WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 40/(30SEP-6 OCT) (2019)

SBI becomes first Indian bank to have office in Australia’s Victoria  The State Bank of opened its Melbourne office and becoming the first Indian bank to have a branch in the Australian state of Victoria.  The Melbourne office will assist the growing trade and investment relations between Victoria and India and is the outcome of the state‟s 10-year India Strategy.  This investment by India‟s largest commercial bank is a testament to our thriving financial services sector and our highly skilled workforce. Gandhi Film Festival to be organised in Mumbai  Film Division in association with India Tourism will organise a “Gandhi Film Festival” in Mumbai from 2nd to 6th October, 2019.  This film festival is a part of Mahatma Gandhi‟s 150th birth anniversary celebration and will focus on Gandhiji‟s message of non-violence and Swachh Bharat. UNESCO, DD Join Hands for TV Show on Gandhi’s 150th Anniversary  UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and Doordarshan, country‟s broadcaster have joined hands to telecast TV bilingual programme „Mahatma Lives„ or „Bapu Zinda Hain‟ on 1-2 October 2019.  UNESCO and Doordarshan will telecast TV bilingual programme to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. A 1,650 kg charkha made of plastic to be inaugurated on 2 October  A 1,650 kg charkha (spinning wheel) which was made out of plastic waste will be inaugurated on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi‟s 150th birth anniversary in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.  It will be inaugurated by MP Mahesh Sharma. Kerala tops NITI Aayog’s School Education Quality Index  Kerala has topped the “School Education Quality Index” launched by NITI Aayog.  Uttar Pradesh was ranked at the bottom of the list. Chandigarh has topped the list of Union Territories.  The School Education Quality Index assesses States on the basis of learning outcomes, access, equity and infrastructure and facilities, using survey data, self- reported data from States and third-party verification.  Tamil Nadu was the top performer in access and equity outcomes, while Karnataka led in learning outcomes. Haryana had the best infrastructure and facilities. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won 2019 Russia F1 Grand Prix  Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the 2019 Russia F1 Grand Prix (Formula 1 GP) at Sochi Autodrom race track in Russia.  Mercedes Valtteri Bottas (Finland) and Ferrari‟s Charles Leclerc (Monaco) won the second and third spot respectively. Annu Rani Becomes First Indian To Qualify For Women’s Javelin Throw Final  Annu Rani became the first Indian to qualify for the women‟s javelin throw final in World Athletics Championships  She did her best attempt of 62.43m which is a National Record.  She finished fifth in the qualifying round of World Athletics Championships in . Kavitha Gopal won Prize  Kavitha Gopal created history by becoming the first girl student of the Indian Institute Technology-Madras (IIT-M) to win the President of India Prize 2019.  This is the first time a girl student has won the award in 60 years.  She is graduated with a B.Tech degree in Computer Science and Engineering.  She is the first woman to bag 3 top awards at IIT Madras.

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 1

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 40/(30SEP-6 OCT) (2019)

International coffee day is celebrated on 1 October  The International coffee day is celebrated on 1 October every year. An estimation says around 3 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day. The 94th Raising Day of MNS is observed on 1 October  The 94th Raising Day of the Military Nursing Service (MNS) is celebrated on 1 October 2019.  On that day, the Nursing officers rededicated themselves to render high quality, selfless nursing care to their patients by reading the Florence Nightingale Pledge on the occasion. International Day of Older Persons: 1 October  The United Nations observes 1 October every year as International Day of Older Persons.  The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today‟s world.  THEME: The Journey to Age Equality. International Day of Non-Violence: 2nd October  The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.  According to the UN General Assembly, which established the commemoration, International Day is an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness”. launched the DIN system of CBDT  Ministry of Finance has launched the Documentation Identification Number (DIN) system of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 1 October 2019.  On the day of launching, about 17,500 communications with DIN were generated.  DIN system has been created as per the direction of Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman.  The introduction of DIN will make every CBDT communication to have a documentation identification number.  The DIN system is expected to ensure greater accountability and transparency in tax administration. International Astronomical Union names asteroid after Pandit Jasraj  The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named an asteroid after Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj. Paryatan Parv 2019 launched  Center has launched the nationwide Paryatan Parv 2019 on 2 October.  It was inaugurated by the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in .  Paryatan Parv 2019 was organized by the Ministry of Tourism.  Paryatan Parv aims to propagate the message of Dekho Apna Desh with the objective to encourage Indians to visit various tourist destinations of the country. Surjit S Bhalla appointed as Director for India at IMF  The government has appointed economist Surjit Bhalla as the executive director of the International Monetary Fund for a period of three years.  The post was lying vacant after the death of Dr. Subir Gokarn in July.  Bhalla earlier served as a member of the prime minister‟s economic advisory council but resigned earlier this year. SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank  SS Mallikarjuna Rao was appointed as the Managing Director(MD)and Chief Executive of the Punjab National Bank(PNB).  He is currently serving as chief executive of the Allahabad Bank.  He will replace Sunil Mehta of PNB.

