Chennai Ias Academy-9043 211311/411 Tnpsc Current Affairs – September 2018

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – SEPTEMBER 2018

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY Vellore & Tiruvannamalai ENGLISH MEDIUM

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CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Current Affairs For TNPSC Examinations SEPTEMBER 2018

SI.NO CONTENTS PAGE.NO 1. TAMILNADU 03 - 06 2. NATIONAL 06 – 38 3. INTERNATIONAL 38 – 48 4. APPOINTMENTS & 48 – 53 RESIGNS 5. SPORTS 53 – 62 6. SCIENCE AND 62 – 64 TECHNOLOGY 7. IMPORTANT DAYS 64 – 68 8. AWARDS 68 - 72

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 TAMILNADU

 Coastal Zone Management plan

Tamil Nadu government submitted the final draft of „Coastal zone management plan‟ to the Union ministry of Environment, Forests and climate change.

As per the Tamil Nadu prison manual, (Open Air Prison) the concept of open- air prison is to relieve congestion in walled prisons, train inmates in proper methods of agriculture for future rehabilitation and make prisons self- sufficient in agri production. It also aims to give prisoners with good

conduct a certain amount of freedom. The plan divides 1,076 km long coastline into 6 categories (6 CRZs - Coastal People convicted under provisions of Regulation Zone) to preserve its marine Central Act XLV of 1860, habitual offenders, ecology, covering 13 TN coastal districts and women prisoners, political prisoners, hired and 28 islands. professional murderers, ‗A‘ class prisoners and inmates having tendency to escape are not They are named as CRZ IA, CRZ eligible for the provision. IB,CRZ II, CRZ III, CRZ IVA and CRZ IVB. The prisons department had already The state has 1 Marine National Park established such a facility in Coimbatore, that is Gulf of Manna. Salem, and Sivaganga districts to engage convicts and life convicts in agriculture  Open air prison activities. Thirumalaisamudiram

Tamil Nadu will soon have its fourth open-air prison at Thirumalaisamudiram village in Thanjavur district.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Tamil Nadu‟s new ICT Policy

Tamil Nadu Government has announced Municipal administration and rural a new Information Communication development Minister S.P Velumani Technology Policy, 2018. received the award for Excellence in NREGA This policy will address the aspirations Administration. of investors, especially IT and ITeS companies, The state government has also received MSMEs and start-ups by way of provision of an award for the initiatives under Geo- standard administrative incentives, fiscal MGNREGA, performance in Aadhaar seeding incentives, capital subsidies, tax exemptions, and conversion. and special incentives, among other things. Tuticorin district administration got a It also has provisions for incubating national award for achieving self- sufficiency start-ups and creating Research Parks. under seven schemes under Grama Swaraj Awards for promoting Green IT Abhiyan. industry and single-window facility for early District Collectors Annadurai and clearance from concerned agencies are also Prashant M Wadnere have been honored for part of this policy. effective implementation of the scheme in Thanjavur and Tiruvannamalai districts.

 Tamil Nadu receives five awards from  Pakistan Dental Association's Centre Humanitarian Award

Tamil Nadu has received five awards Chennai based craniomaxillofacial from the central government for effectively surgeon, Dr S M Balaji has been awarded the implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Pakistan Dental Association‘s „Humanitarian Rural Employment Guarantee Act Award‟. (MGNREGA) scheme.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  1st technology-aided livestock census – Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is going to conduct the 20th livestock census, which is the 1st technology-aided livestock census. The census will be done with the help of a tablet, clicking photographs of livestock on various localities. Prof. Balaji is the first Indian to receive such an honour from the Pakistan Dental Association. The award was conferred on the side- lines of the 40th Asia pacific Dental federation 2018 meeting in Manilla, Philippines.

 „TN-SMART‟ app

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA) is going to launch an app called ‗TN-SMART‘ for real- The livestock Census will be time risk assessment. undertaken once in five years and this is the first time the census would be undertaken for a three-month period (usually 1 month).

The census has been delayed for the first time since 2002. It couldn‘t be undertaken as per schedule in 2017 because of the Centre‘s Digital India initiative.

 Customs Checking Centre

India‘s first „Customs Checking It is a web application to collate data Centre‟ has been inaugurated related to disaster management and provide at Thiruvotriyur, Chennai. flood alerts in specific areas. ‗TN-SMART‘ stands for Tamil Nadu - System for Multi-hazard potential impact Assessment and Emergency Response Tracking. 5

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411

NATIONAL

 Prime Minister Launches India Post Payments Bank

This eliminates the massive backlog in front of the port and eases the traffic congestion.

 New Corporation to support water project funding

Tamil Nadu Government is going to Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched constitute a new ‗Water Resources a payments bank of the Department of Posts that Conservation and River Restoration will take banking to the doorstep of every citizen Corporation‘ to help implement water schemes. through an unmatched network of post offices and almost 3 lakh postmen and „Grameen Dak The new department will help out Sewaks‟. Public Works department to draft innovative The India Post Payments Bank projects and schemes to improve water (IPPB) will be like any other banks but its sources. operations will be on a smaller scale without involving any credit risk. It will carry out most

banking operations like accepting deposits but won‘t advance loans or issue credit cards. The payments bank will accept deposits of up to Rs 1 lakh, offer remittance services, mobile payments/transfers/purchases and other banking services like ATM/debit cards, net banking and third-party fund transfers. The IPPB would be available through 650 branches and 3,250 access points.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  India Along With 23 Other Nations have been organized by the Women and Child Participates In Tsunami Mock Drill Development Ministry to spread broad awareness on the issues related to malnutrition like stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children. The decision to celebrate September as the National Nutrition Month every year was taken during the second meeting of National Council on India‘s Nutrition Challenges under the Poshan Abhiyaan held in July 2018.

 Rajasthan Government To Provide India along with 23 other Free Mobile Phones To Women of nations participated in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock drill which will involve evacuation BPL Families of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen coastal states. The exercise, known as 'IOWave18', is being organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, which coordinated the setting up of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in the aftermath of December 2004 tsunami. In a bid to boost Prime Minister Narendra  September: National Nutrition Month Modi's flagship 'Digital India' Being Celebrated Across Country campaign, Rajasthan government will soon distribute mobile phones to women under the Bhamashah Yojana. Focused on women who fall under the Below Poverty Line (BPL), the scheme aims to transfer financial and non-financial benefits of government schemes in a transparent manner. The Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje-led government in Rajasthan stated that they are making efforts to launch new applications so that the poor can receive all benefits by simply pushing

a button on their cell phones. The National Nutrition Month

(September) is being celebrated across the country to mark the fight against malnutrition. During this month, various programmes 7

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  International Aviation Summit Held in New Delhi NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant announced that India will shortly unveil a One Nation-One Card policy for public transport that will entail connectivity between various modes of transport. The announcement was made at a function on Future Mobility Summit- 2018 in New Delhi. The road transportation segment alone contributes to around 4% of country‘s GDP with the segment still being heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The objective of the strategy is to plan for the

citizens of India first, rather than focussing on The International Aviation Summit began vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility in New Delhi, India. The seminar has been jointly and accessibility. organised by the Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and International Air  Manoj Sinha Inaugurates Conference Transport Association (IATA). On 'E-Mobility in Indian Railways' Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu announced that the Civil Aviation Ministry is coming up with Vision 2035 under which it plans to build 100 new airports across India in the next 10-15 years with an investment of USD 60 billion and address the major issues concerning aviation industry such as airport infrastructure, taxation and use of technology.

 India To Have „One-Nation-One-

Card‟ Policy For Transport Soon: A Conference on “E-Mobility in Indian NITI Aayog Railways” organized by Ministry of Railways through Institution of Railways Electrical Engineers (IREE) in association with NITI Aayog concluded in New Delhi. The one-day conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State of Communication (I/C) and Minister of State of Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha. It was a pre-cursor to the “Move: Global Mobility Summit” to be organized by NITI Aayog.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Government Approved Proposal To KrishiTharanga - digital mobile extension services Increase Wages Of Artisans By Over for coffee stakeholders at a function in New 36% Delhi. The mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency. The Coffee KrishiTharanga services are aimed at providing customized information and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability.

 PM Jan Dhan Yojana To Be Open- Ended Scheme With More Incentives

The Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) approved a proposal by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to increase the wages of artisans by over 36%. With this, the wages will be increased from Rs 5.50 per hank previously to Rs 7.50 per hank. This proposal for an increase in wages to Khadi spinners, along with payment of government subsidy Modified Market Development Assistance (MMDA), will be implemented. The Government has decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)  Suresh Prabhu Launches Technology an open-ended scheme and added more incentives Initiatives For Coffee Stakeholders to encourage people to open bank accounts. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the overdraft facility has been doubled from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 under the Yojana. The age limit for availing overdraft facility under it has also been revised to 18 to 65 years from the earlier 18 to 60 years. The accidental insurance cover for new RuPay Cardholders has been raised from Rs. one lakh to Rs. two lakh.

 Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Minister for Commerce & Industry and Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377 Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched Coffee Connect - India coffee field force app and Coffee

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 talks with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis. Military Ties: According to US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo, both sides should continue to ensure freedom of the seas and work towards peaceful resolutions of territorial and maritime disputes, seen as an oblique reference to China‘s expansionist behaviour in the South China Sea. The Supreme Court abolished Section 377 of Nuclear Deal: A raft of other important issues like the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which US sanctions on import of Iranian crude oil and criminalised homosexuality. India‘s plan to buy a batch of S-400 air defence The Delhi High Court had decriminalised missile systems from Russia were discussed. In homosexuality in 2009, but the decision was May, the US withdrew from the landmark Iran overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. nuclear deal and re-imposed the sanctions that had According to Section 377, consensual sexual acts been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran‘s are also considered unnatural and are punishable. nuclear programme.  India-US 2+2 Dialogue: India-US Sign  India-US Hold Maiden 2+2 Talks In COMCASA New Delhi

India and US have signed the Communications Compatibility and Security

Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate India

to obtain critical defence technologies from the US, India and the US held the first edition of and access critical communication network to the two-plus-two talks in New Delhi. The meeting ensure interoperability among the US and the Indian was aimed at further strengthening bilateral defence armed forces. and security collaboration as well as boosting their global strategic partnership, particularly in the  Telangana Cabinet Passes Resolution to Indo-Pacific region. Dissolve Legislative Assembly External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 from diverse defence segments take part with special focus on MSMEs in defence production and procurement.  PM Inaugurates India's 1st Global Mobility Summit

The Telangana Cabinet passed a resolution calling for the dissolution of the Telangana Legislative Assembly. The state‘s Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had convened the meeting of his Council of Ministers to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and seek fresh elections six months ahead Prime Minister Modi inaugurated India's of schedule. first Global Mobility summit 'MOVE' in New The CM submitted a one-line resolution of Delhi. Comprehensive discussions along 5 themes the cabinet dissolving the assembly to the state‘s took place ranging from electrification and Governor ESL Narasimhan immediately after the alternative fuels and reinventing public transport. meeting. The two-day meet of stakeholders has been organised by the NITI Aayog.  Home Minister Inaugurates Defence & The summit deliberated on 5 Homeland Security Expo and themes, comprehensive: electrification & alternative fuels, reinventing public transport, Conference goods transport & logistics and data analytics and mobility. The main focus of the summit is to make cities of India pollution free.

