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S.NO TOPICS PAGE NO

1. BANKING & BUSINESS 1

2. RANKING & INDEXES TAKEN BY VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS 27

3. NATIONAL NEWS 39

4. NATIONAL SUMMITS 76

5. STATES IN NEWS 88

6. INTERNATIONAL NEWS 115

7. LIST OF AGREEMENTS / MOU’S SIGNED BY 130

INDIA WITH VARIOUS COUNTRIES

8. INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS 137

9. APPOINTMENTS IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL 146

10. AWARDS & HONOURS 163

R.A.C.E 11. LIST OF VARIOUS COMMITTEES AND ITS HEAD 189

12. LOAN SANCTIONED BY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BANK 195

(APRIL – NOVEMBER 2018)

13. MILITARY, AIR, NAVY EXERCISES CONDUCTED BY 198

VARIOUS COUNTRIES

14. SPORTS NEWS 200

15. BOOKS AND AUTHORS 243

16. IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE DAYS 246

17. OBITUARY 253

18. EMPLOYEES' STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION (ESIC) 257

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BANKING & BUSINESS

RBI IN NEWS:

 Reserve Bank of India launched a Survey on India’s startup sector (SISS) to create a profile of the startup sector in India consisting of dimensions relating to turnover, profitability and workforce.

 According to a Reserve Bank of India data, total credit growth from banks to the commercial sector grew at 15. 6 per cent to Rs 97. 32 lakh crore from previous Rs 84. 22 lakh crore in the fortnight ended November 9, 2018, the highest growth since demonetization of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes in 2016, as per Reserve Bank of India data.

 The Reserve Bank of India has permitted banks to grant partial credit enhancement (PCE) to bonds issued by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies, listed with the

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Housing Bank respectively. The bonds by the NBFCs shall

R.A.C.E have maturities not less than 3 years.

 Reserve Bank of India gave licence to the Kirloskar group to launch a Non-Banking Finance

Company (NBFC) named Kirloskar Capital. It will be headed by industry veteran Vimal

Bhandari as CEO.

 RBI decided to set up an expert committee to examine the central bank’s Economic Capital

Framework (ECF) to enable transfer of reserve worth Rs 3. 6 lakh crore to Government of India.

 The Reserve Bank has initiated steps to set up a wide-based Digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture details of all borrowers, including wilful defaulters and also the pending legal suits in order to check financial delinquencies. For developing the registry the RBI has invited expression of interest (EOI) from companies with a turnover of over Rs 100 crore in the last three years.

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 Enforcement Directorate (ED) flagged the RBI about the activities of a Karnataka-based firm charging it with running a ponzi scheme “in the name of Islamic banking or halal investment”. It collected Rs 950 crore funds from gullible investors till now.

 Reserve Bank of India cancelled the certificate of registrations of as many as 31 Non-Banking

Finance Companies (NBFCs) for unspecified reasons.

 The Reserve Bank has liberalised the norms governing foreign borrowings for infrastructure creation “in consultation with the Government. Reduction in minimum tenor for borrowing through the

ECB route, from 5 years to 3 years. The average maturity requirement for mandatory hedging has been reduced to 5 years from earlier 10 years.

 Reserve Bank of India announced its plan to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March 2019.

 The Reserve Bank has announced that it will inject Rs 12, 000 crore into the system through

purchase of government securities on NovemberR.A.C.E 15. In the announcement it stated that RBI would purchase government dated securities maturing in 2021, 2022, 2024, 2027 and 2033 bearing various interest rates. The Stocks were issued for a minimum amount of Rs. 10, 000/- (nominal) and in multiples of Rs. 10, 000/- thereafter.

 The RBI board has decided to set up a high-powered committee to examine issues related to surplus capital of Rs 9. 69 lakh crore with the central bank and advised it to consider a scheme for restructuring stressed assets in the MSME sector.

 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with the government of India, reduced the mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from 100 per cent. To ease the External Commercial Borrowing

(ECB) norms.

 Reserve Bank of India imposed a fine amounting to Rs. 6. 1 crores fine on two lenders Deutsche

Bank (Rs. 30. 10 million) and Jammu and Kashmir Bank (Rs. 30 million) for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on IRAC norms and KYC/AML norms.

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 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gave its nod to start that Kerala Bank, a venture proposed by the Kerala government. It will be Kerala Cooperative Bank, but will be referred to as Kerala Bank.

It will have a net deposit amount of Rs 650 billion. The unification will be completed by March 2019.

 Kreditech has been licensed by the RBI to operate as an NBFC with the first-of-its-kind licence in the Indian financial history for digital lending business and app-based financing.

 Reserve Bank announced injection of liquidity worth Rs 12, 000 crore into the system through purchase of government bonds on October 11 under Open Market Operations. The government will purchase bonds with maturity ranging between from 2020 to 2030.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed state-owned oil companies to borrow long term working capital from overseas. RBI relaxed the policy on borrowing up to 10 billion US dollar from the overseas by the state owned fuel retailers.

 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) increased lenders’ single borrower exposure limit for Non-Banking

R.A.C.E Financial Companies (NBFCs) which do not finance infrastructure, from 10% to 15% of capital funds, until 31st December 2018.

 RBI laid down norms for the efficient functioning of Central Counterparties (CCPs). An applicant seeking authorisation/recognition as a CCP should have a minimum networth of Rs 300 crore at the time of submitting its application.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed banks to lend more to non-banking finance companies (NBFC), by increasing the single borrower exposure limit from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

The increase has been limited up to December 31, 2018, and has excluded NBFCs that lend to the infrastructure sector.

 The Overseeing Committee (OC) that is formed up under the inter-creditor agreement (ICA) for resolution of stressed assets will have 6 members. The members of OC include: Janki Ballabh (former

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Chairman, State Bank of India), MBN Rao (former Chairman & Managing Director, Canara Bank), M

Damodaran (former Chairman, SEBI) and HR Khan (former Deputy Governor, RBI).

 RBI issued norms for operating Electronic Trading Platforms to enable transactions in eligible instruments. The directions are thus called: ‘The Electronic Trading Platforms (Reserve Bank)

Directions, 2018’. These come into force with effect from October 05, 2018.

 RBI in consultation with the government and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), proposed a flexible Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) for FPIs to invest in debt markets. Under this, a foreign portfolio investor will be required to invest a minimum of 67% of the committed portfolio size

(CPS) within the one-month period.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lifted its ban on adding new customers for Fino Payments

Bank. The ban had been placed by the RBI in May because of non-compliance of operational guidelines, particularly certain accounts having deposits in excess of the allowed amount.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on releasedR.A.C.E guidelines to facilitate payments among different mobile wallets using UPI, a move aimed at promoting digital transactions.

 The Reserve Bank of India will inject Rs 40, 000 crore in the banking system next month, a move that will help ease cash shortage in the system and stabilise debt market rates.

 Reserve Bank of India announced injection of Rs. 36, 000 crore into the system through purchase of government bonds. To meet the festival season demand for funds. It would take place in the second, third and fourth week of October.

 The RBI has cancelled the license of Rajasthan-based Bhilwara Mahila City Co-operative

Financial institution because it doesn’t have enough capital and incomes prospects.

 The Internal Ombudsman (IO) acts as an independent authority to review complaints that were partially or wholly rejected by the respective banks. RBI has reviewed the arrangement and issued revised directions under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 in the form of ‘Internal

Ombudsman Scheme, 2018’.

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 The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with the previous sanction of the Centre has notified the amendments to the Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009. These changes have been made effective from September 6, 2018.

 It changed the sub-rule 1 and 2 of rule 8 of Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009.

 The leading online payment service provider PayU has received RBI’s approval (subject to certain pending RBI compliance) to operate as NBFC. This will help the Naspers-backed PayU promote inclusive growth in the country by catering to the diverse financial needs of various segments of the society.

 The Reserve Bank of India has announced that banks can avail of higher liquidity with effect from

October 1. Banks could ‘carve out’ up to 15 percent of holdings under the statutory liquidity reserves to meet their liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) requirements as compared to 13 percent now.

 The Reserve Bank have shortlisted five IT firms including Infosys, Capgemini, IBM, Larsen &

Turbo Infotech and TCS for implementation of a centralised information and management system

R.A.C.E (CIMS) for seamless data collection and validations.

 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought 8. 46 tonne of gold in financial year 2017-18. This is the first purchase in almost nine years.

 RBI slaps Rs 5 crore penalty on Karur Vysya Bank. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of its directives.

 RBI has announced that 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) deposit.

 Reserve Bank of India said they can avail of higher liquidity with effect from October 1 as it has enhanced the "Facility to Avail Liquidity for Liquidity Coverage Ratio (FALLCR) " from the existing

11 per cent to 13 per cent of their deposits. This move will take the total carve-out from SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) available to banks to 15 per cent of their deposits.

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 The Kerala-based Federal Bank was fined Rs 5 crore by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for not following procedures on reporting of data on large corporate loans, assessment of risk-based supervision (RBS) by RBI, know-your-customer norms and delay in compensation to customer complaints.

 Private-lender Bandhan Bank said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has withdrawn its general permission to open new branches and frozen the remuneration of the lender's MD and CEO Chandra

Shekhar Ghosh till further notice as it failed to comply with a licensing condition.

 Indian Overseas Bank has got RBI’s approval for call option on bonds totaling Rs. 655 crore.

Fourth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2018-19 Resolution of the Monetary Policy

Committee (MPC) Reserve Bank of India:

 On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation at its meeting today, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to: Keep the policy repo rate under the Liquidity

Adjustment Facility (LAF) unchanged at 6. 5 per cent.

 Reserve Bank also retained GDP growth estimateR.A.C.E at 7. 4 per cent for the current financial year, adding that it is likely to go up to 7. 6 per cent in FY20.

 The government has mandated the Reserve Bank to keep inflation at 4 percent (+/- 2 percent).

 The MPC has changed the stance from 'neutral' to 'calibrated tightening'.

Rates Current Previous

Policy Repo Rate 6. 50% 6. 50%

Reverse Repo Rate 6. 25% 6. 25%

Marginal Standing Facility 6. 75% 6. 75%

Rate (MSLR)

Bank Rate 6. 75% 6. 75%

CRR 4% 4%

SLR 19. 5% 19. 5%

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OTHER IMPORTANT BANKING & BUSINESS NEWS

 The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has acquired IDFC Infrastructure

Finance (IDFC-IFL), an infrastructure debt fund. This acquisition is the first investment from NIIF’s strategic fund. IDFs are investment vehicles for channelling investment into India's infrastructure sector.

 According to the ‘SBI Ecowrap’ report released by the State Bank of India, the GDP growth in the September quarter (which is the 2nd quarter) is expected to decelerate to 7. 5-7. 6 per cent over the previous three-month period.

 According to a notification to the National Stock Exchange, Allahabad bank has informed that Rs.

3, 054 crore was infused by centre as an investment during the current financial year 2018-19.

 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has acquired design company W12 Studios for an undisclosed sum. W12 was started in 2012 and is one of the world’s iconic design companies. It has multi-disciplinary

R.A.C.E capabilities and has won a number of awards.

 Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) cut listing time for an IPO to 3 days from 6 at present. This will be done in a phased manner with the 1st phase starting from January 1, 2019. After 3 months from April 1, 2019, in the 2nd phase the physical submission mechanism of bid forms would be discontinued.

 India has signed a $950 million contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates. A government-to-government contract was signed between India and United

Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia.

 The 4, 000-ton Krivak III vessels will also accommodate two multirole helicopters and will be used for anti-submarine and airborne early warning missions.

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 India has already built seven basic versions of Krivak-class stealth frigates under the Navy’s

Project 17A scheme at state-owned shipyards Mazagon Dock Limited, and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.

 HSBC India and ING Bank Brussels have successfully executed a blockchain- enabled Letter of

Credit (LC) transaction between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Tricon Energy. This is an industry- first, as the blockchain platform integrates with Bolero’s electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) platform to issue and manage an eBL.

 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, have devised ‘Decision Support

System’ (DSS), a computer programme that will help maximise LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) connections in BPL (Below Poverty Line) households in the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’.

 ICICI Bank announced partnership with ‘Amazon Pay’ to launch a co-branded credit card, ‘Amazon

Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card’.

 BlackBerry will wholly acquire Cylance, an artifiR.A.C.E cial intelligence and cybersecurity company for $1. 4 billion. The deal is expected to close before the end of Blackberry’s current fiscal year in February 2019.

 Finnish mobile telecom network maker Nokia and Indian IT services firm Infosys have formed an alliance to develop solutions powered by new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine

Learning (ML).

 Housing finance firm HDFC disbursed over Rs 1, 100 crore subsidy to over 51, 000 customers under the government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). It had provided loans of over Rs 9, 800 crore under PMAY-Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).

 SBICAP Ventures (SVL), an alternative asset manager and a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Capital

Markets, launched two funds Rs 4 billion for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Rs 3. 5 billion for affordable housing sectors.

 Myntra and Jabong, the fashion retail portals of the country’s top ecommerce firm Flipkart, will soon integrate all their functions, and Myntra chief executive Ananth Narayanan will continue to lead the

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team. Myntra and Jabong have laid off close to 150 employees as part of their integration in the first such consequence of the restructuring.

 Karnataka Bank has launched CASA campaign of FY 2018-19 & introduced a new SB scheme

“KBL SB – TASC” a specialized product for Trusts/Associates/Societies/Clubs. Under this nationwide campaign starting from 15th Nov 2018 to 28th Feb 2019, Bank intends to open more than 4. 18 lakhs

Current & Savings accounts by active involvement of its 8000 + work force in all the 823 branches across

India.

 Myntra revealed plans to integrate its sister firm, Jabong with itself. The integrated firm will continue to be led by Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan.

 IndusInd Bank has announced the launch of IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card, which empowers customers with a choice of payment options such as EMI, Reward Points or Credit at the push of a button, on the card, at the point of sale (POS). The bank claims it to be the nation’s first interactive credit

R.A.C.E card with buttons.

 Paytm (One97 Communications Limited) and arch rival Mobikwik, have simultaneously announced entry into online insurance payments and purchase of digital insurance on their platforms, respectively. Paytm has partnered with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to offer online insurance premium payments on its platform.

 Paytm partnered with two government departments The Directorate of Electronic Delivery of Citizen

Services (EDCS) andDPAR (Department of Personnel and Administrative Service) in Karnataka for seamless payment experience.

 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has come out with new rules for re- classification of a promoter as a public investor, wherein an outgoing promoter will have to relinquish special rights as well as control over the affairs of the listed firm and not be allowed to hold over

10% stake.

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 Policybazaar. com partnered with Accrivis Network Pvt. Ltd. , a data integration platform provider, to implement blockchain solutions for secure purchase of insurance.

 Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released the amended Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure

Requirements) (Sixth Amendment) Regulations, 2018 with new rules for re-classification of a promoter as a public investor.

 i. This was suggested by the 24-member Kotak panel on corporate governance led by Uday Kotak.

 Chola MS General Insurance and IndusInd Bank Ltd renewed their corporate agency arrangement for a period of five years. This is a part of a decade-long partnership has garnered around Rs 37 billion and serviced close to half a million customers during 2017-18.

 The World bank signed a Sh327m ($3. 8 million) deal with International Centre of Insect

Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) which will be used to fund training in Science and Innovation in Sub-

Saharan Africa. R.A.C.E

 Government of India and the Asian Development Bank signed a $75 million loan in New

Delhi to fund projects under Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment

Program.

 Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services

Limited introduced a new personal loan scheme for salaried individuals. By this offer, it became the first small finance bank to introduce this type of facility. Personal loans starting from Rs 50, 000up toRs

15 lakhs will be offered to salaried professionals who are earning a monthly salary above Rs 15, 000. To pay EMI, a flexible time frame of 12 to 60 months will be provided by the bank.

 HDFC ERGO General Insurance set up a remote sensing lab for crop insurance. This will help in early detection of information and will be used to alert the farmers.

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 Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed foreign entities named Eligible Foreign Entities (EFEs) to participate in the commodity derivatives segment of stock exchanges in the Indian market.

 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. Warburg Pincus-backed Capital First and IDFC Bank, with this merger in an all-stock deal, would create a Rs 88, 000-crore combined entity.

 Norwest Venture Partners has invested $30 million (Rs 200 crore) in Veritas Finance to acquire about 15% stake.

 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, has become the world’s largest pure-play information technology (IT) and consulting firm servicing mega banks and insurers.

 NSE Indices launched 2 dynamic asset allocation indices designed to combine equity and debt. These

R.A.C.E indices are Nifty 50 & short duration debt –Dynamic P/E index and Nifty 50 & short duration debt –

Dynamic P/B index. In these indices, the maximum allocation to equity is 80 per cent and minimum allocation is 65 per cent.

 National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) got regulatory approval from SEBI to launch copper large futures contract. The copper large futures contract will have a trading unit of 25 tonne at par with international commodity markets.

 Finance ministry announced the issuance of the 6th tranche of electoral bonds that will take place from November 1-10, 2018. State Bank of India (SBI), has been authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds through its 29 authorised branches.

 To bring successful changes in sanitation by 2030, World Health Organization (WHO) launched its first Global Guidelines on Sanitation and Health.

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 CRISIL upgraded AU Small Finance Bank’s Long Term Debt Instruments Rating to CRISIL AA– with Stable Outlook from previous CRISIL A+.

 First Abu Dhabi Bank and Sound-based payment services provider ToneTag announced their tie up for implementing sound based contactless payments. This will allow the customers to pay using sound through the PayIt app and make cardless and cashless payments through their mobile phones.

 Public sector Syndicate Bank announced capital infusion of Rs 728 crore from the government in lieu of preferential allotment of shares. Bank had received the amount and kept it in Syndicate Bank

Share Application Money Account.

 International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a growth rate of 7. 3 per cent for India in the current year of 2018 and 7. 4 per cent in 2019. In 2017-18, India had recorded a 6. 7 per cent growth rate. This was published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Report.

 SBI General Insurance announced that Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh is among the top 5 contributors

to the insurance sector in terms of Gross Direct PremiumR.A.C.E Income (GDPI).

 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. According to the joint venture (JV), Hitachi will pick up 26 per cent stake in SBI

Payment Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBI.

 Government launched the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme FY19. The tenor of the bond will be for a period of eight years with exit option in the fifth, sixth and seventh year. Payment for the bonds will be allowed through cash payment upto a maximum of Rs. 20, 000

 National Housing Bank announced increase of the Refinance limit to Rs. 30, 000 crore from the previous Rs. 24, 000. The initial sanctioned limit was set to Rs. 24, 000 crore for the current year (July

2018-June 2019) to refinance and credit Housing Finance Companies & other Institutions.

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 International Finance Corporation, the financial arm of World Bank, approved to a green loan of Rs. 1000 crore to Aditya Birla Finance for a period of 7 years. With the assistance of IFC, the ABFL plans to work on IFCs India Country Strategy for FY17-21.

 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) an investment of Rs 660 crore in HDFC’s real estate investment platform HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate – 2 (H-CARE 2). It enables the investors to participate in the attractive mid-income and affordable housing sectors in India.

 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nokia Solutions and Networks India Pvt Ltd to leverage Industry 4. 0 for manufacturing excellence at Nokia’s factory in

Oragadam, about 60 km south-west of Chennai.

 OYO announced its partnership with payments platform PhonePe. With this tie up, OYO users can easily book a room through the PhonePe app.

 RailRestro in partnership with Yescom Global Kart Pvt Ltd, launched their very own food delivery

R.A.C.E fleet brand named Railivery.

 Ewire Softtech Private Limited announced that it has acquired Cashier Prepaid Cards, a financial technology services company based in Bangalore.

 The Public sector bank (PSB), Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has announced the closure of51 branches across the country as part of cost-cutting measures being implemented in the banking industry.

 The nation’s largest bank, State Bank of India has launched its wealth business. Services by opening “SBI Wealth Hub” at the Lalbagh branch. The wealth hub was inaugurated by SBI Chairman

Rajnish Kumar.

 Amazon is overtaken by Microsoft as world's second most-valuable company after shares plunge 10 per cent. Apple remains the top with a 2018 market value of 926. 9 billion U. S. dollars.

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 HDFC bank announced the launch of instant vehicle insurance renewal. The renewal can be done through the help of payment options such as SMS, Mobile Banking app, NetBanking, ATM, and

PayZapp.

 India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) and payments solution provider Hitachi Payment

Services India has entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for establishing a card acceptance and digital payment platform.

 Former India captain Anil Kumble’s technology start-up Spektacom Technologies launched the “Power Bat”. It has been powered by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud platform and its Artificial

Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) services. Star India is the broadcasting partner.

 State Bank of India signed a 3 year MOU with Kathmandu-based National Banking Institute

(NBI) for development of human resources.

 SBI halved the withdrawal limit from Rs. 40, 000 to Rs. 20, 000 per day. This was targeted for

debit cards of the ‘Classic’ and ‘Maestro’ platformsR.A.C.E to reduce the number of fraudulent transactions and promote cashless transactions. It would be effective form October 31, 2018.

 State Bank of Mauritius’ India operations was hit by cyber fraud. The total loss incurred in the process amounts to USD 14 million.

 MobiKwik launched an instant loan approval and disbursal product called ‘Boost’. As per the offer, loans of upto Rs 60, 000 can be sanctioned as well as disbursed in a matter of 90 seconds.

 ii. The approval time for the loan would be 30 seconds based on an innovative risk scoring model called ‘Mobiscore’. The minimum amount of loans that can be approved is for Rs. 5000.

 Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of Star Health and Allied

Insurance Company by Safecrop Holdings.

 National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has signed a MoU with the Dubai Internet City (DIC) to help small and medium-sized Indian enterprises expand their operations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

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 IBM Corp had agreed to acquire U. S. software company Red Hat Inc for$34 billion, including debt, as it seeks to diversify its technology hardware and consulting business into higher-margin products and services.

 Paytm has launched a QR-based smartphone payment settlement service in Japan in collaboration with SoftBank and Yahoo Japan Corporation. It allows users to store money from a bank account in their “PayPay” wallet and make payments with it.

 Bharti Airtel has acquired technology of artificial intelligence (AI) service provider AuthMe ID

Services. Airtel has also acquired the intellectual proprietary rights for two flagship solutions developed by

AuthMe.

 Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm has 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. It also launched its Spam-proof “SMS Inbox” as

R.A.C.E part of its “Paytm Inbox”.

 The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has launched a national level entrepreneurship awareness campaign “Udyam Abhilasha”, in 115 aspirational districts identified by

NITI Aayog in 28 States and reaching to around 15, 000 youth. .

 PayPal, a global technology platform and digital payments leader, has announced the launch of its first merchant-focused App in India, PayPal for Business. PayPal has 17 million merchant accounts globally.

 Reliance Health Insurance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital has received R3 approval from IRDAI for its new health insurance business. The new company will commence operations by the December quarter of 2018.

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 The World Bank’s lending arm IFC, has launched its $1 billion masala bond programme in the US and Europe. According to the IFC, the first tranche of $100 million under the programme opened on the

London Stock Exchange.

 International Finance Corporation (IFC) the finance arm of World Bank approved investment of $

100 million in India Resurgence Fund (IRF). India Resurgence Fund (IRF) is a joint venture of Parimal Enterprise Limited and Bain Capital.

 Life insurer PNB Metlife has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI) -powered customer service app ‘Khushi’. It has been designed by PNB Metlife’s innovation centre- Lumer Lab in Singapore.

 Insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved micro-insurance disbursal through point-of-sales (PoS). A micro-insurance policy is a general or life insurance policy with a sum assured of Rs 50, 000 or less.

 Philips has selected 19 start-up companies for its first global start-up collaboration programme

named ‘AI in Healthcare for Radiology, UltrasoundR.A.C.E and Oncology’.

 Flipkart has secured a corporate agency licence from the Insurance Regulatory and

Development Authority (IRDAI) and has partnered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to provide insurance to customers buying smartphones from its platform.

 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecasted a growth rate of 7. 3 percent for India in the current year of 2018 and that of 7. 4 percent in 2019. In 2017, India had clocked a 6. 7 percent growth rate.

 BSE became the first stock exchange in the country to launch the commodity derivative contracts in gold and silver. Till date only 2 commodity contracts are available – on MCX and NCDEX.

 Mahindra Mutual Fund, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services

Limited (MMFSL), launched new open ended equity scheme called ‘Mahindra Rural Bharat and

Consumption Yojana’. The New Fund Offer will open on October 19 and close on November 2.

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 Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board’s decision to issue ‘masala bonds’ worth Rs 5,

000 crore was announced to fund infrastructure projects in the state.

 The Reserve Bank of India has tightened the banking ombudsman scheme with the objective to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for customers. All Scheduled Commercial Banks in India having more than ten banking outlets (excluding Regional Rural Banks), are required to appoint IO in their banks.

 Goods and Services Tax Network announced that 22. 48 crore e-way bills have been generated across India since its inception in April 2018. July 31 accounted for the highest 21. 77 lakh e-way bills generated in a single day.

 India is approaching towards USD 100 billion FD Iinflow per annum by 2022 as volumes of foreign direct investment are increasing year after year, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Vice President D K Aggarwal said.

R.A.C.E  The ITI Ltd has partnered with 58 start-ups and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) covering the manufacturing of a wide range of ICT and IoT-based solutions. They include civil and military advanced radar systems, advanced edge router systems, next generation 5G technology products etc. ,

 SBI inaugurated its e-facilitation and e-corner facility for Indian army veterans at the Army

Complex near Fort William in Kolkata.

 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.

 Maryland-based Lockheed Martin announced that the wings of F-16 Block 70 fighter jets will be produced in India as a part of ‘Make in India‘initiative.

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 BSE, PTC India Ltd and ICICI Bank have come together to form India’s third electricity exchange. It also provides a payment security mechanism to buyers and sellers. India has two operating power exchanges—Power Exchange of India (PXIL) and India Energy Exchange (IEX).

 The Paytm Money Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of One97 Communications Ltd targets to sell mutual fund to around 25 million people in the next three to five years. The company launched its app

“Paytm Money app” for mutual fund investments. The company is providing Systematic

Investment Plans (SIPs) for as low as Rs 100 in some of the schemes.

 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.

 The 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. The Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India has recommended the auctionR.A.C.E of about 8, 644 MHz of telecom frequencies at an estimated base price of Rs. 4. 9 lakh crore.

 State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) inked partnership with Unlimit, the only end- to-end IoT service provider in India for Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

 Internet Society (ISOC) partnered with Internet Service Providers Association of India

(ISPAI) to promote and secure internet infrastructure.

 Canara bank opened a portal to claim education loan interest subsidy for the financial year 2017-18.

The Portal will be opened till September 28, 2018. This is under the Central Sector Interest Subsidy

(CSIS) scheme implemented by the Union Ministry of HRD which was started in 2009.

 The Amazon. com became the second U. S. Company to reach $1 trillion in stock market value, just weeks after Apple hit the same milestone on August 2. Shares in the world’s largest online retailer last traded up 1. 4% at $2, 041. 68. Its shares hit the $2050. 2677 level to give its stock a value of $1 trillion.

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 Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has announced the guidelines for ‘Sandbox’ method to enable testing of new innovative insurance products.

 This was announced at the 11th Global Insurance Summit, organized by ASSOCHAM in Mumbai.

 Asia Index Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE Ltd, has announced the launch of an index designed to measure the performance of private banks. The S&P BSE

Private Banks Index is drawn from the constituents of the S&P BSE Finance Index.

 The US tech giant Google has announced that it is employing a new artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to combat online spreading of contents involving child sexual abuse. The AI technology uses deep neural networks for image processing to help discover and detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

 Airtel Payment Bank’s savings account holders will now be able to withdraw cash from ATMs with their mobile phones instead of using debit or credit cards. For this Airtel has partnered with Empays to

R.A.C.E enable Instant Money Transfer for account holders to withdraw cash from over 20, 000 IMT enabled ATMs in India. The first two self-withdrawal transactions will be free, a transaction fee of Rs. 25 will be charged after that.

 The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has announced that Singapore-based

Temasek has agreed to invest up to USD 400 million (around Rs 2, 750 crore), which may include future potential co-investments with NIIF.

 Samsung has opened world’s largest mobile experience centre at Opera House, Bengaluru.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to ensure speedy financial inclusion for people across the country with the leverage of a vast network of the postal department. With a capital of Rs 14. 35 billion at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.

 The India Post Payments Bank has tied up with Financial Software and Systems (FSS), a leading payments technology and transaction processing systems. It aims to offer a wide range of banking

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 The Cabinet has approved an agreement on collaborative research on distributed ledger and block chain in context of development of digital economy by Exim Bank with the participating member banks under BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism.

 The Corporation Bank has signed an Information Utility (IU) agreement with National e-

Governance Services Ltd (NeSL), the first IU registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), to share financial and security information under IBBI (IU) Regulation 2017.

 The US multinational Fitch Ratings raised India's GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.

8 percent, up from their earlier estimate of 7. 4 percent. Fitch also lowered India's GDP growth forecasts for the fiscals 2019-20 and 2020-21 by 0. 2 percentage points to 7. 3 percent.

 Government has doubled the monetary limit from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh for filing loan recovery

application in the Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRT) byR.A.C.E banks and financial institutions.

 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. With IRDAI Chief General Manager

Randip Singh Jagpal as the chairperson, the committee would identify key regulatory issues and gaps pertaining to fin-tech in insurance.

 The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has raised the minimum insurance cover for owner-driver to Rs 15 lakh from Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for a premium of Rs 750 per annum for motorised two-wheelers and private cars/commercial vehicles under capital sum insured (CSI).

 The Online pharmacy Netmeds. com has acquired telemedicine portal JustDoc. com in a cash and stock transaction. The company has not disclosed the deal size.

 The Centre has proposed the amalgamation of state-owned Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and

Vijaya Bank to create India’s third largest bank as parts of reforms in the public sector banking

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segmentbehind the State Bank of India and ICICI Bank. And to create the country's second-largest

PSU lender by assets and branches.

 Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) relaxed Aadhaar enrolment targets for banks and extended the deadline to November 1, 2018. Minimum enrolment or updation has been raised to 12 from January 1, 2019 and 16 from April 1, 2019.

 Infosys, the country's second largest IT services firm, acquired Finland-based Fluido in a deal worth up to 65 million euros (over Rs 545 crore). Fluido is one of the largest consulting partners of cloud computing firm Salesforce. It is majority-owned by its management team and CapMan private equity, with Salesforce Ventures having a minority stake.

 Infosys has signed a 3-year partnership with the Australian Open as its official digital innovation partner.

 Food-delivery firm UberEats has partnered with general insurance provider Tata AIG to offer

R.A.C.E comprehensive insurance covers for its delivery executives in India.

 Time magazine is being sold by Meredith Corp. to Marc Benioff, a co-founder of Salesforce. Time magazine is sold for $190 million in cash to Mr. Benioff, one of four co-founders of Salesforce, a cloud computing pioneer.

 Federal Bank, which is in the process of formation of a wholly owned subsidiary company, has executed MOU with Infopark Kakkanad for leasing space in their campus.

 The newly-launched India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has tied up with Bajaj Allianz Life

Insurance to sell the insurance products through IPPB network. IPPB customers will get access to all the insurance products and services offered by Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.

 The Small saving schemes such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings

Certificates and Post Office Deposit Scheme will fetch more in the three months period starting

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October 1. The Government has raised interest rate on these schemes between 30 and 40 basis points

(100 bps is 1 percent).

 The hotel chain OYO had raised a total of $800 million in the latest financing round led by

SoftBank Investment Advisers (SBIA) through SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia and Greenoaks Capital.

 The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched a portal to enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to get in-principle approval of loans within an hour without the need for a branch visit. The web portal, www. psbloansin59minutes. com, will enable in-principle nod for loans up to Rs

10 million within 59 minutes for MSMEs.

