. The space agency reported that MINERVA-II1 is the world’s first mobile exploration robot to land on the surface of an asteroid.  US space agency NASA has completed 60 years of human space exploration, discovering the world beyond Earth and developing new technologies.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted crucial tests to ensure smooth and precise landing of Vikram, the lander aboard Chandrayaan 2.  NASA has created a world record with its “supersonic parachute” for the Mars 2020 mission that survived 37,000 kg load and was deployed in just four-tenths of a second – twice the speed of sound. It was the fastest inflation in history of a parachute this size and created a peak load of almost 70,000 pounds (37,000 kg) of force.  NASA Retires Its Planet Hunter, the Kepler Space Telescope.  Google has released its latest version of Android Opera ting System — Android 9 Pie, which harnesses the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to predict how users would like to experience their devices while offering a smoother navigation system and an easier way to track and limit usage of apps.  After nearly twenty years, the record of the most distant radio galaxy ever discovered has been broken. A team led by Leiden PhD student Aayush Saxena has found a radio galaxy from a time when the universe was only 7% of its current age, at a distance of 12 billion light years. The team used the Giant Meter wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in

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India to initially identify the radio galaxy. The distance to this galaxy was then determined using the Gemini Telescope on Hawaii and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona by measuring the redshift of the galaxy.  NASA launched its historic small car-size probe to “touch the Sun” from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The probe is named after Eugene Parker, a solar physicist who in 1958 first predicted the existence of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles and magnetic fields that flow continuously from the Sun. The launch of the Parker Solar Probe will set it on a journey all the way to the Sun’s atmosphere, or corona — closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history.  Indian space agency ISRO will launch GSAT-32 satellite in October 2019 to replace GSAT-6A which stopped communicating a few days after its launch on March 29.  The lander on the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which is scheduled to be launched in January 2019 will be named ‘Vikram’ after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian space programme. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got clearance from the space commission.  After conquering the moon and Mars, the India Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set its sights on the sun with the Aditya-L1 mission. (ISRO) chairman K Sivan announced that Aditya-L1, India’s maiden mission to the Sun, will be launched in 2019. The main aim of the solar mission is to improve our understanding of “dynamical processes of the sun,” and help resolve some outstanding questions in solar physics.  For the first time, India’s space agency is planning to put an Indian astronaut for seven days in space at a cost less than Rs 10,000 crore as part of its manned mission by 2022, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced.  NASA is launching a laser-armed satellite that will measure in unprecedented detail changes in the heights of Earth’s polar ice to understand what is causing ice sheets to melt fast. In recent years, contributions of melt from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica alone have raised global sea level by more than a millimeter a year, accounting for approximately one-third of observed sea level rise, and the rate is increasing. Called the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), the mission is scheduled to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in September.  In a landmark decision, the US Food and Drug Administration on June 25 approved the first medical drug made from marijuana. Created by GW Pharmaceuticals, Epidiolex is an oral solution of cannabidiol (OSC) and does not cause intoxication or a high. The drug will be used to cure severe forms of epilepsies in children.  NatcoPharma has launched fixed dose combination of Sofosbuvir-Daclatasvir tablets for the treatment of Hepatitis C under the brand name Hepcinat Plus, in India.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted its first ‘pad abort’ test — crucial for proposed human spaceflight programme — at SatishDhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.  ISRO successfully conducted a ground test of its high thrust version of the Vikas Engine that would improve the payload capability of the space agency’s launch vehicles.  IIT Madras has launched “world’s first” remotely operatable microscope that would enable a precise atom-by-atom view of a material in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  Facebook has confirmed it is working on a new satellite project, named Athena, that will provide broadband internet connections to rural and underserved areas. The company aims to launch satellite in early 2019.  NASA has launched an online toolkit to make it easier for users to find, analyse and utilise the most relevant satellite data for their research, business projects or conservation efforts. The “Remote Sensing Toolkit” provides a simple system that quickly identifies relevant sources based on user input.  NASA is prepared for a launch on August 4 to touch the sun, for the first time in human history.NASA unveiled a cutting-edge heat shield that will protect the spacecraft from getting burnt. It was installed on June 27, 2018.

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 New Zealand scientists have performed the first-ever 3-D, colour X-ray on a human. The device is based on the traditional X-ray but incorporates particle-tracking technology developed for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.  Scientists have developed a computer “SpiNNaker” that mimics the brain’s neural networks, and could overcome the speed and power consumption problems of conventional supercomputers. Defence News  In an effort to foster a spirit of friendship and take defence ties to a new level, Armies of India and Thailand have started joint exercise “Maitree 2018” from August 6 in Chachoengsao Province of Thailand. The two-week long platoon level military exercise called ‘Exercise Maitree 2018’ in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar. It was decided to step up military-to-military engagement by commencing bilateral navy exercises. In addition, both countries will explore enhancement of ongoing joint exercises, the MAITREE counter-insurgency and counter- terrorism Army Exercise as well as their SIAM BHARAT Air Force exercise.  After having been deployed to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean for over four months, which included representing Indian Navy in multinational exercises MALABAR 18 at Guam and RIMPAC 18 at Hawaii, INS Sahyadri entered the Port of Darwin, Australia on 29 Aug 18 to participate in Exercise KAKADU 2018.  Indian and Japanese armies are going to hold their first-ever joint military exercise between November 1 and 14, which will include conducting tactical drills against likely urban threats. The military exercise named ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN-2018’ will be held at Counter Insurgency Warfare School, Vairengte, in the state of Mizoram.  The sixth edition of IBSAMAR, a joint Multi-National Maritime Exercise between the Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies, is being held at Simons Town, South Africa.  The Indian and Vietnamese Coast Guards took part in joint exercises off Chennai to promote interoperability between the two maritime forces.  JIMEX-18, a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Japan, held in Visakhapatnam.  India successfully test-fired surface-to-surface short-range tactical ballistic missile Prahaar from a defence facility off Odisha coast.  Astra, the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), was successfully test-fired by the Indian Air Force from Su-30 aircraft from Air Force Station, Kalaikunda.  India along with 23 other nations, would be participating in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) IOWave18 on September 4 and 5, which would involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen states.  Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Army Exercise ‘KAZIND’ was conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This was the third joint military exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena.  India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.  Armies of India and the US held their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from September 16 to 29 with an aim to enhance inter-operability between the two forces. The exercise will also focus on enhancing counter-terror cooperation.  The inaugural Military Field Training Exercise for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technological and Economic Cooperation nations called MILEX-18, started with a grand opening ceremony at Aundh Military Station, Pune.  Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ullanbaatar, Mongolia.  Exercise Aviaindra 18 (between India and Russia) is being conducted at Lipetsk, Russia from 17 Sep to 28 Sep 18 and will be conducted in Jodhpur, India from 10 Dec to 22 Dec 18.

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 Pakistan successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometers.  Ukraine has opened a series of large-scale air-force exercises with the United States and seven other NATO countries. The 12-day-long Clear Sky 2018 war games are being held in western Ukraine.  China‘s home-grown amphibious aircraft AG600, claimed by Beijing as the world’s largest, carried out its first take- off and landing on waters.  India, Japan and the U.S. are set to elevate the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format. The three countries already conduct naval war games under the expanded Malabar naval exercise.  Anil Ambani-led shipbuilder Reliance Naval and Engineering (RNEL) launched a 3,000-tonne training ship ‘ICGS Varuna’ for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which will be delivered in May next year.  The Indian Air Force said it has successfully carried out the first ever mid air refuelling of the indigenously developed Tejas light combat aircraft, a major milestone in its development cycle.  Indian Navy beat 22 Other Teams To Win KAKADU-18 Cup. KAKADU 2018 is a biannual joint exercise taking place both ashore and at sea off the coast of Darwin. The exercise KAKADU derives its name Kakadu National Park which is a protected area in the northern territory of Australia.  Nepal did not join the first-ever joint military drill among the armies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) members, which was hosted by India.  The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) will deliver its second submarine, Khanderi, to the Navy by the end of this year.  The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried out, placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes.  The Indian Coast Guard commissioned the indigenously built patrol vessel ‘Vijaya‘, fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment. The 98-metre ship will be based at Paradip in Odisha for extensive surveillance in the Exclusive Economic Zone.  Once ready, it will be India’s first, a force multiplier and cruise the country into a global elite club. Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first missile tracking ship by the first week of October.  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested a low-weight indigenously developed man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) at its Ahmednagar range.  India successfully conducted an interceptor missile (Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV)) test off the Odisha coast, achieving a major milestone in developing a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. India has become the 4th nation in the world to have a robust BMD system after US, Russia, and Israel with the successful testing of the anti- ballistic missile system.  For the first time, Indian Navy’s P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft from Indian Naval Ship (INS) Rajali has inducted at Hawaii for participating in the Rim of Pacific Multinational Naval exercise (RIMPAC-18).  For the first time, the Indian Air Force will participate with fighter aircraft in Exercise Pitch Black 2018 (PB-18), which is scheduled from July 24, 2018 to August 18, 2018 in Australia.  South Africa has unveiled the 64-dish MeerKAT radio telescope, slated to be the world’s largest and most powerful telescope on its completion in 2030.  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman formally handed over two types of indigenously built high-power multi-fuel engines to the Army. The engines manufactured by the Engine Factory, Avadi — a unit of Ordnance Factory Board, Department of Defence Production — were fully indigenised for the first time under the Centre’s Make in India programme.