 Piyush Goyal Launched 'AAPOORTI' App Of „Indian Railways e- Procurement System‟

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference – 2018, organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in New Delhi. The expo is being organised for the first time to make leading policy makers and luminaries 11

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Ministry of Railways & Centre for A sum of 10,400 crore rupees is earmarked Railway Information Systems (CRIS) organised a for manufacturing of PSLV launch vehicle out of seminar on “Leveraging IT for Mobility” in New which 9000 crore rupees worth production will be Delhi. given to private industries. Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Shri  Bengaluru To Host Aero India In Goyal also launched a new app – “AAPOORTI‟ February 2019: Defence Ministry mobile App of „Indian Railways e-procurement system‟ (IREPS). About Aapoorti (IREPS Mobile App) : This App provides information and data related to e-tendering and e-auction related activities of Indian Railways. For e-tendering activities, users can see details related to tenders published, tenders closed, purchase orders placed.

The next edition of Aero India will be held  6th Edition of Bengaluru Space Expo in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 20 to 24, Inaugurated 2019, Defence Ministry announced. This five-day event will combine a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with public air shows. Yelahanka Air Force station in Bengaluru has hosted all the 11 editions of Aero India so far and has emerged as a premier air show in Asia.

 Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan To Head Panel To Select New CEA

The 6th edition of the biennial Bengaluru Space Expo was inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Dr.K Sivan in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The three-day event showcased industry participation in Indian space programme. ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan addressed that the ISRO wants to offer manufacturing of PSLV and small satellite launch vehicles along with small satellites to private industries. The Union Government has appointed former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal 12

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Jalan as the head of the panel that has been tasked with selecting India‟s next chief economic advisor (CEA). The panel will screen the applications received and conduct interviews. The move comes two months after the government sought applications for the post after previous CEA Arvind Subramanian resigned from office.

 HRD Minister Inaugurates 4th World Summit on Accreditation: WOSA 2018 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 call centre functioning 24×7 in collaboration with Medi assistant is sharing info in English and Hindi initially and 9 more regional languages to be added later.

 India And France Signed Union Minister for HRD Prakash Implementation Agreement on Javadekar Inaugurates 4th World Summit on 'Mobilise Your City' Accreditation (WOSA-2018) at New Delhi. WOSA is a biennial Summit organised by NBA, which provides platform to stakeholders to share their knowledge and information on accreditation. The Summit will facilitate the exchange of information on various challenges being faced during the transition between input-output based accreditation to outcome-based accreditation. India and France have signed an  Ayushman Bharat Call Centre implementation agreement on 'Mobilise Your City' (MYC) in the presence of Minister of State (I/C), Inaugurated In Bengaluru Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri and Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India. Mobilise Your City (MYC) is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and the German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) meeting.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 three projects in Bangladesh via video  Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana conferencing. These include: To Cover Child Cancer Treatment 1. 500 MW additional power supply from India The Union Government has announced to Bangladesh, that the treatment of childhood cancer will 2. Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link, and be covered under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya 3. Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur Yojana. The information was shared by NITI section of Bangladesh Railways. Aayog member Vinod Kumar Paul, while speaking Akhaura-Agartala rail project is about 12 km at a function in New Delhi. long of which 5.5 km would be laid in India while 6.5 km would be in Bangladesh. The total cost of the project would be about 960 crore rupees.

 India Joins Elite Group of Countries Capable Of Air-to-Air Fuel Transfer

The child cancer will be treated under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the rate in this regard has been fixed. According to the announcement made, 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will be opened across India by 2022 under the scheme.

 India, Bangladesh Jointly Inaugurate 3 Projects The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried out, placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes. The mid-air re-fuelling of wet contact trial for Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas MK-1 was successfully carried out from an Indian Air Force base. The Air-to-Air refuelling capability for Tejas

is a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force, giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his the aircraft the potential to stay airborne for much Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and longer periods of time. Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb jointly inaugurated

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Centre Sets Up Panel Of Secretaries Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real To Look Into e-commerce Issues Estate – 2 years of implementation and way forward With concerns being raised on some (Western Region)‖ in Pune. proposals of the draft e-commerce policy, the government has set up a group of secretaries to  1st Edition of BIMSTEC Military look into the issues. The group will be chaired Exercise MILEX-18 Inaugurated in by the secretary in the Department of Pune Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

The other members of the group include BIMSTEC Military Exercise (MILEX- secretaries of the ministry of electronics and 18), the first edition of Military Field Training information technology and department of Exercise for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- commerce. Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations, started at Aundh in Pune.  1st Regional Workshop On RERA The aim of MILEX-18 is to practice the Inaugurated by Hardeep Puri in Pune BIMSTEC Nations in planning and conduct of counter-terrorist operations. Participating countries are Armies of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is not taking part in MILEX-18.

 NRTI, India's 1st Railway Varsity Starts Operations In Vadodara

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the first regional workshop on RERA (Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act) in Pune. Mr Puri delivered the inaugural address at the ―First Regional Workshop on RERA – a New 15

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 The novel set in the '90s is the story of Veda, who harbours big dreams, but finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage and realizes that her opinions in real life don't matter.  Health Ministry Implements HIV AIDS Act 2017

The first of its kind university in the country in the transport sector, the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), started operations. Currently, it is functioning out of the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara. Funded by the ministry of railways, with

University of California, Berkeley and Cornell The Ministry of Health and Family University as its international partners, the Welfare has announced the implementation of university started with two undergraduate courses - the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and BSc Transportation Technology and BBA Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Transportation Managements- with 50 students (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. According to each. the law, every HIV infected or affected person  Forbes-Nominated Author Preeti below the age of 18 has the right to live in a shared Shenoy Pens New Book, 'The Rule household and enjoy its facilities. Breakers' The act criminalises any kind of discrimination against people suffering from AIDS in terms of treatment, employment and workplace. Those violating the act could be jailed for up to two years or fined up to Rs1 lakh or both.

 1st Ever Bus Services Between Bihar And Nepal Flagged Off

Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announced the launch of her new book, 'The Rule Breakers'. The book claims to explore complex themes of women's equality, gender, and inclusion among others.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 The initiative is part of NITI Aayog‘s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence discussion paper that focuses on establishing ICTAI through private sector collaboration. The collaboration aims to bring together fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology development to solve important problems.

 Indo-US Joint Exercise 'Yudh Abhyas For the first time, bus services between 2018' To Start in Uttarakhand Bihar and Nepal have started. The bus service was flagged off from Patna by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Four buses will ply from Bodhgaya to Kathmandu. Similarly, four buses will ply from Patna to Janakpur. The Kathmandu bound bus will go via Patna, Raxaul and Beerganj. The Janakpur bound bus will go via Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi.

 NITI Aayog, Intel And TIFR To Set Up Model International Center For As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence ICTAI cooperation, a joint military training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from 16 September to 29 September 2018. This will be the 14th edition of the joint military exercise hosted alternately by both countries.

 APSARA, Uranium Reactor Becomes Operational at BARC

NITI Aayog, Intel and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI).

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 creation of amenities at/near Railway Stations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

 Haryana Signs MoU With Indian Oil For Ethanol Plant

'Apsara', the first research reactor in Asia became operational in Trombay campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in August 1956. After providing more than five decades of dedicated service to the researchers, the reactor was shut down in 2009.

Nearly sixty-two years after Apsara came The Haryana government signed an into existence, a swimming pool type research MoU with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set reactor “Apsara-upgraded”, of higher capacity up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of was born at Trombay. The reactor, made over Rs 900 crore. indigenously, uses plate type dispersion fuel The initiative with a proposed capacity elements made of Low Enriched Uranium of 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day will manage (LEU). crop residue and prevent straw burning before the

upcoming paddy season. The pact will be valid for  Indian Railways Launches Web Portal one year. 'Rail Sahyog'  2-Day Regional Conference On Good Governance Begins In Bhopal

The Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal launched a web portal 'www.railsahyog.in'. The web portal will provide a platform for The Department of Administrative the Corporates and PSUs to contribute to the Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR & 18

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 PG), Government of India in association with Government of Madhya Pradesh is organizing a Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts, in Bhopal. Delegates from 12 States and 2 UTs participated in the Conference. There were 5 Technical sessions in the 2-day conference. The themes include: ICT Enabled Education, Agriculture, Public Service and Grievance Management and Good Governance initiatives. The government of Andhra  Important Cabinet Approvals: 12th Pradesh launched a mobile platform, e-Rythu (e- September 2018 farmer in Telugu) which will enable small-scale farmers to market their produce at reasonable prices. e-Rythu was launched by chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The platform has been developed by Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion in Nairobi, Kenya, and has been customized for India use by the Labs team based at Pune.  Cabinet Approves New Umbrella Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan' Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows- The Cabinet has approved- 1.Transfer of land of M/s. Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) to Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) 2. MoU between India and Brunei Darussalam on Cooperation in the operation of Telemetry Tracking and Telecommand station for satellite and launch vehicles, and for cooperation in the field of Space The Union Cabinet approved new Umbrella Research, Science and Applications. Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, PM-  Andhra Launches e-Rythu To Boost AASHA. Cashless Farm Ecosystem The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 as announced in the Union Budget for 2018 the announcement was made by the Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh in New Delhi. The Cabinet has decided to give additional government guarantee of Rs.16,550 crore making it Rs. 45,550 crore in total. The new Umbrella Scheme includes the mechanism of ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers and is comprised of: 1. Price Support Scheme (PSS),

2. Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), and 3. Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme Unlimit, end-to-end IoT service provider (PPPS). in India announced its partnership with State- owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited  PM Modi Announces Launch Of (BSNL) to offer comprehensive Internet of Things „Swachhata Hi Seva Movement‟ (IoT) solutions and services to the enterprise customers across India. The partnership between Unlimit and BSNL will leverage seamless wireless network footprint pan India to provide its solutions and services across industries.

 Government Approves 100% Electrification Of Railways By 2021- 22 To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of 'Swachhata Hi Seva Movement'. The mission, which also celebrates the fourth anniversary of the Swaccha Bharat Mission will take place across the length and breadth of the country and will continue till Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary on October 2.

 BSNL, Unlimit Ink Partnership For IoT/M2M Services In India The Union cabinet approved a proposal for the complete electrification of Indian Railways by 2021-22, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel and saving revenue for the national carrier. 20

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 The move will cost the government Rs12,134 Union minister K J Alphons, the Minister crore. The announcement was made by of State for Tourism, inaugurated the country's the Railways Minister, Mr Piyush Goyal. first tribal circuit project connecting 13 tourism sites in Chhattisgarh. This project was sanctioned  Minister For Minority Affairs by the Ministry of Tourism in February 2016 Launched 'National Scholarship Portal for Rs. 99.21 Crores. Mobile App' The project was implemented under the Tourism Ministry's Swadesh Darshan scheme launched in 2014-15 for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized manner.

