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MOU/Agreement Countries

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

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the formation of ‘USAID-India End TB Alliance’ at an event in New York in presence of Union Health Minister J P Nadda. USAID is making an initial USD 30 million commitment.  CEO NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant and United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Yuri Afanasiev, signed the Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022.  India has signed a $950 million contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates. A government- to-government contract was signed between India and United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia for the supply of two stealth frigates after two years of negotiations.  India and Japan signed a Rs 1,817 crore loan agreement for the construction of the Turga pumped storage hydel power project at Purulia in West Bengal. The project will contribute to the industrial development and living standards in the state.  India and Malawi signed three MoUs on extradition, cooperation in atomic energy and visa waiver for diplomats and officials as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika and held wide- ranging talks in Lilongwe, Malawai.  India and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in sports in New Delhi. Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea Do Jong-hwan signed the MoU.  The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will take place in the Russian city of St Petersburg on November 25 and 26. The key event of the business program will be a plenary session featuring Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Vice Chairperson of the National Institution for Transforming India Dr Rajiv Kumar  The 25th edition of the -India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) kicked off with gusto as frontline ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy and those of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) made their entry into the waters at Port Blair.  The UN World Food Programme and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have formed a strategic partnership to support efforts eliminate hunger globally by 2030.  Three educational institutions that have been built by India were inaugurated in Nepal. The Shree Saraswati Tika Higher Secondary School has been built with an Indian assistance of 37.10 million Nepalese Rupees.  Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has entered into an arrangement with the World Bank to put in place a single framework that will make co-financed projects more efficient.  India has signed an agreement with Iran to pay for crude oil it imports from the Persian Gulf nation in rupees. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed following the US letting India and seven other nations to keep buying Iranian oil despite sanctions were reimposed on the Islamic state on November 5.  Two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) have been signed between Myanmar and India during President Kovind’s visit, one in the area of judicial training and another on science and technology cooperation. MOU Industry/States/Others

 UNICEF and NASSCOM Foundation signed an agreement to strengthen child rights through meaningful business interventions. With this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two organisations will work collaboratively on two key areas including national sensitisation on ‘child online protection’ and ‘encouraging innovations for child rights’ in the country.  The Indian Space Research Organisation will set up a centre at the Central University Jammu (CUJ) to expand its presence to the northernmost state of India.

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 India and Sri Lanka signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for construction of 1200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of 60 crore Srilankan rupees.  The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Internet City (DIC) to facilitate expansion of Indian businesses in the Middle East.  Nasscom, the IT industry body, has signed a partnership with the government of Hiroshima under which the two sides will co-invest in creating a Japan-India IT Corridor.  Country’s largest lender State Bank of India(SBI) and payments solution provider Hitachi Payment Services India entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for establishing a card acceptance and digital payment platform.  The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced that it would work with WhatsApp to educate and train Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on how WhatsApp Business app can help them grow their businesses.  Software major Adobe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to launch an “Adobe Digital Disha” programme across vocational institutes in India.The programme is focused on helping vocational institutes leverage the power of a free online and mobile graphic design app “Adobe Spark” to integrate creativity and digital literacy into classrooms and curriculum.  NITI Aayog, Intel and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, TIFR are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence, ICTAI.  In a big push to modernise India’s emergency response infrastructure, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),Department of Space are collaborating together to set up an advance Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER).  In a bid to battle the issue of counterfeit drugs in India, NITI Aayog joined hands with Cloud major Oracle, Apollo Hospitals and global pharmaceutical manufacturer Strides Pharma Sciences to pilot a real drug supply chain, using Blockchain decentralised ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) software.  The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the aegis of Swachh Bharat Mission, has partnered with Google to launch the Loo Review campaign to encourage all local guides in India to rate and review public toilets on Google Maps.  India has signed a $950 million contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates. A government- to-government contract was signed between India and United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia for the supply of two stealth frigates after two years of negotiations.  India and Japan signed a Rs 1,817 crore loan agreement for the construction of the Turga pumped storage hydel power project at Purulia in West Bengal. The project will contribute to the industrial development and living standards in the state.  India and Malawi signed three MoUs on extradition, cooperation in atomic energy and visa waiver for diplomats and officials as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika and held wide- ranging talks in Lilongwe, Malawai.  India and South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in sports in New Delhi. Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea Do Jong-hwan signed the MoU.  The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will take place in the Russian city of St Petersburg on November 25 and 26. The key event of the business program will be a plenary session featuring Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Vice Chairperson of the National Institution for Transforming India Dr Rajiv Kumar  The 25th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) kicked off with gusto as frontline ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy and those of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) made their entry into the waters at Port Blair.

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 The UN World Food Programme and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have formed a strategic partnership to support efforts eliminate hunger globally by 2030.  Three educational institutions that have been built by India were inaugurated in Nepal. The Shree Saraswati Tika Higher Secondary School has been built with an Indian assistance of 37.10 million Nepalese Rupees.  Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has entered into an arrangement with the World Bank to put in place a single framework that will make co-financed projects more efficient.  India has signed an agreement with Iran to pay for crude oil it imports from the Persian Gulf nation in rupees. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed following the US letting India and seven other nations to keep buying Iranian oil despite sanctions were reimposed on the Islamic state on November 5.  Two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) have been signed between Myanmar and India during President Kovind’s visit, one in the area of judicial training and another on science and technology cooperation. Appointments and Resignations

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

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

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Actress Jaya Prada Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of The government has decided to Nepal tourism observe the year 2020 as the ‘Visit Nepal Year’ campaign Ajit Mohan Facebook India’s vice-president and managing director Atul Sahai New India Assurance CMD Shamila Batohi head of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority Dr. Krishnamurthy Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Subramanian Arundhati Bhattacharya SWIFT India Chairman Harsh Vardhan Shringla India’s Ambassador to The US Arti Chhabra Srivastava Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in SEBI Shaktikanta Das RBI Governor K Chandrasekhar Rao Chief Minister of Telangana Zoramthanga Mizoram CM Madhya Pradesh CM Ashok Gehlot CM BP Singh president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society Yes bank Interim Chairman Raninder Singh Vice-president of the International Shooting Sport Federation U C Dhyani head of the three-member committee to oversee rejuvenation work of the Ganga river by NGT Andres Manuel Lopez Mexico President Obrador Ajay Narayan Jha Finance Secretary AS Rajeev MD & CEO of Bank of P.V. Bharathi MD&CEO Corporation Bank Jon Ridgeon CEO of The International Association of Athletics Federations Bhupesh Baghel Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh M Nageswara Rao Additional Director CBI Madhavi Divan Additional Solicitor General Sandip Somany Ficci President Rajeev Mehta President Of South Asian Fencing Federation ( SAFF ) Mohinder Pratap Singh Ambassador of India to Mongolia Riva Ganguly Das High Commissioner of India to C A Kuttappa India’s chief boxing coach Patrick Shanahan Acting Secretary of Defense, USA Ramphal Pawar Director of National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB)

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Yami Gautam goodwill leader of Super Sniffers campaign Pranab Kumar Das Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Punch Tantra Collection Brand Ambassador of Tribes India and Ms. Mary Kom Atul Goel MD And CEO Of UCO Bank takes over from R.K. Takkar

Vikas Muttoo CEO of Swadhaar Finserve

Ashok Kumar Gupta Chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Ajay Bhushan Pandey Finance Secretary Replaced Hasmukh Adhia Jalaj Srivastava Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) chairman

Nahid Afrin first ‘Youth Advocate’ of the north She is a Popular singer from Assam eastern region by the UNICEF to fight for child rights. Snehlata Shrivastava Lok Sabha Secretary General Got 1 year extension Sanjay Mishra Enforcement Directorate Director (ED)

Sidharth Rath MD State Bank of Mauritius Sunil Arora Chief Election Commissioner of India Millie Bobby Brown UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill She is the star of hit Netflix series Ambassador “Stranger Things” South Korean Kim Jong The International Criminal Police Yang Organisation (INTERPOL) President Abhijit Bose Whatsapp India head Ashish Chowdhary Apple India head Hima Das First ever youth ambassador of United Hima Das, nicknamed the "Dhing Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India Express", is an Indian sprint runner from the state of Assam Amitabh Chaudhry Managing Director & CEO of Axis Bank After Shikha Sharma retired Chhabilendra Roul Secretary of Department of Fertilizers Sudhir Bhargava Chief Information Commissioner VK Yadav Chairman of Railway Board Hemant Bhargava Life Insurance Corporation of India’s Acting Chairman

Pramod Kumar Singh Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s Secretary Saurabh Kumar Chairman of Ordnance Factory Board Vikram Misri India’s Ambassador to China

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Keith Enright Chief Privacy Officer of Google Brett Kavanaugh 114th US Supreme Court justice Succeeds Justice Anthony Kennedy Ramon Laguarta CEO of PepsiCo Succeeds Adam Mosseri Instagram Head Uzbek businessman Gafur president of the International Boxing Rakhimov Association (AIBA)

Voreqe Bainimarama Fijian Prime Minister David Tait CEO, The World Gold Council(London) Arvind Saxena UPSC chairman A.M. Naik Chairman of National Skill Development Corp Ajay Bhushan Pandey Revenue Secretary Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Salome Zurabishvili Georgia first woman president Sahle-Work Zewde President of Ethiopia 1st Woman president Barham Salih President of Iraq Paul Biya President of Cameroon Michael D Higgins President of Ireland Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil Ibrahim Mohamed Solih President of Maldives Dr Arif Alvi President of He will succeed Mamnoon Hussain Moutaz Mousa Abdallah Prime Minister of Sudan He will succeed Bakri Hassan Saleh Maeen Abdulmalik Prime Minister of Yemen Mahinda Rajpaksa Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister of Bangladesh She won 3rd Consecutive Term HMD Global, which designs and sells phones under the Nokia brand has appointed Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt as the ‘face of Nokia phones’ in India. RESIGNATION: Veteran actor has resigned from his position as chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) MJ Akbar, who faces multiple charges of sexual harassment, resigned as Union minister of state for external affairs. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley resigned. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) received the resignation of its Chinese president Meng Hongwei. Angela Merkel has announced she will quit as German chancellor when her mandate ends in 2021, as she sought to draw a line under a series of political crises that have rocked her fragile coalition. Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding Limited said its chief executive officer Daniel Zhang will succeed Jack Ma as the chairman of the board next year. Elon Musk to step down as Tesla Chairman. Tesla - The electric car maker he founded Archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, who guided Indian compound archery team to two silver in the Jakarta Asian Games, has resigned as the national coach after being denied the Dronacharya award. Jeff Sessions stepped down as US attorney general. Ashok Chawla, Yes Bank’s non-executive chairman, stepped down with immediate effect.

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Indian e-tail major Flipkart Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Binny Bansal resigned from the post. UN environment chief Erik Solheim has resigned after an audit report found he had spent over $488,000 on excessive travel.

Government Appoints New MD & CEOs At 10 PSBs

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

Awards and Recognitions

Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a national award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will be given every year to police personnel who do “exemplary work” in rescue and relief operations during any kind of disasters. US lawmakers, including four Indian Americans, have moved a resolution in the US House of Representatives to posthumously award the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi in recognition of his promotion of peace and non-violence. Indian origin Minal Patel Davis won the US’ Presidential Medal for her work against sex slavery and labour exploitation 2018 Commonwealth Association India for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Award Miss Universe India 2018 Nehal Chudasama She will now be representing India at Miss Universe. India’s first Miss Trans Queen Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh 18th Miss Deaf Asia 2018 title Nishtha Dudeja from Haryana She is the first Indian to have won any title at the Miss Deaf World Pageant Miss Grand International 2018 Clara Sosa from Paraguay Peace Prize for 2018 PM Narendra Modi For his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth 4th annual Carnot Prize 2018 Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs

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Ekalabya Puraskar, 2018 Hockey player Lilima Minz The Ekalabya Puraskar has been instituted by (from Odisha) IMPaCT, the social wing of IMFA (Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys), which has been promoting literature, sports, the arts, culture and other socially meaningful activities in the state for decades. Mid-day Young Achiever Icons Ruhaan Rajput (Actor) Award 2018 Dhanvantari Award Sultan A. Pradhan He is eminent surgical oncologist of Deming Prize for 2018 Indus Towers It is world’s largest telecom tower company (outside China). Won the prize, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this. UN Food and Agriculture Sikkim Becoming the world’s first totally organic Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy agriculture state. Gold Award “Oscar for best policies” Sikkim Hridaynath Award for Lifetime He is National Award winning music director Achievement Hashmi, famous as ‘Khayyam’ Social Entrepreneur of the Year Prema Gopalan award 2018 International Olympic Committee’s Suheil F. Tandon Sport and Active Society Commission’s Grant Award Vishwa Konkani book award HM Pernal For ‘Beeg Ani Beegath’, a collection of short stories in Konkani Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Marsel van Oosten (Dutch) For his photo “The Golden Couple” 2018 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Arshdeep Singh (Jalandhar, For his photograph ‘Pipe Owls’ Year (Asia) Award Punjab) Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Pandit Achievement Award Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize US-based Dalit Writer Sujatha Ants Among Elephant: An Untouchable Gidla Family And The Making Of Modern India 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Jurist Fali S. Nariman Award for Excellence in Public Administration UN Investment Promotion Award Invest India in recognition of its efforts to boost investments in the renewable energy sector in India Sri Maharshi Valmiki award Former prime minister H D Karnataka government conferred the award Deve Gowda World Agriculture Prize Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan Indian National Science Academy Ashis Mukherjee (INSA) Teachers Award (2018)

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JCB Prize for Literature, India’s Benyamin (Malyalam author) For book ‘Jasmine Days’. richest literary prize Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony Manipuri dancer Sh. for 2014 Singhajit Singh Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony Chhayanaut (a cultural for 2015 organization of Bangladesh) Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony One of India's greatest for 2016 sculptors, Sh. Ram Vanji Sutar World Health Summit Startup Roopam Sharma award, 2018 Meryl Streep Award for Excellence Aishwarya Rai Bachchan She got the award at the first Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award Wyler Award for Excellence in She got the award at the first Women in Film Direction and Television (WIFT) India Award WIFT Emerald Award Janhvi Kapoor She got the award at the first Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award Sarala Puraskar Odia poet Satrughna Pandav For his poetry collection ‘Misra Dhrupad’. 2018 Balzan Prize for humanitarian Terre des Hommes (An achievement. international children rights charity) based in Meera Puruskar by Rajasthan Sawai Singh Shekhawat He is poet and writer Sahitya Academy Smita Patil award for best actor Anushka Sharma ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ Award Actor-director Pankaj Kapur ‘ Award’ for 2018 Vijay Patil Given by Maharashtra Government Ezhuthachan Puraskaram Malayalam novelist and short It is the Kerela government’s highest literary story writer M Mukundan award Crime and Criminal Tracking Punjab Police For the development of Digital Criminal Network and Systems (CCTNS) good Intelligence Gazette and generation of State practice award Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) reports ‘Distinguished Fellow’ by IndiaGlobal Anupam Kher Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award N Ram He is the veteran journalist and the Hindu Group of Publications Chairman IPI India Award for excellence in Namrata Ahuja journalism Maharashtra government’s Natvarya Marathi actor Jayant In the field of theatre Prabhakar Panshikar Lifetime Sawarkar Achievement award Global Education Award, Dubai Mathematician and Super 30 honoured with ‘Global Education Award’ on founder Anand Kumar November 8 by ‘Malabar Gold & Diamonds’, flagship company of Malabar Group, a leading Indian business conglomerate. honourary doctorate in UK Arunima Sinha She is the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013.

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Global Education Leaders Award Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati 2018 Asia Environment Enforcement The Wildlife Crime Control Awards Bureau (WCCB) Munin Barkotoki Literary Award Dr Debabhuson Borah for his 2018 book on literary criticism titled ‘Nirbochon’ Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Journalist Swati Chaturvedi Chaturvedi, who works as a freelance Press Freedom Award for Courage journalist, won the award for her book I Am a Troll. Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Lifetime Achievement Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Shubhankar Sharma A golfer and the first Indian to win this award. award Champion award Chennai airport for achieving 100% timely closure of grievances in one year. Prize for Peace, Centre for Science and Disarmament and Development Environment (CSE) Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle Professor S.P. Ganguly the highest civilian honour given to a foreigner by Mexico. Universal Acceptance Thought The Internet Corporation for Leader award Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)- supported Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) Sayaji Ratna Award for contribution to social causes Forbes India Leadership Awards , chairman of 2018 Wipro International Federation of Film Filmmaker Nandita Das She was awarded at the 12th Asia Pacific Producers Associations( Screen Awards (APSA) in FIAPF) award Confederation of Indian Industry Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) (CII)-Exim Bank Business Excellence Award Chevalier del la Legion d’Honneur Azim Premji It is the highest French civilian award (Knight of the Legion of Honour) Pt. award Keshav Ginde He is a renowned flautist Asian of the year award Indian Navy pilots for floods rescue Commander Vijay Varma and Captain P. Rajkumar Global Geospatial Industry Sanjay Kumar, Founder and Ambassador award CEO of Geospatial Media & Communications Sahitya Akademi’s Bhasha Samman Centenarian lexicographer G. for South (2017) Venkatasubbaiah

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Glinka World Soil Prize 2018 Rattan Lal Awarded at the Rome headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for his outstanding contribution to sustainable soil management. 2018 Gleitsman Award Malala Yousafzai ‘Arets Stjerneskudd’ rising talent of Actress Janhvi Kapoor the year by the Norwegian Consulate General Miss World 2018 Vanessa Ponce de Leon 1st Mexican queen Mister Supranational title Prathamesh Maulingkar(Goa) Steel Users Federation of India Ratan N. Tata (SUFI) Lifetime Achievement Award Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Sascha Bajin coach of the world number five Naomi Osaka Coach of the Year Award United Nations Framework Gujarat for women’s leadership with low cost and Convention on Climate Change sustainable technology to tackle storms (UNFCCC) award ‘Meethoileima’ Title Mary Kom By Manipur government ‘Breakthrough Table Tennis Star’ Manika Batra award Krishi Karman award in the rice Jharkhand category Prime Minister’s Trophy for the Tata Steel Limited ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant’ National Bravery Award Situ Malik Shooting’s Highest Honour By ISSF Greg Norman Medal Minjee Lee first woman to win Greg Norman Medal as the best Australian golfer Ballon d’Or 2018 Luka Modric Hero to Animals Award Delhi Minister Imran Hussain For Ban On Chinese Manjha Turner Prize for 2018 Charlotte Prodger -based British artist Jnanpith Award 2018 English author Amitav Ghosh ‘Sangeet Mahasamman’ award Shaan and Arijit Singh Constituted by the West Bengal government at the inaugural session of the Bengal music and folk culture festival in . UN Human Rights Prize for 2018 Late Asma Jahangir PETA India’s 2018 Person of the Year Sonam Kapoor Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Elisa Gray from Miss India Worldwide 2018 Shree Saini from USA French Knight of the National Order Producer Ashok Amritraj of Merit National Systems Gold Medal by the ISRO Chairman K.Sivan

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Systems Society of India (SSI) Skoch Golden Jubilee Challenger Award Tansen Samman(By MP govt) Sitarist Manju Mehta The Award late music composer Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and playback singer Usha Timothy. . Kudalkar, of the

Senco Gold & Diamonds, Swarna Mithali Raj Samman award ‘Champions of Change’ award Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh ‘Top Debater In The World’ Title Aadi Sai Vijaykaran Won the Junior Debate Championship at the World Scholar’s Cup held at Yale University, the USA. The theme for the cup was ‘An Entangled World: diplomacy, human relationships, the science of memory, and literature, art’. Mrs. India 2018 Title Madhya Pradesh’s Divya Patidar Joshi Digital Transformation Hackathon Mahum Siddiqi For designing a device to detect the actual pain level of a patient during a diagnosis. America’s most admired man Barack Obama America’s most admired woman Michelle Obama American actress Anne Hathaway Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Equality Award 2018 Gleitsman Award Malala Yousafzai For her work promoting girls’ education. Sakharov prize Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director imprisoned in Russia 50th Man Booker Prize Anna Burns She won prize for her novel ‘Milkman’, becoming the first author from Northern Ireland to win the most prestigious English- language literary award. New Academy prize in literature Guadeloupean novelist Maryse Conde 2018 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award Evan Atar Adaha He is a surgeon who runs a remote hospital in South Sudan.

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

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

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 Kerala Tourism‘s vigorous efforts to get back on track in the wake of recent devastating floods got a shot in the arm as it walked away with two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns.  All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months as part of a mission under the Navika Sagar Parikrama project.  The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) has become the first ever metro rail corporation from India to bag the International ‘Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents’ (RoSPA) Award.  Mousumi Khatua made it a philosophy of her life and scripted history as she became the first woman from Kalyani City, West Bengal to climb Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.  Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua have created history by climbing Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth award for the year 2018. The United Nations recognised Modi with its highest environmental honour in the policy leadership category for his efforts to eliminate all single use plastic in India by 2022. President of France, Emmanuel Macron has also been awarded in the same category for his work on the Global Pact for the Environment. Cochin International Airport was also awarded for its leadership in use of sustainable energy in the category of entrepreneurial vision. The airport is world’s first fully solar-powered airport.  Prominent entrepreneur and achiever from Gujarat, Chiranjiv Patel has bagged the prestigious “BW 40 under 40” award in BW Business World’s second edition of 40 Under 40 Summit and awards held in Gurugram.  Google declared 13-year-old Pingla Rahul More from Mumbai the national winner of its “Doodle for Google” competition where art-loving students brought their imaginations to life for the search engine giant’s logo. Over 75,000 contestants participated in the contest from around the country and displayed doodles in response to this year’s theme of “What inspires me”.  Late Dr. Martha Farrell has been honoured with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 6th Indian Social Work Congress in New Delhi.  Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe, the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Satyarup reached the summit of the mountain which is at an elevation of 4,367 metres.  The Union government has awarded the Assam Police for “good practices” under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an e-governance project.  Jawahar Lal Sarin, president of the Alliance franaise de Delhi’s governing body, was presented with the Chevalier de la Lgion d’Honneur , France’s highest civilian honour.  Ladakh Arts and Media Organization (LAMO) Center in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region has won an UNESCO Asia-Pacific award for conservation.  India’s National Academy of Letters, Sahitya Akademi has announced the names of prestigious annual Sahitya Akademi Awards for litterateurs 2018 in 24 languages. 7 Books of Poetry, 6 of Short Stories, 3 of Literary Criticism and 2 of Essays have won this years Sahitya Akademi Awards 2018.  Four Indian-origin women have been named by Forbes among America’s top 50 female technology moguls, a list titled ‘America’s Top 50 Women in Tech 2018’ that includes IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Netflix executive Anne Aaron.

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 The Railways has won 17 awards at the ‘National Energy Conservation awards 2018’, held in New Delhi. This is the highest number of awards bagged by a single organisation.  Arunima Sinha, the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013, has now become the first woman amputee to climb Mount Vinson (highest peak of Antarctica).  The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was awarded Best Capital City in the Solid Waste Management in the Swachh Survekshan 2018 rankings.  Dhruv Manoj, 12 has bagged two gold medals at the World Memory Championships held in Hong Kong.  Three Journalists from Tamil Nadu win, this year, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award that includes News18 Tamilnadu’s Chief Editor M Gunasekaran, Freelance Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar for her contribution to The Wire and Vijay Kumar S from The Hindu for his Investigative reporting on Gutka Scam.

National Tourism Awards 2016-17

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

Noble Prize 2018 Winners

CHEMISTRY: One half awarded to Frances H. Arnold (USA) “for the directed evolution of enzymes”, the other half jointly toGeorge P. Smith (USA) and Sir Gregory P. Winter (UK) “for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.”

PHYSICS: Awarded “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” with one half to Arthur Ashkin (USA) “for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems”, the other half jointly to Gérard Mourou (France) and Donna Strickland (Canada) “for their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.”

PHYSIOLOGY or MEDICINE: James P. Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.”

LITERATURE: No one was awarded Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy has said it will postpone this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature but plans to award it next year.