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 2

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 40/(30SEP-6 OCT) (2019)

Amit Shah flags off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express  Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express from the New Delhi Railway Station.  The first commercial run of the train will start from 5th October. Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express is a big gift for Jammu and Kashmir‟s development and for promoting religious tourism.  This is the second Vande Bharat Express. Centre launched mega drive against single use plastic  On Mahatma‟s 150th birth anniversary, the government launched massive campaigns against single-use, or disposable, plastic products.  It was launched by Union home minister Amit Shah on 2 October.  Government is to impose the single-use plastic ban in phases in the country.  It is also exploring alternatives ways before the imposition of the ban. Ministry of Power achieved 1 crore LED street light mark  Ministry of Power said that India achieved 1 crore LED street light mark so far.  Power Minister R K Singh switched on the one croreth LED street light by a remote switch.  The Ministry plans to achieve the installation of 1.34 crore LED street lights by March 2020. Rajasthan becomes the third state to ban certain categories of pan masala  Rajasthan became the third state in India after Maharashtra and to ban certain categories of pan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured „supari‟.  All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act. Jaipur station topped the 2019 Station Cleanliness Survey  Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry has released the Station Cleanliness Survey 2019 that ranks the cleanest railway stations in India.  Jaipur station of Rajasthan has topped the list of cleanest railway stations in India.  The survey was carried out and the list was prepared by the Quality Council of India (QCI).  Jaipur ranked first with an overall cleanliness score of 931.75. Jodhpur ranked second with a score of 927.19  Durgapura is third with a score of 922.50 Air Marshal S K Ghotia appointed as chief of South Western Air Command  Air Marshal S K Ghotia has taken over as the new Air Officer Commanding-in- Chief of the South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the (IAF), at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Sachin Tendulkar gets most effective Swachhata Award  President Ram Nath Kovind presented the most effective Swachchta Ambassador award to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  He pointed out that the United Nations has set sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030, but India would be achieving them 11 years ahead of the schedule. RBI reduces repo rate by 25 basis points in 4th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy  In its 4th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the Reserve Bank of India has reduced the policy repo rate by 25 basis points (bps).  The MPC has also decided to maintain the accommodative stance of monetary policy.  RBI has revised the GDP outlook for 2019-20 to 6.1%, from 6.9% in previous Monetary Policy committee meet.  For 2020-21, RBI has revised the GDP outlook to 7.2%.

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 3

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 40/(30SEP-6 OCT) (2019)

RATE CURRENT RATE Repo Rate 5.15% Reverse Rate 4.90% Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 5.40% Bank Rate 5.40% GDP (2019-20) 6.1% India’s first private train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express flagged off  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off country‟s first private train Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express started its maiden journey from Lucknow.  It will be the first train of Indian Railways that will be entirely run by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Uttarakhand CM launches awareness campaign ‘Urjagiri’ to stop power theft  Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat launched an awareness campaign “Urjagiri” which aims at stopping power theft and saving.  The Chief Minister emphasised on the need to speed up the process for wider awareness to avoid power loss in Uttarakhand. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiative  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik rolled out „Mo Sarkar‟ programme which finds its roots in the Gandhian philosophy of giving people their voice in daily governance.  The objective of „Mo Sarkar‟ is to improve governance by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism displayed by the Government officers.  “Mo Sarkar‟ programme has been launched in 21 district headquarters hospitals and medical colleges at Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur. appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Greece  The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India was appointed Amrit Lugun as the next Ambassador of India to Greece.  He is an (IFS) Officer of the 1989 batch. He will replace . Sushil Chandra appointed as MD & CEO of Oil India Limited  Oil India Limited has appointed Sushil Chandra Mishra as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. He will replace Utpal Bora.  Sushil Chandra Mishra started his professional journey as an executive trainee with OIL in 1984 and developed deep expertise in commercial matters. The 10th edition of Exercise Ekuverin is to be held in October  Exercise Ekuverin, the 10th edition of the joint Military exercise, is to be held from 7 to 20 October 2019.  The 14 days joint exercise will be held between the and the Maldives National Defence Force. It will be organized at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra.  The exercise focuses to enhance interoperability between the two forces. Exercise Nomadic Elephant XIV to be held at Bakloh  Exercise Nomadic Elephant-XIV, the 14th edition of Indo-Mongolian joint military training, will commence from 5 October 2019.  The exercise will be conducted over a period of 14 days from 5 October to 18 October 19 at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. Kyrgyz lawyer AzizbekAshurov wins 2019 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award  Human rights lawyer from Kyrgyzstan Azizbek Ashurov was awarded the 2019 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) prestigious Nansen Award.  Ashurov will receive the award comprising of a commemorative medal and a cash prize of USD 150,000 prize money at a ceremony in Geneva.

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 4

WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 40/(30SEP-6 OCT) (2019)

 The UNHCR hailed Azizbek Ashurov for helping Kyrgyzstan become the world‟s first country to end statelessness, working through his organisation Ferghana Valley Lawyers Without Borders (FVLWB).  He and his organisation have helped more than 10,000 people gain Kyrgyz nationality after they became stateless following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Ben Stokes named PCA player of the year  England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been voted Professional Cricketers‟ Association player of the year at the Professional Cricketers‟ Association awards.  All-rounder Stokes played a starring role in England‟s maiden World Cup win before repeating his heroics to help salvage an Ashes draw with Australia.

Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. : 8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 5