 Hindi Diwas: 14 September

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the country's first "National Scholarship Portal Mobile App" (NSP Mobile App) in New Delhi. This "National Scholarship Portal Mobile App" will ensure a smooth, accessible and hassle- free scholarship system for students from poor and weaker sections. Hindi Divas is celebrated on 14 September because, on this day in 1949, the  Country‟s 1st Tribal Tourism Circuit Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi Launched in Chhattisgarh written in Devanagari script as the official language of the Republic of India. Under the Article 343 of the Indian Constitution, on 26 January 1950, Hindi, written in Devanagari script was adopted as the official language.

 India Approves MOU on Joint Blockchain Research with BRICS Members

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 2017. The HIV Estimations 2017 is the 14th round in the series of HIV Estimations under National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). Maharashtra has the highest number of people living with HIV in India. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were on second and third place, respectively. NACO undertakes HIV estimations biennially in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS). The Union Cabinet of India has approved a The first round of HIV estimation in India Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the was done in 1998, while the last round was done in collaborative research of distributed ledger 2015. As per the report, in 2017, India had around technology (DLT). The research will be jointly 21.40 lakh people living with HIV (PLHIV) with conducted by the Export-Import Bank of India the adult prevalence of 0.22%. (Exim Bank) and one bank from each BRICS member states.  15 September-Engineer's Day. The MoU was initially proposed at the 10th International BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg in July, the main focus of which was cooperation in economic development in the face of the fourth industrial revolution.

 National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) Releases HIV Estimations 2017

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya's birthday is celebrated on 15 September as Engineer's Day. Fondly referred to as Sir MV, M Visvesvaraya was a world-renowned civil engineer who was a master of irrigation design. He was also referred to as the father of engineers by many. The bridge, among M Visvesvaraya's most notable projects, is a representation of the Krishna The National AIDS Control Organisation Raja Sagara Lake and dam (in Karnataka). In (NACO) released the report HIV Estimations 1924, Sir MV designed the Krishna Raja Sagara 22

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Lake and dam, the largest reservoir in India at the The Prime Minister, Narendra time, and oversaw the construction of the project. Modi, launched the „Swachhata Hi The dam is known to have provided drinking water Seva‟ Movement, to boost nationwide public for several cities. participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and catalyse the fulfilment of Bapu‘s dream of a Clean  Festival of Nuakhai being celebrated in India. Odisha The Swachhata Hi Seva movement aims at generating greater public participation towards Swachhta. It is being organized in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, on October 2nd, 2018, which will also mark the commencement of the 150th year celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.  Indigenously Developed Weapon System „MPATGM‟ Successfully Flight Tested

The festival of Nuakhai is being celebrated in Odisha. During this harvest festival of western Odisha, new produce Nabannis offered to presiding deities. After offering the Nabann, people relish different types of delicacies prepared from the newly harvested crop. The Nuakhai Juhar is a major ritual of the festival, during which greetings are exchanged with friends, relatives, and well-wishers. Indigenously developed weapon

system Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile  PM Launches Swachhata Hi Seva (MPATGM), was successfully flight tested for the Movement second time from the Ahmednagar range, Maharashtra. All the mission objectives have been met. The two missions have been successfully flight tested for different ranges including the maximum range capability.

 New Website For '15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019' Inaugurated

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 reliance, will be executed by the West Bengal Police. The scheme aims to empower young boys and girls to make informed choices so that they are less vulnerable to trafficking and child marriage. As the per the NCRB data, West Bengal has highest recorded case of trafficking among the States.

 India Gets Its 1st Ever Dedicated Dog External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Park in Hyderabad Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the website for the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019, www.pbdindia.gov.in. Guests at the PBD 2019: 1. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth will be the Chief Guest. 2. Member of Parliament of Norway Himanshu Gulati will be the Special Guest. 3. Member of Parliament of New Zealand Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi will be the Guest of Honor. For the first time in India, dog owners will have a dedicated dog park to visit. Set up in  Bengal Scheme to Combat Human Hyderabad, the park is spread across an area of 1.3 Trafficking: Swayangsiddha acres. The park houses dog training equipment, play equipment, splash pool, fountain, areas for exercise, amphitheatre, lawns, separate kennels for small and big dogs and a dedicated dog clinic.

 India Ranks 3rd On Family-Owned Business List: CSRI Report

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-

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 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 current set of investments will focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through the Atal Innovation Mission .

 Rajnath Singh Inaugurates 2 CIBMS Pilot Projects In Jammu

India ranks third globally in terms of number of family-owned businesses with 111 companies having a total market capitalisation of $839 billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and the US with 121 firms,according to the ‗Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018‘ study, published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI).

As per the report, in terms of number of family-owned businesses within the non-Japan Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Asian region, the list is dominated by China, India Singh inaugurated two Comprehensive Integrated and Hong Kong. These three jurisdictions together Border Management System (CIBMS) pilot account for around 65% of the non-Japan Asian projects along the India-Pakistan border in section of CSRI‘s database. Jammu region. The pilot project includes two 5.5  Cisco Signs Agreements With NITI kilometre-stretches in Jammu, the performance of Aayog and BSNL which will be monitored, and based on the feedback improvements will be made for the rest of the system.  India‟s 1st „Smart Fence‟ Pilot Project Inaugurated By Rajnath Singh

Cisco, a U.S.-based firm, that makes networking telecommunications equipment, 25

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 During this meeting both the Ministers agreed to enhance the tourism cooperation between India & Morocco and to work towards increasing tourist arrivals between both countries. This meeting was followed by signing of an agreement of cooperation between the India Tourism Development Corporation and La Societe Marocaine D‟Ingenierie Touristique, also known as Moroccan Agency for Tourism

development (SMIT). India‟s first „smart fence‟ pilot project was inaugurated by Union Home Minister  Delhi, Seoul Sign MoU To Tackle Air Rajnath Singh along the Indo-Pak border at the Pollution BSF Headquarters in Ploura, Jammu. Smart fencing uses a number of devices for surveillance, communication and data storage. The pilot project entails deploying laser- activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along frontiers.

 India-Morocco Tourism Bilateral Meeting Held in New Delhi

The Delhi government signed an MoU with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to work closely in the fields of environment, tourism, wastewater 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 A bilateral meeting on Tourism Park Won-Soon in Seoul. Cooperation between India and Morocco led by the Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft  DAC Approves Procurement of and Social Economy, Kingdom of Morocco, Equipment Worth Rs 9,100 Crores Mohamed Sajid and the Minister of State for Tourism (IC), Government of India, K. J. Alphons, held in New Delhi.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) and with support of State UT Governments.

 Important Cabinet Approvals: 19th September 2018

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Raksha Mantri Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman accorded approval for the procurement of equipment for the Defence Forces valued at over Rs 9,100 crores. The DAC approved procurement of two Regiments of Akash Missile Systems under 'Buy

(Indian)' category from M/s BDL. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime  Piyush Goyal Inaugurates 1st Ever Minister Narendra Modi has given the following India Tourism Mart 2018 set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-

The Cabinet has approved-

1. Equity infusion of RCF in Talcher Fertilizers Ltd.: approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for equity investment of Rs.1033.54 crore of the total project cost for setting up a Coal Gasification based fertilizer project in Talcher Fertilizer Ltd. (TFL) by Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited (RCF).

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal inaugurated the „first ever‟  Cabinet Approves Ordinance Making India Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) in the presence Triple Talaq A Punishable Offence of Union Tourism Minister, K J Alphons and the Tourism Minister of Morocco, Mr. Mohamed Sajid, in New Delhi. The India Tourism Mart is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 video conferencing. The project will go a long way in strengthening the Indo-Bangla ties.

India-Bangladesh Friendship Product Pipeline Project:

The 130-kilometre pipeline will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

The capacity of the pipeline will be 1 The Union Cabinet has approved an million metric tons per annum. ordinance making triple talaq a punishable The estimated project cost will be Rs 346 offence. The Supreme Court had in a verdict in crore and it will be completed in 30 months time. August last year declared it illegal and This will be the first such pipeline through unconstitutional. which refined diesel will be supplied to Parbatipur depot from Numaligarh of Assam in India. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha but was stuck in the Rajya Sabha. Though the ordinance has been cleared, for now, it must be placed before the  Union Home Secretary Launches „e- Parliament and the bill would still need to be Sahaj‟ Portal For Grant Of Security passed. Clearance  PM Modi, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina Jointly Launched Indo-Bangla Pipeline Project

The Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba launched an online „e-Sahaj‟ portal for grant of Security Clearance. The portal will

facilitate an applicant to submit application online Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his and also to view the status of his application from Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly time to time. launched the construction of India-Bangladesh With the introduction of online portal, the Friendship Product Pipeline Project through process has become standardized, resulting in a

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 process which will be faster, transparent and easy to  PM Inaugurates Key Development monitor. Projects In Varanasi  India Signs Financing Loan Agreement With World Bank For UKWDP

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the Foundation Stone for several important development projects, at a public gathering in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. ii. Among the projects inaugurated are A Loan Agreement for IBRD Credit of US$74 million equivalent for the Uttrakhand the Integrated Power Development Scheme Workforce Development Project (UKWDP) was (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi; and an Atal Incubation signed between India and the World Bank. Centre at BHU. The Project objective is to improve the iii. Among the projects for which the Foundation quality and relevance of training at priority Stone was laid is the Regional Ophthalmology Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase Centre at BHU. The cumulative value of all the number of labor-market-relevant workers projects which were inaugurated, or for which through short-term training in Uttrakhand. foundation stone was laid is over Rs. 550 crore.

The Project has three components:  World Bank Approves Country 1. Improving the quality and relevance of ITI Partnership Framework for India Training;

2. Increasing the number of skilled workers certified under National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQE) - Compliant Short Term Training; and

3. Policy and Institutional Development and Project Management.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 World Bank Board has endorsed an ambitious five-year Country Partnership Framework  India Contributes 1 Million to UN's (CPF) for India, which aligns with New Delhi's Ambitious Solar Project objectives of high, sustainable and inclusive growth. The framework is expected to bring between 25 and 30 billion US Dollars in financial support to India. The move is aimed at supporting India's transition to a higher middle-income country by addressing some of its key development priorities such as resource efficient and inclusive growth, job creation and building its human capital.

 Health Ministry Partners With Dell India has contributed one million US And Tata Trusts dollars for the installation of solar panels on the roof of the imposing UN building at the world body's headquarters in New York. The contribution will help reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy. According to India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, India is the first responder to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for climate action.

Ministry of Health and Family  MHA Signs MoU with ISRO To Set Welfare, exchanged the MoUs with the Tata Up An Integrated Control Room for Trusts and Dell to provide a technological platform Emergency Response for nation wide prevention, control, screening and management program of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare released the user manual for NCD application under Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) IT Solutions. Aimed at bringing healthcare technology transformation in Comprehensive Primary Health Care NCD program under Ayushman Bharat, the The Ministry of Home Affairs Health Ministry is working with Dell as a (MHA) and Indian Space Research Organization technology partner and the Tata Trusts as (ISRO), Department of Space signed an MoU for deployment partner. setting up of an state-of-the-art Integrated Control 30

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER) in Ministry of Home Affairs. ISRO will render its technical expertise for setting up of proposed ICR-ER whereas the project will be executed under overall supervision of MHA.