PEACE PRIZE: Denis Mukwege (Congo) and Nadia Murad (Iraq) “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”

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The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel: William D. Nordhaus (USA) “for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis” and Paul M. Romer (USA) “for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis”

Conference and Summits

Summit Place . Extra Knowledge 4th Edition Of Global Partners’ Forum India (New Delhi) . in December 2018 UNICEF’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn India . in December 2018 and Child Health stakeholders meeting 2019 World Book Fair New Delhi UAE’s third largest emirate Sharjah was its 2019 guest of honour. 17th edition of Old World Theatre festival New Delhi . 2nd World Conference on Access to Medical New Delhi Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030 14th Hospitality India and Explore the World New Delhi . Nepal won tourism award Annual International Travel Awards India International Silk Fair New Delhi . Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 New Delhi Theme - ‘Connecting Farmers to Market’ 5th edition of Women of India National New Delhi Organic Fest 2018 10th Edition of BIOFACH INDIA New Delhi Theme - Enhancing export of organic products trade from India – strategies and synergies India Mobile Congress 2018 New Delhi Theme - New Digital Horizons – Connect. Create. Innovate Technology summit between India and Italy New Delhi Defence & Homeland Security Expo and New Delhi . Conference 2018 2+2 dialogue between India and the United New Delhi Communications Compatibility and Security States Agreement (COMCASA) was signed between the two nations Conference on E-Mobility in Indian Railways New Delhi 71st Session of the WHO Regional Committee New Delhi . for South-East Asia International Aviation Summit New Delhi Global Mobility Summit – MOVE New Delhi World Summit on Accreditation New Delhi Theme - Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome-Based Accreditation Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation New Delhi Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will Convention (MGISC) organize the convention to mark the beginning of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi The ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) New Delhi

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First General Assembly of the International New Delhi Solar Alliance, ISA National Orientation workshop on National e- New Delhi Vidhan Application (NeVA) 7th National Conference on Excellence in New Delhi Theme - Excellence in Workplace Safety & Workplace Safety Occupational Health 2nd Rim Association (IORA) New Delhi Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo, (REINVEST- 2018) Jaipur Art Summit Metro Edition New Delhi Global Cooling Innovation Summit New Delhi . ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and New Delhi Organised by Indian Air Force Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) 1st India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit New Delhi India Water Impact Summit-2018 New Delhi The India Health Summit New Delhi organized by the Confederation Of Indian Industry 15th Global SME Business Summit New Delhi South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference New Delhi . Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), functioning under Ministry of Culture will be organising it in partnership with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO-MGIEP) to mark the beginning of celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Social Media Summit and Awards-2018 Vijayawada . powered by the Department of Tourism, Andhra Pradesh, has been organised by Vibri Media. World Customs Organisation Jaipur WHO Global Forum on Medical Device Visakhapatnam 106th Indian Science Congress 2019 Jalandhar, Punjab theme ‘Future India: Science and Technology’ Global aviation summit Mumbai By Civil Aviation Ministry along with FICCI. Theme: Flying for allespecially for the next 6 billion 12th Annual Indian Subcontinent Decision S. P. Jain Institute of Theme: Data-Driven Decision Making in the Sciences Institute (ISDSI) Conference Management and Digital Age. Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai 12th Global Healthcare Summit Mumbai Startup India centre capital summit Goa . Theme: Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India. Organised by The commerce and industry ministry. The 18th All India Annual Conference of the Itanagar . Heads of Science Centre’s and Museums

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www.aspirantszone.com conference on ‘Sustainable Water Mohali, Punjab Management’ conference on “Sexual Exploitation of Kolkata . Children in Digital Era” Global Agriculture & Food Summit 2018 Held Jharkhand 80th Session of the three-day Policy Mumbai Commission of the World Customs Organisation International conference on bears Agra 15th Prawasi Bhartiya Diwas -2019 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Smart City Expo India 2018 Jaipur, Rajasthan Global Investors Meet 2019 Tamil Nadu Indian Association of Tour Operator’s (IATO) Visakhapatnam, annual convention Andhra Pradesh First summit of US-India Business Council Mumbai, Theme - ‘US and India connecting our future’ (USIBC) Maharashtra USIBC president- Nisha Desai Biswal Aero India 2019 Bengaluru, Karnataka 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council Bengaluru, Karnataka

Regional Conference on Good Governance Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh India’s 1st Corn Festival Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh India International Science Festival (IISF) Lucknow, Uttar Theme - Science for Transformation Pradesh Krishi Kumbh 2018 Lucknow, Uttar Krishi Kumbh is having Haryana and Jharkhand Pradesh as partner states and Japan and as partner countries 21st meeting of the Central Zonal Council Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 36th Indian Carpets Expo Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Sustainable mountain development summit Shimla, Himachal . VII Pradesh 23rd meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council Kolkata, West Bengal National Khadi Festival 2018 Mumbai India Chem 2018, the 10th Biennial Mumbai International Exhibition & Conference Vishwa Shanti Ahimsa Sammelan Nashik, Maharashtra 14th International GCA Conference on Media Jaipur, Rajasthan and Communication

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2nd edition of the Sagar conference Bambolim, Goa “Udbhav Utsav” (International Dance Gwalior, Madhya Festival) Pradesh 27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference Gandhinagar, Gujarat International Conference on Status and Bangaram coral Theme - “Reef for Life” Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) Island of Union Territory of Lakshadweep 5th National Summit on Good and Replicable Kaziranga, Assam Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care Systems 1st Trilateral Meeting Among India, Tehran, Iran Afghanistan And Iran 7th meeting of education ministers of Astana, Kazakhstan member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 2nd International Conference On Primary Astana, Kazakhstan Health Care 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit , Belgium 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, Dushanbe, Tajikistan meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2018 UN Day Concert New York, USA 87th Izmir International Tradeshow Turkey India was the Partner Country First tripartite meeting of India, Iran and Kabul, Afghanistan Afghanistan International Women Entrepreneurs Summit Kathmandu, Nepal Theme - “Equality begins with Economic 2018 Empowerment” 4th BIMSTEC summit Kathmandu, Nepal Sri Lanka has now become the new chair of the BIMSTEC. The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Singapore Meeting (EAS-EMM) 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Singapore Meeting (AEM) 33rd edition of the ASEAN Summit Singapore 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Singapore (ASEAN)-India Summit 17th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Singapore Council Meeting 13th East Asia Summit Singapore World’s Largest Financial Technology Festival Singapore Fintech

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7th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting Singapore 4th International Ayurveda Congress Leiden, Netherlands World Hindu Congress , USA Theme - ‘Think collectively, Achieve valiantly’ 73rd session of the UN General Assembly New York, USA World Economic Forum for the Association of Vietnam Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) Dubai, UAE 4th Eastern Economic Forum Vladivostok, Russia Theme - The Far East: Expanding the Range of Possibilities 23rd Meeting of India-Russia Moscow, Russia Intergovernmental Commission G-20 Trade And Investment Ministerial Mar del Plata, Meeting Argentina 7th UNWTO Global Summit Seoul, Republic of WTO - World Tourism Organization Korea WTO organized summit on Urban Tourism: A 2030 Vision for Urban Tourism Women Foreign Ministers meeting Montreal, Canada 5th World Internet Conference (WIC) China in its river town of Wuzhen Sustainable Blue Economy Conference Nairobi, Kenya co-hosted by Japan and Canada. G-20 Summit Buenos Aires, Argentina 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine Kathmandu theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas” World Tolerance Summit Dubai theme of the Summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’. Global Conference on Air Pollution and Geneva Health World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Dubai, UAE Councils 5th World Internet Conference Wuzhen, China India-UAE Partnership Summit 2018 (IUPS) Dubai 18th Indian Ocean Rim Association Durban, South This meeting is taking place during the on- (IORA) Council of Ministers Meeting Africa going celebrations of the 150th year of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela. Asia Pacific Summit-2018 Kathmandu ASEAN – India Business Summit (AIBS) Kuala Lumpur, . Malaysia

International News

 India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated Indian War Memorial in France

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 Hurricane Willa hit Mexican coast.  World’s first full-sized Hyperloop capsule ‘Watch’ unveiled in Spain.  Typhoon Yutu makes landfall in Philippines.  The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report said the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.  Global average sea-level could rise by nearly eight feet by 2100 and 50 feet by 2300 if greenhouse gas emissions remain high, said researchers at the Rutgers University in the US.  Hurricane Michael hits the western tip of Cuba with strong winds and heavy rains as it whipped through the Yucatan Channel on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Memorial Auditorium built with Indian grant assistance of Rs. 300 million at the University of Ruhuna, Matara in the Southern Province, was dedicated to the people of Sri Lanka.  In Malaysia, the cabinet has decided to abolish the death penalty.  The World Bank launched a new $150 million fund intended to help insure vulnerable countries against natural disasters and the increasing risk of climate change-linked crises.  Canada Becomes 2nd Country To Legalize Recreational Cannabis  Sri Lanka sets up ‘Break Into India Strategy Committee’ to formulate a strategy to help Sri Lankan businesses invest more the Indian market  The world’s longest sea bridge Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened for traffic on October 24. The 55- kilometer-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world’s longest sea bridge.  The world’s largest airport terminal “under one roof” with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers officially opened on October 29 in Istanbul, Turkey.  The global populations of vertebrates – mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles – have declined by 60 per cent since 1970, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report “Living Planet Report of the Global Fund for Nature”.  The Republic of Seychelles has launched the world’s first sovereign blue bond a financial instrument designed to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects.  Nearly 7,000 people gathered in northern Indonesia to witness the inauguration of ‘Little India Gate’, the first-of- its-kind structure in the country which recognises the contribution of Indian community in the development of Medan city.  In a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), Japan announced joining the group submitting the instrument of ratification. Japan will be the 71st country to sign and 48th country to ratify the ISA Framework.  International tourist arrivals hit record high in 2017 with India leading the growth in South Asian region. According to data from the UN’s tourism organisation, a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record.  Typhoon Jebi left trail of destruction across Japan. Kansai airport, a major transport hub serving Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, was cut off when an ocean tanker hit and damaged its bridge to the mainland.  Russia will launch the biggest military drills “Vostok-2018” (East-2018) in its history involving 300,000 troops as well as Chinese soldiers, in a move NATO denounced as “exercising large-scale conflict”.

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 Hurricane Florence, packing sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h), seems to have its sights set on the Carolinas. Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate along the coast of North and South Carolina and Virginia, according to news reports.  Seven countries including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey are at risk of exchange rate crisis as investors re-assess their risks following the contagion in Argentina and Turkey, a new index by Nomura says. According to the global financial services major, emerging markets are under pressure as investors re-assess the risks amid monetary policy normalisation in developed markets, trade protectionism and China’s economic slowdown.  South Africa declared an official end to the world’s worst recorded listeria outbreak after it killed 216 people and sickened more than 1,000 since early 2017.  Typhoon Mangkhut has left multiple dead as the storm pummelled the northern Philippines with ferocious wind and rain that set off landslides, damaged an airport terminal and ripped off tin roofs.  Google is set to shut down its alternate mailing app “Inbox” in March 2019, giving users time to shift to the traditional Gmail by then, the company has said in a blog post.  The UN says more people went hungry in 2017 than at any time in the previous decade as food deprivation on the rise due to conflict and climate change.  UN to hold Climate Summit in September 2019  The World Health Organization (WHO) released SAFER, a new initiative and technical package outlining five high- impact strategies that can help governments reduce the harmful use of alcohol and related health, social and economic consequences.  Germany rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but eco-friendly technology.  Days after pulling out of the Bimstec joint military exercise in India at the last minute, the Nepal Army began its second wargame with the Chinese military at Chengdu, China. The “Sagarmatha Friendship-2” (Mt Everest Friendship Exercise-2018) military exercise in China’s Sichuan province will last 10 days.  Nepal is likely to be the first country in the world to double its tiger population. On the occasion of National Conservation Day on 23 September, Nepal announced that there are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the country, nearly doubling the baseline of around 121 tigers in 2009.  World Bank and United Nations have launched Famine Action Mechanism (FAM) as an important new tool to help predict and prevent famine. FAM will give a more accurate picture of food security in real time, triggering early action from donors and humanitarian agencies that will save lives and prevent further suffering.  A statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled at the UN headquarters to honour the South African President’s 100th birth anniversary.  A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the late South African leader’s birth.This year marks the 100th anniversary of Mandela’s birth, and the U.N. is declaring 2019-2028 the “Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace.  Argentina has received the biggest loan package ever from the International Monetary Fund, aimed at shoring up the country’s ailing finances a whopping $57.1bn that will be disbursed over the next three years.  The UAE will host the Interfaith Alliance Forum in Abu Dhabi on 19th and 20th November.  In Nepal, the famous Indra Jatra festival is being celebrated in Kathmandu with gaiety and religious fervor. The eight day long annual festival is observed to worship Indra, the lord of rain and good harvest.  Typhoon Trami hit Japan’s southern island of Okinawa with a maximum speed of 216 kilometres per hour.  The world’s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain has been switched on for the first time. The newly formed million-processor-core Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker) machine

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is capable of completing more than 200 million million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors.  China’s Xinhua news agency unveiled the world’s first AI anchor that can read news in English and Chinese. Xinhua in collaboration with search engine operator Sogou unveiled the new technology at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China.  The Western Pacific nation of Palau has become the first country to ban many kinds of sunscreen, in a move to protect its coral reefs from chemicals that scientists say cause significant damage.  Nearly half a billion people in Asia are hungry and lack access to adequate nourishing food, including in the region’s largest cities, said a new report by the UN food security agency. An estimated 486 million people remain undernourished in Asia, according to a report launched by UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  China has unveiled its new-generation stealth combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), stated to be the most advanced drone developed so far by the country. The UAV – CH7 was unveiled at the Air Show China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province.  Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective ‘toxic‘ as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The adjective toxic is defined as ‘poisonous’.  The United Nations Security Council has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years.The resolution, drafted by the UK, was backed by the US and its allies. The UN vote comes amid a thaw in relations between Eritrea and its neighbours following years of conflict.  A team of scientists from Chengdu’s Micro Research Electronics System Research Institute (CASC) in China had developed an “artificial sun” eight times brighter than the natural sun to replace the country’s streetlights by 2020.  French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI have inaugurated Morocco’s first high- speed rail line, the first ever such line in Africa. Known as the LGV, it will connect the economic hubs of Tangier and Casablanca in 2 hours 10 minutes at a speed of up to 320 kph (199 mph) instead of almost 5 hours on a regular train.  The world’s standard definition of the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole has been changed, after representatives from 60 countries voted to redefine the International System of Units (SI) for weight, current, temperature and amount of chemical substance.  On the second day of this three-day visit to Australia, President Ramnath Kovind unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Jubilee Park in the town of Parramatta, which is a bustling suburb of .  Nepal’s largest exhibition on construction equipment and technology “ConMac 2018” has started in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu. More than 150 business exhibitors and companies from India including JCB, L&T, Hyundai, Caterpillar and Tata Hitachi have showcased their products and services at the exhibition.  The world’s first underground hotel has opened in Shanghai, buried almost 90 metres deep in an old quarry. Built into the side wall of a decommissioned quarry, the 18-storey InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland is almost entirely subterranean.  The 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair will begin from January 30 next year, with the central American nation Guatemala, the heart of the Mayan World as the focal country.  The European Union’s executive branch proposed that the bloc should cut its emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, a measure scientists say needs to be adopted worldwide in order to avoid catastrophic global warming.

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 Jamaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals are among the six new elements added by UN cultural agency UNESCO to its list of “intangible heritage” for the world to treasure, improving the visibility of often little- known and understood arts traditions.  India and Indonesia will hold a business forum to facilitate the commercial and people-to-people linkages between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Aceh and North Sumatra Provinces of Indonesia in Port Blair.  German firm BigRep claims it has produced the world’s first fully functioning e-motorbike NERA using a 3D printer  The UAE now has the world’s most powerful passport, achieving the top ranking in an achievement hailed as a tribute to the legacy of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, and the country’s diplomacy.  Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched the largest Arabic audio library in the world. The Dubai Audio Library, which targets seven million visually impaired people in the Arab world, was an initiative undertaken by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the website Bookshare.org.  Luxembourg is set to become the first country in the worldto make all its public transport free. Fares on trains, trams and buses will be lifted next summer under the plans of the re-elected coalition government led by Xavier Bettel, who was sworn in for a second term as prime minister recently.  China has launched a rover that will land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing’s ambitions to become a space superpower.  Israel became a full member of the global financial watchdog on money laundering and terror financing after having previously been blacklisted by the organisation.  India has handed over 50 housing units in the Rakhine province to Myanmar during President Ram Nath Kovind‘s maiden visit to the country. The housing units are part of a bigger developmental project, within which India is building 250 houses in Myanmar’s Rakhine province.  Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first “floating” nuclear power plant (FNPP) for installation in remote areas, has been started and brought to 10 per cent of its capacity, Russian state-run atomic energy corporation Rosatom announced.  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached Janakpur, Nepal to participate in the celebrations of ‘Shri Ram-Janaki Bibaha Panchami’ festival and offered prayers at the Janaki Mandir.  The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has not revised its forecast for global economic growth, and it remains at 3.7 per cent for 2018 and at 3.5 per cent for the next year, OPEC said in its Monthly Oil Market Report.  Australia has become the first country in the world to recognise so-called orphanage trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery. The legislation forms part of a wider drive to stop Australians taking part in “voluntourism” schemes which harm rather than help the children.  Microsoft has overtaken Apple in market cap value for the first time in eight years. Microsoft briefly reached a market cap value of $812.93 billion, followed by Apple at a market cap of $812.60 billion.  Based on the results of a popular vote, Cambridge Dictionary has named “nomophobia”, the “fear or worry at the idea of being without your mobile phone or unable to use it” as word of the year.  Following a year of devastating climate disasters around the globe, from California to Kerala, and Tonga to Japan, the annual UN climate change conference (COP24) opened in the Polish city of Katowice on December 3 with the goal of finalising the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The 12-day conference will conclude on December 14.

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’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi announced that Qatar will withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in January 2019.  UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared 2019 as the “Year of Tolerance”, highlighting the country as a global capital for tolerance, through its goals to enhance the role of the country in instilling the values of co- existence and peace in local, regional and international communities. This is the fifth in theme-based observation of years in the .  Sri Lanka’s disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from his post, signalling an end to nearly a two- month-long political crisis that has kept the island nation without a functional government.  India announced financial assistance of USD 1.4 billion to the Maldives as the island nation’s President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih undertook his maiden visit, which Prime Minister Narendra Modisaid would enhance “trust and friend” between the two nations.  India has welcomed Zambia as a member of the International Solar Alliance, with Vice President Venkaiah Naidu expressing hope for an early ratification of the Framework Agreement by Zambia.  US Scientists have created the world’s smallest tic-tac-toe board using dynamic DNA origami tiles microscopic organic structures that can be programmed to transform into predesigned patterns.  The repressive central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, where the likes of Facebook and Whatsapp are banned launched its first messaging app.  Merriam-Webster has declared ‘Justice’ as the 2018 Word Of The Year. As per Merriam-Webster says, the word ‘Justice’ is used in many phrases like racial justice, social justice and obstruction of justice.  It could take 202 years for women to earn as much as men because the global pay gap is so vast and the pace of change so slow, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said in a report.  Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano erupted , sending a huge column of ash into the sky and causing the closure of Catania airport on Sicily’s eastern coast.  Thailand has approved the use of medical marijuana, making it the first country in southeast Asia to do so. The country’s interim parliament voted on the amendment in the Narcotics Bill. The measure is expected to take effect in 2019.  An American adventurer has become the first person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica without assistance of any kind. Mr Colin O’Brady, 33, took 54 days to complete the nearly 1,600km crossing of the frozen continent from north to south.  Pakistan’s cabinet has approved the issuance of first-ever renminbi-denominated bonds to raise loans from China’s capital markets, as the country moved a step forward to give the Chinese currency a status at par with the US dollar.  Japan has decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and will resume commercial whaling July next year. Tokyo will officially inform the IWC of its decision by the end of the year, which will mean the withdrawal comes into effect by June 30.  Portuguese airline Hi Fly decided to bring about a change by introducing single-use plastic free flight. The flight took off from to Natale, Brazil, without a single piece of single-use plastic on board.  A Chinese space probe is moving into position to land on the dark side of the moon for the first time. The probe, the Chang’e-4, entered a planned orbit “to prepare for the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon”.  Tropical Storm Usman, which entered the Philippines on Christmas Day, emerged as the deadliest weather disaster for the country this year following Typhoon Mangkhut in September.

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 Thousands have been left stranded across tourist hotspots in Thailand as tropical storm ‘Pabuk’ made landfall in the country’s southern gulf coast.  The United States and Israel officially quit the U.N.’s educational, scientific and cultural agency (UNESCO) at the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias.  U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), which passed the U.S. Senate earlier in December.  France will introduce its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1. It has been pushing hard for a new so-called “GAFA tax” — named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon — to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in Europe. National News  The Statue of Unity, a 182-metre giant structure built in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, has been inaugrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The imposing monument, touted as the world’s tallest statue, is twice the height of Statue of Liberty and is built on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district. PM Modi also inaugurated the ‘Wall of Unity’ (a monument defining India’s unity) near the statue.  Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New Delhi on a three-day visit to India.  Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrived in New Delhi.  United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi on his maiden visit to India as the head of the world body that coincides with the commencement of events marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Israel, India commemorated Centenary of the Battle of on September 23. The Battle of Haifa is being commemorated in Israel, Delhi and Jaipur.  India and Nepal have agreed to explore the possibility of using high resolution satellite images in boundary survey work during the 5th meeting of the Nepal-India Boundary Working Group (BWG), which concluded in Kathmandu.  In commemoration of the International Day of Non-violence, marked on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, the UN postal agency issued a new collection of stamps featuring artistic interpretation of ‘The Knotted Gun’, an iconic global sculpture giving the message of peace and non-violence.  India and Uzbekistan set an annual bilateral trade target of $1 billion to be achieved within two years and agreed to boost connectivity as the two sides signed 17 agreements across a range of sectors following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New Delhi.  India and Japan concluded a USD 75 billion bilateral currency swap agreement, a move that will help in bringing greater stability in foreign exchange and capital markets in the country.  The Indian embassy in the Netherlands released commemorative stamps in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.  India has launched a massive operation ‘Operation Samudra Maitri’ to provide assistance to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia, dispatching two aircraft and three naval ships carrying relief material to the country.  Despite the government and Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) crackdown on cryptocurrency in India, virtual currency exchange Unocoin has installed a currency deposit and dispensing ATM at Kemp Fort Mall in Bengaluru.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated government’s aim to ensure that all the homeless get shelter by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence.  The country’s biggest skill competition, ‘India Skills 2018′ has concluded in New Delhi.

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 Stressing that India would generate 40 per cent of power from non-fossil fuels by 2030, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for connecting solar energy supply across borders giving the mantra of ‘One World One Sun One Grid’.  Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said that 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres will be converted into wellness centers by 2022.  Shri Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched SATAT, a innovative initiative in New Delhi with PSU Oil Marketing Companies. Titled SATAT, the initiative is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.  SIDBI has launched a national level entrepreneurship awareness campaign ‘Udyam Abhilasha’, in 115 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog in 28 States reaching to around 15,000 youth.  IIT-Kharagpur has been named the national coordinating institute of the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.  The Union Cabinet approved a hike in the minimum support prices (MSPs) for rabi crops for 2018-19.  Indian Railways have plans to develop 640 Utkrisht rakes under its project of upgrading the mail/express trains in the next two years at a cost of Rs 400 crore.  Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Reliance Jio started a campaign to train people about using the mobile messaging platform responsibly on their JioPhones.  The 46th edition of Cervantino International Festival, to be held in Mexico, will see India participating as a guest of honour, with an elaborate programme of performing arts.  Travellers will soon be able to enter airports in the country with facial recognition biometric under the government’s Digi Yatra initiative.  The government has approved a Rs 469.41 crore package for the revival of closed NEPA mill in Madhya Pradesh  Salaries in India are projected to rise 10% in 2019, same as the actual increase in 2018, according to the latest Q3 2018 Salary Budget Planning Report released by Willis Towers Watson, the global advisory, broking and solutions company.  The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched a mobile health app ‘Med’ to provide health information to the users, including first-aid and other health and nutritional topics.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched India for Humanity initiative in New Delhi as part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next one year.  The Union Cabinet approved the closure of the loss incurring Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), National Jute Manufactures Corporation Limited (NJMC) and its subsidiary Birds Jute and Exports Limited (BJEL).  The Union Cabinet approved the merger of two regulatory institutions (National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA)) into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) in order to improve skilling standards and the market relevance of skill development programmes.  The Union Cabinet has approved the payment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days‘ wages for the financial year 2017-18 for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees.  India suffered a whopping USD 79.5 billion economic loss due to climate-related disasters in the last 20 years, according to a UN report which highlights the impact of extreme weather events on the global economy.  India has a target of 100 gigawatt (GW) installed capacity of solar energy by 2022, of which 40 GW is projected to come from rooftop solar systems.  The Central Government has approved a special package for employment generation in leather and footwear sector. Centre has approved four projects worth over 105 crore rupees to promote leather industry in Tamil Nadu.