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 India is in negotiations with the United States to add the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) to its layered air defenses. NASAMS-II is a mid-range air defense system designed to counter threats from aircraft, UAV, and cruise missiles. The system is equipped with 3D surveillance Sentinel radars, fire distribution centers, and command-and-control units.  The Indian Coast Guard conducted a bilateral table-top exercise on maritime pollution response with Bangladesh Coast Guard in Kolkata, West Bengal. Sports News

Tournament Winner Runner Up Under-19 Asia Cup India Sri Lanka Asian Champions Trophy (men’s hockey) India and Pakistan Asia Cup 2018 title (Venue: Dubai India Bangladesh International Stadium) Kabaddi Masters title (held in Dubai, UAE) India Beat Iran Hockey Champions Trophy (Men’s) (held in Australia Beat India Breda, Netherlands) 2018 FIFA World Cup France Beat Croatia. Tournament was held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia Asia Cup World Archery Korea India ranked third. Tournament was held in Taipei, Taiwan. SAFF Cup 2018 (Venue: Bangabandhu Maldives India National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2018 FISU World University Netball Uganda South Africa Championship 8th Women’s Hockey World Cup title Netherlands Beat Ireland [held in Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London (England)] SAFF U-15 Championship (Women) India Beat Bangladesh (Tournament held at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan) FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018 Japan Beat Spain 24th Senior Women’s National Football Manipur Odisha Championships Puttaiah Memorial Cup Bengaluru FC Madras Engineering Group (MEG) FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup DipaKarmakar (from She created history by becoming the first (held in Mersin, Turkey) Tripura) Indian gymnast to clinch a gold at a global event. 2017 AIFF (All India Football Federation) Sunil Chhetri Player of the Year 2017 AIFF Woman Player of the Year Kamala Devi Calcutta South Club Senior ITF Tennis Sharad Tak Championship (men’s singles) (held in Kolkata, West Bengal) Spanish Grand Prix wrestling tournament Vinesh Phogat She clinched the gold medal in women’s 50 kilogram freestyle categoryin Madrid, Spain Lagos International Badminton title (men’s Mannu Attri and

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doubles) Sumeeth Reddy Yasar Dogu International Men - Bajrang Puni Held in Istanbul, Turkey Women – Pinki Russian Open Badminton trophy Sourabh Verma 2018 WBL World Billiards Championship title Sourav Kothari Liuzhou International Challenger in Prajnesh Guangyuan city, China Gunneswaran 2018 Denmark Open (Badminton) Saina Nehwal Victor Denmark Championship (men’s Wheelchair singles) badminton player Sanjeev Kumar Victor Denmark Championship (men’s Wheelchair doubles) badminton player Sanjeev Kumar Panasonic Open India Khalin Joshi Asian Snooker Tour Pankaj Advani Ahmet Comert Tournament in Istanbul, Simranjit Kaur (64kg), Turkey Monika (48kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) claimed gold medals World Youth Boxing Championship in Sakshi Choudhary Budapest, Hungary won Gold 13th International Silesian Women’s Boxing M C Mary Kom won Championships in Gliwice, Poland Gold International Shooting Sport Federation Saurabh Chaudhary (ISSF) Shooting World Championship in won Gold in the 10m Changwon,South Korea Air Pistol Junior event ISSF World Championships Hriday Hazarika in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Junior event ISSF World Championships Om Prakash Mitharval won Gold in the men’s 50m pistol ISSF World Championships Ankur Mittal won Gold in the men’s double trap ISSF World Championships Udhayveer Singh wons Gold In Junior Men’s 25m Pistol Duleep Trophy India Blue India Red 58th National Open athletics championships Sharmila Kumari gold medal in the women’s javelin

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throw Asian Junior Squash title Yuvraj Wadhwani Held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu World Masters Athletics Championships in India’s oldest female Malaga, Spain athlete Man Kaur from Patiala won Gold Chris Evert Women’s Tennis Association Simona Halep (WTA) World No.1 Trophy Shanghai Masters 2018 Novak Djokovic Santo Domingo Open trophy Leander Paes and Miguel Angel Reyyes- Varela Wimbledon title (Women’s) Angelique Kerber Serena Williams Wimbledon title (Men’s) Novak Djokovic Kevin Anderson Indonesia Open title Japan’s Kento Momota China Open (Tennis) in Beijing Caroline Wozniacki (Danish) US Open 2018 (Women’s Singles) Naomi Osaka US Open 2018 (Men’s Singles) Novak Djokovic US Open 2018 (Mixed Doubles) Britain’s Jamie Murray and the US’s Bethanie Mattek- Sands Japan Open women’s singles title Carolina Marin(Spain) United States Grand Prix Kimi Raikkonen Japanese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Italian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton (British racing driver- Mercedes) Singapore Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Russian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas Tbilisi Grand Prix Bajrang Punia (in the 65kg category) Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull’s Max Verstappen British Grand Prix Germany’s Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari German Grand Prix Honda’s Marc Marquez (of Spain) German Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton of Britain (Mercedes) Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton 2018 MotoGP World Champion At Japanese Marc Marquez

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GP 2018 Australian MotoGP Maverick Vinales Egypt Junior and Cadet Open table tennis Vishal Rajveer Shah tournament Cincinnati Masters 2018 (2018 Western & Novak Djokovic Beat Roger Federer Southern Open) Rogers Cup 2018 Rafael Nadal Belgian Grand Prix 2018 Sebastian Vettel Beat Lewis Hamilton

Sports  The Indian blind cricket team has won the triangular series after beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final in Goa.  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is covered under the RTI Act and answerable to the people of the country under its mechanism.  Rohini Bopanna appointed as Hockey’s International Technical Official.  Five-time world champion Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of the upcoming 10th edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women World Championship.  Former India captain Anil Kumble’s technology start-up Spektacom Technologies launched the “Power Bat” – a unique tool powered by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud platform and its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) services.  West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from the international cricket.  Australian football captain Mile Jedinak has announced his retirement from international football after a stellar career that saw him reach three World Cups.  Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is retiring from international soccer after leading the national side as captain to this year’s World Cup quarter-finals on home soil.  Former England batsman Nick Compton announced his retirement from cricket.  Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman has announced his retirement from international cricket.  Pacer Praveen Kumar announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.  Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has decided to call time on his playing career after 23 years in the game.  Former India and Tamil Nadu batsman Subramaniam Badrinath announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in a specially organised presser at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) headquarters in Chennai.  Former Indian fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.  Former Indian captain Sardar Singh announced retirement from international hockey  England’s Alastair Cook announced retirement from International cricket, saying that there is ‘nothing left in the tank’ for him. England’s highest Test run-scorer will bow out at the end of the fifth Test against India.  Former England wicket-keeper James Foster has announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the ongoing season.  Former England captain Paul Collingwood will retire from professional cricket at the end of the current season.  Teenager Prithvi Shaw became the youngest Indian to make a century on his Test debut on day one of the first Test against West Indies in Rajkot.  PV Sindhu regained World No. 2 spot in BWF rankings. She is behind Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying  India’s FIFA ranking – 97. Belgium first.

