Published by My Dear Aspirants, Greetings to all of you! “What we think we become” Gautama Buddha. We all have dreams. To make dreams come into reality it takes a lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and continuous effort.

We at VETRII IAS Study Circle are committed to provide the right guidance, quality coaching and help every aspirants to achieve his or her life’s cherished goal of becoming a civil servant.

The class room coaching at VETRII IAS Study Circle is meticulously planned to equip the aspirants with all the relevant facts and fundamentals of the subjects. Further the VETRII IAS Study Circle Study materials aim to support the candidate by providing the most relevant study material in a comprehensive manner.

Wishing You All The Very Best !!

DIRECTOR

(M.Shunmugam) Vetrii IAS Study Circle. CONTENT

1. HISTORY 1.1. Important Days - 1 1.2. Defence, National Security and Terrorism - 3 1.3. World Organisations – Pacts and Summits - 10 1.4. Eminent Persons - 16 1.5. Places in News - 19 1.6. Sports and Games - 20 1.7. Books & Authors - 26 1.8. Awards & Honours - 27 1.9. Cultural Panorama - 38 1.10. Latest Historical Events - 39 1.11. India and its Neighbours - 40 1.12. Appointments – Who is who ? - 41 2. POLITICAL SCIENCE 2.1. Latest Court Verdicts - 44 2.2. Political parties and Political system in India - 46 2.3. Govt – Welfare oriented schemes and their utility - 47 3. GEOGRAPHY 3.1. Policy on Environment and Ecology - 51 4. ECONOMICS 4.1. Current Socio-Economic Problems - 52 4.2. New Eonomic Policy & Govt. Sector - 53 5. SCIENCE 5.1. Latest Inventions on Science & Technology - 54 5.2. Latest Discoveries in Health Science - 62 5.3. Mass Media and Communication - 63 CONTENT CONTENT

6. NATIONAL – DAIRY OF EVENTS - 65

7. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - 75

8. TAMIL NADU AFFAIRS - 80

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - 82

10. OTHER NEWS - 86

10. PRACTICE QUESTIONS - 91 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Important Days

1. HISTORY 1.1 IMPORTANT DAYS

September - 5 National Teachers Day

 In memory of Radhakrishnan (October 5 World Teachers Day)

September - 8 International LiteraCy Day

 Theme 2018 - Literacy and skill development

 Declared by UNESCO

 Celebrated for the First Time in 1967.

 Aim to Highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, Communities & Societies.

September - 10 World Suicide Prevention Day

 Theme 2018 - Working Together to prevent Suicide.

 First observed in 2003.

September 14

Hindi Divas DAY

 On this day in 1949, Hindi written in Devanagari script became the official language of India under the Article 343.

 In 1881, Bihar accepted Hindi as its sole official language, replacing Urdu, and thus became the first stateof India to adopt Hindi.

 World First Aid Day is also celebrated on 14th September.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle  TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Important Days / September -2018

September 15 September 21 iNTERNational DEMOCRACY Day World Gratitude Day

Theme 2018 : ‘Democracy under Established by : United Nations Strain: Solutions for a Changing World’. Meditation Group First Observed on : 2007. First Observed on : 1965 Proclaimed by : United Nations General Assembly. September 27 September 15 WORLD TOURISM DAY

National Engineers Day Theme 2018 : Tourism and the Dig- Theme 2018 : “Engineering ital Challenges for Transformation. Knowledge Era”. WORLD MARITIME DAY

Tribute to the greatest Indian Engineer Theme 2018 IMO 70: Our Heritage - Better Shipping for a Sir Mokshagundam Vishweshvaraya Better Future. September – 28 September 16 World Rabies Day INTERNational Day FOR THE First Observed on : 2007 PREVENTION OF THE OZONE LAYER Theme : ‘Rabies : Share Theme 2018 : Keep Cool and the message. Save a life’ Carry on: The To create global opportunity for people Montreal Protocol. to focus on rabies prevention.

September 21 September – 29 International day of Peace World Heart Day Established in 1981 by Theme 2018 : My Heart, Your Heart. Unanimous United Nations

Theme : “The Right September – 30 to Peace - The Universal Declaration International translation day of Human Rights at 70” Theme 2018

Translation : Promoting Cultural Heritage in Changing Times.

 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Defence

1.2 Defence Ukraine launched joint military exercises with the U.S. and other NATO countries  The annual Rapid Trident military exercises are to happen in the western Ukrainian village of Starychi until September 15, involve some 2,200 soldiers from 14 countries.  The Ukrainian Border Guard Service and the National Guard troops will be participating in this exercise.  This is because of the rise in tension with Russia remains high over the Kremlin- backed insurgency in the country’s east.  It is expected that around 350 pieces of military equipment will be used during the exercises.

Indian Navy beats 22 other teams to win KAKADU Cup 2018 in Australia  Kakadu Cup 2018 was organised by the Australian Navy as part of its multi-nation maritime exercise.  INS Sahyadri had participated in the Kakadu Cup 2018 which involved swimming, running, crossing water and land obstacles.  The name KAKADU is derived from Kakadu National Park, a protected area in the northern territory of Australia, 171 km south-east of Darwin.

National Security Act Against Paper Leak Accused Orders Yogi Adityanath  Uttar Pradesh police constable recruitment examination should be transparent and corruption-free. The government will not tolerate those trying to play with the future of youths.  Strict action wastaken against those who pollute the Uttar Pradesh police constable recruitment examination process.

NATIONAL SECURITY ACT  The National Security Act of 1980 is an act of the Indian Parliament promulgated on 23 September, 1980 whose purpose is “to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected there with”.  The act extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It Contains 18 sections. Vetrii IAS Study Circle  TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Defence / September -2018 Indian Coast Guard’s Technical and Logistics Management Conference Begun in Chennai  It was conducted from 06 – 08 Sep at Chennai. Inaugurated by the Rajendra Singh, Director General Indian Coast Guard on 06 Sep 18.

Home Minister inaugurated Defence & Homeland Security Expo And Conference  It is organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)in New Delhi. (Home Minister - Rajnath Singh).  The expo is being organized for the first time to make leading policymakers and luminaries from diverse defence segments take part with a special focus on MSMEs in defence production and procurement.

BIMSTEC Military Exercise The first BIMSTEC field training exercise will be conducted at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra from September 10 and 16, 2018. BIMSTEC members: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Nepal .  Theme counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain. Its main aim is to promote strategic alignment among member-states and to share best practices in the area of counter-terrorism.

MILEX-18: First military exercise of BIMSTEC countries held in Pune  The first field training military exercise MILEX-18, as part of the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation (BIMSTEC) commenced at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra.  All member BIMSTEC countries, (except Thailand and Nepal) will take active part in this exercise. Thailand and Nepal will only be sending group of observers.

 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Defence

MILEX-18  The exercise will include training in operations like search-and-cordon operations, search and destroy and handling and neutralization of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) among other things.

Nepal refuses to participate in first BIMSTEC joint military exercise  Nepal has refused to participate in inaugural joint military exercise of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries scheduled to be held in Pune, Maharashtra  Nepal’s withdrawal comes in wake of stringent criticism from ruling and opposition parties in the country.

Reasons for Nepal’s Backing out  The BIMSTEC military drill saying it is beyond the agenda of BIMSTEC. It also goes against country’s history of following policy of keeping equal distance from its neighbours, without ever being part of a regional bloc military.  Experts believe that non- participation of Nepal in such ‘Military drill’ certainly Seems like political call and comes at time when Nepal-China relations are on upward trajectory and BIMSTEC connectively seem as counter to China’s BRI (Belt Road Initiative).

India –mongolia joint exercise nomadic elephant 2018  India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia).  Nomadic Elephant is annual bilateral military exercise started in 2006.  It is designed to strengthen partnership between and Mongolian Armed Forces.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle  TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Defence / September -2018

Nomadic Elephant 2018  This year it is thirteenth edition of exercise aimed at developing mutual understanding and respect between armies of both country and facilitate in tackling the world wide phenomenon of terrorism.  The 12 days long joint exercise will be conducted from 10 to 21 September 2018

VC 11184: HSL to undertake sea trials of India’s first ocean surveillance ship  Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first ocean surveillance ship by end of September 2018 or first week  This ship is now simply referred as VC 11184 and will be formally named after its induction into the .

VC 11184  It is the first of its kind ocean surveillance ship being built as part of efforts of Government to strengthen country’s strategic weapons programme  This ship is being built for National Technical Research Organisation.

India attaches ‘highest importance’ to ties with Russia Sushma Swaraj  India attaches the “highest importance” to its relations with Russia.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conducted comprehensive review of bilateral ties ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s planned visit to New Delhi early next month.  Swaraj, who is visiting Russia for the third time in 11 months, called on Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and the two leaders co-chaired the 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific Technical and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC) meeting.

North and South Korea Open Full-Time Liaison Office at Border  North and South Korea opened their first joint liaison office, a facility that will be staffed by personnel from both countries, marking another advance in the rival states’ rapidly improving relationship.

 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Defence

 The liaison office, in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, establishes the first channel for full-time, person-to-person contact between North + South the Koreas.

 The countries have technically been at war for decades, halted the Korean War in 1953.

Aviaindra 18: India, Russia Air Force joint exercise commences  India and Russia joint air exercise Aviaindra 2018 was held in Lipetsk, Russia from September 17 to 28, 2018.

 The second session of Aviaindra 2018 will be conducted in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (India) from December 10 Dec to 22, 2018.

Exercise Aviaindra-18  It was conducted for first time in 2014 and since then it is conducted bi- annually (twice a year) in both countries  The aim of this exercise is focused towards anti-terrorist operations in bi- lateral scenario.

Goa holds inaugural Naval Flight Test Seminar  The inaugural flight test seminar was organized under the aegis ofHeadquarters Western Naval Command under which a Naval Flight Test Squadron was recently set up at Goa.  The Naval Flight Test Squadron, since its inception in Jul 17, has been undertaking various flight testing tasks on fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft of Indian Navy.

India successfully conducted an interceptor missile test  India successfully conducted an interceptor missile test on Prithvi Defence Vehicle mission from Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on 23rd September.

 This set a major milestone in developing a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. Vetrii IAS Study Circle  TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Defence / September -2018  The BMD system consists of a Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile and an Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile for high and low altitude interception. The PAD intercepts missiles at altitudes between 50km-80km and the AAD missile destroys them at altitudes of 15km-30km.  The Inertial Navigation System (INS) that guided interceptor was highly accurate.  It is supported by a Redundant Micro Navigation System which moved towards the estimated point of the interception.  Once the missile crossed the atmosphere, the Heat Shield ejected and the IR Seeker dome opened to look at the target location as designated by the mission computer.

Russia to Supply New Missile Defense System to Syria  Russia announced that it will supply the Syrian government with modern S- 300 missile defence systems. Russia launched its campaign in Syria to support President Bashar Assad in 2015.

PM Modi Inaugurated Parakram Parv Exhibition In Jodhpur  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Parakram Parv exhibition at the military station in Jodhpur to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC.  The Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) as a response to an attack on its base in Uri September 29, 2016.  Konark Corps is organizing this three days exhibition on Indian Army’s Combat Capability on the occasion of 2nd anniversary of Surgical Strikes. September 29 - Surgical Strike Day

National Adventure award 2018  All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for 8 long months.  Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Defence  The award ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan.  The award is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.  The women Navy officers had spent as many as 194 days at sea as part of a mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project that began in September 2017.  The crew was also bestowed with Nav on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day.

SLINEX-2018 naval exercise  The joint maritime naval exercise “SLINEX-2018” will be held between Indian & Sri Lankan navy at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from September 7 to 13.  The exercise which was previously held biannually has been converted to an annual event from year 2018 to enhance cooperation in the maritime domain & to further strengthen mutual trust & interoperability between the two navies.  The exercise to be conducted in two phases, namely the Harbour and Sea Phase, will involve conduct of joint training, exchange of expertise, helicopter and maritime patrol aircraft operations, search and rescue, and maneuvers at sea.

KAZIND-2018 is an army exercise  The Indo-Kazakhstan joint Army exercise ‘KAZIND 2018’ will be conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan.  This is the 3rd joint military exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defense arena.  The aim of the 14-days exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army to Army relations and exchange skills and experiences between Kazakhstan Army and the Indian Army.  The exercise will also serve as a platform for exchange of drills and procedures.  The conduct of the joint exercise will set the stage for greater defence cooperation and consequently will manifest in stronger ties between the two great nations.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle  TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - WO - Pacts & Summits / September -2018

1.3 SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 held In Nepal  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 with a focus on innovative economic transformation through discussions and collaborations.

International Aviation Summit Held In New Delhi  The seminar has been jointly organized by the Airport Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and International Air Transport Association (IATA).  Vision 2035 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’s first-ever Global Mobility Summit- inaugurated by PM in New Delhi  The main focus of the two-day summit, being organized by the NITI Aayog, is to make Indian cities pollution free.  The summit will deliberate on 5 themes electrification & alternative fuels, reinventing public transport, goods transport & logistics, and data analytics and mobility.

World Association of Chefs’ Societies (World chefs’ congress) 2018  The first edition of the World Heritage Cuisine Summit and food festival will be held at the Qila Gobindgarh in Amritsar, Punjab from October 12-14.  It will be organise by the World Cultural Culinary Heritage Committee, under the aegis of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (World Chefs).

France to collaborate on India’s first human space mission ‘Gaganyaan’  India and France inked an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first human space mission.

10 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - WO - Pacts & Summits

 ISRO and CNES, the French space agency, will be combining their expertise in fields of space medicine, astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection and personal hygiene systems.  The two space agencies also plan to work on Mars, Venus and asteroids. India plans to send three humans to space before 2022.  It would make India one of the four countries in the world after Russia, US and China to launch a manned space flight.

COMCASA Agreement Between US and India  The COMCASA Agreement was signed by India and the United States during the first-ever ‘two plus two’ dialogue which was held in New Delhi.  The Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of Defence James Mattis signed the COMCASA agreement.  COMCASA stands for ‘Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement’ 2+2 = Defence + External Affairs

World Hindu Congress 2018 held in Chicago, United States  It was organized to commemorate 125 years of Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago.The theme of WHC-2018 was “Sumantrite Suvikrante” think collectively, achieve valiantly”.  It was second edition of World Hindu Congress and was attended by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. World Hindu Congress  The inaugural WHC was held in November 2014 in New Delhi with theme ‘Sangachchhadhwam Samvadadhwam’ which means ‘Step together, Express together’Express together’. Since then, it is held once every four years.

4th World Summit on Accreditation held in New Delhi  The World Summit on Accreditation-2018 was held in New Delhi.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 11 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - WO - Pacts & Summits / September -2018

 WOSA (World Summit on Accreditation) -2018 was organized by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) with main focus theme on “Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome Based Accreditation.  It was inaugurated by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar. Year Theme 2012 Achieving Excellence through Accreditation 2014 International Recognition of Education Qualifications 2016 Quality Assurance through Outcome Based Accreditation

National Board of Accreditation Founded in 1994  It is an autonomous organisation under Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

 It is engaged in quality assurance of programs offered by professional and technical institutions in India through accreditation. It has been eaccorded Permanent Signatory Status of Washington Accord since June, 2014. World Summit on Accreditation  WOSA is biennial Summit organised by NBA, which provides platform to stakeholders to share their knowledge and information on accreditation.

 WOSA 2018 also provided opportunity for academia and industry to explore avenues for future partnerships and to create an environment for open dialogue to facilitate mobility of students and professionals world-wide to gain international experience.