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 India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body for a period of three years beginning 1 January 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category.  India and Australia held the second ‘2+2’ secretary-level dialogue in Canberra.  India and China have launched their first joint programme for Afghanistan to train its diplomats.  The Election Commission of India is introducing the unique internet based mobile app C-vigil in the upcoming assembly polls. The ‘CVIGIL’, which stands for ‘citizens’ vigil’, will be operationalised for the first time as a pilot project.  IRCTC has launched a new AI-based assistant, Disha for their website. This new assistant will be prompt in answering generic queries about most frequently asked questions on the ticket booking platform. One can spot the new assistant at the bottom right of the screen on the new IRCTC website.  The government is continuously working on achieving the goal of zero hunger by 2030 in a systematic manner, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.  Government has announced 100 crore rupee award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme. Apart from discoms, employees would also collectively get 50 lakh rupees award for completing the task of electrifying households under the scheme which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year.  The government launched a national campaign ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ on the World Food Day under which a pan- India cycle rally is being organised to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy.  The North Central Railways (NCR) launched two mobile apps, ‘NCR RASTA’ and ‘Yatri RASTA’, for its employees and passengers, respectively, for locating assets and stations.  Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan inaugurated a mobile app called Roudram created by a student named Sudha to empower women. Roudram app aims at giving women assistance in times of emergency.  Kuligod in Karnataka’s Belagavi district is the country’s best developed village, but more than a third of the gram panchayats ranked in the top 10 are in Andhra Pradesh, according to the findings of an ongoing Rural Development Ministry survey.  PM Narendra Modi dedicated the National Police Memorial (NPM) to the nation. Oct 21 is observed as the ‘Police Commemoration Day’ every year in memory of the policemen killed at Hot Springs in Ladakh by the Chinese troops on this date in 1959.  The National Commission for Women has come out with a dedicated e-mail address ‘[email protected]’ to report instances of sexual harassment at workplace after several such complaints were made to the body by women who have narrated their ordeal under the ‘MeToo’ movement on social media.  Union minister for shipping Nitin Gadkari and Mahrashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis flagged-off India’s first luxury cruise ship, “Angriya” which will operate between Mumbai and Goa.  Environment Ministry has launched Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali campaign. This campaign was initiated in 2017-18 wherein large number of school children participated and took pledge to minimize bursting of crackers. The Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali campaign is now merged with “Green Good Deed” movement that has been initiated as a social mobilization for conservation and protection of environment.  PM Modi launched ‘Main Nahi Hum’ Portal In New Delhi.  The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) launched scheme ‘Impactful Policy Research in Social Science’ (IMPRESS) in New Delhi in which it will be spending Rs 200 crore for promoting research in social sciences.

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 India will become the world’s third largest aviation market around 2024 surpassing the United Kingdom, global airlines’ body International Air Transport Association (IATA) said as it projected total air passenger numbers to touch 8.2 billion in 2037.  India has donated $300,000 to a programme to train commanders for UN peacekeeping.  As part of its efforts to train 3,00,000 people in India on digital literacy by end of 2018, Facebook has announced the launch of the Digital Literacy Library, a collection of lessons in six local languages – Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.  The country’s first engine-less train, widely regarded as the success to the Shatabdi Express will hit the tracks on October 29. Known as Train 18, this train is run by a self-propulsion module without a separate engine. The train is capable of running at a speed of 160 kmph and comes with technical features for enhanced quick acceleration. Train 18 was developed by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory in 18 months.  Concerned over the “disappearance” of many intangible legacy of India over time, the United Nations (UN) will soon launch a project on creating an “inventory” of art forms, craftsmanship and other intangible cultural heritage of the country.  The Kingdom of Netherlands will be the Partner Country 25th DST – CII Technology Summit to be organized in 2019.  India has become the first and only SAARC country to have a quit-line number on tobacco products. The Union Health Ministry has already made 85% pictorial health warning mandatory on both sides of packets containing cigarettes, bidis, and chewing tobacco. The quit-line number will be printed on all tobacco products manufactured after September 1, 2018. India is the fourth country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco.  To encourage practice of ayurveda, India has set up an Ayush Information Cell at its embassy premises in to create awareness about the traditional Indian system of medicine.  India will organise ‘Gandhi March’ from the iconic Peace Palace at the Hague to Grote Kerk to launch the two-year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Netherlands.  Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in India on his maiden state visit to the country, during which he hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost bilateral strategic partnership.  Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in New Delhi to hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a number of key issues of mutual interests. He met PM Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi.  The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with the support of the Asian Development Bank launched the country’s first flood forecasting and early-warning system.  In a verdict which only strengthens the concept of ‘gender equality’, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the entry of women in Sabarimala temple, Pathanamthitta District‎, Kerala. ‎  271 mn Indians moved out of poverty: UN. India has made momentous progress in reducing multidimensional poverty with its incidence almost halving between 2005-06 and 2015-16, climbing down to 27.5 per cent from 54.7 per cent, according to estimates from the 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong Airport near Gangtok in Sikkim on September 24, nine years after the foundation stone was laid. The state’s first airport and country’s 100th is situated at an altitude of 4,500 feet above sea level.  Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh were awarded the best performing states in terms of “Ease of Living Index” under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018, in New Delhi. The MoHUA released the first ever ‘Ease of Living Index’

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covering 111 Indian cities, which serves as a litmus test to help assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives.  In a bid to boost credit availability to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched a web portal ‘www.psbloansin59minutes.com’ through which one can avail loans up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes. The portal will enable principal approval of loans up to Rs 1 crore for MSMEs from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and 5 Public Sector Banks (PSBs).  Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC) have jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative.  The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to convert Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) into a government- owned company. The government will now own 100 per cent of the IT backbone to the new indirect tax regime. Currently, the Centre and states together hold 49 per cent stake in GSTN. The remaining 51 per cent is held by five private financial institutions – HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, NSE Strategic Investment Co and LIC Housing Finance Ltd.  The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 5,538–crore package as part of a comprehensive policy for the sugar industry to deal with the surplus domestic stock and help mills clear dues of cane growers.  The Union Cabinet approved a new telecom policy, National Digital Communications Policy 2018, designed to provide ‘broadband to all’, Union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha announced.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) that aims “to change the the banking system in the country”. The launch was done at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Click here to read about IPPB  In a first-of-its-scale heritage mapping and digitisation project, Google and Ministry of Railways launched a project that aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the Indian Railways. The two-year digitisation project “The Railways- Lifeline of a Nation” is a comprehensive digital document viewable on Google’s Arts and Culture website. It was launched at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi.  Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre said. The decision to count the OBCs in the next Census was to get a correct perspective on the social status in the country. The 2011 Census collected information in 29 categories that included a separate column for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes. The OBCs would also be an option in the column in 2021. The enumerators will start “house listing” in 2020 and the headcount will begin from February 2021. “It was also informed that nearly 25 lakh enumerators are trained and engaged for the gigantic exercise and accurate collection of data will be ensured in Census 2021.”  Nearly Rs 400 crore has been released by the Centre to 10 states, having international borders, for developing forward areas as part of an ambitious plan to ameliorate the problems of those living in these isolated locations. An amount of Rs 399.44 crore has been released to the governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and West Bengal under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) so far during 2018-19.  India will emerge as the biggest passenger car market by 2030, with every second car being sold will be here in the country, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.  Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched Coffee Connect – India coffee field force app and Coffee KrishiTharanga – digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders at a function. The mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency. NABARD has partly funded the Pilot project.  India has set a target to generate100 GW solar energy by 2022 for increasing share of carbon free energy in the energy mix.  The Government has approved a proposal to increase wages of artisans by over 36%, from five rupees 50 paisa per hank to seven rupees 50 paisa.

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 Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377. A five-judge bench led by CJI Dipak Misra diluted Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, to exclude all kinds of adult consensual sexual behaviour. The law will still stand on the statute book to deal with unnatural sexual offences against minors and animals such as sodomy and bestiality.  The government decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme, meaning that it will continue indefinitely and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. To make the scheme more attractive, the government has decided to double the overdraft facility from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. Arun Jaitely said that 32.41 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme and as much Rs 81,200 crore has been deposited in them so far. Jaitley said 53% of the PMJDY account holders are women, while 83 per cent of the accounts are seeded with Aadhaar.  The Union government doubled the pecuniary limit to Rs. 20 lakh for filing loan recovery application in the Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) by banks and financial institutions, to help reduce pendency of such cases.As a result, any bank or financial institution or a consortium of banks or financial institutions cannot approach DRTs if the amount due is less than Rs. 20 lakh.  The Indian e-commerce market would become worth over $100 billion by the year 2022, with a growth of around 25 per cent from the current level, according to a joint report by PwC and Nasscom – Propelling India towards global leadership in e-commerce.  The water storage level of 91 major reservoirs in India have gone up by four per cent in the last one week, according to data provided by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.  In order to improve the ease of doing business with Indian Railways, the national transporter has taken a significant step. Piyush Goyal-led Railway Ministry has launched the Aapoorti mobile app of Indian Railways e-procurement system (IREPS).  India has decided to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests the learning level of 15 year olds, after a gap of nine years, a senior HRD Ministry official said.  The government has said that treatment of childhood cancer will be covered under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. The scheme will provide health insurance cover of five lakh rupees to poor families. BPL and lower-middle- class families will benefit from it.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, and Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Tripura jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via video conferencing. These include 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh, Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link and Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways.  India launches new digital bridge with Africa -- e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project.  Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal launched a web portal www.railsahyog.in. The web portal will provide a platform for the Corporates and PSUs to contribute to creation of amenities at/near Railway Stations through Corporate Social Responsibility funds. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani with other Railway Board Members, Secretary, , Shri Dr Inder Jit Singh and Senior Officials of Railways and Coal were present on the occasion.  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a Rs 100 crore Indian Culinary Institute, built by the Ministry of Tourism, close to Renigunta airport, 15 km from Tirupati.  Nine years after Apsara – the country’s first and oldest atomic reactor was shut down, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) set in motion Apsara-upgraded (U).

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 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on collaborative research on distributed ledger and blockchain technology in the context of development of digital economy by Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) with the participating member banks, under the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism.  With an aim to boost the pro-farmer initiatives of the government, the Centre approved a new Umbrella Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA). The scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. In addition to this, budget provision for procurement operations has also been increased and Rs.15,053 crore is sanctioned for PM-AASHA implementation.  The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’, which aims at fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a Clean India.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund with an outlay of Rs 10,881 crore for 2017-18 to 2028-29 to boost the dairy sector.  India’s first underwater robotic drone developed at Maker Village in Kochi, which can send real-time video of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance, was launched.  BEML Limited, a defence public sector company, has launched an indigenously designed and developed country’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck(Model BH205-E), with an objective of strengthening the ‘Make in India’ initiative.  The health ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 fixed dose combinations (FDCs) of drugs with immediate effect and restricted another six. This brings to an end a protracted legal battle between manufacturers of these combination drugs and the ministry, which has been working since 2016 to get these “irrational” and “unsafe” drugs banned. Among the roughly 6,000 brands estimated to be affected by the ban are popular drugs like the painkiller Saridon, the skin cream Panderm, combination diabetes drug Gluconorm PG, antibiotic Lupidiclox and antibacterial Taxim AZ.  Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launched the country’s first National Scholarship Portal Mobile App (NSP Mobile App) in New Delhi.  Four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioned the need for total electrification of the country’s rail network, the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 100 per cent electrification of the Indian Railways, tentatively by 2021-22, settling a decades-long debate.  The Union Cabinet approved new Umbrella Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, PM- AASHA. The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018.  Union HRD Minister inaugurated a network of 3,404 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) spread across the country to help students get familiar with the pattern of competitive exams to be conducted by the newly established National Testing Agency (NTA).  The Power Ministry launched an ambitious programme on energy efficiency in chillers that consume more than 40 per cent of total energy in commercial buildings. The Chiller Star Labelling Programme has been formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the programme is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid up to December 31, 2020  State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) will prepare a detailed project report for development of Palaly airport in Sri Lanka. This would be the first project for the AAI in the island nation.

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 President Ram Nath Kovind launched a logo and web portal for the upcoming celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The portal – gandhi.gov.in is participatory in nature and all participating organisations will be able to upload their activities regarding the commemoration of the occasion. It also has a unique feature Gandhipedia which will be a repository of Gandhian knowledge and will continue to grow with time. The logo and web portal is part of the two-year-long celebrations from October 2, 2018 to October 2, 2020 across the country and on foreign soil to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.  Union home minister Rajnath Singh launched two smart fencing pilot projects along the 198-km-long India-Pakistan international border in Jammu and Kashmir.  As many as 20 lakh people have joined the modified Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY), taking the total number of account holders in the flagship financial inclusion programme to 32.61 crore as on September 5, according to finance ministry data.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, jointly inaugurated the India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline projects through video conferencing. Modi and Hasina inaugurated the work of the pipeline from their respective capitals, New Delhi and Dhaka.  The home ministry launched a portal ‘e-Sahaj’ that will enable individuals and private companies to submit applications and view their status online.  The Union Minister of State Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ‘Pension Adalat’, organised by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi’s Dwarka.  The size of the Indian economy will double to $5 trillion by 2022 with manufacturing and agriculture contributing $1 trillion each, and the various states are competing with each other to help achieve this goal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.  India has contributed a whopping $1 million for the installation of solar panels on the roof of the imposing UN building at the world body’s headquarters. The contribution will help reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy.  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched two separate portals to strengthen Women Safety in the country. The portal ‘cybercrime.gov.in’ will receive complaints from citizens on objectionable online content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, sexually explicit material such as rape and gang rape. The other portal ‘National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO)’, is accessible only to law enforcement agencies and will assist in effectively tracking and investigating cases of sexual offences.  Union Minister of State for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Giriraj Singh, launched MSME Insider – a monthly e-newsletter of the Ministry.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made a new Budget Dashboard on Budget, Expenditure and Bill Payment position. The Budget Dashboard also incorporates Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Health Research.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi aid the foundation stone for the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi‘s Dwarka.

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 In a major victory for northeastern indie cinema and female filmmakers, Rima Das’ National Award-winning Assamese film Village Rockstars has been selected as India’s official entry to the 91 Academy Awards, 2019.  The government announced three initiatives to take banking to the last mile comprising a financial inclusion index, geographical mapping of banking servicesand hassle-free online loans for MSMEs valuing upto Rs 1 crore. Arun Jaitley launched a common online platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) credit which will enable businesses to get loans upto Rs 1 croreapproved through a completely automated process within just 59 minutes. The government also announced a financial inclusion index, which would be released by the end of this year and would rate states on their performance on last-mile banking services availability. The government also announced a banking services infrastructure locator app “Jan Dhan Darshak” which aims to to bring banking within reach of every citizens through over five lakh “banking touch points” comprising of bank branches, banking correspondents, ATMs, common service centres and post offices. The GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping of banking services will be a convenient method for any person to find the nearest banking touch point.  Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control device Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit, WAYU, at ITO in New Delhi.  Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in Shillong announced that the government will spend Rs 1.5 lakh crore for improving national highways in the northeastern states of the country.  A colossal dome shaped structure (world’s largest dome) will be inaugurated at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology’s (MIT), Pune on October 2.  Aadhaar linking with PAN mandatory, not needed for bank A/Cs, CBSE, NEET, UGC, school admissions, Mobile connections. The Court, while announcing its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar said, “Aadhaar not needed for opening a bank A/C, and no mobile company can demand Aadhaar card for connections.” The apex court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, hence barring private companied from seeking Aadhaar details of consumers.  The Centre announced to enhance its contribution to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) from 75 per cent to 90 per cent with effect from April 1 this year.  Economic affairs secretary S C Garg announced reduction in gross borrowing estimate for the current fiscal by Rs 70,000 crore and maintained that the government will contain fiscal deficit target at 3.3 per cent.  Union KJ Alphons presented the National Tourism Awards 2016-17 and launched the ‘Incredible India’ mobile app and the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification” programme on the occasion of World Tourism Day.  Online Courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM, Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) was launched by the ministry of human resource development.  Indian Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched a-Rs 1000 crore start-up scheme ‘Yuva Sahakar- Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme’ to encourage the young generation to join cooperative business ventures in agriculture and related sectors. Apart from a subsidy for the industrialists or entrepreneurs, the latest scheme also provides an interesting grant of 2 percent/ annum.  India will overtake the US to become the world’s second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector before 2030 as the nation’s electricity demand skyrockets, the International Energy Agency said in its latest World Energy Outlook.  The government released a Rs 75 coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisting the Tricolour for the first time at Port Blair.

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 The Shri Ramayana Express, a special tourist train to run on the Ramayana circuit to cover major spots related to the Hindu epic was flagged off from Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi. The train will complete its journey till Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, in 16 days covering all important destinations associated with the life of Lord Shri Ram. Named as Shri Ramayana Yatra-Sri Lanka, the pilgrimage circuit will have two travel components one each in India and Sri Lanka.  The Cyclonic storm ‘GAJA’ over Westcentral and adjoining Eastcentral & South moved west- northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph. It is likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm.  The Government has set up a state of -the-art National Data Repository. National Data Repository is equipped with cutting-edge technology and provides ready access to interested companies. With the introduction of National Data Repository in Indian E&P regime, India has joined the league of countries like UK and Norway which have a National Data Repository for the upstream sector.  Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) have designed and booted up India’s first microprocessor, Shakti, which could be used in mobile computing and other devices.  Malayalam film Olu will be the opening film at the 49th International Film Festival of India, IFFI this year. This was decided by the jury for the Indian Panorama. The IFFI will be held in Goa next month. The Feature Film Jury of thirteen members was headed by acclaimed film director and screenwriter, Rahul Rawail.  Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the Government’s Support and Outreach Initiative for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The initiative will provide Small and Medium Enterprises easier access to credit, markets, improved cash flows and online loans up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes.  With an aim to promote Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technology to drive economic growth, job creation, and skill development in the country, The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has formed a new industry expert committee, under its Emerging Technology Council, focused on AR/VR.  A new UK India Business Council report, ‘Beyond the Top 200′, sets out how India’s new higher education policy could accelerate India’s rise to superpower status by enabling young Indians to receive the world’s best higher education in India through greater availability of the top courses provided globally.  Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming film ‘Mere Pyaare Prime Minister’ has been creating waves worldwide even before the release. The film that deals with the social issue of open defecation represented not just India but Asia at the Rome Film Festival.  A Lata Mangeshkar fan from Argentina, Santiago Lopez, who is a florist by profession, has named a rose in honour of the veteran playback singer. The 89-year-old melody queen, who was “deeply touched” by the gesture, revealed that Lopez, who is Spanish by birth, is learning Sanskrit, Hindi and Yoga.  The UN Postal System has issued two stamps with diyas in celebration of Diwali as “the quest for the triumph of good over evil”. The stamps are in the $1.15 denomination, which is the basic rate for international air mail letters. They are sold in sheets with 10 stamps and stickers and a large picture of the UN headquarters lit up for Diwali.  India has been elected as a member of the International Telecommunications Union Council (ITU) for another 4- year term – from 2019 to 2022. The elections to the council were held during the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 at Dubai, UAE.  NITI Aayog has constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan region. The Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and will consist of the Chief Secretaries of the Himalayan States as well as the Secretaries of key Central Ministries, senior officers of NITI Aayog special invitees.  The Centre has set up a tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Suresh Kait, for adjudicating whether or not two Tripura-based militant outfits should be declared banned organisations under the law.

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 The government will give employers the salaries for 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 a month, the Women and Child Development ministry announced.  Qaumi Ekta Week will be observed across the country from 19 November to foster and reinforce the spirit of communal harmony and national integration.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report stated that India is the only country to have recorded a substantial decline in malaria cases in 2017 out of the 11 highest burden countries worldwide.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a National Implementation Committee (NIC), under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Culture as Members, to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in the country and abroad.  With patent publication nearly doubling in a decade, India is now the second-fastest growing innovator after China among major Asian countries, a new report said. India is fourth among the major Asian countries in terms of overall patent publication volume, and second in terms of growth rate, said the “India Innovation Report” by Philadelphia-headquartered Clarivate Analytics.  Marking significant progress in the fight against malaria, India recorded nearly 24% decline in cases in a year between 2016 and 2017, the only one among the 11 highest-burden countries to achieve so, says the latest World Malaria Report published by World Health Organisation.  President Ram Nath Kovind and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will lay the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur on November 26. The decision to build the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to the International Border was taken by the Union Cabinet.  Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India. The Maldivian Foreign Minister is visiting India with the aim to repair the bilateral ties which came under severe strain during the previous government in the island nation.  The Government has decided to set up a domestic Gold Council in India. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said this while inaugurating the 2nd Edition of India Gold and Jewellery Summit in New Delhi.  Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu arrived in New Delhi on a four-day official visit to the country. His visit coincides with India and Romania completing 70 years of diplomatic relations.  Lupin announced the launch of a chat bot named ‘ANYA‘ specially designed to provide medically verified information for health-related queries. ANYA is the first bot of its kind to be launched in India for disease awareness.  India has achieved a new spot on the Guinness World Records as 2,353 people, led by Bollywood actress and fitness enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra, in Pune held the abdominal plank position for 60 seconds simultaneously  The United Nations selected Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative. The twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, adjoining the national capital, have been selected in the “University City” category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru as the only invitee from India.  The National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) “Hausla 2018” of the Women and Child Development Ministry was inaugurated by Secretary Rakesh Srivastava in New Delhi.  A centralized electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) named “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, was launched by Ministry of Housing.  In a bid to increase self-reliance, the Ministry of Defence will launch Operation Raksha Gyan Shakti on November 27 to increase Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) filing in design with an aim to reduce the transfer of technology and dependence on foreign companies.  Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary did soft-launch of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) segment of Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 7 states (Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh).  India’s premier National Research Laboratory CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) announced a new partnership with Merck, a leading German science and technology company, to establish a ‘High End Skill Development Centre’ in CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh.