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 India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great Donald Bradman early on day two against the West Indies.  Virat Kohli is now the fastest man in the history of ODI cricket to reach 10,000 runs. The Indian skipper reached the landmark on his way to his 37th ODI ton in the Vizag ODI against the West Indies.  CWG and Asian Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia is the only Indian wrestler from a strong 30-member squad to get a seeding at the upcoming World Championships as he has been seeded third in the 65kg category in men’s freestyle competition.  The 56th annual convention of the World Boxing Council (WBC) kicked off in Kiev, Ukraine.  Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy held in Muscat, Oman.  World Wrestling Championship held in Budapest, Hungary. Bajrang Punia settles for silver against Japan’s Takuto Otoguro.  First edition of North East Olympic Games 2018 at Main Stadium Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal .  The much-delayed 36th National Games in Goa will be held from March 30 to April 14 next year. Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held at PJN Stadium, Fatorda.  Blind cricket triangular series between India, England and Srilanka, slated held at the Goa Cricket Association Alto Porvorim in Goa.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had announced that the fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal.  Japan is all set to host the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Relays in Yokohama city.  Turtle ‘Olly’ has been declared as the official mascot for the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup, scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16, 2018.  International Cricket Council (ICC) launches women’s T20I ranking, India ranked 5th. 1st – Australia.  India’s highest ranked archer Atanu Das won the men’s recurve title while Asian Games silver medallist Rajat Chauhan emerged on top in the men’s compound section in the first invitational Indian Open Indoor Archery tournament that concluded at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.  Deborah Herold won the gold medal in the elite women’s 40 kilometre competition at Saksham Pedal Delhi, India’s Premier Cyclothon.  The Indian pair of Meghana Reddy and Tasnim Mir has won the Under-15 girls doubles title in the Badminton Asia Junior Under-17 and Under-15 championships.  Teenage shooting star Manu Bhaker was named as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Youth Olympic Games to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 6-18.  Rio Paralympic gold medallist Thangvellu Mariyappan was named as flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Para Asian Games to be held in Jakarta from October 6-13.  Para shooters Harshit Tiwari, Rajveer Singh Sekhon and Balendu Singh scripted history as they clinched India’s first medal, a silver, in 2018 World Shooting Para Sports Trap Championships being held in Lonato, Italy.  India along with six other South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) members, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan pulled out of the newly formed South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) with immediate effect.  Indian women ended their tour of Sri Lanka in style with a comprehensive 51-run win against the hosts in the fifth and final T20 International.

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 Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu is the only sportsperson featuring in the Forbes India’s maiden ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports.  Two years after Para shuttler Raj Kumar was denied the Arjuna award, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore bestowed the player with the honour in New Delhi.  The national capital Delhi will host an international chess tournament for school students next year which will be jointly organised by the governments of Delhi and Moscow.  One of the most prestigious 3×3 basketball tournaments in the world, the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) 3×3 World Tour Masters is coming to India for the first time on September 23 and 24 for the Hyderabad Masters in the city of Hyderabad.  The first Asian School Indoor Rowing Championship was inaugurated in Kolkata, West Bengal  Triple jumper Arpinder Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup as he clinched a bronze. He was representing the Asia-Pacific team in the meet, held once every four years.  Blind chess player Vaishali Narendra Salavkar will become the first Indian female to be part of the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) team at the world chess Olympiad, starting September 23 at Batumi in Georgia.  India settled for the silver medal after losing to Pakistan 2-3 in the final of the Asian Team Snooker Championship in Doha after Babar Masih put a fluent 81 break to win the first frame against Pankaj Advani.  Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela became the first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for the 2020 Olympics by winning a silver and finishing fourth respectively in the women’s 10m air rifle event of the ISSF World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.  The ICC has decided to accord One-Day International status to India and Pakistan’s group league matches against Hong Kong in the upcoming Asia Cup, starting September 15.  Croatia captain Luka Modric has been voted the best player in Europe last season, edging former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah for the UEFA award.  Paris Sain-Germain striker Neymar has been appointed as the permanent captain of Brazil’s national team.  Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won ‘UEFA Men’s Player of The Year Award’.  Real Madrid and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won FIFA Best Men’s Player Award at an award ceremony in London.  The Women’s Boxing World Championships, to be hosted by India after more than a decade, will be held in New Delhi. The AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will be held in New Delhi in November 13-25.  India will host the Deaf ICC T20 World Cup slated to begin from November 23-30 in Gurugram.  Thiruvananthapuram is all set to play host to the 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship, which will be held at the Jimmy George indoor stadium from September 27 to 30.  Madrid has been chosen to host the first two new-format Davis Cup finals in 2019 and 2020.  Hangzhou in China will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022. (3rd Edition in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018)  Former India off-spinner Ramesh Powar has been officially appointed head coach of the women’s national team until the ICC World T20 scheduled for November 2018.  Former India opener Lalchand Rajput has been appointed as the head coach of Zimbabwe National Cricket team.  India football team captain Sunil Chhetri has been adjudged the Best Sportsperson of the Country by the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club.  Veteran Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami has decided to call it quits from Twenty-20 Internationals (T20Is).  Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in the Savo Games in Lapinlahti, Finland.

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 Indian golfer Viraj Madappa won his maiden title on the Asian Tour at Take Solutions Masters in Bengaluru as he carded a four-under 67 in the fourth and final round to claim a two-shot victory.  Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu finished second best yet again in a major tournament final as she went down tamely to Carolina Marin of Spain in the World Championships’ women’s singles title clash at Nanjing, China.  Sports Minister of India, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, launched the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour in India, welcoming the Webb Ellis Cup to Delhi. This is the coveted trophy’s first visit to India as part of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour, which is visiting 18 nations in the countdown to Japan 2019, the first Rugby World Cup to be played in Asia.  India’s under-20 team won over Argentina under-20 in the final group stage match of the COTIF Cup held in Valencia’s Els Arcs Stadium. India was playing in the tournament for the first time.  Indian football team have climbed one spot to attain the 96th position in the recently updated FIFA rankings in August 2018.  International Master Nihal Sarin became the 53rd Grandmaster of India despite losing his final round game to Richard Rapport of Hungary in the ninth and final round of Abu Dhabi Masters.  R Vaishali has became India’s latest Woman Grandmaster (WGM).  23rd Asian Athletics Championships will be held in Qatar’s capital city of Doha, from April 19 to April 24, 2019. The six-day competition will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium.  India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar withstood intense pressure and produced one of the best shots of the week on the 17th hole which eventually sealed his ninth Asian Tour win at the Fiji International golf tournament in Fiji.  India skipper Virat Kohli topped the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, riding on his brilliant century against England in the opening Test at Edgbaston.  Women’s Hockey World Cup: India have jumped a place to be 9th in the world rankings announced by International Hockey Federation (FIH).  A facial recognition system will be used across an Olympics for the first time as Tokyo organizers work to keep security tight and efficient at dozens of venues during the 2020 Games.  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) have signed an agreement for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to host the prestigious Asia Cup 2018 scheduled to take place in September.  Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 36- year-old, who bid adieu to international cricket in November 2015, said that he had hoped to continue playing for domestic T20 leagues, but his body has started to shut down.  Teen cyclist Esow Alben has created history by claiming India’s first ever medal – a silver- at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland.  Serena Williams was the highest paid female athlete for a third consecutive year in 2018, according to an annual list published by Forbes.  The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) appointed former batting stalwart Rashmi Ranjan Parida as the coach of the Odisha cricket team.  Mohammad Irfan has set a new world record of being the most economical bowler in the T20 cricket while playing for Barbados Tridents in the ongoing 2018 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).  The 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will be held in the North Korean capital Pyongyang.  Former wicketkeeper Mohan Chaturvedi has been named as replacement for Rajat Bhatia in the senior selection committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association.

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 New Zealand spinner Morna Nielsen has announced her retirement from all forms of cricket as she aims to shift her focus on being a structural engineer.  England’s Jamie Vardy retireed from international football.  Veteran German striker Mario Gomez has announced his retirement from international football.  Indian badminton player Lakshaya Sen bagged the gold medal after defeating Indonesia’s top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsaran in the final match of the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to honour Lakshya Sen who bagged gold at the recently-concluded Asian Junior Championship.  The torch relay for the much awaited Asian Games 2018 began from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. The multi sport-event will begin on August 18 in Indonesia’s Jakarta city.  Hima Das created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold at the IAAF World Under- 20 Athletics Championships in Tempere, Finland. She clinched the top spot in the women’s 400 meters final race.  India’s women cricket team coach TusharArothe has stepped down from the role, citing personal reasons.  Indian Cricketer Mohammad Kaif has announced his retirement from all forms of the game.  Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore announced that more than 34 years after coming into existence, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been renamed as Sports India after the sports body’s governing body meeting.  India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in Sottevile Athletics meet held in Sotteville, France.  The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) decided to approve the Indian Men’s Hockey team, comprising 18 players selected for the Asian Games, as part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).  Indian Football Teams faced a major setback as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has decided against sending its senior teams to the Asian Games. The IOA chose not to clear Indian men’s and women’s Football Teams since they have deemed them “incompetent” to win any medals.  The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appointed Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as the incharge of the upcoming 18th Asian Games.  Former off-spinner Ramesh Powar has been appointed as the interim coach of the Indian women’s team until the BCCI finds a suitable replacement for Tushar Arothe.  Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will lead the 18-member Indian men’s hockey squad in the 18th Asian Games, which is slated to begin in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18.Striker Rani will lead Indian women’s hockey squad.  The anti-doping disciplinary panel of NADA handed a four-year suspension to shot putter Inderjeet Singh for failing a dope test prior to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  Rahul Dravid was on Sunday inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, becoming only the fifth Indian to receive the honour after Bishan Singh Bedi, KapilDev, Sunil Gavaskar and Anil Kumble.  2018 IAAF World U20 Championships held in Tampere Stadium in Tampere, Finland. Kenya topped the medal tally with India placed on 18th rank.  India have jumped a rung to fifth position in the men’s hockey world rankings issued by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).  Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has announced that Indian Athlete Hima Das will be named as the first sports ambassador of the state.  Pakistan opening batsman Fakhar Zaman has became the quickest player to reach the 1000 runs in one-day internationals (ODI), breaking the record of West Indies Legend Vivian Richards.  The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee officially presented its Olympic mascots Miraitowa and Someity at a massive event. The name of the blue-checked Olympic mascot Miraitowa is derived from a combination of the Japanese words for future and eternity and seeks to “promote a future full of eternal hope in the hearts of people all over the world.” Someity, the pink-checked Paralympic mascot which owes its name to a type of cherry tree blossom, “exhibits