G20 Trade And Investment Ministerial Meeting Held In Argentina  The main aim is to increasing protectionism challenges to promote global commerce and the new industrial revolution.  The members of the G20 include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

12 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - WO - Pacts & Summits

Three infants die every two minutes in India, says UN report  Three infants die every two minutes on an average in India due to lack of access to water, sanitation, proper nutrition or basic health services, according to a report by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME).  About 8,02,000 infant deaths were reported in India in 2017, the lowest in five years, but the infant death numbers still remained the highest in the world, according to the report.

India, Malta sign three MoUs in Maritime Cooperation, Tourism and Training  Vice President Naidu visited in Malta in the second phase of his visit to three European countries viz. Serbia, Malta and Romania.  It was the first senior Indian leader to visit Mediterranean nation in last 28 years. MoUs signed  MoU in the field of Tourism Cooperation.

 MoU on Mutual Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute , Ministry of External Affairs and Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta.

 MoU on Maritime Cooperation signed between India’s Ministry of Shipping and Malta’s Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Project.

7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism held in Seoul  7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism was held in Seoul, capital of South Korea from 16 to 19 September, 2018. Theme 2018 ‘A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism’.

 The summit was co-organized by UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Seoul Metropolitan Government and supported by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea Tourism Organization and Seoul Tourism Organization.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 13 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - WO - Pacts & Summits / September -2018

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)  UNWTO is United Nations agency responsible for promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.  It is leading international organization in the field of tourism, which promotes tourism as driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability.

 Its membership includes 156 countries, 6 territories and over 500 affiliate members representing private sector, tourism associations and local tourism associations and local tourism authorities etc. Its headquarters are located in Madrid, Spain.

UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism  The summit provided unique platform to discuss key issues shaping future of urban tourism in the context of the 2030 Urban Agenda. It had brought together high-level representatives from National Tourism Administrations, city authorities and related stakeholders, serving as platform to exchange exbperiences and expertise.

MoU Signed for establishing Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger  Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre (MGICC) will be established in Niamey, Niger with the Indian government’s grant assistance.  The centre honours the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary is also being observed in 2019.  To growing request from countries in Africa, India has offered to establish Mahatma Gandhi convention centres in more than 20 countries in Africa, of which the project are being taken up in the immediate phase in nine countries.  India has provided lines of credit worth USD 96.54 million for projects in transport, electrification, solar energy and potable drinking water.

 Niger Capital: Niamey, Currency:West African CFA franc.

Sushma to talk in the 73rd UNGA meeting in US  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj started the diplomatic engagements at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the U.S. 14 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - WO - Pacts & Summits

 The meetings will focus on issues such as climate change, digital infrastructure, sustainability and South-South cooperation. It was happened against the backdrop of increased American hostility towards the world body in particular and multilateralism in general.

Poverty in India dropped by half Between 2005- 16: UN Report  The poverty rate in India nearly halved in the decade since 2005-06 even as over 270 million people in India moved out to seek better economic opportunities elsewher.

 The 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) said that about 1.3 billion people live in multidimensional poverty globally. The Index noted that in India, 271 million people moved out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16.

 The poverty rate in the country has nearly halved, falling from 55 per cent to 28 per cent over the ten-year period.

First international maqom musical or festival  It was held in Uzbekistan. The festival was initiated by President Shavkat Mirizoyev to promote the Uzbek national maqom art at home and abroad.

6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference 2018  The 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference 2018 has been inaugurated by Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on September 7.  The purpose of the conference is to spread awareness about the health needs of the ageing population and to bring together everyone involved in geriatric orthopaedic care under one roof to interact and arrive at consensus on best practices.  Its’ theme is “Increased Longevity with Reduced Fragility and Enhanced Mobility”.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 15 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Eminent Persons / September -2018

1.4 Eminent Persons Akshay Kumar becomes first Honorary Ambassador of Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation  Actor Akshay Kumar has been known to be a vocal supporter of the (jawan) as well as the farmer (kisan) community.  Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation is the social organisation founded by the family of India’s second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.  Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the motto of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’.

Cabinet Decides to name 100 Ft road, Bypass, PG Centre after Karunaanidhi  The Puducherry Cabinet has decided to name the 100 feet road from Square to Rajiv Fandhi Square after fromer Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.  Chief Minister V Narayanansamy recited that the Thirunallur by- pass after Karunanidhi.

Economist Vyas passes away  Vijay Shankar Vyas, an agricultural economist who had worked with two Prime Ministers as a member of their Economic Advisory Councils (EAC), passed away after a brief illness . Prof. Vyas was awarded the in 2006.  He was a member of the EAC during the tenures of former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

Anna Rajam Malhotra, first Indian woman IAS officer, passed away  Anna Rajam Malhotra, first Indian woman IAS officer after Independence, died in Mumbai on 17th September. She was 91 years old.  The officer worked under seven Chief Ministers and at the Central government. Rajaji had cited Ms.Malhotra as an example of progressive women.

16 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Eminent Persons  The officer served in the Madras State under then Chief Minister C.Rajagopalachari.  During her tenure, the construction of India’s first computerised port Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in Mumbai was completed.

Logo, Website For Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary Unveiled  President Ram Nath kovind launched the logo and the web portal for the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the national capital.  The new web portal (http://gandhi.gov.in/) will identify visitors from different geography and serve them personalised information. Besides, information related to Gandhian literature, philosophy, audios, videos, rare photos are available in the portal.

Nelson Mandela statue to be erected at U.N. headquarters  South Africa’s anti-apartheid hero and first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela will be honoured at the United Nations General Assembly, with a statue erected in the organisation’s headquarters.  Over 150 speakers are expected to participate in a peace summit held in Mandela’s honour , where the global icon’s role in fighting for justice and peace around the world will be recognised.

Tamil Nationalist dead  Ki.Tha. Pachaiyappan, a Tamil scholar and retired Head Master died of heart attack on a court campus in Chennai.

Spreading Gandhian ideology with statues  The Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, in an initiative to spread Gandhian ideology, has distributed 500 statues of the Mahatma in Vizianagaram district.  The statues, given away by the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad at the Vizianagaram Police Grounds.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 17 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Eminent Persons / September -2018 Renowned Commentator Passed Away  The renowned hindi commentator Jasdev Singh has passed away.He was credited with popularising hockey through his voice on the radio.  Jasdev was conferred with the in 1985 and Padma Bhushan in 2008.

His Noted Points  Jasdev Singh (1930/31 - 25 September 2018) aged 87 was an Indian sports commentator.He was awarded Padma Shri in 1985 and Padma Bhushan in 2008. He passed away on 25 September 2018.  He was also an official commentator on Independence Day, and Republic Day parade broadcasts since 1963 for state run media, Doordarshan and also All India Radio.  He joined All Indian Radio Jaipur in 1955, and moved to Delhi eight years, thereafter he was joined Doordarshan, where he worked for over 35 years.

Noted Marathi writer Kavita Mahajan passes away at 51  Noted Marathi writer and novelist Kavita Mahajan passed away.  Mahajan, 51, was a recipient of the for her Marathi translation of “Rajai”, a collection of short stories by Urdu writer Ismat Chugtai.

Vikram Misri India’s next ambassador to China  Senior diplomat Vikram Misri has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to China, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced. He will replace Gautam Bambawale.  Misri, a 1989-batch India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is presently serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar.  His appointment comes at a time when India and China are trying to deepen their cooperation in various areas, leaving behind last year’s Dokalam standoff which was the most serious military face-off in decades.

18 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Places in News

1.5. Places in News Chennai Central Station bags IGBC green bldg certification  The Chennai Central railway station, a prominent landmark in the city, has received the Indian Green Building Council certification for adopting green building concepts and features in the station.  The rating system facilitates-energy efficiency improvements, use of renewable energy sources, water management and rain water harvesting, health, hygiene and sanitation, green cover.

The first lion safari of Rajasthan  The Rajasthan government has recently inaugurated the first lion safari of the state at Nahargarh Biological Park (NBP), which is located about 12 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi highway.  The visitors will be able to see lions in their natural habitat in the park span- ning 38 hectares and enclosed by a fence.  The Safari will be thrown open for the tourists from October 2018.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 19 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Sports & Games / September -2018

1.6. SPORTS AND GAMES Anjum, Apurvi become first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for 2020 Olympics  Moudgil finished second on the podium and won a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle event of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.  This is the premier tournament of the ISSF and assumes added significance as it is the first Olympic quota event for the Tokyo Games, offering as many as 60 berths across 15 events.

Lucknow to host 1st International cricket match after 24 years  Lucknow’s Ekana International Cricket Stadium is set to host its first international cricket match as the stadium has been announced as the venue for the second T20I between India and West Indies on November 6.

Saurabh Chaudhary Smashes Junior World Record, Wins Gold In 10m Air Pistol  In the junior competition, Arjun Singh Cheema settled for a bronze in the same event and the Indian team took the silver, propelled by Chaudhary’s phenomenal individual performance.  India also picked up a silver medal in the junior men’s trap team competition with Aman Ali Elahi, Vivaan Kapoor and Manavaditya Singh Rathore shooting a combined score of 348 to finish second behind Australia.

ISSF World Championship: Ankur Mittal wins double trap gold  Ankur Mittal claimed the men’s double trap gold medal in the ISSF World Championship for his career’s biggest triumph, as the Indian shooting team continued its dominance in the premier tournament in Changwon.  Ankur also won the team bronze in the event along with compatriots Md. Asab and Shardul Vihaan.

Aero India 2019 will be held in Bengaluru  The ministry Recited that the five-day event will be held from 20-24 February 2019.  It will comprise a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, and public air shows. “Besides global leaders and big investors in aerospace industry, the show will also see participation by think-tanks from across the world.

20 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Sports & Games

 Theme 2019:Aviation and Airport Equipment ,space Industry  In the 11th edition of Aero India, held from February 14-18, 2017, 549 global and Indian firms from 51 countries participated.

Hima Das appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam  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 eneration to take up sports seriously.

About Hima das  Born 9 January 2000  Kandhulimari village near Dhing Town of Nagaon district, Assam.  She was the first Indian athlete to win gold medal in track event at IAAF World U20 Championships held in Tampere, Finland  In 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta), she had won silver medal in 400 m final to win a silver medal.  She is nicknamed ‘Dhing Express’ after her village in Assam.

Naomi Osaka beats Serena Williams to win US Open  Naomi Osaka became the first women to win a Grand slam after she registered an emphatic win over serena Williams in the final of the U.S.Open.  Osaka got off to an aggressive start in the first set, breaking the six-time U.S.Open champion twice.She used her tremendous movement and brutal baseline hitting to close the set in just 33 minutes ,with a 117 mph winner.

 Naomi OsakaU.S.Open victory ends Serena Williams streak of consecutive year with a major title 2012-2017.  It was on September 8,1973 that Margaret court won her 24th and final grand slam title at the U.S.Open.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 21 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Sports & Games / September -2018 2018 US Open: Novak Djokovic wins men’s singles title  Former world number one Novak Djokovic from Serbia won 2018 US Open title of tennis in men’s singles category by defeating Argentina’s Juan Martín delPotro (world no 3).  It was Djokovic’s third US Open title and overall 14th Grand Slam title. With this win, he equalled Pete Sampras’ haul of 14 Grand Slam title.  With this win, he equalled Pete Sampras’ haul of 14 Grand Slams. Further, he became seventh man to win US Open singles title at least thrice in the open era.

2018 US Open  It was the 138th edition of tennis’ US Open held on outdoor hard courts at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, it was fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year.  Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens were defending champions in the men’s and women’s singles events, but they were unsuccessful to defend their titles in this edition of tournament. The Grand Slam itinerary consists :  The Australian Open in mid January  The French Open in May and June  The Wimbledon in July  The US Open in August and September  Each tournament is played over a period of two weeks.

Mary Kom won gold in Silesian Open boxing tournament  M.C.Mary Kom, Five-time World champion, won her third gold medal of the year in the 48kg youth category of the Silesian Open boxing tournament for women in Gliwice, Poland.  Mary Kom won against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Kassanayeva and secured 5-0 in a fine tactical performance.  India’s junior boxers claimed 13 medals, six gold, six silver and a bronze, and the Senior boxer, Former World champion Sarita, ended with a bronze.

22 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Sports & Games Lewis Hamilton Won Singapore Grand Prix 2018  Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore.  Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won the 1st position. He was followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the 2nd spot. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished in the 3rd place. Lewis Hamilton has increased his chances of winning this year’s Formula One World Championship.

L Sarita Devi secures bronze medal in semi final  Former world champion L Sarita Devi (60kg) with a bronze medal at the 13th Silesian Open Boxing Tournament for women in which India’s junior boxers ruled the ring in Gliwice, Poland.  Sarita, also a multiple-time Asian champion, a former Asian Games bronze- medallist, was joined by Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (81kg) in the list of those whose campaign came to an end in the semi-finals.  The celebrated MC Mary Kom (48kg) and Manisha (54kg) are the only ones to have made the finals, among the senior Indian boxers, while former youth world champion Jyoti Gulia (51kg) is in the youth finals.

SajanBhanwal becomes first Indian to win back- to-back medal at World Junior Wrestling  20-year-old Haryana wrestler won the silver medal in 77kg category in Greco- Roman style at the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.  He had won a bronze medal in the same category at the Tampere World Championships last year. He also clinched the gold at Junior Asia Championship.

Anshu gets bronze in the Junior Wrestling World Championships  Wrestler Anshu Malik (59kg) won the bronze at the Junior World Championships.  Anshu (in pic) beat Russia’s Alina Kazymova 11-5 in the bronze medal bout after losing her semifinal by technical superiority to Sae Nanjo of Japan.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 23 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Sports & Games / September -2018

 In the 57kg category, Mansi had an impressive run till the semifinals, winning both her bouts by technical superiority but lost by fall to Andoriahanako Sawa from Japan.

World Anti-Doping Agency Lifts Ban On Russia, Under ‘Strict Conditions’  WADA President Craig Reedie recited the “great majority” of the organization’s 12-member executive committee voted at a meeting in the Seychelles on September 20 to end a three-year-suspension that followed a major doping scandal.  RUSADA was suspended in 2015 after a WADA-commissioned report outlined evidence of an extensive, government-backed doping program in sports. Moscow has repeatedly denied state involvement in doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)  The agency’s key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti- doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code, whose provisions are enforced by the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport.

Richa Mishra set record in womens 400m swimming  Richa Mishra, 36-year-old, became the best Indian performance in the women’s 400m Individual Medley on the second day of the Glenmark 72nd National swimming championship at the Dr.B.R.Ambedkar international aquatic complex in Trivandrum, .  She became the first Indian woman to breach the five-minutes mark.

International Tamil Speech Competition: Indian Student Ranked Top  Indian student succeeded in the multilanguage Tamil talk contest organized by Tanjore Tamil University in Rangoon, Myanmar  For the first time in the world it was started for college students in2016. India’s Narain Gautam Nagarajan was the winner in this competition .

24 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Sports & Games India To Host The Women’s Boxing World Championships  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 tally with four gold, three silver and one bronze medal.

 Men’s World Boxing Championship 2019 - Sochi (Russia). India will host the Men’s World Box ng Championship for the first time in2021 .

BCCI toying with the idea of playing Pakistan in September 2019 in UAE  Even in this kind of political climate, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could be contemplating playing a series against Pakistan in September in 2019.