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 The government conferred the National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) with the status of Miniratna : Category –I, empowering it to “taking speedy decisions”.  Stunting among children under five has fallen globally from 32.6 per cent in 2000 to 22.2 per cent in 2017, but India is home to almost a third of the world’s stunted children, according to Global Nutrition Report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).  India will chair the Kimberley Process (KP), a global initiative to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain, from January next year, the Commerce Ministry said.  Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of over 2 lakh more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).  The government has launched a unique initiative called Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages. The initiative, under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, was launched on 22nd of November and will continue till the 21st of December.  The India Rivers Week 2018 was held in New Delhi with ‘Can India Rejuvenate Ganga’ as the theme. During the event, environmentalists claimed that as many as 940 dams, barrages and weirs have been built on the Ganga river and these were restricting its flow and hindering its rejuvenation.  The number of patents granted by India shot up by 50 % in 2017, keeping up a trend of steep increases, according to the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The patents granted by India increased from 8,248 in 2016 to 12,387 last year, the WIPO’s World Intellectual Property Indicators 2018 report released in Geneva said.  In an attempt to tackle smuggling, the Central government has approved Anti-Smuggling National Coordination Centre (SCord) under the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).  The Centre approved additional assistance of Rs 3,719.07 crore to Kerala, Nagaland and Andhra Pradesh that were affected by floods, landslides and cyclone over the past few months.  India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7 per cent of global emissions in 2017, a study by the Global Carbon Project released recently.  The Indian Coast Guard has conducted the Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise titled ‘Clean Sea – 2018’ at sea off Port Blair. The preparedness of all agencies during the exercise was conducted under observation of Inspector General Maneesh V Pathak, Commander Coast Guard Region (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).  Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, arrived in India on an eight-day visit to the country. Thordarson is scheduled to address the Iceland-India Business Seminar at The Oberoi hotel in New Delhi  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Agriculture Export Policy, 2018 with an aim to double farmers’ income by 2022.  Women are paid the most unequally in India, compared to men, when it comes to hourly wages for labour. On average, women are paid 34 per cent less than men, a recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found.  India continue to have the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of road fatalities across the globe. According to the Global Status Report on Road Safety, India reported a maximum of about 1.51 lakh road deaths in 2016 and globally the toll of road deaths increased from 1.25 million to 1.35 in a span of three years.  India is set to get its first underwater museum off the Puducherry coast, giving a boost to tourism in the Union territory. INS Cuddalore, a minesweeper decommissioned in March after it travelled 30,000 nautical miles in 30 years, will be turned into a museum.  Union minister of state for human resource developmentUpendra Kushwaha, resigned from the Union Council of Ministers. The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief is likely to quit the BJP-led NDA alliance.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the fourth Partners’ Forum, an international conference organised to improve the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents, with about 1,500 participants from 85 countries.  The Agriculture Ministry launched online portal Ensure to connect with direct benefit transfer and provide simple, useful and transparent system to the beneficiary. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha

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Mohan Singh launched the portal ENSURE- National Livestock Mission- EDEG developed by NABARD and operated under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries.  India’s first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence established by the European Union was inaugurated at the Department of European Studies (DES) at Manipal Academy of Higher Education by Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to India and Bhutan, Tomasz Kozlowski.  The government has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to vet the recommendations of a high-level panel on stressed power projects. The panel, headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, had submitted its report last month.  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the Chief Guest at the 2019 Republic Day celebration in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs said.  With women’s safety in mind, Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced a pan-India single-number “112” under an emergency mobile app. It will have a special women safety feature to get immediate assistance from police and volunteers.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that India will host the G20 summit in the year 2022 when the country will complete 75 years of independence.  External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and the Foreign Minister of Mozambique Jose Condungua Antonio Pacheco co-chaired the 4th India-Mozambique Joint Commission meeting in New Delhi, where the two leaders held discussion on co-operation in commercial, investment, defence, development and social sectors.  Indian Railways unveiled ‘eDrishti’ software that will help Union Railway Minister to keep track of punctuality of trains as well as freight and passenger earnings and much more from anywhere in the country.  The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched a media campaign calling for the elimination of industrially produced trans-fat in the food supply.  Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences has launched a campaign to spread a pan-India awareness about hepatitis disease. Empowering People Against Hepatitis: The Empathy Campaign was launched at Metro Bhawan, New Delhi.  Bouldering sensation Tuhin Satarkar pushed his limits as he scaled three routes in the treacherous Sahayadri mountain range in 12 days, from November 16 to 28, to become the first Indian to ever achieve the feat. The Sahayadri range has one of the most daunting mountains in Maharashtra.  The Centre has proposed prohibition of the use of animals for performances, exhibition at any circus or mobile entertainment facilities, a move hailed by animal rights activists as “progressive and laudable”.  External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the Gandhi-Zayed Digital Museum in Abu Dhabi along with Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.  The Centre has included Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and Parasnath in Jharkhand under a central scheme to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the country.  National Rail Museum and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum have joined hands to provide combo offer to Delhi NCR tourists. As a part of the collaboration, a special discount of 35 per cent on ticket prices will be offered to Rail Museum visitors when they visit Madame Tussauds Museum.  A severe cyclone, Phethai, is likely to hit the Andhra Pradesh coast and north Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned in its latest weather forecast.  Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has dedicated India’s first railway university to the Nation in Vadodara. The Railway University will be first of its kind institution in the nation and the third in the world after Russia and China.  Maldives’ new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in New Delhi on a three-day state visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.  Foreign Affairs Minister of Denmark Anders Samuelsen arrived in New Delhi for a two-day official visit and is scheduled to meet Minister of commerce and industry Suresh Prabhu at Udyog Bhawan.  Equipped with Bharat Heavy Electricals supplied Nuclear power equipment, the 220 MW Unit 1 at the indigenously developed Kaiga Atomic Power Station (KAPS) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), has created a world record for continuous operation.

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 The Union Cabinet approved setting up of two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, at a cost of Rs 1,264 crore and at Bibinagar, Telangana, at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore. It will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-whaarrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit to the country. She is in India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to co-chair the ninth meeting of India-Republic of Korea (ROK) Joint Commission.  The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) rolled out the mini version of Train 18 as it launched the new generation Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) with underslung equipment and some features from the Train 18.  The Department of Posts will honour all important people who have not been given their due place in history by issuing commemorative postal stamps in their names, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said.  The civil aviation ministry along with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched an official mobile app “GAS 2019” for the global aviation summit to be held in Mumbai next month.  The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” with an aim to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion and its associated ecosystem.  India fifth-most deadliest place to be a journalist, Afghanistan worst: Reporters without Borders (RSF)  Addressing scientists after inaugurating the Atal Complex for the International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOocean) at the INCOIS campus in Hyderabad, Union Earth Sciences, Environment and Forests Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said India is playing a key role in the efforts that are being made to address the global environmental concerns.  The World Bank recently released a report titled‘In the Dark: How Much Do Power Sector Distortions Cost South Asia’. As per the report,Efficiency gap in India’s power sector costs the Indian economy 4% every year, which equivalents to $86 billion in 2016FY.  Sadaiv Atal, a memorial of former prime minister , was dedicated to the nation on his 94th birth anniversary. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who paid floral tributes to the former statesman at the memorial built near the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where his funeral took place on August 17.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s longest rail-road Bogibeel Bridge, which is expected to reduce the distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by around 700 kilometers, and the travel time from 24 hours to merely five hours.  Union Minister for Science and Technology and Environment Harsh Vardhan said India is firmly on its course to become one of the top two scientifically advanced nations in the world by 2030.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the institution of a new award named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which would be given every year for “outstanding efforts” in the field of furthering national integration. The award was announced by Prime Minister Modi while addressing the conference of DGPs/IGPs in Gujarat’s Kevadia.  Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have emerged as top performing states in Niti Aayog’s SDG India index 2018, which evaluates progress in social, economic and environmental terms. Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the worst performing states in the government think tank’s first of its kind India Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).  A mobile application “Chuppi Tod” (break your silence) was launched in Patna to fight the rampant social evil of child marriage and sexual harassment. Launched by noted women rights campaigner Prashanti Tiwari, the application will educate women and girls on the evils of sexual harassment and child marriage.  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj agreed to redouble bilateral trade to 50 billion USD by the year 2030. Both the leaders met here at the Bhavan and reviewed multifaceted cooperation under the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries.  The ninth meeting of the India-Republic of Korea (ROK/ South Korea) Joint Commission will be held in New Delhi during the South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha‘s official two-day from December 18 to 19 in New Delhi.

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 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) communicated that India is adhering to safety standards of International Civil Aviation Organization and India’s International Aviation Safety Assessment rating remains Category 1.  Government formed a 12-member Committee For Cadre Review, Restructuring Of Income Tax Department, chaired by Delhi-based Principal Director General of Income Tax, S K Dash, will also suggest ways to “bring about rationalisation of the organisational structure for enhancing the effectiveness of the department through improved efficiency and morale of its workforce”.  The government plans to make all electricity meters smart prepaid in three years in a bid to cut transmission and distribution losses. The Power Ministry has decided to make all meters smart prepaid in three years from April 1, 2019.  Prime Minister of Bhutan Lotay Tshering reached New Delhi on a three-day official visit to India. The visit takes place during the Golden Jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.  Railway minister Piyush Goyal, announced that Train 18 is now the fastest train in India. India’s first indigenously built engine-less train, meant for intra-day travel, can cut down travel time by 10 to 15 per cent compared to the Shatabdi. It is developed by Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at a cost of Rs 100 crore.  To make trains more safe by eliminating human errors, Central Railway has developed an AI-powered robot which would click pictures and record videos of the under-gears of trains and send them to engineers for repairs and maintenance.  The NHRC launched a toll-free number and also a facility to file complaints through Common Service Centre (CSC). Justice (retd) H L Dattu, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, unveiled the toll-free number 14433 at a brief ceremony at the Manav Adhikar Bhawan, New Delhi.  Airports in India will be able to use body scanners from next year and spare “clean” passengers physical frisking. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is soon going to come out with technical specifications of these scanners and then airports can install and machines meeting those norms.  President R.N. Kovind inaugurated the centenary celebrations of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, the world’s oldest organized institute of yoga studies, which turned 100 recently.  India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore to Bhutan for the 12th five-year plan, announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The announcement comes during the official three-day visit of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.  The 41st meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee was held in New Delhi. In the meeting, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of another 3,10,597 more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).  All motor vehicles will come fitted with tamper-proof high-security registration plates (HSRPs) from April 1 to protect against counterfeiting. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the proposal to amend the concerned rule in Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 and revision of the HSRP Order, 2001 was placed in the public domain for soliciting objections/suggestions and was discussed in a meeting on June 5, 2018.  A commission, headed by Justice G Rohini (retd), examining the sub-categorisation of the Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has decided to get a countrywide survey conducted by an agency to have an estimate of the caste-wise population figures and has sought funds from the Centre for the same.  Union Petroleum Minister launched the Ujjwala Sanitary Napkin initiative in Bhubaneswar, which will expand women’s access to hygiene products and provide them with employment opportunities in every district of the state.  The Union Cabinet approved Rs 10,000 crore budget for the proposed human spaceflight mission (Gaganyaan), which envisages to send astronauts to space by 2022. The Union Cabinet has approved the Gaganyaan project under which a three-member crew will be sent to space for at least seven days.  Activities such as fur cutting, camel decoration, designing among others would be organised at the 26th International Camel Festival, which will be held on January 12 and 13 in Bikaner. Domestic and foreign tourists are expected to take part in the festival in large numbers.

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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the renaming of three islands of Andaman and Nicobar on the occasion of 75th anniversary of Tricolour hoisting by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Port Blair. Ross Island has been renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, the Neil Island would now be known as Shaheed Dweep and the Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep.  Mr Modi also dedicated the 150 feet high Flag Mast at South Point in Port Blair commemorating the historic event of the hoisting of first Tricolor on Indian soil by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Port Blair on Dec 30, 1943.  Railways will build the country’s first vertical-lift bridge connecting Rameswaram in to mainland India that will allow ships and steamers to pass through without any hinderance, replacing the existing 104-year-old Pamban bridge. It will be ready in the next four years, and along with the new railway link between Rameswaram in Pamban Island and Dhanuskodi, which is considered the starting point of Ram Setu, will help ferry thousands of pilgrims from the Hindu religious site to the mainland.  The Ministry of Culture announced that Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) declared 6 monuments as ‘protected and of national importance’ under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, in 2018.These sites are:  125-year-old Old High Court Building in Nagpur, Maharashtra,  The Group of Temples in Ranipur Jharail in Bolangir district of Odisha,  2 Mughal era monuments in Agra- Haveli of Agha Khan and Hathi Khana,  The Neemrana Baori in Alwar district of Rajasthan,  The Vishnu Temple in Kotali, Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand.  The MSME ministry has established an export promotion cell to create a sustainable ecosystem for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).  The government on January 2, 2019 gave out the 6-croreth free cooking gas (LPG) connection as the scheme to make available cleaner fuel in every household kitchens runs ahead of schedule.  India achieved electrification in 100% households in 25 states at the end of 2018. Now, only about 10.48 lakh households are left to be electrified in 4 states – Assam, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, and Chhattisgarh.  The Cabinet approved the restructuring of existing National Health Agency as ‘National Health Authority’ (as an attached office to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) for better implementation of Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).  Prime Minister Narendra Modi added ‘Jai Anusandhan’ to the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ given by the late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, hailing the power of research to propel the nation into the top league.  An ambitious web-based single-window system ‘Parivesh’ (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub) will be rolled-out at state levels by January 15, bringing an end to the clearance nightmare for entrepreneurs.  Vijay Mallya became the first tycoon to be charged under a new anti-fraud law, with a court in Mumbai naming him as an offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.  As part of the enhanced outreach programme of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a new platform named Samwad with Students (SwS) was launched in Bengaluru on January 1, 2019.

Ayushman Bharat

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

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

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

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

State News

Andaman Nicobar Islands  Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, Andaman has been declared as an authorized Immigration Check post for entry into/exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers.

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

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 The government announced to start an unemployment allowance for the state’s youth from October 2018. The candidates can register online on the website yuvanestham.ap.gov.in. to be part of the scheme.  The Andhra Pradesh government has finalised its new emblem for official use, five years after the state’s bifurcation in 2014. The state emblem, inspired by the Amaravati School of Art, consists of “Dhamma Chakka” – “the Wheel of Law” embellished with a ring of Triratnas alternating with pinnate leaves and precious stones.

 The Andhra government launched a Cloud-based skill initiative with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s Cloud arm, where it will skill 60,000 students across the state’s over 300 engineering and non-engineering colleges by 2020.  The Supreme Court has given nod for a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh and it will start functioning from January 1 next year. The new court, which will be the 25th High Court in the country.  The National Green Tribunal has ordered a four-member committee to conduct an inspection near the Polavaram dam in Andhra Pradesh and submit a report after a plea alleged that muck was being dumped illegally at the site.  The Cabinet approved setting up of a Central Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh. The ‘Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh’ will be set up in Relli village of Vizianagaram district as provided under the 13th schedule to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Bhu-Seva programme. Under the programme, each land in the state would be allotted a unique 11 digit identity number, which would be called ‘Bhudhar’. All revenue land-related transactions, like mutation, registration etc, will be carried out through the Bhudhar card.  Andhra Pradesh is building a world-class and India’s first ‘Justice City’ within its new capital Amaravati with the vision to provide a state-of-the-art ecosystem built on latest technology for supporting the judicial system in the state.  Andhra Pradesh launched a web portal which makes land records available to people with unique identification numbers just like Aadhar number. The “Bhudaar’’ is an 11-digit unique identification code assigned to each agriculture land holding and rural and urban properties in the state.  Andhra Pradesh has topped the list of states with the highest employability followed by Rajasthan and Haryana, as per the India Skills Report 2019 conducted jointly by Wheebox, PeopleStrong, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).  The Andhra Pradesh government bagged the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) award for speedy execution of Polavaram multipurpose project on the .

Arunachal Pradesh  Arunachal Pradesh Government launched the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana and Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana in Itanagar.  The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with The British Council in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.

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 Arunachal Pradesh becomes the first State in North East India to introduce Smart e-Public Distribution System (e- PDS), a solution developed by the Madras Security Printers, a company specializing in system integration and solutions for e-governance projects.  Arunachal Pradesh Environment and Forest Minister Nabam Rebia inaugurated the “Innovation Hub and Space Education Centre” situated at Arunachal Pradesh Science Centre, Itanagar.  Arunachal Pradesh got its 23rd district with the formal inauguration of Shi Yomi, carved out of the West Siang district. The district, consisting of four circles Mechuka, Pidi, Tato and Monigong. Two more districts would be created, which would increase the total number of districts to 25.  The 24th district of Arunachal Pradesh Lepa Rada was formally inaugurated a day after Shi Yomi became a new district. Lepa Rada is carved out of the Lower Siang district, comprising four administrative circles – Tirbin, Dari, Sago and Basar.  Arunachal Pradesh was given a permanent battalion of the National Disaster Response Force and Chief Minister Pema Khandu laid the foundation stone for the 12th battalion headquarters at Hollongi, Itanagar.

Assam  In Assam, the third Dwijing Festival has begun on the bank of Aye river at Chirang district. Around 15 lakh tourists are expected to participate in the festival. Assam Public Health Engineering (PHE) minister Rihon Daimary inaugurated the festival in presence of several dignitaries.  Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated an Indo-Bhutan Border Trade Centre at Darranga in Tamulpur, Baksa District, Assam. Sonowal termed it a red-letter day and said that the trade centre will lead to strengthening of Indo-Bhutan relations.  The Assam government will provide electricity connection to all households by December 31st this year under SOUVAGYA scheme.  The Assam government will launch the Universal Pension scheme in the state on the 2nd October, the birth anniversary of the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. Under the scheme, the pension will be given to citizens over 60 years of age.  Assam became the first state to offer financial assistance under a special scheme for pregnant tea garden workers.They will also not be engaged in work from the third trimester of pregnancy to three months after delivery. Women form the bulk of the workforce in the state’s 800-odd tea gardens.  Northeast and Assam Petro-chemicals, a state-owned company launched Asia’s first cannister-based and India’s first “Methanol Cooking Fuel Program”.  The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is set to launch a Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) service in Assam from Neamati to Manjuli island.  Assam’s third Bihu festival, known as Kati Bihu, was being celebrated across the state. On the occasion of Kati Bihu, women in urban and rural areas, try to ward off evil and pray for a rich harvest by lighting earthen lamps.  Railway minister Piyush Goel announced that the Honey Bee plan in Assam that kept elephants away from the tracks will be expanded to other areas of the country. He said that the initiative was started on experiment basis last year.

Bihar  India’s first dolphin research centre was launched in Patna. National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC, set up on the banks of the Ganga river, is India’s and Asia’s first.  After Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan (betel vine), Bihar’s Shahi litchi has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and has become an exclusive brand in the national and international market.

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 Bihar and Nepal are now connected by bus. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service between Bihar and Nepal. The service will link Bodh Gaya and Patna in Bihar to Kathmandu and Janakpur in Nepal.  The Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to pay Rs 25,000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and onwards. The cabinet allotted Rs 300 crore for disbursal of this payment to an estimated 1.2 lakh girls expected to clear their graduation course this year.  The Bihar cabinet gave its nod for the redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) into a world’s largest 5462-bed hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 5540.07 crore. The hospital would be redeveloped by Bihar Medical Services & Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (BMSICL).  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district. It is the second tallest statue of Buddha in the country.  Geographical Indications Registry at Chennai has granted GI tag to Silao Khaja, the traditional delicacy of Nalanda district of Bihar. The application was filed by Silao Khaja Audyogik Swavalambi Sahakari Samiti Limited.

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

Chhattisgarh  The country’s first tribal tourism circuit was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.  The Election Commission has set up ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in various constituencies of Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections.

Delhi

 In consonance with the spirit of digital India, the Delhi Police launched an e-learning portal ‘NIPUN’ to impart in- service training to its personnel.  Amid growing concerns over the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, a ‘Clean Air Week’ would be organised from November 1-5 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the Delhi government and the four major National Capital Region cities to control the air pollution.  The Delhi Government along with the Indian Railways launched a scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ to give free tourism package for senior citizens traveling to 5 religious circuits.  Delhi‘s long-awaited “Signature Bridge”,the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India was opened for the public. The 575-metre bridge was inaugurated by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The project aims to reduce travel time and traffic congestion between the north-eastern and northern parts of the national capital. It will share the burden of the Wazirabad bridge and connect the Outer Ring Road on the western bank of the river with Wazirabad Road on the eastern side.  The 6th Indian Social Work Congress was held in New Delhi. It was joinly organized by National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and Department of Social Work (Delhi School of Social Work), University of Delhi.  The 14th edition of international children’s theatre festival, ‘JashneBachpan’, was inaugurated in New Delhi with folk dance performances from Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Manipur among other states.

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 The 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change has urged the advanced countries to enhance their support to the developing nations in effectively implementing the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. The BASIC countries comprise Brazil, South Africa, India and China. The two-day Meeting on Climate Change concluded in New Delhi.  Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Cell (IIC) in New Delhi at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) foster an attitude of research among students. More than 1,000 higher education institutes have already established IICs on their campuses to promote innovation.  The Delhi government launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ which offers free travel packages on five religious circuits for senior citizens from the national capital. The scheme, approved by the Cabinet in July, was launched by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the Delhi Secretariat.  The Delhi government launched a 10-day special drive to check whether minimum wage rules set by it are being followed in the national capital.  The Delhi government launched a common mobility card with a tagline of ‘One Delhi One Ride’ which would enable city commuters to access Metro and bus services with a single card at a 10 per cent discount.  Delhi government signed a twin city agreement with the Moscow administration for cooperation in the fields of education, healthcare, sports, tourism, transport and environment for a period of three years.  A Korean War memorial will be built in New Delhi to commemorate India’s role in the war that ended in an armistice in 1953.  Calling it a “historic step” and “revolutionary change”, the Delhi government launched the doorstep delivery of 40 public services for the people living in the national capital. Now people will not have to waste their time and money for multiple trips to the government offices. They just need to call on 1076 and request for the service they want. They need to pay Rs 50 and can get 40 services at their doorstep. Driving license, new water or sewer connection and disconnection will also be provided under the scheme between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. through a ‘Mobile Sahayak’.  The Delhi Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are slated to sign an agreement this week for cooperation in urban regeneration. The agreement will be signed during Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ongoing trip to Seoul.

Goa  Goa International Film Festival from 20th to 28th of November will have Jharkhand as a partner state.  Goa government’s Women and Child Development Ministry launched a universal helpline service (181) for women in distress in the coastal state.  The Goa government inked an MoU with Portugal and said that the coastal state was looking at the European nation, with which it has a historical link, for its model of development.

Gujarat  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the state’s first ‘Food Agro Infrastructure Mega Food Park’, jointly built by Central and Gujarat Governments at a cost of Rs.120-crore on 70-acre plot, at Shah Village in Mangrol taluka in Surat district.  CM launched the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Pax ferry service. The ferry, which connects Saurashtra to South Gujarat, carries passengers and vehicles across the between Ghogha, Bhavnagar district and Dahej, Bharuch district.

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 The Gujarat Government has partnered with a top India-centric American advocacy group for the Vibrant Gujarat summit in January 2019, which is expected to be attended by some of the top American corporate leaders. Gujarat will host the ninth edition of the annual industry summit ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ from January 18 to 20, 2019, in Gandhinagar.  The first of its kind university in the country on the transport sector, the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), started operations this week. Currently, it is functioning out of the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara.  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared Kutch as ‘scarcity hit district’ after it received just 26.51 percent rains this monsoon. He said that drinking water pipeline projects worth Rs. 296 crore for Kutch district would be taken up on a war footing.  Surat, renowned as a diamond processing and trading hub in Gujarat, would be the world’s fastest growing city in the 2019-35 period, averaging more than 9 per cent, according to a global economic research report. The report prepared by Oxford Economics. It further said all the top ten fastest-growing cities in the world in 2019-35 will be from India.

Haryana  In collaboration with the Haryana government, Indian IT industry’s apex body Nasscom launched in Haryana its Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things (CoE – IoT).  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said an anti-terrorist force ‘Kavach‘ — will be set up to further strengthen the security arrangements in the state.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 64-foot-tall statue of peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram at his native village Sampla in Haryana’s Rohtak district.  First of its kind in Haryana, National Autism Intervention Research Centre was launched in Gurugram at Fortis Memorial Research Institute.  Haryana Government has decided to introduce “Pashu Sanjeevni Sewa” in the state under which free of cost quality veterinary services and health care facilities for the livestock would be made available at the doorstep of livestock farmers through mobile veterinary clinics.  The Haryana government on September 10 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with (IOC) to set up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of over Rs 900 crore.  Haryana will be made stray cattle-free by January 26 next year. Strict actions would be taken against those, whose cattle are found roaming on the roads and fine would also be imposed on them.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Vishwakarma Skill University at village Dudhola in Palwal from Sultanpur village in Gurugram district. A sum of over Rs 1,000 crore would be spent on setting up this Skill University, which would impart skill training to the youth and encourage them to be self employed.  The three-day Military Literature Festival (MLF) 2018, kick-started in Chandigarh. The festival is a joint initiative of military historian and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore.  The , Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 13th edition of CII Agro Tech India-2018 in Chandigarh.  Haryana’s prestigious International Gita Mahotsav-2018 will be organised from December 7 to 23 in Kurukshetra. Mauritius would be the partner country and Gujarat would be the partner state in the celebrations of the festival.  The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Jhajjar, Haryana, which is also India’s largest cancer hospital, opened for public service with the formal inauguration to be held in January. The NCI, which is a project under Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be headed by Dr G.K. Rath who is also the chief of Institute Rotary Cancer hospital at AIIMS.