 ICICI Prudential Life, one of the largest private sector life insurance Company in India, and

Saraswat Co-operative Bank (Saraswat Bank), a century old and India's largest urban co-operative bank, have come together to offer life insurance products ranging from protection to wealth creation.

 ICICI Bank, has announced its partnership withR.A.C.E MakeMyTrip, the country’s leading online travel company, to launch a range of co-branded credit cards- MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Platinum Credit Card and

MakeMyTrip ICICI Bank Signature Credit Card.

 The board of Punjab National Bank (PNB) has approved proposal to seek Rs 5, 431 crore capital support from the government

 India raised import duty on a 19 range of items including air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, footwear, jewellery, furniture fittings and tableware besides imposing it on Aviation Turbine

Fuel (ATF) as the government seeks to rein in the current account deficit and shore up the rupee.

 The homegrown player Flipkart has acquired an Israel-based analytics company Upstream

Commerce in a bid to deliver real-time pricing and product analytics to their sellers.

 Yes Bank, India’s fourth largest private sector bank announced its partnership with

RupeeBoss. com, an online financial services company for the integration of YES mPower BOT, the

Bank’s chat bot based platform.

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 The Facebook will invest more than $1 billion to build its first data centre in Asia in Singapore and it is planned to open in 2022. Facebook’s facility will be located in the west of the island.

 The Index industrial production (IIP) of India grew at 6. 6 percent in July on the back of good performance by the manufacturing sector and higher offtake of capital goods and consumer durables.

 India’s leading stock exchanges Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of

India have received approval from capital market regulator SEBI to launch commodity derivatives segment.

 The Board of Directors of Vodafone Idea Limited, India's largest telecom operator approved merger of the Vodafone Idea Limited with the Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (ABTL), the parent company of Idea Cellular.

 Yes Bank has paid Rs. 38 crore in fines to the GST department for alleged violations in domestic remittances.

R.A.C.E  NSE and London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has signed a pact on a dual listing route for masala bonds as well as foreign currency bonds of Indian issuers. They would also launch ELITE LSEG’s business support and capital raising initiative for small and medium enterprises in India in 2019.

 Alibaba shared its consent on Central Government’s mandate of data localisation for e-commerce companies in India.

 BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange) have received approval from SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) to launch commodity derivatives segment from

1st October 2018.

 HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has announced the launch of ‘E@Secure’, a Cyber

Insurance Policy for individuals. It also covers the expenses for counseling sessions with a psychologist due to traumatic stress caused by cyber-bullying or harassment. The sum assured for the cover is between Rs. 50, 000 to Rs. 1 crore.

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 General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re), a Government-owned reinsurance company, has secured 10th position among the top 40 global reinsurers, as per a recent ranking published by Standard and Poor’s.

 Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched its first Trade Finance Scorecard, a new tool to address market and boost trade finance. And also to prevent money-laundering and terrorism.

 Rating agency ICRA downgraded loan and debentures of infrastructure financing firm Infrastructure

Leasing & Financial Services to ‘default risk’.

 Apollo Global Management, alternative asset managers, has acquired JP Morgan’s real estate fund management platform in India.

 Life Insurance Corporation of India signed an agreement with Central Depository Services (India) to provide group insurance coverage to all eligible demat account holders. The facility will be available to demat account holders between the age of 18 years and 59 years. It will provide a cover of Rs. 1 lakh to

Rs. 5 lakh for any single individual at a very nominal R.A.C.Eprice.

 The government has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes, including NSC and PPF, unchanged for the Oct – Dec quarter.

Schemes Interest Rate for the Oct – Dec Quarter

2018

Public Provident Fund (PPF) 8. 0 per cent

National Savings Certificate (NSC) 8. 0 per cent

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) [maturity in 11 months] 7. 7 per cent (will mature in 112 months)

Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme (SSS) 8. 5 per cent

Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS) 8. 7 per cent

Term deposits of 1-5 years 6. 9-7. 8 per cent

Five-Year Recurring Deposit 7. 3 per cent

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RANKING & INDEXES TAKEN BY VARIOUS ORGANISATIONS

 India leapfrogged to the 77th rank in the World Bank's latest Ease of Doing Business rankings, jumping 23 notches from last year. In the World Bank Group’s annual ease of doing business rankings, the top 10 economies are New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark, which retain their first, second and third spots, respectively, for a second consecutive year.

 According to an annual report named- “Global Wage Report 2018/19: What Lies behind Gender pay gaps”, released by International Labour Organisation (ILO). India has recorded the highest average real wage growth in South Asia during 2008-17.

 According to the 2017-18 annual report of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Non-Banking

Financial Company (NBFC) sanctioned Mudra loans under PMMY, grew faster than banks in FY 2018.

Among this, AU Small Finance Bank was the top lender among Small Finance Banks (SFBs) and the State Bank of India (SBI) was the top lender among state-run banks followed by Canara

R.A.C.E Bank and Punjab National Bank. In the financial year 2017-18, overall loans worth Rs 2. 54 lakh crore were classified as Mudra loans. For 2018-19, a target of Rs 3 lakh crore has been set.

 According to a report by research firm Canalys, India overtook US as the 2nd largest smartphone market after China. \Asian Development Bank released its 2018 Flagship Statistical Report for

Asia and the Pacific. This year’s report is focusing on: Technological Innovation for Agricultural

Statistics. The GDP has increased from 30. 1%in 2000 to 42. 6% in 2017 (at 2011 purchasing power parity)

 India has slipped two places to rank 53rd Position in Global Annual talent ranking released by renowned IMD Business School, Switzerland. Switzerland retained the top Position for the fifth consecutive year.

 Fitch ratings affirmed IDBI Bank’s long-term issuer default rating (IDR) at ‘BB+’ and its viability rating (VR) at ‘ccc’.

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 Credit Rating Agency Fitch affirmed India’s “Long term Foreign-currency Issuer Default Rating

(IDR) ” at ‘BBB‘with a stable outlook.

 According to report by International Energy Agency (IEA) titled World Energy Outlook 2018, natural gas is expected to overtake coal as the world’s second largest energy source after oil by 2030.

 Unemployment rate in India has increased to 6. 9% in October 2018, the highest in 2 years, as per a study by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

 UK India Business Council released its report named: ‘Beyond the Top 200-Effective

International Collaboration for Indian Higher Education’. By 2030 India will have the largest number of people in the world of college-going age – a staggering 140 million.

 Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) released its Economic Outlook

2018 report and said growth in India will hold up relatively well, and predicted GDP at market prices to decline marginally to 7. 3% in 2019 and 7. 4% in 2020 from 7. 5% in 2018.

 Moody’s Investor Service in its report titled ‘GlobalR.A.C.E Macro Outlook 2019-20′ stated that Indian economy will slow down to 7. 3% in 2019. Indian economy will expand 7. 4 per cent in 2018, but the growth will slow down to 7. 3 per cent in the next fiscal.

 According to the report by the International Energy Agency titled ‘World Energy Outlook’, India would surpass US as the 2nd biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector in the world after China.

 Singapore has maintained its rank as number one Asian city in the Sustainability Index by engineering firm Arcadis.

 Biennial Living Planet Report 2018 was released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

South and Central America is the worst affected region globally with an 89% drop, among the most affected are Giant otters and spider monkeys.

 Globally, India ranks 12th when it comes to the dangers associated with surfing the web, according to a new report from Russia-based global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.

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 The Indian passport was ranked 66th in the world in the latest ranking of the Global Passport

Index. The ranking was based on the passports’ visa-free score. As per the annual passport index,

Singapore and Germany have the world’s “most powerful” passport with access to 165 countries.

 According to the US-based organisation, National bureau of economic research (NBER),

Bangalore tops the index for most congested city, and Mumbai in the second position, while Pune follows in the seventh place. The report was titled ‘Mobility and Congestion in Urban India’. In another index of traffic speed, Kolkata has been found to be the slowest city, while Pune ranked 20th.

 According to a new travel safety index, Iceland topped the charts with the lowest risk of a natural disaster as well as crime rates. UAE which is home to one of the most popular holiday destinations, Dubai, was ranked second. India ranked 17th in the list.

 UK India Business Council (UKIBC) released its ‘4th Annual Ease of Doing Business in India

Report: The UK Perspective’. 25 percent of UK businesses saw corruption as a major barrier in 2018.

R.A.C.E 25 percent of those responding intend to direct this new investment eastwards – seeking new opportunities in states such as West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur.

 India will overtake the U. S. to become the world’s second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector before 2030 as the nation’s electricity demand skyrockets.

 According to India Innovation Report, India is now the second-fastest growing innovator after

China among major Asian countries. India is fourth among the major Asian countries in terms of overall patent publication volume, and second in terms of growth rate.

 According to a study named ‘Ease of Moving Index’ by Ola Mobility Institute, city of Kolkata topped among all metro cities in public transport. While Patna and Bhubaneswar topped the list for growing and emerging cities. People in Chennai are the heaviest users of public transport among the metro cities while Mumbai scores lowest. 75% Indians believe electric vehicles will replace conventional vehicles by 2030.

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 According to an annual report 2018 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report released by

International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public

Health, vaccinations in India are still out of reach of girls under the age of five in rural India.

 Expedia Vacation Deprivation Report 2018 has stated that India is among the most vacation deprived nation in the world ranking 5th among the 19 surveyed countries. It ranked 5th in the table after Japan, Italy, Australia, New Zealand.

 As per the 6th edition & 2019 version of India Skills Report, Andhra Pradesh topped the list of states with the highest employability followed by Rajasthan and Haryana.

 UN Environment released the 3rd edition of ‘Inclusive Wealth Report 2018’ and an Inclusive

Wealth Index on margins of UN Environment Finance Initiative Global Roundtable in Paris, France.

According to the preliminary finding, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Malta topped the chart of biennial survey of growth in the wealth of nations.

 According to the latest edition of Global WaterR.A.C.E Monitor & Forecast Watch List (November

2018), released by IScience (US based limited liability Corporation), Water deficits will increase and intensify in India in 2019. Exceptional water deficits occur throughout Gujarat in the west and severe to exceptional deficits from Madhya Pradesh through Karnataka, as well as in Punjab, Rajasthan,

Haryana, and India’s far northeast.

 India has the second largest insurance gap in the world of $27 billion (in absolute terms) after China, where the underinsurance or insurance gap is over $76 billion.

 Market research firm Gartner announced that the global IT spending will rise to 3. 2%, from expected spending of $3. 7 trillion in 2018, in 2019.

 According to survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi

Kali, Kerala topped the TAG index, which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls. Mumbai named as Best City.

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 Stanford University has been named the World’s Most Innovative University for the fourth consecutive year in Reuters’ ranking of World’s Most Innovative Universities.

 In 2-day BPM (Business Process Management) Strategy Summit 2018 in Bengaluru, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) published its study and stated that Indian BPM industry continues to be the largest in the world.

 A report by environmental group Greenpeace stated that, drink companies Coca-Cola,

PepsiCo and Nestle are the world’s biggest producers of plastic trash.

 According to the 7th edition ‘Word Cooperative Monitor’ report 2018, fertilizer major IFFCO has been ranked as the biggest cooperative in the world. It has retained this position from 2016.

 Moody’s Investors Service in its report stated that profitability of Indian banks is “distinctively weak” compared to the other BRICS nations. Indian banks have a tangible common equity ratio of 8.

7 per cent at the end of 2017. Indian lenders had the second highest non-performing loan at 2017-

R.A.C.E end, followed by banks in Brazil, South Africa and China. Russian banks had the highest ratio of 11.

8 percent.

 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its Trade and

Development Report predicted the GDP growth of India for 2018 to be at 7%.

 Infosys Finacle, a part of Infosys’ product subsidiary EdgeVerve Systems launched a Digital

Engagement Suit for banks. To interact with customers with customized experiences.

 According to a new Standard Chartered study-‘The Emerging Affluent Study 2018– Climbing the Prosperity Ladder’, India is Asia’s most investment savvy economy.

 According to a report called Breach Level Index by digital security firm Gemalto, data breach incidences in India were the second highest globally. India is second to the US which represents more than 57 per cent of global breaches.

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 India installed 4. 9 GW of solar power, consolidating its position as the second largest solar market in the world, during the first half of calendar year 2018. The country was ranked second, following China during the January-June period, according to a report by Mercom Communications India.

 International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that, India will become the world’s

3rd largest aviation market around 2024 surpassing the United Kingdom. By 2037, out of 572 million new passengers in the world, India will account for 414 million passengers.

 According to a report on ‘Public Health and Nutrition – Freeing Future Generations from Malnutrition’ compiled by the NGO Sukarya, more than 40 % of the world’s stunted children live in India. As per the report, poor nutrition causes 45 % of deaths among children below 5 years. 60 % of malnutrition in India is contributed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and

Maharashtra

 Report named “Strengthening Forest Fire Management in India”, jointly prepared by

the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate R.A.C.E Change (MoEFCC) and the World Bank. Madhya

Pradesh was the first state to develop an SMS-based system to alert field staff about active forest fires,

Odisha has pioneered the use of fire suppression equipment.

 India ranks fifth, jointly with Hong Kong and Thailand, in terms of the largest pictorial warning on cigarette packs with 85 percent of both sides of the packets coveredaccording to a report released by the Canadian Cancer Society named Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status

Report 2018.

 UK-based charity ‘Oxfam International’s report named ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality

(CRI) Index. India ranked 147th among 157 countries analysed and was labelled “a very worrying situation” with respect to the rising inequality in the country. Denmark topped the list.

 ‘Reinvigorating Trade and Inclusive Growth’ — was released by the International Monetary

Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization.

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 India is all set to be among top three aviation market by 2024 according to International Air

Transport Association (IATA). Currently India is at seventh position in the aviation market.

 The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the only Indian company among the top 10 firms to get foreign labour certification for the H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2018 by receiving over 20, 000 such certifications.

 Even though India slipped by one spot, it was still ranked one of the 10 most valuable nation brands in the world, according to a report titled ‘Nation Brands 2018’ released by Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy. India 9th most valuable nation brand in the world. U. S has topped the list.

 Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro, which is majority owned by its employees, is the only domestic firm to be featured among the top 25 companies in the Forbes’ global 2000 best employers list that is led by Google parent Alphabet. While L&T is ranked 22nd.

R.A.C.E  According to global brand consultancy Interbrand's "Best 100 Global Brands 2018" report,

Apple displaced Google to become the top brand in the world in 2018 while Facebook fell to ninth place in the top 100 brands globally.

 Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani has emerged as the richest Indian for the 11th consecutive year with a net worth of USD 47. 3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Ambani is also the year's biggest gainer, adding USD 9. 3 billion to his wealth amid the continuing success of his Reliance

Jio broadband telco service.

 India's overall ranking on the government's adoption of e-payments has moved up to 28th in

2018, from 36th in 2011. Norway leads the pack in the 73-country ranking, followed by France and

Denmark.

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 According to the 2018 Henley Passport Index released, the Japanese passport is now the powerful in the world, which means that Japanese citizens can travel without a visa or gain a visa on arrival in 190 destinations – the most globally. India at 81st(with 60 country accesses).

 According to a Lloyd’s of London’s report – A world at risk- Closing the insurance gap, India has the second largest insurance gap in the world of USD 27 billion (in absolute terms) after China. It was prepared by Lloyd’s and Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

 Singapore with an index standing at 0. 88 tops the World Bank Group's Human Capital Index.

South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong follow Singapore on the index. Other countries like Chad, South

Sudan and Niger took the lowest three spots. India ranked 115th with an index score of 0. 44.

 IMF clarified that India’s debt is lower than the global average as percentage of world GDP.

According to IMF, the global debt has reached a new record high of USD 182 trillion in 2017.

 According to the RTI rating by Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy,

India ranked at 6th position out of 123 countries, afterR.A.C.E a downfall of 4 positions from the previous year.

The list is topped by Afghanistan. The survey was carried by Transparency International India.

 The UK-based charity Oxfam International's 'Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI)

Index' ranks India 147th among 157 countries analysed, describing the country's commitment to reducing inequality as a "a very worrying situation" .

 According to the Global Hunger Index 2018prepared jointly by global NGOs namely, Concern

Worldwide (Ireland) and Welthungerhilfe (Germany), India was ranked 103rd out of 119 qualifying countries. The Top 3 Countries in the List are Belarus, Cuba and Estonia.

 India is the world’s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US. 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. Of all the age groups, it is the adolescents who need it the most.

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 World Economic Forum (WEF) has released the Index on Most Competitive Economy for 2018, in which India ranked 58th out of 140 Countries. India jumped 5 places from 2017. US topped the Index,

Singapore and Germany followed it.

 QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the global higher education think tank, has released “QS India

University Rankings 2019”, its first standalone ranking of India’s higher education institutions. IIT

Bombay has been named India’s leading institution.

 According to Asian Development Bank (ADB) ’s report titled Asian Economic Integration

Report 2018, most of the international migrants in 2017 were from India. The number of international migrants were topped by India, followed by China and Bangladesh. One third of international migrants were from Asia in 2017.

 The Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s second-most valued firm ‘Reliance

Industries’, has topped the ‘Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018’ for the seventh consecutive year,

R.A.C.E with total net worth of Rs. 371, 000 crore.

 According to UN’s annual multi-agency flagship report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, hunger remains the same as was ten years ago in 2017. This is a part of UNDP’s

Sustainable Development goal: Zero Hunger by 2030.

 Fitch Ratings has 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.

 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.

 The Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru retained its position as the highest-ranked centre in

India, according to the ‘Times Higher Education World University Rankings’. Oxford University has emerged the best institutes across the globe, followed by Cambridge and Standford.

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 India’s rank improved by a couple of notches, but it was still placed 96th among 162 countries in this year’s report on Economic Freedom in the World, released by the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in conjunction with Canada’s Fraser Institute. Hong Kong and Singapore again topped the index, continuing their streak as the first and the second country, respectively.

 According to the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ study, published by Credit Suisse Research

Institute (CSRI), India ranked third globally in terms of number of family-owned companies. India follows China (159 companies) and the US (121 companies).

 According to a report by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), international tourism hits a record high of 1, 323 million international tourist arrivals across the globe in 2017. India leads the chart of growth in the South Asian region with a total of 15. 54 million in 2017.

 According to Symantec, India ranks 3rd for cyber-attacks and ranks 2ndfor malware attacks in phone.

 Indiaranks 158th in the world for its investmentsR.A.C.E in education and health care, according to the first-ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital. The study is published in journal The Lancet. Finland topped the study, while Turkey showed the most dramatic increase in human capital.

 According to ‘The Annual World Airport Traffic Report 2018’ by Airport Council International (ACI),

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is the 16th busiest in the world. The first place was held by Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson in the US.

 According to a new report by TransUnion CIBIL, Maharashtra (Rs 5. 50 lakh crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs

2. 77 lakh crore) and Karnataka (Rs 2. 74 lakh crore) make up for nearly 40 per cent of all retail loans in the country.

 In a report titled ‘A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia’, the 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.

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 According to latest data collated by UK mobile analytics company and speeds tester, OpenSigna

Kolkata has the highest 4G services availability across India’s 22 telecom circles.

 According to the Nuclear Security Index, India has improved its ranking by one spot from 2016 and now stands 19th in the ‘Theft Ranking’ for countries with weapons usable nuclear materials.

 HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the`WPP and Kantar Millward Brown’s BrandZ India Top 50 for the fifth year in a row, growing its brand value by 21 percent to $21. 7 billion in 2018.

 In a 2018 ranking of countries on e-government development, Denmark, Australia, and

Republic of Korea came out on top of a group of 40 countries, scoring very high on an index (the E-

Government Development Index—EGDI), which measures countries’ use of information and communications technologies to deliver public services.

 Andhra Pradesh topped the ‘Ease of Living Index’ ranking which was released by the

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation

R.A.C.E (AMRUT). Odisha and Madhya Pradesh were in the second and third position respectively.

 According to the latest edition of the UN's annual multi-agency flagship report on the State of

Food Security and Nutrition in the World, the number of undernourished globally, increased to 821 million in 2017. This means that one in every nine people, does not have enough to eat.

 India climbed one spot to 130 among 189 countries in the latest human development index released by the United Nations Development Programme. Norway, Switzerland, Australia,

Ireland and Germany lead the ranking.

 Within South Asia, India's human development index (HDI) value is above the average of 0. 638 for the region, with Bangladesh and Pakistan, countries with similar population size, being ranked 136 and

150 respectively.

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 India ranks third globally in terms of number of family owned businesses with 111 companies of

USD 839 billion total market capitalization, followed closely after China with 159 firms and the

United States with 121 firms.

 Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore. The 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 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.

 Iraq has replaced Saudi Arabia in August as the top oil supplier to India, data from industry and shipping sources. The refiners turned to Iraqi barrels to compensate for a lower intake of Iranian oil ahead of US sanctions in November.

 Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) inR.A.C.E its study reported that the pollution by particulate emission from commuting in Delhi is highest among 14 major cities in the country.

 According to the human development index (HDI) report released by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), India is ahead of Bangladesh and Pakistan in inequality-adjusted

HDI (IHDI). According to gender inequality index (GII) of the report, India has a GII of 0. 524, ranking it 127 out of 160 countries in 2017, while Pakistan is ranked 133 and Bangladesh 134.

 World Bank released its East Asia and Pacific economy update October 2018 edition. It will grow at 6. 3 per cent in 2018 mainly due to China’s moderate growth. In 2017, the growth of the region was at 6. 6 percent.

 World Bank in its South Asia Economic Focus ‘Budget Crunch’ report released the projection of

GDPs of various countries. It stated that India’s GDP growth is expected to touch 7. 3% in 2018-19.

Also, India’s GDP projection for 2019 & 2020 has been projected to 7. 5%.

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 According to the 14th report “HIV Estimations 2017” released by Health and Family Welfare

Ministry, Maharashtra has the highest number of people living with HIV in India. Lowest adult

HIV prevalence was in Jammu & Kashmir.

 According to Association of Mutual Funds of India’s (AMFI) statistics, Maharashtra tops the chart for state with the maximum penetration and Assets Under Management (AUM). Also, as per

August, average assets under management (AUM) of mutual funds rose to an all-time high of Rs 25. 2 lakh crore across the country. Association of Mutual Funds of Indian (AMFI) Headquarters in Mumbai.

 The World malaria report, published annually, provides a comprehensive update on global and regional malaria data and trends. Data from 2015–2017highlight that no significant progress in reducing global malaria cases was made in this period. As per the report, India accounted for4 % of global malaria cases in 2017. It has made significant progress in reducing malaria since then. In 2018,

WHO certified Paraguay as malaria-free, becoming the first country in the American continent to

R.A.C.E receive this status in 45 years.

NATIONAL NEWS

 19th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun

Jaitley in New Delhi. To review the current global and domestic economic situation and financial sector performance.

 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and University of Auckland signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster academic exchange and research collaboration, faculty exchange and visiting/adjunct appointments and Student Mobility.

 Bombay High Court set up an ad-hoc (temporary) committee to look after day-to-day functioning of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

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 The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have given a go ahead to the

Mumbai’s largest sewage treatment plant (STP), worth Rs 2, 020 crore, to come up in Malad.

 Supreme Court declared that, bar of double jeopardy does not arise if an accused was discharged of a criminal offence, even before the commencement of trial, on the basis of an invalid sanction for prosecution. Article 20 (2) of the Constitution mandates that a person cannot be prosecuted or punished

2 times for the same offence.

 Government of India conferred the National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) with the status of Miniratna: Category –I. This status will empower the company to take speedy decisions.

 NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) & Temasek

Foundation (TF) International organized the 2nd Phase of Urban Management Programme on

‘Water Recycling and Reuse’ at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

 Defence Minister, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, launched ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ in New

Delhi. To provide a boost to the Intellectual PropertyR.A.C.E Right (IPR) culture in indigenous defence industry.

 India’s Premier National Research Laboratory, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research –

Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR – IMTECH) announced a new partnership with a leading German

Science and technology company, Merck to establish a “High End Skill Development Centre” at CSIR-

IMTECH in Chandigarh.

 Central government announced 100% disinvestment of Air India’s ground handling subsidiary- Air

India Air Transport Services Limited (AIATSL) to partially pay off the accumulated Rs 500 billion debt of Air India.

 United Nations selected Noida and Greater Noida, twin cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of

Uttar Pradesh, adjoining New Delhi to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative in the

“University City” category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru which were also under UN’s consideration for the initiative, as the only invitee from India.

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 According to Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI), the government had transferred over Rs 1, 600 crore to 48. 5 lakh mothers under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana through direct benefit transfer.

 Ministry of Finance notified an increase of Rs. 100 crore in the outlay , to Rs 895 crore from Rs

795 crore, for the first phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric

Vehicles (FAME India) scheme. The implementation of the first phase of the scheme has been extended four times, for six months each, with the latest being till March 2019.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a grand challenge, in the Startup India Portal platform, for improving the Ease of Doing Business in New Delhi.

 The Women and Child Development Ministry announced that the Government will reimburse employers the salaries for 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women, who is earning more than Rs 15, 000 a month. To become eligible for maternity benefits, a woman must has

R.A.C.E worked for 80 days in last 12 months.

 Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan flagged off a metro train on

Hyderabad Metro Rail's (HMR) much-awaited 16-km stretch between Ameerpet and LB Nagar. The opening of this stretch completes the entire 29-km Corridor One of the HMR project, now India's second-largest metro network after Delhi.

 Supreme Court has declared that, it can be presumed that, a couple who live together as husband and wife are legally married and the woman can claim maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of

Criminal Procedure.

 Sail training ship of Indian Navy, INS Tarangini based at Kochi, returned after a seven-month sail across the world. The voyage named ‘Lokayan 18’ was flag-ged off on April 10 from Kochi to sail across the Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Gibraltar, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of

Biscay, English Channel and North Sea, right up to Norway.

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 Railway Board Chairman, Ashwani Lohani launched “Swacchta Hi Sewa Pakhwara” at New Delhi

Railway Station.

 National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved 10 sewerage projects worth Rs 1573. 28 crore to address Yamuna’s pollution issues in Agra.

 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has organized "Grameena

Habba", an exhibition cum sale of rural artisan products for ten days from September 28 at

Premachandra Sagar Hall near Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar.

 Delhi government announced “Jashn-e-Virasat-e-Urdu”, a festival to celebrate Urdu culture and its heritage.

 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) notified the insertion of the item ‘Quadricycle’ as a ‘non transport’ vehicle under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.

 Delhi Government launched a dedicated Open Transit Data portal in the website www. otd. delhi.

gov. in – to spot locations of cluster buses at intervalsR.A.C.E of 10 seconds. This portal was designed and developed by IIIT-Delhi. Thus, Delhi became the first city in the country to open up transit data of city buses.

 Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the IIM

Calcutta Innovation Park to help facilitate incubation of start-ups primarily in the Eastern and North

Eastern states.

 HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Council through video conferencing at the AICTE headquarters in New Delhi.

 Ministry of Defence awarded contract for design, construction and supply of four Survey Vessels for

Indian Navy to Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata. The order value for these four vessels is Rs. 2435. 15 crore.

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 Ministry of New and Renewable Energy prepared a draft of new Scheme called Indian Wind

Turbine Certification Scheme (IWTCS). The draft Scheme comprises of guidelines for the benefit of all the stakeholders from concept to lifetime of wind turbine.

 Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Dr. Satya Pal Singh launched two new initiatives namely, Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual

Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) in New Delhi. The courses will remain open from 1st November, 2018 to 28th February, 2019.

 Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu released report on Industrial Park Rating

System at a national workshop in New Delhi.

 Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved a Safe City project for Lucknow at a total cost of Rs. 194. 44 crore. The project would be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with Centre and State sharing the funding in 60:40 ratio, under the Nirbhaya Fund Scheme.

R.A.C.E  Ministry of Road Transport & Highways mandated that all new public service vehicles except auto rickshaws and e-Rickshaws, registered on and after 1st January 2019 to be equipped with Vehicle

Location Tracking (VLT) with emergency buttons.

 Delhi government along with the Indian Railways launched a Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana scheme to give free tourism package for senior citizens travelling to 5 religious circuits. The journey will start from Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station.

 State-owned NBCC (formerly National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited) signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to acquire Hospital Services Consultancy

Corporation (HSCC).

 Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) under Union Minister Smt Harsimrat Kaur

Badal approved the strategy for operationalisation of Operation Greens. The Short term Price

Stabilisation measures would be implemented by the Nodal agency NAFED and MoFPI will

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE provide 50% of the subsidy for transport and storage of TOP (Tomato, Onion, Potato). In the budget speech of 2018-19 with an outlay of Rs. 500 crore to promote Farmer Producers Organizations, agri- logistics, processing facilities and professional management.

 NITI Aayog and UNICEF launched UNICEF- Atal Tinkering Lab Hackthon to commemorate Children’s Day. To encourage children towards making new innovations.

 NITI Aayog constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ in New Delhi. To ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan region.

 Oil Marketing Companies (IOCL, HPCL & BPCL) and CSC e-Governance Services India

Limited signed an MOU for collaboration in LPG services. This will be done under Pradhan Mantri

Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY).

 National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) partnered up with HCL Foundation and German development agency GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) to organize “Bal

Ganga Mela” at HCL’s Noida campus. R.A.C.E

 Central government announced setting up of Animation, Gaming and Visual effects

Institute in Mumbai. This was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan

Rathore.

 State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) partnered up with the US Trade and Development

Agency (USTDA) to develop a roadmap for modernisation of its air traffic services.

 Shri Ramayana Express was flagged off from Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi. The pilgrimage circuit it will travel on, named- Shri Ramayana Yatra-Sri Lanka, consists of two travel components –one each in India and Sri Lanka.

 Union Minister for Tourism, Shri K. J. Alphons, inaugurated the Tourist Facilitation and

Information Counter at Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi. The counter will be connected to the 24×7 Helpline – ‘1363’ of the Tourism Ministry where the non-English speaking tourists can speak directly to agents and get guidance.

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 Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the iconic ‘Signature Bridge’. It is being dubbed as ‘Delhi’s Eiffel Tower’ at an estimated cost of Rs. 1, 594 crore

 Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment,

Forest and ClimateChange has announced that the Kingdom of Netherlands will be the Partner

Country 25th DST – CII Technology Summit to be organized in 2019.

 Nation’s largest container port JNPT in Navi Mumbai released it’s plan to host an edible oil refinery.

Port would also invest Rs 310 crore for extending the liquid cargo tank farm which would incre-ase its capacity to 4. 5 mtpa.

 The newly-built Ekana International Stadium has been renamed after former prime minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee. The stadium will now be known as 'Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International

Cricket Stadium'.

 New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) launched a “smart” initiative to distribute quick response-

R.A.C.E enabled smiley fridge magnets to its consumers. This is a collaborative project between: NDMC, a Delhi- based retail tech startup called SignCatch and the Axis Bank for the initiative.

 The Indian Coast Guard has launched a new offshore patrol vessel called ICGS Varaha from a corporate shipyard near Chennai. This is the third in a series of seven similar ships to be handed over to the Coast Guard. The timeline for the delivery of all the vessels is March 2021.

 Home Ministry released Rs. 113. 36 crore to 6 Border States under the Border Area

Development Programme (BADP).

 Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and

Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari oversaw the MOU signing of between WAPCOS and

Doppelmayr. For providing end-to-end solutions for passenger ropeway projects.

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 Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) have designed and booted up

India's first microprocessor, Shakti, which could be used in mobile computing and other devices. The project is funded by Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

 The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has formed a new industry expert committee, under its Emerging Technology Council, focused on AR/VR.

 The committee is chaired by Namrita Mahindro, Senior General Manager, - Digital

Transformation, Mahindra Group and co-chaired by Satyajeet Singh, Head –Strategic Product

Partnership, India & South Asia, Facebook.

 Three new artillery guns and equipment, including the powerful K9 Vajra and M777 howitzers, were inducted into the Indian Army at the Deolali artillery centre in Nashik.