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enormous mental and physical strength” and represents paralympic athletes, “who overcome obstacles and redefine the boundaries of what is possible.”  The first stage of the Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme ultra-stage bicycle race got underway in Moscow with an Indian’s participation. The longest bicycle race in the world will consist of 15 stages, from 260 km up to 1,372 km long.  Former India paceman Parvinder Awana announced his retirement from all formats of the game with immediate effect.

 The All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Floyd Pinto as the new head coach of Indian Arrows. Pinto is the head coach of the Indian U-20 team which will play in the COTIF International tournament in Spain.

 Indian badminton player Lakshaya Sen bagged the gold medal after defeating Indonesia’s top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsaran in the final match of the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. Badminton Association of India (BAI) has decided to honour Lakshya Sen who bagged gold at the recently-concluded Asian Junior Championship.

 Shubhankar Sharma became the youngest Indian golfer to make the cut in any Major after he capped a wonderful back nine to achieve the feat at the 147th Open Championships at Carnoustie, Scotland.

 Creating history, India jumped to the top rank of the compound archery women team category. World Archery Association also announced the rank in compound mixed team and India bagged fifth rank in world rankings.

 India captain Virat Kohli was presented with the International Player of the Year award for 2017-2018 by England’s Barmy Army.

 A city college student, Prabhat Koli (19), who crossed the English Channel when he was 16, has become the first Asian to swim the choppy water from Jersey (an Island in the UK) to France in cold weather.

 Mohun Bagan ‘Ratna’, the highest honour of the century-old club has been conferred on former India international Pradip Chowdhury at its foundation day programme on 29th July.

Asian Games 2018 begin with explosive opening ceremony in Jakarta

The 2018 Asian Games began on August 18 with a grand opening ceremony at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The 18th Asian Games held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang and this was the first time the Asian Games are co-hosted in two cities. The Indonesian capital of Jakarta hosted the Games earlier in 1962. Palembang is the capital of the South Sumatra Province.  Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra was India’s flag-bearer at the glittering opening ceremony.  Motto of the games is “Energy of Asia”  2022 Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.  China led the medal table for the tenth consecutive time. It won a total of 289 medals including 132 Gold, 92 Silver and 65 Bronze medals.  Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee was announced as the most valuable player (MVP) of the Games.  India brought home a total of 69 medals – 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze from the Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia to surpass the medal count from 2010 Games in Guangzhou, China. This is also India’s best ever overall medal tally, equalling country’s joint-best effort at the Asian Games since the inaugural edition in 1951. The total of 24 silver medals is also the highest ever in Asiad history for India.

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Here is a list of all the Indian athletes who have won a medal at the 2018 Asian Games.

Player Sport Category Medal Bajrang Punia Wrestling Men's Freestyle 65 kg Gold

Vinesh Phogat Wrestling Women's Freestyle 50 kg Gold

Saurabh Chaudhary Shooting Men's 10m Air Pistol Gold

Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat Shooting Women's 25m Pistol Gold

India Men's team Rowing Men's Quadruple sculls Gold

Rohan Manchanda Bopanna/Divij Sharan Tennis Men's doubles Gold

Tajinderpal Singh Toor Athletics Men's Shot put Gold

Neeraj Chopra Athletics Men's Javelin throw Gold

Manjit Singh Athletics Men's 800m Gold

Arpinder Singh Athletics Men's Triple jump Gold

Swapna Barman Athletics Women's Heptathlon Gold

Jinson Johnson Athletics Men's 1500m Gold

India Women's team Athletics Women's 4 x 400m Relay Gold

Amit Boxing Men's Light Fly (49kg) Gold

Pranab Bardhan/Shibnath Sarkar Bridge Men's Pair Gold

Deepak Kumar Shooting 10m Air Rifle Men Silver

Lakshay Sheoran Shooting Trap Men Silver

Sanjeev Rajput Shooting Men's 50m Rifle Silver

Shardul Vihan Shooting Men Double Trap Silver

India Women's team Kabaddi Women's Team Silver

Hima Das Athletics Women's 400m Silver

Yahiya Muhammed Anas Athletics Men's 400m Silver

Dutee Chand Athletics Women's 100m Silver

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India Men's team Equestrian - Jumping Eventing Team Jumping Silver

Fouaad Mirza Equestrian - Jumping Eventing Individual Jumping Silver

Dharun Ayyasamy Athletics Men's 400m Hurdles Silver

Sudha Singh Athletics Women's 3000m Steeplechase Silver

Neena Varakil Athletics Women's Long jump Silver

India Men's team Archery Men's Compound Team Silver

India Women's team Women's Compound Team Archery Silver

Jinson Johnson Athletics Men's 800m Silver

Pincky Balhara Kurash Women's -52kg Silver

India Mixed team Athletics Mixed 4 x 400m Relay Silver

P. V Sindhu Badminton Women's singles Silver

Dutee Chand Athletics Women's 200m Silver

India Men's team Athletics Men's 4 x 400m Relay Silver

Gautham Varsha/Sweta Shervegar Sailing Women 49er FX Silver

India Women's team Field hockey Women's Tournament Silver

India Women's team Squash Women's Team Silver

Apurvi Chandela/Ravi Kumar Shooting 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Bronze

Abhishek Verma Shooting Men's 10m Air Pistol Bronze

India Men's team Sepak takraw Men's Team Regu Bronze Divya Kakran Wrestling Women's Freestyle 68 kg Bronze

Naorem Roshibina Devi Wushu Women's Sanda -60kg Bronze

Santosh Kumar Wushu Men's Sanda -56kg Bronze

Surya Bhanu Partap Singh Wushu Men's Sanda -60kg Bronze

Grewal Narender Wushu Men's Sanda -65kg Bronze

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Ankita Raina Tennis Women's singles Bronze

India Men's team Kabaddi Men's Team Bronze

Dushyant Rowing Men's Lightweight Single Sculls Bronze

Rohit Kumar/Bhagwan Singh Rowing Men's Lightweight double sculls Bronze

Heena Sidhu Shooting Women 10m Air Pistol Bronze

Prajnesh Prabhakharan Tennis Men's singles Bronze

Dipika Pallikal Squash Women's Singles Bronze

Joshana Chinappa Squash Women's Singles Bronze

Saurav Ghosal Squash Men's Singles Bronze

India Mixed team Bridge Mixed Team Bronze

India Men's team Bridge Men's Team Bronze

Saina Nehwal Badminton Women's singles Bronze

India Men's team Table tennis Men's team Bronze

Malaprabha Yallappa Jadhav Kurash Women's -52kg Bronze

Sharath Kamal Achanta/Manika Batra Table tennis Mixed Doubles Bronze

Seema Punia Athletics Women's Discus Bronze throw

Chitra Palakeezh Unnikrishnan Athletics Women's 1500m Bronze

India Men's team Squash Men's Team Bronze

Harshita Tomar Sailing Open Laser 4.7 Bronze

Varun Thakkar/Ganapathy Chengappa Sailing Men 49er Bronze

Vikas Krishnan Boxing Men's Middle (75kg) Bronze

India Men's team Field hockey Men's Tournament Bronze

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The National Sports Awards 2018 were officially announced on 20 September. These awards are conferred by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Click here for the complete list of National Sports Awards 2018

2018 Para Asian Games held in Indonesia

 Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary won Gold.  Middle distance runner Raju Rakshitha won Gold in women's T11 1500m.  Swimmer Jadhav Suyash Narayan won Gold in men's S7 50m butterfly.  Ekta Bhyan clinched gold in women’s club throw event.  Narayan Thakur won Gold in men’s dash.  Para-shooter Manish Narwal bagged Gold in the men’s SH1 10m air pistol event.  Archer Harvinder Singh won Gold in Men’s Individual Recurve Open – W2/ST event.  Sharad Kumar won Gold in men’s high jump T42/63 category.  Pramod Bhagat won Gold in men’s singles SL3 class badminton.  Tarun won Gold in the men’s singles SL4 class.