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 In an attempt to give a boost to Ayurvedic products, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will inaugurate World Herbal Forest Project, a collaboration of Patanjali and Haryana Government, in Morni Hill which is located 45 kilometres away from Chandigarh.  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced to name all the Child Care Institutes being run in the state as ‘Jagannath Ashrams.’  Haryana Government has started mobile app ‘Shiksha Setu’ which would have all information related to attendance, fee, online admission and scholarships in all government colleges of the state besides having details of lecturers of government colleges and officers of the Directorate.  To revive the ancient in the state and ensure regular flow of fresh water into it, the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) approved 11 major projects, including restoration of various heritage sites along the course of the mythical river.

Himachal Pradesh  For the first time in India, a railway station will be built inside a tunnel at a height of 3,000 metres, on the strategic Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line close to the Sino-India border. Once completed, the Keylong station in Himachal Pradesh will be the first on the railway network to be inside a tunnel.  Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to launch a single emergency number “112” which will connect to police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in Shimla along with 12 District Command Centers (DCCs) covering entire State.

Jammu & Kashmir  J&K has been declared Open Defecation Free in September 2018.  The five-day Naropa Festival concluded with a grand ‘Chondol Dance’ performed by as many as 299 Ladakhi women attired in traditional costume breaking the Guinness World Records.  After having achieved the target of cent percent electrification, Governor, Satya Pal Malik flagged off ‘Saubhagya Raths’ for 22 districts of Kashmir and Jammu Divisions in Jammu from Raj Bhavan to ensure on-the-spot electrification of the households left out, if any.  Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik inaugurated a week long ‘Jhiri Mela’ at village Jhiri in Jammu district. The annual fair is commemorated in the memory of the martyrdom of ‘Baba Jittoo’, a farmer who gave up his life about 500 years ago in protest against the oppressive demands of a land lord.  Jammu and Kashmir has become the first state in the country to have a law banning sexual exploitation of women by those in positions of authority, having a fiduciary relationship or a public servant.  President’s rule will be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir from 20 December with President Ram Nath Kovind signing a proclamation to give effect to the recommendation of the state Governor Satya Pal Malik. Kovind has signed the proclamation based on the proposal sent by the ministry following a report by the state governor.

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

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 Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das said their government is constructing India’s biggest war memorial.

Karnataka

 The Karnataka Department of Social Welfare has launched Unnati, a scheme to foster entrepreneurs working on rural and social impact technologies. As part of the scheme, the department will invest up to Rs 20 crore to create end-to-end support infrastructure for start-ups and entrepreneurs from a marginalised background.  Over a dozen women achievers from different walks of life participated in a day-long festival at a UN forum in Bengaluru. Created and curated by veteran journalist Barkha Dutta for ‘We The Women’ forum, the fest themed on #openingdoors and #breakingbarriers was marked by dialogues on issues such as the fight for women against the religious orthodoxy whether in ending Triple Talaq or demanding the right to enter Sabarimala.  The country’s first India-Israel Innovation Centre (IIIC), an entrepreneurial technology hub, was launched in Bengaluru.  Ayushman Bharat call centre was formally inaugurated in Bengaluru by CEO of Ayushman Bharat Dr. Indu Bhushan.  Looking to further cement its position in India, South Korean tech major Samsung set up what is arguably the world’s largest mobile experience centre in Bengaluru, barely two months after it opened its biggest mobile factory in Noida.  Bengaluru International Airport (BAIL) is planning to roll out face recognition facility for the passengers of select airlines in a bid to make the boarding process paperless. The airport operator has inked a deal with Lisbon-based biometric solutions service provider, Vision Box, to implement this technology at the airport.  Karnataka Social Welfare Department launched the Samruddhi scheme to boost employment opportunities for SC/ST youth through entrepreneurship. For this, the government is partnering with private enterprises to train the youth from backward communities.  IT capital Bengaluru pays the highest salaries followed by Mumbai and Delhi in India. The report is based on a salary study done by LinkedIn. 

Kerala  The Kerala government has initiated a scheme to provide free education and vocational training to the children of those fishermen who died or went missing in the 2017 Ockhi cyclonic storm.  Tapping into the huge potential of Malabar as a major tourist destination, the Tourism Department has brought out a high-tech digital facility that provides visitors all details about the experiential and service packages offered in the region in north Kerala.  Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ‘Gau Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in the state. Farmers belonging to the general category will be getting 50% subsidy on premiums while those belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category would get 70% subsidy on the premium.  The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out KOOL, its Online Open Learning training platform. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public.  Union Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the Kannur international airport making Kerala the only state in the country to have four international airports.  Microsoft has selected Kerala Police’s Facebook page, which has over 10 lakh followers, to study the organisation’s new age media interactions. Kerala Police is known for posting funny memes and witty responses to address social issues to the public through its page.  Kerala is now set to become the first smoke-free State in the country with public sector oil companies eyeing 100% LPG penetration.

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 Kerala will need about Rs 31,000 crore for recovery and reconstruction following the century’s worst floods, according to a UN report presented to the Chief Minister by UN Resident Coordinator in India Yuri Afanasiev.  Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the country’s largest Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.  Ministry of Tourism sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development of a rural circuit in Kerala. Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons announced that under this project, the ministry will be developing three cruises with a budget of Rs 80.37 crores.  The World Bank (WB) team estimated that Kerala would require around Rs. 25,050 crore for reconstruction of the flood-ravaged economy and infrastructure.  In a wonderful initiative to support gender equality and renaissance value, around 50 lakh women formed a 620- km-long ‘Women’s Wall’ in Kerala. The wall was formed across the national highway which stretched from the northern tip of Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvananthapuram.  The State Bank of India (SBI) announced special term loan for repair and renovation of homes to help the flood affected citizens of Kerala. As part of this scheme, the bank offers loan of upto Rs 10 lakh at a reduced interest rate of 8.45 per cent per annum along with waiver of processing fee. The special rate will be applicable for home loan applications for repair and renovation submitted on or before November 30, 2018.

Madhya Pradesh  The Union Cabinet approved two Metro rail projects in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh in Indore and Bhopal.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in Sehore district of MP instead of earlier approved Bhopal location.  The Government of Madhya Pradesh has announced setting up of a new Adhyatmik Vibhag (spiritual department). The proposed new department will be set up by merging several existing departments. Dharmik Nyas Evam Dharmasv Department (Religious Trust and Endowment Department), Anand Vibhag (Happiness Department) in addition to the Directorate of Religious Trust and Endowment, Madhya Pradesh Teerth Evam Mela Pradhikaran and Rajya Anand Sansthan would be merged to form the proposed Adhyatmik Vibhag (spiritual department).

Maharashtra  Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the world’s largest dome at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT)’s World Peace University (MIT-WPU) campus at Loni Kalbhor on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Alphonso Mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra, finally gets a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag.  The Maharashtra government launched a website Maha Madat and a mobile application which will use modern technology to analyse the drought situation in the state by collecting data on rainfall, crop situation and underground water.  The World Economic Forum announced its new Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in India, which would aim to bring together the government and business leaders to pilot emerging technology policies. It will be based in Maharashtra.  A big Indian tricolour measuring 20×30 feet and 350 feet above the ground was unfurled at the majestic Haj House in Mumbai by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

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 Mumbai’s iconic heritage cinema METRO INOX is India’s First Rooftop Solar Powered Cinema and South Mumbai’s Largest Multiplex. It has launched two INSIGNIA screens which are 100% solar powered. It has become the first multiplex in India to join the solar revolution.  Thousands of people thronged the streets of Maharashtra’s Nagpur city to celebrate the Marbat festival. As per the tradition, the devotees took out a procession carrying effigies that represent evil forces. The clay effigies or ‘Marbats’ of Kali (black) and Pivli (Yellow) were the main attraction of the procession.  Maharashtra has the highest number of people living with HIV in India which is around 3.30 lakh, contributing 15 per cent of total immunodeficiency virus-affected people in the country which is 21.40 lakh, according to the latest data by Health and Family Welfare Ministry.  The Madhya Pradesh government announced the creation of a new district ‘Niwari’. The new district would include three tehsils of the present Tikamgarh district – Niwari, Orchha and Prithvipur.  The government will set up Animation, Gaming and Visual effects Institute in Mumbai to encourage youth participation in the field of film and cinematography. Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said, the government is taking several steps to nourish the talent of the youth of the country.  Mumbai based startup Emotix, an advanced robotics company founded by three IITians, has launched a conversational child companion robot, Miko2.  To bring transparency to cash transactions, the Pune district court administration is starting an e-payment facility in the Shivajinager district and sessions court. This is the first time in India that practising lawyers and litigants in various cases will be able to make payments online.  In a bid to transform rural Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a unique initiative called “SMART”, which stands for State of Maharashtra’s Agribusiness and Rural Transformation. This World Bank assisted project aims to revamp agricultural value chains, with special focus on marginal farmers across 1,000 villages.  The Indian Owl Festival, the country’s first owl fest, was held at Pingori village in Purandar taluka of Pune from November 29. The two-day festival, organised by Ela Foundation, an NGO working towards nature education and conservation.  The Maharashtra government approved a sum of Rs 4,089 crore for the Tembhu lift irrigation scheme in Satara district. The scheme, which will also benefit Satara’s adjoining districts in Western Maharashtra, was approved by the state Cabinet at its meeting in Mumbai.  Marking the 94th birth anniversary celebrations of the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihar Vajpayee International Schools’ for students in mofussil areas.

Manipur  Manipur declared as 23rd open defecation free state. It is the 5th state in the North East to get the ODF tag.  North East’s first ‘floating water handloom huts’ were inaugurated at Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district of Manipur.  The three-day meet of 13th Indo-Myanmar Regional Border Committee between India and Myanmar was held at the Mantripukhari Garrison, Imphal under the aegis of Spear Corps of .  Manipur Tourism is once again returning with one of their most important yearly event, the Manipur Sangai Festival. Celebrated each year, this is one of the most popular festivals of India.

Meghalaya  Centre would set up a sports stadium of international standard for persons with disability in Meghalaya.  Meghalaya government is all set to launch a new scheme Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries on October 26 next to meet the requirements of the state.

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 Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya recently.  The third edition of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 got underway at Polo 5th Ground, Shillong. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu.

Mizoram  A joint border conference was held between India and Bangladesh at Aizawl and delegates from both sides deliberated on the border issues between the two countries.

Nagaland  The Nagaland government has declared the Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary as an elephant reserve making it the 30th reserve for jumbos in the country.  Nagaland became the first state in the Northeast and second in the country, after Himachal Pradesh, to launch a pan-India single-number emergency mobile application which will have a special women safety feature for immediate assistance from police and volunteers.  In Nagaland, the 19th edition of the Hornbill Festival 2018 began with a colourful extravaganza of music and dance. Inaugurating the opening ceremony, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed his greetings to the people of Nagaland on the occasion of Statehood Day on 1 December.

Odisha  The Cabinet approved renaming Jharsuguda aerodrome in Odisha as ‘Veer Surendra Sai Airport’. Veer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha. The renaming of the airport as ‘Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda’ was cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Soura Jalanidhi’ scheme which aims at increasing use of solar energy for helping farmers in irrigation. ‘Soura Jalanidhi’ is a dug well based solar pump irrigation system in convergence mode.  The Odisha government formed an inter-ministerial committee to resolve the issues raised by the agitating farmers in the ongoing protest in the state. A large number of farmers from across the state under the banner of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) marched to Bhubaneswar to stage a demonstration demanding “Price, Prestige, and Pension”.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the technology-driven and citizen-friendly Mo bus service featuring free wi-fi, CCTV surveillance, public information display system and on board announcements in the city.  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the much awaited ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project to make Capital a fully Wifi enabled city ahead of World Cup Hockey. Implemented by the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, the ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project will initially have 100 hotspots enabled locations with 275 access points. Gradually, the hotspot locations will be increased to 518 with 1,800 access points.  The First International Public Art Symposium (IPAS), jointly organised by the Artist Network Promoting Indian Culture (ANPIC), the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.  Odisha Finance and Excise minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, in the presence of three of his cabinet colleagues, inaugurated the Baliyatra festival in Cuttak. The festival, associated with the maritime glory of ancient Kalinga, is basically a trade and cultural fare that attracts revellers not only from state but from outside also.

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 An international storytelling festival “BhuFeSto” was organised for the differently- abled children in Bhubaneswar where special storytelling sessions for children with visual and hearing disabilities was organized.  A seven-member search committee headed by Justice Amitabh Ray has been constituted for the appointment of Lokayukta in the state. The selection committee of the Lokayukta under the Chairmanship of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Orissa High Court Chief Justice, Justice KS Jhaveri set up the search committee.  India’s first international indigenous film festival will take place in February next year in Odisha. An initiative of activist film collective Video Republic, that has been campaigning for indigenous communities in the State, the three-stop event will kick off in Bhubaneswar on February 19.  With an aim at creating awareness about various schemes of the state government and improve transparency in distribution of individual and social benefits, chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced PEETHA initiative.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced financial aid of Rs 10 crore for establishment of Odiya Cultural Centre in Gujarat’s Surat for their social celebrations.  Odisha state Cabinet approved Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore covering 92 per cent of cultivators.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a stamp and a coin to commemorate the Paika rebellion of 1817 in Odisha. He also inaugurated the new campus of IIT-Bhubaneswar, built at a cost of Rs 1,660 crore, and launched a slew of projects worth Rs 14,523 crore for the state.  One of the earliest Buddhist settlements in Odisha, Lalitgiri, where excavations have yielded ancient seals and inscriptions, has been converted into a museum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the museum through video conference from Bhubaneswar.  The 26th National Childres’s Science Congresshas been inaugurated by the Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar.  Inaugurating the three-day conclave Kalahandi Dialogue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the Regional Research & Technology Transfer Station (RRTTS), Bhawanipatna, will henceforth be the Centre of Excellence for cotton, tropical fruit, crops and aromatic rice.  CM launched his government’s own food security scheme on Gandhi Jayanti that would cover 25 lakh people in the first phase, who were left out under the National Food Security Act (NFSA)-2013.  CM launched a common city payment card system “Odyssey City Card” for Bhubaneswar. Joint initiative of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd and the ICICI Bank  CM launched the “Nirman Kusuma Yojana” to provide financial assistance to children of construction workers for pursuing technical education.  Corporation Ltd (BPCL) is going to set up country’s first biofuel plant at Baulsingha village in Bargarh district in Odisha by 2020.  Cyclone Titli has intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and will make a landfall in areas bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh along the eastern coast.  CM launched a new web portal of ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ (www.ova.gov.in) to promote the Odia language and literature at the Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar.  CM launched India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System (EDWS). The inauguration coincided with Odisha Government observing Disaster Preparedness Day. On this day, 19 years ago, the state was left devastated by “Super Cyclone” in 1999.

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 CM launched a scheme to increase the use of solar energy in the agriculture sector. Under the “Soura Jalanidhi” scheme, 5,000 solar pumps will be given to farmers with up to 90 per cent subsidy. It will create irrigation potential for 2,500 acres in the state.  In western Odisha, the festival of Harvest Nuakhai is being celebrated. After harvest of new paddy of this season, rice has been processed and offered to Goddess Samaleswari in Sambalpur. People of western Odisha have also arranged Nuakhai Vetghat programs in Capital city Bhubaneswar.  Odisha government introduced a system to rate industries based on the amount of pollutants generated by them. They will be given star rating from one to five with the most polluting industry getting one star while the industry with highest compliance rate with pollution control norms will get five stars.  Cyclonic storm ‘Daye‘ is likely to cause damage to the road, rail and communication channels in various districts of Odisha.  The Odisha assembly passed a unanimous resolution to name the Jharsuguda airport after eminent freedom fighter and son of the soil Veer Surendra Sai.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the theme of Odisha Conclave 2018. The flagship biennial business event of the Government of Odisha will be themed on ‘I am Odisha’.  Odisha’s CM inaugurated Odisha Bhawan in Chennai.  Odisha government has decided to adopt the ‘No Work No Pay’ policy with regard to the strike by the block grant teachers and lecturers.

Punjab  The country’s first gallery on robotic dinosaurs was opened to the public at the Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala.  Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh launched PUDA 360, an e-properties module to facilitate online property transactions. It is aimed at bringing greater efficiency and transparency in the functioning of Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA).  Border states Punjab & Jammu and Kashmir signed an agreement to re-start work on the Rs 2,793-crore Shahpur Kandi project.  Hookah bars have been permanently banned in Punjab as President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a Bill from the state to check use of tobacco. Punjab is the third state in the country after Gujarat and Maharashtra where hookah bars or lounges were banned through law.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of the Shahpurkandi Dam Project, Punjab on river Ravi. For this, central assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore (for irrigation component) would be provided over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23

Rajasthan  Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the city’s ‘Dravyavati River Rejuvenation Project’ executed by Tata Projects Ltd. spread over 47.5 km rain-fed riverfront.  In a bid to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Digital India’ campaign, Rajasthan government will soon distribute mobile phones to women under the Bhamashah Yojana. Focused on women who fall under the Below Poverty Line (BPL).  Salman Khan will officially inaugurate “Umang“, a centre for special children in Jaipur.  To mark the second anniversary of the Surgical strikes, carried out by the Indian army, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Parakram Parv at the Combined Commanders’ Conference in .

Tamil Nadu

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 The Tamil Nadu government said it had signed an MoU with the Central government to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in association with state-run Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).  In September, the Tamil Nadu government has prohibited the manufacture, sale (including online sale), distribution, trade, display, marketing, import and possession of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, popularly known as e-cigarettes.  Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years.  The country’s first music museum will be set up with assistance from the Central government in Thiruvaiyaru, Tamilnadu, the birth place of Saint Tyagaraja, one of the Trinities of Carnatic music. This was announced by the State Minister for Culture and Tamil Development Shri K Pandiarajan in Madurai.  The unique Chapparam (Chariot) festival was celebrated with traditional rituals and festivities in the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple, in Tamil Nadu. The fest symbolizes the importance of preserving all kinds of food and fodder.

Telangana

 British Deputy High Commissioner Hyderabad Andrew Fleming launched the SRiX Agri-Business Academy, India’s first agri and food business online learning platform, at SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) Campus, Warangal, Telangana.  Hyberabad Police inaugurated the Bharosa Centre at the Kondapur Area Hospital in Telangana. The Bharosa Centre would help women in distress along with dealing with cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act too.  For the first time in India, dog owners will have a dedicated dog park to visit. Set up in Hyderabad, the park is spread across an area of 1.3 acres.  The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health will be held in Hyderabad next year. The conference ‘Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action’ which will be held from October 30 to November 2 next year, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease said.  India’ first private sector unit for manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) opened at Adani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad. Built by the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems, the 50,000 square feet facility will develop Hermes 900 medium altitude long-endurance UAVs for the Indian and global markets.  Telangana’s MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre in Hyderabad has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for organising the largest men’s Health Awareness programme on prostate cancer on a single day.

Tripura  ISRO’s first Space Technology Incubation Centre inaugurated at the National Institute of Technology Agartala.  Tripura Government would set up a flute performance research institute to take out the traditional musical act and its eminence as a traditional musical instrument across the world.  Tripura will host three-day 7th International Tourism Mart from November 22 at Agartala with tour operator delegates from 18 countries participating in an effort to popularise tourist destinations in the northeastern states.

Uttarakhand  The Uttarakhand Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to declare cow the ‘Rashtra Mata’ or the mother of the nation.

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 Uttarakhand has been ranked the best among states in the country for the construction of maximum number of roads under the PMGSY during 2017-2018.  President Ram Nath Kovind has stressed the need to impart quality education to the students. After inaugurating a two-day Gyan Kumbh at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, He said that besides educating children, it is imperative on the part of teachers to inculcate good manners and character building in the students.  The Uttarakhand government decided to rename the Dehradun airport after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The proposal to rename the Jolly Grant airport after Vajpayee was approved by the state cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.  The Uttarakhand Government constituted a four-member committee under tourism minister Satpal Maharaj to probe complaints related to the film ‘Kedarnath’. The government will take a decision on screening the movie in Uttarakhand after the committee submits its report.

Uttar Pradesh  In a first, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved the setting up of a political training institute in Ghaziabad.  The Uttar Pradesh government approved the proposal to rename Allahabad as ‘Prayagraj’.  The Uttar Pradesh government has made the man-animal conflict a ‘State Declared Disaster’ bringing such incidents under the ambit of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to ensure better coordination and relief during such mishaps in the state.  South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook will be the Chief Guest at the Deepotsav event being organised by the Uttar Pradesh government on November 6.  The Minister for Women & Child Development, Smt , along with Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Adityanath Yogi inaugurated the widows’ home ‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Krishna Kutir is a special home for 1000 widows set up by the Ministry of Women & Child Development under Swadhar Greh scheme of the Ministry and is the largest ever facility of its kind created by a government organization. It has been constructed at a cost of 57.48 Crores.  In Uttar Pradesh, Rail Minister Piyush Goyal along with Chief Minister of State Yogi Adityanath launched the official website of Kumbh Mela, 2019 in Lucknow. They also launched a social media App related to the Mela. The website www.kumbh.gov.in provides detail about location, trains, accessibility, weather and accommodations which will be a great help for pilgrims.  Lucknow’s famous ‘Hazratganj Chauraha’ will be renamed after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as ‘Atal Chowk’.  The Lucknow Municipal Corporation launched an anti-open defecation campaign, titled “Khule me shauch ki ghanti bajao – siti bajao” (whistleblowing campaign against open defection), in line with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision to make the capital city Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2.  Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said that the state would become open defecation free by October 2, 2019, with his government constructed over 1.36 crore toilets in the last 17 months.  The Uttar Pradesh Police are set to launch a first of its kind dial-FIR scheme in the country where a common man can register regular crimes without going to a police station even as it is preparing an online photographic dossier of criminals that will be provided to policemen on 22,000 new i-pads.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will undertake an exhaustive study in Uttar Pradesh to add value to mango growing, guava, potato and pulse farming, and submit a report to the state government.  Uttar Pradesh Governor and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled a stature of BJP ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on the Agra University campus.

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 The state Cabinet cleared the proposal to rename Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively. The decision was taken on the basis of a proposal submitted by the Faizabad district magistrate on November 10.  PM Narendra Modi dedicated first multi-modal terminal constructed on river Ganga in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.  The city of Lucknow will soon see exclusive women police outposts for facilitating filing of complaints by women, pink toilets, improved public transport services for women and exclusive women power line, with the city being selected for the Safe City project by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).  South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Queen Huh Memorial at Queen Huh Park in Ayodhya.  Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district will be known as Ayodhya after the temple town that is home to the Ram temple, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He also announced a medical college named after King Dashrath, Ram’s father, and an airport to be called Raja Ram.  Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government renamed the newly-constructed Ekana International Stadium in Lucknow after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The stadium will now be known as ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium’. The stadium has a seating capacity of around 50,000.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two important national highways in Varanasi on November 12, having a total length of 34 kilometres and constructed at a cost of Rs 1,571.95 crore.  India’s first specialized hospital for elephants was formally opened by Agra Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar at Farah block’s Churmura village, Mathura.  Known for its hand-woven carpets around the world, Bhadohi received a major boost as the government has extended the ‘export excellence’ tag to it.  Uttar Pradesh government will install a 221-metre bronze statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh principal secretary (information) Avanish Awasthi said. The height of the actual statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal would be 50 metres. A museum would be housed at the pedestal.  The government said it has given its nod to develop a Rs 156 crore freight village in Varanasi adjoining the inland waterways terminal on river Ganga that will boost the logistics industry in the holy city.  A 25 feet high statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be installed in the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced. He was speaking at a function held to celebrate the 94th birth anniversary of the late leader.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) at the campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi.

West Bengal  Major General A.K. Sanyal, General Officer Commanding, Bengal Sub-area, inaugurated State Bank of India (SBI)’s e- facilitation and e-corner facility for Indian army veterans at the Army Complex near Fort William, Kolkata.  Observing the National Nutrition Week, West Bengal chief minister said that the state government has adopted a multi-sectoral strategy to reduce under-nutrition and anaemia among women and children in a targeted manner by 2020.  In an attempt to combat human trafficking, the West Bengal government has rolled out a scheme, Swayangsiddha, in different districts of the State. Swayangsiddha, which means self-reliance, will be executed by the West Bengal Police.  The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) began at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal.