 The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan met UAE Minister for

Human Resource Nasser Bin Thani Juma Al Hamli in Dubai. He has discussed in areas of cooperation

with UAE in areas of Skill development of Indian peopleR.A.C.E working in UAE. Mr Pradhan will inaugurate the

Indian Pavilion at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in

Abu Dhabi.

 INS Rana of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command is on deployment to the South East Asia and arrived at the port of Surabaya to participate in the inaugural edition of Indian Navy – Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ scheduled from 12 to 18

Nov 18.

 The Varanasi port will connect with the National Waterway-1 (Haldia-Varanasi stretch) is being developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). It will enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2, 000 tonnes.

 The Ministry of science and technology has instituted a new prize for innovative cooling technologies that could reduce the climate impact of Residential Air Conditioning (RAC) at least by five times. Called

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Global Cooling Prize, the award carries a total prize money of $3 million and this would be given away over two years.

 As part of the European Union (EU) project ‘International Urban Cooperation’, Kochi Corporation and Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, have signed a memorandum of understanding.

 The government will release an Rs 75 coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Netaji

Subhash Chandra Bose hoisting the Tricolour for the first time at Port Blair. The commemorative Rs 75 coin will weigh 35 grams. This coin will bear the portrait of 'Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose' saluting the flag on the background of Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The coin will carry an inscription saying 'First Flag

Hoisting Day' in both Devanagari script and English.

 The Government has set up a state of -the- art National Data Repository. It is a database of all the geo-scientific data of hydrocarbon resources in the country. National Data Repository is equipped with cutting-edge technology and provides ready access to interested companies.

R.A.C.E  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore during which the leaders of the grouping discussed global and regional issues, including maritime cooperation.

 The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has come up with a youth-friendly scheme “Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme” for attracting them to cooperative business ventures.

 India and Russia will hold joint military exercises in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh from November 18.

"Exercise Indra 2018" will begin at the Babina Field Firing Ranges. The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct enhance interoperability of the two Armies in peacekeeping and enforcement environment under UN aegis.

 India and Russia has confirmed a USD 500 million deal for construction of two Talvar- class missile frigates in Goa for the Indian Navy.

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 ISRO's heavy-lift rocket GSLV-MkIII-D2 has successfully injected into orbit the country's latest communication satellite GSAT-29.

 Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik launched the force's e-learning portal NIPUN and training division website on November 14. Through the website, Delhi Police will be using advanced technology in imparting in-service training to its personnel.

 Cyclonic storm Gaja crossed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranniyam with wind speeding up to 120 kmph. Tamil Nadu government has announced helpline numbers 1070 (state-level) and 1077 (districts) for those who may need assistance.

 The government has approved three new proposals - fast-track special courts, procurement of forensic kits in sexual assault cases and setting up video surveillance system at 50 railway stations under the Nirbhaya Fund. The decision was taken by the Empowered Committee of Officers headed by Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD) Secretary Rakesh Srivastava.

 With a total financial implication of Rs 767. 25R.A.C.E crore, the project in the first phase may be set up in nine states with 777 FTSCs while in second phase 246 FTSCs will come up.

 Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by Government of India in its 2013

Union Budget.

 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Centre have signed a $300-million loan agreement to support lending by India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL).

 The AYUSH Ministry is celebrating its first Naturopathy Day across the country on November 18,

2018. The Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy is organising health camps, workshops and exhibitions in association with local naturopathy centres and hospitals.

 The 14th edition of international children's theatre festival, 'Jashne Bachpan', was inaugurated in

New Delhi. The plays will be performed in vernacular languages like Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, and

Malayalam besides non-verbal, English, Hindi and other foreign languages.

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 The government has launched an upgraded version of AirSewa digital platform. Chatbots will now help air travellers in addressing their grievances. Besides, passengers can have access to real-time flight status and schedule for both domestic and international flights, according to the Civil Aviation

Ministry. AirSewa 2. 0, the upgraded version of the web portal and mobile app, provides chatbot support for faster resolution and personalised traveller experience.

 India's first specialized hospital for elephants was opened by Agra Divisional Commissioner Anil

Kumar at Farah block's Churmura village, Mathura. The hospital, on the banks of the Yamuna River, is close to an elephant conservation and care centre run by Wildlife SOS.

 European Investment Bank (EIB) and State Bank of India (SBI) agreed to cooperate on financing renewable energy and wind energy projects across India. EUR 600 million for renewable energy financing programme.

 As per the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) guidelines and the State Legislature,

R.A.C.E the Jammu and Kashmir bank was brought under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) act.

 A non-profit organization named the India Autism Center (IAC) in association with the state government will build a world-class autism township near Kolkata at a cost of Rs 500 crore. This is a one-of-its-kind initiative, IAC, a non-profit organization under Section 8 of Companies Act, 2013.

 Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable

Transportation (SATAT) initiative. To boost availability of more affordable transport fuels with better usage of agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste.

 Whatsapp partnered with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to train small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs on using the messaging platform.

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 India released its first semi-high speed train called- Train 18. It is a 16-coach prototype without a locomotive (engine) that will travel at a speed of up to160 kmph. It was developed by the city- based Integral Coach Factory, Chennai in 18 months as part of the ‘Make In India’ initiative.

 Executive Committee (EC) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga approved 12 projects worth Rs.

929 Crore under the Namami Gange programme.

 Ministry of Science & Technology has announced development of Less Polluting

Firecrackers named SWAS (SafeWater Releaser), SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminum) and STAR (Safe

Thermite Cracker).

 India signed $5 billion-worth of MoUs to give impetus to iron and steel industry. India has a target to increase its crude steel capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030-31 from the current 134 million tonnes.

 Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unfurled India’s highest tricolor flag at

the majestic Haj House in Mumbai. The flag is 20×30R.A.C.E feet in dimensions and stands 350 feet above the ground.

 Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi announced setting up a four- member committee to examine all #MeToo cases. It was placed through “The Sexual Harassment of

Women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act’ of 2013.

 Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan inaugurated the Commonwealth Parliamentary

Conference of India Region, Zone III in Guwahati.

 5-day ‘Experiencing North East’ festival was launched at India International Centre (IIC), New

Delhi. It was inaugurated by Shri N. N. Vohra, Former Governor and President, IIC.

 Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched ‘Ask Disha’, the new artificial intelligence-enabled chat bot. It has been jointly developed by IRCTC and CoRover Private

Limited, a Bangalore-based startup.

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 Country’s first container movement on inland vessel post-independence in the Inland Waterways sector, the IWAI would transport a PepsiCo India cargo from Kolkata to Varanasi on river Ganga

(National Waterway-1).

 Supreme Court stated that, no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across India with effect from

April 1, 2020.

 Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the web portal of the Scheme “Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences (IMPRESS) ” in New Delhi. It is launched at a total cost of Rs. 414 Cr for implementation up to March end 2021 and Indian Council of

Social Science and Research (ICSSR) will be the project implementing agency.

 Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) released key statistics relating to direct tax collections and administration in public domain. The ratio of 5. 98% in FY 2017-18 is the best DT-GDP ratio in last 10 years, 60% growth in taxpayers (including corporates, firms, HUFs, etc. ) showing income of above Rs.

R.A.C.E 1 crore.

 National Workshop for Orientation of District Officials of Aspirational Districts on Health and Nutrition, was held in New Delhi. The e-Mitra (Mobile Integrated Toolkit RMNCH+A) app has been designed to complement the Aspirational District Programme.

 On the occasion of Police Commemoration Day (October 21st), the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra

Modi, dedicated the National Police Memorial to the nation in New Delhi.

 National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a dedicated e-mail address to report instances of sexual harassment at workplace. The email address is: ncw. metoo@gmail. com.

 Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) announced its order to make it mandatory for medium and large enterprises in key sectors to set aside funds for research and development. The high-level panel wants the private sector to have a share of

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE at least 1% of GDP by 2022. The committee wants India to achieve the global average of 1. 5% of

GDP, over the next 5 years.

 Air India has raised Rs 3, 000 crore so far which includes Rs 1, 000 crore to the airline from the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) on behalf of the government.

 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were signed between Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Kendriya

Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS). The aim of the MOUs is to launch the programme “PRAKRITI”.

 Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Radha Mohan Singh announced that 30% government’s policies have been formulated to enhance women participation in the agriculture sector. Involvement of women in the sector has risen to 18% according to a NSSO (National Sample

Survey Office) report.

 Delhi government announced Chief Minister’s Urban Leaders Fellowship Programme. To attract

young leaders to address serious urban challenges. R.A.C.E

 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), in its 63rd meeting, approved to enhance free accident insurance cover provided to pilgrim’s visting Vaishno Devi shrine, under the chairmanship of J&K

Governor and chairman of SMVDSB, Satya Pal Malik. Under this, the accidental cover extended to each pilgrim free of cost has been enhanced to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 3 lakh, after 8 years.

 Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Chemical &

Fertilizer launched the Youth Road Safety Learners Licence programme in New Delhi. This programme will be run in collaboration with Diageo India and the Institute of Road Traffic Education

(IRTE).

 IBM India partnered with NITI Aayog to offer internship programme to top performing students selected by the Atal Innovation Mission.

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 Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics & Programme

Implementation, Shri Vijay Goel, inaugurated the Online Assurances Monitoring System (OAMS).

To create transparency in assurance process in Parliamentary affairs.

 Microsoft India & NITI Aayog signed a MOU to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to address challenges in agriculture and healthcare.

 ‘Minimum river flows’ set for the Ganga by NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga).

25% during October, April and May, which are the lean seasons, 30% during monsoon months of June-

September.

 Government has exempted 10% of Long term capital gains (LTCG) tax on IPOs, ESOPs, bonus.

Etc. This is applicable for exceeding Rs. 1 lakh from sale of shares.

 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced India’s status as a polio-free country.

R.A.C.E  Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, released an Analytical

Report of the National Health Profile-2018. The report was prepared by the Central Bureau of Health

Intelligence.

 Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) developed a new online portal for Industrial Entrepreneurs’ Memorandum (IEM) and Industrial Licence (IL). The portal is at https://services. dipp. gov. in.

 Draft electronics policy named ‘The National Electronics Policy 2018’ was released by the government that aims a turnover of $400 billion in domestic electronics manufacturing by 2025.

 Central Government has approved a special package for generation of employment in leather and footwear sector. Indian Footwear, Package - Leather & Accessories Development Programme

(IFLADP) with approved expenditure of Rs. 2600 Crore for 2017-20.

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 Five new battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were sanctioned by the central government in

January 2018 - Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh; Jaipur in Rajasthan; Mangalore in Karnataka; Hajipur in Bihar; Nuh in Haryana

 Home Ministry issued an advisory asking the Chandigarh administration to exempt Sikh women from wearing helmets while driving two-wheelers.

 As per the provisions given in Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,

Election Commission of India (ECI) can fill casual vacancies. In the present scenario, the term of sixteenth Lok Sabha is upto 3rd June, 2019.

 National program of Wild Life Week concluded at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi.

 Jharkhand has announced to be the partner state in Goa International Film Festival

2018 which will be held on 20th to 28th of November, 2018.

 Indus Food-II tradeshow, will be held in Greater Noida on January 14-15, 2019. It is organized

by Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) alongR.A.C.E with commerce and industry ministry.

 Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has announced that the government allowed imports of pet coke, used for fuel purpose, by graphite electrode industry. The imports were allowed only four industries so far- cement, lime klin, calcium carbide, and gasification industries. Therefore, graphite electrode industry has been added in to the list as the 5th industry.

 India’s first ever National Environment Survey (NES) will commence from 55 districts across 24states and three Union Territories in January 2019.

 India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh as a cyclonic storm called ‘Titli’ is advancing in the eastern coasts of these states.

 10th Agriculture Census 2015-16 was released by the Agriculture Ministry. It was first launched in 3rd February, 2016. The percentage of female operational land holders increased from 12. 79% in

2010-11 to 13. 87% in 2015-16. By the number of people tilling the land, Uttar Pradesh topped the chart followed by Bihar and Maharashtra. In terms of total operated area: Rajasthan comes first

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followed by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Goa has witnessed the sharpest fall and Manipur had the lowest in number of operational holdings.

 Government cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2. 50.

 Government reduced excise duty on jet fuel to 11 % from current 14 % inorder to help the aviation industry that has been affected badly by high fuel prices. It will come to effect from 12th October

2018.

 Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep

Singh laid foundation for the construction of a museum for all Prime Ministers of the country at the Teen

Murti Estate in New Delhi.

 Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural

Development (MoRD) and Lady Irwin College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish Roshni – Centre of Women Collectives led Social Action.

R.A.C.E  Southern Railway became Unmanned Level Crossing (UMLC) Free Zone, eliminating over 1,

000 such level crossings. It includes Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai Divisions which became UMLC free in the 1st quarter of the present financial year.

 On the Occasion of the World Food Day, Government of India Launched a Campaign named

“Swastha Bharat Yatra” to create awareness about Safe Food. This Campaign will spread message’s like

‘Eat Right India’, ’Eat Right Mobile Unit’ and ‘Mobile Food Testing Unit’.

 A task force named “Closing the Skills Gap Task Force in India” was constituted by the Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship in collaboration with World Economic

Forum for addressing the skill gap in the country.

 Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has exempted low frequency range operating devices from licensing requirement. According to DoT, devices or equipments for inductive applications in the 302 to 435 KHz (kilohertz), 855 to 1050 KHz and 1. 89 to 2. 31 MHz frequency bands are exempted.

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 The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first Assembly of the International

Solar Alliance at Vigyan Bhawan in the presence of the United Nations’ Secretary General Antonio

Guterres. A short film on the “Journey of Renewable Energy in India” and another film on Student

Initiative on Solar Lamp were screened on the occasion.

 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. The status, nature and functional characteristics of the

BCCI fulfil required conditions of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the 'Main Nahin Hum' portal and mobile application.

The portal, which works on the theme 'Self4Society', will enable IT professionals and organisations to bring together their efforts towards social causes on one platform.

 The Centre has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to examine the existing legal and institutional frameworks for dealing with matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

The GoM will be headed by Home Minister RajnathR.A.C.E Singh.

 The Women and Child Development Ministry has launched an Electronic Complaints Box “She Box” that enables women, irrespective of their work status, to raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplace.

 The President inaugurated the International Arya Mahasammelan-2018 in New Delhi.

Mahasammelan discussed on the issues such as prevention of superstition, modernization, women empowerment, tribal welfare, and management of natural calamities.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Kevadia in Narmada district, on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. At 182 metres, the ‘Statue of

Unity’, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam,

 The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has partnered with Tata Steel Adventure

Foundation (TSAF) to launch a month-long rafting expedition of a team of 40 members. It will be led by the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest Ms. Bachendri Pal.

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 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the redevelopment of Railway Stations. It will be completed by Indian Railway Stations Development

Corporation Limited (IRSDC) as Nodal Agency and main Project Development Agency, for longer lease tenure of upto 99 years.

 The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban

(SBM – U), has partnered with Google to launch the Loo Review campaign. It aims to encourage all local guides in India to rate and review public toilets on Google Maps.

 NITI Aayog has signed an agreement with cloud services provider Oracle, hospital chain Apollo

Hospitals, and pharmaceutical manufacturer Strides Pharma Sciences. The agreement aims to curb the distribution of fake drugs using new technologies.

 The railway ministry in collaboration with Google has launched rail heritage digitisation project.

The project is a first of its kind to showcase country’s rail heritage to national and international

R.A.C.E audience in an online story-telling platform.

 The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhu has released the policy on biometric based digital processing of passengers at airports called “Digi

Yatra”.

 Railways have plans to develop 640 Utkrisht rakes as part of upgradation of its mail/express trains in the next two years at a cost of Rs 4 billion. Developed as 'green rakes' (consisting of 20 or 22 coaches) at Eastern Railways' Liluah workshop, they cost Rs 600, 000 each. In the first phase 140 rakes is to be developed by March 2019.

 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an MoU with the Central University of

Jammu (CUJ) in Jammu to set up Satish Dhawan Center for Space Science, a Space Applications

Centre in the University campus.

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 Union Minister for Micro Small & Medium Enterprises, Shri Giriraj Singh inaugurated a month long- National Khadi Festival 2018 in Mumbai. Loan disbursal to successful MSMEs was enhanced to over Rs. 1 crore by the ministry from the earlier range of Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 1 crore.

 National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) signed an MoU with the Ministry of

Housing and Urban Affairs for training of 2. 5 lakh urban poor in the construction sector. This will be implemented under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-

NULM).

 IIT-Kharagpur was named the national coordinating institute of the Scheme for Promotion of

Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) under the Ministry of Human Resource

Development.

 External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in New Delhi. It is a part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next one year.

 A memorandum of cooperation (MoC) was signedR.A.C.E between the Ministry of Railways and joint- stock company Russian Railways on the sidelines of the India-Russia Summit.

 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on has signed a memorandum of understanding

(MoU) with the UN Environment for coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.

 The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has formally launched 'India for Humanity' initiative to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

 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 Former secretary Bhure Lal continues to be the chairman.

 UNICEF and NASSCOM Foundation has signed an agreement to strengthen child rights. With this

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organisations will work collaboratively on two key areas

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including national sensitisation on 'child online protection' and 'encouraging innovations for child rights' in India.

 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the merger of the existing regulatory institutions in the skills space - National Council for Vocational Training

(NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) into the National Council for

Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).

 The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal moved northwards with a speed of about 14 kmph over West central Bay of Bengal, about 320 km south-southeast of Gopalpur

(Odisha) and 270 km southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is very likely to intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

 The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has dedicated a DRDO website -'The Kalam Vision -

Dare to Dream' - to former president and 'Missile Man' Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

R.A.C.E  Government has announced 100 crore rupee awards 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 has launched a national campaign 'Swasth Bharat Yatra' on the World Food Day in New Delhi. It aims to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy. A pan-India cycle rally is also being organised. It propagate a powerful message 'Eat Right India'.

 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.

 Four Himalayan peaks near Gangotri glacier have been named after former Prime Minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee. The peaks are located at 6, 557m, 6, 566m, 6, 160m and 6, 100m on the right flank of

Gangotri glacierand named them Atal-1, 2, 3 and 4, while hoisting the national flag.

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 President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the three-day ‘Vishwa Shanti Ahimsa Sammelan’ at Mangi Tungi in Satana taluka. It was organised by the Bhagwan Rishabhdev Murti Nirmaan

Samiti.

 The 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 Prime Minister announced an annual award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for police and paramilitary forces for commendable contributions in disaster relief operations.

 The Indian Air Force on its 86th anniversary, has launched an innovative mobile health App named

‘MedWatch’. It will provide correct, Scientific and authentic health information to air warriors and all citizens of India. It was launched by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa in New Delhi.

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of National Disaster

Management Authority (NDMA) at New Delhi. R.A.C.E Prime Minister reviewed the activities of NDMA to effectively manage and respond to disasters affecting the country. He also reviewed ongoing projects undertaken by NDMA.

 Anil Ambani-led shipbuilder Reliance Naval and Engineering (RNEL) launched a 3, 000- tonne training ship for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) named ‘ICGS Varuna’. The ship would be delivered to the ICG in May 2019.

 Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Department of Space signed an MOU for setting up of Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER) in Ministry of Home Affairs. It will be established by 2020.

 Health ministry notified that the online e-pharmacies will have to adhere to the set of new draft rules regarding selling of drugs through the internet. It should be registered with the Central Drugs

Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). It also banned sale of narcotics, psychotropic drugs and tranquillizers.

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 Centre released Rs. 399. 44 crore for 10 states along the international borders for developing forward areas as a part of Border Area Development Programme (BADP) for 2018-19.

 Rs 3, 000 crore worth tax money achieved from Advance Pricing Agreements with MNCs report by

CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes).

 Home Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that all contributions to home ministry’s ‘Bharat Ke

Veer’ fund have been exempted from the income tax under 80(G).

 National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), the first of its kind university on the transport sector in India, started has started functioning. At present it is functioning at the National Academy of

Indian Railways, Vadodara.

 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the doorstep delivery of 40 services in Delhi. To avail the services, citizens have to dial 1076 and place a request. They can specify a time for a “Mobile

Sahayak” to come and collect them. The services will be offered for an extra fee of Rs. 50.

R.A.C.E  National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed 3 committees: apex monitoring Committee, Regional

Monitoring Committees and state level committees to look over implementation of directions given by NGT and other rules. Will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice D K Jain.

 External Affairs Ministry signed an agreement with the Telecommunications Consultants India

Ltd. (TCIL) in New Delhi, to set up a pan-African e-network between India and Africa. The project is named e-VidyaBharati and e-ArogyaBharati Network Project.

 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS

PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ‘Pension Adalat’.

 Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, released the draft

India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) and a booklet on ‘Montreal Protocol – India’s Success Story’.

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 Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi announced increase in remuneration for ASHA and Anganwadi workers effective from October 2018. Doubling of routine incentives to ASHA workers.

Providing free insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Suraksha

Bima Yojana.

 Election Commission announced the withdrawal of the provision of None of The Above (NOTA) option from ballet papers for elections to Rajya Sabha and legislative council in states. This move came after the Supreme court through its 3-member panel headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra rules out the NOTA options in August 21, 2018.

 Union Cabinet approved new umbrella scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan

Abhiyan, PM-AASHA. The new Umbrella Scheme comprises of: Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price

Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme

(PPPS).

 Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar R.A.C.E Abbas Naqvi launched the country’s first “National

Scholarship Portal Mobile App” (NSP Mobile App) in New Delhi. For smooth, accessible and hassle- free scholarship system for students from poor and weaker sections.

 Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched Dairy

Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) with an outlay of Rs 10881 crore.

 Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social

Justice & Empowerment organized a 1-day ‘National Conference of District Disability Rehabilitation

Centres’ at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare prohibited the manufacture, sale or distribution of 328 Fixed

Dose Combinations (FDCs) for human use with immediate effect.

 S. S. Ahluwalia, Minister of State for Electronics and IT has launched C-DAC Information Media

Server (CIMS) for improving Good Governance.

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 Union Science & Technology minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated 2 projects at Sun Dial

Park in New Delhi. Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUSHR) project and2 bio toilets supported by DBT-BIRAC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced its project report for development of Palaly airport in northern Sri Lanka.

 Shri Jual Oram, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs inaugurated the “Conference on Empowerment of

Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) & Organic Farmers Co-operatives from Dantewada, Bastar Region” at

NITI Aayog, New Delhi.

 Over 15 per cent of the 54. 95 lakh houses sanctioned in last three years under the Centre's flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) have been completed, according to data provided by the

Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry.

 The Goods and Services Tax Council has formed a seven-member group of ministers with Bihar

R.A.C.E deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar as convenor to examine how states hit by a natural calamity can be assisted under the tax regime with steps such as a separate cess.

 The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban

(SBM – U), 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.

 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.

 Economic Affairs Secretary SC Garg has announced a reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by 70, 000 crore rupees and maintained that the government will contain fiscal deficit target at 3. 3 per cent.

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 The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Conference on Academic Leadership on

Education for Resurgence in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi which the Vice-Chancellors/Directors from more than 350 universities participated.

 The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi International

Sanitation Convention in New Delhi.

 Government of India has taken an important decision to enhance its contribution in the State

Disaster Response fund (SDRF) from 75% to 90%. w. e. f. 1st April 2018. Central Government will contribute 90 per cent and all States will contribute 10 per cent to the SDRF. The additional contribution by Central Government in SDRF on this account will be Rs. 1690. 35 crore for the year 2018-19 and Rs.

1774. 67 crore for the financial year 2019-20.

 NITI Aayog, India’s think tank, has partnered with Oracle, Apollo Hospitals and drug maker

Strides Pharma Sciences to work on a real drug supply chain using blockchain technology in a move to

curb fake medicines. R.A.C.E

 President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to promulgate an Ordinance to set up a committee to run the Medical Council of India, MCI, until Parliament passes legislation to replace the body with a new commission.

 NationalInformatics Centre (NIC) and National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated

(NICSI) have jointly set up a Centre of Excellence for data analytics to support Government departments to unlock the hidden potential of the data that they are generating as part of the governance processes and use it to improve the overall governance.

 Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Railways, Shri

Manoj Sinha presided over the Inaugural Session of the one-day seminar on “FDI in Telecom Sector:

The Way Ahead” at New Delhi.

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 A delegation from the World Bank and ADB has submitted a rapid damage assessment and need analysis report, after making a quick study of flood-damaged sectors, which puts the total damages at Rs

25, 050 crore.

 Vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated Smart City Expo India-2018 in Jaipur.

 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will today inaugurate a national literary and intellectual conference-

"Lok Manthan 2018" at Khel Gaon in Ranchi.

 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.

 Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched the online software for Agmark. The process of application will be simple, quick, transparent and 24x7.

 Northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territories of Delhi and Chandigarh have agreed to repair uniform tax costs on petroleum goods, amid mounting

R.A.C.E gasoline costs.

 The Supreme Court judgement struck down Section 497 of the India Penal Code that dealt with adultery overturning three previous rulings which had stated that the adultery law was constitutional. The five-judge bench comprised Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, DY

Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.

 Department of FinancialServices (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC) has jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative. unique position to provide a citizen centric platform for locating financial service touch points across all providers such as banks, post office, CSC, etc.

 The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launched a transformative initiative in MSME credit space. The web portal www. psbloansin59minutes. com will enable in principle approval for MSME loans up to Rs. 1 crore within 59 minutes from Majority stake of SIDBI & big 5

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PSBs- SBI, Bank of Baroda, PNB, Vijaya and Indian Bank. It is a strategic initiative of SIBDI led PSB consortium incubated under the aegis of Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance.

 Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwarhas inaugurated the 7th

National Conference on Excellence in Workplace Safety and Occupational Health in New Delhi.

 The Supreme Court declared the Centre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid.

The apex court’s five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra.

 Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated air pollution control device Wind

Augmentation Purifying Unit, WAYU, at ITO in New Delhi. The device WAYU is developed by Council of Science and Industrial Research to mitigate air pollution at traffic junctions.

 Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal has launched “Rail Heritage Digitisation Project” of Indian Railways in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture through video-conferencing in New Delhi.

 Indian Navy has signed contract with Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) located in

Visakhapatnam for construction of two Diving SupportR.A.C.E Vessels (DSV) to augment its submarine support operations.

 The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 1, 000 engines for fitment in T-

72 tanks of the Army at an approximate cost of over Rs 2, 300 crore.

 MoU had been signed among the shipping and railway ministries, Madhya Pradesh and

Maharashtra governments for implementation of 90 billion Indore-Manmad rail project.

 The national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy for India prepared by Indian Council of Forestry and Education, Dehradun for the

Government was released in New Delhi by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate

Change Harsh Vardhan.

 The Union government has introduced Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements

(ARRIA). It was announced by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar ARIIA will rank educational

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institutions for innovation output based on all major indicators and parameters used globally. It was named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

 The bi-annual talks between Indian and Bangladeshi border forces will begin in New Delhi.

Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma will represent the Indian side while Director

General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major General Md Shafeenul Islam will lead the Bangladeshi side in the talks.

 Indian Railways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s GAIL (India)

Limited, to provide infrastructure facilities for supply of Natural Gas to Indian Railways Workshops,

Production Units and Depots.

 The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR has organized a two-day conference on

Motivating & Attracting Youth in Agriculture (MAYA). Under this scheme, special efforts are being taken up to attract the rural youth under the age of 35 years in agriculture so that the increase in

R.A.C.E the migration of rural youth towards cities is controlled.

 India will shortly unveil a ‘One Nation-One Card Policy’ for public transport that will entail connectivity between various modes of transport. It was announced by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

 UP police launched the ‘e-FIR’ or ‘dial-FIR’ scheme for the first time in the country. To help the citizens lodge a report and FIR online.

 Governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement for renewing work on Rs.

2793 crore Shahpurkandi dam project.

 NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR collaborated to set up a Model International Center for

Transformative AI (ICTAI) in Bengaluru. And to develop and deploy AI-led application-based research projects.

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 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to set up its first overseas ground station at the North Pole. This would bolster the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) operations which are critically important in times like disaster management.

 The Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu has launched Coffee

Connect - India coffee field force app and Coffee Krishi Tharanga - digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders.

 Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited for the first time has bagged an order worth Rs. 9, 200 crore for supply of 7 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) systems. This is the highest-ever single value order bagged by BEL.

 National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM) was launched to enhance the adoption and use of GeM by major central Ministries, State Governments and their agencies.

 The Government has approved a proposal by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission

(KVIC) to increase wages of artisans by over 36 percentR.A.C.E , from five rupees 50 paisa per hank to seven rupees 50 paisa.

 Software major Adobe has 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.

 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved continuation of the Centrally Sponsored

Umbrella Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) beyond the 12th

Plan period from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

 The Bangladesh Naval Ship Somudra Joy arrived Visakhapatnam on a four day visit to the

Eastern Naval Command. BNS Somudra Joy is a Hamilton Class frigate and it is one of the largest ships of the Bangladesh Navy. The ship earlier visited Visakhapatnam in Feb 2016 and participated in the

International Fleet Review hosted by Indian Navy.

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 The national human space mission ‘Gaganyaan’ will get French support in the form of life support and medicine for the Indian crew. The French space agency CNES head Jean-Yves LeGall has announced that an enabling agreement would be signed with his ISRO counterpart K. Sivan.

 Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry has launched the Aapoorti mobile app of Indian Railways e- procurement system (IREPS). The Aapoorti mobile app has been launched in a bid to provide information as well as data related to e-tendering and e-auction related activities of the national transporter.

 The government has appointed a panel under former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal

Jalan to select the next chief economic adviser in the finance ministry.

 The government has announced 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. Both BPL and lower-middle-class families will benefit from it.

R.A.C.E  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 'Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) ’, a jan andolan for swachhata (cleanliness) on September 15 in the run-up to the 4th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat

Mission (SBM). The SHS aims at accelerating the Jan-Andolan for realizing the vision of a Clean India, further reinforcing the belief that 'Sanitation is everyone's business'.

 The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft “Tejas” was successfully carried out. It places India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes.

 The Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launched a web portal www. railsahyog.

Salient feature of this portal is its simplicity & transparency.

 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare implemented the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Act, 2017. According to the law, every HIV infected or affected person below the age of 18 has the right to live in a shared household and enjoy its facilities.

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 The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the launch of 'Swachhata Hi Seva Movement' from 15 September. The movement will be launched to mark the commencement of Mahatma Gandhi's

150th birth anniversary on 2 October.

 Ministry of Power launched the Chiller Star Labelling Program in New Delhi. It will be valid upto 31st December 2020.

 The Union Minority Affairs Minister MukhtarAbbas Naqvihas launched the country's first

National Scholarship Portal mobile app that would make the government welfare schemes more accessible to needy students.

 The PM-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved 100 percent electrification of the Indian Railways, tentatively by 2021-22.

 This will make Indian Railways one of the largest electrified railway networks in the world — after

China, which has 87, 000 km (around 68 percent of its network) electrified — and the only large

railway with 100 percent electrification. R.A.C.E

 The app Siddhi, was unveiled by a Mumbai-based start-up earlier this year is bringing farmers and dealers of agricultural equipment under one roof. It was developed by Mumbai-based agri start up e- commerce company DestaGlobal and was launched in July 1, 2018. The app is available in English and

Marathi.

 The Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani has presented ‘Shilp Guru’ and National

Award to Master craft persons at a function held at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.

 Chhattisgarh Assembly has passed Rs 2, 400 crore supplementary budget for the financial year 2018-19.

 The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV) has been successfully injected two foreign satellites - NovaSAR and S1-4- into the orbit. The ISRO workhorse blasted-off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The two satellites are from the United Kingdom.

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 The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved Rs 65, 634. 93 crore loan projects under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana

(PMKSY).

 The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal inaugurated the ‘first ever’ India

Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) in the presence of Union Tourism Minister, Shri K J Alphons and the Tourism

Minister of Morocco, Mr. Mohamed Sajid, in New Delhi. India Tourism Mart (ITM) is being held for the first time and the Tourism industry stakeholders are coming together for such a largescale event with

Ministry’s support.