Laver Cup Championship 2018  Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev won clutch singles matches as Team Europe beat Team World 13-8 to retain the Laver Cup on the third and final day of action in the international tournament in Chicago.  German Zverev needed to be at his sharpest to get past the South African stalwart but won the final five points of the third set tie - break to ensure Europe would keep the trophy they won at the inaugural event in Prague last year.

Sharmila stuns Annu to win javelin gold  Asian Games bronze-medallist Annu Rani to claim the women’s javelin throw gold medal on the opening day of the National Open athletics championships at the Kalinga Stadium  Rani, with a throw of 58.83 metres at the 2014 National Inter-State Championship in Lucknow, broke the national record previously held by Gurmeet Kaur.  In Bhubaneswar in Odisha at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships Rani took a bronze medal with a throw of 57.32m.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 25 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Books & Authors / September -2018

1.7. Books and Authors

Banwarilal Purohit released the first copy of Paritchaikku Bhayamen  The book is a compilation of speeches made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It offers advice to the student community during various occasions in different parts of the country.  V.Insuvai translated the book into Tamil and it was published by The Alliance Co.  The book includes his speech during the ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programmes.  It is primarily aimed at encouraging the student community to face life challenges and tackle examination stress.

The book “The Twice-Born – Life and Death on the Ganges”  The book “The Twice-Born – Life and Death on the Ganges” has been authored by Aatish Taseer, who is son of late Pakistani politician Salman Taseer and Delhi journalist Tavleen Singh.

The book “Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple”  The third and final book ofVineet Bajpai’s Harappa trilogy “Kashi: Secret of the Black Temple” has recently launched in New Delhi.  The book tells an intriguing story of a lost civilisation.  The first two books are “Harappa: Curse of the Blood River” and “Pralay: The Great Deluge”.

26 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours

1.8. AWARDS AND HONOURS

Dr B.K. Misra named for 2018 Dr B.C. Roy National Award as eminent medical person of the year  Mumbai-based eminent neurosurgeon Dr B.K. Misra was named for prestigious Dr B.C. Roy National Award for year 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of the Year.

 It is highest medical honour of India and will be bestowed upon him by President Ram NathKovind in July 1 , 2019 on the occasion of National Doctors Day.

B C Roy Award  Instituted by Medical Council of India (MCI) in 1976.  In memory of renowned physician and former West Bengal Chief Minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. Dr B.K. Misra  Misra is the Head of Department of Surgery as well as Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery at Mumbai’s P.D. Hinduja Hospital.

David Cronenberg receives Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at Venice Film Festival  David Cronenberg ,Director of classics won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival for a 50 year career directing scary movies.

 Guillermo del Toro ,the Shape of water director who began in the horror genre ,gave Mr.Cronenberg the Special Golden Lion.

Indian Panorama begins; Manusangada is best film  Tamil film ‘Manusangada’ bagged the best film award of the Puducherry Government at the five day Indian Panaroma Film Festival which got under way.

 Welfare minister M. Kandaswamy inaugurated the festival at the Murugaa Theatre and presented the Sri Sankaradass Swamigal Best Film Award to Amshan Kumar,director of the Film .The award named after the theater thespian ,carries a memento and a cash prize of 1 Lakh.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 27 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Awards & Honours / September -2018

Secondary Steel Sector Awards given for contribution to National Economy  Union Ministry of Steel recently for the first time gave away Secondary Steel sector awards to 26 mini steel companies in recognition of their contribution to the national economy.

 12 companies were awarded Gold Certificates and 14 Silver Certificates for their performance during 2016-17.

 These awards were given in order to enhance global competitiveness of companies involved in secondary steel sector.

 It will also encourage secondary steel sector to strive for improving performance as well as quality of production.

Viswanathan Anand Honoured With “Order of Friendship” by Russia

 The Russian Federation honoured the legendary Indian Chess Grandmaster with the “Order of Friendship” at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture .

 Anand was conferred The Order by Sergey Kotov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in South India, on behalf of the Federation.

 The art exhibition “Chess mate and You” by Russian artist Katya Belyavskaya was also inaugurated on the ocassion.

Justice Mukul Mudgal to head selection committee for Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards  Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Supreme Court-appointed probe into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has been named chairman of the 11-member selection committee to pick this year’s Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awardees.

28 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours

 The panel headed by Mudgal, the retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been picked by the sports ministry but is yet to be officially announced.

 The selection committee features former air pistol shooter Samresh jung, shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa among others.

 The panel also comprises former national boxing coach GS Sandhu, hockey coach AK Bansal and archery coach Sanjeeva Singh apart from Sports Authority of India’s Special Director General Onkar Kedia and Joint Secretary (Sports) Inder Dhamija.

Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh announces international Hockey Retirement  Former India Hockey Captain Sardar Singh decided to call time on his illustrious career, saying he played enough in to last 12 years and now it’s time for the youngsters to take over .

 Sardar , 32, made his senior debut for India against Pakistan in 2006.

 He made over 350 International appearances for India and Captained the National team for Eight Years.

 Sardar was also the Youngest player to captain the Indian Team ,when he led the side at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Sawai Singh Shekhawat to be honoured with Meera Puruskar  Jaipur-based poet and writer Sawai Singh Shekhawat will be honoured with Meera Puruskar by Rajasthan Sahitya Academy for his contribution to Hindi literature. The Award function will be held in October, this year.

 He has published seven books of poetry and his first Rajasthani story,K oonpal, was translated in Hindi, Telgu & Dogari. He served as Editor for Bakhat and Rajasthan Vikas magazines.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 29 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Awards & Honours / September -2018 Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar & National Safety Awards-2016 ceremony on September 17

The Ministry of Labour & Employment has been operating the “Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar” (Previously known as Shram Vir National Awards) and “National Safety awards” since 1965.

 These Award schemes are operated by Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Mumbai.

 VRP is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers and implemented by the management during the previous calendar year resulting improvement in quality, productivity and working conditions such as safety, health and environmental conservation in the industrial undertakings where “Suggestion Schemes” are in operation.

Dr. Raghupati Singhania Conferred With Civilian Honour Of Mexico

 Melba Pria, ambassador of Mexico to India presented the award to Dr. Singhania on behalf of the President of Mexico on the eve of 128th National Day of Mexico.

 The honor is given because of the efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Mexico.

mexICO INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATED ON SEPTEMBER 16, 1810

TN Krishnan, Ratan Thiyam & Satish Gujral get Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Award2018  Three visionaries in their respective fields,Shilpa Guru Satish Gujral , Sangeet Guru TN Krishnan, and Natya Guru Ratan Thiyam were awarded this year’s Legends of India Lifetime Achievement Awards.

 It a humble recognition of the living legends for igniting young minds with the rich heritage of Indian Art. At a star-studded evening the awardees were handed over Gold Plaques with an Angavastra and cash awards by Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu.

30 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours

LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

 Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions.

ISRO Conferred with Rajbhasha Kirti Award 2018  Department is being confered with the Topmost Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar consecutively Third year, which is awarded by the His Excellency The President of India.

 This year this award was given by the Honorable Vice-President on 14th Sept, 2018 and was received by Joint Secretary, DOS Sri S.Kumaraswamy.

Indian film won the Toronto International Film Festival’s prestigious Award  Director Vasan Bala’s action thriller ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ (The Man Who Feels No Pain) has won the top award Film Festival (TIFF).

 This is the first ever Indian film to be screened in the Toronto festival’s Midnight Madness program.

Law student wins Best re-searcher award  Carol James, third year student of BBA LLB has won the best researcher award in the India - national round at the 18th Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition.

 The Indian Society of International Law, was held from September 13 to 16 at New Delhi.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 31 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Awards & Honours / September -2018 Mirabai Chanu, Virat Kohli to get Khel Ratna  Cricket captain Virat Kohli and world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will jointly be conferred with award 2018, India’s highest sporting honour.

 This year, the Ministry received a large number of nominations for these awards. The nominations were considered by the Selection Committees consisting of a former Olympian, Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, Dhyan Chand Awardees, Sport Journalists, Experts and sports administrators.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2017-18  The Guru Nanak Dev University of Amritsar was chosen as the recipient of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2017-18.

 The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) is awarded to the overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.

 The overall top performing university is awarded with the MAKA Trophy, award money of Rs 10 lakh and a certificate.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2018 recipients S. No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline 1. S. Mirabai Chanu Weightlifting 2. Virat Kohli Cricket Dronacharya Awards 2018 recipients S. No. Name of the Coach Discipline 1. Subedar Chenanda, Achaiah Kuttappa Boxing 2. Vijay Sharma Weightlifting 3. A. Srinivasa Rao Table Tennis 4. Sukhdev Singh Pannu Athletics 5. Clarence Lobo Hockey (Life Time) 6. Tarak Sinha Cricket (Life Time) 7. Jiwan Kumar Sharma Judo (Life Time) 8. V.R. Beedu Athletics (Life Time)

32 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours Arjuna Awards 2018 recipients S. No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline 1. Neeraj Chopra Athletics 2. Jinson Johnson Athletics 3. Hima Das Athletics 4. Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy Badminton 5. Satish Kumar Boxing 6. Smriti Mandhana Cricket 7. Shubhankar Sharma Golf 8. Manpreet Singh Hockey 9. Savita Hockey 10. Col. Ravi Rathore Polo 11. Rahi Sarnobat Shooting 12. Ankur Mittal Shooting 13. Shreyasi Singh Shooting 14. Manika Batra Table Tennis 15. G. Sathiyan Table Tennis 16. Rohan Bopanna Tennis 17. Sumit Wrestling 18. Pooja Kadian Wushu 19. Ankur Dhama Para-Athletics 20. Manoj Sarkar Para-Badminton 2018 recipients S. No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline 1. Satyadev Prasad Archery 2. Bharat Kumar Chetri Hockey 3. Bobby Aloysius Athletics 4. Chougale Dadu Dattatray Wrestling Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2018 recipients S. No. Category Name of the entity 1. Identification and Nurturing Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited of Budding & Young Talent 2. Encouragement to Sports through JSW Sports Corporate Social Responsibility 3. Sports for Development Isha Outreach

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 33 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Awards & Honours / September -2018 Village Rockstars is Indias Official Entry To Oscars 2019  Rima Das’ National Award-winning feature Village Rockstars chosen to represent India in the Best Foreign Language category at the 91st Academy Awards next year, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced.  The announcement was made by SV Rajendra Singh Babu, Chairman, Selection Committee for Oscar Award, FFI.

Croatia’s Luka Modric wins FIFA’s best player of the year award  Luka Modrić, who led Croatia to their first-ever FIFA World Cup final, won this year’s The Best FIFA Men’s Player award, finishing ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mo Salah.

 On the other hand, Brazilian captain Marta won the award for FIFA Best Women’s Player of the Year.

The rest of the FIFA 2018 award winners are:  Best Goal of the Year: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)  Best Men’s Coach: Didier Deschamps (France)  Best Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium, Chelsea)  Best Women’s Coach: Reynald Pedros (Lyon)  Best Fan Award: Peru fans, who travelled to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia  FIFA Fair Play Award: Lennart Thy (VVV-Vento).

3 Saudi human rights activists awarded “Alternative Nobel”  The Right Livelihood Award also known as the “Alternative Nobel” has been given to three jailed Saudi human rights defenders and two Latin American anti-corruption crusaders.

 The prize foundation says on Monday that the 1 million kronor ($113,400) cash award for 2018 was to be shared by Abdullah al-Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al- Qahtani and Waleed Abu al-Khair “for their visionary and courageous efforts, to reform the totalitarian political system in Saudi Arabia.”

34 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours

Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honours efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.

The Hindu Briefcase bags award at WAN-IFRAevent (World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers)  The Hindu ’s mobile app Briefcase bagged the silver trophy for Best Digital News Start Up at the Third South Asia Digital Media Awards at the 26th annual conference of WAN-IFRA India 2018.

 The silver medal was also shared by Sakal Media’s Agrowon App, while the gold trophy was bagged by Madras Courier.

 The Hindu Group’s Sportstar Live bagged the bronze trophy for Best in Lifestyle, Sports, Entertainment Website or Mobile Services.

 The Hindu ’s five participating printing centres of Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Kochi and Madurai have secured the prestigious International Colour Quality Club membership and received awards for print quality in newspaper production.

Udayalur Kalyanaraman honoured with ‘Sivanisai Selvar’ title  Papanasam Sivan Rasikar Sangam and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at Mylapore to celebrate the 128th birth anniversary of Papanasam Sivan

Mary Kom named brand ambassador of Tribes India  The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the “Punch Tantra” collection to promote tribal arte facts and named world boxing champion Mary kom as the brand ambassador of “Tribes India” an initiative to promote tribal arte facts.

 The Punch Tantra range of tribal arte facts promoted by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) includes handlooms and handicrafts which will be promoted by Kom.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 35 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Awards & Honours / September -2018 Tourism Minister presents National Tourism Awards 2016-17  Tourism Minister K J Alphons presented National Tourism Awards 2016-17 in New Delhi.

 The Awards were presented to various segments of the travel and tourism industry. The awardees were chosen on the basis of several parameters including tourist traffic and efforts.

 These awards are presented to State Governments/ union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operator sand tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organizations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields.

Tamil Nadu-based eco-tourism firm wins award  Tamil Nadu-based eco-tourism company, INDeco Leisure Hotels Private Ltd, Kumbakonam, has received the National Tourism Award for Best Rural/Agri/ Plantation tourism project in India for the year 2016-17.

 Steve Borgia, chairman and managing director, INDeco, recited that this was a recognition for being “pioneers” for rural and eco-tourism in India.

 INDeco Hotels’ property in Swamimalai has been given this national award. Jagran Film Festival  Jagran Film Festival (JFF) is perhaps the world’s largest travelling film festival rooted in India, conducted since 2010.

 The festival is an Jagran Prakashan Group initiative aimed at promoting the appreiation of the cinematic art beyond the major metropolitan cities of India to smaller towns.

Pankaj Kapoor gets ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award at Jagran Film Festival  Actor-director Pankaj Kapur is honoured with ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award at the closing ceremony of the ninth edition of Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai.

36 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Awards & Honours

 He is a three-time National Award winner.

 Pankaj Kapoor’s most acclaimed films wereRaakh (1989), Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991) Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Macbeth, Maqbool (2003), all three films for which he received .

39th edition of the ‘Sarala Puraskar’ award 2018  Noted Odia poet Satrughna Pandav was honoured with the prestigious 39th edition of the ‘Sarala Puraskar’ award 2018 for his poetry collection ‘Misra Dhrupad’.

 The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 5, 00,000 and a citation, was presented to Pandav on October 26.

 In 1979 and awarded every year by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT).

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 37 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Cultural Panorama / September -2018 \ History - Cultural Panorama

1.9. CULTURAL PANORAMA National Nutrition Month being celebrated across Country in the month of September  The National Nutrition Month (September) is being celebrated across the country to mark the fight against malnutrition. During this month, various programmes have been organized by the Women and Child Development Ministry to spread broad awareness on the issues related to malnutrition like stunting, undernutrition, anemia and low birth weight in children.

Smuggled idol traced after 36 years  A Nataraja idol, smuggled 36 years ago from the Kulasekaramudayar Aramvalartha Nayaki Amman temple at kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district, was traced to Australia.  A museum in Australia had bought the statue for ₹30 crore and a team headed by Inspector General of Police (IG) A.G. Ponn Manickavel, who had specially been appointed by the court, was able to trace the idol.  The team also succeeded in collecting the identities of those who were behind the heist. The two-and-a-half-foot idol weighing around 100 kg was smuggled from the temple on July 5, 1982. The 600-year-old idol belonged to the Pandiya period.