2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina

 Jeremy Lalrinnunga lifting 150kg in Men’s 62kg weightlifting won Gold.  Thangjam Tababi Devi became India’s first judo medallist at the Olympic level, claiming silver in the women’s 44kg category.  Manu Bhaker became the first shooter from India to claim a gold medal.  Pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has bagged the Gold Medal in the 10-metre air pistol event.  Suraj Panwar won Gold in men’s 5000m race walk event (Athletics).  Akash Malik, became the first Indian to win a silver medal in archery.

Committee

Head of Committee Purpose Sushil Modi The Government constituted a seven-member ministerial panel headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi to examine modalities for revenue mobilisation in case of natural calamities and disasters. Bhure Lal The Centre has reconstituted Supreme Court-empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority or the EPCA, which is tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region. The tenure of the last EPCA expired on October 3. Sneha Rajani In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Producers Guild of India announced the formation of a special committee to look into matters of sexual harassment at the workplace within the industry. The committee with filmmakers Kiran Rao and Ekta Kapoor among others as its members held its first meeting. S B Zaware Chartered accountants’ apex body The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has constituted a nine-member panel to study the systemic issues in the IL&FS crisis, amid the government intensifying efforts to address the problems at the diversified

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group. Suresh Mathur The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a panel to examine the feasibility of payment of general and health insurance claims in instalments. Kirit Somaiya A parliamentary panel will examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), its coverage and recovery of arrears.

Home Minister Rajnath Group of Ministers to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks to deal with Singh and prevent sexual harassment at workplace S.P. Garg The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a monitoring committee to finalise an action plan to enhance availability of potable groundwater. Bimal Jalan The Union Government has appointed former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan as the head of the panel that has been tasked with selecting India’s next chief economic advisor (CEA). Mukul Mudgal Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Supreme Court-appointed probe into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has been named chairman of the 11-member selection committee to pick this year’s Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees. Randip Singh Jagpal IRDAI has constituted a committee, comprising its officials as well as senior executives of a few insurers, to study regulatory issues fin-tech poses for insurance. Besides in a fast evolving financial technology landscape, the move comes amid the authority’s emphasis on adopting a regulatory sandbox approach to experiment with fin-tech solutions. Amitava Roy The Supreme Court constituted a three-member committee, headed by its former judge Justice Amitava Roy, to look into jail reforms across the country and suggest measures to deal with them. The panel will look into various matters including over-crowding in prisons and the issues concerning women prisoners. D.M. Sukthankar State-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has formed a high-level committee of experts that has been set up to draw a roadmap for settlement of land acquisition issues facing the proposed $44 billion Ratnagiri refinery project in Maharashtra. Justice Ranjana Prakash Government formed committee to recommend the chairperson and members of the Desai anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. Manmohan Juneja The government has set up a 12-member panel to review the enforcement of CSR provisions under the companies law as well as look at having a centralised scrutiny and prosecution mechanism to deal with violations. Surjit S. Bhalla Government approved constitution of a High Level Advisory Group (HLAG) to make recommendations in identifying opportunities and addressing challenges in the contemporary global trade scenario. Injeti Srinivas The government has formed a Competition Law Review Committee to ensure that the legislation is in tune with the changing business environment. Shiv Pratap Shukla Committee to look after the issues of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Suresh Prabhu The government has set up a four-member group of ministers (GoM) headed by trade minister Suresh Prabhu to advise prime minister Narendra Modi on whether to continue with or withdraw from the 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. Somnath Bharti To tackle the growing menace of stray dogs and monkeys in the state, the Delhi

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Assembly constituted a five-member committee for the same. B Sesikeran The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to form a three- member committee to look into the draft food labelling and display regulations. The regulations have proposed making red colour-coded labels mandatory on packaged food products which are high in fat, sugar and salt contents. S J Vazifdar The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice S J Vazifdar as head of a three-member committee to decide mining company Vedanta’s plea challenging closure of its Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin. K Vijay Raghavan The central government constituted a new 21-member advisory panel on science, technology and innovation under the chairmanship of Principal Scientific Advisor, K Vijay Raghavan, that will also co-ordinate the implementation of programmes through various bodies. The panel, called the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) will replace the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister and to the Cabinet. Ravindra H Dholakia The government has set up a 13-member committee to upgrade the norms for computation of economic data at states and districts level in the backdrop of plans to revise the base year for National Accounts or GDP calculation. InjetiSrinivas, Corporate Ministry of Corporate Affairs has constituted a 10 Member Committee to review the Affairs Secretary Companies Act 2013. According to an official release, certain offences of the act may require to be decriminalised. It will also allow the trial courts to pay more attention on offences of serious nature. P.J. Joseph Insurance regulator IRDAI has constituted a 16-member committee to examine motor third party insurance pricing aspects and make recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20 CM Manohar Lal Khattar The Haryana government has constituted an inter-district council, under the chairmanship of CM Khattar, to identify the developmental priorities of the state. Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma Bowing to the pressure and sustained protests by ‘shiksha mitras’ across the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a committee to look into their demands and suggest a suitable action plan. C K Mishra The government has formed a committee comprising officials of the environment ministry, experts from NEERI, IITs and various other forums to look into the issue of industrial pollution around the iconic Taj Mahal. Anil Swarup The government has decided to set up a committee with suitable representations from NCC, M/o Youth Affairs and Ministry of HRD to suggest measures to strengthen National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS). Pradeep Kumar Sinha The Central government decided to set up a high-level empowered panel to resolve issues plaguing the power sector and revive stressed assets A K Goel (National Green The National Green Tribunal formed a monitoring committee on the cleaning of the Tribunal (NGT) Yamuna River. The tribunal headed by A K Goel directed the committee to develop an Chairperson) action plan on the same and submit it by September 2018 and submit a detailed report on the issue by December 31, 2018. Sashi Bhusan Behera Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik set up a ministerial committee for the development of Odia film industry. Rajiv Gauba The Centre has set up a high-level committee to formulate steps to check mob lynchings and directed it to submit the recommendations within four weeks

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 National Green Tribunal has appointed three committees to monitor disposal of garbage in an eco-friendly manner across the country. The tribunal formed three committees – apex monitoring Committee, Regional Monitoring Committees and state level committees – to oversee the steps to be taken to give effect to the directions of this tribunal, including proper implementation of the Rules. The apex monitoring committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice D K Jain.  A Former minister in the Narendra Modi government, Kalraj Mishra, replaced former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri as the chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. Parliamentary Standing Committees were introduced in 1993 to ensure legislative oversight over the executive functioning of each ministry.  Central government has constituted a coordination committee headed by the Narendra Kumar, Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman to coordinate the discharge of floodwaters from inter-State projects involving Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Mullaperiyar and Aliyar. The committee will monitor the situation at Mullaperiyar dam in view of rising water level and continued heavy inflow.  The Ministry of Human Resource Development reconstituted a three-member fact-finding committee to assess the allegations against the Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University, Prof Adya Prasad Pandey. Rankings

Index India’s Rank Other Information Henley Passport Index 81st 1st – Japan. Japan’s passport has been named the most powerful in the world. Oxfam International’s 147th 1st – Denmark. ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index’ Human Capital Index (HCI) 115th 1st – Singapore. Index by World Bank. Global Hunger Index (GHI) 103rd 1st – Belarus. Global index on Right to 6th 1st – Afghanistan. Information World Economic Forum’s Global 58th 1st – USA. Competitiveness Index for 2018 Ease of doing business ranking 77th 1st – New Zealand. Nuclear Security Index (‘Theft 19th The index was released by the US-based Ranking’ for countries with Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). weapons usable nuclear 1st – Australia and Switzerland materials) Human development rankings 130th 1st – Norway Economic Freedom Index 96th 1st - Hong Kong Global Innovation Index (GII) 57th 1st – Switzerland. Global Innovation 2018 Index 2018 was launched in New Delhi this year. Global Innovation Index (GII) 57th 1st - Switzerland 2018 AT Kearney FDI Confidence 7th Index

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United Nation’s E-Government 96th 1st – Denmark Development Index (EGDI) 2018