 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested a low-weight indigenously developed Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) at its Ahmednagar range.

 The online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal was launched to facilitate individuals and private companies in seeking security clearance for setting up businesses in certain sensitive sectors. Union Home

R.A.C.E Secretary Shri Rajiv Gauba launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal in New Delhi.

 The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has accorded approval for the procurement of equipment for the Defence Forces valued at over Rs 9,

100 crore.

 The Union home minister Rajnath Singh has launched two smart fencing pilot projects along the

198-km-long India-Pakistan international border in Jammu and Kashmir.

 The Culture Ministryhas revived the National MuseumResearch Bulletin, a comprehensive anthology of the museum's contents after a gap of 16 years. The Minister of Statefor Culture Mahesh

Sharmareleased two important publications of the National MuseumSindhu Ghati Sabhyata: Ek

Parichay(Hindi) and the National MuseumResearch Bulletin Number 10: Special issue.

 Cyient Solutions & Systems (CSS) has received an order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance.

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

 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.

 President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the ordinance banning the practice of instant triple talaq. The ordinance was cleared by the Union Cabinet. Under the ordinance, giving instant triple talaqis illegal and void, and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.

 The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a new scheme which would pay cash relief to insured persons during the period of unemployment.

 Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) approved a new scheme- Atal Bimit Vyakti

Kalyan Yojna for Insured Persons covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act.

 The World Bank Board has endorsed an ambitious five-year Country Partnership Framework

(CPF) for India, which aligns with New Delhi's objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundationR.A.C.E stone of India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in Dwarka, Delhi. Phase-I and II will be completed by December 2019 and

December 2024, respectively. The estimated cost of the project is: Rs 25, 703 crore.

 Health Ministry launched a pilot service of transportation of sputum sample used for TB diagnosis through the Department of Posts in Karawal Nagar, Delhi.

 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises, Giriraj Singh, launched MSME Insider – a monthly e-newsletter of the Ministry.

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a new web portal ‘Budget Dashboard’, incorporating features of Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Health Research.

 The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh has launched two separate portals to strengthen

Women Safety. 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.

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

 Supreme Court has approved a scheme that grants a compensation of minimum Rs. 4 lakh and maximum Rs. 7 lakh to the survivors of rape and sexual assault.

 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare exchanged the MoUs with the Tata Trusts and Dell to provide a technological platform for nationwide prevention, control, screening and management program of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

 Indian government has launched one of the world's largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, set to cover some 500 million poor people. The programme, which was first announced as part of the yearly budget in February, is expected to cost the central and 29 state governments $1. 6bn a year in total.

 The Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated air pollution control device

Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit, WAYU, at ITO in New Delhi.

 India has become the first and only SAARC country and 4th in Asia to have a quit-line number on

R.A.C.E tobacco products. The words ‘Quit today call — 1800-11-2356’ shall appear in white font on a black background.

 The 25th September is observed as Antyodaya Diwas every year to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Antyodaya Divas will be organised across the country as part of fortnight Swachhata Hi Sewa movement.

 Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has dedicated the India’s first Indian Culinary Institute

(ICI) in Tirupati and two coastal tourism projects taken up under Swadesh Darshan, to the nation.

The ICI was designed by National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC).

 Pindara Thakur village in Amethi, Uttarpradesh was made fully digital under Digital India

Programme of the Union government.

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 The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics

Centre (NIC) has jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative.

 The Indian Air Force has successfully test fired the indigenously developed beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) ‘Astra’ from a Su-30 aircraft.

 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the National

Digital Communications Policy-2018 (NDCP-2018) and re-designation of the Telecom Commission as the “Digital Communications Commission”.

 The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley launched the Financial

Inclusion Index after his Annual Performance Review Meeting with CEOs of the Public Sector Banks in

New Delhi.

 Rajasthan has announced a 4% reduction in value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel

and Andhra Pradesh has announced Rs 2 reductionR.A.C.E in VAT on petrol and diesel.

 The Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju flagged off Delhi Movelo Cyclothon in the national capital, New Delhi. Delhi Movelo Cyclothon was organised by NITI Aayog at India Gate. The main aim of the event was making cycling a part of everybody’s life and also spreading the message of environmental awareness.

 The Union Cabinet has decided to indefinitely extend the Atal Pension Scheme, which lapsed in

August, and doubled the accident insurance and relaxed the age criteria by five years to further incentivise the scheme. Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is a social security scheme launched by the government in

2015 to provide a defined pension between Rs 1, 000 to Rs 5, 000.

 The Supreme Court decriminalised a portion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial era provision that criminalises private consensual sexual acts between same sex adults.

 Competition Commission of India has approved the acquisition of Pipeline Infrastructure by

India Infrastructure Trust.

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 The government decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. The over-draft limit for account holders has now been doubled to Rs 10, 000. The free accident insurance cover for new accounts after August 28 has been doubled to Rs 2 lakh. No conditions will be attached for over-draft of up to Rs 2, 000. The upper age limit for overdraft facility has been hiked to 65 from the earlier 60 years.

 According to Finance ministry, 20 lakh people have joined the modified Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan

Yojna (PMJDY) as on September 5, 2018. The total number of account holders has now increased to 32.

61 crore.

 President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Dakshina Bharat

Hindi Prachar Sabha in New Delhi.

 Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga

Rejuvenation, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal has inaugurated the two-day National Orientation workshop on

R.A.C.E National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) organised byParliamentary Affairs Ministry. It is a part of the e-Vishan mission on ‘One Nation One Application’ and the total cost of project: Rs. 739 Crore.

 Union Government released a National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) in New Delhi. It was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhunder the National Mission for Safety of Women.

India has become the 9th nation to have a registry of this kind.

 Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, released a booklet on Schedule of Rates (SOR) 2018 for new technologies and First Q R Code of Central Public Works Department

(CPWD).

 Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released draft Charter of Patients’ Rights for proper health care by medical establishments. It was prepared by National Human Rights Commission

(NHRC).

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 Government set up a panel of secretaries for the 2nd draft e-commerce policy. This would be chaired by Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) : Ramesh

Abhishek.

 Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launched a web portal called ‘Rail Sahyog’ to rope in corporate collaborations. To enable Corporates and PSUs to contribute to upgradation through

Corporate Social Responsibility funds.

 SEBI to relax foreign fund rules initiated a public consultation process for finalising the new guidelines on KYC and beneficial owner identification. This was done on the recommendation of a panel headed by former RBI Deputy (rpt) Deputy Governor H R Khan.

 Govt decided to contain fiscal deficit at 3. 3 pc of GDP for the fiscal year ending March 2019 to avoid a twin deficit problem.

 Hindustan Shipyard Limited announced that India’s first ocean surveillance and missile tracking

ship VC 11184, will undertake its first sea trial in theR.A.C.E first week of October 2018. It has been built for the National Technical Research Organisation under PMO and National Security Adviser, with a total cost of Rs. 750 crore.

 Government along with UN body FAO launched an agricultural project worth USD 33. 5 million on conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes. This project is being funded by Global Environment

Facility (GEF).

NATIONAL SUMMITS

SUMMIT Key Points/ Area/ Themes Held in

38th India International Theme: “Rural Enterprises in India”. New Delhi, India

Trade Fair (IITF) In this year’s fair Afghanistan is the Partner

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Country, while Nepal is the Focus Country.

Jharkhand is participating as a Partner State in

the event.

14th edition of Organised by the National School of Drama New Delhi, India

international children’s (NSD).

theatre festival

49th International Film The Aspern Papers is the opening film, Sealed Panaji, Goa

Festival of India Lips will be the closing movie.

Veteran Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman –

Lifetime Achievement Award.

27th BASIC Ministerial To enhance their support to the developing New Delhi, India

R.A.C.E Meeting on Climate nations in effectively implementing the Paris

Change Agreement to combat climate change.

Brazil to host the 28th BASIC Ministerial Meeting

in the first half of 2019.

First-ever India-US The dialogue was launched by US Chamber of New Delhi, India

Dialogue on Intellectual Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center

Property (GIPC) and FICCI in partnership with the US-

India Business Council.

‘Emerging Trends in It was organized by the Indian Air Force and New Delhi, India

Aviation Engineering and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Birender

Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) Singh Dhanoa delivered the key note address.

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Seminar

2nd edition of the Navy Theme: ‘Optimisation’ and ‘Emerging New Delhi, India

Commanders’ Conference Technologies’.

of 2018

Fourth NITI Aayog- DRC It is the second ministerial dialogue between Mumbai, Maharashtra

(Development Research China and India.

Centre) Dialogue The Fifth edition of the NITI – DRC Dialogue will

be held in Wuhan, China in November 2019.

1st ‘Annual Senior Care It was hosted by Confederation of Indian New Delhi, India

Conclave – Igniting Industry (CII) in collaboration with Columbia

Industry for India’s Ageing Pacific Communities as their Premium Partner.

Sector’

R.A.C.E 13th Indo-Myanmar The Indian delegation was headed by Imphal, Manipur

Regional Border Lieutenant General Gopal R, AVSM, SM, GOC

Committee Meet Spear Corps and the Myanmar delegation was

headed by Maj Gen Phone Myat, Commander,

North West Command.

78th Annual Conference of It was organized by New Delhi, India

the Indian Society of The Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi,

Agricultural Economics International Food Policy Research Institute,

Delhi; and

Tata-Cornell Institute, Ithaca, USA.

Global IT Challenge for Leverage IT skills among youth with disabilities New Delhi, India

Youth with Disabilities, and Spread awareness about the application of

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

2018 ICT for persons with disabilities especially in

Asia-Pacific region.

Second edition of INSPIRE It was organized by Energy Efficiency Services New Delhi, India

(International Symposium Limited (EESL) and World Bank.

to Promote Innovation &

Research in Energy

Efficiency)

Global Cooling Innovation To address the climate threat that comes from New Delhi, India

Summit the growing demand from room air

conditioners.

4th International Congress Theme: ‘Future of Geriatric Medicine practice – New Delhi, India

on Gerontology and Are you Ready?’

R.A.C.E Geriatric Medicine.

6th Indian Social Work Theme: “Human Development and Social New Delhi, India

Congress (ISWC) Inclusion: Imperatives for Social Work

Education and Practice”.

2-day South Asian Theme: “Urban Infrastructure: New Approaches New Delhi, India

Regional Conference on to Public &Private Partnerships and Municipal

Urban Infrastructure Finance Innovations”.

9th Session of the India – Both the parties decided to hold the New Delhi, India

Kyrgyz IGC 10thmeeting of the Kyrgyz-Indian inter-

governmental Commission on Trade-Economic

and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in Bishkek,

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Kyrgyz Republic.

4-day Regional meeting of To amend the Kyoto protocol, Digital customs, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

the World Customs & E-commerce.

Organisation

8th National Conference of Enabling atmosphere for women to maximize Ranchi, Jharkhand

Women in Police and optimize their professional potential.

24th edition of Kolkata Australia was the focus country for KIFF 2018. Kolkata, West Bengal

International Film Festival

(KIFF 2018)

50th Union World Theme: “Ending the Emergency: Science, Hyderabad, Telangana

Conference on Lung Leadership, Action”.

Health

R.A.C.E 7th International Tourism Theme: “Adventure Tourism” Agartala, Tripura

Mart

Indo-French Conclave It was organized by Indo French Chamber of Nagpur, Maharashtra

Commerce & Industry (IFCCI) and the Embassy

of France in India.

“Shanghai Cooperation It was the first phase of the main exercise New Delhi, India

Organization Joint Exercise scheduled for 21-24 February, 2019 in Delhi

on Urban Earthquake which will be organized by the National Disaster

Search & Rescue- 2019” Response Force (NDRF) on behalf of

Government of India.

26th Conference of Central Theme: “Quality Assurance in Official Dharamshala. Himachal

and States Statistical Statistics”. Pradesh

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Organizations

2nd edition of Global Digital 1st edition was held in Geneva in 2016. New Delhi, India

Content Market 2018 India has been chosen as the host nation for

(GDCM 2018) GDCM 2018 by World Intellectual Property

Organization (WIPO).

All India Heads of Police Theme: “Modernization of Police Communication New Delhi, India

Communication and challenges thereof. ”

Conference

3rd India-Singapore The 4th Defence Minister’s dialogue was Visakhapatnam, Andhra

Defence Minister Dialogue announced to be held in Singapore in 2019. Pradesh

(DMD)

Logix India 2019 It will be organized by the Federation of Indian New Delhi (31st January

R.A.C.E Export Organisations (FIEO) to improve logistics to 2nd February 2019)

cost effectiveness and operational efficiencies

for India’s global trade.

India ranked 44th in the World Bank Logistics

Performance Index 2018.

4th Indian International Theme: “Science for Transformation”. In IISF Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Science Festival (IISF) 2018, a World Record attempt will be made to

2018 “isolate DNA” by 500 students from class 8th to

10th standard.

Mahatma Gandhi India is striving to eliminate open defecation in New Delhi, India

International Sanitation its entirety by October 2, 2019.

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Convention

13th Annual Convention of For improving the transparency and New Delhi, India

Central Information accountability with a view to improve

Commission (CIC) governance.

6th India International Silk India is the 2nd largest producer of silk in the New Delhi, India

Fair 2018 world.

27th IAEA Fusion Energy For the discussion of key physics and Mahatma Mandir,

Conference technology issues as well as innovative Gandhinagar

concepts of direct relevance to the use of (Ahmedabad) Gujarat,

nuclear fusion as a source of energy. India.

First assembly of ISA, To launch a National Energy Storage Mission Vigyan Bhawan, New

Second ministerial of IORA that will look at manufacturing, deployment, Delhi

R.A.C.E and Second REINVEST technology development and policy framework.

meet 2018

International Conference Theme of the conference was: “Give her wings Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

on Women’s Health, and let her soar. ” President Ram Nath Kovind

Wellness and addressed the conference.

Empowerment

2-day First Regional To devise strategies and programs for bettering Shimla, Himachal

Conference on ‘Women in conditions of Women Prisoners and upholding Pradesh

Detention and Access to their Fundamental Rights.

Justice’

‘2nd World Conference on Working on recommendations from the 1st New Delhi, India

Access to Medical World Conference 2017.

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Products: Achieving the

SDGs 2030’

29th Accountants General The theme of this year’s conference is: Deen Dayal Upadhyay

Conference “Auditing and Accounting in a Digital Era”. Marg, in New Delhi.

Accountants General from all over India are

taking part in the conference.

32nd world conference of The theme for the conference: ‘The Wholesale Gurugram, Haryana

World Union of Wholesale Markets in the Digital Era: Challenges and

Markets, WUWM Opportunities. ’

46th edition of IHGF-Delhi To provide more assistance to the artisans for Greater Noida, Uttar

Fair Autumn-2018 healthcare and education of their children. Pradesh

To participate and prepare for the Ambiente

R.A.C.E 2019 to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, where

India will be the partner-country.

First National Summit on To encourage all the Departments of the New Delhi, India

Invest in AYUSH 2018 Government and Private Companies to invest in

AYUSH.

10th Nuclear Energy Theme of the conclave was: “Nuclear Power: New Delhi, India

Conclave 2018 Towards A Clean And Base Load Energy”.

Global Agriculture The theme of the summit was: ‘Connecting New Delhi, India

Leadership Summit 2018 Farmers to Market’.

10th Edition of BIOFACH The theme of the BIOFACH INDIA conference: New Delhi, India

INDIA “Enhancing export of organic products trade

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from India – strategies and synergies”.

2nd edition of IndiaSkills It was organized by the Ministry of Skill New Delhi.

2018 Development and Entrepreneurship. It aimed to

identify, promote and reward the best talents in

different skills.

19th India-Russia Annual Signed $5. 43 billion S-400 missile deal with New Delhi

Bilateral Summit 2018 Russia.

Best Practices in It was organized by NITI Aayog and ICC New Delhi.

International Arbitration International Court of Arbitration

2018

2nd edition of ‘Japan-India It provides a platform for India-Japan New Delhi.

Act East Forum’ collaboration under India’s “Act East

R.A.C.E Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific

Strategy”.

6th meeting of UAE-India The name of the UAE-desk is ‘UAE PLUS’. It was Mumbai, Maharashtra

High-Level Joint Task co-chaired by Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown

Force on Investments Prince’s Court, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al

Nahyan along with the Commerce Minister

Suresh Prabhu.

Goa Maritime Symposium Theme: “Building Stronger Maritime INS Mandovi at Goa

Partnerships in IOR”.

4th edition of NITI Lecture Theme: “AI for ALL: Leveraging Artificial New Delhi

Series Intelligence for Inclusive Growth”.

36th Indian Carpets Expo It was started in the year 2000 and is Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

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a biannual fair.

11th Global Agriculture Theme: Connecting Farmers to Market’. New Delhi.

Summit 2018

2nd edition of India Mobile Theme: “New Digital Horizons. Connect. Create. Aerocity, New Delhi.

Congress Innovate”.

World Mobile Congress held in Barcelona in

early 2018.

4th India-ASEAN Dialogue It has been scheduled for 21-23 February 2019 New Delhi

Partner Expo and Summit

‘71st Session of the WHO Implementation of the National Strategic Plan New Delhi.

Regional Committee for for Tuberculosis and target to remove of by

South-East Asia, ’ 2025(ahead of 2030 set by WHO).

R.A.C.E India Ideas Summit Organized by US-India Business Council Mumbai, Maharashtra

(USIBC), an American business advocacy group

Defence & Homeland Organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and New Delhi

Security Expo and Industry and Ministry of Micro, Small and

Conference – 2018 Medium Enterprises (MSME).

6th edition of the biennial It was inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Dr. K Bengaluru

Bengaluru Space Expo Sivan.

Theme - “Creating dynamism in Indian space

ecosystem”

6th International Geriatric Theme - “Increased Longevity with Reduced All India Institute of

Orthopaedic Society of Fragility and Enhanced Mobility”. It was Medical Sciences , New

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India Conference organized by Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of Delhi

India.

First Regional Workshop To provide positive solution to the problems of Pune, Maharashtra

on RERA (Real Estate home buyers.

Regulatory Authority)

15th Pravasi Bharatiya Theme for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Divas 2019 is: ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New

India’.

First General Assembly of The Ministerial level Assembly will be held 2 October 2018 in Delhi

the International Solar in Greater Noida on October 3, 2018.

Alliance [ISA] Implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement

through rapid and massive deployment of solar

energy. R.A.C.E

MOVE: India’s first ‘Global It is organized by NITI Aayog. Mobility Week - New Delhi, India

Mobility Summit’ July 30th and August 3rd 2018.

International Aviation It was organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation New Delhi, India

Summit (MoCA), the Airports Authority India (AAI) and

International Air Transport Association.

Vision 2035 plans to build 100 new airports

across India in the next 10-15 years with an

investment of USD 60 billion.

4th World Summit on It was Inaugurated by Union Minister for HRD New Delhi, India

Accreditation (WOSA- Shri Prakash Javadekar.

2018) Theme: Challenges and Opportunities in

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Outcome-Based Accreditation

Two Day Regional The themes include: ICT Enabled Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Conference On Good Agriculture, Public Service and Grievance

Governance Management and Good Governance initiatives.

Conference on E-Mobility To discuss strategies for future of mobility in New Delhi, India

in Indian Railways India and to make Indian Railways more

efficient, greener and a preferred mode of

transport.

India International Science Theme: ‘Science for Transformation’. Indira Gandhi

Festival (IISF) It is organized by Ministry of Science and Pratishthan, Lucknow

Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences in

association with Vijnana Bharati or VIBHA.

R.A.C.E Smart City Expo India- Bhubaneshwar was awarded the first prize in Jaipur, Rajasthan

2018 ‘The City’ category, while Indore received

‘Special Mention Award’.

21st Central Zonal Council It is the objective of the Zonal Councils to boost Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

meeting coordination between different states. It helps

in resolving numerous problems which at times

is impossible for one single state to resolve.

4th Annual Sustainable To work on reforms, development and barriers Bengaluru.

Smart Cities India taking place in the Smart Cities India projects

Conference

IATO’s 34th annual Theme: ‘Mission: 20 million Tourists by 2020, Visakhapatnam, Andhra

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convention challenges and possibilities’. Pradesh

Global Investors Meet The previous edition was held in September Chennai, Tamil Nadu

2019 2015.

STATES IN NEWS

ANDHRA PRADESH:

 Supreme Court has approved a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh and it will start functioning from 1st January 2019.

 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched Bhuseva programme and Bhudaar web portal to make land records available to people, in Amaravati. It will be allotted a unique 11-digit identity number called “Bhudaar’’. Temporary Bhudhaar number starts with 99. Permanent Bhudaar will start with 28. If it is a government land, 28 is followed by 00.

R.A.C.E  The Union cabinet has approved setting up of 'Central Tribal Universityof Andhra Pradesh'. The proposed university will come up after necessary amendment in the Central Universities Act.

 Andhra Pradesh is building a world-class and India's first 'Justice City' within its new capital

Amaravati. The vision is to provide a state-of-the-art ecosystem built on latest technology for supporting the judicial system in the state.

 UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in association with Government of Andhra Pradesh has announced TECH 2018, an international conference, to be held from 15-17 November 2018, at Novotel, Vizag City in Andhra Pradesh.

 The Andhra Pradesh government has launched a mobile platform, e-Rythu (e-farmer in

Telugu) which will enable small-scale farmers to market their produce at reasonable prices.

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 Andhra Pradesh government announced the start of an unemployment allowance as part of Yuva

Nestam scheme for the state’s youth from October 2018. It would give candidates an allowance of Rs.

1000 along with free of cost skill development training.

 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu flagged off the ‘Swachh Dhara’ programme at Amravati. To provide clean drinking water across the state.

 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated aRs 100 crore Indian Culinary Institute, built by the Ministry of Tourism, close to Renigunta airport.

 After 5 years of bifurcation in 2014, Andhra Pradesh government unveiled its new emblem for official use. It consists of “Dhamma Chakka” – “the Wheel of Law” embellished with a ring of Triratnas alternating with pinnate leaves and precious stones.

ASSAM:

R.A.C.E  The Assamese movie 'Village Rockstars' has been selected as India's official entry to the 91st

Oscars 2019. The film is directed by Rima Das. An all-India jury constituted by Film Federation of India

(FFI) under the chairmanship of Kannada producer Rajendra Singh Babu made the announcement.

 Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated the Indo-Bhutan Border

Centre at Darranga in Assam’s Baksa district. To strengthen bilateral trade with the neighbouring country.

 The Assam cabinet has decided to introduce a universal old age pension scheme to cover all BPL and APL ration card holders above the age of 60. The cabinet decided to launch on October 2 the universal old age pension scheme.

 The 5th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care

Systems in India began at Kaziranga in Assam.

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 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region

(DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh laid the foundation stone of new Science Centre, the “Technology Facility

Centre” (TFC) in Jorhat, Assam.

 The Namrup-based Assam Petrochemicals Limited has rolled out the country’s first methanol- based cooking fuel which will be cheaper than conventional LPG fuel. NITI Aayog member and former director general of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Vijay Kumar

Saraswat inaugurated the “Green and Clean Fuel Pilot Project” on methanol cooking stove, which is the first of its kind in India.

 Assam's third Bihu festival, known as Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu, was being celebrated across the state.

 Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) launched a Roll-on-Roll-off (RO-RO) service from Neamati to Manjuli Island in Assam.

 Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda SonowalR.A.C.E launched Wage Compensation scheme for

Pregnant Women in tea gardens of the state in Guwahati. According to the scheme, the pregnant woman would receive an amount of Rs. 12, 000 given in 4 installments. To reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the tea growing areas.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH:

 Arunachal Pradesh Police launched the Arunachal Pradesh Tourist Police and the Arunachal

Suraksha App to help the citizens during emergencies. By pressing the ‘Save Me’ button, user can send message to the nearest police station.

 Indian Army officials and Chinese PLA troops organized a high-level meeting at Bumla, near

Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen friendship and maintain peace along the 4057-km- long Line of Actual Control separates India from China.

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 The Arunachal Pradesh government has signed a MoU with The British Council here to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.

 Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema

Khandu distributed the cheques to the villagers of West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh. He distributed nearly Rs 37. 73 crore as compensation to the villagers of the state, more than 56 years after

India’s war with China.

 Arunachal Pradesh Government has launched 2 schemes called- the Chief Minister’s Sashakt

Kisan Yojana and Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana in Itanagar. To double the income of the farmers in the country by 2022.

 Two-day Childrens Film Bonanza has concluded at Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh.

 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. Deputy

R.A.C.E Commissioner (DC) Prince Dhawan introduced the Smart Ration Cards (SRCs).

 Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dedicated Arunachal Pradesh’s first Sainik School at Niglok in East Siang district to the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

BIHAR:

 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in

Nalanda district, Bihar. This is the second tallest statue of Buddha in the country.

 Bihar cabinet, chaired by CM Nitish Kumar, approved redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) into world’s largest 5462-bed hospital. The estimated cost for the project is: Rs.

5540. 07 crore.

 Bihar government approved a proposal to offer Rs 25, 000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and onwards.

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 Bihar’s Shahi Litchi — mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and adjoining areas of East Champaran,

Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai districts — now enjoys the geographical indication (GI) tag.

 The National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), India’s and Asia’s first is set to be established in

Patna. It will play an important role in strengthening conservation efforts and research to save the endangered mammal. Sinha is the chairperson of the working group for dolphin conservation set up by the central government. The State government of Bihar celebrates October 5 as the Dolphin day.

 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service between Bihar and Nepal. This bus service will connect Bodh Gaya and Patna in Bihar to Kathmandu and Janakpur in Nepal.

CHHATISGARH:

 India’s first tribal tourism circuit was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Tourism K J

Alphons in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.

 Election Commission has set up ‘Sangwari’R.A.C.E polling booths in various constituencies of Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to vote in the Assembly elections.

GUJARAT:

 According to the National Health Agency, after 2 months of launch of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan

Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Gujarat has emerged as the top performer among the states under the scheme.

 Gujarat government launched Rs 351 Crore project for the conservation of the Asiatic lions for next five years, after the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) outbreak, that claimed 23 Asiatic lions lives in their only dwelling Gir National park in Saurashtra.

 Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the “Ro-Pax” (roll on/off-passenger) ferry service connecting Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat.

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 Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal has inaugurated the first Mega Food Park in Gujarat. It is promoted by Gujarat Agro Infrastructure Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd and the Park is located at Village Shah and Vasravi, Surat district.

 Gujarat Forest Department started the vaccination of lions in the Gir Forest National Park to protect them from deadly Canine Distemper Virus (CDV).

 Gujarat government increase in insurance cover compensation for farmers in the event of accidental death or disability, costing it more than Rs. 70 crore. Accidental death from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh, and

Partial disability, losing either a limb or an eye, from Rs. 50, 000 to Rs. 1 lakh.

 The Gujarat Government has partnered with a top India-centric American advocacy group for the Vibrant Gujarat summit. Gujarat will host the ninth edition of the annual industry summit

'Vibrant Gujarat' from January 18 to 20, 2019, in Gandhinagar and it is expected to be attended by some of the top American corporate leaders.

R.A.C.E  Japan and Gujarat has signed agreements to promote bilateral cooperation in culture, business and interaction between the academia. These agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of a delegation from Gujarat led by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel to Japan.

GOA:

 Union minister of state for Ayush Shripad Naik laid the foundation stone for the All India Institute of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy at Dhargal, North Goa.

 Goa government announced a ban on import of fish into the state for six months. The decision has been taken in view of continuing uncertainty about the presence of formalin in imported fish in Goa.

 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Portuguese Environment Ministry and the Public Works Department of Goa will help the State manage its water resources better.

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 Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated 3-day SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) Discourse 2 conference in Panaji, Goa. It was organized by Forum for Integrated

National Security.

 The Goa government's Women and Child Development Ministry has launched a universal helpline service for women in distress in the coastal state. The service which can be accessed by dialling 181 will be operated by GVK-EMRI, a private corporate entity in association with the state

Women and Child Development Department.

HARYANA:

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of India’s first Sri Vishwakarma Skill

Development University in Palwal district of Haryana.

 The Haryana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil

Corporation (IOC) to set up an ethanol plant at R.A.C.E village Bohali in Panipat with an outlay of over Rs

900 crore.

 Haryana Vidhan Sabha passed the Haryana State Commission for Scheduled Castes Bill,

2018 for development of the SC community.

 The Former President Pranab Mukherjee and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurates projects under the Smartgram Yojna. The Smartgram Project in Haryana started in July

2016, when Shri Pranab Mukherjee adopted some villages as the serving President. Under the scheme,

Pranab Mukherjee had adopted five villages in 2016, when he was still the President.

 Haryana Assembly has passed two Bills. The first bill renamed YMCA University to the JC Bose

University of Science and Technology, YMCA, Faridabad. The second bill renamed Haryana

Vishwakarma Skill University to Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana.

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 Haryana Minister for Commerce & Industries, Shri Vipul Goel donated an amount of Rs. 2. 58 crore for funding public service. Rs. 1. 58 crore towards “Clean Ganga Fund” andRs. 1 crore towards

“Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund“.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 64-feet-tall statue of peasant leader Sir Chhotu

Ram at his native village Sampla in Haryana's Rohtak district.

 The Haryana regional office of NABARD has signed a MoU with Delhi-based Ayurvet Research

Foundation (ARF) for facilitating various collaborative initiatives, especially in the resource-poor districts of Haryana, for the integrated agricultural and rural development of the state.

 Haryana Government introduce the ‘Pashu Sanjeevni Sewa’ scheme to provide free of cost health care services to livestock in the state through mobile veterinary clinics. Livestock farmers would be able to avail the service of Mobile Veterinary Clinics 24×7 after giving a call on toll free No. 1962.

 Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced the launch of an anti-terrorist force

R.A.C.E (ATF) called ‘Kavach’.

 Haryana launched first-of-its-kind National Autism Intervention Research Centre at Fortis

Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram.

 National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in collaboration with Haryana government, launched its Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things (CoE – IoT) at Gurugram,

Haryana.

HIMACHAL PRADESH:

 Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to launch a single emergency number “112”, connecting police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in the state.

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 Himachal Pradesh Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur approved implementation of Sashakt Mahila Yojna in the State. It aims to empower rural women by providing them an interface for organization and socio-economic development.

 India for the first time announced a railway station named, the Keylong station, to be built inside a tunnel at a height of 3, 000 metres in Himachal Pradesh. This will be built along the Bilaspur-Manali-

Leh line close to the Sino-India border.

 Central government released the 1st installment amounting Rs. 122 crore to the Himachal

Pradesh government. For rehabilitation measures due to heavy rain and snowfall.

 Naropa festival concludes with Guinness World Record in Ladakhi dance. It was Celebrated every

12th year of the Tibetan calendar, the Naropa festival, also known as the ‘Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas’.

JAMMU & KASHMIR:

 Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy, Dr. R.A.C.E Jitendra Singh inaugurated 10KW transmitter of All

India Radio at Patnitop in Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir.

 The Measles-Rubella Vaccination campaign was launched across Jammu district to administer vaccines to over 3. 85 lakh children falling in the 9 months to 15 years age group.

 Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik inaugurated a week long annual ‘Jhiri

Mela’ festival at village Jhiri in Jammu district.

 Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik declared the state open defecation free (ODF) at the launch of “Swachhata Hi Seva” campaign at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference

Centre (SKICC).

 Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched E-Plant clinics in Udhampur district in an event organized by ADIO NIC and Agricultural Department. The clinics would be made functional at Majalta,

Ramnagar, Udhampur, and Chennai.

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JHARKHAND:

 Government of India along with Government of Jharkhand signed a $310 million Loan Agreement for Jharkhand Power Improvement Project aimed to provide affordable and reliable electricity supply to citizens of Jharkhand.