Festival of Nuakhai celebrated in Odisha  Nuakhai Bhetghat is the reap celebration of individuals of Western Odisha.  The festival bears significance among the farmer community as they perform puja on their farmland to thank ‘Mother Earth’ for being so bountiful.

Festival of tourism “Paryatan Parv 2018”  The Ministry of Tourism is organizing the festival of tourism “Paryatan Parv 2018” in collaboration with other Central Ministries, State Governments and Stakeholders at Rajpath Lawns in New Delhi from September 17 and will continue across the country till 27th of this month.  The idea behind the festival is to draw focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of Tourism for All. The 2nd edition of Paryatan Parv had three main components- Dekho Apna Desh, Tourism for All and Tourism and Governance.

Vetrii38 IAS Study Circle Vetrii IAS Study Circle38 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Historical Events

1.10. HISTORICAL EVENTS US repatriates two antique statues stolen from India  Two antique statues worth hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from India and displayed at two American museums have been repatriated to India by the US.  The first statue, ‘Lingodhbhavamurti’, a granite sculpture depicting an iconic representation of Lord Shiva, dates back to the 12th century-Chola dynasty.  Currently valued at about $225,000, it was stolen from Tamil Nadu and was on display at the Birmingham Museum in Alabama.  The second phylite sculpture depicts the bodhisattva of wisdom, ‘Manjusri’, holding a sword and painted in gold leaf.  Dating back to the 12th century, the statue was stolen from a temple near the BodhGaya Temple in Bihar in the late 1980s and has a current approximate value of $275,000.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 39 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - India & its Neighbours / September -2018

1.11. INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS India, US agree to work together on India’s NSG membership  The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is an elite club of countries that deals with the trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials. Both India and US were committed to the full implementation of the civil nuclear energy partnership and collaboration between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company for the establishment of six nuclear power plants in India.  For entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is being opposed by China cit- ing that New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

India, Bangladesh jointly inaugurate 3 project  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing. These include:  500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh, Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link, and Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways.

 Akhaura-Agartala rail project is about 12 km 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. The Agartala-Akhaura rail project is part of India’s $4.5 billion third line of credit extended to Bangladesh for its infrastructure and social sector development. Bangladesh PM- Sheikh Hasina, Capital- Dhaka, Currency- Bangladeshi Taka.

1st Ever Bus Services Between Bihar And Nepal Flagged Off  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 Sitama.

About Nepal: Prime Minister - Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, Commander in chief of Nepalese Army - Bidya Devi Bhandari. Currency - The Nepalese Rupee , Capital - Kathmandu

Nepal and China Conducts 2nd JME ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2018  The 12 day long joint exercise mainly focus on the combating terror and disaster management trainings.  The aim of the exercise is to share expertise in disaster management and to fight terrorism, among others. This will reduce Nepal’s dependence on India and allow China to get a firmer foothold in the sub-continental drama. This comes at a timee when Nepal refuses to participate in the first- ever BIMSTEC military exercise “MILEX-18”, which has started in india from September 10.

About Nepal : Nepal Capital- Kathmandu, President: Bidya Devi Bnadari. About China : President: Xi Jinping, Capital: Beijing, Currency: renminbi.

40 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Appointments

1.12. Appointments Arif Alvi is elected as President of Pakistan  Arif Alvi is elected as the President of Pakistan. He is a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.  The 69-year-old former dentist defeated Pakistan Peoples (PPP) Party’s Aitzaz Ahsan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML- N) Maulana Fazlur Rehman to become the 13th President.  Dr.Alvi served as the Secretary-general of PTI party from 2006 to 2013. In 2013 he was elected as a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency of Karachi and was re- elected in July 2018.

LK Advani renominated as Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha  Senior BJP leader L K Advani was renominated as Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha  He was renominated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. L K Advani represents Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency from Gujarat.

Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha  Rajya Sabha was the first among the two Houses to form an ethics committee, with a full standing committee status, on 30th May, 1997  Lok Sabha, in contrast, formed an ethics panel in 2000 and has been operating as one until August 2015 when it was given a permanent standing committee status.  ethics committees function to uphold the standards of the Parliament and thus its functions are twofold: 1.Formulate a Code of Conduct for members and suggest amendments to it from time to time. 2.To oversee the moral and ethical conduct of the Members 3.To examine the cases referred to it with reference to ethical and other misconduct of the Members  The ethics committee in the Lok Sabha has 15 members chaired by LK Advani, while the Rajya Sabha has 10 members chaired by Dr. Karan Singh.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 41 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS History - Appointments / September -2018 President appoints Justice Ranjan Gogoi as next Chief Justice of India  He was appointed as per Article 124 of the Constitution.  He will assume office of Chief Justice on 3rd October, 2018 after retirement of incumbent Chief Justice, Justice Dipak Misra.  At present Justice Gogoi is senior-most judge of Supreme Court. His appointment was as per convention, where outgoing CJI recommends name of senior-most judge for appointment by President as his successor.  He will be become a 46th Chief Justice of India and shall He will have tenure of about 13 months from October 3, 2018 till his retirement on No- vember 17, 2019.

Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas appointed Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission  Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has appointed renowned scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas as chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).  He will have tenure till he attains the age of 64 years, till May 2021.  He will succeed Shekhar Basu.  Basu was appointed to the post in October 2015 and his tenure was to end in September 2016.  However, he was given two extension of one year each one in 2016 and another in 2017 till September 2018. Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas

 Vyas formely Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).  Shri Vyas has been conferred several awards, which include Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding service Award 2011.  Homi Bhabha Science and Technology Award 2006.  DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) Awards in the years 2007, 2008, 2012 & 2013.

42 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ History - Appointments

VarunDhawan and Anushka Sharma signed as ambassadors of Skill India Campaign  The two stars of the film ‘Sui Dhaaga - Made in India’, have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission (SIM), chaired by the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.  Skill India Mission is led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and aims to standardize vocational training.

Skill India Campaign  Launched: 2015 july 15, MINISTRY : Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Scientist Dr VR Lalithambika is heading India’s First Human Space Mission  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has chosen veteran scientist Dr VR Lalithambika to head its Gaganyaan mission to put an Indian in space by 2022.  The 56-year-old scientist has 30 years of experience in space missions with ISRO.  She was also a key member of the team responsible for launching 104 satellites in one go in February 15, 2017.

Vijay Amritraj elected TNTA president  Vijay Amritraj was elected as the new president of the Tennis Association (TNTA) at its AGM .

Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, Indian Tennis  The Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) was formed in the year of 1926 in the name of the Madras Provincial Lawn Tennis Association (MPLTA)

Secretary of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)  Anindo Majumdar, a 1985-batch IAS officer Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram has been appointed as the new Secretary of Central Vigilance Commission.

 Prior to this post, he was financial Commissioner of Delhi. Before Delhi, he was theChief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 43 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PS - India's Foreign Policy / September -2018

2. Political Science 2.1. Latest Court Verdicts Supreme Court legalises homosexuality, partially strikes down Section 377  A Five Judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on September 6, 2018 decriminalised Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by partially striking down some of its provisions.  The bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra; Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra ruled that Section 377, to the extent it criminalises sexual acts between consenting adults, whether homosexual or hetrosexual, is unconstitutional.  The Judgement overrules the Suresh Kaushal Judgement pronounced in 2013 by the apex court.  The judgement is based on the interpretation of Article 14 (Right to Equality); Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth); Article 19 (Freedom of Speech and Expression); and Article 21 (Right to Life and Right to Privacy) of the Indian Constitution.

WHAT IS SECTION 377?  The section holds that whoever, voluntarily, has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, commits an unnatural offence.  A person found guilty, under Section 377, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to pay a fine.  Section 377 existed ever since the Indian Penal Code came into existence in 1860.

44 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ PS - Latest Court Verdicts

Supreme Court scraps district panels for dowry harassment cases  A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court revised a 2017 judgment by a two- judge bench of the apex court that sought to prevent misuse of an anti-dowry law by forming a family welfare committee at the district level to look into complaints before arrests were made, and said the creation of such a panel is beyond the scope of the law.  The ruling puts the onus for the use and possible misuse of section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on law enforcement agencies.  The previous order, passed in the Rajesh Kumar vs Union of India case, was seen by some as diluting the law.  The case itself was prompted by the premise that section 498A was sometimes being misused to settle scores.

Adultery not a crime, Supreme Court strikes down Section 497  The court declared that Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code-the adultery law-was unconstitutional.  The Supreme Court unanimously struck down a 158-year-old law that considers adultery to be an offence committed by one man against another, and has been criticized for treating women as possessions rather than human beings.  Misra, who wrote a judgment for himself and Justice AM Khan wilkar, said the unequal treatment of women invites the wrath of the Constitution, and that any provision treating women unequally isn’t constitutional.  The other judges on the bench were Justice RF Nariman, Justice DY Chandra chud, and Justice Indu Malhotra.

ARTICLE 497  Adultery.—Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offense of rape, is guilty of the offense of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both.  In such case the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 45 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PS - Political Parties & System in India / September -2018

2.2. Political parties and Political system in India Narendra Modi govt constitues 8-member Lokpal search committee  The Modi government constituted an eight-member search committee, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.  The process of Lokpal selection is going as per the guidelines laid down in the Lokpal Act  The decision to constitute the search committee comes four years after the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. LOKAYUKTA  The Lokayukta (also Lok Ayukta) is an anti-corruption ombudsman organization in the Indian states.

 Once appointed, Lokayukta can not be dismissed nor transferred by the government, and can only be removed by passing an impeachment motion by the state assembly.

46 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ PS - Govt. Welfare Oriented, Schemes & Utility

2.3. Govt - Welfare oriented schemes and their utility Government inaugurates home for 1000 widows in Vrindavan  Union Ministry of Women and Child Development recently had inaugurated widows’ home ‘ Kutir’ at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.  Krishna Kutir is special home for 1000 widows set under SwadharGreh scheme and is the largest ever facility of its kind created by government organization. It was constructed to miti- gate the plight of widows living in pathetic condition in Vrindavan.

Krishna Kutir Its construction was funded by Central Government and will be managed by UP Government. It was constructed on 1.4 hectare of land allotted by UP Government through National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC). SwadharGreh Scheme  It is implemented by Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. It aims to ensure economic and social security to women in distress or victims of difficult circumstances who are in need of institutional support for rehabilitation so that they could lead their life with dignity.  It envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security for these women.

Nepal-Bharat MaitriPashupatiDharamshala inaugurated in Kathmandu  Prime Minister NarendraModi along with Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli inaugurated 400-bed Nepal- Bharat MaitriPashupatiDharamshala in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. They handed over this dharamshalato Pashupati Area Development Trust.

 Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala It is rest house for pilgrims in Kathmandu, built with Indian assistance. It is located on banks of Bagmati River.

 It has provisions to meet the requirements of pilgrims including dining hall, kitchen, family rooms and multipurpose halls to meet the requirements of travellers and families on pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple.

India’s first tribal circuit tourism project under Swadesh Darshan scheme inaugurated at Chhattisgarh  The central government had allocated about 100 crore rupees to develop this project to highlight tribal culture to the domestic and foreign tourists

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 47 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PS - Govt. Welfare Oriented, Schemes & Utility / September -2018

 The circuit connects 13 tourism sites in Chhattisgarh - Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat, Kamleshpur, Maheshpur, Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur, Chitrakoot, and Tirthgarh.

 Under the theme of the tribal circuit, close to Rs 400 crore has been sanctioned to the states of Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Nagaland.

SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME  Integrated development of Infrastructure in identified theme based circuits.  Provide complete Tourism Experience with varied thematic circuits .  Follow community – based development and pro-poor tourism approach.  Creating awareness among the local communities about the importance of tourism for them in terms of increase in sources of income, improved living standards and overall development of the area.  Promote local arts, culture, handicrafts, cuisine , etc to generate livelihoods in the indentified regions.  Harness tourism potential for its direct and multiplier effects in employment generation and economic development.

Delhi Government launches India’s first scheme for doorstep delivery of essential government services  The Delhi government on September 10, 2018 launched a scheme that will enable doorstep delivery of 40 essential government services such as caste and marriage certificates, driving license and new water connections in the first phase. The services will be provided for an extra fee of Rs 50.  Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “this is home delivery of governance, which is being done for the first time in the country.” The mobile sahayak would be equipped with all necessary equipment such as biometric devices and a camera.

Swayangsiddha  The West Bengal government has rolled out a scheme “Swayangsiddha” in different districts of the state to combat human trafficking.

48 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ PS - Govt. Welfare Oriented, Schemes & Utility

 The aim of the scheme is to empower young boys and girls to make informed choices so that they are less vulnerable to trafficking and child marriage

 Swayangsiddha, which means self-reliance, will be executed by the West Bengal Police.

 As the per the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data West Bengal has highest recorded case.

Union Home Secretary Launches ‘e-Sahaj’ Portal For Grant Of Security Clearance  The Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba launched an online ‘e-Sahaj’ portal for grant of Security Clearance.

 With the introduction of online portal, the process has become standardized, resulting in a process which will be faster, transparent and easy to monitor.

Cabinet cleared an ordinance that made talaq e biddat a criminal offence  The Union Cabinet cleared an ordinance that makes talaq-e-biddat or instant,. triple talaq a criminal offence.

 The accused will be sentenced for a maximum term of three years in jail. President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent for the cleared ordinance.

 The new law incorporates safeguards, including a provision for bail to an accused before the start of the trial.

 Instant triple talaq remains a non-bailable offence and should approach a magistrate for bail even before trial.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat or AB-NHPM)  Ayushman Bharat, the government-sponsored health insurance scheme, will provide free coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in any government or even empanelled private hospitals all over India.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 49 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PS - Govt. Welfare Oriented, Schemes & Utility / September -2018

 This scheme will strengthen the healthcare services in India. Around 13000 hospitals in the country have been coordinated for the implementation of the scheme.

 The Ayushman Bharat programme will be funded with 60 percent contribution from the Centre and the remaining from the states.

 The scheme aims to target poor and vulnerable population of the country, based on the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC) database. There will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.

Modi launched Pradhan Mantri-Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY)

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri-Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the mega healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat, from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Modi in his speech said that the scheme would be a “game changer” globally in health insurance.

 PM-JAY is the world’s largest health scheme. It will cover around 50 crore people.

 The scheme will pilot in 106 districts in 14 states of the country. The scheme will be providing an annual coverage of Rs.5 lakh per family for nearly 1,350 diseases.

 The eligible people can avail the benefits of the scheme in government and listed private hospitals.

 There is no cap on family size and age to ensure that nobody is left out.

50 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Geo - Geographicsl Landmarks

3. Geography 3.1. policy on Environment and ecology

Serious stress to the Western Ghats ecology  Citing the recent devastating floods in Kerala and the serious stress to the Western Ghats ecology, the National Green Tribunal has restrained six States in the region from giving environmental clearance to activities which may adversely affect the eco-sensitive areas.

 The six States are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 The green panel allowed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to republish the draft notification of the Western Ghats that lapsed on August 26 and asked it to finalise the matter within six months without alterations to the eco-sensitive zone in terms of notification dated February 27, 2017.