 The Austrian capital of Vienna is ranked first in the Economist Intelligence Units’ (EIU) latest Global Liveability Survey, which found 68 cities to have improved their rankings over the last year with declines in just nine cities. New Delhi at 112 rank topped among six South Asian cities with Mumbai following at position 117.  India has emerged as the most investment-savvy economy in Asia and over two-thirds of the country’s affluent class prefer to make use of various investment products to meet their financial goals and greater social mobility, according to a new study titled ‘The Emerging Affluent Study 2018– Climbing the Prosperity Ladder’ by Standard Chartered.  Most of the international migrants in 2017 were from India, followed by China and Bangladesh, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report titled ‘Asian Economic Integration Report 2018’ said. The report further said as many as one third of international migrants were from Asia in 2017.  India has the second largest insurance gap in the world of $27 billion after China, where the under insurance or insurance gap is over $76 billion.  India ranks fifth, jointly with Hong Kong and Thailand, in terms of the largest pictorial warning on cigarette packs with 85 per cent of both sides of the packets covered. The Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report 2018 highlighted that 118 countries worldwide have made pictorial warnings mandatory.  According to a survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by payments company Visa, India‘s overall ranking on the government’s adoption of e-payments has moved up to 28th in 2018, from 36th in 2011. 1st – Norway.  Stanford University takes first place on Reuters’ list of the World’s Most Innovative Universities for the third consecutive year, holding fast to its ranking by consistently producing new patents and papers that influence researchers around the globe.  According to a World Health Organization report, India is the world’s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US. According to the 2015-16 National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), every sixth person in India needs mental health help of some sort. The United Kingdom remains the most breached country in the region.  Data breach incidences in India were the second highest globally according to a report by digital security firm Gemalto.  According to Brand Finance‘s annual Nation Brands report, India 9th most valuable nation brand in the world. 1st – USA.  According to the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ study, India ranks third globally in terms of number of family- owned businesses with 111 companies having a total market capitalisation of $839 billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and the US with 121 firms, says a report.  India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and healthcare, a survey of 195 countries has revealed. Finland tops the list.  India has become the world’s sixth largest economy overtaking France, according to World Bank data on gross domestic product (GDP) of countries for 2017. United States has topped the list recording a GDP of USD 19,390,604 million.  India has the world’s fifth largest cultivated area under genetically modified (GM) crops, at 11.4 million hectares (mh) in 2017 according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). The country with the highest area under transgenic crops, at 75 mh, is the United States.  The UK has topped an annual global ranking of nations’ soft power, with France placed second on the list of 30 countries which does not feature India. India does not figure on the list, but this year’s report also features a chapter dedicated solely to Asia, listing 10 countries in the region, ranking India’s soft power as eighth.

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 According to the results of a global survey by human rights group Walk Free Foundation (WFF), India is home to 8 million slaves among its whopping population of 1.3 billion. In terms of highest slavery, North Korea and Eritrea topped the list, said the 2018 Global Slavery Index. Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)

 According to Interbrand’s “Best 100 Global Brands 2018” report, Apple displaced Google to become the top brand in the world in 2018 while Facebook, mired in data breach controversies, fell to ninth place in the top 100 brands globally.  Satara in Maharashtra stood first in the all-India cleanliness ranking in a survey of 685 districts across the country.  Fertiliser major IFFCO has been ranked as the biggest cooperative in the world by ‘Word Cooperative Monitor’ report 2018 published by The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse).  Kerala tops the TAG index which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls, as a part of the survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi Kali.  Microsoft overtook Amazon to become the second most valuable tech company in the United States.  Bengaluru, along with Singapore and Shenzhen, figure in the list of best locations for tech enterprises in Asia according to a research report ‘Top Locations in Asia: Technology Sector,’ released by Colliers Research.  Pune is the most liveable city, followed closely by Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai in a ranking of 111 Indian cities with the national capital ranked at a lowly 65 on the Ease of Living Index released by the government. The Ease of Living Index was launched by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.  Jodhpur and Marwar in Rajasthan were declared the cleanest railway stations, while Varanasi, the prime minister’s Lok Sabha constituency, slipped to the 69th position in the third cleanliness survey released on 13th August 2018.  Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led telecom startup Reliance Jio has been ranked number one on Fortune’s global list for rapidly expanding access to the Internet.  The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has emerged as the second fastest growing airport in the world in the first half of 2018 in terms of actual growth in number of passengers. Only Haneda International has bettered KIA’s growth. New Delhi’s airport is placed 6th while Hyderabad is placed 17th in terms of actual growth of passengers.

Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose World Bank India $74 million For the Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project. The project aims to improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase the number of workers relevant to the labour market through short-term training in the state. New Development India $525 million The loan will be used by the Indian government for on- Bank (NDB) lending to the Madhya Pradesh government for rehabilitating major district roads with a total length of about 2,000 km to improve the connectivity of the rural interior with the national and state highway networks.

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Asian India $500 million The loan will be used to build climate resilient Development infrastructure in several cities of Tamil Nadu Bank (ADB) ADB India $150 million The loan will be used for establishing the first multi-skills park in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Asian India USD 150 Loan to finance road infrastructure and international trade Development million corridor in West Bengal and north-eastern states Bank (ADB) ADB India USD 240 Loan agreement to provide safe drinking water to about million 1.65 million people in three districts of West Bengal ADB India USD 100 Loan agreement aimed at expanding sewerage and million drainage coverage and providing sewage treatment in Kolkata. NABARD Haryana Rs 772 crore For eight water projects in the rural areas of Haryana German bank KfW Rural EUR 200 The fund will be used to finance clean energy projects in Electrification million India. Corporation (REC)[India] World Bank India Rs 929.89 World Bank has approved this financial assistance for a crore water supply and sewerage project for the state capital Himachal Pradesh, Shimla. Asian India USD 346 Loan agreement to finance improvement of over 400 Development million kilometers of state highways that will enhance connectivity Bank (ADB) and access to economic centres across 12 districts in Karnataka. ADB India USD 375 For expanding irrigation networks and system efficiency in million Madhya Pradesh. The project will support the efforts of government of Madhya Pradesh for irrigation expansion and modernisation plan by maximising irrigation efficiency and water productivity. World Bank India USD 300 They signed 220 million dollar Loan Agreement and an 80 million million Guarantee Agreement for the Efficiency Scale-Up Program. ADB India USD 110 Loan agreement for the upgradation of 2,800 kilometers million all-weather rural roads in Madhya Pradesh Asian India USD 503- For lining project of the Son canal in Shahabad-Bhojpur Development million region of Bihar which would benefit the agriculture sector Bank (ADB) immensely in the region NABARD West Bengal Rs 735.53 In the first quarter of the current fiscal under the Rural crore Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for West Bengal for facilitating the execution of 86 projects  The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said it has sanctioned Rs 334.75 crore in August, under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), to West Bengal for 158 minor irrigation and 23 flood protection projects.

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 The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has approved Rs 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritised irrigation projects under the government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY). Deadlines/ Important Dates

 UIDAI extended till November 1 the deadline for banks to do minimum Aadhaar enrolments and updations in identified branches. The banks have been mandated to set up Aadhaar enrolment and updation facilities within their premises in one out of every 10 branches.  The Supreme Court said that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. The Bharat stage emission standards are standards instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.  Deadline for the PAN-Aadhaar linking has been extended till March 31, 2019. Books

Book Author Other Info Sundeep Misra to write a book on sprinter Dutee Chand, Story So Far Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple, the final book of Vineet Bajpai’s Harappa trilogy launched The Rule Breakers’ Preeti Shenoy The book claims to explore complex themes of women’s equality, gender, and inclusion among others. French political writer and journalist Francois Gautier, who has been living in India since 1971, will be releasing the authorised biography of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The Beauty of All My Days Ruskin Bond The book has 10 chapters and numerous photographs of the writer’s private life, or as Bond describes it, writerly life. The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Vikram Sood Vikram Sood is the former head of India’s Chief’s Insights into Espionage foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing from 2000 to 2003. The book covers some of the most exciting aspects of intelligence failures and successes. “The Book of Untold Stories” Actress Manisha Manisha, who was diagnosed with cancer in Koirala 2012, will reportedly be authoring the book about the experience of surviving the illness. 281 and Beyond Cricketer VVS Laxman Westland Publications will release the former Indian cricketer’s autobiography. Atal Ji Ne Kaha Brijendra Rehi “Atal Ji Ne Kaha” is the latest of the books on

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the BJP patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched with a message by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who says the life of the stalwart from Jana Sangh days to “sanyas” from politics in 2007 is a golden document, dedicated to the nation. Gandhi: the years that changed the world Ramachandra Guha  This magnificent book will not only tell the (1914-1948) story of Gandhi’s life, from his departure from South Africa to his dramatic assassination in 1948, but also the history of our freedom movement and its many strands.