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 In a one-of-its-kind initiative, a private firm, in association with the state government, is set to build a world-class autism township near Kolkata, where children and adults suffering from the developmental disorder can receive training, treatment and boarding facilities.

Finance and Banking News  The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization collectively sought liberalisation of the global service sector, asserting that the barriers to these services trade currently is roughly as high as those to trade in goods about a half century ago. The report “Reinvigorating Trade and Inclusive Growth” brought out collectively by the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.  RBI approved the proposal of Kerala government for the formation of Kerala Bank. RBI approved formation of ‘Kerala Bank’ having Rs 650 bn in deposits. The decision was taken by special task force headed by Chairman M S Sriram. The bank will be formed by consolidating State Cooperative Bank and the 14 district cooperatives.  The Reserve Bank issued guidelines for operating Electronic Trading Platforms (ETPs) to transact in eligible instruments. Trading on electronic platforms is being encouraged across the world as it enhances pricing transparency, processing efficiency and risk control. An entity seeking authorisation as an ETP operator under the directions will maintain a minimum net-worth of Rs 5 crore.  The Reserve Bank of India increased lenders’ single borrower exposure limit for Non-Banking Finance Companies which do not finance infrastructure, from 10% to 15% of capital funds, until December 31, 2018.  In a move aimed at promoting digital transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released operational guidelines to facilitate payments among prepaid instruments (PPI) such as mobile wallets. The guidelines elaborate on requirements for achieving inter-operability for mobile wallets and cards, and norms for customer protection and grievance redressal. Interoperability is the technical compatibility that enables a payment system to be used in conjunction with other payment systems. Interoperability allows PPI issuers, system providers and system participants in different systems to undertake, clear and settle payment transactions across systems without participating in multiple systems.  Life insurer PNB Metlife has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered customer service app ‘Khushi’.  Syndicate Bank got Rs 728-cr capital infusion from government.  RBI lifted the ban on Fino Payments Bank to open new accounts.  The nation’s largest bank, State Bank of India launched its wealth business services by opening “SBI Wealth Hub” at the Lalbagh branch in Mangaluru. SBI is the first PSU bank in the country to introduce comprehensive wealth business services for its clients.  The Reserve Bank of India announced that it will inject Rs 36,000 crore liquidity into the system through purchase of government bonds in October to meet the festival season demand for funds. Rs 12,000 crore was injected on October 11  The Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has announced the closure of 51 branches across the country as part of cost- cutting measures being implemented in the banking industry.  The National Housing Bank (NHB) increased its refinance limit to Rs 30,000 crore to make more funds available to eligible housing finance companies.  State Bank of India has signed an MoU with Kathmandu-based National Banking Institute (NBI) for the development of human resources of the latter.

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 IDFC Bank has proposed to change its name to ‘IDFC First Bank Ltd’ as it is in the process of amalgamating non- banking financial company Capital First with itself.  The government along with UN body FAO has launched an agriculture project with USD 33.5 million grant from Global Environment Facility (GEF) that seeks to bring transformative change in the farm sector through conservation of biodiversity and forest landscapes.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will ease the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) norms from October to induce liquidity into the financial system, amid concerns of a credit crunch. The increase in ‘Facility to Avail Liquidity for Liquidity Coverage Ratio’ (FALLCR), will effect from October 1, 2018, from the existing 11 per cent to 13 per cent will take the carve out from SLR available to banks to 15 per cent of their NDTL (Net Demand and Time Liabilities)”.  RBI has withdrawn the general permission given to Bandhan Bank to open new branches and it can now do so only with prior approval of the central bank.  The RBI has cancelled the licence of Rajasthan-based Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.  RBI asked all scheduled commercial banks with more than 10 branches to appoint an internal ombudsman (IO). The apex bank has, however, excluded regional rural banks (RRBs) from appointing IOs. The internal ombudsman scheme was introduced by the RBI to strengthen the internal grievance of banks and to ensure that the complaints of the customers are redressed. In order to further enhance the independence of the IO and also to strengthen the monitoring system over functioning of the IO mechanism, the central bank said it has reviewed the arrangement in the form of ‘Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018’.  RBI told banks to share a maximum 80% credit risk when they originate priority sector loans jointly with non- banking finance companies (NBFCs). The regulator also said the lenders will charge a single interest rate to borrowers.  Moving ahead with consolidation of public sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank. The merged entity or amalgamated bank would be India’s third largest.  PayU India has received RBI’s approval to operate its own non-banking financial company (NBFC).  India Post Payments Bank and Bajaj Allianz announced a five-year partnership to sell life insurance products on a revenue share basis.  The State Bank of India (SBI) asked non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) not to worry about credit availability as it would continue to support them.  Fitch Ratings placed Bank of Baroda’s (BoB) viability rating on ‘rating watch negative’ following the government announcement to merge it with Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank.  RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of its directives.  Karur Vysya Bank Ltd (KVB) has rolled out KVB Next, a tab-based digital initiative.The initiative is intended to help eligible retail and business customers get in principle sanctions for their loans within 15 minutes.  HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the `WPP and Kantar Millward Brown’s BrandZ 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands’ ranking, with a rise of 21 per cent in its brand value to USD 21.7 billion.  Private sector non-life insurer HDFC Ergo has launched a personal cyber insurance policy that will provide cover to individuals and families from cyber crimes, including cyber attacks, identity theft, phishing, and reputational risks such as bullying and trolling.  Airtel Payment Bank, India’s first payments bank, has announced that its customers can now make card-less cash withdrawals at over 100,000 ATMs across India.  The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore each on three public sector banks for non-compliance with its directions on “Fraud – Classification and Reporting”. According to the RBI, the penalty was imposed individually on all the three banks — Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, Union Bank of India — on August 30, 2018.

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 Micro, small and medium enterprises will now be able to get quick overdraft of up to Rs 1 crore for working capital requirements, based on their goods and services tax (GST) returns. ICICI Bank announced the facility known as ‘GST Business Loan’ and said it would be available to any such business, including non-customers of the bank.  Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with online financial services company RupeeBoss.com for the integration of the bank’s chat bot based platform to support instant loan eligibilities for its several loan products.  Leading life insurance brand ICICI Prudential Life has partnered with India’s largest urban co-operative bank Saraswat Co-operative to offer life insurance products ranging from protection to wealth creation.  The Reserve Bank imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore each on Deutsche Bank and state-owned Jammu and Kashmir Bank for non-compliance of various norms, including asset classification and KYC.  The Reserve Bank of India, permitted banks to grant partial credit enhancement (PCE) to bonds issued by non- banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies, listed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Housing Bank respectively.  Mumbai-based newly-licenced bank Fino Payments Bank has been slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore by the central bank. Fino Payments Bank was asked to stop all account opening activities after the RBI found out that there were few accounts with the bank with deposits in excess of Rs 1 lakh, which goes against the licensing criteria of a payments bank.  State-run Allahabad Bank said the Centre is infusing Rs 3,054 crore into it during the current fiscal. The lender’s capital adequacy ratio as per Basel-III stood at 6.88 per cent by end of the first quarter of the current fiscal and the government owned a 71.81 per cent stake in Allahabad Bank at the end of first quarter of FY19.  India pledged contributions of $13.36 million for the various UN agencies and development activities. India’s pledged contributions include $4.5 million to the UN Development Programme, $5 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Near East, $1.92 million to the World Food Programme.  The Reserve Bank of India is likely to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March to take the load off the increasing number of complaints currently being handled by the banking ombudsman.  Sunil Mehta, the chairman of a bankers’ panel working on faster resolution of stressed assets in public sector banks, said an Asset Management Company (AMC) for resolving large bad loans has been formed and will be called as Sashakt India Asset Management.  Karnataka Bank has launched Current & Savings Accounts campaign (CASA) of FY 2018-19 and introduced a new SB scheme ‘KBL SB – TASC’ a specialized product forTrusts/Associates/Societies/Clubs.  The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Central Board decided to constitute a Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) of the Central bank to examine the framework for banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA).  Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Limited, launched personal loan facility for salaried professionals making it the first small finance bank in India to offer this.  The European Investment Bank and State Bank of India have formally agreed to finance the renewable energy sector by providing new support for wind energy projects across India. Under the agreement, promoters of onshore wind projects will be able to benefit from long-term low cost financing under a dedicated €600-million renewable energy financing programme already supporting large scale solar investment across India.  The government will infuse Rs 42,000 crore in the state-owned banks by March-end and the next tranche would be released by mid-December. Close to Rs 42,000 crore remain to be infused as capital in public sector banks in the current financial year.  Leading Investment Bank Axis Capital said its MD & CEO Dharmesh Mehta has stepped down. The bank also said it has elevated Salil Pitale and Chirag Negandhi as Joint Managing Directors and Co-Chief Executive Officer.

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 SEBI renamed ‘Institutional Trading Platform’ (ITP) of start-ups’ listings as ‘Innovators Growth Platform’.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre has decided to increase its contribution to the NPS for the central government employees to 14 per cent and also made the entire withdrawal amount tax free at the time of retirement.  Reserve Bank of India has allowed Bandhan Bank to open as many as 40 more branches, first time after it put a restriction on the bank’s branch opening spree three months back. RBI has come down heavily on Bandhan Bank in the last week of September for its failure to bring down promoters’ stake to 40% as per the licensing agreement. The regulator barred the bank from opening branches without prior approval.  The RBI said NSFR norms that mandate banks to maintain a stable funding profile in relation to the composition of their assets and off-balance sheet activities will be operational from April 2020.  The Reserve Bank of India said it has approved merger of SBM (Mauritius), India with SBM Bank (India). The Reserve Bank of India has sanctioned the Scheme of amalgamation of the entire undertaking of SBM Bank (Mauritius) Limited, India with SBM Bank (India) Limited which has been granted licence by the Reserve Bank to carry on the business of banking in India through Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) mode under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.  ICICI Securities, along with the BSE, has launched a facility wherein clients of the domestic brokerage entity would be able to receive the pay-out within 30 minutes of selling the shares. This is much quicker than the current system in which it takes at least two days after the transaction for investors to get the money in their bank account.  State Bank of India has roped in Asian Games gold medalist Swapna Barman as brand ambassador for its digital app YONO.  HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s leading private sector general insurance company and Federal Bank, announced tie-up for the distribution of HDFC ERGO’s range of non-life insurance offerings to the customers of the Bank through its network branches.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that government will infuse Rs 83,000 crore in public sector banks in the next few months of the current fiscal. The government proposed a bill in the Parliament seeking approval for additional recap bonds of Rs 41,000 crore in the state-owned banks through the second batch of supplementary demands for grants.  New generation private sector IDFC Bank and non-banking financial company Capital First announced completion of their merger, creating a combined loan asset book of Rs 1.03 trillion for the merged entity IDFC First Bank.  State-owned United Bank of India said the government has decided to infuse Rs 2,159 crore in the bank as part of Rs 28,615 crore capital infusion to be done in about half a dozen banks. The government has decided to pump Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds soon.  India’s institutional framework to support microfinance would get a boost with Reserve Bank of India clearing a proposal to dig in an existing Rs 1000-crore corpus for funding micro lenders. The development bank will now use the money to offer soft loans to Micro Financial Institutions (MFIs) on a condition that end borrowers should get loans at 15-17% rate, which is significantly lower than the prevailing 20-22% market rate.  The Reserve Bank has increased the withdrawal limit for depositors of City Co-operative Bank Ltd, Mumbai, to Rs 5,000. Amid weakening of the financial position of the cooperative bank, the RBI in April had imposed several restrictions on it, including limiting the withdrawal by depositors to Rs 1,000.  ICICI Bank has topped the list of banks with maximum number of employees on whom action has been taken in the last three years for involvement in frauds. In the last three years, action has been taken against 13,949 bank officials belonging to 60 PSU banks and private banks.

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 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the enhanced single borrower limit facility for NBFC sector by another 3 months, till March 31, to provide much needed liquidity support. This facility was valid till December 31, 2018.  Recovery of Indian banks improved in 2017-18 after the implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and amendment of the Sarfaesi Act, according to the Trends and Progress Report. The central bank corrected data for the IBC recovery.  The number of ATMs has declined marginally to 2.07 lakh in FY18 from 2.08 lakh in FY17, primarily due to branch rationalisation by a few public sector banks, the Reserve Bank said in its annual report. In FY18, the number of ATMs of state-run banks declined to 1.45 lakh from 1.48 lakh in FY17,” the RBI said in the ‘Trends & Progress of Banking in 2017-18’ report.  ESAF small finance bank which received the first banking license in Kerala since independence has got RBI approval to operate as scheduled bank. This makes Thrissur-based ESAF small finance bank (SFB) the fifth scheduled bank from Kerala.  The government has amalgamated three Regional Rural Banks — Punjab Gramin Bank, Malwa Gramin Bank and Gramin Bank — into a single RRB with effect from January 1.  The Union cabinet has approved the merger of public sector lenders Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda (BoB).  Banks have seen a significant improvement in recovery of stressed assets helped by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and amendments in the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests (SARFAESI) Act, during FY18, according to the RBI data. In the fiscal ended March 2018, banks recovered Rs 40,400 crore worth of bad loans as against Rs 38,500 crore recovered in FY17.  Public sector banks’ provision coverage ratio which measures the provisioning for bad loans has gone up from less than 50 per cent in 2015 to 66.85 per cent as of September 2018, reflecting improvement in their financial health.  The Reserve Bank of India has extended the relaxation offered to banks for offering liquidity support to NBFCs up to March 31.  According to RBI Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, the number of complaints registered at banking ombudsman offices have seen a 25% increase in the fiscal year 2018, with majority of these complaints coming from urban centres owing to increased awareness and poor internal redressal mechanisms of banks.

According to Financial Stability Report by Reserve Bank of India (RBI)  The asset quality of banks showed improvement with gross non performing assets’ (GNPAs) ratio declining to 10.8 per cent in September 2018 from 11.5 per cent in March 2018.  The balance sheet size of non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) grew by 17.2 per cent to Rs 26 trillion in September 2018 from Rs 22.2 trillion in September 2017

Business News  Reliance Health Insurance has got the R3 approval from Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI)  Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm said it registered over 137 million UPI transactions in September, becoming the leading contributor to Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments with over 33 per cent of the overall market share. The company also announced the launch of its Spam-proof “SMS Inbox” as part of its “Paytm Inbox”.  Tata Communications, a leading global digital infrastructure provider, is acquiring Teleena, a Netherlands-based Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity specialist and mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).  Bharti Airtel has acquired technology of artificial intelligence (AI) service provider AuthMe ID Services.

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 Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has acquired Glint, a California-based employee engagement company that helps organisations get feedback from employees.  Microsoft completes $7.5 billion acquisition of GitHub  IBM to acquire Red Hat for $34 bn  Domestic mobile wallet player, MobiKwik announced its foray into India’s wealth management market with the acquisition of Clearfunds, an online mutual fund investment platform based out of Mumbai, for an undisclosed amount.  MobiKwik announced the launch of its breakthrough product called ‘Boost’, that offers instant loan approval and disbursal to MobiKwik users. MobiKwik is the first wallet player to disburse loan amount in the user’s mobile wallet. Users can apply for loans ranging from Rs. 5,000 upto Rs 60,000 through MobiKwik app.  E-commerce major Flipkart has partnered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to offer customised insurance solutions to power its mobile phone protection programme for all leading mobile phone brands that are sold on its platform.  Paytm has launched a QR-based smartphone payment settlement service in Japan in collaboration with SoftBank and Yahoo Japan Corporation.  Google’s social network, Google +, was announced by the tech giant to be shutting down over a reported failure to reveal a security issue that affected hundreds of thousands of accounts.  Tech major IBM India and NITI Aayog announced an internship programme for the top performing under-18 students selected by the ATAL Innovation Mission, a flagship programme of the government to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd’s quarterly earnings from the financial sector have edged past that of Accenture Plc, which is nearly double its size, making the Mumbai-based company the world’s largest pure-play information technology (IT) and consulting firm servicing mega banks and insurers.  In a move aimed at creating a payments acceptance network for unorganized retail including small merchants and kirana stores where consumers can make payments, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with Financial Software and Systems (FSS), a payments technology company to ensure that micro-merchants are able to accept payments over any channel – online, unified payments interface (UPI), quick-response (QR) codes, Aadhaar and IPPB accounts.  Unlimit, the only end-to-end IoT service provider in India, part of Reliance ADA Group, announced its partnership with State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The partnership provides comprehensive Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services to the enterprise customers across India. Through this partnership, Unlimit will leverage BSNL’s ubiquitous and seamless wireless network footprint pan India to provide its solutions and services across industries.  Cisco, a U.S.-based firm, that makes networking telecommunications equipment, has signed two agreements with the NITI Aayog and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to speed up its Country Digital Acceleration programme in India.  Infosys announced a definitive agreement to acquire Fluido, a salesforce advisor and consulting partner in Nordics that has expertise in cloud consulting, implementation and training services.  The board of Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) has approved the merger of its unit Aditya Birla Telecom Ltd. (ABTL) with itself, moving a step closer towards monetizing the company’s 11.15% stake in Indus Towers to pare debt.  State-run telecom firm BSNL has inked a pact with Japan’s Softbank and NTT Communications to roll out 5G and internet of things (IoT) technology in India.

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 Apple announced it has completed the acquisition of Shazam, one of the world’s most popular music recognition mobile apps. Apple struck a deal with Shazam for a likely sum of nearly $400 million.  Flipkart has acquired an Israel-based analytics start-up called Upstream Commerce, as India’s largest online retailer looks to help its massive seller base with services such as real-time pricing and product assortment information.  Global professional services company Accenture has announced that it has acquired Systems, Applications and Products (SAP)-based provider Intrigo Systems for an undisclosed sum.  The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has acquired IDFC Infrastructure Finance (IDFC-IFL), an infrastructure debt fund. This acquisition is the first investment from NIIF’s strategic fund. The acquisition will allow NIIF to play a meaningful role in the private debt space in Indian Infrastructure.  Global IT company Tata Consultancy Services announced the acquisition of W12 Studios, an award-winning digital design studio based in London, for an undisclosed sum.  Microsoft has announced to acquire a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bot development company XOXCO for an undisclosed sum.  IndusInd Bank has launched the IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card, the first interactive Credit Card in India with buttons which provides customers with the flexibility of three payment options at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal – Credit, Converting Transactions into EMIs with 4 tenure options (6, 12, 18 & 24 months) or using accumulated Reward Points, by simply pushing a button on the card.  Online fashion retailer Myntra said it will completely integrate its sister company Jabong, which will continue to operate as a separate brand. Myntra chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan will lead the Myntra-Jabong team.  Paytm and arch rival Mobikwik, have simultaneously announced entry into online insurance payments and purchase of digital insurance on their platforms, respectively.  Further easing the External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) norms, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced the mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from 100 per cent.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) eased the minimum holding period (MHP) norm for the NBFC sector companies to sell or securitise their loans in order to ease the liquidity crunch.  The Central government has decided to transfer Air India’s debt worth Rs 29,000 crore to a special purpose vehicle (SPV).  In a bid to further cement its position in the global music space, Apple has reportedly acquired London-based creative services and music start-up Platoon for an undisclosed sum.  Media consumption in India grew at an annual per capita rate of 9 per cent over the last six years, far outpacing the US and China in this regard, according to a joint report released by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Consulting Group (BCG).  The chief executive officer of Myntra, a unit of Walmart Inc-owned Flipkart. Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan‘s position will be abolished as Flipkart’s Amar Nagaram is set to head the unit.  The number of smartphone users is expected to double to 829 million by 2022 from 404.1 million in 2017, projects a new Cisco report. This proliferation of smart devices will propel India’s per capita data consumption to nearly 14 gigabytes (GB) by 2022 from 2.4 GB in 2017, according to Cisco’s latest “Visual Networking Index (VNI)” report.  FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) said its board has approved the merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH India) through an-all equity deal, valuing the total business of the latter at Rs. 31,700 crore.  The government has constituted a seven-member panel to select managing directors of public sector insurance companies. The panel would be headed by Banks Board Bureau (BBB) chairman B P Sharma.

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 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has shortlisted six major IT companies, including TCS, Wipro and IBM India, to set up a digital public credit registry (PCR) for capturing details of all borrowers and wilful defaulters.  Investments in the Indian capital market through participatory notes climbed to Rs 79,247 crore in November after hitting a nine-and-a-half year low at the end of preceding month.  P-notes are issued by registered foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to overseas investors who wish to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly.  Tightening norms for e-commerce firms having foreign investment, the government barred online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon from selling products of companies where they hold stakes and banned exclusive marketing arrangements that could influence product price.  Leading private insurer SBI Life Insurance said it has signed a ‘bancassurance’ pact, with state-run Allahabad Bank to offer a financial planning solution to consumers.  Google has acquired a start-up named Superpod that built an app allowing users to post questions and receive answers from experts quickly — a move that will help boost Google Assistant’s ability to accurately answer users’ questions.  ICICI Bank and Small Business FinCredit India Pvt Ltd (SBFC) will jointly provide loans worth up to Rs 1 crore to the small and medium enterprises.  HDFC Mutual Fund has piped ICICI Prudential MF to become the country’s largest asset management company after a gap of over two years.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed Paytm Payments Bank to restart opening new accounts for its consumers after almost six months of the ban.

Economy News  World Bank: East Asia-Pacific to grow 6.3% in 2018  World Bank: India projected to accelerate to 7.3 per cent in the 2018-19 fiscal and 7.5 per cent in the next two years.  In its World Economic Outlook, the IMF said India will grow 7.3% in FY19 and 7.4% in FY20  UNCTAD expects India’s GDP to rise 7% in 2018.  India’s external debt declined 2.8 per cent to USD 514.4 billion at June-end over the previous quarter on account of a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs) from lenders under the automatic route. The RBI decision comes on the back of a fast depreciating rupee and rising oil prices.  Gross direct tax collection in the first six months of the financial year grew 16.7 percent to Rs 5.47 lakh crore.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed new norms for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to attract long-term and stable FPI investments into debt markets while allowing them operational flexibility.  The Reserve Bank of India’s September round of the Consumer Confidence Survey — reflecting households’ perceptions and expectations on the general economic situation, the employment scenario, the overall price situation and their own income and spending showed the consumers are pessimistic about the current situation. Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 94.8 points, down from 98.3 in the previous June 2018 round of the survey.

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 The Centre has notified a higher interest rate of 8% for the non-government provident, superannuation, and gratuity funds, effective from October 1.  The government has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4 percentage points to 8 per cent for the October-December quarter.  The share of private investments in the infrastructure sector has fallen to a decadal low of around 25 per cent in FY18 steeply down from a high of 37 per cent in FY08, says a report.  Driven by increased Cloud adoption, worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.8 trillion in 2019, an increase of 3.2 per cent from expected spending of $3.7 trillion in 2018, according to the latest forecast by market research firm Gartner.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it will maintain its growth forecast for this year in Asia at 6 percent but warned of the fallout of the ongoing trade tensions between China and the US for the region. For 2019, the ADB has cut its growth prospects slightly to 5.8 percent, according to the latest update of the bank’s annual Asian Development Outlook.  India is expected to grow at a healthy 7.3% in fiscal year 2018, helped by improved domestic demand and a steady revival in industrial growth, the Asian Development Bank said in a new report. The ADB kept its growth forecasts unchanged at 7.3% for 2018 and 7.6% for 2019.  The Finance Ministry expressed the hope that economy may expand at 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal  Fitch Ratings upped India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.8% from 7.4% earlier, but flagged rising oil bill and higher interest rates as key concerns.  Economic policy think-tank NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research – HQ: Delhi) has retained India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal at 7.4 per cent citing comfortable agricultural sector outlook and a marked improvement in the external sector.  India is approaching towards USD 100 billion FDI inflow per annum by 2022 as volumes of foreign direct investment are increasing year after year.  The country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $1.3 billion to $401.790 billion in the week to September 21, helped by a rise in foreign currency assets.  The World Bank has endorsed an ambitious five-year framework for India under which it is expected to receive $25- 30 billion in financial support for its transition from a low-middle income to a high-middle income country.  In a report titled ‘A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia’, World bank estimates India’s potential trade in goods with South Asia at $62 billion against its actual trade of $19 billion, which is a mere 3% of its global trade and about $43 billion below its potential.  The RBI tweaked norms for exchange of mutilated notes following the introduction of Rs. 2,000, Rs.200 and other lower denomination currencies. Post demonetisation in November 2016, the Reserve Bank introduced Rs.200 and Rs.2,000 notes. Besides, it came out with smaller notes of Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100 and Rs.500. Public can exchange mutilated or defective notes at RBI offices and designated bank branches across the country for either full or half value, depending upon the condition of the currency. Making amendments to the RBI (Note Refund) Rules, 2009, the central bank said this has been done to enable the public to exchange mutilated notes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) series, which are smaller compared to the earlier series.  RBI liberalised some aspects of the external commercial borrowings (ECBs) policy including those related to rupee- denominated bonds to help check rupee depreciation. Till date, ECB up to $50 million or its equivalent could be raised by eligible borrowers with minimum average maturity period of three years. The decision to revise the minimum average maturity period of three years to one year.