Ethanol plant : Haryana government inks mou with IOC to stop straw burning  Haryana Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up ethanol plant at village Bohali village in Panipat district with an outlay of over Rs. 900 crore. The MoU will be valid for one year.  This plant will motivate farmers in its 50 km radius area to manage crop residue and prevent straw burning and help to fulfill increasing demand of ethanol and also bio-fuels for consumers of petroleum product.  Its long-term usage will help to reduce emissions and dependency on imported fossil fuel. Bioethanol  It is an alcohol derived by process of fermentation mostly from carbohydrates of agricultural residue and feedstocks.  It acts as a quasi-renewable energy, as it can be easily blended with petrol or diesel, thus making it sustainable transport fuel.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 51 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Eco - Current Socio - Eco. Problems / September -2018

4. Economics 4.1. Current Socio- Economic Problems Mauritius tops India’s FDI charts again in FY18  Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, whereas total FDI stood at USD 37.36 billion in the financial year, a marginal rise over the USD 36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal, according to RBI data.  While FDI from Mauritius totalled USD 13.41 billion as against USD 13.38 billion in the previous year, inflows from Singapore rose to USD 9.27 billion from USD 6.52 billion. Even as FDI from Netherlands declined marginally to USD 2.67 billion as against USD 3.23 billion in the year-ago period.  The provisional data for the financial year ended March revealed that foreign direct investment (FDI) into the manufacturing sector witnessed a substantial decline to USD 7.06 billion, as against USD 11.97 billion in the year-ago period.

India ranks 96th on Economic Freedom Index Economic Freedom Index;  The Index of Economic Freedom HK, Singapore is an annual index and ranking retain top spot created in 1995 by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street  India’s rank improved by a couple of Journal to measure the degree of notches, but it was still placed 96th economic freedom in the world’s among 162 countries in this year’s report nations. on Economic Freedom in the World  The creators of the index took an  In overall ranking, India was evenly placed approach similar to Adam Smith’s among BRICS nations. in The Wealth of Nations, that  Russia and South Africa are ahead of “basic institutions that protect the India at 87th and 94th, China and Brazil liberty of individuals to pursue are behind at 108th and 144th positions. their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger  Hong kong and Singapore again topped society”. the index, continuing their streak as the first and the second country, respectively.

52 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Eco - New Eco. Policy & Govt. Sector

4.2. New Economic Policy & Govt. Sector

India ranks 130 in UNDP’s human development index  India was placed at 130 among 189 countries in the latest human development index (HDI) report released by United Nations Development Program (UNDP), PTI reported.  India’s HDI value for 2017 was marked at 0.640, which was still higher than the South Asian average of 0.638.  India climbed one spot from its 2016 position and was ranked ahead of its South Asian contemporaries Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were ranked 150 and in 136 respectively.  The HDI is measured in three basic dimensions of human development for assessing long-term progress: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Centre to merge Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank  The Centre merged the state-owned Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank in order to create India’s third - largest bank.  The decision was made during the ministerial panel meeting that oversees merger proposals of state-owned banks. It was headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.  The decision is because Dena Bank had been placed under the prompt corrective action framework.  The Centre believes that when the weaker bank becomes a merged entity, it will eventually become a stronger entity.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 53 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech. / September -2018

5. Science 5.1. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO to launch 19 missions in just 7 months  Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will conduct 19 missions, including 10 satellites and nine launch vehicles, in the next seven months between September and March.

 It will include the launch of India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2.

 ISRO planned to launch two satellites within 30 days consecutively for months.

 The services would be resumed on September 15 with the PSLV C42 mission, which will carry UK satellites - Novasar and S1-4 - as the main payload.

 ISRO will launch GSLV Mk III-D2, also known as ‘Bahubali’. ISRO Chairman - K Sivan.

UAE revealed the names of the 2 astronauts for the space mission  The United Arab Emirates has disclosed its first two astronauts to go on a mission to the International Space Station.

 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai named the new astronauts as Hazza al-Mansouri, 34-year-old, and Sultan al-Neyadi, 37-year-old. The UAE has its sights set on space with a programme worth 20 billion dirhams i.e, $5.4 billion.

 UAE has announced its plans to become the first Arab country to send an unmanned probe to orbit Mars by 2021. The probe is named as “Hope”.

54 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech.

 The astronaut programme would make the UAE one of only a handful of states in the Middle East to have sent a person into space.

First wet mid-air refuelling of LCA tejas successfully carried out using IL-78 MKI tanker  (IAF) successfully carried out first ever mid-air refuelling of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK-1 over Gwaliuor, Madhya Pradesh.

 India joins in elite group of countries which have successfully developed air-to-air refuelling system for military aircraft.

LCA Tejas mid-air refuelling

 It was first wet mid-air refuelling of LCA Tejas (LSP8) carried outby transferring 1,900 kg of fuel from IAF’s Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 (IL- 78) tanker at altitude of 20,000 feet.

 This operation had refueled all internal tanks and drop tanks of LCA Tejas. Before this wet contact trial, IAF had successfully conducted ‘dry-air refuelling contact trials’ where drogue (basket) extended from tanker aircraft IL-78 by fuel hose, which was only tracked and plugged into using LCA’s Tejas’ refuelling probe without transfering fuel.

South Korea launches its first missile capable submarine despite improved relations with the North  South Korea launched its first ever missile-capable attack submarine despite a recent diplomatic thaw with the nuclear-armed North.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 55 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech. / September -2018

 The 535 million, 3,000-tonne Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine is capable of firing both cruise and ballistic missiles and is the first of three planned diesel-electric boats to go into service in the next five years.

 It represented a “leap forward in the country’s” defence industry, President Moon Jae-in told a launch ceremony at the Daewoo shipyard where it was designed and built.

SpaceX books its first passenger to fly around the moon  SpaceX has a number of successful launches to its name, it’s still yet to reach that ultimate goal of sending a human to space.

 As per a tweet, the company has signed its first private passenger to fly on its BFR launch vehicle, in what would be “an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space.”

 The BFR, which Elon Musk recited can carry up to 100 people when it was first touted last year, will fly around the moon as part of the personal trip.

 It was revealed by the Wall Street Journal that SpaceX wouldn’t be sending a couple around the moon on its Dragon spacecraft later this year, a promise that was touted in early-2017.

 While SpaceX is still planning to take the two tourists, who paid a “significant deposit” for the opportunity, the trip will be “postponed until at least mid- 2019 and likely longer.”

56 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech.

ISRO launches two UK satellites aboard PSLV-C42  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 16, 2018 successfully launched its polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) C42 carrying two earth observation satellites for the United Kingdom.

 The launch vehicle- PSLV-C42 lifted off at 10.08 PM from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Significance  The launch marks PSLV-C42’s first fully commercial trip of the year, breaking a five-month-long lull, for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This was the 44th PSLV and the 12th time it flew as core-alone.  India has been sending foreign satellites belonging to international customers from 29 countries through PSLV.  ISRO did not make any launch post April 12, after it put replacement navigation satellite IRNSS-1I to space on PSLV-C41.  The space organisation, in fact, recalled its GSAT-11 from the South American launch port of Kourou, weeks before it was due for launch.

1st private moon flight passenger to invite creative guests  Yusaku Maezawa take the first-ever commercial rocket trip around the moon.

 The Japanese billionaire recited he plans to invite six to eight artists, architects, designers and other creative people to join him on board the SpaceX rocket “to inspire the dreamer in all of us.”

 The Big Falcon Rocket is scheduled to make the trip in 2023, SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced at its headquarters near Los Angeles.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 57 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech. / September -2018

MSME Insider: Monthly e-Newsletter of MSME Ministry launched  Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has launched its monthly e-newsletter MSME Insider

 The e-newsletter will give information of activities undertaken by MSME Ministry and also act as bridge between Ministry and millions of MSME units spread across the country. MSME Insider e-newsletter  The e-newsletter will provide regular flow of information about sector to MSMEs.  It will also help in developing two-way communication between MSME Ministry and its stakeholders.  It will also create awareness about schemes and other activities undertaken by MSME Ministry and its affiliatedorganizations.

Japanese space agency launches hopping probes to land on asteroid  The agency’s spacecraft released two small exploration robots in a research project to find clues to the origin of the solar system.

 Both Minerva-II rovers were lowered from the unmanned Hayabusa-2, on to the asteroid Ryugu.

 The rovers move around by hopping, because the gravity on the asteroid makes rolling difficult.

 The spacecraft travelled to the asteroid, which is 170 miles (280m km) from Earth, and arrived in June.

58 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech.

Scientists Discover World’s Largest Bird Ever Thanks To Bone Statistics  Scientists conveyed that they have finally solved the riddle of the world’s largest bird in a study released by British scientists suggested that one species of elephant bird was even larger than previously thought, with a specimen weighing an estimated 860 kg — about the same as a fully grown giraffe

The world’s biggest bird Scientists say they have found the definitive “big bird” Features of the Bird  They concluded that ‘Vorombe Titan’ is the World’s biggest bird.  It was in Madagascar and became extinct for 1,000 years.  It was hunted to its demise by humans.  It was flightless and was a herbivore.  The average weight of the bird was 680 kg and could weigh max upto 800 kg.  Vouronpatra, a large bird which haunts the Ampatres (swamps in the central highlands) and lays eggs like the ostrich’s  so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 59 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech. / September -2018

First Space Technology Incubation Centre  ISRO has recently launched its first Space Technology Incubation Centre at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala via remote from Bengaluru.

 It was jointly launched by ISRO Chairman Dr. KV Sivan and Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

 The incubation centre was launched at the 1 st edition of ‘Spacetronics’ organised by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association.

 ISRO is looking to incubate start-ups that would build applications. Within the next 6 months, ISRO plans to set up five more space technology incubation.

India’S FIRST INDIGENOuS ANTI-nuCLEAR MEDICAL kit  The scientist at INMAS claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.

 The medical kit has been developed for the armed, paramilitary and police forces only as they are the first ones likely to get exposed to radiation.

 It has over 25 items, including radio-protectors that provide 80-90% protection against radiation and nerve gas agents, bandages that absorb radiation as well as tablets and ointments.

 The kit also has an Ethylene Di-amine Tetra acetic acid (EDTA) injection that traps uranium in the guts and blood of victims during a nuclear accident or warfare.

60 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Sci - Latest Inventions on Sci. & Tech.

Space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the ‘ISRO spy scandal’  The Supreme Court has appointed a 3-member committee headed by D.K. Jain, a former judge of the court, to probe the harrowing arrest and alleged torture of former space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the ‘ISRO spy scandal’ that turned out to be fake.

 A 3-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra also awarded Mr. Narayanan Rs. 50 lakh in compensation for the mental cruelty he suffered all these years.

 The Centre would take care of the committee’s facilities and expenses.

India’s first underwater robotic drone  India’s first underwater robotic drone “EyeROV TUNA” was launched and handed over to Kochi-based DRDO lab “Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL)”.

 The drone can send real-time videos of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance.

 It will be used by NPOL for research and development activities which in turn would result in a commercial product for defence purposes.  The robotic drone can be navigated up to a depth of 50 meters to take real-time HD video images to examine ship hulls or undersea cables or bridge moorings and can eliminate the need for costlier and riskier manual inspection by divers.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 61 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Latest Discoveries in Health Sci. / September -2018

5.2. Latest Discoveries in Health SCIENce Apsara : BARC recommission upgraded version of India’s oldest reactor  Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay has recommissioned India’s oldest nuclear research reactor named ‘Apsara’, which was shut down permanently in 2009 for repair.

 The refurbished version of this reactor has been named as ‘Apsara-upgraded’ (Apsara-U) and also has double capacity compared to its earlier version.

 It is located within India’s nuclear weapons facility at BARC’s Trombay campus (Maharashtra).

Apsara

 Apsara was the first nuclear research reactor in Asia.

 It had become operational in BARC’s Trombay campus in August 1956.

 It was first nuclear research reactor indigenously developed in India. The design was conceptualised in 1955 by Dr Homi Bhabha, the father of Indian Nuclear programme.

 Its name Apsara was coined by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

World’s first lion cubs born via artificial insemination  In a world first achievement, a lioness at the Ukutula Conservation Center and Biobank in South Africa’s North West province has given birth to two cubs conceived via non-surgical artificial insemination, using fresh semen from an adult male lion at the same facility.

 The research is a breakthrough for saving endangered species like tiger and snow leopard.

62 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Sci - Mass Media & Communication

5.3. MASS MEDIA & COMMUNICATION TRANSTAN made Aadhaar mandatory for organ transplant  Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) has made Aadhaar mandatory for Indian patients to register in the Tamil Nadu Network for Organ Sharing.  TRANSTAN has brought in a single unique ID for a patient, irrespective of the number of organs he or she registers for.  Foreigners are asked to submit a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the respective Embassies. For Indian patients any identity proof, including voter’s ID, was acceptable.  The move is a measure to streamline the deceased donor transplant programme and to confirm that they have come to the State for organ transplantation.  It is expected that this will avoid confusion so that the hospitals cannot modify patient’s details except the activation and inactivation of patients.

Rail Sahyog web portal launched for corporates to fund creation of amenities at railway station  Union Ministry of Railways has launched Rail Sahyog web portal (www.railsahyog.in).  It will provide platform for Corporates and PSUs to fund creation of amenities at railway stations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

Rail Sahyog portal  This portal will allow companies to register their requests for contributing to create amenities at railway stations through their CSR Funds.  These requests will be processed by Railway officials and based on tprinciple of first come first serve, requests will be shortlisted.  Selected applicants will be intimated to deposit the funds with Railways or its nominated agencies like RITES or RAILTEL etc.

Ministry of Minority Affairs launches National Scholarship Portal Mobile App  Union Ministry for Minority Affairs has launched the country’s first National Scholarship Portal Mobile App (NSP Mobile App). It aims to provide smooth accessible and hassle-free scholarship system for students from poor and weaker sections.

NSP Mobile App  The mobile app will be beneficial for beneficiary students in many ways as they will get all information regarding various scholarships on this mobile app, they will be able to apply for scholarships sitting in their home.  Using it, students can also upload necessary documents and can check the status of their application, scholarship disbursement etc. Students from far-flung, hilly areas and North East will be the mostly benefitted from this app.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 63 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Sci - Mass Media & Communication / September -2018 India to introduce help line number for tobacco users  India has introduced a quit-line number, 1800-11-2356, on tobacco products. The Union Health Ministry has already been creating awareness among people by making mandate display of pictorial health warning on both sides of packets containing cigarettes, bidis, and chewing tobacco.  The quit-line number is to be printed on all tobacco products that will be manufactured after September 1, 2018. India is the first country among the SAARC countries to have introduced such a helpline.  India is the fourth country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco.

Vodafone Idea Board approved Merger With Aditya Birla Telecom  The merger was approved under the relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. The merger is subjected to the approval of the National Company Law Tribunal.

CFLOWS to forecast floods in city  Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority plans to use ‘CFLOWS,’ a web-based application, that will help in forecasting flooding in a particular location anywhere in the State during the forthcoming northeast monsoon.  CFLOWS, which would forecast level of waterlogging and vulnerable locations five days ahead, was developed by IIT Madras, Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University and National Coastal Research Centre along with TNSDMA.  The web-based GIS (Geographic Information System) application would work as a hydrodynamic model and collate data such as water level in rivers and water bodies and rainfall to forecast floods. Government launches Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children portal  Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to check objectionable online content.  The portal will allow citizens to lodge complaints on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material and sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape.

64 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ National - Dairy of Events

6. National Dairy of Events Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches India Post Payments Bank  The Indian Prime Minister, NarendraModi on September 1, 2018 launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.  The initiative seeks to leverage the expansive network of the postal department to ensure financial inclusion for the masses.  In fact, simultaneous launch events were held for the IPPBs at 650 branches and 3,250 access points.