 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.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman

Bharat in Ranchi, Jharkhand, covering 57 lakh families in the state. He also launched a toll-free number of the Ayushman Bharat scheme: 14555

 Union Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the Jharkhand government’s proposal to rename a railway station as Banshidhar Nagar, after Banshidhar Temple. The town Nagar Untari in Garhwa

R.A.C.E district after Lord Krishna.

KARNATAKA:

 Karnataka government in partnership with start-up accelerator Numa, launched an initiative called ‘DataCity’ in Bengaluru. It will be jointly organised by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage

Board (BWSSB) and French utility company Suez.

 Bengaluru International Airport announced that roll out facial recognition facility for the passengers of some select airlines from 2019.

 Karnataka Social Welfare Department launched the Samruddhi scheme to boost employment opportunities for SC/ST youth through entrepreneurship.

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 Ministry of Defence launched the newly designed website of Aero India 2019. It was made to commemorate the 12th edition of “Aero India 2019” that will be hosted by India at Air Force

Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru, (Karnataka) from 20 to 24 February, 2019.

 President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical

Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill, 2016. This bill aims to provide legal protection to the good samaritans in the state, who help accident victims with emergency medical care in the golden hour.

 Karnataka state government, unveils the Unnati scheme, which will invest up to Rs 20 crore to create end-to-end support infrastructure for startups and entrepreneurs from a marginalised background

(SC/ST communities).

 Ayushman Bharat call centre was formally inaugurated in Bengaluru by CEO of Ayushman

Bharat Dr. Indu Bhushan. This national call centre is operational since August 25.

 The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)R.A.C.E in Bengaluru is set to become the first airport in

Asia next year to use face recognition as the boarding procedure for passengers to board flights and move across different sections of the airport.

 The virtual currency exchange Unocoin has installed a currency deposit and dispensing ATM at

Kemp Fort Mall in Bengaluru. India's 1st Cryptocurrency ATM installed In Bengaluru.

 India’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru.

KERALA:

 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ‘Gau Samridhi Plus scheme’ or ‘Cow

Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to offer insurance coverage to dairy farmers in Kerala. Farmers from general category will receive 50% subsidy on premium. Farmers from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe

(ST) category will receive 70% subsidy on premium.

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 The Kerala government has commenced a scheme to offer free education and vocational training to the children of fishermen who died or went missing in the 2017 Ockhi cyclonic storm. Rs 10, 000 per year for children in classes from LKG to Class V, Rs 25, 000 for children in classes 6 to 10, Rs 30, 000 for higher secondary students and up to Rs 1, 00, 000 for students doing graduation. This Project will continue till 2037.

 The Kerala TourismDepartment has brought out a high-tech digital facility that provides visitors all details about experiential and service packages offered in the region in north Kerala. A 'SMiLE

Virtual Tour Guide' links tourists with their places of attraction and providers of experiential services.

The site has also helpline numbers for women and ambulance service.

 Kerala government sign MoU with airbus bizlab, a global aerospace accelerator which is part of

Airbus. Under the MoU, an Innovation Centre will be set up in Thiruvanthapuram, which will be the nodal body for planning and executing all the activities to help the startups.

R.A.C.E  The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out– KOOL, its

Online Open Learning training platform. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public. KOOL is a major step by the State of Kerala to become India’s first complete digital state in

Education.

 Kerala became the first state in the country to have 100% penetration of LPG in public sector oil companies.

 Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr Nitin Gadkari and Kerala

Chief Minister Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan laid foundation of India’s largest Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard.

The new Dry Dock is being constructed at a cost of Rs 1799 Crore and is expected to be completed by May 2021.

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 Former ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayanan was given Rs 50 lakh by the Kerala government in compliance with a September 14 Supreme Court order for being falsely implicated in the 1994 espionage case.

 The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion of 4:1, lifted the centuries-old practice of prohibiting women from the age of menarche to menopause to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala.

''Right to pray'' in the temple for women between 10 and 50 years of age won over the 'right to wait' campaign as the Supreme Court condemned the prohibition as "hegemonic patriarchy".

 The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under

Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development of a rural circuit in Kerala. The Union Tourism Minister

K. J. Alphons has announced that under this project, the ministry will be developing three cruises with a budget of Rs 80. 37 crores.

MADHYA PRADESH: R.A.C.E

 BEML Limited launched country’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (Model BH205-E).

To strengthen the ‘Make in India’ initiative. It has been developed for use in the project of Northern

Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.

 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has laid the foundation stone of developmental projects worth Rs 84. 66 crores in Chhindwara’s Parasia town.

 Madhya Pradesh launched a first of its kind initiative called “Mil -Banche” in all government schools across the state. It is an interactive programme between schools and society for promoting education and learning.

 Madhya Pradesh government has decided to increase the ex-gratia to be paid to the kin of deceased journalists. It has been increased to Rs. 4 lakh from Rs. 1 lakh. 5% interest subsidy will be given for a period of five years on housing loan up to Rs 25 lakh from the current financial year

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(from April 2018). In case of damage to vehicles or cameras, the government would give Rs. 50, 000 as compensation amount to journalists/cameramen.

 In Madhya Pradesh, the first corn festival of the country is being held in Chhindwara.

 In Madhya Pradesh, the first corn festival of the country is being held in Chhindwara. The festival is one of a kind international event.

 State Cabinet of Madhya Pradesh approved the proposal of induction of Niwari district as the 52nd district in the state. IAS officer Akshay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the first interim District

Collector of the district.

 Uzbekistan Ambassador to India Farhod Arziev inaugurated a 4-day international dance festival titled

“Udbhav Utsav” in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

MAHARASHTRA:

R.A.C.E  Maharashtra Director General of Police Datta Padsalgikar unveiled “THE VELEVT GLOVES” a novel written by former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Officer Balakrishna Kamath in Mumbai.

 Maharashtra government passed the bill to amend the anti-adulteration law. According to the amendments, life imprisonment and heavy penalty will be awarded to curb food and milk adulteration.

 Conversion of decommissioned carrier INS Viraat into a floating museum was approved by the Maharashtra Cabinet. The carrier will be housed on a concrete foundation near Nivati Rocks in

Sindhudurg in Konkan region of Maharashtra.

 Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated the second Mega Food Park in Maharashtra. It is located in Wahegaon and Dhangaon village in Paithan Taluka of Aurangabad district, while the first Park was inaugurated on 1st of March 2018 in Satara district.

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 Maharashtra government led by CM Devendra Fadnavis passed the Maratha Reservation Bill. As per the bill, Maharashtra will create a new category called SEBC (socially and educationally backward class) in order to give reservation to Marathas.

 1st Indo-Japan Business Council- KONNICHI WA PUNE Festival concluded in Pune,

Maharashtra. It was organized by the Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC).

 Maharashtra government announced the proposal of construction of new Cyber University.

Estimated cost for the phase I of the project is Rs. 80 crore.

 The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has finally been rechristened as Chhatrapati

Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport. A resolution to insert the word ‘Maharaj’ to the Chhatrapati

Shivaji International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was passed by the Maharashtra assembly in

2016.

 Marbat festival was celebrated in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is a 150-year old festival and is

celebrated only in Nagpur. R.A.C.E

 The Maharashtra Government has launched a website and an application ‘Maha

Madat’ for collectively analysing the rainfall, crop situation and underground water level using modern technology.

 India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the world’s largest dome and Peace

Center at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Vishwarajbaug, in Pune, India. The world’s largest dome is with a diameter of 160 feet, standing taller than the Vatican Dome, which has a diameter of

139. 6 feet. The height of the dome at its apex is 263 feet.

 The government has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the Alphonso Mango from

Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra.

 A seminar titled “Gandhian Thoughts and Sanitation” was organized by the Ministry of Drinking

Water and Sanitation in Wardha district, Maharashtra.

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 Maharashtra government approved financial assistance of Rs 1, 610 crore for the Tarli Irrigation

Project in the Satara district of the state.

 Apsara- U (upgraded) reactor became operational at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), at Trombay, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 Mumbai’s METRO INOX is now South Mumbai’s largest cinema and India’s First Rooftop Solar

Powered Cinema.

MANIPUR:

 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Manipur government and IL&FS

Township and Urban Assets Limited and Pricewaterhouse Coopers Pvt. Ltd. for implementation of

Smart City Project in Imphal.

 Tripura’s forest and tribal welfare minister, Mevar Kumar Jamatia, inaugurated first ever “Water

R.A.C.E Handloom Hut” in the North East region at Loktak Lake in Imphal, Manipur.

 The 10-day Manipur Sangai Festival was formally started in Imphal. It aims to promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination.

 Manipur government has declared a war on drugs to eliminate drug addiction and take strict action against drug dealers.

 Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has declared Manipur as the 23rd state to become Open

Defecation Free (ODF) in India. It is the 5th state in the North East to get the ODF tag.

MEGHALAYA:

 Meghalaya has announced Rs 378cr investment in Aqua Mission 2. 0 starting April 2019. The

Centre already sanctioned Rs 51 crore under the Blue Revolution Scheme.

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 Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram announced setting up of 36 Ekalavya Model

Residential Schools (EMRS) in Meghalaya at a cost of Rs. 20 crore for each school in 36 Blocks of

Meghalaya.

 Nongkrem dance festival, was celebrated by the people of the Khasi Hills, in Meghalaya.

 Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot announced the construction of the international standard Stadium for differently-abled in Shillong, Meghalaya. It should come up before National Games 2022 in Meghalaya enabling it to host Olympics for the differently- abled.

 India’s longest river bridge will be built across the Brahmaputra, connecting Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalaya, by 2026-27. The new bridge will complete the missing link of NH127B from Assam to Meghalaya.

 Meghalaya launched the flagship scheme “Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and

Management of Fisheries”. This would enable self-R.A.C.Esufficiency in fish production.

 Meghalaya cabinet has approved the final draft of the state Education Policy, 2018, after 46 years of statehood, that aims to address issues related to the education sector.

MIZORAM:

 First-ever Mizoram International Short Film Festival (MISFF) was inaugurated by Mizoram Chief

Minister Lal Thanhawla at the Aijal Club in Aizawl, Mizoram.

 India opens Zokhawthar immigration check-post in Mizoram along Myanmar border. It is the second immigration check-post in Mizoram, after Zorinpui chech post which was opened in 2017.

NAGALAND:

 Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio launched GPS Mapping of Government Schools and

Personnel Location System in Kohima.

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ODISHA:

 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the renaming of

Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda”. Veer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha.

 Airports Authority of India (AAI) cancelled the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) licence of low-cost carrier Air Odisha for seven airports for poor and irregular services.

 Historic Bali Yatra festival was inaugurated in Cuttack, Odisha on the occasion of Kartik Purnima by

State Finance Minister Shashi Bhusan Behera.

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ project to make

Bhubaneswar a fully Wi-Fi enabled city before the Hockey World Cup.

 Odisha government released lexicons of 21 tribal languages for multilingual education (MLE)

R.A.C.E purposes for elementary schools in tribal dominated districts.

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the technology-driven and citizen-friendly ‘Mo bus’ service in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

 Odisha government has launched a Biotechnology Policy 2018 at the Make in Odisha

Conclave held in Bhubaneswar.

 Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has launched ‘Soura Jalanidhi’ scheme which aims at increasing use of solar energy for helping farmers in irrigation. Under the scheme, 5, 000 solar pumps will be provided to farmers at a subsidy of 90 percent to irrigate 2, 500 acres of land. The

State Government has allocated 27. 18 crore for implementation of the scheme.

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched a ‘Star Rating program’ for industries to support

State Pollution Control Board’s (SPCB) regulatory efforts to reduce pollution.

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 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface tactical missile ‘Prahar’, from Launch Complex-III,

ITR, Balasore in Odisha.

 India's Strategic Forces Command has successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile during night time as part of a user trial by the Army from a test range in

Odisha.

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the three-day 'Kalahandi Dialogue', a global conclave on development for the district.

 The Nuakhai or Nuankhai is one of the most important festivals in Western Odisha, where it is celebrated with great dedication and joy. Nuakhai one of the most pious festivals celebrated with cheer and zeal in odisha.

 Odisha is all set to get its second operational airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the state

to launch some other projects and inaugurate the airport.R.A.C.E The government had said in August 2014 that it planned to develop Jharsuguda Airport for operations of A320 type of aircraft.

 State assembly of Odisha passed a unanimous resolution to name the newly-built Jharsuguda airport after noted freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. Jharsuguda airport will be the second airport in

Odisha to be renamed after Biju Patnaik International airport in Bhubaneswar.

 Odisha Finance Minister SB Behera has presented the first supplementary budget of Rs 12, 790 crore for 2018-19 fiscal in the state Assembly.

 NTPC’s board has approved an investment of Rs 9, 785 crore for the 1, 320 MW Stage-

III expansion of its Talcher plant in Angul district of Odisha.

 Odisha is going to have a Second Generation (2G) Ethanol Bio-Refinery, first in the country to produce ethanol from rice straw, in Bargarh district.

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 Odisha government launched its own State Food Security Scheme (SFSS). Under this scheme,

18. 32 lakh poor and eligible people will receive 5 kg of rice at the rate of Rupee 1 per kg. These people were not covered under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

 Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal laid the foundation stone on country’s first 58-acre Second

Generation (2G) Ethanol Bio-Refinery plant at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district of Odisha. This refinery will be set up by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) at a cost Rs. 1000 crore.

Commercial production will start from 2020.

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched 'Nirman Kusuma' programme for providing financial assistance to the children of the construction workers for their technical education in the state.

PUNJAB:

R.A.C.E  Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Dera Baba

Nanak-Karatarpur Sahib road corridor in Punjab.

 Punjab becomes 3rd Indian state after Maharashtra and Gujarat to permanently ban Hookah bars or lounges. The ban was announced after President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a bill passed by

Punjab state assembly.

 Union Minister of Culture, Shri Mahesh Sharma, announced centre’s proposal to set up a first-of- its-kind institute of Inter-Faith Studies in Amritsar, Punjab as a part of the year-long activities to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Implementation Committee (NIC) headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched 3 apps to prevent crop residue burning. The apps are: i-Khet Machine, e-PEHaL and e-Prevent.

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 India’s first gallery on robotic dinosaurs was opened to the public at the Pushpa Gujral Science

City, in Kapurthala, Punjab. It has been built at a cost of Rs. 1. 50 crore.

 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stones for five infrastructural projects, worth Rs 127. 86 crore, in Amritsar. Out of the total Rs 127. 86 crore, Rs 111. 56 crore would be borne by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), with the Railways contributing Rs 16. 30 Crore.

 Punjab and central government joined hands to stop stubble burning and took up responsibilities educate farmers against it through various departments.

 Punjab cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, approved an ordinance to enable increase in stamp duty rates on 17 items. This was done by amending Schedule 1-A of the Indian Stamp

Act, 1899.

 Punjab Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, approved extension of the enhanced 50 per cent reservation for women the office of the chairperson of panchayat samitis and

zila parishads. R.A.C.E

 Punjab government has decided to amend the Industrial and Business Development Policy

2017 to give investment incentive through ‘Net SGST (Net State Goods And Services Tax) Incentive’ on intrastate sale.

 Punjab government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to implement the

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in Punjab. The period of BPSSBY, expiring on October 31, has been extended to December 31, 2018.

 The Punjab government has signed four MoUs with Israeli institutions to address issues of farmers and depleting groundwater level in the state.

 Punjab government banned the sale of “cancer causing” weedicide glyphosate. Punjab was the fourth State after Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra to regulate the sale of herbicide.

 Punjab Cabinet approved increase in cash awards for various games and championships under its new sports policy. In Asian and Para Asian Games, cash award has been

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increased to Rs 1 crore for gold medal winners, to Rs 75 lakh for silver medal winners and to Rs 50 lakh for bronze medal winners.

RAJASTHAN:

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is participating in the Unified Commanders' Conference in Jodhpur,

Rajasthan.

 Rajasthan Forest Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar inaugurated Rajasthan’s first lion safari at

Nahargarh Biological Park.

 BJP president Amit Shah will inaugurate the Deendayal Upadhyaya National monument at

Dhankya, Rajasthan to mark the 102nd birth anniversary of BJP ideologue.

 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.

R.A.C.E  Rajasthan Assembly has passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2018. This bill amends the provisions of the Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.

 Rajasthan government launched a scheme aimed to provide free electricity to farmers of the state having electric connections in general category for specific limit. As per the scheme, upon successful payment of the bill by farmers, a Direct Benefit transfer (DBT) with maximum of Rs. 833 per month would be deposited to the accounts of the farmers. It will be effective from November 2018.

SIKKIM:

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport and Nation’s 100th operational airport: Pakyong Airport “New Greenfield Airport” at state capital of Gangtok in Sikkim.

 Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling launched the first data sharing and accessibility portal of

Sikkim: State Data Sharing and Accessibility Platform (SDSAP). Here, the state Information

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Technology Department would upload data in the portals twice a year – in April-May and September-

October.

TAMIL NADU:

 Tamil Nadu government has announced scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji

(Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants in Nilagiri district of Tamilnadu.

 Tamil Nadu government signed an MOU with the centre to implement Ayushman Bharat along with state’s Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS). Tamil Nadu is the 30th State to sign up for ABS.

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy announced 3 percent sub-quota in recruitments for sportspersons in a function organized jointly by sports associations in Chennai.

 The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has signed a memorandum of understanding with the

Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency, to enhance dataR.A.C.E driven governance in education, health care and agriculture sectors and also to enhance data-driven governance at CII Connect2018.

 The State 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, in Tamil Nadu.

 Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) gave nod to Tamil Nadu for launching its State Shelter Fund for attracting investments in the affordable housing segment. Under the fund, the state already identified over 200 infrastructure projects requiring investments of approximately USD 250 billion.

TELANGANA:

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 L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited has commissioned a 16 km stretch of elevated metro, thereby completing one full stretch of the three-corridor metro network. ESL Narasimhan, Governor of

Telangana Flagged off the metro train.

 India gets the first ever dedicated dog park in Hyderabad, Telangana. The park has been developed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at a cost of Rs 1. 1 crore.

 Sadarmatt Anicut and Pedda Cheruvu irrigation tank of Telangana are the first from India to secure a place in the register of World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS).

 President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to a Telangana Prevention of Dangerous

Activities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and

Land-Grabbers (Amendment) Bill, 2017 seeking punishment for sexual offenders, cyber criminals and traditional unlawful acts like bootlegging and dacoity in Telangana state.

 India’s first agri and food business online learning platform was launched at the SR Innovation

R.A.C.E Exchange (SRiX) Campus, Warangal in Telangana.

 ‘Bharosa’, a 24 hour state-of-the-art centre to support women and children afflicted by violence was inaugurated by Hyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar.

 Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Dr Rajat Kumar inaugurated a five-day exhibition on “Our

Vote- Our Future” in Hyderabad. It aims to increase the polling percentage at least 10 per cent.

TRIPURA:

 The Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has inaugurated ISRO’s first Space Technology

Incubation Centre at the National Institute of Technology Agartala via remote from Bengaluru.

UTTARAKHAND:

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 President Ram Nath Kovindhas inaugurated the first Gyan Kumbh in Uttarakhand, which is being jointly organised by the Higher EducationDepartment of the UttarakhandGovernment and the

University of Patanjaliin Haridwar.

 The Uttarakhand Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to declare cow the ‘Rashtra Mata’ or the mother of the nation.

 Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has awarded chief engineer of the Uttarakhand Rural Road Development Agency (URRDA) for making Uttarakhand the best among States in the country under PMGSY, in New Delhi.

 Uttarakhand government chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, approved a total of 27 proposals including renaming the Dehradun Jolly Grant airport after former prime minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee.

UTTAR PRADESH: R.A.C.E

 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled the finalized details for the construction of a 221-metre long statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, making it the world’s tallest statue.

 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched month-long Nari Sashaktikaran

Sankalp Abhiyan or Women Empowerment campaign in Lucknow. It is aimed to empower women in the state through various programmes including education, self-employment, health, cleanliness, nutrition.

 The Uttar Pradesh government has approved renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as

Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Earlier, the government renamed the Mughalsarai

Railway station, another historic spot, as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction.

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 Uttar Pradesh cabinet presided over by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cleared a proposal for the development of ‘Food Value Chain’ in the state. It will be developed by UP government and Japan’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries department.

 The Centre has approved construction of nearly 6. 28 lakh more affordable houses for urban poor in eleven states under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, with Uttar Pradesh getting the largest share of over 2. 34 lakh housing units.

 The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has scored the first position in implementation of

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The target of 11 million homes by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas

Yojana (PMAY) will be completed by the third quarter of 2019.

 TheMinister for Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, along with Chief

Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Adityanath Yogi has inaugurated the widows’ home ‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

R.A.C.E  Rail Minister Piyush Goyal along with Chief Minister of UP Yogi Adityanath launched the official website and app for Kumbh Mela, 2019 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

 The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Water Resources, River Development

& Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the development work of

Ghagra River as National Waterway (NW) 40 at Basti in Uttar Pradesh, under the Sagarmala

Programme of Ministry of Shipping.

 The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved a proposal to rename Allahabad as ‘Prayagraj’ amid protests by the opposition parties. The city of Allahabad was originally known as Prayag in ancient times.

 Uttar Pradesh government made the man-animal conflict a ‘State Declared Disaster’. To help reduce retaliatory killings.

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 Lucknow Municipal Corporation in its meeting decided to rename the Hazratganj Chauraha-the city’s biggest intersection, as ‘Atal Chowk’ after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

 Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh, which is known for its hand-woven carpets around the world, was granted the export ‘excellence tag’ for the product category ‘Carpets and other floor Coverings’ by the

Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the commerce ministry.

WEST BENGAL:

 State assembly of West Bengal passed “West Bengal Green University (Amendment) Bill

2018” to rename the West Bengal Green University as Rani Rashmoni Green University in the commemoration of Rani Rashmoni’s 225th Birth anniversary.

 Annual ‘Jangalmahal’ festival began in the adjoining forested areas of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts of West Bengal.

 The West Bengalgovernment has decided to observeR.A.C.E ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14.

 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.

 Mousumi Khatua became the first woman from Kalyani City, West Bengal to climb Asia's highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand. Mousumi along with ace mountaineer, Satyarup Siddhanta, and

Bhaswati Chatterjee began the expedition to Mt. Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and a potentially active volcano.

 The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned an amount of Rs 335 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to West Bengal.

 Cyclone-30, the biggest cyclotron in India for medical application became operational in at VECC,

Kolkata. It is under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and will be commissioned in 2019.

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 The Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has launched a Flood Forecasting and Early

Warning System (FFEWS) for Kolkata City to help city officials and citizens act decisively to minimize damage before and during disasters. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded the design and implementation of the FFEWS through a $1 million technical assistance to KMC from its Urban

Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund under the Urban Financing Partnership Facility.

 The West Bengal government has ensured food security to more than 85 million people of the state under the 'Khadya Sathi' scheme.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

 Sports for Life, organisers of the World Corporate Games, announced that the 2019 edition will be held in Qatar under the slogan ‘Qatar, where the World comes to compete’. The 23rd edition

R.A.C.E is set to be held in November and will be the first ever to take place in the Middle East. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Qatar-Germany Investment and Business Forum held in Berlin.

 The ‘Oscars of sports’, the Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 will be held in Monaco on February

18 next year.

 Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced $500 million in aid to the war torn Yemen in response to the dismal humanitarian conditions.

 Australia and Poland refused to sign a UN pact on migration because the agreement would undermine their existing immigration policies.

 3 Educational institutions which are built with Indian assistance of 126. 60 million Nepali rupees have been inaugurated in Kaski district of Nepal.

 Morocco‘s first high-speed rail line, the first ever such line in Africa was unveiled. It is known and LGV and will connect the economic hubs of Tangier and Casablanca in 2 hours 10 minutes.

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 World’s first ever underground luxury hotel named- The InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland-

opened in Songjiang district, southwest of Shanghai, China.

 India increased its financial contribution to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the United

Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). India is also committed to contribute five million dollars in 2019.

 Oxford Dictionary announced ‘Toxic’ as the Word of the year 2018. In 2017, the word was “youthquake” and in 2016 it was “post-truth”.

 Food and Agro Buyer-Seller Meet (BSM) was held in Jeddah. The participation comprised of

Indian exporters of 4 key commodities namely: rice, tea, spices and dry fruits. India is the 2nd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of tea in the world. Saudi Arabia is India’s one of the most important trade partners and is a major FDI partner of India after the UAE in Gulf region.

 To mark the celebration of Deepawali, United Nations Postal System issued stamps with Diyas

lamps. R.A.C.E

 1st Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Mahesh Kumar, on behalf of India pledged contributions of USD 13. 36 million for the various UN agencies and development activities.

 India and Sharjah decided to boost economic ties at The ‘Sharjah-India Business Roundtable’, that was held in Sharjah, UAE.

 China has successfully launched a high orbit satellite to boost its home-grown BeiDou global satellite navigation system being built to rival United States Global Position System (GPS). The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern Sichuan Province.

 First-of-its’s-kind ‘Little India Gate’ was inaugurated at Kampung Madras or Madras

Village area in Medan city, Indonesia.

 India has been elected as a member of the International Telecommunications Union Council

(ITU) for another 4-year term - from 2019 to 2022. The elections to the council were held during the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 at Dubai, UAE.

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 Maldives new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement that Maldives Cabinet approves re-joining of Commonwealth after 2 year of withdrawal.

 Indian Pavilion was inaugurated at Videocittà 2018 event in Rome Film Festival. India was the partner country for the event that focused on Virtual Reality, Video gaming, Animation, Film Making, etc.

 The UN World Food Programme and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have formed a strategic partnership to support efforts eliminate hunger globally by 2030. WFP Executive Director

David Beasley and Alibaba Partner and Chairman of the Alibaba Foundation Sun Lijun signed an agreement at Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

 United States exempted India from imposition of certain sanctions for the development of the strategically-located Chabahar Port in Iran.

 The 33rd edition of the ASEAN Summit began in Singapore. The Prime Minister of Singapore Lee

R.A.C.E Hsien Loong is the Chairman of the Summit, which will continue till 15th November along with other related summits like East Asia Summit (EAS), Regional Comprehensive Economic Summit, (RCEP) and

ASEAN plus summits.

 The third edition of the FinTech Festival kicks off in Singapore alongside the ASEAN summit. It will begin with the three-day Fintech Conference. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and Christine

Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, will address the audience on the third day of the FinTech Conference.

 Palau became the first country in the world to impose a ban on sunscreens toxic to coral reefs. The laws passed by the Western Pacific nation will go into effect in 2020.

 Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) signed an agreement with US- based Research Institute for Fragrant Materials (RIFM) for improving quality of fragnant oils.

2nd annual International Fragrance Association conference was held in Paris, France.

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 Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in Abu Dhabi to store crude in compartments at Padur.

 A new statue commemorating the role of Indian soldiers in World War One was unveiled in

France to mark Armistice Day when the war ended in 1918. The seven-foot bronze statue in the town of Laventie commemorates over 4, 700 soldiers and labourers from British India who lost their lives on the

Western Front during World War I and have no known graves.

 The world's largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain has been switched on for the first time. The newly formed million-processor-core Spiking Neural Network

Architecture (SpiNNaker) machine is capable of completing more than 200 million million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors.

 In the UAE, the two day annual meeting of World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future

Councils began in Dubai. Vice President and PrimeR.A.C.E Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the opening session.

 The UN Security Council has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years.

An arms embargo, asset freeze, and travel ban were imposed in 2009 amid claims Eritrea supported al-

Shabab militants in Somalia.

 The third edition of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 got underway at

Polo 5th Ground, Shillong. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of

Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu.

 APEC Papua New Guinea 2018 is the year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

(APEC) meetings in Papua New Guinea. It will be held in Port Moresby.

 US International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled against anti-dumping duty on the imports of a synthetic fluoropolymer, a key ingredient in non-stick coating for pans and other cookware, from India and China.

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 China has involved India as a digital partner, as part of Beijing’s drive to cyber-connect with

Eurasia, its new frontier for trade and investments.

 A contract was signed for exporting 50, 000 tonnes of raw sugar by the Indian Sugar Mills

Association with COFCO, a government of China PSU. The export of raw sugar from India to China will begin early 2019.

 Embassy of India in Nepal and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized a 3-day exhibition of construction equipment and technology-ConMac 2018 in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu,

Nepal.

 Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has left for Paris on a three-day visit to France. She will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly. Ms Sitharaman will also take steps in the supply of 36 Rafale jets by Dassault to the Indian Air Force under a Rs. 58, 000 crore deal.

 India, Afghanistan and Iran held their first trilateral meeting on Chabahar port project

R.A.C.E in Tehran, Iran. It was decided to hold the next meeting of the coordination council in the first half of 2019 in India.

 World’s largest airport terminal under one roof with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers was opened in Istanbul, Turkey.

 US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies or HyperloopTT launched the first full-scale transportation capsule “Quintero One” which will be operational in 2019.

 Japan has joined the joint exercise codenamed- ‘Kamandag’(venom) with US and Filipino troops in the Philippines for the first time since World War II.

 President Ram Nath Kovind has reached Tajikistan on a three-day visit to Central Asian Country.

The President was received by Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan Zokirzoda Mahmad Toir.

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 United States Navy (USN) P-8A Poseidon, with 21 members, along with the Indian Navy’s P-8i airplane participated in 2-day anti-submarine conflict exercises at INS Hansa at Panaji, Goa. Indian

Navy will induct 4 extra P-8I airplanes at the starting off 2020.

 Canada became the second country after Uruguay to legalise possession and use of recreational cannabis.

 India has imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 185. 51 US dollars per tonne for 5 years on some varieties of Chinese steel to protect domestic players from cheap imports from China.

 United States Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced that the US Embassy and US

Consulate General in Jerusalem, Israel, are merged into a single diplomatic mission.

 Nepal celebrated the festival of Fulpati. In Nepalese Language, “Phool” means flower and “Pati” means leaves and plants. It is observed on the seventh day of Dashain festival.

 “Idiocracy”(government formed of people considered ignorant or idiotic) is among 1, 400 new

words, senses, and phrases added in the latest updateR.A.C.E of the Oxford English Dictionary.

 Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid signed Digital Security Bill, 2018 and enacted it as a law.

 India has launched ‘Operation Samudra Maitri’ to assist the survivors of earthquake and consequent tsunami in Central Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Two IAF aircraft - a C-130J and a

C-17 - carrying medical personnel and relief material flew for humanitarian assistance from India. Indian naval ships INS Tir, INS Sujatha and INS Shardul have also been mobilised for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

 Canada's Parliament formally stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship for complicity in the atrocities committed against Myanmar's Rohingya people.

 Nearly 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, adopted the Delhi Declaration on

Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region. It was held at the 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial

Meeting, he 2nd Global Re-Invest India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investor's Meet &

Expo in Greater Noida.

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 Pakistan has successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1, 300 kilometers, bringing many Indian cities under its range.

 India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019. The elections for selecting new members to UN Human Rights Council

(UNHRC) were held at the United Nations in which the 193-members of the UN General Assembly took part.

 India has donated three lakh Dollars for a peacekeeping initiative at the UN. It will help develop the capacity of future commanders and managers over a period of three years.

 The world's largest airport terminal "under one roof" with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers will be officially opened on October 29 in Istanbul, Turkey. Dubbed as phase-1A of the project -

Istanbul New Airport - will have a capacity to handle 90 million passenger per year, making it the

R.A.C.E largest such facility in the world.

 Google will shut down the consumer version of its social network Google+ after announcing data from up to 500, 000 users may have been exposed to external developers by a bug that was present for more than two years in its systems.

 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.

 Russia has successfully launched a Soyuz rocket for the first time since the failure of a similar rocket aborted a manned take-off to the International Space Station(ISS) recently. It was the third launch of a Soyuz rocket from Russia's northern Plesetsk launch pad this year.

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 NATO has launched its biggest war games since the end of the Cold War. Trident Juncture involves around 50, 000 soldiers from 31 countries, with the aim to send a clear message to any potential adversary.

 Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium has built with Indian grant assistance of 30 crore Sri

Lankan rupees in Sri Lanka was dedicated to the people.

 Delhi government signed a twin-city agreement with the government of Moscow for cooperation in various fields like environment, culture and education, for the next 3 years.

 India and European Union (EU) decided to cooperate on Digital communications, Digital economy and society. The next India-EU dialogue on cooperation in the field of Digital Communications will be held in the first half of 2019.

 A leading state-run Israeli defence company has signed a USD 777 million contract with India for the supply of and missile defence systems for the Indian Navy. India's Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

will be the main manufacturer for the project. R.A.C.E

 The eleventh session of India – Czech Republic Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation

(JCEC) was held at Prague. The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State for Commerce & Industry,

Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, C. R. Chaudhary. Miss Marta Nováková, Minister of

Industry & Trade of Czech Republic led the Czech side.

 China has successfully tested the world's largest unmanned transport drone which can carry a payload of 1. 5 tonnes. A large commercial drone Feihong-98 (FH-98) developed and modified by the

China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology made a successful test flight at Baotou test site in

North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

 The International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) was organized in Bangaram Island, Lakshadweep. The theme of the conference was “Reef for Life”

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the conference.

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 United Nations (UN) announced launch of a project on creating an “inventory” on intangible legacy of India.

 India donated $300, 000 to a training programme of commanders for UN peacekeeping. The name of the programme is: “Pipeline to Peacekeeping Command Programme” and it is 3 years training programme.

 The World Bank would provide a standby loan of up to $1 billion for the Indonesian government for relief and reconstruction efforts in the country’s two islands that were hit by earthquakes and a tsunami. The fund will also give a $5 million grant for technical assistance to ensure reconstruction is robust and community-led.

R.A.C.E  The world’s longest sea bridge Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has been opened. The 55- kilometer-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world’s longest sea bridge.

 A U. N. -backed fund has approved more than $1 billion for 19 new projects to help developing countries tackle climate change. During a four-day meeting in Bahrain that ended, officials overseeing the Green Climate Fund also agreed to start seeking fresh money next year as its initial capital of about $6. 6 billion will soon be used up.

 The first Indo-US tri-services exercise would take place in 2019. In the exercise, the Indian Army will have Para SF, the Navy will have Marcos while the Air Force’s Garud will be their respective Special

Forces. The three forces of India and the US already take part in bilateral exercises separately -- their armies participate in an annual drill called Yudh Abyaas, the air forces take part in a bilateral drill called

Cope India and the navies participate in an exercise in Malabar, involving Japan.

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 Republic of Seychelles launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond worth US$15 million to finance sustainable marine and fisheries projects. The bond was announced at the Our Ocean

Conference in Bali by the Vice-President of the Republic of Seychelles, Vincent Meriton.

 The European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency as successfully lifted a spacecraft through Ariane 5 rocket carrying two probes into orbit for a joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.

 China successfully launched twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space to strengthen its satellite navigation network being built to rival the US' Global Positioning System (GPS).

 Governments of Germany and the UK, with support from the World Bank launched a new Global

Risk Financing Facility (GRiF). To support vulnerable countries to climate and disaster shocks. This fund will consist of an initial corpus of $150 million.

 Malaysia’s Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad decided to abolish the death

penalty. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Singapore andR.A.C.E Thailand have death penalty laws.

 World Bank announced concessional loan worth USD 195 million to Nepal to reform the country’s financial and energy sectors.

 India and China launched their first joint programme for Afghanistan to train its diplomats. This will be under the Trilateral Cooperation between India, China and Afghanistan.

 Indian IT industry’s apex body NASSCOM has entered into a partnership with the Hiroshima government for co-creating a Japan-India IT Corridor in Hiroshima. The project will be formally initiated by early 2019.

 India, Iran and Afghanistan held their first tripartite meeting chaired by Afghan Deputy Foreign

Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai in Kabul. To deepen counter-terror cooperation and trade.

 Ministry of AYUSH has set up an AYUSH Information Cell at the premises of the Indian Embassy in

Romania to disseminate authentic information about AYUSH system of medicine and encourage

Ayurveda practice in Romania.

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 The World Health Organization (WHO) has released SAFER, a new initiative and technical package outlining five high-impact strategies that can help governments to reduce the harmful use of alcohol and related health, social and economic consequences. SAFER - Strengthen Advance Facilitate

Enforce Raise.

 US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Mark Green announced the formation of ‘USAID-India End TB Alliance’ at an event in New York in presence of Union Health Minister J

P Nadda.

 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.

 India has signed 2 agreements with Myanmar’s Rakhine State Government to facilitate capacity building and economic development in the province.

 The External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj left for a two-day visit to Moscow, Russia.

R.A.C.E During her visit, she will attend the 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on

Technical and Economic Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

 The Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is due in India for a day-long visit that comes ahead of next month’s parliamentary polls in Afghanistan. Ghani met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed bilateral ties as well as regional security, including the possibility of peace talks with Taliban.

 The Delhi government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Seoul Metropolitan

Government to work closely in the fields of environment, tourism, waste water and solid waste management, infrastructure and public health.

 The Mou on the 'Friendship and Cooperation Agreement' was signed by Delhi Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal and Seoul mayor Park Won-Soon in Seoul. The agreement has listed 11 areas for exchange of expertise and cooperation.

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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, unveiled e-plaques for the ceremony of the two projects, oil pipeline and a key railway project. The estimated project cost will be 346 crore rupees and it will be completed in 30 months’ time. It is a 130-kilometre pipeline that will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

 China has pledged a $60 billion fund to bolster industry, counter hunger, and enhance security in

Africa. China would also support Africa to achieve “general food security by 2030. ”

 A powerful typhoon “Jebi” slammed into western Japan. Jebi, reportedly the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Japan since 1993. The typhoon first made landfall on Japan's southwestern island of

Shikoku and then again near Kobe on Honshu. It was with sustained winds of 126 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 180 kph.

 A Japanese team working to develop a “space elevator” will conduct a first trial this month, blasting off a miniature version of the apparatus and monitoring equipment on satellites to test the technology.

 The United Nations plans to hold Climate SummitR.A.C.E in September 2019. It was announced by UN chief Antonio Guterres. The UN Secretary General also announced the appointment of Luis Alfonso de

Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, as his Special Envoy to lead the preparations of the summit.

 The SpaceXhas signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard in BFR launch vehicle. It is an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of travelling to space.

 Germany has 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 more eco-friendly technology.

 The US Secretary of State, Michael R Pompeo, and US Defence Secretary, James N Mattis, met their

Indian counterparts Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the first '2+2' dialogue in New

Delhi.

 India will purchase 18 bullet train sets from Japan at a total cost of about Rs 7, 000 crore in a deal that includes a pledge to transfer technology for local production. The country’s first bullet train is

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likely to start running between Mumbai and Ahmedabad by the end of 2022. The 508-km, high speed train corridor is being built with Japanese assistance.

 NASA launched its Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2, known as ICESat-2. It will use an extremely precise laser to collect measurement data to track the Earth's shrinking polar ice, on Saturday

(September 15) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

 The Indian Ocean Wave Exercise 2018 (IOWave18) begins in the Indian Ocean. India along with 23 other nations is participating in this major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock drill. It involves evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen coastal states.

 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.

 A Japanese billionaire and online fashion tycoon, Yusaku Maezawa, will be the first man to fly on a monster SpaceX rocket around the Moon as early as 2023, and he plans to bring six to eight

R.A.C.E artists along. Maezawa, 42, will be the first lunar traveler since the last US Apollo mission in 1972.

 The centenary celebrations are to commemorate hundred years of liberation of Haifa in Israel by the Indian troops in 1918 culminates with a grand function in New Delhi. The Indian Army commemorates

September 23 every year as Haifa Day to pay its respects to the two brave Indian Cavalry Regiments,

Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers, that helped liberate the city Haifa following a dashing cavalry action by the

15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.

 The Japanese space agency JAXA made history Saturday by successfully landing two unmanned rovers on an asteroid. The two rovers are in good condition and are transmitting images and data. The rovers are collectively known asMINERVA-II1. The space agency reported that MINERVA-II1 is the world's first mobile exploration robot to land on the surface of an asteroid.

 A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the late South

African leader's birth. The country of South Africa donated the statue in commemoration of a 100-

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE years since Mandela's birth. The political declaration adopted during the Summit recognizes the period

2019 to 2028 as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace.

 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have signed an agreement worth $11 million to support the humanitarian response plan in Yemen,

Myanmarand the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 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.

 A recent survey led by the Government of Nepal has shown that the population of tigers has almost doubled in under a decade in the country. Nepal has announced that there are an estimated

235 wild tigers in Nepal currently. It has almost doubled from 121 tigers in 2009.

 The Supreme Court has constituted a three-member committee headed by its former judge

Justice Amitava Roy to look into the aspect of jail reforms across the country and suggest measures to

deal with them. The committee will also look into the R.A.C.Evarious issues concerning women prisoners.

 NITI Aayog expert group submits ‘Inventory and Revival of Springs in the Himalayas for Water

Security’ report & urges plan to save springs in Himalayas. Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Adviser, DST, as the convener to finalize a report.

 India and France has announced a working group for Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first manned mission at the sixth edition of Bengaluru Space Expo. India plans to send three humans to space before 2022.

 India has decided to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment

(PISA), after a gap of 9 years. PISA is conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation

Development (OECD) once in every 3 years. It tests the learning level of 15-year old students.

 Bangladesh Cabinet approved a draft agreement with India for port usage of Chittagong and

Mongla ports.

 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has embarked on a three-day visit to France. He will be representing India at the Paris Peace Forum being held to commemorate the centenary of the end to the

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First World War. The main ceremony at Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris will be presided over by the French President Emmanuel.

 Saudi-India Business meeting was held in Riyadh with the Council of Saudi Chambers during the visit of the Indian Infrastructure & Housing delegation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 India welcomed the release of Joint Communication by the European Commission on India-EU partnership with theme of – “A Partnership for Sustainable Modernisation and Rules-based

Global Order”.

 Nepal government launched a contribution based Social Security Scheme for formal sector workers in Kathmandu. It will come into effect in May 22, 2019.

 India will extend Line of credits of more than 350 million US Dollars to Zimbabwe for two power projects and a drinking water project. India will give about 3 million US dollar grant for upgradation of Indo-Zim Technology centre. Assistance for construction of Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in

R.A.C.E Zimbabwe will also be granted by India. India will also gift 10 Ambulances and life-saving drugs to

Zimbabwe.

 Russian defence major Rosoboronexport emerged as the lowest bidder in the Indian

Army’s tender for procurement of a batch of Igla-S, very short range air defence or VSHORAD program missile system, worth $1. 47 billion.

 The Bahrain government will sign an agreement with India early next year for cooperation in space technology. It was announced by Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister for Transportation and

Telecommunications, Bahrain.

 A MoU was inked between ISRO and the Federal Space Agency of Russia ‘ROSCOSMOS’ for joint activities in the field of Human Spaceflight Programme. Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) aims to complete Gaganyaan mission before 2022.

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LIST OF AGREEMENTS/MOU’S SIGNED BY INDIA WITH VARIOUS COUNTRIES:

Country Prime Minister Agreement Capital /

Currency

South Korea Lee Nak-yeon To establish a framework to facilitate and Seoul/ Won

promote cooperation in sports

Russia Vladimir Putin Signed a $950 million contract with for two Moscow/Ruble

(President) upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates.

A deal worth $5. 43-billion to buy five Russian S-

400 Triumf missile shield systems at the 19th

India-Russia annual bilateral summit at the

Hyderabad House.

R.A.C.E Agreement on space cooperation and an Indian

monitoring station will be built near the Russian

city of Novosibirsk in Siberia.

Malawi Arthur Peter Three MoUs on extradition, cooperation in atomic Lilongwe/

Mutharika energy and visa waiver for diplomats Malawian kwacha

(President)

Morocco Saadeddine On Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. Rabat/ Moroccan

Othmani Air Services Agreement between the two dirham

countries enabling greater connectivity through a

modernized agreement. To enhance cooperation

opportunities for MSMEs of both countries. It will

facilitate transfer of Indian technologies and

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products to Morocco. To enhance bilateral

cooperation in the field of defence and security.

Zimbabwe Emmerson In the field of Mining, Visa waiver, Broadcasting Harare/Dollar,

Mnangagwa and Culture Rand, Euro,

(President) Sterling, Rupee,

Renminbi, Yen,

Pula

United Theresa May Both of them have launched a British Pounds 10 London/ Pound

Kingdom million (current value of Rs. 93 crore) sterling

collaborative research programme.

India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and

UK’s Cancer Research UK (CRUK) will invest

R.A.C.E equally at UK Pounds 5 million each.

For research on different aspects of the Ganga

delta region and the Bay of Bengal.

Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al On cooperation in space technology Manama/

Khalifa Bahraini dinar

Vietnam NguyễnPhúTrọng To strengthen bilateral strategic cooperation in Hanoi/

(President) defence and oil and gas sectors Vietnamese dong

Australia Scott Morrison To boost investments and enhance cooperation Canberra/ Dollar

in key sectors like disability, agricultural research

and education

Japan Shinzō Abe Signed $75 billion currency swap agreement. Tokyo/Japanese

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For the Construction of Turga Pumped Storage Yen

(I) to be done in West Bengal.

Linking of Japan’s Asia Health and Well-being

Initiative (AHWIN) with India’s healthcare

initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat.

To provide an Official Development Assistance

(ODA) loan of around Rs 5, 500 crore (89, 547

million Japanese Yen) as Tranche 1 for the

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project.

Loan Agreement for Construction of Mumbai-

Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project (I) and

Kolkata East West Metro Project (III) with Japan

International CooperationR.A.C.E Agency (JICA)

Nepal Khadga Prasad To set up a hotline to ensure effective Kathmandu/

Oli coordination to combat smuggling, improve Nepalese rupee

border management and facilitate trade.

To build a strategic railway line connecting

Bihar's Raxual city to Kathmandu. To explore the

possibility of using high resolution satellite

images in boundary survey work.

China Li Keqiang To amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Beijing /

Agreement (DTAA) for the avoidance of double Renminbi

taxation and prevention of tax evasion through

exchange of information.

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Internal security cooperation agreement during

the forthcoming visit of China's Minister of Public

Security, marking a new beginning in bilateral

relations.

Portugal António Costa In the field of water supply, waste water Lisbon/ Euro

management and sanitation to be implemented

in the state.

Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov Including for visa free travel for diplomatic Tashkent/

passport holders and cooperation in the fields of Uzbekistani som

tourism, national security, training of diplomats

and against trafficking, agriculture and allied

sectors, cooperation on science and technology

R.A.C.E and in the field of health and medical science. On

infrastructure and capacity building in ICT sector

India has decided to extend a line of credit (LoC)

of $200 million to Uzbekistan through Exim Bank

for housing and other social infrastructure

projects under Uzbekistan’s proposal of $800

million line of credit.

Tajikistan Kokhir Rasulzoda Indian grant of 20 million US dollars was Dushanbe/

announced for Tajikistan to finance development Tajikistani

projects. To strengthen political relations, somoni, Ruble

strategic research, agriculture, renewable

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energy, traditional medicine, space technology,

youth affairs, and culture and disaster

management.

Sri Lanka Mahinda For construction of 1200 houses through 50 Colombo, Sri

Rajapaksa model villages, using Indian grant assistance of Jayawardenepura

60 crore Srilankan rupees. Kotte/ Sri

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Lankan rupee

construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature

controlled warehouse in Dambulla of Central

Province.

Tanzania Kassim Majaliwa The agreements were signed following India- Dodoma/

Tanzania 9th Session of Joint Commission on Tanzanian

Economic, TechnicalR.A.C.E and Scientific Cooperation in shilling

New Delhi.

Myanmar Win Myint MoU for the appointment of a private Port Naypyidaw/

Operator for the Operation and Maintenance of Burmese kyat

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.

Azerbaijan Novruz On Trade and Economic, Science and Technology Baku/

Mammadov Cooperation (IA-IGC) Azerbaijani

manat

Croatia Andrej Plenković To facilitate cultural exchange and diplomatic Zagreb/ Kuna

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cooperation.

Indonesia Joko Widodo To boost maritime cooperation by being part of Jakarta/

(President) the maritime patrol in the Malacca Straits. Indonesian

rupiah

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina For enhancing inland and coastal waterways Dhaka / Taka

connectivity between the two countries for trade

and cruise movements.

The 500 MW additional power supply from India

to Bangladesh, Akhaura - Agartala Rail Link and

Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section

of Bangladesh Railways.

Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurated

R.A.C.E the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur Railway Project.

Cyprus Nicos On combating money laundering and cooperation Nicosia/ Euro

Anastasiades in the field of environment.

(President)

Pakistan Imran Khan Agreed to undertake the Indus Waters Treaty Islamabad/

mandated tours by their Commissioners in the Rupee

Indus basin on both sides to resolve issues on

the various hydroelectric projects, including the

Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai in Jammu and

Kashmir.

France Édouard Philippe To reduce GHG emissions in urban transports Paris/ Euro, CFP

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and implementation agreement on "Mobilise Your franc

City" (MYC).

MYC will support three pilot cities -- Nagpur,

Kochi and Ahmedabad.

Czech Andrej Babiš Cooperation between Council for Scientific and Prague/ Czech

Republic Industrial Research, India, and the Czech koruna

Academy of Sciences, A visa waiver agreement

for diplomatic passport holders.

Cooperation in laser technology between ELI

Beamlines and the Tata Institute of Fundamental

Research, and Cooperation between the Haryana

Agricultural University and the Czech University

of Life Sciences.R.A.C.E

Bulgaria Boyko Borissov On civil nuclear cooperation, investment, Sofia/ Bulgarian

tourism, defence and the establishment of Hindi lev

Chair at Sofia University.

Malta Joseph Muscat Relating to tourism, maritime cooperation and Valletta/ Euro

exchanges between the Foreign Service Institute

of India and the Mediterranean Academy of

Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta.

Romania Viorica Dăncilă To intensify cooperation at the United Nations Bucharest/

and other multilateral fora in order to address Romanian leu

global challenges. Romania will open a consulate

in Chennai.

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Niger Brigi Rafini The implementation of Mahatma Gandhi Niamey/ West

International Convention Centre (MGICC) in African CFA franc

Niamey, Niger with the Indian government's

grant assistance.

Cambodia Hun Sen On the restoration and preservation of the world Phnom Penh/

heritage site of an 11th century temple of Lord Cambodian riel

Shiva called ‘Temple of Preah Vihear’ in

Cambodia’s Preah Vihear.

On cooperation between India’s Foreign Service

Institute (FSI) and Cambodia’s National Institute

of Diplomacy and International Relations

(NIDIR).

R.A.C.E Germany Angela Merkel Ministry of Skill Development and Berlin/ Euro

Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signed a memorandum

of understanding (MoU) with the Indo-German

Chamber of Commerce(IGCC) in the area of

vocational education and training.

United Nation António Guterres Sign the Government of India-United Nations New York City/

Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) Dollar

for 2018-2022

Oman Qaboos To enhance cooperation in maritime security and

defence industry engagement. Muscat/Rial

INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS

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SUMMIT Key Points/ Area/ Themes Held in

33rd edition of the ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Singapore

Summit (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental

organization comprising ten Southeast Asian

countries.

World Tolerance Summit Theme: ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Dubai, UAE

Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’

2-Day Annual Meeting of WEF To convene the world’s best network of experts Dubai, UAE

Global Future Councils to identify new ideas and models that can be

applied to critical global challenges.

Asia-Pacific Economic Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is an inter- Port Moresby, Papua

Cooperation (APEC) meetings governmental forum for 21 Pacific Rim member New Guinea

R.A.C.E 2018 economies that promotes free trade throughout

the Asia-Pacific region.

13th East Asia Summit It was Prime Minister Modi's 5th East Asia Singapore

Summit.

India has been participating in the East Asia

Summit since its very inception in 2005.

The EAS was formed to further the objectives

of regional peace, security and prosperity.

13th India-Japan Annual Establishing the “Platform for Japan-India Tokyo, Japan

Bilateral Summit Business Cooperation in Asia-Africa Region” for

exchanges between Japanese and Indian

businesses.

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India-UAE Partnership Summit The focus sectors for IUPS 2018 were: Dubai, UAE

(IUPS) 2018 investments in Education and SME’s, Skill

Development and Placements.

Focus Indian States were: Delhi, Assam,

Punjab and West Bengal.

Focus UAE Emirate: Sharjah

18th Indian Ocean Rim Theme: “IORA: Uniting the Peoples of Africa, Durban, South Africa

Association Council of Ministers Asia, Australasia and the Middle East through

Meeting enhanced cooperation for Peace, Stability And

Sustainable Development”.

China’s 1st International To reduce the over USD 51 billion trade deficit Shanghai, China

Import Expo (CIIE) with the neighbouring nation.

R.A.C.E UK will be the “Guest of Honour”

Fifth World Internet To bring out exchanges, mutual learning, Wuzhen, China.

Conference (WIC) cooperation and sharing in the digital fields and

stressed on peace and development of the

global cyberspace.

Trade Ministers of Regional Indian delegation will be headed by: Union Singapore

Comprehensive Economic Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri.

Partnership (RCEP) Suresh Prabhu.

Singapore is the current chair of the ASEAN

countries and so it is hosting the summit.

9th Annual Defence and To enhance military exchanges and Beijing, China.

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Security Dialogue interactions.

The next security Dialogue will be held in India

in 2019.

4th edition of Intex South Asia It was organized by Worldex India Exhibition Colombo, Sri Lanka.

and Promotion Pvt. Ltd in partnership with

Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council

(TEXPROCIL), Retailers Association of India,

Clothing Manufacturers Association of India,

Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI)

etc.

1st Sustainable Blue Economy Theme: ‘The Blue Economy and the 2030 Nairobi, Kenya

Conference Agenda for Sustainable Development’.

109th session of United The next UNWTO ExecutiveR.A.C.E Council will be held Manama, Bahrain

Nations World Tourism in Bahrain.

Organization (UNWTO)

Executive Council

1st Global Conference on Air Theme: “Improving Air Quality, Combatting Geneva, Switzerland.

Pollution and Health Climate Change-Saving Lives”.

India-Taiwan SME Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Taipei, Taiwan

Development Forum Enterprises (MSME), Dr. Arun Kumar Panda,

led the Indian Delegation.

12th biennial World Congress Theme: “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Kathmandu, Nepal.

on Mountain Medicine Himalayas”

19th annual Indo-Nepal To set up a new mechanism for effective Kathmandu, Nepal

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Director General-level talks coordination to fight smuggling.

1st Russia - India Strategic To have bilateral discussions dedicated to the St. Petersburg, Russia

Dialogue priorities of the economic policy of the two

countries.

Second edition of India-UAE To improve Economic cooperation between the Abu Dhabi, UAE

Strategic Conclave two countries and explore the opportunities to

enhance trade.

12th ASEM (Asia-Europe The theme of the ASEM Summit is ‘Global Brussels, Belgium

Meeting) Summit Partners for Global Challenges’.

6th RCEP Inter-Sessional To discuss a modern, comprehensive and Singapore

Ministerial Meeting mutually beneficial economic partnership

agreement among ASEAN and ASEAN's FTA

R.A.C.E partners.

India–West Africa Conclave Focus on business deliberations, Business to Abuja, Nigeria.

Government (B2G) and Business to Business

(B2B) engagements.

India has supported Niger to build Mahatma

Gandhi International Convention Centre

(MGICC) in Niamey in Niger at the cost of USD

35. 5 million on grant basis.

17th Council of Heads of This will be the second CHG meeting since Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Government, CHG, meeting India became a full member of SCO in June

2017. Last year, CHG meeting was held in

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Sochi, Russia. External Affairs Minister Sushma

Swaraj Participates the meeting.

International conference on It was organized by the Office of the Prime Colombo, Sri Lanka

the future of the Indian Ocean Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the

2018 Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in collaboration

with the Global Maritime Crime Programme of

the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC).

8th European Congress on The motto of the Congress was: “Science- Kotawice, Poland

SMEs Business-Self Government TOGETHER FOR

ECONOMY”.

2nd edition of ‘2+2’ secretary- The Indian side wasR.A.C.E represented by Foreign Canberra, Australia

level dialogue Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary

Sanjay Mitra.

The inaugural ‘2+2’ dialogue between India

and Australia was held in New Delhi in

December 2017.

7th meeting of education It was agreed to conduct the 8th meeting of Astana, Kazakhstan

ministers of member states of education ministers of SCO member states in

the Shanghai Cooperation the Russian Federation during the Russian

Organisation (SCO) Federation’s presidency of SCO.

2nd International Conference Theme: “The Future of Primary Health Care” Astana, Kazakhstan

on Primary Health Care (PHC)

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towards UHC & SDGs

20th Water, Energy, WETEX is organized by Dubai Electricity and Dubai, United Arab

Technology, and Environment Water Authority (DEWA) every year. Emirates.

Exhibition (WETEX) 2018

4th BIMSTEC Summit Theme: “Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous and Kathmandu, Nepal

Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region”.

6th RCEP Ministerial Meeting 10 ASEAN countries and six ASEAN Singapore

FTA partners namely, India, China, Japan,

Korea, Australia and New Zealand have

participated.

International Women Theme: “Equality begins with Economic Kathmandu, Nepal

Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 Empowerment”. It was organized by the South

R.A.C.E Asian Women Development Forum.

Food and Drink Technology On behalf of India, Trade Promotion Council of Johannesburg, South

Africa 2018 trade show India (TPCI) with the support of Ministry Africa.

of Commerce and Industry took part in it.

6th East Asia Summit & 15th Singapore is currently holding the Chair of Singapore

India-ASEAN Economic ASEAN.

Ministers Meeting 6th East-Asia Economic Ministers’ Meeting was

chaired by Chan Chun Sing.

First-Ever Women-Only Highlighting women’s key role in politics and Montreal, Canada

Foreign Minister Conference decision-making processes.

International Women The Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Kathmandu, Nepal

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Entrepreneurs Summit Pun inaugurated the summit.

Theme: “Equality begins with Economic

Empowerment”.

The event is organised by the South Asian

Women Development Forum.

7th UNWTO Global Summit on The Summit provides a unique platform to Seoul, Republic of

Urban Tourism: A 2030 Vision discuss the key issues shaping the future of Korea.

for Urban Tourism urban tourism in the context of the 2030 Urban

Agenda.

4th International Ayurveda A special Seminar is also organized by the Netherlands

Congress Indian Embassy titled “India-Netherlands

collaboration in Healthcare, including

Ayurveda”. R.A.C.E

2nd World Hindu Congress To commemorate the 125th anniversary of Chicago, U. S.

Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the

Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893.

3rd ASEM (Asia-Europe Conference on ‘Global Ageing and Human Seoul, Republic of

Meeting) Conference Rights of Older Persons’ jointly organised in Korea.

Seoul by the Republic of Korea and the

National Human Rights Commission of Korea.

Union Minister of Social Justice and

Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot

attends the meeting

87th Izmir International Trade India is the Partner Country in the 87th Izmir Turkey

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

show International trade show.

India’s Ambassador to Ankara: Sanjay

Bhattacharyya

G20 Education Ministers’ and The Minister of State for Human Resource Mendoza, Argentina

Joint Ministerial Meeting Development, Dr. Satya Pal Singh led a high

level delegation to the G-20 Education

Ministers’ Meeting as well as Joint Ministerial

Meeting. It was the first ever meeting of

Education Ministers in the history of G-20.

ASEAN World Economic Forum Amid the ban of two human rights activists by Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnamese authorities.

Three Day Eastern Economic The theme of the event is "The Far East: Vladivostok, Russia

R.A.C.E Forum Expanding the Range of Possibilities".

Jaipur Literature Festival The festival, touted as the world's largest free Houston at the Asia

literary gathering, started with a soulful music Society of Texas

performance by Indian Sufi singer Zila Khan

and and writer Shashi Tharoor discuss his book

"Why i am a Hindu" with writer Namita

Gokhale.

3rd edition of MahaBiz 2018 MahaBiz is considered a bridge for business Dubai

opportunities between Maharashtra state and

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Interfaith Alliance Forum 2018 To address and discuss social challenges and to Abu Dhabi, UAE

strengthen efforts by religious leaders to

formulate cohesive ideas that enhance the

protection of the young individuals from

extortion and crime via the internet.

India-Morocco Tourism To enhance the tourism cooperation between New Delhi, India

Bilateral Meeting India & Morocco and to work towards

increasing tourist arrivals between both

countries.

Third Meeting of Joint Working On Political and Security Cooperation between Kabul, Afghanistan

Group India and Afghanistan. 4th meeting of Joint

Working Group will be held in New Delhi in

2019. R.A.C.E

G-20 Trade and Investment To discuss developments in international trade Mar del Plata in

Ministerial Meeting and its implications for the global economy. Argentina.

Theme: “Building Consensus for Fair and

Sustainable Development”.

APPOINTMENTS IN NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Designation Current Previous

4 New Justice of Supreme Court Justices Hemant Gupta, R -

Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and

Ajay Rastogi.

Managing Director and CEO of UCO Bank Atul Kumar Goel R K Takkar

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Elected President of AIBA (International GafurRakhimov CK Wu

Boxing Association)

Chairman of Competition Commission of Ashok Kumar Gupta Sudhir Mital

India (CCI)

Chief Representative of Bank for Siddharth Tiwari Eli Remolona

International Settlements (BIS) for Asia

and the Pacific region

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda Ananth Kumar

(Additional Charge)

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Narendra Singh Tomar Ananth Kumar

(Additional Charge)

Next High Commissioner of India to the Abhay Thakur (presently, High

R.A.C.E Federal Republic of Nigeria Commissioner of India to -

Mauritius)

Head of Apple’s India Division Ashish Chowdhary -

Chief of Bank of Israel Amir Yaron KarnitFlug

Head of Google's cloud Division Thomas Kurian -

Chairman of the Inland Waterways Jalaj Srivastava -

Authority of India (IWAI)

Managing Director & CEO of State Bank of Sidharth Rath -

Mauritius

Head of Whatsapp’s India Division Abhijit Bose -

Acting Executive Director of United Nations Joyce Msuya Erik Solheim

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Environment Programme (UNEP)

First 'Youth Advocate' of the North-Eastern Nahid Afrin (Assam) -

region by the UNICEF

India’s Associate Director of PCI Security Nitin Bhatnagar -

Standards Council (PCI SSC)

Sikkim High Court chief justice Vijay Kumar Bist -

Air Officer-in-Charge Administration of IAF Air Marshal Pradeep Padmakar -

Bapat

21st General Officer Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General PC -

of Shimla-based Army Training Command Thimmaya

(ARTRAC) facility

Director General of Indo Tibetan Border S. S. Deswal -

R.A.C.E Police (ITBP)

12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar -

Chairman, COSC.

Director General (Wks&Cer) of Indian Air Air Marshal MSG Menon VSM -

Force

Chief Justice of Uttarakhand Justice Ramesh Ranganathan Justice KM Joseph

CEO of RBL Bank’s SwadhaarFinserve Vikas Muttoo -

Next Ambassador of India to Lao People’s Dinkar Asthana -

Democratic Republic

New President of India Electronics and Rajesh Ram Mishra -

Semiconductor Association (IESA)

Next Ambassador of India to the Republic Nina Tshering La (Presently, -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

of Congo Ambassador of India to the

Democratic Republic of Congo)

Next Ambassador of India to Japan Sanjay Kumar Verma -

Next Ambassador of India to the Islamic Gaddam Dharmendra -

Republic of Iran

Member of the ITU Council for another 4- India -

year term (2019-2022)

New chairman of Citigroup John Dugan -

New Board Director of Tesla Robyn Denholm Elon Musk

First chairperson of Lokayukta in Justice (Retd) of Guwahati High -

Meghalaya Court, Pranoy Kumar Musahary

First Woman Secretary General of the Lok Snehlata Shrivastava -

R.A.C.E Sabha for one-year extension till

November 30, 2019.