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 Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said that India is committed to be a five trillion dollar economy by 2025 while addressing at the India-Malta Business Forum in Floriana, Malta.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the new insolvency law, indirect tax regime and demonetization will help drive India’s growth rate and sustain it at 8 per cent.  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) is working on the guidelines for ‘Sandbox’ method which will allow insurers to test products in a particular geography or among a set of few policyholders before they are available in the market. The regulator has also asked insurance firms to come out with long-term health insurance policies, which are currently only available in two wheeler and four wheeler insurance.  The compulsory personal accident cover for owner-driven vehicles under motor insurance policies has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 15 lakh.  In a relief to foreign investors worried over new know your customer (KYC) and beneficiary ownership norms, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) initiated a public consultation process for finalizing the new guidelines, after a high-powered panel suggested changes on several contentious proposals and more time for compliance. The report was submitted by a panel headed by HR Khan, former deputy governor of the RBI.  The government is determined to keep fiscal deficit within the budgeted level of 3.3 per cent of GDP as the country cannot afford to have a twin deficit problem.  The foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector rose to USD 6.2 billion in the last fiscal, a near five-fold increase from USD 1.3 billion in 2015-16  Around 22.5 crore e-way bills have been generated across India till September 13 since the new electronic billing system was introduced on April 1, the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) said.  The country’s current account deficit (CAD) as a percentage of GDP declined marginally to 2.4% in the April-June quarter of fiscal 2019 against 2.5% in the year ago period, RBI data showed. The rupee is declining against the US dollar due to global factors as well as concerns of higher trade deficit on account of sustained high crude oil prices.  Mauritius remained the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, whereas total FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the financial year, a marginal rise over the $36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal, according to RBI data.  The Indian insurance industry is expected to grow to USD 280 billion by 2019-20 aided by the government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat and increasing awareness about need for protection, according to an Assocham-APAS study. Insurance penetration in the country reached 3.7 per cent in 2017 from 2.71 per cent in 2001.  According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s IoT (Internet of Things) service, Global Internet of Things (IoT) cellular connections will cross five billion mark by 2025 and China will continue to lead by contributing almost two- thirds of such connections.  By influencing purchases of credit cards, insurance and loans, mobiles will create $985 billion sales opportunity for financial services brands in India by 2022, says a new Facebook-KPMG report titled “Eliminating friction in financial services path to purchase”.  Smartphone users in India are consuming an average 1GB data per day from an average 4GB a month not long ago and spending more than 90 minutes on online activities daily across the entry-level, mid and premium segments, the “Nielsen Smartphone 2018” report said.  More than a billion smartphones will be sold in India over the next five years, taking the number of users to surpass 700 million by 2022, Counterpoint Research said.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would inject Rs 12,000 crore into the market by purchasing government securities. The decision comes amid concerns of a liquidity crisis in the economy after the financial services company Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) reported defaults in September.

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 Driven by digital business transformation initiatives from both private and public enterprises, India’s IT spending is poised to hit $89.2 billion in 2019, an increase of 6.7 per cent from the estimated spending of $83.6 billion in 2018, Gartner said.  CCEA (Cabinet Committee On Economic Affairs) approves disinvestment of 100% Govt stake in Dredging Corporation of India. The government currently holds 73.44 per cent in Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCIL).  Kirloskar Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL), has received RBI licence to start a non- banking financial company (NBFC). The company plans to lend more than Rs. 1,000 crore over the next three years. The initial focus will be on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises by leveraging its distribution network.  The Reserve Bank has initiated steps to set up a wide-based digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture details of all borrowers, including wilful defaulters and also the pending legal suits in order to check financial delinquencies.  The Indian economy will expand 7.4 per cent in 2018, but the growth will slow down to 7.3 per cent in the next year as domestic demand tapers on higher borrowing cost due to rising interest rates, Moody’s Investors Service said.  Unemployment rate in the country rose to 6.9% in October, the highest in two years, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Worse still, the labour participation rate, a measure of the proportion of adults willing to work fell to 42.4%, the lowest since January 2016.  Credit rating agency Fitch affirmed India’s ‘Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating’ (IDR) at ‘BBB-‘with a stable outlook.  National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched a mobile application and web-based platform for retail investors to buy government securities. The new app NSE goBID, was launched by Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi.  India Skills Report which is a joint initiative of Wheebox, a Global Talent Assessment Company, PeopleStrong, a leading HR Tech Company and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated that Employability continues to rise thus reaching a new high of 47% this year, An incremental change of almost 2-3 percentage points since last year and a huge change of over 15% points in the past 5 years.  India ’s economic growth will slow down somewhat but remain robust, at close to 7.50% in 2019 and 2020, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said in its 2018 Economic Outlook. India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.7% in 2017-18.  Ahead of the official release of the second-quarter GDP figures, State Bank of India (SBI) estimated the country’s economy to expand by 7.5-7.6 per cent, slower than the prior quarter, mainly on account of a slowdown in rural demand.  The government has increased the outlay by Rs 100 crore to Rs 895 crore for the first phase of the FAME Indiascheme to promote mass adoption of electric vehicles, having extended the scheme four times.  Total credit flow from banks to the commercial sector grew at 15.6 per cent year-on-year at Rs 97.32 trillion, the highest growth since demonetisation, according to an RBI data. The adjusted non-food bank credit stood at Rs 84.22 trillion in the year-ago fortnight.  India’s latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures came as a disappointment after it came down from 8.2%, registered in the first quarter (April-June) of the year 2018, to 7.1% in the second quarter (July-September).  Indian economy is projected to grow at 7-7.4 per cent in the current fiscal, economic policy think-tank NCAER said.  According to a report by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the real agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) is envisaged to grow at 3 per cent and real industry GVA at 7 per cent in 2018-19.  Fitch Ratings slashed India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.2 per cent for current fiscal, from 7.8 per cent projected in September, citing higher financing cost and reduced credit availability.

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 The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has approved India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said in New Delhi. Singh had made the demand in August this year, which has been accepted by the ongoing FAO Council in Rome.  The government has extended the last date of filing annual Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns by three months till March 31, 2019 providing much-needed relief to businesses struggling to comply with the year-end deadline.  India is expected to receive a total remittance of $80 billion in 2018, said the latest edition of the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief. Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, with remittances expected to total $80 billion this year, followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each), and Egypt ($26 billion).  India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to 2.9 per cent of the GDP in the second quarter of the fiscal compared to 1.1 per cent in the year-ago period, mainly due to a large trade deficit, the RBI said.  The CAD, or the difference between outflow and inflow of foreign exchange in the country’s current account, was USD 19.1 billion during the quarter ended September 30, 2018.  The Asian Development Bank retained India’s economic growth forecast at 7.3 per cent for the current fiscal and 7.6 per cent for 2019-20, despite downside risks posed by stress in the non-banking sector, limited fiscal space as well as escalating trade tensions.  India has the fastest growing online retail market among top global economies. The country’s online retail market witnessed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53% for the period 2013 to 2017, according to a latest report by consultancy firm Bain & Company.  Moody’s Investors Service’s annual Banking System Outlook on India estimated the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) for the current financial year and next fiscal to grow at 7.2 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said about 60 thousand crore rupees would be spent on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA this year.  Crisil cut India’s growth forecast for current financial year to 7.4 per cent on the back of weakening global GDP and trade growth. India’s growth in the July-September quarter slipped to 7.1 per cent from 8.2 per cent in the April- June quarter.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) pegged India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the financial year 2018-19 at 7.4 per cent and 7.2 per cent in H2.  In view of the “current and evolving macroeconomic situation” in the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.5 per cent. The decision was taken at the fifth bi-monthly meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI.  Assuming a normal monsoon in 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that inflation is likely to stay in the range of “2.7-3.2 per cent in H2 of 2018-19 and 3.8-4.2 per cent in H1 of 2019-20, with risks tilted to the upside.”  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a cap on the outstanding stock of external commercial borrowings (ECB) at 6.5 per cent of GDP at current market prices. Based on the gross domestic product (GDP) figures at March-end 2018, the soft limit works out to USD 160 billion for the current financial year.  India’s budgetary fiscal deficit for the April-November period at Rs 7.17 lakh crore has exceeded the target for the full fiscal, accounting for 114.8 per cent of the budgeted target of Rs 6.24 lakh crore, mainly owing to slow revenue growth during the period.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in consultation with the government, has set up a six-member committee to review the economic capital framework of the central bank. Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan will be the committee’s chairman and former Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan deputy chairman.

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 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a survey to understand the “Retail Payment Habits of Individuals” (SRPHi). According to the central bank, the survey will cover a sample of 6,000 individuals from different socio- economic background across six cities, viz., Delhi, Mumbai Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Guwahati.  India’s manufacturing sector growth as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with the base year 2011-12 has been consistently increasing over the past three years.  For the first time in two decades, India has been getting more foreign investment than its neighbour China. In 2018, India saw more than$38 billion of inbound deals compared with China’s $32 billion.  Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his annual address to the Parliament announced 2019 as the ‘Year of Active Investment and Social Development’ in the backdrop of proposed investments from India to boost economy of this Central Asian country.  In its ‘Growth Outlook for 2019’, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated that the GDP growth will be in the range of 7.5% in 2019.  In a measure of relief for the troubled micro and small industries segment, the RBI permitted a one-time restructuring of existing loans to MSMEs that are in default but ‘standard’ as on January 1, 2019, without an asset classification downgrade. The restructuring has to be implemented by March 31, 2020.  The direct tax-to-GDP ratio of 5.98 per cent achieved during 2017-18 fiscal is the best in the last 10 years, accoding to the finance ministry.  The Reserve Bank of India has decided to limit the liability of customers in case of unauthorised electronic payment transactions in Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) issued by non-banks.  Under new norms on customer liability, the regulator said frauds due to third-party breach where neither the customer nor the PPI issuer is at fault, there cannot be any liability for the customer, in case the incident in reported within three days.  If the fraud is reported between three and seven days, customer liability will amount to the transaction value or ₹10,000, whichever is lower.  For over seven days, the liability of the customer will be according to the board-approved policy of the PPI issuer.  After the customer reports the fraud, the PPI issuer has to credit the amount involved in the unauthorised transaction to the customer’s PPI within 10 days.

Small Saving Schemes (October-December)

Interest Rates:  Public Provident Fund: 8%  National Saving Certificates: 8%  Kisan Vikas Patras (KVPs): 7.%.  Senior Citizen’s Savings Scheme of five-year period: 8.7%  Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana for the girl child: 8.5%.  The government retained the interest on savings deposits at 4%, compounded annually.

Science & Technology  Stepping up space cooperation, India and France inked an agreement to collaborate on Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first human space mission. India plans to send three humans to space before 2022. The Indian Space Research

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Organisation’s mission is significant as it would make India one of the four countries in the world after Russia, US and China to launch a manned space flight.  The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 44th flight put into orbit two UK earth observation satellites in a textbook launch. NovaSAR is an S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite intended for forest mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring. S1-4 is a high resolution Optical Earth Observation Satellite, used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and for the disaster monitoring.  NASA’s only robot exploring the Asteroid Belt is about to die. So the space agency is hosting a live event to celebrate its discoveries.  In a bid to understand Earth’s ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, snow cover and permafrost, NASA successfully launched its Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. The satellite with a three-year mission was launched with liftoff aboard a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  In a major shot in the arm for paramilitary and police forces, scientists at a central research institute claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.  A planet-hunting orbital telescope designed to detect worlds beyond our solar system discovered two distant planets this week five months after its launch. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, better known as TESS, made an early discovery of “super-Earth” and “hot Earth” planets in solar systems at least 49 light-years away, marking the satellite’s first discovery since its April launch.  The Japanese space agency JAXA said that it has made history by successfully landing two unmanned rovers on an asteroid. The rovers are collectively known as MINERVA-II1. The space agency reported that MINERVA-II1 is the world’s first mobile exploration robot to land on the surface of an asteroid.  US space agency NASA has completed 60 years of human space exploration, discovering the world beyond Earth and developing new technologies.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted crucial tests to ensure smooth and precise landing of Vikram, the lander aboard Chandrayaan 2.  NASA has created a world record with its “supersonic parachute” for the Mars 2020 mission that survived 37,000 kg load and was deployed in just four-tenths of a second – twice the speed of sound. It was the fastest inflation in history of a parachute this size and created a peak load of almost 70,000 pounds (37,000 kg) of force.  NASA Retires Its Planet Hunter, the Kepler Space Telescope.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched GSLV-MK-III D2 carrying GSAT-29 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its workhouse rocket PSLV-C43 carrying India’s earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 other satellites from eight countries the US (23 satellites), Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland, Malaysia, Netherlands and Spain (one satellite each) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its heaviest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11, from the Spaceport in French Guiana.  As part of its proposed manned space mission, India will launch the Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) to improve data relay and communication links with its remote sensing/earth observation satellites.

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 ISRO launched its military communication satellite GSAT-7A from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The satellite GSAT- 7A is the 35th Indian communication satellite weighing 2,250 kg. GSAT-7A will be the first satellite built primarily for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to qualitatively unify its assets and improve combined, common intelligence during operations.  According to a top space official, India is planning to launch 32 space missions in 2019. The missions include the second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 to land on the moon with lander and rover. Defence News  Indian and Japanese armies are going to hold their first-ever joint military exercise between November 1 and 14, which will include conducting tactical drills against likely urban threats. The military exercise named ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN-2018’ will be held at Counter Insurgency Warfare School, Vairengte, in the state of Mizoram.  The sixth edition of IBSAMAR, a joint Multi-National Maritime Exercise between the Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies, is being held at Simons Town, South Africa.  The Indian and Vietnamese Coast Guards took part in joint exercises off Chennai to promote interoperability between the two maritime forces.  JIMEX-18, a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Japan, held in Visakhapatnam.  India successfully test-fired surface-to-surface short-range tactical ballistic missile Prahaar from a defence facility off Odisha coast.  Astra, the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), was successfully test-fired by the Indian Air Force from Su-30 aircraft from Air Force Station, Kalaikunda.  India along with 23 other nations, would be participating in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) IOWave18 on September 4 and 5, which would involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen states.  Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Army Exercise ‘KAZIND’ was conducted between the Indian and Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This was the third joint military exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena.  India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.  Armies of India and the US held their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from September 16 to 29 with an aim to enhance inter-operability between the two forces. The exercise will also focus on enhancing counter-terror cooperation.  The inaugural Military Field Training Exercise for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technological and Economic Cooperation nations called MILEX-18, started with a grand opening ceremony at Aundh Military Station, Pune.  Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ullanbaatar, Mongolia.  Exercise Aviaindra 18 (between India and Russia) is being conducted at Lipetsk, Russia from 17 Sep to 28 Sep 18 and will be conducted in Jodhpur, India from 10 Dec to 22 Dec 18.  Pakistan successfully test-fired Ghauri ballistic missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometers.  Ukraine has opened a series of large-scale air-force exercises with the United States and seven other NATO countries. The 12-day-long Clear Sky 2018 war games are being held in western Ukraine.  China‘s home-grown amphibious aircraft AG600, claimed by Beijing as the world’s largest, carried out its first take- off and landing on waters.

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 India, Japan and the U.S. are set to elevate the bilateral ‘Cope India’ air exercise to a trilateral format. The three countries already conduct naval war games under the expanded Malabar naval exercise.  Anil Ambani-led shipbuilder Reliance Naval and Engineering (RNEL) launched a 3,000-tonne training ship ‘ICGS Varuna’ for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which will be delivered in May next year.  The Indian Air Force said it has successfully carried out the first ever mid air refuelling of the indigenously developed Tejas light combat aircraft, a major milestone in its development cycle.  Indian Navy beat 22 Other Teams To Win KAKADU-18 Cup. KAKADU 2018 is a biannual joint exercise taking place both ashore and at sea off the coast of Darwin. The exercise KAKADU derives its name Kakadu National Park which is a protected area in the northern territory of Australia.  Nepal did not join the first-ever joint military drill among the armies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) members, which was hosted by India.  The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) will deliver its second submarine, Khanderi, to the Navy by the end of this year.  The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried out, placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes.  The Indian Coast Guard commissioned the indigenously built patrol vessel ‘Vijaya‘, fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment. The 98-metre ship will be based at Paradip in Odisha for extensive surveillance in the Exclusive Economic Zone.  Once ready, it will be India’s first, a force multiplier and cruise the country into a global elite club. Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first missile tracking ship by the first week of October.  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested a low-weight indigenously developed man-portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) at its Ahmednagar range.  India successfully conducted an interceptor missile (Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV)) test off the Odisha coast, achieving a major milestone in developing a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. India has become the 4th nation in the world to have a robust BMD system after US, Russia, and Israel with the successful testing of the anti- ballistic missile system.  India and Russia held joint military exercises “Exercise Indra 2018” in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh from November 18.  The first bilateral naval exercise named “Samudra Shakti” between the Indian and the Indonesian Navies was inaugurated in Surabaya, Indonesia giving further momentum to bilateral strategic partnership.  Armies of India and Japan began their first-ever joint military exercise at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation.  The Maharashtra state cabinet on cleared the decks for the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, now retired, to be converted into India’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre.  ICGS Varaha, the fourth in the series of 98 M offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) of Indian Coast Guard, was launched at L&T Kattupalli, Chennai, Tamil Nadu‎.  The 12-day long joint military exercise between India and the United States known as ‘Vajra Prahar’ commenced in Jaipur. A contingent of the United States Pacific Commander arrived at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges for undertaking Joint training with the Indian Special Forces.  India-UK joint naval exercise “Konkan-2018” has started at Goa and would go on till December 6. The Royal Navy of UK will be represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer equipped with an integral Wildcat helicopter.  The air forces of the United States and India are scheduled to participate in a 12-day- long joint exercise ‘Cope India 2019’ at two air force stations in West Bengal in December 2018.

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 Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) ships Varyag, Admiral Panteleyev and Boris Butoma arrived in Visakhapatnam to participate in INDRA NAVY-18, the bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Russian Federation Navy.  Ex Aviaindra 2018, a service-specific exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Russian Federation Aerospace Force (RFSAF) will commence at Air Force Station, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from December 10 to 21.  The Indian Navy will conduct a large-scale coastal defence exercise, ‘Exercise sea vigil’ next month to test the robustness of the entire coastal security apparatus.  The Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) is in India for a bilateral air exercise SHINYUU Maitri-18 with Indian Air Force from 03-07 December at A F Station Agra. The theme of the exercise is ‘Joint Mobility/Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft’.  India and China began the 7th round of their ‘Hand-in-Hand’ military drills in the Chinese city of Chengdu as part of the focussed efforts by the two militaries to improve ties after last year’s standoff at Doklam.  In an effort to have more intense relations with countries in the Indian Ocean region, India inaugurated an Information Fusion Centre — Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) which will work closely with countries in the region and will be manned by the Indian Navy.  India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable long-range Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-IV, with a strike range of 4,000 km. The test was part of a user trial by the Army. The strategic surface-to-surface missile was flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. Sports News

Tournament Winner Runner Up and other Info Under-19 Asia Cup India Sri Lanka Asian Champions Trophy (men’s hockey) India and Pakistan Asia Cup 2018 title (Venue: Dubai India Bangladesh International Stadium) SAFF Cup 2018 (Venue: Bangabandhu National Maldives India Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2018 FISU World University Netball Uganda South Africa Championship 24th Senior Women’s National Football Manipur Odisha Championships Puttaiah Memorial Cup Bengaluru FC Madras Engineering Group (MEG) 2018 WBL World Billiards Championship title Sourav Kothari Liuzhou International Challenger in Guangyuan Prajnesh Gunneswaran city, China 2018 Denmark Open (Badminton) Victor Denmark Championship (men’s singles) Wheelchair badminton player Sanjeev Kumar Victor Denmark Championship (men’s Wheelchair badminton player doubles) Sanjeev Kumar Panasonic Open India Khalin Joshi

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Asian Snooker Tour Pankaj Advani Ahmet Comert Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey Simranjit Kaur (64kg), Monika (48kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) claimed gold medals World Youth Boxing Championship in Sakshi Choudhary won Gold Budapest, Hungary 13th International Silesian Women’s Boxing M C Mary Kom won Gold Championships in Gliwice, International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Saurabh Chaudhary won Gold in Shooting World Championship in the 10m Air Pistol Junior event Changwon,South Korea ISSF World Championships Hriday Hazarika in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Junior event ISSF World Championships Om Prakash Mitharval won Gold in the men’s 50m pistol ISSF World Championships Ankur Mittal won Gold in the men’s double trap ISSF World Championships Udhayveer Singh wons Gold In Junior Men’s 25m Pistol Duleep Trophy India Blue India Red 58th National Open athletics championships Sharmila Kumari gold medal in the women’s javelin throw Asian Junior Squash title Yuvraj Wadhwani Held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu World Masters Athletics Championships in India’s oldest female athlete Man Malaga, Spain Kaur from Patiala won Gold SaarLorLux Open Badminton Championship Subhankar Dey Super 100 badminton tournament, Germany

World Kickboxing Championship in Argentina Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger Prajnesh Gunneswaran Saketh Myneni Chess India Blitz Tournament, Kolkata Hikaru Nakamura ATP Finals championship, London Alexander Zverev(Germany) Novak Djokovic Subroto Cup International Football Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Tournament Prothishtan(Junior Boys category) World Boxing Championships Mary Kom(48kg quarterfinals) 11th Asian Air Gun Championship Saurabh Chaudhary won Gold in junior men’s air pistol Women’s World T20(Sir Vivian Richards Australia Stadium in ‎ ,dtuoS htroN‎ ooa ri ioN )aiubrNi Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championship India’s C.A. Bhavani Devi(gold 2018 medal) Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy (Wujin The Netherland Australia Hockey Stadium in Changzhou China)

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Abu Dhabi GP Lewis Hamilton Fed Cup title Czech Republic USA Brazilian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Malaysian MotoGP Marc Marquez Suzuki’s Alex Rins Syed Modi International Championships, Sameer Verma ( men’s singles) Lucknow 2018 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Shubhankar Sharma Pune International Marathon Atlawim Debebe of Ethiopia Teshome Getachew 62nd National Shooting Championship Rajasthan’s Maheshwari Chauhan Punjab’s Ganemat Sekhon Competitions (NSCC) for shotgun events Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018(Kalinga Belgium Stadium, Bhubaneswar) US Kids Junior Golf World Championship in India’s Arjun Bhati Malaysia Chris Evert Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Simona Halep World No.1 Trophy Shanghai Masters 2018 Novak Djokovic Santo Domingo Open trophy and Miguel Angel Reyyes-Varela China Open (Tennis) in Beijing Caroline Wozniacki (Danish) US Open 2018 (Women’s Singles) Naomi Osaka US Open 2018 (Men’s Singles) Novak Djokovic US Open 2018 (Mixed Doubles) Britain’s Jamie Murray and the US’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands Mubadala World Tennis Championship Serbia’s Novak Djokovic Japan Open women’s singles title Carolina Marin(Spain) United States Grand Prix Kimi Raikkonen Japanese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Italian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton (British racing driver-Mercedes) Singapore Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Russian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas 2018 MotoGP World Champion At Japanese Marc Marquez GP 2018 Australian MotoGP Maverick Vinales Egypt Junior and Cadet Open table tennis Vishal Rajveer Shah tournament

Sports  The Indian blind cricket team has won the triangular series after beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final in Goa.  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is covered under the RTI Act and answerable to the people of the country under its mechanism.  Rohini Bopanna appointed as Hockey’s International Technical Official.  Five-time world champion Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of the upcoming 10th edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women World Championship.