 The objective of IPPB is to build the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man, spearhead the financial inclusion agenda by removing the barriers for the unbanked and reduce the opportunity cost for the under banked populace through assisted doorstep banking. It will help significantly expand the reach of the banking sector in India.

Census 2021 for first time to collect data on Other Bacward Castes  Census 2021 for the first time in independent India will collect data on Other Backwards Castes (OBCs).  This comes more than 25 years after implementation of 27% reservation for OBCs based on Mandal Commission’s recommendations on basis of last castes data collected in1931 census.  This decision was taken in meeting the roadmap for undertaking the Census in 2021 chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.  The meeting also put special emphasis on improvements in design and technological interventions to ensure that data is finalised within three years of the conduct ofthe 2021 Census. This census data on OBCs will play an important role in such a sub- categorisation.

 In 1953, President under Article 340 had set up first Backward Classes Commission under chairmanship of Kaka Kelkar to identify backward classes other than SCs and STs at the national level.  But its conclusion that caste is important measure of backwardness was rejected on ground that it had failed to apply more objective criteria such as income and literacy.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 65 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS National - Dairy of Events / September -2018

India To Have One-Nation-One-Card Policy For Transport Soon: NITI Aayog  The main objective of the strategy is to plan for the citizens of India first, rather than focussing on vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility.  The announcement was made at a function on Future Mobility Summit-2018 in New Delhi.

Conference on E-Mobility in Indian Railways held in New Delhi  The main aim is to discuss strategies for future of mobility in India and to make Indian Railways more efficient, greener and a preferred mode of transport.  It acted as a common platform for project developers and other stakeholders.  Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha was the chief guest of the conference. Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain, was the Guest of Honour.

Cabinet approves establishment of permanent campuses of seven new IIMs  The Union Cabinet on September 5, 2018 approved the establishment and operationalisation of permanent campus of seven new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).  These IIMs will be established at Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Vishakhapatnam and Jammu with a total expenditure of Rs 3775.42 crore (Rs 2999.96 crore as Non-Recurring and Rs 775.46 Crore as Recurring Expenditure).

Maharashtra Government to set up new Cyber University  The main aim is to mitigate cyber threats.  The Estimated cost for the phase I of the project is Rs.80 crore.  It will Train 3000 professionals, Fight online cyber attacks.

66 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ National - Dairy of Events Tsunami mock drill ‘IOWave18’ begins: India along with 23 countries participates in exercise  Indian Ocean Wave Exercise 2018 (IOWave18) began on September 4, 2018 in the Indian Ocean.  India along with 23 other nations is participating in this major Indian ocean- wide tsunami mock drill which involves evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen coastal states.  Participants associated with Exercise IOWave18  Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tanzania and Yemen. This tsunami warning exercise is being organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.  It was the IOC that coordinated the setting up of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in the aftermath of December 2004 tsunami.

EXERCISE IOWave18  Exercise IOWave18 will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put in a tsunami warning situation and require the respective National Tsunami Warning Centres and the Disaster Management Offices in each country to implement their Standard Operating Procedures.  IOWave18 will also provide an opportunity for Member States to test the indicators of Indian Ocean Tsunami Ready (IOTR) programme in pilot communities.  IOTR is a community performance-based programme that facilitates a structural and systematic approach in building tsunami preparedness.

Delhi Metro is second-most unaffordable in world  A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that after the fare hike last year, Delhi metro has become the second-most unaffodable transport network in the world after Hanoi in Vietnam.  The affordability is defined as the percentage of commuters’ total income spent on travel.  The Metro fares almost doubled after two hikes in May and October. The maximum fares escalated from Rs 30 to Rs 50 and then to Rs 60.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 67 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS National - Dairy of Events / September -2018 Ayushman Bharat Call Centre Inaugurated In Bengaluru  Ayushman Bharat call centre was formally inaugurated in Bengaluru by CEO of Ayushman Bharat Dr. Indu Bhushan

 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.

 The executives are working in 7 different shifts and one more such call centre functioning in Hyderabad.

Ayushman Bharat Yojana Country - India Prime Minister(s) - Narendra Modi Launched -  April 2018

 Ayushman Bharat Yojana or National Health Protection Scheme is a program which aims to provide a service to create a healthy, capable and content new India.

 This centrally sponsored flagship scheme aims to provide an annual health cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh to vulnerable 10 crore families based on Socio Economic and Caste Census database

Bengaluru airport set to become first in Asia to use face recognition as boarding pass  Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka is set to become first airport in Asia to introduce face recognition based passage system technology from 2019.  For this, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd which operates has signed agreement with Portuguese software firm Vision Box.  On complete implementation, this will be first end-to-end face recognition-based walk through experience in Asia and largest in the world.  It is also one of the most significant steps towards Digital India campaign endorsed by Central Government.

 Voice Box had showcased its face recognition-based passage system for first time for Lufthansa passengers at kiosks at Los Angeles airport in US in March 2018.  It had allowed Lufthansa passengers to use biometric boarding procedure instead of boarding passes

68 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ National - Dairy of Events

India’s first railway varsity starts operations in Vadodara

 It is functioning at the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.  It is funded by Ministry of Railways. University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University are its international partners.

About National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI)  The National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI) is India’s first railway university located in Vadodara, Gujarat.  This institute is located in the National Academy of Indian Railway (NAIR) having about 55 acres of campus.

1st regional workshop on RERA inaugurated by hardeep in pune  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 Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real Estate – 2 years of implementation and way forward (Western Region)” in Pune.

About Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in Brief:  It was launched in 2016 is aimed at consumer protection, by creating an online system for information sharing in the real estate sector.  It allows states to set up the Regulatory Authority and the Appellate.  Maharashtra is one of the first states to implement the provision of RERA.  It has also established the Real Estate Regulatory Authority of Maharashtra, which is popularly known as MahaRERA.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 69 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS National - Dairy of Events / September -2018

2-Day Regional Conference On Good Governance Begins In Bhopal  The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR & 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 will participate in the Conference.  The themes include: ICT Enabled Education, Agriculture, Public Service and Grievance Management and Good Governance initiatives.

MEA to hold diaspora event in Varanasi from Jan 21

 The Ministry of External Affairs is planning to host the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas from January 21 to 23 next year.  The ministry has decided to hold the event in Varanasi next year, and it will be followed by a visit to the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad and then the Republic Dayparade.  This is expected to be made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.  The ministry and Indian missions and consulates abroad are engaging with the overseas Indian community regularly through several schemes, initiatives, and dialogue mechanisms.

Rajnath Singh chairs 28th Southern Zonal Council Meet  Union Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Bengaluru.  The council was attended by Chief Minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister of Puducherry V. Narayanasamy, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam, Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y.R. Krishnudu, Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and senior officers from both the Central and State governments.

70 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ National - Dairy of Events

 The meeting that is held after a gap of every two years focused on issues that have cropped up in the country and Andhra Pradesh.  The council took up issues related to Pulicat lake dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu fishermen over fishing rights.

Bengaluru tops among Asian cities for technology enterprises  Bengaluru is the best location in Asia for technology companies to operate, recited a Colliers International report.  It is followed by Singapore and Shenzhen (China) in terms of starting and expanding technology operations in Asia  Bengaluru scores 68 per cent in the ranking and comes first overall.  Bengaluru is the largest office market in the country with total Grade A stock of 141 million square feet spread across multiple micro markets.  Indian cities which figure among the top 10 are Hyderabad and Mumbai. Hyderabad ranked seventh, while Mumbai ranked tenth. Delhi-NCR, on the other hand figured at the 11th position.

Sikkim’s first and nation’s 100th airport inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi  Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sikkim and was received by Governor Ganga Prasad, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.  He inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport and nation’s 100th operational airport: Pakyong Airport in Sikkim.  This was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 605 crore under UDAN scheme.  It will provide regional connectivity and would initially only cater to domestic flights, the first of which would begin fromOctober 4, 2018.  This will also provide international flight services connecting Sikkim with other countries like Paro in Bhutan, kathmandu in Nepal and Dhaka in Bangladesh.  The Pakyong airport is located around 60 km from the Indo-China border and about 30 km from the state capital of Gangtok.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 71 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS National - Dairy of Events / September -2018

Sikkim: Capital: Gangtok. Chief Minister: Pawan Kumar Chamling. Governor: Shri Ganga Prasad. National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries: Khangchendzonga National Park, Barsey Rhododendron Wildlife Sanctuary, Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, Shingba (Rhododendron) Wildlife Sanctuary. Sikkim was announced to be the ‘first full organic state of India’ in January 2016.

Cabinet approved policy of DoT to provide broadband access to all citizens by 2022  The Union Cabinet approved the new telecom policy of providing broadband access to every citizen. It aimed at providing a speed at 50 Mbps speed by the year 2022.

 The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 has planned to invest $100 billion in the country’s digital communications sector.

 It also plans to create at least 40 lakh new jobs in the sector in the next four years.

 The policy has called for a review of levies and fees which includes licence fee, universal service obligation fund levy and spectrum usage charges, on the sector.

India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge “Bogibeel”

 The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam, which is expected to complete at the end of 2018.

 The bridge is 32m above the water level of the Brahmaputra

 Upon completion, Bogibeel will be the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India and 2nd longest bridge over the Brahmaputra after Dhola-Sadiya Bridge which is a road bridge of length 9.15 km.

72 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ National - Dairy of Events

India’s first indigenously developed 500- megawatt (mw) prototype fast breeder reactor  India’s first indigenously developed 500-megawatt (mw) prototype fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is expected to achieve criticality in 2019.  This was stated by Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, at the 62th General Conference of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, on 19th Sept2018.  The indigenously developed Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is now undergoing sodium commissioning.  The reactor was designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).  Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (Bhavini), a public sector company under DAE, has been given the responsibility to build the fast breeder reactors in the country.

India’s first ‘smart fence’ pilot project

 India’s first ‘smart fence’ pilot project was launched by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh along the Indo-Pak border at the BSF Headquarters in Ploura, Jammu on September 18, 2018.  The purpose of the project is to make security system more strong and effective. The smart fencing uses a number of devices for surveillance, communication and data storage.  The initiative is part of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) proposed to be deployed at these two borders by the Government of India (GoI) as part of its decision to completely seal the two borders to stop infiltration and illegal migration.

‘Star-Rating’ system for industries to check air pollution  The Odisha government has launched a ‘Star-Rating’ system for industries to check air pollution.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 73 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS National - Dairy of Events / September -2018

 It’s a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state to ensure transparency in compliance to pollution standards.  The initiative will help public find out whether industries in their vicinity are fair in their environmental compliance.  It will also recognise the efforts of industries that take responsibility to maintain clean environment.  The system will rate industries from 1 – 5 based on their efforts to meet the standards set by Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).  It will be implemented with the help of Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India) researchers and Tata Centre for Development at Chicago (TCD) in a phased manner.

India’s first exclusive dog park  India’s first exclusive and certified ‘Dog Park’ has come up in Hyderabad, which is spread over 1.3acres.  The park has been developed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at a cost of Rs. 1.1 crore on a site which was earlier a dump yard.

India’s first indigenous anti-nuclear medical kit  The scientist at INMAS claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.  The medical kit has been developed for the armed, paramilitary and police forces only as they are the first ones likely to get exposed to radiation.  It has over 25 items, including radio-protectors that provide 80-90% protection against radiation and nerve gas agents, bandages that absorb radiation as well as tablets and ointments.  The kit also has an Ethylene Di-amine Tetra acetic acid (EDTA) injection that traps uranium in the guts and blood of victims during a nuclear accident or warfare.

74 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ International Affairs

7. International Affairs India and Nepal Sign MoUOn Preliminary Survey Of Railway Line Between Raxaul and Kathmandu  Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri and Nepal’s Secretary of Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, MadhusudanAdhikari signed the MoU in Kathmandu.  India and Nepal agreed in April 2018 to construct a new electrified rail line with India’s financial support connecting the border city of Raxaul in India to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.  China-Maldives Friendship Bridge: First cross-sea bridge in the Maldives inaugurated  China-Maldives Friendship Bridge was recently opened for traffic. It is first cross-sea bridge to be built in Maldives. It was China’s flagship infrastructure project in Maldives.  It is considered as iconic project of China and Maldives cooperation towards building 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. China-Maldives Friendship Bridge  It is 2.2 km long bridge and has four vehicle lanes and two pedestrian lanes. It connects Maldives capital city Male and neighbouring Hulhuleisland where island country’s main international airport is located.  It will allow locals and tourists to transfer between the the two islands on land within five minutes.  The bridge was built with Chinese grant of $116 million. Apart from the grant, China also had provided $72 million as loan for 1.4 km section bridge as top up to the grant.

India, Bulgaria sign MoUs on civil nuclear cooperation, S&T, investment & tourism  India and Bulgaria have signed four MoUs in fields of Civil Nuclear cooperation, investment, Tourism and establishment of Hindi chair at Sofia University Both countries also signed program of Cooperation on science and Technology.  President Kovind was fifth Indian President to visit Bulgaria and first in 15 years.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 75 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS International Affairs / September -2018

Russia launches biggest war games since Cold War with more than 300,000 troops  Russia has launched its largest military exercises since the Cold War, with more nearly 300,000 troops taking part.  Thousands of Chinese and Mongolian service personnel will also be involved in the Vostok 2018 drills, set to include “massive” mock airstrikes and the testing of cruise missile defence systems.  The war games in eastern Siberia launched at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and Nato. Moscow said the exercises – the largest since 1981 – were purely “defensive in character”.  Ahead of the drills, Russian president Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the eastern city of Vladivostok and told him the two countries relations were based on trust “in the sphere of politics, security and defence”.

Affected Cyclone name Cyclone type Affected date Named by Country America Florence Hurricane August31 - China, Japan Jebi Typhoon September16 South Korea Philippines, Mangkhut Typhoon September20 Thailand China India- Odisha DAYE Tropical September21 Myanmar Cyclone India- Odisha , Titli, Tropical October 10 Pakistan Andra Pradesh Cyclone (Bay of Bengal ) Arabian Sea Lupan Tropical October 10 Oman Of Oman Cyclone

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Won Presidential Election In Maldives  He defeated President Abdulla Yameen. The results were released by the Elections Commission showed Solih had secured 58.3% of the popular vote.  The poll is being closely watched by regional rivals India and China, who are jostling to influence Indian Ocean nations.

76 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ International Affairs Twenty Third Meeting Of India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission Held In Moscow  The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov.

About RIGC-TEC  RIGC-TEC: India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Technical and Economic Cooperation. Russian Capital: Moscow, Currency: Ruble, President: Vladimir Putin. IRIGC-TEC last meeting: December 2017, Delhi

Germany introduced worlds first hydrogen powered train  The world’s first autonomous tram was launched in unspectacular style in the city of Potsdam, west of Berlin.  The two bright blue Coradia iLint trains are built by French TGV-maker Alstom. It runs a 100km between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany.  Similar to the range of diesel trains, these trains can also run for around 1,000 km on a single tank of hydrogen,Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen.  Countries including Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Italy and Canada are planning to introduce the pollution free hydrogen trains.

India Ranks 158th in “Human Capital” Score  India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and health care, according to the first-ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital. The nation is placed behind Sudan (ranked 157th) and ahead of Namibia (ranked 159th) in the list.  India is ranked at 158 out of 195 countries, an improvement from its position of 162 in 1990. The U.S. is ranked 27th, while China is at 44th and Pakistan at 164th.

The Lancet  The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is among the world’s oldest, most prestigious, and best known general medical journals. Vetrii IAS Study Circle 77 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS International Affairs / September -2018  The Lancet was founded in 1823 by Thomas Wakley, an English surgeon who named it after the surgical instrument called a lancet The Lancet has been owned by Elsevier since 1991. As of 2015, the editor-in-chief is Richard Horton. The journal has editorial offices in London, New York, andBeijing.