 Australian Spin legend Shane Warne will talk about his extraordinary cricketing career and his life off the pitch besides unveiling several unknown facts in his autobiography. His memoir “No Spin” will have a global release on October 4.  The book “Feisty At Fifty” authored by Sudha Menon, was released at the Pune International Literary Festival recently. It has been published by Pan Macmillan India. The books speaks about different phases of a woman’s life.  Congress leader Shashi Tharoor ‘unveiled’ the word to the public in a tweet that also introduced his new book, “The Paradoxical Prime Minister”. Shashi Tharoor described his new book on PM Narendra Modi as “more than just a 400-page exercise in floccinaucinihilipilification“.The word means “the action or habit of estimating something as worthless”  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a biography of late Anumolu Ramakrishna, a pioneer in the application of innovative systems and construction techniques in the Indian constuction sector. The biography titled ‘Building a Legacy’ is authored by city-based Chartered Accountant V Pattabhi Ram.  Stephen Hawking’s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant’s death. Stephen Hawking’s final book “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” was launched recently.  A new book on Maharana Pratap named “Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior” authored by historian Rima Hooja has been released. The book narrates the life of Maharana Pratap, the great Rajput warrior and also talks about the famous battle of Haldighati.  The biography of UP Chief Minister ‘Yogi Adityanath: The Rise of a Saffron Socialist’ is now amongst best seller books. The book written by Pravin Kumar.  Veteran commentator and cricket statistican Vijayan Bala has come up with his new book “Indian Sports: Conversations and Reflections”, a compilation of interviews of eminent sportspersons he has conducted since 1971.  Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announced the launch of her new book, ‘The Rule Breakers’. The book claims to explore complex themes of women’s equality, gender, and inclusion among others.  A book on experiential learning based on Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Nai Talim’ (basic education) was released by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi released Venkaiah Naidu’s book, Moving On… Moving Forward: A Year in Office, on his experiences during the first year as the Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha and called him a strict “disciplinarian”.

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Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma released three books, including one on “secret broadcasts” during the Quit India movement, at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). The books are titled “Jewellery: A Scientific Study of Social Tradition”, “Ghats of Banaras” and “Untold Story of Broadcasting”.

 “Untold Story of Broadcasting” authored by historian Gautam Chatterjee, is about hidden developments during the 1942 Quit India movement — the “secret broadcasts” of the time — and the contribution of political leader Ram Manohar Lohia in the movement.  The second book, “Jewellery”, written by author-journalist Gulab Kothari, examines a ritualistic use of jewellery worn on occasions, and the meaning of possessing jewellery in an Indian context.  Another book, “Ghats of Banaras” has been co-authored by IGNCA Cultural Informatics Director Pratapanand Jha and Sachidanand Joshi. It is a monograph highlighting the importance of ghats, and is derived out of a documentation conducted at Varanasi.  Congress MP Kapil Sibal will be releasing a new book titled “Shades of Truth: A Journey Derailed” arguing that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government “revels in the past” and debunking the claim of “Acche Din” that the BJP made in the run up to 2014 general elections.

Obituaries

Name Profession Other Info The girl holding the lamp in the celebrated painting `Glow of Hope’, also known as the Woman With the Lamp, has died at 102. Gita Uplekar died in Kolhapur, Maharashtra after a brief illness. The painting, a watercolour masterpiece by S L Haldankar, is now housed in the Jaychama Rajendra Art Gallery at the Jaganmohan Palace in Mysuru, Karnataka. It is one of the most prized possessions as well as a major attraction at the gallery. Indian Digambara monk Tarun Sagar passed away. He took ‘Jain Sanyas’ at the age of 13 and later emerged as a prominent spiritual personality. He was widely known for his ‘Kadve Parvachan’ (bitter discourse). Narayan Dutt Tiwari Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vishnu Khare Renowned poet, critic and journalist Bhagwati Kumar Sharma Gujarati author, journalist and poet Arthur Pereira Former Maharashtra football player Dr. Rita Jitendra Educationist and writer Kavita Mahajan Eminent Marathi litterateur and translator Goura Chandra Mohapatra Veteran freedom fighter Passed away at the age of 104 Vijay Shankar Vyas Agricultural economist Padma Bhushan awardee Mehlli Gobhai Artist Gandhian Natwar Thakkar Popularly known as ‘Nagaland’s Gandhi’ Girish Patel Human Rights Activist Santosh Singh Jain Indian film trade expert Nitin Bali Singer Annapurna Devi Hindustani classical musician Balabhaskar Kerala musician and violinist Thampi Kannanthanam Malayalam film personality He was a producer, director and have

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also acted in a few films. M N Paloor Malayalam poet Autobiography - Kathayillathavante Katha Qazi Abdus Sattar Novelist, short story writer Yeshwant Deo Marathi composer Pradip Chowdhury Veteran journalist and former News Editor of Press Trust of India (PTI) G.D. Agarwal Environmentalist Bhola Singh Politician Madan Lal Khurana Politician Former Delhi Chief Minister Pankaj Bandyopadhyay Poltician Founding member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Satya Prakash Malaviya Politician Former Union petroleum minister Dolagobinda Pradhan Politician Veteran freedom fighter and former Odisha Minister Shantaram Potdukhe Politician Former union minister of state for finance Manoharsinh Jadeja Politician Former Gujarat finance minister Sri Shilpi Siddanthi Siddalinga Karnataka’s popular Lingayat seer Swami Vizag Prasad Telugu senior actor Na. Muthuswamy Veteran theatre personality M. Karunanidhi Politician Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President (DMK - political party in the state of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry) Somnath Chatterjee Politician Former Lok Sabha Speaker RK Dhawan Politician Balramji Dass Tandon Politician He was the then Chhattisgarh Governor Gurudas Kamat Politician Kuldip Nayar Journalist Mony K. Mathew Journalist He retired as senior assistant editor at The Hindu-BusinessLine Umbayee Malayalam Ghazal singer Chemmanam Chacko Malayalam poet He was noted Malayalam poet and Sahitya Akademi awardee Krishna Shripadrao Deshpande Library scientist Sumatheendra Nadig Kannada writer Sujata Kumar Actress Debu Bose Odia Actor Hakkam Singh Player Former Indian hockey player Ajit Wadekar Player Former India cricket captain Gopal Bose Player Former India One-Day International (ODI) cricketer Imtikumzuk Longkumer Former Nagaland Assembly Deputy

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Speaker Ganpatrao Andalkar Sports Person (Wrestler) Anna Rajam Malhotra Diplomat Independent India’s first woman IAS officer Randhir Singh Air Marshal Kondapalli Koteswaramma Revolutionary leader, writer and feminist Kalpana Lajmi Filmmaker Biswanath Dutt Former BCCI President Jasdev Singh Renowned hindi commentator Pandit Tulsidas Borkar Legendary harmonium exponent Kanu Gohain Former Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) N N Wig Doctor (Psychiatrist) He was the doyen of Psychiatry in India Admiral J G Nadkarni Former and 14th chief of naval staff He was the Navy chief between December 1, 1987 and November 30, 1990. Krishna Kumari Politician She was Rajmata of the erstwhile Marwar principality and former MP M.M. Jacob Politician He was former Meghalaya Governor Ramchandra Singhdeo Politician He was former and first finance minister of Chhattisgarh JN Sadhu Journalist Kalpesh Yagnik Journalist Swapan Sarkar Sports Journalist Ramapada Chowdhury Bengali Writer Gopal Das Neeraj Hindi Poet M.N. Vyasa Rao Kannada poet and film song lyricist Kabutari Devi Kumaoni folk singer John Sankaramangalam Former director of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Kavi Kumar Azad Actor He is best-known for his role of Dr Hansraj Haathi in the popular comedy show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Rita Bhaduri Actress Basabi Nandi Bengali Actress J. P. Vaswani Spiritual leader He was the spiritual head of The Sadhu Vaswani Mission Ntozake Shange African American playwright Paul G. Allen Microsoft co-founder Will Vinton Oscar-winning American animator Montserrat Caballe Spanish soprano

Burt Reynolds American Actor

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Tran Dai Quang Vietnam’s President Jarrod Lyle Australian Golfer V.S. Naipaul Author British novelist and Nobel Prize winner for Literature Aretha Franklin American Singer Uri Avnery Israeli Journalist And Peace Activist Kofi Annan Ghanaian diplomat Former UN Secretary-General and Nobel Prize Laureate John McCain Politician Served as a United States Senator Neil Simon American playwright Jonathan Gold Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Liliane Montevecchi Tony Award-winning French-Italian actress, singer, dancer and cabaret star

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on 16th August 2018 in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi after a long illness. The 93-year-old BJP leader was suffering from multiple ailments.