 DRDO Successfully Flight Tested Tactical Missile „Prahar‟

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in Dwarka, New Delhi. The facilities provided at the centre will be on par with the best in the world in size and quality. It will rank among the top 10 in the world

and the biggest indoor exhibition space in India.

The project is planned over an area of 221.37 acres Defence Research and Development in Sector 25, Dwarka, at an estimated cost of Rs Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface 25,703 crore. tactical missile „Prahar‟, from Launch Complex- III, ITR, Balasore, Odisha.  PM Modi launches world‟s largest ii. Range stations and electro-optical systems healthcare scheme tracked the missile throughout its flight. ‗Prahar‘ is a contemporary weapon system capable of carrying multiple types of warheads and neutralizing a wide variety of targets.

 PM Modi Laid Foundation Stone For World-Class Convention Centre In Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Under this scheme, over 10 crore

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 families will be provided health assurance  Cabinet approves National Digital worth five lakh rupees each, every year. Communications Policy This is the world‘s largest government- funded healthcare program targeting more than 50 crore beneficiaries. The scheme will provide cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiary at the point of service.

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

The cabinet has approved the new telecom policy, now named National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018, which aims to attract USD 100 billion investment and create 4 million jobs in the sector by 2022. According to the draft of the policy, NDCP is focused on increasing high-speed broadband penetration, with use of modern technologies

like 5G and optical fibres across the country at

affordable rates. Vice president M. Venkaiah The draft promised to rationalise levies such Naidu inaugurated Smart City Expo India- as spectrum charges to rejuvenate debt-ridden 2018 in Jaipur. He stressed the need for water telecom sector, the proposed new telecom policy harvesting. According to the Vice President, Smart seeks to provide broadband access to all with 50 Vision, Smart execution and smart Implementation megabit per second speed, 5G services and are essential to develop smart cities and no city can create 40 lakh new jobs by 2022. become smart without the participation of the public. The object of this three days long expo is to  Aadhaar Linking Must For PAN and have discussions among different experts and Filing Income Tax Returns groups to utilize benefits of new technology, town planning, capacity management, challenges before socio-economic development and development of networking in the Smart City sector. Near about 6000 delegates from MNC's of different countries, researchers, CEO's of different Smart cities, Mayors and corporates are participating in the expo.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 ―sunlight is the best disinfectant‖. The Supreme Court allowed live streaming of cases of Constitutional importance that take place in the Court of the Chief Justice of India.

 Adultery No Longer A Criminal Offence, SC Strikes Down Section 497 of IPC

The Supreme Court declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The Supreme Court ruled that linking the Aadhaar card to PAN card is mandatory and is needed for filing income tax returns. The apex court, however, said Aadhaar is not mandatory for opening bank accounts and linking with existing accounts. The Supreme Court also struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act that allowed private companies to avail Aadhaar data. Calling the A five-judge Constitution Bench led by section unconstitutional, the court asserted that Chief Justice Dipak Misra scrapped the pre- private companies cannot insist on having Aadhaar Independence provision of adultery in the Indian number of customers. Aadhaar authentication Penal Code (IPC), which treats a married woman as records cannot be stored beyond six a commodity owned by her husband. Section 497 months, striking down the current rule of five (adultery) gives a husband the exclusive right to years. prosecute his wife's lover. If found guilty, the

adulterer faces five years behind bars.  Supreme Court Allows Live Streaming Of Cases of Constitutional importance A similar right is not conferred on a wife to prosecute the woman with whom her husband has committed adultery. Secondly, the provision does not confer any right on the wife to prosecute her husband for adultery.

 Important Cabinet Approvals: 26th September 2018

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime The Supreme Court agreed to live-streaming Minister Narendra Modi has given the following and video recording of court proceedings, saying 33

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals India and Morocco signed an MoU for are given as follows- deepening cooperation between MSME sectors of the two countries in Rabat, Morocco.

Ms. Alka Arora, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of MSME, held bilateral meetings with Mr. Othman El Ferdaous, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Trade and Digital Economy and with other related Departments for enhancing cooperation in MSME Sector.

 India and Oman Agree to Enhance Bilateral Cooperation

The Cabinet has approved- 1. MoU between India and Uzbekistan on Mutual Cooperation in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics, Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors,

2. MoU between India and Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the Sphere of Law & Justice,ccess to all with 50 megabit per second speed, 5G services and create 40 lakh new jobs by 2022. Sayyid Badr Saud Harib Al Busaidi, the Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, Sultanate of Oman, is on an official visit to India at the  India And Morocco Signed MoU to invitation of Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Enhance Cooperation In MSME Sitharaman. The Omani Minister met with Raksha Sector Mantri in South Block. The three wings of the Armed Forces hold staff talks and advanced joint exercises with each other. Several enabling agreements and Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between the two countries pertaining to defence related issues.

 Ravi Shankar Prasad Launched Centre of Excellence for Data

Analytics and DigiVaarta

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Day celebrations for the UNWTO, in 2019. The theme for the World Tourism Day 2018 being ―Tourism & Digital Transformation”.

 India And UN Signed A Five-Year Sustainable Development Framework

National Informatics 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 CEO NITI Aayog, Amitabh the overall governance. Kant and United Nations Resident Coordinator Launch of Centre of Excellence for Data in India, Yuri Afanasiev, signed the Government Analytics (CEDA) was done by the Union Minister of India-United Nations Sustainable Development of Electronics & Information Technology, Ravi Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022, at a special Shankar Prasad, as part of Workshop on Data signing ceremony. The NITI Aayog is the national Analytics in Government. counterpart for the UN in India for the

operationalization of the UNSDF.  Tourism Minister Launches Incredible The government of India-United Nations India Mobile App Sustainable Development Framework (SDF) 2018-2022 outlines the work of UN agencies in India, to support the achievement of key development outcomes that have been identified in consultation with the government and are aligned to the national priorities.

 PM Modi Inaugurated Parakram Parv Exhibition In Jodhpur

The Union Minister for Tourism (IC), Mr. K.J. Alphons launched the ‗Incredible India Mobile App‟ and the ―Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification‖ programme. The Minister announced that India will be the host country for official World Tourism 35

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 between the two countries in ICT sector. Subsequently, in presence of both the Ministers Two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU‘s) were signed: - a) Agreement between National Informatics Centre (NIC), India and e-Government System development centre of the Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications of Uzbekistan for strengthening e- Governance cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra b) Declaration of Intent between CDAC, India Modi inaugurated Parakram Parv exhibition at and Tashkent University of Information the military station in Jodhpur to mark the second Technologies, Uzbekistan for cooperation in the anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out by area of capacity building in ICT sector. the Indian Army across the LoC. On September 29, 2016, the Indian Army  Government Forms Lokpal Search carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist launch Committee pads across the Line of Control (LoC) as a response to an attack on its base in Uri. Konark Corps is organizing this three days exhibition on Indian Army‘s Combat Capability.

 2 MoU‟s Signed Between India and Uzbekistan

The government has set up an eight-member Lokpal Search Committee under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash, former SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya and Justice Sukha Ram Singh Yadav among others will be members of the panel. A meeting between Union Minister for An official order issued by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Mr Ravi Personnel stated that the panel will recommend the Shankar Prasad and the Minister for Development names for the Chairperson and Members of the of Information Technologies and Communications, Lokpal to the Lokpal Selection Committee. Uzbekistan Mr Shuhrat Sadikov was held in New Delhi for strengthening bilateral cooperation

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  NITI Aayog And Oracle Sign SoI To This campaign is part of a feature which Pilot Drug Supply-Chain allows all citizens to locate public toilets in their cities on Google Maps, Search and the Assistant and also provide feedback on the same. 500+ cities in India with more than 30,000 toilets with the name of “SBM Toilet” are currently live on Google Maps.

India's 1st Corn Festival Starts in Madhya Pradesh

In order to fight the growing problem of counterfeit drugs in India, NITI Aayog and Oracle signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to pilot a real drug supply-chain using blockchain distributed ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) software. Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma Sciences will partner in this effort. This agreement with Oracle and NITI Aayog's partnership with Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma, will help ensure that Indian In Madhya Pradesh, the first corn festival drug manufacturers and healthcare experts have of the country is being held in Chhindwara. The access to a standards-based, modern technology festival is one of a kind international event. platform – blockchain and IoT, to help eliminate Madhya Pradesh is one of the largest corn fake drug distribution. producing states in India, with Chhindwara being the highest corn producing district.  Locate Public Toilets on Google Maps  PM Inaugurates Conference On with LooReview Campaign Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence

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.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence in New Delhi in which the Vice-Chancellors, Directors from more than 350 universities participated. The theme of the conference is to deliberate on challenges facing the Indian education system and to work out a plan for a paradigm shift both in terms of achieving academic outcomes and also in the regulation of education. The conference was INTERNATIOAL also addressed HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.  AYUSH Minister Inaugurates 4th  Indian Railways, Google Arts Launch International Ayurveda Congress at „Rail Heritage Digitisation Project‟ Netherlands

Union Railway Minister Piyush Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Goyal launched the „Rail Heritage Digitisation Yesso Naik inaugurated the Fourth International Project‟ of Indian Railways in collaboration Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) at the Netherlands. with Google Arts and Culture Association. The congress would focus on promotion and The first-of-its-kind project aims to propagation of Ayurveda in the Netherlands and its showcase India‘s rail heritage to the national and neighbouring countries of Europe. A special international audience in an online story-telling Seminar is also organized by the Indian Embassy platform. It is the largest cultural heritage titled “India-Netherlands collaboration in digitisation project not only in India but possibly in Healthcare, including Ayurveda”. the entire Asia Pacific Region.  4th BIMSTEC Summit Concludes The 4th BIMSTEC Summit has been successfully concluded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411

International tourist arrivals hit record high The Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma in 2017 with India leading the growth in South Oli presented draft Kathmandu declaration which Asian region. According to data from the UN‘s was unanimously adopted by the all member states. tourism organisation, a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations  President Ram Nath Kovind Embarks around the world. The figure represents an 84 on 3-Nation Tour million increase over 2016, and a new record. According to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), positive results in South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the subregion‘s largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from western source markets and simpler visa procedures. In India, international tourists arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for India grew

from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on dollars last year. an eight-day three-nation tour to Cyprus,

Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. He was  6th East Asia Summit And 15th India- accompanied by first lady Savita Kovind. ii. President Kovind will hold talks with the leaders ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting of the three European countries to deepen ties, Held in Singapore particularly in the economic sphere. He will hold talks with that President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades.