3 IRS officers as the members of CBDT P K Dash, Akhilesh Ranjan and -

Neena Kumar

Next Ambassador of India to the Republic Abhay Kumar -

of Madagascar.

4 new members to the Nehru Memorial Ram Bahadur Rai, S. -

Museum and Library (NMML) Society. Jaishankar, Arnab Goswami,

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

Non-Executive Director of Vodafone Group Sanjiv Ahuja -

New Chief Justice of Tripura HC Sanjay Karol -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Sanjay Kumar Seth -

Court

Interim CFO of Infosys VP Jayesh Sanghrajka -

New Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay Dominic Raab

President of Association of Surgeons of Eminent breast cancer surgeon -

India (ASI) Raghu Ram

New Secretary in Department of Revenue Ajay Bhushan Pandey Hasmukh Adhia

2ndLokayukta of West Bengal Retired Calcutta High Court Samaresh Banerjee

judge Asim Kumar Roy

Chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Sanjay Kumar Mishra Karnal Singh

New Coal Secretary of India Sumanta Chaudhuri Inder Jit Singh

Re-elected Prime Minister of Fiji Voreqe Bainimarama -

R.A.C.E Next President of Interpol South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang Meng Hongwei

CEO of Board of Control for Cricket in India Rahul Johri -

(BCCI)

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of AirAsia Sanjay Kumar -

India

New Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora OP Rawat

Head of Convenor of Task Force by CBDT Akhilesh Ranjan -

Chairperson of the Atomic Energy Scientist Nageshwara Rao

Regulatory Board (AERB) Guntur

Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi IAS Officer Ranbir Singh Vijay Kumar Dev

Strategic Adviser of Elysium Capital Sachin Khandelwal -

1st North Atlantic Treaty Organization Major General Alenka Ermenc -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

(NATO) Country Slovenia’s female Army

Chief

Chairman, Union Public Service Arvind Saxena -

Commission (UPSC) till August 2020

Chairman of National Skill Development A. M. Naik -

Corporation (NSDC)

Water Resources Minister of Kerala K Krishnankutty Matthew T. Thomas

President of the Federation of Motor Sports J. Prithviraj Akbar Ebrahim

Clubs of India (FMSCI)

Chairman of Australian Cricket Board Earl Eddings David Peever

Chief Economist of the International Gita Gopinath (2nd Indian) Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld

Monetary Fund (IMF)

R.A.C.E First chief of National Financial Reporting Rangachari Sridharan (Former -

Authority (NFRA) IAS officer)

New President of Hockey India Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad Rajinder Singh

46th Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi Dipak Misra

MD & CEO of ICICI Bank Sandeep Bakhshi Chanda Kochhar

New Chairman and World President of the Srinivasan Swamy -

International Advertising Association (IAA)

India’s Ambassador to UN Conference on Pankaj Sharma Amandeep Gill

Disarmament in Geneva

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Vinay Razdan -

HDFC Bank

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Got One Year Extension as MD & CEO of P S Jayakumar -

Bank of Baroda

Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, G Balasubramanian -

Thanjavur.

CMD of National Small Industries Sudhir Garg -

Corporation (NSIC)

President of Organisation of A Vaidheesh -

Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI)

Deputy National Security Advisor (Internal RN Ravi -

Affairs)

Next India Ambassador to Spain Sanjay Verma -

Next Indian Ambassador to the Republic of Arindam Bagchi -

R.A.C.E Croatia

New MD of IDBI Bank Rakesh Sharma -

New Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta Ranjit Kumar

CEO of Steel Authority of India Limited Arun Kumar Rath M Ravi

(SAIL) ’s Durgapur Steel Plant.

MD & CEO of AirAsia India Sunil Bhaskaran -

Former SBI chairman joined Ajay Piramal’s Arundhati Bhattacharya -

financial services

Advisor of ChrysCapital Advisors LLP Arundhati Bhattacharya -

(Former SBI chairman)

Independent additional director of Reliance Arundhati Bhattacharya -

Industries (Former SBI chairman)

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Independent Director of WIPRO Arundhati Bhattacharya -

(Former SBI chairman)

Secretary General of PHD Chamber of Mahesh Y Reddy -

Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI)

India’s third Chief Statistician of India Pravin Srivastava (Chief Officer -

(CSI) in Ministry of Statistics and

Programme Implementation

(MoSPI) )

Director General of Council of Scientific Shekhar C Mande -

and Industrial Research (CSIR) and

Secretary of the Department of Scientific

and Research (DSIR)

R.A.C.E Chief of South Western Air Command of Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora Air Marshal RK Dhir

the Indian Air Force (IAF)

Executive Chairman of the National Legal Madan Bhimarao Lokur Justice Ranjan Gogoi

Services Authority of India (NALSA)

Director General Naval Projects (DGNP) at Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad -

Visakhapatnam.

HR Officer (Grade A) of Indian Oil Indian Sprinter Hima Das -

Corporation Limited (IOCL)

Next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom Ms Suchitra Durai (Previously -

of Thailand serving in High Commissioner

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

of India to Kenya)

Advisor of Online financial services S S Mundra (former RBI -

marketplace “BankBazaar” Deputy Governor)

Chairman of AMFI Nimesh Shah -

Head of Investment-equity in Canara Nimesh Chandan -

Robeco Mutual Fund

UNICEF’s special representative Ravi Venkatesan -

Chairperson of National Commission for Priyank Kanoongo Stuti Kacker

Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

MD & CEO of Paytm Payment Bank Satish K Gupta -

New Chief of the Enforcement Directorate Sanjay Kumar Mishra -

Editor of ‘The Hindu’ Newspaper Journalist Suresh Nambath Mukund Padmanabhan

R.A.C.E Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Justice Surya Kant -

Court

Director of the Central Bureau of M Nageshwar Rao -

Investigation (CBI)

Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI) N. Ravi Viveck Goenka

Director-General of the Railway Protection Arun Kumar Dharmendra Kumar

Force (RPF)

New Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Rajesh Agrawal -

Board

New President of Cameroon Paul Biya -

America’s 114th Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh Anthony Kennedy

Chairman of Working Committee and Vikram Limaye -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Director on the Board of WFE

Vice-chairman and Managing Director of Vineet Nayyar -

IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial

Services)

New Prime Minister of Yemen Maeen Abdulmalik -

New President of Nepal Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) -

New President of Iraq Barham Salih -

New President of Ireland Michael D Higgins -

New President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro -

New Prime Minister of Srilanka Mahinda Rajapaksa -

1st Female President of Ethopia Sahle-Work Zewde -

Treasurer of World Steel Association Sajjan Jindal (Indian JSW Steel -

R.A.C.E CMD)

Next Ambassador of India to the Republic Saurabh Kumar Vikram Misri

of Union of Myanmar

Acting chief justice of the Allahabad High Justice Govind Mathur -

Court

Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Ramon Laguarta Indra Nooyi

Head of the Instagram Adam Mosseri -

MD of Maxlife Prashant Tripathy Rajesh Sud

Global Affairs Head of Facebook Nick Clegg (Former British -

Deputy Prime Minister)

New 5 Chief Justices for High Courts of Bombay - N H Patil -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

India Calcutta - D K Gupta

Uttarakhand - Ramesh

Ranganathan

Guwahati - Ajjkuttira Somaiah

Bopanna

Sikkim - V K Bist

Re-appointed chairman of Cricket Australia David Peevers -

Re-elected as Irish President Michael D Higgins -

Chairman of IBA (Indian Banks Punjab National Bank MD - -

Association) Sunil Mehta

Secretary of Ministry of Steel Binoy Kumar -

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of R Madhavan -

R.A.C.E Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)

Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Justice Arup Kumar Goswami -

Chief Distribution Officer of Aegon Life Ahmed Zackaria -

Insurance

CEO of India, Romania units of Societe Sunil Shah -

Generale

Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok L K Advani -

Sabha

Chairman of Advertising Standards Council D Shivakumar -

of India (ASCI)

CEO for Aspire Home Finance Sanjay Athalye -

Joined the board member of the US-India Former foreign secretary S -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). Jaishankar

Secretary of Central Vigilance Commission Financial Commissioner of -

(CVC). Delhi Anindo Majumdar

Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy Director of Bhaba Atomic -

and Chairman, Atomic Energy Research Centre (BARC)

Commisssion Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas

Independent Director of Air India D Purandeswari -

Chairman of the parliamentary Standing Kalraj Mishra -

Committee on Defence.

Secretary (West) in Ministry of External A Gitesh Sarma -

Affairs

New Vice Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Anil Khosla Marshal S B Deo

R.A.C.E Chief Privacy Officer of Google Keith Enright -

Vice-President and Managing Director of Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan -

Facebook’s India operations

Director-General of Border Security Force Rajni Kant Mishra K. K. Sharma

(BSF).

Next Ambassador of India to the People’s Vikram Misri -

Republic of China

Elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman of N. Ravi and Vijay Kumar -

Press Trust of India Chopra

President of Indian Newspaper Society Jayant Mammen Mathew Akila Urankar

Appointed as the Managed Service M/s Tech Mahindra -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Providerfor 5 major ports: Mumbai Port

Trust, Kolkata Port Trust, Chennai Port

Trust, Deendayal Port Trust and Paradip

Port Trust by Indian Ports Association

(IPA).

Permanent captain of Brazil’s national Neymar -

football team.

First Woman Chief Justice Of A Pakistani Justice Tahira Safdar -

High Court

Pakistan's New President (13th President) Arif Alvi -

46th Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi Dipak Misra

Re-nominated for second term as Regional Pooman Khetrapal Singh -

R.A.C.E Director of South-East Asian region - WHO

Managing Director and Chief Executive Ashwani Bhatia Anuradha Rao

Officer of SBI Mutual Fund

Four MDs of SBI Anshula Kant, PK Gupta, DK -

Khara and Arijit Basu

MD & CEO of Axis Bank Amitabh Chaudhry Shikha Sharma

New Chief Justice Of Nepal Justice Om Prakash Mishra Justice Deepak Raj Joshee

Next Ambassador of India to the Kyrgyz Alok Amitabh Dimri -

Republic

Next Ambassador of India to the Republic B. Vanlalvawna -

of Azerbaijan

New Managing Director And CEO of HDFC Vibha Padalkar -

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Life

Sudan's new Prime Minister Moutaz Mousa Abdallah -

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SBI Prashant Kumar Anshula Kant

New Chairman and Managing Director of Tajinder Mukherjee -

National Insurance Company Limited (NIC)

Chairman of the Atomic Energy BARC Director K N Vyas Shekhar Basu

Commission.

Next Ambassador of India to the Republic S. Mubarak -

of Guatemala

New Chairman of Steel Authority of India Anil Kumar Chaudhary P K Singh

Limited (SAIL)

Grievance Officer of WhatsApp Komal Lahiri -

R.A.C.E Facebook India head Ajit Mohan Umang Bedi

Chief Privacy Officer of Google Keith Enright

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vedanta Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan -

Resources Plc

Vodafone Idea’s 1st CEO Balesh Sharma -

Re-elected as leader of Liberal Democratic Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo

Party Abe

New President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Abdulla Yameen

Government Appoints New MD & CEOs at 10 PSBs:

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

 The government has cleared the appointment of chief executive officers and managing directors (CEOs and MDs) at 10 public sector banks. They are part of the 15 names recommended by the Bank Boards Bureau for elevation.

 Of those named, five are currently the deputy managing directors of State Bank of India (SBI) while the other five are executive directors (EDs) at different government-owned banks.

Below is the list of people appointed as MD and CEO at various PSBs:

 Padmaja Chunduru - Indian Bank - until August 31, 2021.

 Packirisamy - Andhra Bank - until February 28, 2021

 Mrutyunjay Mahapatra - Syndicate Bank - until May 31, 2020.

 Pallav Mohapatra - Central Bank of India - until February 28, 2021.

 Karnam Sekar - Dena Bank - until June 30, 2020.

All of the above people are currently deputy MDs at SBI.

 SS Mallikarajuna Rao - Allahabad Bank for an R.A.C.E initial period of three years and could be extendable up to attaining his age of superannuation on January 31, 2022. At present, he is the ED of Syndicate

Bank.

 AS Rajeev - Bank of Maharashtra for an initial period of three years from or after December 1, 2018, extendable up to two years after "review of his performance” or further orders. He is currently the ED of

Indian Bank.

 Atul Kumar Goel - UCO Bank. He is currently the ED at Union Bank of India.

 S Harisankar - Punjab & Sind Bank. He is the Executive Director of Allahabad Bank.

 Ashok Kumar Pradhan - United Bank of India. Currently, he is the ED of the same bank.

Government appoints four members to local boards of RBI:

 Revathy Iyer and Raghvendra Narayan Dubey have been appointed as member in Northern local board of RBI.

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

 Rakesh Jain and Sachin Chaturvedi have been appointed as member in Southern local board and

Eastern local board of RBI.

 Revathy Iyer and Sachin Chaturvedi have also been nominated as Director on the central board of

RBI.

RESIGNATION:

 Director of debt-laden IL&FS Group - GN Bajpai

 Flipkart Group Chief Executive Officer - Binny Bansal

 Non-Executive (Independent) Chairman of Yes Bank - Ashok Chawla

 Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) - Actor Anupam Kher

 United States Attorney General - Jeff Sessions

 CEO and MD of Ashok Leyland - Vinod Dasari

R.A.C.E  External Expert of Search & Selection Committee of Yes Bank - OP Bhatt

 Independent director of Yes Bank -R. Chandrashekhar

 Former Australia captain - Mark Taylor

 US ambassador to the United Nations – Nikki Haley

 Minister of State for External Affairs – MJ Akbar

 Interpol President – Meng Hongwei

 Non-Executive Director of IL&FS Investment Managers Ltd - Vibhav Kapoor

 Alibaba chairman - Jack Ma (On Sept. 10, 2019)

 Instagram co-founders - Kevin Systrom (CEO) and Mike Krieger (CTO)

 MD and CEO of IL&FS Financial Services - Ramesh Bawa

 National Compound Archery Coach - Jiwanjot Singh Teja

 Afghanistan Ambassador to India - Shaida Abdali

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

RETIREMENT

 Former Indian pacer - Munaf Patel

 Former England and Chelsea midfielder - Joe Cole

 Australia’s All-rounder -John Hastings

 Former Chelsea striker - Didier Drogba

 Pakistan batsman- Azhar Ali

 From First-class cricket - Ambati Rayudu (to focus on limited-overs cricket)

 Ireland’s Twin Cricketer - Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce

 From International Football – Australia’s Mile Jedinak (Midfielder) and Russia’s Igor Akinfeev

(Goalkeeper)

 Former England Batsman – Nick Compton

 Former England Football Captain – John Terry R.A.C.E

 Former India fast bowler – Praveen Kumar

 Pakistan Left-Arm Spinner – Abdur Rehman

 West Indices All-rounder – Dwayne Bravo

 MD & CEO of IDBI Bank – B Sriram

 Sri Lanka spinner - Rangana Herath

 Former England Wicket-Keeper - James Foster

 Former India and Tamil Nadu batsman - S. Badrinath

 Former Indian pacer - RP Singh

 Former India Hockey captain - Sardar Singh

 Former India & Tamil Nadu batsman - Subramaniam Badrinath

 New Zealand spinner - Morna Nielsen

 England’s highest Test run-scorer - Alastair Cook

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

 Former England cricket captain - Paul Collingwood

BRAND AMBASSADORS:

 UNICEF India’s Youth Ambassador - Sprinter Hima Das

 UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador - Millie Bobby Brown (Actor of Netflix sci-fi drama ‘Stranger

Things’)

 Uber Eats - Actress Alia Bhatt

 10th AIBA Women’s World Championship - Boxer MC Mary Kom

 Mahendra Singh Foundation (MSF) - Aishwarya Sharma

 Maharashtra’s anti-obesity campaign - Dr Jagannath Dixit

 Adidas - Indian men’s hockey teamcaptain Manpreet Singh

 Apollo Tyres - Sachin Tendulkar

R.A.C.E  Nokia – Alia Bhatt (Indian Actress)

 Event Ambassador for the Airtel Delhi half marathon – Athlete Sanya Richards-Ross

 BSNL - Indian boxer Mary Kom

 Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation - Actor Akshay Kumar

 Skill India Mission - Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma

 Nepal Tourism - Indian actress Jaya Prada

 Uttarakhand’s Anti-Drug Campaign - Actor Sanjay Dutt

 Sports Ambassador of Assam – Hima Das (Indian Sprinter)

 Brand Ambassador of “Tribes India” - Indian boxer Mary Kom

AWARDS & HONOURS

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

AWARDS WINNERS

Honoured as a 'Distinguished Fellow' by Anupam Kher

India Global Summit

World’s first Indian woman amputee to Arunima Sinha (Indian mountaineer)

scale Everest gets honourary doctorate in

UK in Glasgow, Scotland

Honoured with the Chevalier de la Jawahar Lal Sarin

Lgiond'Honneur (France's highest civilian

honour)

MuninBarkotoki Literary Award 2018 Dr Debabhuson Borah (for his book on literary criticism

titled 'Nirbochon')

"Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 6th Dr. Martha Farrell

R.A.C.E Indian Social Work Congress in New

Delhi.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award 2018 by the N Ram (for his outstanding contribution towards journalism)

Press Council of India

First Indian to win European Tour Sir Young golfer Shubhankar Sharma

Henry Rookie of the Year award 2018

Asia Environmental Enforcement Award India’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) –

2018 for combating trans-boundary Innovation Category

environmental crime by United Nations

SayajiRatna Award 2018 Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan (for

contribution to social causes)

Mexican Order of Aztec Eagle Award 2018 Professor S. P. Ganguly

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Forbes India Leadership Awards 2018 Azim Premji (Lifetime Achievement)

Other Important Awards:

Best CEO – Private Sector - Rajeev Jain, MD, Bajaj

Finance

Best CEO – MNC: Sanjiv Mehta, HUL

Best Company – Public Sector - Saurabh Kumar, MD,

Energy Efficiency Services Limited

Outstanding Startup Award - R Narayan, Founder and

CEO, Power2SME

2018 Gleitsman Award by Harvard Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai

University

R.A.C.E Excellence in FINEXT Award 2018 Sanjoy Gaddipati (CEO of InternationalCryptoXPte. Ltd)

‘Swachhta’ award 2018 Patanjali Food and Herbal Park (P) Ltd. in Haridwar

(First Prize)

Ezhuthachan award 2018 Malayalam writer Mukundan

BBC’s list of 100 best foreign language Film Pather Panchali (only film from India to feature in

films the list) directed by Satyajit Ray and released in 1955 – 15th

in the list

Topped by - Akira Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai

Only Asian Film screened at the 13th Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Mere Pyaare Prime

Rome Film Festivalin Rome. Minister”

IPI (International Press Institute) India Namrata Biji Ahuja of The Week magazine

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Award for excellence in journalism 2018

‘Lifetime Achievement Award 2018’ by the Dr. Ramdas M Pai

Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

International Hockey Federation (FIH) Order of Merit: Sue Catton, Alain Renaud, Yoshida

Honorary Awards 2018 Motohito, Peter Wefers-Bettink

President’s Award:Dr Thomas Bach (International Olympic

Committee (IOC) President)

Diploma of Merit: Nii Quay Kumar, Brigadier Mussarat

Ullah Khan, Choi-Cho Yoon

Pablo Negre Trophy: KoninklijkeNederlandse Hockey Bond

Super Fair Play Trophy Rene G. Frank: China Women’s

Hockey TeamR.A.C.E

Etienne Glichitch Award: Herman Kruis

Sultan Azlan Shah Award: ChaiyapakSiriwat

GuustLathouwers Memorial Trophy: Harchan Singh

Dillon

Theo Ykema Award: Federation Deportiva Peruana de

Hockey

Won the fourth annual “Breakthrough SamayGodika

Junior Challenge” for 2018,

Guinness Book of Records for lighting 3, AyodhyaDeepotsav 2018 was organised by Uttar Pradesh

01, 152 earthen lamps

Maharashtra government’s Natvarya Marathi actor Jayant Sawarkar

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Prabhakar Panshikar Lifetime

Achievement award 2018

‘Global Education Award’ in Dubaiby Mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar

Malabar Gold & Diamonds’

Won Union government award for “Good Assam Police

Practices” under the Crime and Criminal

Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an

e-governance project.

Won the 2018 London Press Freedom Swati Chaturvedi

Award for Courage

Withdrawn ‘Ambassador of Conscience’ Amnesty International (supporting human rights abuses

Award, from Myanmar Councillor Aung by not taking efforts to stop violence against the Rohingya

R.A.C.E San Suu Kyi Muslim minority)

7 seven recipients of Presidential Medal of Roger Staubach – football player

Freedom by the White House, United Elvis Presley – Rock and Roll singer

States Antonin Scalia – one of the greatest Supreme Court

justices in American history

George Herman “Babe” Ruth – baseball player

Orrin Hatch – one of the longest-serving Senators in

American history

Miriam Adelson – doctor

Alan C Page – jurist, athlete, and philanthropist

Six eminent professors were selected for Humanities - Kavita Singh

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

the Infosys Prize 2018 across different Life Sciences - Roop Mallik

categories of science and research. Mathematical Sciences - Nalini Anantharaman

Physical Sciences - SK Satheesh

Social Sciences - Sendhil Mullainathan Engineering and

Computer Science - Navakanta Bhat

La Liga league’s best player of the 2017- Barcelona football player Lionel Messi

18 campaign, by Marca

Global Education Leaders Award 2018 at Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati

the 2nd edition of India-UAE Partnership

Summit (IUPS), held at The Atlantis,

Dubai.

“Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Sarod Master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Achievement” R.A.C.E

UASG (Universal Acceptance Steering Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje (for providing

Group) conferred “Universal Rajmail email service for citizens of Rajasthan in local script)

Acceptance Thought Leader award”

Fortune Business Person of the Year 2018 Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen (12th) ; Topped by - Tricia

list Griffith

Won 2018 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Disarmament and Development

Won the French Legion of Honor 100-year-old Retired Col. William Pollard

International James Dyson award 2018 Nicolas Orellana of Chile and Yaseen Noorani from

Kenya for their innovative design ‘Urban wind turbine’

called O-Wind Turbine.

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Won silver in the International Green Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Apple Award for environmental best

practice 2018

12th National Academy of Sciences, India Innovation in Engineering and Physical Sciences - Dr. Ajay

(NASI) -Scopus Young Scientist Awards S. Karakoti

2018 Women in Science - Dr. Zhumur Ghosh Agriculture, Plant

Sciences and Rural Development - Dr. Jitender Giri

Biomedical Research and Healthcare - Dr. MaddikaSubba

Reddy

Environmentally Sound Sustainable Development - Dr.

Vimal Chandra

Kuncha Kala Tapasvi Award 2018 Senior Artist A. N. Patil (Lifetime Achievement)

R.A.C.E Won the CII-Exim Bank Business Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL)

Excellence Award 2018

Set new Guinness World Record with Actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra

plankathon for 60 Seconds

Won the First UN Global Geospatial Sanjay Kumar

Industry Ambassador Awardat the United

Nations World Geospatial Information

Congress held at Deqing city in China.

38th India International Trade Fair Uttarakhand - Best State and Himachal Pradesh - Silver

Awards Medal.

Winners of 49th International Film Opening Film –‘The Aspern Papers’

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Festival of India (IFFI) 2018. (Israel was Closing Film - ‘Sealed Lips’

the focus country for the 49th edition of Centenary award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’-

IFFI) Alberto Monteras II (‘Respeto’)

ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal - Ladakhi Movie ‘Walking

with the Wind, directed by Praveen Morchhale.

Lifetime Achievement Award - Veteran Israeli filmmaker

Dan Wolman

Best Actor (Female) - Anastasiia Pustovit (“When the

Trees Fall”)

Best Actor (Male) - Chemban Vinod (‘Ee. Ma. Yau’)

Special Jury award - Milko Lazarov (‘Aga’)

IFFI Special Award - Salim Khan

Best FilmR.A.C.E in IFFI 2018 – Ukraine’s Donbass

Best Director award - Lijo Jose Pellissery (‘Ee. Ma. Yau.

’)

Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Renowned flautist Pandit Keshav Ginde

Lifetime Achievement Award 2018

Highest French Civilian Award “Chevalier Wipro’s Chairman Azim Premji

del la Legion d’ Honneur” 2018

Winner of 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Actress-filmaker Nandita Das - International Federation

(APSA) held in Brisbane, Australia of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) award

Nawazuddin Siddiqui - Best Performance By An Actor

(Male) for his film Manto

Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi (for his contribution to

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international cooperation and fostering global economic

growth)

UN Investment Promotion Award 2018 Invest India (for excellence in promoting investments in

sustainable development)

International Olympic committee (IOC) Social Entrepreneur Suheil F. Tandon (for his contribution

award 2018 to sports for development)

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2018 Senior Advocate Fali S Nariman

Cleanest Government University By HRD Haryana’s Maharshi Dayanand University

Ministry

Prestigious US Congressional Gold Medal Mahatma Gandhi (Recognition of his promotion of peace

2018 and non-violence)

Prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar Award, Hockey player Lilima Minz

R.A.C.E 2018

Posthumously honoured as ‘Legend’ by Richie Benaud

Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Deming Prize for 2018 Indus Towers (1st in India & 5th in the World)

[World’s Largest Telecom Tower Company For distinctive performance improvements through the

(outside China) ] application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices.

New Academy Prize in Literature Maryse Conde

Prestigious Gold Prize by FAO at global Sikkim (for promoting agro-ecology through policies and

Future Policy Awards 2018 laws that have made it a “100 percent organic farming”

state)

World’s Most Innovative University by Stanford University

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Reuters report

Hridaynath Award 2018 for Lifetime Music Director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi

Achievement

India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Prema Gopalan of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP)

2018

Prestigious ‘Vimala V Pai Vishwa’ Konkani H M Pernal (‘Beeg Ani Beegath’)

best book award for the year 2018

Man Booker Prize 2018 for ‘Milkman’ Anna Burns (First Northern Irish Author)

Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2018 Marsel van Oosten (Netherlands)

‘Portrait of two endangered golden snub-nosed monkeys in

China’s Qinling mountains’.

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year Arshdeep Singh (Jalandhar, Punjab)

R.A.C.E Award in the category ‘Pipe owls’

Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti Award 2018 HD Deve Gowda (Former Prime Minister)

Miss Deaf Asia 2018 Title at an Nishtha Dudeja (Haryana)

international pageant held in Prague

Honoured with a Presidential Medal for Minal Patel Davis

Combating Human Trafficking 2018 by U.

S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for her

extraordinary

Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2018 US-based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla’s debut book, “Ants

Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of

Modern India”

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And

Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam won the prize for his

debut novel, “The Story of a Brief Marriage”, set in the

backdrop of the civil war.

Winner of the FICCI (Federation of Indian Athletics Federation of India [For the category of Best

Chambers of Commerce and Industry) National Sports Federation (NSF) ]

India Sports Awards 2018

‘ISSA Good Practice Award 2018’ held at Employees’State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) (for

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Administrative Solution for Coverage Extension at the

“Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific”)

Prestigious Carnot Prize 2018 Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs

Piyush Goyal

R.A.C.E World Health Summit Startup Award In Young Indian scientist Roopam Sharma (For his invention,

Berlin Manovue – the world’s first intelligent personal assisting

system for the visually impaired)

‘Best Agriculture Award’ by the Indian Gujarat

Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) at

the ‘11th Global Agriculture Leadership

Summit and Leadership Awards – 2018’

2018 Nansen Refugee Award Dr. Evan Atar Adaha (South Sudanese Surgeon)

Best department for its contribution to Ministry of Railways

“Swachchta Pakhwada” under the

“Swachchta Hi Seva” category of awards.

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Won Tourism Awards at 14th Annual Nepal (Chandragiri Hills Limited in Hospitality and Tourism

Travel Awards ceremony held in New Sector Category)

Delhi

Mid-day Young Achiever Icons Award for Actor Ruhaan Rajput

2018

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu Outstanding Person Award was presented to badminton

presents “Ramineni Awards 2018” coach Pullela Gopichand. Special awards: Telugu literary

legend Garikapati Narasimha Rao, film director Nag

Ashwin Reddy and writer C Venkata Ramana.

India’s first ‘Miss Trans Queen’ in Mumbai Chhattisgarh’s Veena Sendre

Won the Council of Europe’s Vaclav Havel Human Rights Activist Oyub Titiev

prize 2018

R.A.C.E 5 eminent personalities selected for Aloysius Richard Lobo for Rachana NRI of the Year award,

Rachana Awards 2018 Lawrence Pinto for Rachana Agriculturist of the Year

award,

Ronald Castelino for Rachana Entrepreneur of the Year

award,

Faye D’Souza from Mirror now for Rachana Professional of

the Year award,

Sr Maria Jyothi AC for Rachana Woman of the Year award.

Winners of the 2019 BREAKTHROUGH Life Sciences Award: C. Frank Bennett and Adrian R.

PRIZE in Life Sciences, Fundamental Krainer, Angelika Amon, Xiaowei Zhuang, and Zhijian

Physics And Mathematics “James” Chen.

Fundamental Physics Award: Charles Kane and Eugene

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Mele.

Mathematics Award: Vincent Lafforgue.

Special Fundamental Physics Award: Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Hindustani classical music instrumentalist Pandit Vishwa

Award 2018 Mohan Bhatt

Prestigious Jean Monnet Centre of Department of European Studies (DES) of Manipal Academy

Excellence (CoE) Award 2018 of Higher Education (MAHE)

Prestigious “Indian National Science Tezpur University professor Ashis Mukherjee

Academy (INSA) Teachers Award (2018) ”

Two Initiative have won Commonwealth “Unnayan Banka” - Reinventing Education Using

Association for Public Administration and Technology, of Banka District of Bihar was awarded under

Management Award, 2018 the Category “Innovation Incubation”.

R.A.C.E And

“Unified Agriculture Markets” of Co-operation

Department of Karnataka under the Category ‘Innovation in

Public Service Management’. This initiative also won the

overall Gold Award for CAPAM Awards, 2018.

Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for For 2014: Manipuri dancer Sh. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh;

the years 2014, 2015 & 2016. For 2015: Chhayanaut, a cultural organization of

Bangladesh and

For 2016: Sculptor, Sh. Ram VanjiSutar.

Won JCB Prize for Literature 2018 Malayalam author Benyamin’s novel “Jasmine Days”

Winners of the 2018 United Nations Ms. Rebeca Gyumi – activist for the rights of women and

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Human Rights Prize girls (Tanzania)

Ms. Asma Jahangir (posthumously) – human rights lawyer

(Pakistan)

Ms. Joênia Wapichana (Joênia Batista de Carvalho) –

activist for the rights of indigenous communities (Brazil)

Front Line Defenders – organization advocating and

working for the protection of human rights defenders

(Ireland).

Prestigious Sakharov Human Rights Prize Jailed Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov

2018

Won ‘Top Challengers Award 2018’ for Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML)

excellent performance during financial

year 2017-18 and Best Seller in Crawler R.A.C.E

Equipment- Dozers and Rigid Dump Truck

segment for mining sectors.

Won the Miss Grand International 2018 Miss Paraguay Clara Sosa

title at the 6th edition of the beauty

pageant in Yangon, Myanmar.