About Atal Bihari Vajpayee  Born in the family of a humble school teacher on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior Madhya Pradesh, Vajpayee entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942.  Three-time Prime Minister, Vajpayee was the first and the only non-Congress Prime Minister to serve a full five- year term from 1999 to 2004; and for short periods of 13 days in 1996 and 13 months in 1998.  Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004.  He was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times and twice to the Rajya Sabha.  He was the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi.  He was conferred India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee in 2015.  He was also conferred Padma Vibhushan in 1992.  The Modi government declared in 2014 that Vajpayee’s birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day.  Apart from politician with great oratory skills, Vajpayee was also an acclaimed writer who wrote several poems.  His poems include – Meri Ikyavana Kavitaem (1995), Meri Ikyavana Kavitaem (Hindi Edition, 1995), Sreshtha Kabita (1997), Nayi Disha – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995), Kya Khoya Kya Paya: Atal Bihari Vajapeyi, Vyaktitva Aur Kavitaem (Hindi Edition, 1999), Samvedna – An Album with Jagjit Singh (1995), Twenty-One Poems (2003).  Some of his books are as – India’s Foreign Policy: New Dimensions (1977), Assam Problem: Repression no Solution (1981), Atal Bihari Vaj Mem Tina Dasaka (1992), Pradhan Mantri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ke Chune Hue Bhashana (2000), Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India’s Man of Destiny (2001), National Integration (1961), Dynamics of an Open Society (1977), Kucha Lekha, Kucha Bhashana (1996), Sekyularavada: Bharatiya Parikalpana (Da. Rajendra Prasada Smaraka Vyakhyanamala) (1996), Rajaniti ki Rapatili Rahem (1997), Back to Square One (1998), Decisive Days (1999), Sakti Se Santi (1999), India’s Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region (2003)

Announcements done after his death

 In a tribute to former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Yogi Adityanath led BJP government has decided to name proposed Bundelkhand Expressway as “Atal Path” in the memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Expressway will pass through Bateshwar, Agra, the ancestral village of the former PM.

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 Following are the places in Jharkhand which will be renamed: o Under the Health Care and Family Welfare Department, Medical College Palamu will be renamed as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, Palamu. o Under Transport (Civil Aviation) Dept. Jharkhand and Shipping Ministry Government of India, Sahibganj Harbour will be renamed as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Harbour Sahibganj. o Under the Transport Dept. Jharkhand and Civil Aviation, Government of India, it has been recommended that the under-construction Deoghar Airport is named as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Airport Deoghar. o Under High Technical Education and Skill Department, Professional College Jamshedpur is renamed as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Professional College Jamshedpur. Under Urban Development and Housing Department (under construction) Convention Centre Ranchi is to be renamed as Atal Convention Centre Ranchi. o Under IT and Governance Dept. Jharkhand Innovation Lab will be renamed as Atal Innovation Live. The 8- lane road from GOI Building to Kako Math in Dhanbad district will be named as Atal Marg.  AIIMS Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh) will be named after former PM of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.  The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi announced that the School of Management and Entrepreneurship will be renamed to Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship.

Important Days

July 2018

Date Day Extra Info 1 July National Doctors’ Day The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has declared the theme for Doctors’ Day 2018 as: ‘zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment’ 1 July GST Day On 1st July 2018, Indian Government celebrated the 1st Anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as GST day. 1 July International Joke Day 2 July World Sports Journalists Day 7 July World Chocolate Day 7 July Global Forgiveness Day 7 July International Day of Cooperatives Theme 2018: Sustainable consumption and production of goods and services 11 July World Population Day Theme 2018: Family Planning is a Human Right 12 July World Malala Day Celebrated on birthday of Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai 15 July World Youth Skills Day 17 July World Day for International Justice Theme 2018: Workers on the move: the quest for social justice 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela who was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political

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leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 26 July Kargil Vijay Diwas 19th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwa 28 July World Hepatitis Day Theme 2018: Test. Treat. Hepatitis 28 July World Nature Conservation Day 29 July International Tiger Day 30 July World Day against Trafficking in Theme 2018: Responding to the trafficking of children Persons and young people 30 July International Day of Friendship 31 July World Ranger Day

August 2018

Date Day Extra Info 01 August Earth Overshoot Day 01 August – 07 August World Breast Feeding Week 06 August Hiroshima Day, Anti-Nuclear Day 07 August National Handloom Day 09 August Quit India Day 76th Anniversary. Also called Kranti Diwas or August Kranti Diwas 09 August International Day of the World’s Theme 2018 – ‘Indigenous peoples’ migration Indigenous Peoples and movement’ 09 August Nagasaki Day 10 August World Bio Fuel Day 12 August International Youth Day Theme 2018 – ‘Safe space for Youth’ 12 August World Elephant Day 15 August India’s Independence Day 72nd Independence Day 19 August World Photography Day 19 August Humanitarian Day 20 August World Mosquito Day 21 August World Senior Citizen Day 21 August International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 23 August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition 29 August National Sports Day To mark the birthday of the hockey player Dhyan Chand 30 August Small Industry Day 30 August International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

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September 2018

Date Day Extra Info 02 September World Coconut Day Theme 2018 - Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellness 05 September National Teachers Day The birthday of the second president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 05 September International Day of Charity 08 September International Literacy Day Theme 2018- Literacy and skill development 10 September World Suicide Prevention Day Theme 2018- Working Together to Prevent Suicide 12 September United Nations Day for South- South Cooperation 14 September Hindi Day 15 September International Day of Democracy Theme 2018 - Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World 15 September Engineers Day Theme 2018 - Engineering Challenges for Knowledge Era 16 September International Day for the Theme 2018 - Keep Cool and Carry On: The Preservation of the Ozone Layer Montreal Protocol 21 September International Day of Peace Theme 2018 - The Right to Peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70 23 September International Day of Sign Theme 2018 - With Sign Language, Everyone is Languages Included ! 25 September Antyodaya Diwas In 2014, the Government of India decided to observe 25th September as Antyodaya Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. 26 September International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 26 September World Contraception Day 27 September World Tourism Day Theme 2018 - Tourism and the Digital Transformation 27 September World Maritime Day Theme 2018 - IMO 70: Our Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future 28 September World Rabies Day Theme 2018 - Rabies: Share the message. Save a life 28 September International Day for Universal Access to Information 29 September World Heart Day Theme 2018 - My Heart, Your Heart 30 September International Translation Day Theme 2018 - Translation: Promoting Cultural Heritage in Changing Times

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October 2018

Date Day Extra Info 01 October International Day of Older Persons 2018 Theme: Celebrating Older Human Rights champions 01 October International Coffee Day 2018 Theme: Women in Coffee 01 October 2018 World Habitat Day First Monday of October. 2018 Theme: Municipal Solid Waste Management 01 October 2018 World Architecture Day First Monday of every October. 2018 Theme: Architecture… for a Better World 02 October Gandhi Jayanti, International Day of Non-Violence 4th to 10th October World Space Week 2018 Theme: Space Unites The World 05 October World Teachers Day 2018 Theme: The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher 08 October 86th Indian Air Force Day 09 October World Post Day 2018 Theme: Imagine you are a letter travelling through time. What message do you wish to convey to your readers? 9th to 15th October National Postal Week Department of posts celebrated the week in Maharashtra 10 October World Mental Health Day 2018 Theme: Young people and mental health in a changing world 11 October International Day of the Girl Child 2018 Theme: With Her: A Skilled Girl Force 12 October 2018 World Sight Day Observed on second Thursday of October. 2018 Theme: Eye Care Everywhere 12 October World Arthritis Day 2018 Theme: It’s in your hands, take action 13 October 2018 World Migratory Bird Day Second Saturday of October. 2018 Theme: Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation 13 October International Day for Disaster 2018 Theme: Reducing the economic loss of Reduction disasters 14 October International Standards Day 15 October International Day of Rural Women 2018 Theme: Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls 15 October World Students’ Day 16 October World Food Day 2018 Theme: Our Actions Are Our Future. A #Zero Hunger World By 2030 Is Possible 17 October International Day for the Eradication of 2018 Theme: Accelerating global actions for a Poverty world without poverty 20 October World Osteoporosis Day 20 October World Statistics Day 24 October United Nations Day 24 October World Development Information Day

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24 October World Polio Day 2018 Theme: End Polio Now 27 October World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2018 Theme: Your Story is Moving 28 October National Ayurveda Day 28 October International Animation Day 29 October World Stroke Day 29 October International Internet Day 29th Oct to 3rd Nov Vigilance Awareness Week 2018 Theme: Eradicate Corruption – Build A New India 31 October World Cities Day 2018 Theme: Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities 31 October World Savings Day 31 October Rashtriya Ekta Diwas(National Unity Day)

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