 International Tourist Arrivals Hit Record High In 2017: UN Report Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu attended the 6th East Asia Summit-

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Economic Ministers‟ Meeting (EAS-  President 3 Nation Visit: India and EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Cyprus Sign Key Agreements In Ministers‟ Meeting (AEM) in Various Fields Singapore. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of ASEAN. The 6th East-Asia Economic Ministers‘ Meeting was chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, and was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their eight dialogue partners, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian

Federation and the United States of America. India and Cyprus signed key agreements in  Ukraine Conducts Joint Military various fields cementing bilateral ties after Exercises With NATO Nations: Rapid delegation-level talks between President Ram Trident Nath Kovind and his Cyprus counterpart Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia. Both countries also agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of IT, tourism, shipping and renewable energy. One of MoUs was signed between Financial Intelligence Unit of India and Unit for Combating Money Laundering of Cyprus. Another MoU was signed for cooperation in the field of environment. Cyprus reaffirmed its support to India for its membership of the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG).

Ukraine has launched annual joint  Banks With Over 10 Branches To military exercise named Rapid Trident with the United States and other NATO (North Atlantic Have Internal Ombudsman: RBI Treaty Organization) member countries. Its main goal is to practice countering armed aggression in conditions of the hybrid war. It is being conducted week before Russia holds its biggest military exercise Vostok-2018 since the Cold War, in the eastern part of the country and with the participation of China and Mongolia.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked all scheduled commercial banks with more than 10 40

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 branches to appoint an Internal Ombudsman (IO). The apex bank has, however, excluded regional rural banks (RRBs) from appointing IOs. In order to further enhance the independence of the IO and also to strengthen the monitoring system over the functioning of the IO mechanism, the central bank stated that it has reviewed the arrangement in the form of „Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018‟. Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Army  International Women Entrepreneurs Exercise 'KAZIND' will be conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Summit 2018 Held In Nepal Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This is the third joint military exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena. The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army to Army relations and exchange skills and experiences between Kazakhstan Army and the Indian Army.

 Arif Alvi Elected Pakistan's New

The International Women Entrepreneurs President Summit 2018 is being held in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Pun inaugurated the summit. The theme of the 3-day event is “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment”. The main objective of the summit is to bring together achievers, women business leaders, professionals, international service providers, resource organizations, experts, government representatives and other stakeholders. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi was elected as the 13th  Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Exercise President of Pakistan, the result data from 'KAZIND 2018' To Be Held in the Election Commission of Pakistan Kazakhstan (ECP) confirmed. A total of 430 votes were cast in the National Assembly and the Senate, with Alvi bagging 212 of them. President-elect Alvi will succeed outgoing 41

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 President Mamnoon Hussain and assume office on September 9. India is the Partner Country in the 87th Izmir International tradeshow which begins in  President 3-Nation Visit: India & Turkey. In this tradeshow India will also be Bulgaria Sign 5 MoUs launching a mega business pavilion „Source India‟ hosting 75 Indian companies with the aim of tie-ups in order to increase India‘s exports to Turkey and other neighbouring countries. The 87th Izmir International tradeshow will be held in Izmir, the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara.

 India-Sri Lanka Joint Exercise SLINEX-2018 Begins in Sri Lanka

India and Bulgaria sign five pacts on Investment, Tourism, Civil Nuclear Cooperation, science and technology cooperation and Establishment of Hindi Chair at Sofia University, after delegation-level talks between President Ramnath Kovind and his counterpart Rumen Radev. The President also invited Bulgaria to become key partner in Defence and IT sectors under Make in India programme. A Programme Indian navy ships and aircraft have of Cooperation is also signed to enhance scientific arrived in Sri Lanka to take part in the joint cooperation. Mr Kovind was in Bulgaria on the exercise SLINEX-2018 to be held with Sri second leg of his 3-nation visit to Cyprus, Lankan navy at Trincomalee. Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. The exercise which was previously held biannually has been converted to an annual event  87th Izmir International Tradeshow from this year to enhance cooperation in the Begins in Turkey maritime domain and to further strengthen mutual trust and interoperability between the two navies.

 India-Mongolia Joint Exercise 'Nomadic Elephant 2018' Starts in Mongolia

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411

 Global Climate Action Summit: Indian Cities, States Step Up Climate Action Plans

The 12 days long Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a brief opening ceremony. Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an The Global Climate Action Summit annual, bilateral exercise since 2006 which is 2018 was held at San Francisco, California, United designed to strengthen the partnership between the States. Over 4000 businesses, cities, states and civil Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces. society delegates attended the summit and showed their commitments to achieve the goals set by the  23rd Meeting of India-Russia Paris Agreement. Intergovernmental Commission Held The co-chairs of the Summit, Governor of California Edmund G. Brown Jr. and UN‟s In Moscow Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael R Bloomberg, unveiled a new report demonstrating how cities, states, and businesses can help the US in achieving its 2025 emissions reduction target. As per Maharashtra Principal Secretary for Financial Reforms, Sujata Saunik, six more states would adopt heat action plans. In 2018, based on guidance provided by the central government, 13 states and over 30 cities adopted or are developing External Affairs Minister Sushma Heat Action Plans. These 13 states are Andhra Swaraj led the Indian delegation at the 23rd Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, meeting of India-Russia Intergovernmental Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Commission (IRIGC-TEC) to discuss the Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. expansion of Russia-India relationship across all sectors.  Venkaiah Naidu Embarks on 3-Nation The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Visit to Serbia, Malta, And Romania Minister Yuri Borisov.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

 Vice President 3 Nation-Visit: India, Serbia Signed Agreements on Various Fields

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu embarks on a three-nation visit to Serbia, Malta and Romania. During the seven-day visit, Mr Naidu will first reach Serbia where he will meet the leadership of that country. In the second leg of his visit, Mr Naidu will arrive in Malta, where he will meet the country‘s leadership and discuss issues of mutual interest. In India and Serbia signed agreements on the last leg of his visit, the Vice President will cooperation in plant protection and plant quarantine reach Romania. and on-air services, following the talks between Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and G-20 Trade And Investment Ministerial Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The two sides also agreed to expand their Meeting Held in Argentina bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of economic and cultural relations and join hands to fight terrorism. India and Serbia are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.  Nepal And China Conducts 2nd JME 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2018' Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu participated in G-20 trade and investment ministerial meeting at Mar del Plata in Argentina. Issues including increasing protectionism challenges to promote global commerce and the new industrial revolution were discussed at the meeting. The members of the G20 include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi 44

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 The second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise (JME) named Mt Everest Friendship Exercise-2018 (Sagarmatha Friendship- 2018) commenced in China‘s southwestern Sichuan province. The 12 day long joint exercise will focus on combating terror and disaster management trainings. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mt Everest, which stands in between both the countries. India and Sri Lanka signed an  Jaipur Literature Festival Begins in MoU for construction of a 5000-metric ton Houston temperature controlled warehouse in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. The warehouse will be constructed with an Indian grant assistance of 30 crore Sri Lankan rupees. The project envisages construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature controlled warehouse for fruits and vegetables to minimize its post-harvest losses.

 Germany Launches World's 1st Hydrogen-Powered Train The Jaipur Literature Festival began in Houston at the Asia Society of Texas. The festival, touted as the world‟s largest free literary gathering, started with a soulful music performance by Indian Sufi singer Zila Khan. ii. The inaugural session also saw Congress leader and writer Shashi Tharoor discuss his book “Why i am a Hindu” with writer Namita Gokhale. Germany has rolled out the world‟s first  India, Sri Lanka Inks MoU For hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel Construction Of 5000-MT trains with costlier but more eco-friendly Temperature Controlled Warehouse technology. The two Coradia iLint trains were built by French train-maker firm Alstom. It started operating on a 100 km (62-mile) route between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany.

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Bangladesh Cabinet Clears Deal With and President of Romania, Mr. Klaus India for Port Usage Werner Lohannis in Bucharest.

 Vice President 3-Nation Visit to Serbia, Malta and Romania: Complete Highlights

Bangladesh's Cabinet has approved a draft agreement with India to enable New Delhi to use the Chittagong and Mongla ports for the movement of goods to and from northeast India. According to the cabinet Secretary Shafiul The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Alam, the agreement will be effective for five Naidu was on an official Visit to Serbia, Malta years with a provision of automatic renewal for and Romania and returned after a successful another five years. official visit. The visit was characterised by extremely cordial discussions with Heads of  Vice President 3-Nation Visit: India, Governments, PMs and other senior political Romania Agree To Intensify leaders. Cooperation At UN Some key outcomes:

1. Support for India‘s aspiration to be on UNSC and for taking forward UN reforms.

2. Endorsement of India‘s stand on terror and support for early adoption of United Nation‘s Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

 Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Won India and Romania have agreed to Presidential Election In Maldives intensify cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora in order to address global challenges. It was issued in a statement after one to one talks between Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 redoubling efforts to build a just, peaceful, prosperous, inclusive and fair world, as they paid tribute to the late South African President‟s (1994-99) celebrated qualities and service to humanity. Recognizing the period from 2019 to 2028 as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace, the Declaration saluted Mr Mandela for his humility, forgiveness and compassion, acknowledging as well

his contribution to the struggle for democracy and Opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the Solih won the Maldives' presidential election, a world. surprise defeat for President Abdulla

Yameen. Results released by the Elections Commission showed Solih had secured 58.3% of  Argentina Gets Biggest Loan in IMF's the popular vote. History At $57 billion The poll is being closely watched by regional rivals India and China, who are jostling to influence Indian Ocean nations. The European Union and the United States, meanwhile, have threatened sanctions if the vote is not free and fair.

 UN Declared Nelson Mandela Decade Of Peace 2019-2028 Argentina has received $57.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the biggest loan package ever from the global body aimed at boosting the country's struggling economy. The loan, $15 billion of which has already been received by Argentina, will be disbursed over the next three years. Argentina had originally secured a $50-billion loan in June this year.

 High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis

At 73rd Session Of UNGA Held In Unanimously adopting a political declaration at the Nelson Mandela Peace New York Summit, nearly 100 Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Member States and representatives of civil society committed to

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 India. He had been posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry. Prior to this, Binoy Kumar held the post of Special Secretary, Logistics, in the Department of Commerce.