Mukesh Ambani Tops Barclays Rich List  The Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s second-most valued firm ‘Reliance Industries’, has topped the‘Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018’ for the seventh consecutive year, with total net worth of ₹371,000 crore.  Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018 — a compilation of the individuals in India having a net worth of ₹1,000 crore or more, featured 831 Indians compared to 617 last year.  Mr. Ambani is followed by London-based S.P. Hinduja, with net worth of ₹1,59,000 crore; and L.N. Mittal, with net worth of ₹1,14,500 crore. , with wealth of ₹96,100 crore, is fourth in the list, followed by Dilip Shanghvi with wealth of ₹89,700 crore.

Barclays Hurun India Type Public limited company Industry Banking Financial services Founded 17 November 1690; 327 years ago in the City of London, Kingdom of England Headquarters London, United Kingdom Key people John McFarlane (Group Chairman) Jes Staley (Group Chief Executive) Products Retail banking Commercial banking Investment banking Wealth Management

G-4 countries for multilateralism, UNSC reform (international)  India and other Group 4 countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and called for the early reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)  Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Japan and Germany — Aloysio Nunes Ferreira, Taro Kono and Heiko Maas, respectively — were hosted by external Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the G-4 meeting.

78 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ International Affairs

 G-4 Ministers stressed that adapting the United Nations to the contemporary needs of the 21st century necessarily required reforming the Security Council. G-4 Meeting  The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United NationsSecurity Council.  The People’s Republic of China has held its permanent seat for 46 years, since it replaced the Republic of China in 1971, and Russia has held its permanent seat for 26 years, since it replaced the Soviet Union in 1991.

87th Izmir International tradeshow 2018  Turkey is hosting the 87th Izmir International tradeshow 2018 in Izmir from Sep.7th to 11th, in which India is the Partner Country.  India will also launch a mega business pavilion ‘Source India’ to increase India’s exports to Turkey and other neighbouring countries.  India’s participation as Focus Country status, India’s National Anthem will be played and the National Flag displayed on the screens put up in the show. Special signage will be erected to lead buyers and visitors to the ‘Source India’ pavilion. The first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia  Indian movie ‘Gold’ has created history by becoming the first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia. The Reema Kagti-directed sports film ‘Gold’ is a fictional re-telling of India’s iconic win at the 1948 London Olympics.  It stars Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Kumar Singh, Amit Sadh, and Sunny Kaushal.  Saudi Arabia had held a private screening of international cultural phenomenon, “Black Panther” in May 2018 to herald the launch of movie theatres in the kingdom and opening them to the public.

2018 global Summit on Climate Action  The 2018 Global Summit on Climate Action will be held at San Francisco in California, United States.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 79 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Tamilnadu Affairs / September -2018

8. Tamilnadu Affairs

Tamil Nadu unveils new ICT Policy with focus on start-ups, Green IT  The Tamil Nadu Government has announced a new Information Communication Technology Policy, 2018.

 The policy will address the aspirations of investors, especially IT and ITeS companies, MSMEs and start-ups by way of provision of standard administrative incentives, discal incentives, capital subsidies, tax exemptions, and special incentives, among other things.

 It also has provisions for incubating start-ups and creating Research Parks. Awards for promoting Green IT industry and single-window facility for early clearance from concerned agencies form part of this policy.

TN govt inks pact with Centre for Ayushman Bharat

 The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday entered into an agreement with the Centre for implementing the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (ABS) in association with the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) in the State.

 Tamil Nadu is the 30th State to sign up for ABS. State Health & Family Welfare Minister C Vijaya baskar signed the MoU.

80 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Tamilnadu Affairs

Tamil Nadu receives five awards from Centre for effective implementation of MGNREGA  Tamil Nadu has received five awards from the central government for effectively implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

 Minister for municipal administration and rural development S P Velumani received the award – Excellence in NREGA Administration – from Union minister for rural development, panchayat raj and mines Narendra Singh Tomar at a programme in Delhi .

 The state government has been honoured for giving work for 58 lakh people for 23.89 crore man day works.

 They have paid Rs 5,344 crore as wage for the period. The state government has also received an award for the initiatives under Geo-MGNREGA, performance in Aadhaar seeding and conversion.

Memorial for Ramasamy Padayachiyar in Cuddalore

 Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami laid the foundation for a memorial for freedom fighter Ramasamy Padayachiyar at Manjakuppam village in Cuddalore district, through video conferencing at the Secretariat.

 The memorial will come up with a life-size bronze statue of the late leader, at an estimated cost of 2.15 crore.

 The Chief Minister announced in the Assembly that a memorial would be raised for Padayachiyar in a befitting manner and that his birth anniversary would be celebrated by the State government every year.

 Fulfilling that promise, a couple of weeks ago, funds were allocated forthe memorial.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 81 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS General Knowledge / September -2018

9. General Knowledge List of Branches of Science Branch Concerning Field Agronomy Science dealing with crop plant. Anatomy The study of the structure and organization of living things Angiology Deals with the study of blood vascular system. Anthology Study of flower Anthropology The study of human cultures both past and present. Study of apes and man. Apiculture Honey industries (Bee Keeping). Araneology Study of spiders. Archaeology The study of the material remains of cultures Astronomy The study of celestial objects in the universe. Study of heavenly bodies. Astrophysics The study of the physics of the universe Bacteriology The study of bacteria in relation to disease Batracology Study of frogs. Botany The scientific study of plant life Cardiology Study of heart. Climatology The study of climates and investigations of its phenomena and causes Craniology Study of skulls. Cryogenics Study concerning with the application and uses of very low temperature. Cryptography Study of secret writing. Cytology Study of cells. Dermatology Study of skin. Ecology The study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment Entomology The study of insects Etiology Study of cause of insects. 82 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ General Knowledge

Exbiology Deals with life or possibilities of life beyond the earth. Floriculture Study of flower yeilding plants. Genetics The science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms Gerontology study of growing old. Gynaecology Study of female reproductive organs. Haematology Study of blood. Hepatology Study of liver. Horticulture Study of garden cultivation. Iconography Teachings by pictures and models. Immunology Science which deals with the study of resistance of organisms against infection. Jurisprudence Science of law. Kalology Study of human beauty. Lexicography Compiling of dictionary. Meteorology Study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting Microbiology The study of microorganisms, including viruses, prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes Mineralogy The study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals Mycology Study of fungi. Myology Study of muscles. Nephrology Study of kidneys. Neurology The branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. Numismatics Study of coins and medals. Obstetrics Branch of medicine dealing with pregnancy. Oceanography Study of the earth’s oceans and their interlinked ecosystems and chemical and physical processes Omithology Study of birds. Oneirology Study of dreams. Ophthalmology Study of eyes . Ornithology The study of birds Osteology Study of bones. Paleontology The study of life-forms existing in former geological time periods Pathology Study of disease causing organisms. Pedology Study of soils.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 83 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS General Knowledge / September -2018

Petrology The geological and chemical study of rocks Philately Stamp collecting. Philology Study of languages. Phonetics Concerning the sounds of a language. Phycology Study of algae. Pisciculture Study of fish. Pomology Study of fruits. Psychology Study of the mind and behaviour Seismology The study of earthquakes and the movement of waves through the earth. Sericulture Silk industry (culture of silk moth and pupa). Serpentology Study of snakes. Taxonomy The science of classification of animals and plants Telepathy Communication between two minds at a distance with the help of emotions, thoughts and feelings. Toxicology The study of poisons and the effects of posisoning Virology Study of virus. Zoology The study of animals

DISEASES AND ITS CAUSES Disease Caused by Virus S.No Name of the Disease Caused by 1. Chicken pox Varicella-zoster virus 2. Small Pox Variola virus 3. Common Cold Rhinovirus.

4. AIDS (Acquired Immuno De_ciency Human Immunodefciency Syndrome) Virus (HIV) 5. Measles Measles virus 6. Mumps Mumps virus 7. Rabies Rabies virus (Rhabdoviridae family) 8. Dengue fever Dengue virus 9. Viral encephalitis - It is an Rabies Virus, Herpes simplex, polio infammation of the brain virus, measles virus, and JC virus.

84 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ General Knowledge

Disease Caused by Bacteria S.No Name of the Disease Caused by Bacteria 1. Ehooping Cough Bacterium called Borde tella pertussis. 2. Dihtheria Coryne bacterium diphtheriae 3. Cholera Vibrio cholerae 4. Leprosy Mycobacterium leprae 5. Pneumonia Streptococcus pheumoniae 6. Tetanus Clostridium tetani 7. Typhoid Salmonella typhi 8. Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis 9. Plague Yersinia pestis Disease Caused by Protozoans: S.No Name of the Disease Caused by Protozoans 1. Malaria Plasmodium parasite 2. Amodbic dysentery Entamoebahistolytica 3. Sleeping sickness Trypanosomabrucei 4. Kala azar Leishmaniadonovani

Disease Caused by Worms S.No Name of the Disease Caused by Worms 1. Tapeworm Intestinal parasites 2. Filariasis thread 3. Pinworm Enterobiumvermicularis

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 85 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Other News / September -2018 10. Other News Aadhaar  Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometric ID system. World Bank Chief Economist Paul Romer described Aadhaar as “the most sophisticated ID programme in the world”.  Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained by residents of India, based on their biometric and demographic data. The data is collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory authority established in January 2009 by the government of India, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016.

Airport Authority Of India  The Government of India constituted the International Airports Authority of India (IAAI) in 1972 to manage the nation’s international airports while the National Airports Authority (NAA) was constituted in 1986 to look after domestic airports.  The organisations were merged in April 1995 by an Act of Parliament, namely, the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994 and has been constituted as a Statutory Body and was named as Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Type PSU Industry Aviation sector Founded 1 April 1995 Headquarters Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi

86 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Other News Central Bureau Investigation  The Bureau of Investigation traces its origins to the Special Police Establishment, a Central Government Police force, which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India to investigate bribery and corruption in transactions with the War and Supply Department of India. The CBI headquarters are located at Lodhi Road in New Delhi. Formed 1941 as the Special Police Establishment Jurisdiction Government of India Headquarters New Delhi, India Motto Industry, Impartiality, Integrity

Defence Acquisition Council, August 29, 2001

1) Why it was instituted: To counter corruption and speed up decision-making in military procurements. Functions of DAC:  Will give policy guidelines to acquisitions, based on long-term procurement plans. Will also clear all acquisitions, including imported equipment and those produced indigenously or under a foreign licence  To monitor the acquisition process, the DAC will preside over three wings –  Defence Procurement Board which will deal with purchases  Defence Production Board which will supervise procurement from indigenous sources, such as ordnance factories and equipment manufactured under a foreign licence  Defence Research and Develop ment Board.

National Company Law Tribunal  The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a quasi-judicial body in India that adjudicates issues relating to Indian companies.  The NCLT was established under the Companies Act 2013 and was constituted on 1 June 2016 by the government of India & is based on the recommendation of the justice Eradi committee on law relating to insolvency and winding up of companies.

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 87 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Other News / September -2018

 The NCLT has eleven benches, two at New Delhi (one being the principal bench) and one each at Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai.  Initiated before the Company Law Board under the previous act (the Companies Act 1956);  Pending before the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), including those pending under the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985;

ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)  World Table Tennis Championships has continued since 1926.  William Henry Lawes of Wymondham, the nine founding members being Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales. The first international tournament was held in January 1926 in Berlin while the firstWorld Table Tennis Championships was held in December 1926 in London. Formation 1926 Type Sports federation Headquarters Lausanne, Switzerland Membership 226 member associations President Thomas Weikert

Tamilnadu Generation and Distribution Co- Operation  The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited) is an electrical power generation and distribution public sector undertaking that is owned by the Government of Tamil Nadu.  It was formed on 1 November 2010 under section 131 of the Electricity Act of 2003, and is the successor to the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. The electricity board’s generation and distribution wings are its nucleus.  TANGEDCO is a subsidiary of TNEB Limited.

88 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Other News Right to Information Act  Right to Information (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India to provide for setting out the practical regime of the right to information for citizens and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of information Act, 2002.  This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005.  The first RTI application was filed at a police station in Pune by Shahid Raza Burney.  The first RTI application in Delhi was filed to the office of President about article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir.

Pitru Paksha Festival Pitru Paksha rites being performed on banks of the Banganga Tank, Sep- tember 7, 2007 Observed by Hindus Type Hindu Celebrations 16 lunar days Observances Shraddha: paying homage to their ancestors, especially by food offerings Begins Full moon day of Bhadrapada Ends Sarvapitri Amavasya: new moon day

Date September/October 2017 date September 5-19 2018 date September 24 - October 8 Related to Ancestor worship

National Register of Citizens  The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens RESIDING IN ASSAM. The register was first prepared after the 1951, Census of India.  The purpose of NRC update is to identify illegal migrants residing in Assam, who entered Indian territories after the midnight of 24 March 1971 and to determine the citizenship of the applicants who have applied for inclusion of their names in the updated NRC. Vetrii IAS Study Circle 89 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Other News / September -2018 VVPAT  First introduced in (Noksen Nagaland, 2013).  From 2018 - Election commission going to impmenent for all election throughout India.  Voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) or verifiable paper record (VPR) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballotless voting system.  A VVPAT is intended as an independent verification system for voting machines designed to allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results.

BELT ROAD INITIATIVE ( BRI) 01 Feb, 2015  The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road is a development strategy adopted by the Chinese government.  The ‘belt’ refers to the overland interconnecting infrastructure corridors; the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) component.  The ‘road’ refers to the sea route corridors; the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) component.[2] The initiative focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, primarily the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Until 2016 the initiative was known in English as the One Belt and One Road Initiative (OBOR) but the Chinese came to consider the emphasis on the word “one” as misleading.  Recently, Saudi Arabia will be the third “strategic partner” of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a senior Pakistani Minister announced , soon after Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from his first foreign trip to the cash-rich kingdom.