11th Global Leadership Awards 2018 Best Fisheries State Award: State of Jharkhand

Best Animal Husbandry State Award: State of Bihar

Best Horticulture State Award: State of Nagaland

Best Agriculture State Award: State of Gujarat

Program Leadership Award: The State Horticulture

Mission, Govt. of Haryana

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Life Time Achievement Award: Padamsree Dr. KH Gharda

International Leadership Award: Prof. Rudy

Rabbinge, Special Envoy (Food Security, Government of

Netherlands)

Research Leadership Award: National Research

Development Corporation

Policy Leadership Award: Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, CM

of Andhra Pradesh

Academic Leadership Award: Indian Institute of

Management, Ahmedabad

Winners of 4th International Film Festival Best short film (National) -“Anahut” (Marathi) by Umesh

R.A.C.E of Shimla “IFFS 2018” Bagade

Best Documentary award-“BURKINABÈ RISING -The art

of resistance in Burkina Faso” by Lara Lee from Burkina Faso

Best Short Film(International Category) -“The Fog” by

Ali Shoorvarzi, Hoseyn Mahroughi

Special Jury Short Film-“Its Also Love” by Masao Konno/

Japan and “Opaque” by Anish Kunnath/ Singapore

Best Feature Film-“Sinjar” by Sandeep Pampally

Special Jury Short Fiction award-“Plucked” (Kannad) by

Tejus Yakhob

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Ramon Magsaysay Award 2018 Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk are the two Indians

among six individuals

First Indian poet to record poems at Abhay K

library of congress in Washington D. C

Won 5 awards at Mines Environment and Panchpatmali bauxite mine of National Aluminium

Mineral Conservation (MEMC) week Company Ltd (NALCO) - ‘Par Excellence Award’ in the field of

afforestation, reclamation and rehabilitation, sustainable

development and overall performance (in more than 5. 5

million tonne per year mining capacity category).

National Clean School Award 2018 Puducherry (Government Primary School, Kunichampet,

prepared by National Institute of topped the list with 100% marks)

Cleanliness Education and Research

(NICER). R.A.C.E

Conferred as ‘Honoris Causa’ by the Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the

University of Engineering & Management Prime Minister

(UEM) in Kolkata.

2018 Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace Terre des Hommes, an international children rights charity

and Fraternity among Peoples. based in Switzerland.

US National Cancer Institute has awarded Indian-American researcher Professor Arul Chinnaiyan, to

the “Outstanding Investigator Award” identify cancer biomarkers to enhance diagnosis and develop

new targeted therapies.

Honoured at the first Women in Film and Actress Aishwarya Rai - Meryl Streep Award for

Television (WIFT) India Awards 2018 in Excellence; Director Zoya Akhtar - Wyler Award for

Washington, US. Excellence in Direction; Actress Janhvi Kapoor - WIFT

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Emerald Award; Catherine Hand - Producer of the Year

award.

Conferred as the UN Interagency Task Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary & Mission Director

Force (UNIATF) Award 2018 (National Health Mission), Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare - For his contribution towards prevention and

control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and

associated Sustainable Development Goals.

Conferred as the honorary D Sc at the 6th Renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C N R Rao

annual convocation of Presidency

University in Kolkata.

Honoured at the 36th International Board Children’s writer Ramendra Kumar

on Books for Young People (IBBY)

R.A.C.E Congress in Athens, Greece

Airports Council International Airport GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd - For the

Service Quality World No. 1 airport award second consecutive year (under the category of 5-15 Million

2018 Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) ).

Conferred Arjuna award by Union Minister Para Shuttler Raj Kumar

of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan

Rathore.

Selected Film to represent India in the Assamese movie “Village Rockstars”

Best Foreign Language category at the

91st Academy Awards 2019, at the Dolby

Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles,

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California.

Only sportsperson to feature in the Forbes Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu

India’s first ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of

22 young achievers in the fields of

business, acting and sports.

Recipients of UN’s highest environmental Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with French President

honour: Champions of the Earth Award Emmanuel Macron - Policy Leadership category; Cochin

International Airport - ‘Entrepreneurial Vision’ category for

R.A.C.E its leadership in the use of sustainable energy.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2018 by Dr Aditi Sen De – Physical Sciences (Only female winner of

Council of Scientific and Industrial this year) ; Dr Thomas Pucadyil – Science & Technology

Research (CSIR)

‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award at the Actor-director Pankaj Kapur

closing ceremony of the 9th edition of

Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai.

2018 Dr B. C. Roy National Award Eminent Neurosurgeon Dr B. K. Misra

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Hollywood star AnneHathaway

Equality Award 2018

39th edition of Sarala Puraskar Award Odia poet Satrughna Pandav for his poetry work ‘Misra

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Dhrupad. ’

Pandeet Umesh Chadra Kar - ‘Ila Panda Sangeet Samman’

Binod Moharana - ‘Ila Panda Chitrakala Samman’

Meryl Streep Award 2018 AishwaryaRai Bachchan

Meera Puraskar Award by Rajasthan Jaipur-based poet and writer Sawai Singh Shekhawat

Sahitya Academy

Toronto film festival audience prize 'Green Book'

"Rajbhasha Kirti" award for outstanding Punjab National Bank under the category of 'Nationalised

performance in implementing the Official Banks and Financial Institutions in Region A'.

Language Policy during 2017-18.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) gold Kerala Tourism ('Yalla Kerala' travel advertisement print

awards media campaign in the Gulf countries)

R.A.C.E Kerala Tourism (Developed for the third edition of the Kochi-

Muziris Biennale (KMB) )

Top honours at the First International Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan

Music Festival by President Uzbekistan

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award INSV Tarini

2018

'Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle', the Dr. Raghupati Singhania

highest civilian honour accorded to non-

nationals by the Government of Mexico

Priyadarshni Academy Global Award Anushka Sharma - Smita Patil Memorial Award.

Ronnie Screwvala - Innovative Entertainment as well as

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Community Development.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar

for 2017-18

Right Livelihood Award known as the Three Jailed Saudi human rights defenders -Abdullah al-

“Alternative Nobel” Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and Waleed Abu

al-Khair.

UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award 2018 Evan Atar Adaha, surgeon and medical director at a

hospital in north-eastern South Sudan

NOBLE PRIZE WINNERS 2018

FIELD CATEGORY WINNERS

Physics “For groundbreaking inventions in the Arthur Ashkin (USA), and the other half

R.A.C.E field of laser physics” jointly Gerard Mourou (France) and

And Donna Strickland (Canada)

“For the optical tweezers and their

application to biological systems”

Chemistry "For the directed evolution of Frances H. Arnold (USA) and the other

enzymes" half jointly to George P. Smith(USA) and

And Sir Gregory P. Winter (UK)

"For the phage display of peptides

and antibodies"

Physiology or "For their discovery of cancer therapy James P. Allison (USA) and Tasuku Honjo

Medicine by inhibition of negative immune (Japan)

regulation"

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Peace “Crucial contribution to focusing Doctor Denis Mukwege (Congo) and

attention on, and combating, war Activist Nadia Murad (Yazidi)

crimes”

And

“Helped to give greater visibility to

war-time sexual violence”

Economic Sciences "For integrating climate change into William Nordhaus (USA) And

long-run macroeconomic analysis" Paul Romer (USA)

And

"For integrating technological

innovations into long-run

macroeconomic analysis"

R.A.C.E

PM Narendra Modi confers Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2018:

 The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation commissioned “Swachh Survekshan Grameen-

2018” (SSG 2018) through an independent survey agency to develop ranking of all districts of India on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation parameters.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred the Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2018.

 In Overall Ranking -Top 3 States are:

 Haryana

 Gujarat

 Maharashtra

 Top 3 Districts are:

 Satara (Maharashtra)

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 Rewari (Haryana)

 Pedapalli (Telangana)

 States with maximum citizen participation are

 Uttar Pradesh

 Gujarat

 Maharashtra

 Districts with maximum citizens’ participation are

 Nashik (Maharashtra)

 Solapur (Maharashtra)

 Chittorgarh (Rajasthan)

Emmy Awards 2018 Announced: Complete List of Winners

The 70th annual primetime Emmy honors handedR.A.C.E out at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Some important awards are given below:

 Drama Series: Game of Thrones

 Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

 Actor, Drama Series: Matthew Rhys, The Americans

 Actress, Drama Series: Claire Foy, The Crown

Best FIFA Football Awards 2018:

 The Croatian footballer Luka Modric was named Best FIFA Footballer of the Year in a London ceremony. The Croatian beat Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo to become the first player other than

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win since Kaka in 2007. Peru fans won the award with 74% of the vote.

The other important awards are

 The Best FIFA Women's Player - Marta

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 The Best FIFA Men's Coach - Didier Deschamps

 The Best FIFA Women's Coach - Reynald Pedros

 The FIFA Puskás Award - Mohamed Salah

 The Best FIFA Goalkeeper - Thibaut Courtois

My India WiFi India Summit & Awards 2018:

It was organized by DigiAnalysys in New Delhi. Theme: “Achieving 10 million WiFi Hotspots by

2018″.

 Best WiFi Service Provider (East, South, North) – BSNL

 Best WiFi Service Provider – BSNL

 Most Promising WiFi Brand – UTStarcom India Telecom

 Best Home WiFi Product – D-Link (India)

R.A.C.E  Best WiFi Startup – Kirat Communications. (NewsVoir)

 Best WiFi Service Provider (West) – ONE OTT iNTERTAINMENT INDIA

 Best WiFi Project led by Woman – Ms. Sushma Mishra, BSNL.

 Best IoT Solution – Kamakshi Clouds

National Tourism Awards 2016-17:

The Union Minister for Tourism (IC), Shri. K. J. Alphons, presented the National Tourism Awards 2016-

17) on the World Tourism Day, in New Delhi. The Minister also launched the ‘Incredible India Mobile

App’ and the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification” programme.

 Hall of Fame Award in the category of excellence in Publishing in Foreign Language - Department of

Tourism, Govt. of Kerala

 Best Tourism Film - Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala for ‘Live Inspired’

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 Best Tourism Promotion Publicity Material by States and 7 Union Territories - Government of

Telangana for “Discovery Telangana in its Myriad Hues”.

 Best Film Promotion Friendly State/ UT – Rajasthan

 Swachhata Award - Indore Municipal Corporation, Madhya Pradesh

 Best Heritage City (JOINT WINNERS) - Ahmedabad, Gujarat & Mandu, Madhya Pradesh

 Best Maintained and Disabled Friendly Monument - Archaeological Survey of India for Qutb

Complex, Delhi.

 Best Heritage Walk (JOINT WINNERS) - Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board for Indore Heritage

Walk & INTACH DelhiChapter.

 Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station - Secunderabad Railway Station.

NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS -2018

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2018: R.A.C.E

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for the most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of 4 years. It includes a cash prize of Rs. 7. 5 lakh. Selection Committee head:

Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar. This year award winners are Ms. S. Mirabai Chanu: Weightlifting;

Shri Virat Kohli: Cricket

Overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments is given Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

(MAKA) Trophy. It includes a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. Selection Committee head: Ashok Kumar.

Dronacharya Award 2018:

It is given for coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events. It includes a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh. Selection Committee head: Justice Mukul Mudgal

Name of the Coach Discipline

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Subedar Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa Boxing

Vijay Sharma Weightlifting

A. Srinivasa Rao Table Tennis

Sukhdev Singh Pannu Athletics

Clarence Lobo Hockey (Life Time)

Tarak Sinha Cricket (Life Time)

Jiwan Kumar Sharma Judo (Life Time)

V. R. Beedu Athletics (Life Time)

Arjuna Award 2018:

It is given for sports persons with consistent outstanding performance for 4 years. Selection Committee head: Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar

R.A.C.E Name of the Sportsperson Discipline

Neeraj Chopra Athletics

Subedar Jinson Johnson Athletics

Hima Das Athletics

Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy Badminton

Subedar Satish Kumar Boxing

Smriti Mandhana Cricket

Shubhankar Sharma Golf

Manpreet Singh Hockey

Savita Hockey

Col. Ravi Rathore Polo

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Rahi Sarnobat Shooting

Ankur Mittal Shooting

Shreyasi Singh Shooting

Manika Batra Table Tennis

G. Sathiyan Table Tennis

Rohan Bopanna Tennis

Sumit Wrestling

Pooja Kadian Wushu

Ankur Dhama Para-Athletics

Manoj Sarkar Para-Badminton

Dhyan Chand Award 2018:

R.A.C.E It is given for life time contribution to sports development. It includes a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh. Selection

Committee head: JusticeMukul Mudgal

Name of the Sportsperson Discipline

Satyadev Prasad Archery

Bharat Kumar Chetri Hockey

Bobby Aloysius Athletics

Chougale Dadu Dattatray Wrestling

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar Award 2018:

It is given to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have contributed to sports promotion and development. Selection committee head: Rahul Bhatnagar

Category Name of the entity

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Identification and Nurturing of Budding & Young Talent Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited

Encouragement to Sports through Corporate Social JSW Sports

Responsibility

Sports for Development Isha Outreach

LIST OF VARIOUS COMMITTEES AND ITS HEAD

Committee Head Purpose

Namrita Mahindro Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has formed a

new industry expert committee, under its Emerging Technology

Council, focused on AR/VR (Augmented and Virtual Reality).

R.A.C.E

NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Waste dumping issue at the Polavaram dam in Andhra Pradesh.

Kumar Goel

Finance Minister Odishagovernment constituted a 3-member inter-ministerial

Shashi Bhusan Behera committee to address issues raised by farmers.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram ‘Approach to Agriculture: A Holistic Overview’ on approach to

Naik agriculture for doubling farmer’s income.

TPCI Chairman A high level Vietnamese delegation from Ministry of Agriculture

Mohit Singla and Rural Development of Vietnam met a Trade Promotion

Council of India (TPCI) delegation, in Delhi.

Professor Ranjana Arora of the Expert Group to formulate a draft policy to reduce weight

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National Council of Educational of schoolbag.

Research and Training (NCERT).

BJP MP Kirit Somaiya To examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees

Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Suresh Mathur, ED (Health), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

IRDAI. (IRDAI) formed a panel to examine claims in installments.

Naveen Gupta, President, ICA To study the systemic issues at debt-laden IL&FS Group.

Institute

Justice J. S. Verma To look into the legal and institutional framework to control sexual

harassment at workplaces after the impact of #MeToo campaign.

Export Development Board (EDB) Sri Lanka constituted a 8-10 member ‘Break Into India Strategy

R.A.C.E Chairperson Indira Malwatte Committee’ to formulate strategy to help Sri Lankan businesses

and Former Chairman of the invest more into the Indian market.

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

Suresh Shah.

Delhi High Court Judge Home Ministry set up a tribunal to decide on banning 2 militant

Justice Suresh Kait groups from Tripura. They are National Liberation Front of

Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF).

Justice (retd) S P Garg To prepare a time-bound action plan on groundwater recharge

in Delhi.

NSE's Managing Director and CEO Working Group Committee of World Federation of Exchanges

Vikram Limaye (WFE)

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Corporate AffairsSecretary Injeti Review “the Competition Act/ Rules/ Regulations, in view of

Srinivas changing business environment and bring necessary

changes, if required. ”

National Security Advisor (NSA) Central government has revised the Strategic Policy Group (SPG)

Ajit Doval that assists the National Security Council in advising Prime

Minister Narendra Modi on matters of national security and strategic

interests. The group is the first of the three tier structure of the

NSC.

Former judge Justice Amitava To look into the aspect of jail reforms across the country and

Roy suggest measures to deal with them. The committee will also look

into the various issues concerning women prisoners.

Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha To identify various items and policy interventions to reduce

R.A.C.E dependence on import. India's imports stand at around USD

450 billion per year. And also for stressed thermal power

projects

Former Allahabad High Court For monitoring the rejuvenation project of Ganga.

judge

A retired professor of IIM To upgrade the norms for computation of economic data at states

Ahmedabad Ravindra H and districts level in the backdrop of plans to revise the base year

Dholakia from 2011-12 to 2017-18 for National Accounts or GDP

calculation.

K. Kasturirangan Drafting a new education policy, which was supposed to submit the

report by 30 June, now has till 31 August 2018

CANARA & ESIC MANINS CAPSULE

Secretary, Ministry of To look into the issue of industrial pollution around the iconic Taj

Environment, Forest and Climate Mahal

Change C K Mishra

Former Director, AIIMS, New To regulate the fees chargeable by self-financed Deemed to be

Delhi Prof. R. C. Deka Universities in Medical and Dental Courses.

Former Vice Chancellor, Central To look into the matters related to examination reforms.

University, Rajasthan M. M.

Salunkhe

National Green Tribunal (NGT) On the cleaning of the Yamuna and directed it to submit an action

Chairperson A K Goel plan on the issue.

To ascertain whether sub-regional plans for protection of Natural

Conservation Zones (NCZs)

R.A.C.E IRDAI Member Non-LifeP. J. To examine motor third party insurance pricing and make

Joseph Recommendations on the premium rates for 2019-20.

NGT appointed ex-judge Justice To decide Vedanta’s plea challenging closure of Sterlite copper plant

SJ Vazifdar

Secretary of Ministry of Corporate To review the penal provisions in the Companies Act, 2013 - The

Affairs Injeti Srinivas. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA)

Former education secretary Anil To address issues such as "manpower deficiency" & “Synergy”

Swarup in the NCC (National Cadet Corps) and NSS (National Service

Scheme)

A two high-level committees To suggest ways and legal framework to effectively deal with

Union Home Minister Rajnath incidents of mob violence and lynching

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Singh and the other by Union

Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba

B Sesikeran, former director of To look into the draft food labelling and display regulations

National Institute of Nutrition

(NIN)

AJ Paulraj To prepare a roadmap for rollout of 5G telephony in India expects

the service to be operational by 2020

Cabinet Secretary Pradeep To address the issue of stressed thermal power assets

Kumar Sinha

Trade Minister Suresh Prabhu To Continue With Or Withdraw From The 16-Member Regional

Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations

Justice BN Srikrishna Discussion on 'Future of Governance' will focus on various aspects

R.A.C.E related to data privacy, an issue that has become increasingly

relevant in the digital era.

SEBI Executive Director Surjit To mull norms for direct listing of Indian companies overseas.

Prasad

Suresh Mathur (ED-IMF, IRDAI) To review norms related to Insurance Marketing Firm (IMF) with

an aim to increase insurance penetration in the country.

Former Delhi Metro chief E To cut costs in the construction & operation of metro rail systems in

Sreedharan the country & bring them under the Make in India umbrella.

Bharat Forge’s Baba Kalyani To study the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) policy of the country

& suggest measures to make it more relevant for exporters &

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compatible with World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms.

Director (Commercial) of Development of a 1, 000-MW floating solar power plant at

Maharashtra State Electricity Ujani dam in Solapur district of Maharashtra.

Distribution Company Ltd

(MSEDCL), Satish Chavan

Retd. Secretary (Higher To examine the entire system of conducting Class X & Class XII

Education), MHRD Mr. Vinay examination conducted by the

Sheel Oberoi CBSE with a view to prevent leakages.

National Security Advisor Ajit To reform the process of higher defence planning and to

Doval. improve higher defence management (Defence Planning

Committee (DPC) )

Secretary General of the Rajya To review rules of procedure and conduct of business in the

R.A.C.E Sabha, Dr V. K. Agnihotri House

Veteran BJP leader Murali To study the recovery of black money and performance of

Manohar Joshi public sector banks among a host of subjects.

Shakti Sinha - Content The Union Culture Ministry has formed three high-powered

Committee panels towards setting up a unique museum on the 'Prime

Swapan Dasgupta - Vet the Ministers of India' in New Delhi.

content for curation Committee Note: The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), a

Shakti Sinha - Project memorial to Jawaharlal Nehru, is housed in the historic Teen Murti

implementation Committee House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India

Jawaharlal Nehru.

Punjab National Bank's non- Setting up an asset reconstruction or an asset management

executive Chairman Sunil Mehta company for faster resolution of bad loans. Named the report

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as Sashakt India Asset Management.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister To examine the feasibility of the idea and the way to implement

Shivraj Singh Chouhan MNREGA with the agriculture sector.

Regional Director (Western To review the enforcement of CSR provisions under the

Region) Manmohan Juneja. companies law, 2013

Minister of State for Civil Aviation For fast-tracking the roll-out of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Shri Jayant Sinha. technology and todevelop a roadmap with implementable

recommendations for Central as well as State Governments,

Industry and Research Institutions

R.A.C.E LOAN SANCTIONED BY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BANK

(APRIL – NOVEMBER 2018)

 New Development Bank (NDB) – $525-million loan – ToMadhya Pradesh for infrastructure projects.

 NABARD -West Bengal - Rs 335 crore - Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to West

Bengal.

 NABARD -West Bengal - Rs 735. 53 crore - Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to the state during the first quarter of 2018-19.

 NABARD – Rajasthan - Rs 14, 690 crore - For the development of agriculture and rural economy during 2017-18.

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 NABARD - Uttar Pradesh - Rs 10, 012 crore - To facilitate overall development with special focus on agricultural credit during 2017-18.

 WorldBank - Rs. 929. 89 crore – Himachal Pradesh -For Shimla water supply and sewerage project.

 WorldBank - Uttrakhand - US$74 million - To improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

 WorldBank - Andhra Pradesh - $172. 20 million - to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability, and climate resilience of poor and marginalised farmers.

 World Bank – Rajasthan - USD 250 million - For improving the performance of its electricity distribution sector.

 World Bank - Government of India, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) - $220 million Loan Agreement and an $80 million Guarantee Agreement - India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up

Program.

 World Bank – Bangladesh - $700 million - ToR.A.C.E help achieve its education for all vision (improving the primary education sector) by Quality Learning for All Program (QLEAP).

 World Bank – India - USD 500 million (Rs 3, 371 crore) - To provide additional financing for

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) rural road projects.

 World Bank – Bangladesh - $55 million - To expand the use of clean renewable energy in rural areas.

 World Bank - Meghalaya Community - USD 48 million - To strengthen community Led

Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP) in the state (closing date of the Project is 30th June 2023).

 World Bank – Maharashtra - $420 million – To help small and marginal farmers in the

Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra, Climate Resilient Practices in the state.

 World Bank – Madhya Pradesh - $ 210 million – For the Madhya Pradesh Rural Connectivity

Project.

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 World Bank - National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan) - USD 200 million - Improving the coverage and quality of ICDS nutrition services to pregnant and lactating women and children under 3 years of age.

 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank - Madhya Pradesh - USD 140-million - To improve rural connectivity in the state.

 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank - Madhya Pradesh – USD 150 million loan –For establishing the first multi-skills park in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

 Asian Development Bank (ADB) - $110 million loan - To upgrade all-weather rural roads in

Madhya Pradesh under the Prime Minister's Rural Roads Programme (PMGSY).

 Asian Development Bank - Uttarakhand - Rs 1, 700 crore - For infrastructure development and creation of sewerage treatment facilities in urban areas.

 Asian Development Bank - Himachal Pradesh - Rs 1, 900 crore - A tourism infrastructure

R.A.C.E development project.

 Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Madhya Pradesh - $375 million - To contribute to double farming incomes in by expanding irrigation networks and system efficiency.

 Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Karnataka -$346 million - To finance improvement of over

400 kilometers (km) of state highways that will enhance connectivity and access to economic centers across 12 districts.

 Asian Development Bank (ADB) - Three districts of West Bengal -$245 million - To provide safe, sustainable, and inclusive drinking water service to about 1. 65 million people in, India, affected by arsenic, fluoride, and salinity.

 Asian Development Bank -$500 million – Tamil Nadu -To develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in at least 10 cities in the Indian state.

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 Asian Development Bank - $200 million – Bihar - Upgradation of 230 kilometres State

Highwaysunder Bihar State Highways III Project (BSHP-III).

 Asian Development Bank - $100 million – West Bengal - For continuation of sewage and water treatment in Kolkata.

 Asian Development Bank - $105-million - Himachal Pradesh - For hydro-power transmission projects.

 Asian Development Bank -$169 Million – Tamil Nadu - To Provide Water and Sanitation Services.

MILITARY, AIR, NAVY EXERCISES CONDUCTED BY VARIOUS COUNTRIES

MILITARY EXERCISES

 DHARMA GUARDIAN - India & Japan - Vairengete, Mizoram, India.

 Vajra Prahar’- India and United States – Jaipur, Rajasthan.

R.A.C.E  ‘Druzhba-III’ - Pakistan and Russia – North - Western region of Pakistan.

 'Dharma Guardian' - Indiaand Japan - Mizoram's Vairengte.

 NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Trident Juncture 2018 military exercise - Norway.

 Iron Magic 19 - United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States (US) - Arabian Gulf.

 'Nomadic Elephant 2018' - India-Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

 “MILEX 2018” (First BIMSTEC joint military exercise) - Aundh Military Station, Pune. (BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal) but Nepal does not participate in MILEX-18.

 “Vostok-2018” – Russia – China and Mongolia (Participant Countries) - Russian Army, Air Force and Navy.

 ‘KAZIND 2018’ - India – Kazakhstan - Otar region, Kazakhstan

 ‘Rapid Trident’ – Ukraine - U. S. A - Western Ukrainian village of Starychi.

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 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2018' - Nepal-China - China’s southwestern Sichuan province.

 ‘Yudh Abhyas 2018’ – India – US - Chaubatia in Uttarakhand.

AIR EXERCISES

 ‘Cope India’ - India, Japan and the U. S – Kalaikunda, West Bengal.

 ‘Avia Indra-18’ – India - Russia - Lipetsk, Russia from 17 Sep to 28 Sep 18and will be conducted in Jodhpur, India from 10 Dec to 22 Dec 18.

NAVAL EXERCISES

 KONKAN - India and United Kingdom - Goa.

 32nd Edition of CORPAT – India and Indonesia - Belawan harbour, Indonesia.

 ‘JIMEX 18’ – India and Japan – Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

R.A.C.E  IBSAMAR-VI - Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies - Simons Town, South Africa.

 Sahyog-Hop Tac 2018 - India and Vietnam - Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast.

 First joint maritime exercises of China and ASEAN countries in the South China Sea near the city of Zhanjiang.

 ‘SLINEX-2018’ (4th edition) - India-Sri Lanka - Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

 “Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) ” - South Korea and the United States -Pohang,

South Korea.

Name Event Medal

Elavenil Valarivan & Hriday Hazarika 10m rifle mixed team junior (with a record Gold

broken 499. 0 / 502. 1)

Manu Bhaker & Saurabh Chaudhary 10m air pistol mixed team junior (with a Gold

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record broken 483. 0 / 485. 4)

Saurabh Chaudhary 10m Air Pistol men’s junior Gold

Saurabh Chaudhary, Arjun Singh 10m Air Pistol team junior Gold

Cheema & Anmol Jain

Manu, Abhidnya & Neha 10m Air Pistol team junior Silver

Arjun Singh Cheema 10m Air Pistol men’s junior Silver

Divyansh Singh Panwar 10m air rifle men’s junior Silver

Mehuli Ghosh, Elavenil Valarivan & Men’s junior team Silver Shreya Aggarwal

Hriday Hazarika, Arjun Babuta & Women’s junior team Silver Divyansh Singh Panwar

Elavenil Valarivan 10m air rifle women’s junior Bronze

R.A.C.E Mehuli Ghosh & Arjun Babuta 10m air rifle mixed team junior Bronze

 25th edition of SIMBEX, an acronym for “Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise” -

Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.

SPORTS NEWS

11th Asian Air Gun Championship 2018 Highlights:

 11th Asian Air Gun championship was held at Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex at Kuwait City, Kuwait.

 India’s junior shooters won a total of 11 medals: 4 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals. China topped the medal list with a total 31 medals: 16 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze medals. India stands second at the medal tally.

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SaarLorLux Open 2018:

The 2018 SaarLorLux Open was a badminton tournament that took place at Saarlandhalle in

Saarbrücken, Germany and had a total prize of $75, 000.

Winners List

 Men's Singles: Subhankar Dey (India)

 Women's Singles: Cai Yanyan (China)

 Men's Doubles: Marcus Ellis (England) & Chris Langridge (England)

 Women's Doubles: Gabriela Stoeva (Bulgaria) & Stefani Stoeva (Bulgaria)

 Mixed Doubles: Marcus Ellis (England) & Lauren Smith (England)

2018 Rolex Paris Masters:

The 47th edition of Rolex Paris Masters 2018 took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris,

R.A.C.E France.

Winners List

 Men’s Singles: Karen Khachanov (Russia)

 Men’s Doubles: Marcel Granollers (Spain), Rajeev Ram (United States)

2018 Fuzhou China Open:

The 2018 Fuzhou China Open was a badminton tournament which took place at Haixia Olympics Sports

Center in Fuzhou, China and had a total prize of $700, 000.

Winners List

 Men's Singles: Kento Momota (Japan)

 Women's Singles: Chen Yufei (China)

 Men's Doubles: Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (Indonesia) & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia)

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 Women's Doubles: Lee So-hee (South Korea) & Shin Seung-chan (South Korea)

 Mixed Doubles: Zheng Siwei (China) & Huang Yaqiong (China)

8th Asian Shotgun Championship Highlights:

 8th Asian Shotgun Championship was held at Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex at Kuwait City, Kuwait.

 India has won the single gold medal in the event. It was won by Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, first

Indian skeet shooter event, set a world record with a shot of perfect 60 out of 60 in final round.

 China topped the Medal Tally by winning 19 Medals (7 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze), Kazakhstan followed it by winning 14 Medals (4 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze).

OEC WTA Taipei Open Championship 2018:

It was held in Taipei City in Taiwan with a Total PrizeR.A.C.E money of the Event isUSD125, 000.

Winners List

 Singles: Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand)

 Doubles: Ankita Raina (India) & Karman Thandi (India)

Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open 2018:

It was held at Hong Kong Coliseum, in Kowloon, Hong Kong with a Total Prize Money for the tournament was USD 400, 000.

Winners List

 Men’s Singles: Son Wan Ho (South Korea)

 Women’s Singles: Nozomi Okuhara (Japan)

 Men’s Doubles: Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia)

 Women’s Doubles: Yuki Fukushima & Sayaka Hirota (Japan)

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 Mixed Doubles: Yuta Watanabe & Arisa Higashino (Japan)

2018 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships:

 It was took place at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, Lucknow in India and had a total prize of $150, 000.

 Saina Nehwal won the silver medal in women’s singles event.

 India’s Satwiksairaj and Rankireddy got silver medal in the Men’s double event. India’s Women’s pair Ashwini Ponnappa and Reddy N. Sikki won Silver medal in women’s doubles event.

 India’s pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa has to settle with Bronze medal in the mixed double event.

Winners List

 Men's Singles: Sameer Verma (India)

R.A.C.E  Women's Singles: Han Yue (China)

 Men's Doubles: Fajar Alfian (Indonesia) & Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)

 Women's Doubles: Chow Mei Kuan (Malaysia) & Lee Meng Yean (Malaysia)

 Mixed Doubles: Ou Xuanyi (China) & Feng Xueying (China)

2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Highlights:

 The 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 was hosted in the West Indies from 9 to 24 November

2018, during the 2018–19 international cricket season. It was the sixth edition of the ICC Women's T20

World Cup, and the second hosted by the West Indies (after the 2010 edition).

 Champions of the year 2018: Australia (4th title) ; Runner: England; Number of country participants in the event: 10

 Player of the series: Australian Alyssa Healy

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 Most runs: Australian Alyssa Healy (225)

 Most wickets: West Indies Cricket Board Deandra Dottin; Australian Ashleigh Gardner; Australian

Megan Schutt (10)

 India at the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20

 Harmanpreet Kaur was the Captain of Indian team in ICC Women’s World T20.

 India’s Men Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli launched “Jersey knows no gender” campaign to support women’s team in the event.

 India’s quest for a maiden ICC Women’s World T20 title ended with an eight-wicket defeat against

England in the Semi-Finals of the ICC Women’s World T20.

Women’s Boxing World Championship Highlights:

 International Boxing Association (AIBA) has organized Women’s World Boxing Championship

2018 at Indira Gandhi Sport Complex in New Delhi. R.A.C.E

 China topped the medal tally with 5 medals including 4 gold, 1 Silver and Chinese Taipei ranked at second position with 2 medals (2 Gold).

 India ended the Championship at 3rd position with 4 medals including 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze.

Winners of Indian Team:

Name Event Medal

Mary Kom Women’s Light Fly (45-48 Gold

kg) Category

Sonia’s Chahal Women’s Feather (57kg) Silver