 Mark Read Appointed WPP CEO In Place of Martin Sorrell

J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare addressed at the „High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at New York‟. He stated that India has shown personal commitment to tackle TB head-on as India plans to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG WPP Plc, the world‟s largest target of 2030, by launching the TB Free India communication services group, announced the Campaign. appointment of Mark Read as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director APPOINTMENTS (ED) to the company‘s board with immediate effect. He has replaced Martin Sorrell.  Binoy Kumar Assumes Charge of Secretary in Steel Ministry  Dr Poonam Singh Nominated For 2nd Term As Regional Director WHO South-East Asia

Binoy Kumar has taken over as Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 India retained the top WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr Poonam State Bank of India (SBI) has Khetrapal Singh unanimously re-elected appointed Anshula Kant as Managing Director of as Regional Director for another five-year term the Bank. She has been appointed to the post for 2 beginning February 2019. years. Dr Singh is the first woman to have been Prior this appointment, Kant was the bank's elected to the position of Regional Director for Deputy Managing Director. With this WHO South-East Asia Region after an illustrious appointment, SBI now has four MDs - PK Gupta, career in the Indian civil service, World Bank and DK Khara and Arijit Basu. WHO.  Axis Bank Appoints HDFC‟s Amitabh  Indian Boxer Mary Kom Signed As Chaudhry as MD & CEO Brand Ambassador By BSNL

Axis Bank announced that Amitabh Chaudhry has been appointed as its managing director & CEO from January 1, 2019, for a State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar period of three years. Nigam Ltd (BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mr. Chaudhry, the MD & CEO of HDFC Mary Kom as its brand ambassador for two years. Standard Life Insurance Company at present, will BSNL will run television commercials, print take the charge at India‘s third largest private advertisements and tariff plan endorsement with sector bank after incumbent Shikha Sharma steps Kom. down on December 31, 2018. Mr. Chaudhry, 54, has been associated with HDFC Life since January  SBI Appoints Anshula Kant As 2010. Managing Director  Alibaba‟s Jack Ma To Step Down In 2019

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 after Hima Das recently became the first Indian woman to win gold at IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships.

 Justice Om Prakash Mishra Sworn In As new Chief Justice Of Nepal

Jack Ma, the charismatic co-founder of China's largest e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, will step down as chairman in exactly one year on Sept 10, 2019. Current Alibaba Chief Executive Daniel Zhang will replace him as chairman, while Ma will complete his current term on Alibaba's board Justice Om Prakash Mishra has been of directors following the company's annual sworn in as new Chief Justice of Nepal. The general meeting in 2020. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the

oath of office and secrecy to Justice Mishra in  Hima Das Appointed Sports Kathmandu. Ambassador of Assam Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) unanimously endorsed his name for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Mishra was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court in 2014.

 HDFC Life Elevates Vibha Padalkar As MD and CEO

India‟s ace sprinter Hima Das was appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam to inspire budding players of northeastern state to aim big and young generation to take up sports seriously. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has earlier confirmed that Indian Athlete

Hima Das will be named as the first sports HDFC Life appointed Vibha Padalkar as ambassador of the state. The announcement came its new managing director and CEO for a period 50

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 of three years. The position had fallen vacant after Amitabh Chaudhry resigned to head Axis Bank. The terms of appointment are subject to approval by the shareholders and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). Prior to her elevation, Padalkar was the chief financial officer (CFO) and executive director at the insurer.

 Justice Ranjan Gogoi Appointed Next Chief Justice Of India State Bank of India announced that Prashant Kumar has taken charge as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Bank. Before Kumar, Anshula Kant, who has been promoted as Managing Director of SBI, was the CFO. Prior to this appointment, Kumar was designated as Deputy Managing Director (HR) & Corporate Development Officer of India's largest bank.

The President of India has appointed  Moutaz Mousa Abdallah Becomes Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India. He will assume the office of Chief Justice on Sudan‟s New PM 3rd October 2018 after the retirement of the current Chief Justice, Justice Dipak Misra. Mr Gogoi is the 46th Chief Justice of India. Justice Gogoi was enrolled as an advocate in 1978. He practised in the Gauhati High Court on constitutional, taxation and company matters.  SBI Appoints Prashant Kumar As CFO

Moutaz Mousa Abdallah has become Sudan‟s new Prime Minister. A 21- member cabinet was sworn in at the presidential palace in Khartoum. Mousa Abdallah is also holding the finance portfolio. Sudan has been grappling with an acute 51

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 foreign exchange shortage and inflation above endorse the Skill India Mission, chaired by Prime 65% for several months. Minister Narendra Modi.  Tajinder Mukherjee Takes Over As CMD of The actors through their film are saluting NICL India‘s entrepreneurs and skilled workforce, especially homegrown artisans, craftspeople and weavers.  Government Appoints New MD & CEOs At 10 PSBs: Here Is All You Need To Know

Tajinder Mukherjee has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL). Prior to joining NIC, she was posted as General Manager and Chief Underwriting Officer of New India Assurance. The government of India cleared the She has over 33 years of experience in the appointment of Chief Executive Officers and insurance industry having joined as a Managing Directors (CEOs and MDs) at 10 Direct Recruit Officer 1983 batch in United India Public Sector Banks (PSBs). Insurance Company. Here is the list of people appointed as MD and CEO at various PSBs:  Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma 1. Padmaja Chundru - Indian Bank. Signed As Ambassadors of Skill India 2. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra - Syndicate Bank. Campaign 3. Pallav Mohapatra - Central Bank of India. 4. Packirisamy - Andhra Bank. 5. Karnam Sekar - Dena Bank. 6. SS Mallikarajuna Rao - Allahabad Bank - He is currently the ED of Syndicate Bank. 7. AS Rajeev - Bank of Maharashtra - He is currently the ED of Indian Bank. 8. Atul Kumar Goel - UCO Bank - He is currently the ED at Union Bank of India. 9. S Harisankar - Punjab & Sind Bank. He is currently the Executive Director of Allahabad Bank. 10. Ashok Kumar Pradhan - United Bank of India - Actors Varun Dhawan and Anushka He is currently the ED of United Bank of India. Sharma have been signed on to promote and 52

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Top Scientist KN Vyas Appointed Privacy Officer as the company proposed policies Atomic Energy Commission Chief for potential federal regulation of data. In his new role, Enright will be in charge of crafting Google's strategy on privacy issues. Before Google, Enright worked as the Chief Privacy Officer at Macy's and was also a senior consultant at IBM.

 Vikram Misri Appointed India's Next Ambassador to China

Renowned scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas has been appointed the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Mr Vyas, who is at present Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), has been appointed in place of Shekhar Basu. Mr Basu was appointed to the post in October 2015 and his tenure was to end in Ambassador of India to Myanmar, September 2016. Vikram Misri has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to China, according to the  Google appoints Keith Enright as its Ministry of External Affairs. Chief Privacy Officer SPORTS

 Amit Panghal Wins Gold In Boxing

Technology giant Google has appointed its privacy lawyer, Keith Enright, as Chief

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 India's 22-year-old boxer Amit Panghal (MVP) of the recently-concluded 18th edition of defeated 2016 Olympic champion Hasanboy the Asian Games. Dusmatov (Uzbekistan) in the men's 49kg final to The 18-year-old, who bagged six gold and bag gold at the Asian Games 2018. two silver medals in the tournament, became the Amit was the only Indian boxer who made it first female athlete to win the MVP title. to a final at the quadrennial event.  India Finishes With Biggest Ever  Pranab, Shibnath Wins India's 1st Medal Tally of 69 Ever Bridge Gold

The 18th Asian Games came to a close, India's 60-year-old Pranab Bardhan and with India achieving its best-ever medal haul of 69 56-year-old Shibnath Sarkar won the men's pair and equaling its best gold medal haul of 15 after 67 bridge event to bag the country's first-ever gold in years. In the final few medal events on the 14th day, bridge at the Asian Games. India added four medals to its kitty, two Gold, a The card game has been featured as a sport silver and a bronze. at the Asian Games for the first time, in the 2018 Boxer Amit Panghal stunned the Olympic edition. China won silver in this event. Champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the men‘s 49  Ikee Rikako Named 'Most Valuable Kilogram category to win India‘s only boxing gold. Indian men‟s bridge team won bridge gold Player' Of Asian Games for India. The duo of Pranab Bardhan, Shibhnath Sarkar finished top of the table with 384 points.

 Alastair Cook Announces International Retirement

Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako has been named as the Most Valuable Player 54

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 South Korea. Apurvi finished fourth in the same event.

 RP Singh Announces Retirement From International Cricket

England‟s highest Test run-scorer Alastair Cook announced his retirement from

International cricket after final Test against Indian Pacer RP Singh announced his India. He has scored 12,254 runs and made 32 retirement from International Cricket, exactly 13 centuries in 160 Tests all England records. years after making his international debut. He is sixth on the all-time list of Test run- The 32-year-old, who was a part of India's scorers and has made a record 11,627 runs as an 2007 World T20-winning team, played 82 opener. He became the first Englishman to reach international matches and picked up over 100 10,000 Test runs in 2016. wickets between 2005 and 2011.  Anjum, Apurvi Becomes 1st Set of

Indian Shooters To Secure Quota  ISSF World Championship: Saurabh Places For 2020 Olympics Chaudhary Clinches Gold

Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi India‟s Saurabh Chaudhary continued his Chandela have become the first set of Indian brilliant run of form as he clinched the 10 metres shooters to secure quota places for the 2020 Air Pistol Junior gold at the International Olympics. Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting Anjum finished second on the podium and World Championship in Changwon, South won a silver in the women‘s 10m air rifle event of Korea. the International Shooting Sports Federation‟s The 16-year-old produced an impressive (ISSF) World Championship in Changwon, show in the final to clinch the gold with a new

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 junior world record. Arjun Singh Cheema claimed Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has bronze in the same event. been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for 2017/18. Modric beat off competition from former  ISSF World Championship: Hriday Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool Hazarika Wins Gold in 10 m Air Rifle forward Mohamed Salah. The Croatian international received the trophy on stage in Monaco during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw. He was also named UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season.

 ISSF World Championship: Ankur Mittal Wins Double Trap Gold

Indian shooter Hriday Hazarika notched up a gold medal in the 10 m air rifle junior men's event of the ISSF World Championships in South Korea. The Indian team, comprising Hazarika, Divyansh Panwar and Arjun Babuta, finished fourth with a combined total of 1872.3. The women's 10m air rifle team of Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agarwal and Ankur Mittal claimed the men‟s double Manini Kaushik then produced a sensational trap gold medal in the ISSF World performance to total 1880.7 for a gold with a world Championship for his career‘s biggest triumph, as record to boot. the Indian shooting team continued its dominance in

the premier tournament in Changwon, South  Luka Modric Wins 'UEFA Men's Korea. Player of The Year Award' Ankur also won the team bronze in the event along with compatriots Md. Asab and Shardul Vihaan, their tally of 409 points putting them behind China‘s 410 and the gold-winning team Italy‘s tally of 411.

 Naomi Osaka Beats Serena Williams To WIn U.S Open

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  India Blue Trounces India Red To Win Duleep Trophy

Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam title after she registered an emphatic win over Serena Williams in the finals of the U.S Open. Osaka got off to an aggressive start in the India Blue thrashed defending champion first set, breaking the six-time U.S Open champion India Red by an innings and 187 runs in the final to twice. win the 57th Duleep Trophy at NPR College  Triple Jumper Arpinder Singh, 1st ground, in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. Indian To Win Medal In IAAF Spinners Deepak Jagbir Hooda (5 for 56) Continental Cup and Saurabh Kumar (5 for 51) needed just 10.5 overs on the fourth day to bundle out India Red for 172 in the second innings. Himachal Pradesh batsman Nikhil Gangta was named the man of the match for his superb knock of 130.

 US Open 2018 Concludes: Complete List of Winners

Triple jumper Arpinder Singh has created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup. At Ostrava in the Czech Republic, he clinched a bronze.