90 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Practice Questions

11. Practice Questions

1) Who to inaugurate ‘Krishna Kutir’ at 6) Conference on E-Mobility in Indian Vrindavan ? Railways held in ------? (A) Maneka Gandhi (A) New Delhi (B) Hyderabad (B) Suresh Prabhu (C) Chennai (D) Bihar (C) Ramesh Gupta 7) The Indian Navy has defeated teams from (D) Naresh Iyer 22 other nations to win Kakadu Cup 2018 which was organised by the 2) For the first time in independent India, (A) Egyptian Navy Census 2021 will collect data on (B) Iranian Navy (A) OBC (C) Australian Navy (B) Disability status (D) Russian Navy (C) Mother tongue (D) Worker/non –worker status 8) International Women Entrepreneurs 3) Who launched India Post Payments Bank ? Summit 2018 held in ------? (A) Shri Arun Jaitley (A) Nepal (B) China (B) Shri Suresh Prabhu (C) India (D) Pakistan (C) Shri Naresh iyer (D) Shri Narendra Modi 9) World’s first lion cubs born via artificial insemination in 4) Which government partners with US advocacy (A) South Africa (B) Kenya group for ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ summit ? (C) Zimbabwe (D) Mozambique (A) Gujarat (B) Bihar (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Kerala 10) Who is the elected as the President of 5) What has been made mandatory for organ Pakistan? transplant by TRANSTAN? (A) Imran Khan (A) Aadhaar card (B) Aitzaz Ahsan (B) Organ donor’s guardian approval (C) Maulana Fazlur Rehman (C) Domicile Certificate (D) Arif Alvi (D) None of the above

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 91 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Practice Questions / September -2018

19) Who inaugurated Defence & Homeland 11) At Which city International Aviation Security Expo And Conference? Summit Held ? (A) Shri Rajesh sharma (A) New Delhi (B) Hyderabad (B) Shri Arun Jaitley (C) Chennai (D) Pune (C) Shri Mohan Kumar 12) Japan recently hit by strongest storm of (D) Shri Rajnath Singh 25 years, called Typhoon 20) Which of the following Metro is Second (A) Shanshan (B) Haiyan Most unaffordable in World ? (C) Jebi (D) Maria (A) Calcutta (B) Chennai (C) Delhi (D) Mumbai 13) RP Singh played ------International Matches ? 21) Who becomes the first Honorary (A) 82 (B) 75 (C) 68 (D) 95 Ambassador of Lal Bahadur Shastri 14) IOWave18 Exercise was began in which ocean ? Memorial Foundation? (A) Pacific ocean (B) Altantic ocean (A) Ranbir Kapoor (C) Indian ocean (D) Arctic ocean (B) Salman Khan (C) 15) Which state Chief Minister Indagating National (D) Akshay Kumar Security Act Against Paper Leak Accused? (A) Uttarakhand 22) Which country inked an agreement to (B) Uttara Pradesh collaborate on ‘Gaganyaan’, ISRO’s first (C) Jammu & Kashmir human space mission? (D) Punjab (A) USA (B) Russia (C) France (D) China 16) Which of the following NASA’s Mission To Search Sun With X-Ray Vision? 23) Who announces new AI Technology to (A) APOLLO (B) MIXER fight online child sexual abuse? (C) FOXSI (D) MOXSI (A) Samsung (B) Apple (C) Google (D) Verizon 17) What is the position of India in the list of ‘Theft Ranking’ of nuclear weapons, 24) India has signed COMCASA Agreement released by Nuclear Security Index? with which country? (A) 19th (B) 20th (A) Canada (B) United Kingdom (C)16th (D) 14th (C) China (D) USA 18) Who inaugurated India’s first ever Global Mobility Summit ? 25) Who receives Golden Lion for lifetime (A) Shri Narendra Modi achievement at Venice Film Festival? (B) Shri Suresh Prabhu (A) Richard Ronaldo (C) Shri Naresh Kumar (B) Kingsley Christopher (D) Shri Prakash Javedakar (C) Judin Peppin (D) David Cronenberg

92 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Practice Questions

26) Which tamil film bagged the best film 33) Edappadi K Palaniswami laid the award at the Indian Panaroma Film foundation for a memorial for freedom Festival ? fighter Ramasamy Padayachiyar at (A) Maatri Kaatuvom which city? (B) Manusangada (A) Kadalore (B) Vellore (C) Aruvi (C) Coimbatore (D) Cuddalore (D) Manitha Neyam 34) Who is the founder of SpaceX? 27) Twenty Third Meeting Of India-Russia (A) Elon Musk (B) Bill Gates Intergovernmental Commission Held In (C) Nikola Tesla (D) Tim Cook ------? (A) Switzerland (B) Malaysia 35) Festival of Nuakhai being celebrated in (C) Singapore (D) Moscow (A)Meghalaya (B) Tripura (C) Assam (D) Odisha 28) Hindi became the official language of India under the Article 343? 36) Which poet and writer to be honoured with (A) 1948 (B) 1950 ‘Meera Puruskar’ for the year 2018-19? (A) Amish Tripathi (C) 1949 (D) 1951 (B) Sawai Singh Shekhawat 29) G-20 Trade And Investment Ministerial (C) Vikram Seth Meeting Held in ------(D) Ravinder Singh (A) Singapore (B) Argentina 37) Who set a new Marathon world record in (C) Malaysia (D)Denmark Berlin? 30) India’s first tribal circuit tourism project (A) Dennis Kimetto (B) Derek Clayton under ‘Swadesh Darshan scheme’ (C) Eliud Kipchoge (D) Wilson Kipsang recently inaugurated at (A) Chhattisgarh (B) Telangana 38) Who won gold in the 48 kg youth category (C) Nagaland (D) Mizoram of the Silesian Open boxing tournament for women in Gliwice, Poland? 31) What is the rank of India in UNDP’S (A) M.C.Mary Kom Human Development Index? (B) Jyoti Gulia (A) 131 (B) 130 (C) 132 (D)134 (C) L.Sarita Devi (D) Sandeep Kaur 32) India attaches ‘highest importance’ to ties with Which country? 39) Which country retained its number 1 (A) China (B) USA ranking in the United Nation’s latest (C) UK (D) Russia Human Development Index (HDI)? (A) Norway (B) Switzerland (C) Australia (D) Germany

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 93 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Practice Questions / September -2018 48) Which country introduced world’s first 40) What is the position of India in the hydrogen-powered train? latest Human Development Index (HDI) (A) Japan (B) Germany released by (UNDP)? (C) Russia (D) China (A) 131 (B) 130 (C) 132 (D) 133 49) Who is the first Indian woman IAS officer 41) Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the world’s after Independence? strongest storm this year, recently hit (A) Isha Basant Joshi (A) Philippines (B) Indonesia (B) Anna Rajam Malhotra (C) Japan (D) Maldives (C) Dr.Ruveda Salam (D) Ira Singhal 42) September 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly as 50) With which country Nepal Conducts 2nd (A) World Cancer Day JME ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2018? (B) World Water Day (A) India (B) China (C) World Ozone Day (C) Myanmar (D) Pakistan (D) World Refugee Day 51) Who is appointed as the Chairman of 43) What are the 2 U.K. commercial satellites Atomic Energy Commission? did ISRO launch recently? (A) Anushakti Bhavan (A) Prospero X-3 and HAMSAT (B) Shekhar Basu (B) NovaSAR and S1-4 (C) K Sivan (C) Soyuz TMA-19M and STS-112 (D) K N Vyas (D) CARTOSAT-2 and Aura 52) Where did ISRO launch its new Space 45) International day of Democracy is Technology Incubation Centre? observed on which date ? (A) Tiruchi (B) Indore (A) September 14 (C) Agartala (D) Nagpur (B) September 15 (C) September 16 53) Who is set to be the World’s first private (D) September 13 passenger to fly around the Moon? (A) Ma Huateng 46) Twenty Third Meeting Of India-Russia (B) Tadashi Yanai Intergovernmental Commission Held in (C) Masayoshi Son which country ? (D) Yusaku Maezawa (A) India (B) Australia (C) UK (D) Moscow 54) Rajnath Singh chaired the 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Which 47) Who won gold in Silesian Open boxing city ? tournament? (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Andra Pradesh (A) Anjali Petha (B) Mary Kom (C) Telangana (D) Bengaluru (C) Mithali Raj (D) Ramesh Kuwa 94 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Practice Questions

55) 1st private moon flight passenger to invite 61) Which Indian movie won the Toronto creative guests Yusaku Maezawa belongs International film festival’s prestigious to which country? ‘Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight (A) China (B) Japan Madness Award’ 2018? (C) Singapore (D) Malaysia (A) Gold (B) MardKoDardNahiHota 56) Who has been awarded for the “Rajbhasha (C) Genius Kirti” award for outstanding performance (D) Stree in implementing the Official Language 62) Who became the first Indian to win Policy during 2017-18? back-to-back medal at World Junior (A) A.S. Rajeev Wrestling? (B) Bharat Rakshak (A) DeepakPunia (C) Amritanandhamayi Devi (B) Sandeep Singh Maan (D) D.S.Rajeev (C) SajanBhanwal 57) What is the purpose of recently launched (D) SachinRatshi ‘e-Sahaj’ portal? 63) Which state civic body to be named after (A) Security clearance to businesses “Atal Kowrav path “? (B) Easy approval to manufacturing units (A) Chhattisgarh (B) Uttar Pradesh (C) E-filing (C) Jharkhand (D) Odisha (D) Easy approval to manufacturing units

58) Which state government has rolled out 64) Who is the newly elected president of “Swayangsiddha” to combat human Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA)? trafficking? (A) Prem Kumar Karra (A) Assam (B) Jharkhand (B) Vivek Reddy (C) West Bengal (D) Bihar (C) Haresh Ramachandran (D) Vijay Amritraj 59) Who of the following have been signed as ambassadors of Skill India Campaign? 65) Rahi Sarnobat, who has been chosen for (A) Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan 2018, is associated with (B) VarunDhawan and Anushka Sharma ______. (C) Ajay Devgan and Kajol (A) Shooting (B) Hockey (D) Aksay Kumar and DeepikaPadukone (C) Table Tennis (D) Athletics

60) Who released the World’s first draft on 66) How many sports persons have been Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)? shortlisted for Arjuna Awards 2018? (A) Ravi Shankar Prasad (A) 8 (B)10 (C)15 (D) 20 (B) Arun Jaitley (C) Harsh Vardhan (D) Suresh Prabhu Vetrii IAS Study Circle 95 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Practice Questions / September -2018

67) Which of the following players will jointly 73) 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban be conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Tourism held in Which City ? Ratna award 2018,? (A) Sokcho (B) Sacheon (A) Virat Kohli and Manika Batra (C) Seoul (D) Mokpo (B) Virat Kohli and Mirabai Chanu 74) Which city topped among Asian cities (C) Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das for technology enterprises? (D) Johnson and Smriti Mandhana (A) Mumbai (B) Chennai (C) Calcutta (D) Bengaluru 68) Who won the best researcher award at

the 18th Henry Dunant Memorial Moot 75) Which city ranked seventh among Asian Court Competition? Cities for Technology enterprises? (A) Kingsley Christopher (A) Delhi (B) Hydrabad (B) Carol James (C) Mumbai (D) Bengaluru (C) Augustine David (D) Malkiya Richard 76) Which country sent Hayabusa-2 launches hopping probes to land on 69) Which Country Invites Saudi Arabia to asteroid? be third partner in CPEC? (A) USA (B) Russia (A) India (B) China (C) China (D) Japan (C) Pakistan (D) Iran 77) Which Cyclone hits Odisha ? 70) Who gets bronze in the Junior Wrestling (A) DAYE (B) Splien World Championships? (C) Hidut (D) Yemain (A) Anshu Sharma (B) Anshu Malik 78) Which state scored 1st place in implementation (C) Anjali Mitta of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)? (D) Chand Halep (A) Assam (B)Bihar 71) Which of the following set record as best (C) Andhra Pradesh Indian performer in the women’s 400m (D) Uttar Pradesh Individual in Swimming championship? (A) Richa Mishra 79) Who is heading India’s First Human Space (B) Anshu Malik Flight Project Gaganyaan mission? (C) Shikha Tandon (A) VR Lalithambika (D) Nisha Millet (B) N Valarmathi (C) Ritu Karidhal 72) Which country to Host The Women’s (D) Nandini Harinath Boxing World Championships? (A) China (B) Japan (C) India (D) Indonesia

96 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Practice Questions

80) Who received Smita Patil Award 86) Who won Presidential Election In Maldives ? recently? (A) Ibrahim Mohamed (A) Anushka Sharma (B) Solih Abdulla (B) Sujatha Varma (C) Yameen Muhammad Khan (C) Alia Bhatt (D) Feroz Khan (D) Jhanvi Kapoor 87) Which country to Supply New Missile 81) Which of the following film will represent Defense System to Syria? India in the Best Foreign Language (A) China (B) USA category at the Oscar Awards 2019? (C) Russia (D) UK (A) Village Rockstars 88) Nation’s 100th airport inaugurated at (B) Batti Gul Meter Chalu Which city on September 24 ? (C) Manmarziyaan (A) Manipur (B) Tripura (D) Sanju (C) Meghalaya (D) Sikkim 82) Which state holds inaugural Naval Flight 89) Who inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport Test Seminar? and nation’s 100th operational airport ? (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Goa (A) Presidenr Ram Nath Kovind (C) Kerala (D) Madhya Pradesh (B) Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) Civil Aviation Minister 83) Who won the award for FIFA Best (D) Vice President Venkaiyah Naidu Women’s Player of the Year 2018? (A) Amandine Henry (France) 90) United Nations Erected Nelson Mandela (B) Megan Rapinoe (USA) statue on which date ? (C) Saki Kumagai (Japan) (A) September 24 (D) Marta (Brazil) (B) September 22 (C) September 23 84) Who won this year’s Best FIFA Men’s (D) September 24 Player award? (A) Cristiano Ronaldo 91) Which team retain Laver Cup 2018 ? (B) Mohamed Salah (A) World Team (C) Luka Modrić (B) Europe Team (D) Lionel Messi (C) Germany Team (D) Brazil Team 85) Where does the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) happen? 92) Laver Cup to take place in Which country (A) US (B) UK in 2019? (C) Germany (D) France (A) Europe (B) Brazil (C) Switzerland (D) Canada

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 97 TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Practice Questions / September -2018

93) Which country ranked 158th among 195 98) Which section of Aadhaar Act has been countries for investment in health care struck down by Supreme Court that and education ? permit private entities to avail Aadhaar (A) India data? (B) Pakistan (A) Section 58 (B) Section 57 (C) Saudi Arabia (C) Section 55 (D) Indonesia 99) The 2nd Global RE-INVEST India-ISA Partnership 2018 will be held in which 94) Which of the following metro recently city? becomes India’s 2nd largest metro rail (A) Pune (B) Chennai network? (C) Kolkata (D) New Delhi (A) Mumbai Metro (B) Kolkata Metro 100) What is the theme of the 2018 World (C) Delhi Metro Tourism Day (WTD)? (D) Hyderabad Metro (A) Tourism opens doors for women (B) Sustainable tourism – a tool for 95) The Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace development declared by United Nations recently is___: (C) Tourism Responding to the Challenge (A) 2021 to 2030 of Climate Change (B) 2020 to 2029 (C) 2019 to 2028 (D) Tourism and the Digital (D) 2022 to 2031 Transformation

96) What is the India’s rank for investment 101) Which of the following has become the in health care and education ? first and only SAARC country to have a (A) 168th (B) 178th quit-line number on tobacco products? (C) 188th (D) 158th (A) India (B) Nepal (C) Sri Lanka (D) China

97) Which Indian personality has been 102) Which date the 2018 International Day awarded with the UN’s highest for the Total Elimination of Nuclear environmental honour ‘Champions of Weapons was observed recently? the Earth 2018’? (A) September 27 (A) Sonam Wangchuk (B) September 29 (B) Maneka G (C) September 26 (C) (D) September 28 (D) Narendra Modi

98 Vetrii IAS Study Circle TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS September -2018 \ Practice Questions

103) Which of the following is the venue of the 105) The 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship India’s first corn festival? has started in which city recently? (A) Raipur (B) Chhindwara (A) New Delhi (C) Gorakhpur (D) Kota (B) Thiruvananthapuram (C) Hyderabad 104) What is the theme of 2018 World Rabies (D) Pune Day (WRD)? (A) Rabies: 100% Vaccine preventable (B) Rabies: Educate, Vaccinate, Eliminate (C) Rabies: Share the Message , save a life (D) Zero by 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A A D A A C A A D A 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 C A C B C A A D C D 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 C C D D B B A B D D 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 D A D B C C A B A C 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 B D B B B B D C D D 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 B A A C B C B C B D 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 D A D B B C B A C C 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 D B D A D A A A B B 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 C C A A C D B A B C 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 C A D C D D B D D A 101 102 103 104 105 C B B C B

Vetrii IAS Study Circle 99