No Indian has ever won a medal in the Continental Cup which was known as the IAAF World Cup before 2010. Reigning Olympic and world champion The 2018 US Open was the 138th edition Christian Taylor of the United States took the gold of tennis' US Open and the fourth and final Grand with a jump of 17.59 metres. Slam event of the year. It was held on outdoor hard 57

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Novak Djokovic of Serbia won in Men's category after defeating Juan Martin del Potro. Naomi Osaka of Japan has defeated Serena Williams to win the US Open title.

 The Four Grand Slams Of 2018: Complete List of Winners

Sixteen-year-old Udhayveer Singh has won an individual Gold Medal in Junior Men‟s 25- metre pistol event in the World Shooting Championships in South Korea. He also spearheaded India to the team Gold. The bronze medal went to Team Korea, which shot a score of 1721. India is placed fourth in the medals tally with 9 Gold, 8 Silver and seven bronze medals for a total of 24. The Grand Slam tournaments, also called majors, are the four most important annual tennis  Former Indian Hockey Captain events. They offer the most ranking points, prize Sardar Singh Announces Retirement money, public and media attention, the greatest strength and size of the field, and a greater number of 'best of' sets for men. The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid-January, the French Open in May and June, Wimbledon in July, and the US Open in August and September.

 ISSF World Championship:

Udhayveer Singh Wins Gold In Junior Men‟s 25m Pistol Event Sardar Singh has announced his retirement from international hockey. He made the decision after a disappointing Asian Games where India failed to defend their title and had to settle for a Bronze medal. The 32-year old player made his senior debut for India against Pakistan in 2006, and since

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 then played over 350 international matches, Maldives have lifted the 2018 South Asian captaining the team for eight years. Football Federation (SAFF) Cup. In the final at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, they defeated  MC Mary Kom Wins Gold at Silesian defending champions India 2-1. The win Open Boxing In Poland for Maldives comes 10 years after their first SAFF Cup title in 2008. Seven-time champions India had started as favourites in the summit clash. The Indian team, comprising mostly under-23 players, was the only unbeaten side in the tournament.

 Kenya's Kipchoge Smashes Marathon World Record In Berlin

Indian five-time world boxing champion M C Mary Kom clinched her third gold medal of the year in 48 kg category, while Jyoti Gulia picked up the country‟s lone gold in 51 kg of the youth category of the Silesian Open boxing Tournament for Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new marathon women in Gliwice, Poland. world record in Berlin (Germany), smashing the ii. In the youth competition, Jyoti, a former world previous best as he clocked 2 hours 1 minute 39 champion and India‘s only boxer to have qualified second. for Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, out-classed The 33-year-old Olympic champion, took 1 Poland‘s Tatiana Pluta. minute 17 second off the previous best set four  Maldives Defeats India to Lift SAFF years ago by Dennis Kimetto. Cup  Indian Boxers Win 3 Gold Medals In Ahmet Comert Tournament in Turkey

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411

 Hangzhou to Host 2022 Asian Para Games

Simranjit Kaur (64kg), Monika (48kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) claimed gold medals as Indian boxers notched up an impressive seven podium finishes at the Ahmet Comert The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. confirmed that Hangzhou in China will host the Simranjit, a former national medallist, fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022. defeated Turkey‘s Sema Caliskan to win The confirmation came following a visit to the Gold. Bhagyabati was declared the most Hangzhou in July by APC President Majid Rashed scientific boxer of the tournament. and CEO Tarek Souei.

 Japan Open 2018: Complete List of  Lewis Hamilton Wins Singapore Winners Grand Prix 2018

The 2018 Japan Open, officially DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open 2018, is a badminton tournament which took place at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo, Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Japan and had a total prize of $700,000. Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit, in In men's singles category, Kento Momota Singapore. Mercedes‘ Lewis Hamilton won the 1st of Japan had defeated Khosit Phetpradab to win the position. He was followed by Red Bull‟s Max title. In Women‘s Singles, Carolina Marin of Verstappen in the 2nd spot. Spain has defeated Nozomi Okuhara to win the Ferrari‟s Sebastian Vettel finished in the title. 3rd place. With this victory, Lewis Hamilton has

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 increased his chances of winning this year‘s Cup Cycling in New Delhi. Mayuri Lute won the Formula One World Championship. country's first Gold in the Women's Junior 500 metres race. Another Gold came after the Indian  India to Host The Women‟s Boxing men's junior team performed as expected in the World C'ships team sprint event, by defeating Kazakhstan. The tournament at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium is being organised by the Cycling Federation of India and has attracted participation from 12 countries.

 India Won Silver in Asian Team Snooker Championship

The Women‘s Boxing World Championships, to be hosted by India after more than a decade, will be held from November 15-24, 2018, in New Delhi. The teams will have to be in the national capital by November 13, with the competition starting two days later. The marquee tournament was last held in India in 2006 and remains the best for the country in terms of performance. India had topped the medal India settled for the silver medal after losing tally with four gold, three silver and one bronze to Pakistan 2-3 in the final of the Asian Team medal. Snooker Championship. Pankaj Advani and Malkeet Singh represented India while Babar  India Shine On Day 1 Of Track Asia Masih and Mohammad Asif were from the Cup Cycling Pakistani side.

 Croatia's Luka Modric Won FIFA's Best Player Of The Year Award

India won 3 Gold, 3Silver and a Bronze on the opening day of the 5th Track Asia 61

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally inaugurate the event. Nearly 450 participants representing 12 Asian countries showcasing their yoga skills will take part in the four-day event. Yogaratna Awards will be given away to foreign delegates who were instrumental in popularising yoga in their respective countries.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Luka Modric broke a decade of award dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi  NASA Launches Satellite To Track after being crowned world footballer of the year by FIFA. Modric beat out Liverpool's Egyptian Decreasing Polar Ice forward Mohamed Salah and Ronaldo. Modric was voted FIFA's best player in the 2017-18 season after winning the Champions League for a fourth time in five seasons with Real Madrid and leading Croatia to its first World Cup final where it lost to France. Messi and Ronaldo were the only winners of world soccer's main individual award from FIFA in various guises since 2008, both winning five titles each.

 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship NASA launched its Ice, Cloud and Land Begins In Thiruvananthapuram Elevation Satellite-2, known as ICESat-2, which will use an extremely precise laser to collect measurement data to track the Earth's shrinking polar ice from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The laser, known as ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System), splits into six beams and fires 10,000 pulses per second to collect very precise measurements for scientists to analyze.

 ISRO Launched 2 British Earth The 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship organised by Asian Yoga Observation Satellites Onboard PSLV- Federation has begun in Thiruvananthapuram, C42 62

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Development Project being funded by Department of Science and Technology. This device can purify the air in an area of 500 square meters. 54 more such devices will be installed by 15th October in Delhi  Japan Landed Rovers On Asteroid In Historic Mission

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched PSLV C 42 with two British earth observation satellites NovaSAR and S1-4 in precision from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The satellites were put into sun-synchronous orbit just over 17 minutes after liftoff from the first launch pad. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency  Dr. Harsh Vardhan Inaugurated Air (JAXA) landed a pair of rovers on an asteroid, Pollution Control Device ''WAYU'' in marking the world's first moving, robotic Delhi observation of an asteroid surface. The two Union Minister for Science & Technology rovers Hayabusa2 managed to land on the asteroid and Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest and are expected to take advantage of the low gravity Climate change, Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated and jump around the surface, reaching heights of up air pollution control device WAYU(Wind to 15 meters. Augmentation PurifYing Unit) for traffic The small compact MINERVA-II1(MIcro junctions at ITO intersection and Mukarba Chowk Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid, the in Delhi. second generation) rovers separated from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The MINERVA-II 1 consists of two rovers, Rover-1A and Rover-1B. The Hayabusa2 probe was launched in December 2014 to explore the surface of the asteroid known as Ryugu. If all goes well, the Hayabusa2 will return to earth with soil and rock samples in 2020,

 DAC approves procurement of one

thousandengines for T-72 tanks WAYU is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) as a part of Technology 63

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 target with high precision.” In the series of trials held till date, Astra has been launched in the complete Su-30 flight envelope. The flight test assumes significance as it was part of the series of final pre-induction trials.

IMPORTANT DAYS

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 1,000 engines  World Coconut Day- September 02 for fitment in T-72 tanks of the Army at an approximate cost of over 2,300 crore rupees. Every year 2nd September is celebrated According to the Defence Ministry, the engines will as World Coconut Day to commemorate the enhance mobility, agility and acceleration of T- formation day of Asian Pacific Coconut 72 tanks making them more versatile and effective Community (APCC) headquartered at Jakarta, in the battlefield. Indonesia. Post-transfer of technology, most of these engines will be manufactured by Ordnance Factories Board. The DAC has also approved several amendments to Defence Procurement Procedure 2016, the manual governing the defence procurements.

 IAF Successfully Test Fires Air-To- Air Astra Missile APCC is an inter-governmental organization of 18 member countries. It is mandated to promote, coordinate and harmonize the coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region to achieve maximum economic development.India is one of the founding members of APCC.  World Sexual Health Day- September 04

World Sexual Health Day will be observed on every year September 4, in an The Indian Air Force successfully test fired effort to promote a greater social awareness on the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile Astra from a Su-30 aircraft. The missile, tested at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station, “successfully engaged a manoeuvring 64

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 sexual health across the globe. International Literacy Day is celebrated This awareness day was managed by annually on September 8 across the world. the World Association for Sexual Health — a This year, the 52nd International global advocacy organisation committed to Literacy Day will be celebrated on the theme promote the best practices in sexual health. „Literacy and skills development‟. The first World Sexual Health Day  World Suicide Prevention Day - September was celebrated in 2010 with the slogan, 10 „Let‟s talk about it‟. World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD)  International Day of Charity – is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year. September 05 It aimed to provide worldwide The International Day of Charity was commitment and action to prevent suicides, observed globally on September 5. with various activities around the world since The Day commemorates the death 2003. anniversary of Mother Teresa who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her charity International Association for Suicide work undertaken in the struggle to overcome Prevention (IASP) collaborates with the poverty and distress. It was first celebrated in World Health Organization (WHO) and the 2013 World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH)  National Teacher‟s day- September 05 to host World Suicide Prevention Day. This year was celebrated with the Each year, Teacher's Day is celebrated theme of “Working Together to Prevent on the 5th of September in India. Teacher's Suicide”. Day is marked in honor of Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was born on September 5,  National Hindi Diwas- Septemper 14 1888. National Hindi Divas, also known as Dr.Radhakrishnan was India's first vice Hindi Day, is observed on September 14 every president and second president. He was a great year in India. scholar, philosopher, and Bharat Ratna This day is celebrated to propagate recipient. Hindi language and its cultural heritage and Since 1962 - the year he became values among the people of the country and president - India has commemorated Dr. abroad. Radhakrishnan's birth anniversary by paying On this day, Hindi language was tribute to its teachers and gurus on this day. adopted as the official language of the country by the Constituent Assembly of India in 1949.  International Literacy Day –  International Day of Democracy- September 08 September 15

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 International Day of Democracy is depletion. observed annually on 15th September to raise public awareness about democracy.  World Alzheimer‟s Day – 21 The theme for this year‘s observance is September “Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World.” World Alzheimer‘s Day is observed every year on 21st September all over the It is designated by the United Nations world. General Assembly in 2007 and the day of Democracy was first celebrated in 2008. This day is observed to create awareness about the Alzheimer‘s disease.  Indian Engineer's Day - September 15

India is celebrating Engineer's Day on September 15 as a mark of remembrance and tribute to the greatest Indian engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.

The theme of Engineers Day in India It has been observed since 2012. The 2018 is “Digital Transformation: A New month of September is observed as World Industrial Revolution". Alzheimer‘s Month.

 International Day for the Preservation Alzheimer‘s disease is a group of of the Ozone Layer: September 16 disorders that affects memory and other mental functions. International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16th  International Day of Peace - 21 September

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The theme for International Day of Peace 2018 is “The Right to Peace - The September throughout the world. Universal Declaration of Human Rights at The theme for International Day 70”. for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer The theme celebrates the 70th 2018 was 'Keep Cool and Carry On: The anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Montreal Protocol'. Human Rights.The day was first celebrated in This day aims to create awareness on 1982. issues related to climate change and ozone 66

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  World Rhino Day - 22 September realization of the human rights of people who are deaf. World Rhino Day is celebrated on International Day of Sign Languages September 22 every year and it celebrates all 5 was proposed by World Federation of the Deaf species of rhino: Black, white, greater one- (WFD) horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. UN General Assembly instituted this The day was observed to make people day in December 2017 and the choice of 23 aware about the importance of Rhinos September commemorates the date of World Rhino Day was first announced establishment of WFD in 1951. by WWF-South Africa in 2010. There are approximately 2600 rhinos  World Pharmacist Day – 25 found in Assam alone in India. September

World Pharmacist Day is observed  World Car-Free Day – 22 September every year on 25th September to encourage pharmacists to promote and advocate their Every year on or around 22 profession September, cities across the globe celebrate World Car-Free Day, encouraging motorists to give up their cars for a day. The event highlights the numerous benefits of going car-free to citizen including reduced air pollution and the promotion of walking and cycling in a safer environment.

 International Day of Sign Languages - 23 September The theme of World Pharmacists Day 2018 is "Pharmacists: your medicines International Day of Sign experts." Languages is celebrated annually across World Pharmacist Day was first the world on 23 September every year observed in 2009, by the International along with International Week of the Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Council Deaf. in Istanbul, Turkey. This year it was the first International Day of Sign Languages. Its theme was “With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!”. This day aims to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411  Antyodaya Diwas – 25 September September month. It aims is to acknowledge the maritime 25th September was observed as industry and to highlight importance of Antyodaya Diwas across the country to mark shipping safety, maritime security and marine the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal environment and to acknowledge maritime Upadhyaya. industry.This year it was observed on Antyodaya means uplifting of the September 27 with theme as “IMO 70: Our weakest section of the society. Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future”.  International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – 26  World Rabies Day – 28 September September The World Rabies Day is observed The International Day for the Total every year on 28 September across the world Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is observed to raise awareness about rabies disease and its every year on 26 September across the world. preventable measures. The day aims to provide an occasion The 2018 theme was „Rabies: Share for world community to reaffirm its the message. Save a life‟. commitment to global nuclear disarmament as high priority. Observance of the day seeks to raise awareness about the impact of rabies on The day was proclaimed by UNGA animals and human beings. (United Nations General Assembly) by World Rabies Day is initiative of adopting resolution in December 2013. Global Alliance for Rabies Control. And it was UNGA also observes 29 August as the initiated in 2007. International Day against Nuclear Tests which was proclaimed through resolution adopted in AWARDS 2009.

The theme of this year‘s World Tourism Day is „Tourism and the Digital  1st Kashmiri Muslim woman pilot Transformation‟. Thirty-year-old Iram Habib has become  World Maritime Day – 27 September the first Kashmiri Muslim woman to become a pilot. The World Maritime Day (WMD) is Iram succeeds Tanvi Raina, a observed every year on last Thursday of Kashmiri Pandit, who joined Air India as the Valley‘s first woman pilot in 2016. In April last year, 21-year-old Ayesha Aziz, also from Kashmir, became India‘s youngest

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 This Award was instituted in the memory of journalist and social activist Bidwai, who died in Amsterdam in 2015. student pilot.

 46th Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Ranjan Gogoi will on 3rd October succeed Dipak Misra as the 46th Chief Justice of India.  Roy Award - 2017 Present Chief Justice of India recommended Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the most Dr. V. S. Negi, Department of Clinical senior judge as his successor. Immunology at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research It is a convention that an outgoing CJI (Jipmer), has been conferred the prestigious recommends the name of his successor a Dr. B C. Roy Award for 2017. month before retirement. He was given the award ―to Gogoi becomes the 1st CJI from recognize the best talents in encouraging the the North East region. development of specialties in different branches He will serve as CJI till his of medicine.‘‘ retirement on November 17, 2019.  Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar  Air Force Academy – New This event was organized by private Commandant media company Daily Indian Media, to honor eminent personalities from politics, business, Air Marshal Arvindra Singh Butola academics, and entertainment. took over as the Commandant of Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal. Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Actors Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das and 10 Butola is an alumnus of the prestigious others also received the honor. Defence Services Staff College, Wellington  Praful Bidwai Memorial Award and National Defence College, New Delhi. For his service, he was awarded with The Praful Bidwai Memorial Award for Vayu Sena Medal, Vishist Seva Medal, Chief 2018 was given to Ulka Mahajan, co- founder of Air Staff Commendation and Air Officer of Sarvahara Jan Andolan. 69

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Commanding in Chief Commendation. categories respectively.  Sarala Puraskar ‗Yalla Kerala‘ - print media travel advertisement campaign launched in Gulf The 39th edition of the award was countries. announced by the Sarala Puraskar Committee. Live Inspired Posters - Developed for Odia poet Satrughna Pandav was 3rd edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) honoured with the prestigious 'Sarala Puraskar' for his poetry collection 'Misra Both campaign and posters were Dhrupad'. developed and designed by Stark Communications which is advertising agency Pandeet Umesh Chandra Kar will be of Kerala Tourism. awarded the 'Ila Panda Sangeet Samman' and Binod Moharana will receive the 'Ila Panda  Hindi Implementation Award Chitrakala Samman'. State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) The 'Sarala Puraskar' was instituted by bagged the "Rajbhasha Kirti" award for eminent Odia industrialist late Dr.Bansidhar outstanding performance in implementing the Panda and late Ila Panda in 1979. Official Language Policy during 2017-18.

The award was given on the occasion of  „Shilp Guru‟ and National Award Hindi Diwas (15th September). Union Minister of Textiles presented The award, under the category of ‗Shilp Guru‘ and National Award to Master 'Nationalised Banks and Financial Institutions craft persons at a function held at Raipur, in Region A', was presented by Vice President Chhattisgarh. M. Venkaiah Naidu. Eight ‗Shilp guru‘ and 25 National  Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar awards awards were presented for the year 2016. Union ministry of Human Resource ‗Shilp Guru‘ is the highest award in the Development (HRD) has conferred Handicraft sector in India. ‗Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar 2017-18‘ awards

in New Delhi.  Pacific Asia Travel Association gold awards It has been awarded as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign launched by PM Kerala Tourism has won two on September 15th, 2018 prestigious gold awards of Pacific Asia Travel The award has been extended, for the Association (PATA) for its innovative first time this year, to private schools besides marketing campaigns. government and government aided schools. These awards were won by Kerala ―Certificate of Recognition‟ will be awarded to Tourism‘s Yalla Kerala print campaign and  4 States (Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Live Inspired Posters under PATA‘s Travel Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh) and Advertisement Print and Travel Poster  9 districts (Pondicherry, Srikakulam, 70

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 Chandigarh, Hisar, Karaikal, Latur, Nellore, South Goa, Vadodara) for having maximum number of schools awarded with ―National Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar‟ .

The Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar was launched in 2016-17 to honour the schools that have done exemplary work in the field of  Alithambika to Head India‟s water, sanitation and hygiene. Gaganyaan project  Highest civilian honour of Mexico - Dr. Raghupati Singhania ISRO has entrusted V R Lalithambika, Director, Directorate of Human space Dr. Raghupati Singhania was awarded programme, to oversee the ‗Gaganyaan‘ the ‗Mexican order of the Aztec Eagle‘ by project of sending 3 humans into space by Her Excellency Ms. Melba Pria, Ambassador 2022 of Mexico to India on the eve of 128th She is the veteran of more than 100 National Day of Mexico. space missions and a vital member of the team It is the highest honour given to non- behind the launch of a record 104 satellites in nationals by the Government of Mexico. one go on Feb 15, 2017. He is the Chairman & Managing  UN‟s Highest Environmental Honour Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was He was awarded for his exemplary awarded the United Nations' Champions of the leadership, his noteworthy services towards Earth award for the year 2018. humanity and his efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Mexico. The UN recognised Modi with its highest environmental honour in the policy  National Sports Awards 2018 leadership category for his efforts to eliminate all single use plastic in India by 2022. The National Sports Awards 2018 were Six of the world‘s most outstanding announced by the Union Ministry of Youth environmental changemakers have been Affairs and Sports. recognised with the Champions of the Earth Cricket captain Virat Kohli and world Award. champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will French President Emmanuel Macron and jointly be conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Mr. Modi have been jointly recognised in the Ratna award 2018, India‘s highest sporting Policy Leadership category. honour. Cochin International Airport was honoured with the award for Entrepreneurial Vision, for its leadership in the use of 71

CHENNAI IAS ACADEMY-9043 211311/411 sustainable energy. dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel The airport is world's first fully solar- Messi after being crowned world footballer of powered airport the year by FIFA. Modric beat out Liverpool's Egyptian The other winners include forward Mohamed Salah and Ronaldo. Environmental and For protecting land indigenous rights and environmental He was voted FIFA's best player (2017- defender Joan Carling rights of 18 season) after winning the Champions indigenous people League for a 4th time in 5 seasons with Real for more than 20 Madrid and leading Croatia to its 1st World years Cup final. China‘s Zhejiang‘s For transforming Messi and Ronaldo were the only Green Rural Revival once heavily winners of world soccer's main individual polluted area of Programme award from FIFA in various guises since 2008, rivers and streams both winning five titles each. in East China‘s

Zhejiang province

The ‗Beyond Meat Science and and Impossible Food‘ Innovation category

 Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India‘s 2nd most valued firm ‗Reliance Industries‘, has topped the ‗Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018‘ for the 7th consecutive year.

Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018, a compilation of the individuals in India having a net worth of INR 1,000 crore or more. Mr Ambani is followed by London- based S.P. Hinduja and L.N. Mittal.

Azim Premji is fourth in the list.

The cumulative wealth of the 831 individuals featured in the list stood at $719 billion, amounting to a quarter of India‘s GDP of $2,848 billion.

 FIFA's Best Player of The Year Award

Luka Modric broke a decade of award 72

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