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 Former India captain ’s technology start-up Spektacom Technologies launched the “Power Bat” – a unique tool powered by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud platform and its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) services.  West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from the international cricket.  Australian football captain Mile Jedinak has announced his retirement from international football after a stellar career that saw him reach three World Cups.  Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is retiring from international soccer after leading the national side as captain to this year’s World Cup quarter-finals on home soil.  Former England batsman Nick Compton announced his retirement from cricket.  Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman has announced his retirement from international cricket.  Pacer Praveen Kumar announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.  Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has decided to call time on his playing career after 23 years in the game.  Former India and Tamil Nadu batsman Subramaniam Badrinath announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in a specially organised presser at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) headquarters in Chennai.  Former Indian fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.  Former Indian captain Sardar Singh announced retirement from international hockey  England’s Alastair Cook announced retirement from International cricket, saying that there is ‘nothing left in the tank’ for him. England’s highest Test run-scorer will bow out at the end of the fifth Test against India.  Former England wicket-keeper James Foster has announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the ongoing season.  Former England captain Paul Collingwood will retire from professional cricket at the end of the current season.  Former England midfielder Joe Cole announced his retirement after making more than 700 appearances for seven clubs including West Ham and Chelsea.  Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel has decided to announce his retirement from all forms of the game.  The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha government under which Odisha will host the national team camps as well as act as the home of the Indian Arrows.  Former India captain was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. To mark the occasion, Dravid received his commemorative cap from fellow ICC Cricket Hall of Famer .  Indian multinational steel-making giant Tata Steel was announced as an Official Partner for the prestigious Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 which is scheduled to be held from November 28 – December 16, 2018 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.  The third round of the Indian National Rally Championships the country’s premier motorsports event will be held in Itanagar. The November 2 to 4 event will be flagged off by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.  Senior Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali announced his retirement from limited overs cricket in order to concentrate fully on Test cricket. He has been one of Pakistan’s most prolific run-scorers in Test cricket as he scored a triple century and a double hundred in Tests in the UAE and Australia in 2016 and 2017 respectively.  Qatar will host the 23rd edition of the World Corporate Games next year, which will provide an opportunity for corporations around the world to showcase their competitive prowess through sports. This is the first time the World Corporate Games will be held in the Middle East.  Vietnam will host a Formula One race in April 2020. Vietnam will be only the third Southeast Asian country to host a Formula One race, after Malaysia and Singapore. The race will be hosted in the capital Hanoi.

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 Ambati Rayudu has retired from the long-form, including the Ranji Trophy, to focus on limited-overs cricket. With virtually no chance of playing Test cricket, Rayudu has decided to hang up his ‘first-class’ boots.  Olympic champion Simone Biles became the all-time leading world gymnastics championship gold medal winner when the American claimed her third gold at the championships. Biles’s victory in the individual vault gave her 13 career gold medals, surpassing the record of Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo.  Indian opener Rohit Sharma overtook skipper to become India’s highest run-getter in Twenty20 Internationals during the second match of the three-match series against the West Indies at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Stadium in Lucknow. Playing his 86th T20I, Rohit surpassed Kohli’s tally of 2102 runs with 2203 runs.  India’s 10m rifle mixed team pairing of Elavenil Valarivan and Hriday Hazarika struck gold at the 11th Asian Championship with a junior world record score in the final in Kuwait city. Mehuli Ghosh and Arjun Babuta also won bronze in the same event.  Angad Vir Singh Bajwa shot to gold with a world record score in the men’s skeet final of the 8th Asian Shotgun Championship, becoming the first Indian skeet shooter to win a continental or world level event.  India’s teenage shooting sensation Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker clinched the gold medal at the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event on the last day of the Asian Airgun Championships in Kuwait.  Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur slammed her maiden T20 century during India’s opening match of Group B in the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 against New Zealand in Providence Stadium, Guyana.  Indian opener Rohit Sharma became the first batsman to hit four centuries in T20 Internationals during the Lucknow clash against the West Indies, overtaking New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro, who has scored three centuries.  Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, was the shining light at the recently concluded World Kickboxing Championship in Argentina when he became the lone gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India.  Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia became number one in world in 65 kg.  Former Australia all-rounder John Hastings has retired from all cricket. The 33-year-old, whose final international was a one-day match against New Zealand in 2017, stopped playing recently.  Twins of Ireland cricket team, Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, have announced their retirement from the international cricket following their eight-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand in their final Group stage match in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World T20.  The Maldives cabinet has approved to rejoin the Commonwealth, two years after withdrawing from the 53-nation grouping. New President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement, saying that the proposal will be sent to Parliament for ratification.  Legendary boxer Mary Kom scripted history, becoming India’s only six-time world boxing champion after defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released Men’s Hockey World Cup anthem composed by renowned music director and composer A.R. Rahman and penned by veteran lyricist .  The International Cricket Council (ICC) renamed the World Twenty20 championships as the Twenty20 World Cup, with an aim to enhance the profile of the prestigious event and ensure that its status is at par with the pinnacle events of the One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Test formats.  The former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba has confirmed his retirement as a player.

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 Pravin Tambe registered history in the T10 cricket league, where he stunned Kerala Knights with a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick. The 47-year-old spinner, Tambe, who also represented Rajasthan Royals in the past displayed a shaky start with consecutive wide balls but went to have a record-breaking performance in the match.  Manu Bhaker of Haryana won a double gold in junior sport pistol while Ravi Kumar and Rahi Sarnobat were crowned national champions in the men and women’s events respectively in Thiruvananthapuram.  The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was in vibrant colours after the grand opening ceremony of 14th edition of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup kicked off with a laser show with an army of drones and fire crackers.  Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan surpassed legendary English cricketer Ian Botham to become the fastest cricketer in the history of Test cricket to complete the double of 200 wickets and 3,000 runs.  34th National Junior Athletics Championships 2018 held in Ranchi  World Boxing Championships held in Delhi.  Varsha Varman, representing Madhya Pradesh, won the women’s trap gold at the ongoing 62nd national championship for shotgun events in New Delhi.  Top-seed Manav Thakkar finished the ITTF World Junior Circuit on a high as he claimed the Junior Boys Singles and doubles gold at the 2018 Portugal Junior and Cadet Open in Guimaraes, Portugal.  Telangana teenager Esha Singh prevailed over big names such as Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win 3 gold at the 62nd National Shooting Championships in Thiruvananthapuram.  Marin Cilic beat France’s Lucas Pouille in straight sets to give Croatia an unassailable lead in the Davis Cup final.  Haryana beat Manipur to win junior football national c’ship at Railways Ground, Rajkot.  Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has retained his World Chess Championship title after defeating America’s Fabiano Caruana 3-0 in a tie-break contest.  Kenya’s marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Colombian jumper Caterine Ibarguen were honoured as IAAF athletes of the year at athletics’ annual awards ceremony in Monaco.  Breaking an 82-year-old record, Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah became the fastest bowler in the world to reach the milestone of scalping 200 Test wickets.  The Hungarian capital city of Budapest was awarded the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2023 at the IAAF Council in Monaco which means the World Championships will return to European soil after a six year hiatus following Doha in 2019 and Eugene in 2021.  Anushka, Chaitanya youngest winners at U.S. Kids Golf’s first event in India.  Khelo India Youth Games-2019 will be held in Pune of Maharashtra.  Madhya Pradesh opener Ajay Rohera etched his name in the record books by slamming the highest first-class score on debut, an unbeaten 267 against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game in Indore.  Steel Authority of India’s Hockey Academy beat Army XI Danapur 2-1 to clinch the 115th All India Aga Khan Gold Cup hockey tournament. Jay Prakash Patel scored the match-winning goal for the SAIL Hockey Academy (SHA) in the final match played at Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in New Delhi.  In the latest ICC cricket rankings, India Captain Virat Kohli maintains his top spot. Cheteshwar Pujara‘s knocks of 123 and 71 were the cornerstone of India’s victory in the opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. This has given him the career-best ranking to top five.  Virat Kohli becomes first Asian skipper to win a Test in South Africa, England and Australia.  The International Cricket Council (ICC) has roped in Indian alcobev brand Royal Stag as official sponsor for the next five years. The partnership, which runs through 2023, will cover international events, including the upcoming big- ticket calendar events the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship.

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 Vinesh Phogat announced her return from injury after a successful day out by grabbing the 57 kilogram title while Sakshi Malik emerged the champion in the 62 kg on the second day of the Tata Motors Senior Womens National Championship in Gond, U.P.  Ullas Narayan became the first ever Indian individual medal winner in an international ultra running event by clinching a bronze in the 2018 International Association of Ultra Running (IAU)24 Hour Asia & Oceania Championships held in Taipei city, Taiwan.  The Hungarian capital of Budapest will host the 2023 World Athletics Championships, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced. The next worlds will take place in Doha in 2019 before going to Eugene, United States, in 2021.  Former India opening batsman , who won two World Cups and scored over 10,000 international runs, announced his retirement from the sport.  Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu lifted the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals trophy at Guangzhou, China.  Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were named as the 2018 ITF world champions by the governing body of global tennis. World number one Djokovic receives the honour from the International Tennis Federation for the sixth time, while it is the first year that Romania’s top-ranked Halep has been recognised.  Tsingtao and Yanjing have been named theofficial beers of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.  India’s former World Cup winning captain Anup Kumar announced his retirement from Kabaddi, ending a 15-year iconic career. He announced his retirement ahead of a Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)season 6 match, where he represents the Jaipur Pink Panthers.  Former Indian cricketer WV Raman has been chosen by the Board of Control for Cricket in India-appointed ad-hoc committee as the head of women cricket team.  After claiming a historic fifth World Drivers’ Championship, Lewis Hamilton has added to an ever-growing list of accolades after taking home the inaugural Drivers’ Driver of the Year.  Indian woman Vedangi Kulkarni has become the fastest Asian to cycle the globe. Hailing from a suburb of Pune, 20- year old Vedangi cycled into Kolkata completing the 29,000 kilometers’ distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe.  Belgium will end the year as No. 1 ahead of world champions France in the global rankings released by FIFA recently.  American Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest woman to win 50 World Cup ski races with victory in the slalom in the French Alps recently.  Croatia captain Luka Modric was named Balkan Athlete of the Year becoming only the second soccer player to scoop the prize after Bulgaria’s former European Footballer of the Year Hristo Stoichkov in 1994.  Teenager Prithvi Shaw became the youngest Indian to make a century on his Test debut on day one of the first Test against West Indies in Rajkot.  PV Sindhu regained World No. 2 spot in BWF rankings. She is behind Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying  India’s FIFA ranking – 97. Belgium first.  India captain Virat Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries after the great Donald Bradman early on day two against the West Indies.  Virat Kohli is now the fastest man in the history of ODI cricket to reach 10,000 runs. The Indian skipper reached the landmark on his way to his 37th ODI ton in the Vizag ODI against the West Indies.

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 CWG and Asian Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia is the only Indian wrestler from a strong 30-member squad to get a seeding at the upcoming World Championships as he has been seeded third in the 65kg category in men’s freestyle competition.  The 56th annual convention of the World Boxing Council (WBC) kicked off in Kiev, Ukraine.  Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy held in Muscat, Oman.  World Wrestling Championship held in Budapest, Hungary. Bajrang Punia settles for silver against Japan’s Takuto Otoguro.  First edition of North East Olympic Games 2018 at Main Stadium Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal .  The much-delayed 36th National Games in Goa will be held from March 30 to April 14 next year. Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held at PJN Stadium, Fatorda.  Blind cricket triangular series between India, England and Srilanka, slated held at the Goa Cricket Association Alto Porvorim in Goa.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had announced that the fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games will be held in Dakar, Senegal.  Japan is all set to host the 2019 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Relays in Yokohama city.  Turtle ‘Olly’ has been declared as the official mascot for the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup, scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16, 2018.  International Cricket Council (ICC) launches women’s T20I ranking, India ranked 5th. 1st – Australia.  India’s highest ranked archer Atanu Das won the men’s recurve title while Asian Games silver medallist Rajat Chauhan emerged on top in the men’s compound section in the first invitational Indian Open Indoor Archery tournament that concluded at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.  Deborah Herold won the gold medal in the elite women’s 40 kilometre competition at Saksham Pedal Delhi, India’s Premier Cyclothon.  The Indian pair of Meghana Reddy and Tasnim Mir has won the Under-15 girls doubles title in the Badminton Asia Junior Under-17 and Under-15 championships.  Teenage shooting star Manu Bhaker was named as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Youth Olympic Games to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 6-18.  Rio Paralympic gold medallist Thangvellu Mariyappan was named as flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Para Asian Games to be held in Jakarta from October 6-13.  Para shooters Harshit Tiwari, Rajveer Singh Sekhon and Balendu Singh scripted history as they clinched India’s first medal, a silver, in 2018 World Shooting Para Sports Trap Championships being held in Lonato, Italy.  India along with six other South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) members, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan pulled out of the newly formed South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) with immediate effect.  Indian women ended their tour of Sri Lanka in style with a comprehensive 51-run win against the hosts in the fifth and final T20 International.  Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu is the only sportsperson featuring in the Forbes India’s maiden ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports.  Two years after Para shuttler Raj Kumar was denied the Arjuna award, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore bestowed the player with the honour in New Delhi.

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 The national capital Delhi will host an international chess tournament for school students next year which will be jointly organised by the governments of Delhi and Moscow.  One of the most prestigious 3×3 basketball tournaments in the world, the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) 3×3 World Tour Masters is coming to India for the first time on September 23 and 24 for the Hyderabad Masters in the city of Hyderabad.  The first Asian School Indoor Rowing Championship was inaugurated in Kolkata, West Bengal  Triple jumper Arpinder Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the IAAF Continental Cup as he clinched a bronze. He was representing the Asia-Pacific team in the meet, held once every four years.  Blind chess player Vaishali Narendra Salavkar will become the first Indian female to be part of the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) team at the world chess Olympiad, starting September 23 at Batumi in Georgia.  India settled for the silver medal after losing to Pakistan 2-3 in the final of the Asian Team Snooker Championship in Doha after Babar Masih put a fluent 81 break to win the first frame against Pankaj Advani.  Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela became the first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for the 2020 Olympics by winning a silver and finishing fourth respectively in the women’s 10m air rifle event of the ISSF World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.  The ICC has decided to accord One-Day International status to India and Pakistan’s group league matches against Hong Kong in the upcoming Asia Cup, starting September 15.  Croatia captain Luka Modric has been voted the best player in Europe last season, edging former Real teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and forward Mohamed Salah for the UEFA award.  Paris Sain-Germain striker Neymar has been appointed as the permanent captain of Brazil’s national team.  Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won ‘UEFA Men’s Player of The Year Award’.  Real Madrid and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric won FIFA Best Men’s Player Award at an award ceremony in London.  The Women’s Boxing World Championships, to be hosted by India after more than a decade, will be held in New Delhi. The AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will be held in New Delhi in November 13-25.  India will host the Deaf ICC T20 World Cup slated to begin from November 23-30 in Gurugram.  Thiruvananthapuram is all set to play host to the 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship, which will be held at the Jimmy George indoor stadium from September 27 to 30.  Madrid has been chosen to host the first two new-format Davis Cup finals in 2019 and 2020.  Hangzhou in China will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022. (3rd Edition in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018)  India retained their numero uno spot in the year-end International Cricket Council (ICC) Test team rankings  India’s Smriti Mandhana was crowned women’s cricketer of the year by International Cricket Council, sport’s world governing body. She was also named ODI cricketer of the year for accumulating 669 runs off 12 one-day internationals.  India captain Virat Kohli has become the fastest batsman to reach 19,000 international runs, achieving the feat in his 399th innings during the fourth Test against Australia.  Sports ministry has earmarked Rs. 100 crore for funding the athletes under the (TOPS) Target Olympic Podium Scheme ahead of 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.  India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has become the highest wicket-taker in international cricket in 2018 after picking up 9 wickets in the Test against Australia.  Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant became the country’s first keeper to complete twenty catches in a Test series

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

Click here for the complete list of National Sports Awards 2018

2018 Para Asian Games held in Indonesia

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

2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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

Committee

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

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

Home Minister Rajnath Group of Ministers to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks to deal with Singh and prevent sexual harassment at workplace S.P. Garg The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a monitoring committee to finalise an action plan to enhance availability of potable groundwater. Bimal Jalan The Union Government has appointed former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan as the head of the panel that has been tasked with selecting India’s next chief economic advisor (CEA). Mukul Mudgal Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Supreme Court-appointed probe into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has been named chairman of the 11-member selection committee to pick this year’s Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees. Randip Singh Jagpal IRDAI has constituted a committee, comprising its officials as well as senior executives of a few insurers, to study regulatory issues fin-tech poses for insurance. Besides in a fast evolving financial technology landscape, the move comes amid the authority’s emphasis on adopting a regulatory sandbox approach to experiment with fin-tech solutions. Amitava Roy The Supreme Court constituted a three-member committee, headed by its former judge Justice Amitava Roy, to look into jail reforms across the country and suggest measures to deal with them. The panel will look into various matters including over-crowding in prisons and the issues concerning women prisoners. D.M. Sukthankar State-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has formed a high-level committee of experts that has been set up to draw a roadmap for settlement of land acquisition issues facing the proposed $44 billion Ratnagiri refinery project in Maharashtra. Justice Ranjana Prakash Government formed committee to recommend the chairperson and members of the Desai anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal. Manmohan Juneja The government has set up a 12-member panel to review the enforcement of CSR provisions under the companies law as well as look at having a centralised scrutiny and prosecution mechanism to deal with violations. Surjit S. Bhalla Government approved constitution of a High Level Advisory Group (HLAG) to make recommendations in identifying opportunities and addressing challenges in the contemporary global trade scenario. Injeti Srinivas The government has formed a Competition Law Review Committee to ensure that the legislation is in tune with the changing business environment. UK Sinha (Former Securities The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted an expert committee, which will review the and Exchange Board of ‘current institutional framework in place to support MSMEs along with examining the India chairman) factors affecting timely and adequate availability of finance to them.’ Shiv Das Meena The government has constituted a committee to suggest recommendations to strengthen the real estate law RERA and to remove difficulties in its implementation.

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 National Green Tribunal has appointed three committees to monitor disposal of garbage in an eco-friendly manner across the country. The tribunal formed three committees – apex monitoring Committee, Regional Monitoring Committees and state level committees – to oversee the steps to be taken to give effect to the directions of this tribunal, including proper implementation of the Rules. The apex monitoring committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice D K Jain.  A Former minister in the Narendra Modi government, Kalraj Mishra, replaced former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri as the chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. Parliamentary Standing Committees were introduced in 1993 to ensure legislative oversight over the executive functioning of each ministry. Rankings

Index India’s Rank Other Information Henley Passport Index 81st 1st – Japan. Japan’s passport has been named the most powerful in the world. Oxfam International’s 147th 1st – Denmark. ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index’ Human Capital Index (HCI) 115th 1st – Singapore. Index by World Bank. Global Hunger Index (GHI) 103rd 1st – Belarus. Global index on Right to 6th 1st – Afghanistan. Information World Economic Forum’s Global 58th 1st – USA. Competitiveness Index for 2018 Ease of doing business ranking 77th 1st – New Zealand. Nuclear Security Index (‘Theft 19th The index was released by the US-based Ranking’ for countries with Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). weapons usable nuclear 1st – Australia and Switzerland materials) Human development rankings 130th 1st - Norway Economic Freedom Index 96th 1st - Hong Kong Global Passport Index 66 Singapore tops the chart. It is based on the passports’ visa-free score. web-borne threats 12 according to a new report from Russia- based global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab IMD World Talent Rank 53  Switzerland continued to be at the top spot, with no Asian country or even the US in the top 10 in the survey titled as ‘IMD World Talent Ranking 2018’

Climate Change Performance 11 Sweden tops the index Index misperception index 12

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World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 108 Iceland tops the index Global Gender Gap Index

 India has emerged as the most investment-savvy economy in Asia and over two-thirds of the country’s affluent class prefer to make use of various investment products to meet their financial goals and greater social mobility, according to a new study titled ‘The Emerging Affluent Study 2018– Climbing the Prosperity Ladder’ by Standard Chartered.  Most of the international migrants in 2017 were from India, followed by China and Bangladesh, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report titled ‘Asian Economic Integration Report 2018’ said. The report further said as many as one third of international migrants were from Asia in 2017.  India has the second largest insurance gap in the world of $27 billion after China, where the under insurance or insurance gap is over $76 billion.  India ranks fifth, jointly with Hong Kong and Thailand, in terms of the largest pictorial warning on cigarette packs with 85 per cent of both sides of the packets covered. The Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report 2018 highlighted that 118 countries worldwide have made pictorial warnings mandatory.  According to a survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit commissioned by payments company Visa, India‘s overall ranking on the government’s adoption of e-payments has moved up to 28th in 2018, from 36th in 2011. 1st – Norway.  Stanford University takes first place on Reuters’ list of the World’s Most Innovative Universities for the third consecutive year, holding fast to its ranking by consistently producing new patents and papers that influence researchers around the globe.  According to a World Health Organization report, India is the world’s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US. According to the 2015-16 National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), every sixth person in India needs mental health help of some sort. The United Kingdom remains the most breached country in the region.  Data breach incidences in India were the second highest globally according to a report by digital security firm Gemalto.  According to Brand Finance‘s annual Nation Brands report, India 9th most valuable nation brand in the world. 1st – USA.  According to the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ study, India ranks third globally in terms of number of family- owned businesses with 111 companies having a total market capitalisation of $839 billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and the US with 121 firms, says a report.  India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and healthcare, a survey of 195 countries has revealed. Finland tops the list.  Iceland topped the charts with the lowest risk of a natural disaster as well as crime rates, while India ranked as the fourth most dangerous country to visit. The data was extracted from reports in the World Economic Fund on crime rates, the World Risk Report on natural disasters, the NHS Fit For Travel website on health and the Foreign Office’s assessments of the risks of terrorism. Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)

 According to Interbrand’s “Best 100 Global Brands 2018” report, Apple displaced Google to become the top brand in the world in 2018 while Facebook, mired in data breach controversies, fell to ninth place in the top 100 brands globally.  Satara in Maharashtra stood first in the all-India cleanliness ranking in a survey of 685 districts across the country.

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 Fertiliser major IFFCO has been ranked as the biggest cooperative in the world by ‘Word Cooperative Monitor’ report 2018 published by The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse).  Kerala tops the TAG index which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls, as a part of the survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi Kali.  Microsoft overtook Amazon to become the second most valuable tech company in the United States.  Bengaluru, along with Singapore and Shenzhen, figure in the list of best locations for tech enterprises in Asia according to a research report ‘Top Locations in Asia: Technology Sector,’ released by Colliers Research.  According to research paper, ‘Mobility and congestion in urban India’, published by US-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Bengaluru is the country’s most congested and second slowest city.  Ola Mobility Institute (OMI), the research and outreach arm of Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms released India’s first Ease of Moving Index, 2018. As part of report findings, Kolkata ranks the highest in terms of affordability of public transportation with 80% of commuters finding Kolkata’s public transport reasonable and affordable.  Odisha has been ranked as “Top Performer” in the State Startup Ranking-2018 organised by the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy (DIPP) of the Central government. This is the first-ever ranking of states on 38 parameters relating to their respective startup ecosystem including feedback from a large number of beneficiaries.  The NITI Aayog ranked Jharkhand’s Pakur district the worst and Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar the best among the nation’s 111 backward districts.  Andhra Pradesh emerged on top of Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) (National University of Singapore), Singapore’s 2018 Ease of Doing Business (EDB) Index ABC rankings for economies of 21 states of India, while Maharashtra and Delhi came in second and third place, respectively. Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose World Bank India $74 million For the Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project. The project aims to improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase the number of workers relevant to the labour market through short-term training in the state. New Development India $525 million The loan will be used by the Indian government for on- Bank (NDB) lending to the Madhya Pradesh government for rehabilitating major district roads with a total length of about 2,000 km to improve the connectivity of the rural interior with the national and state highway networks. Asian India $500 million The loan will be used to build climate resilient Development infrastructure in several cities of Tamil Nadu Bank (ADB) ADB India $150 million The loan will be used for establishing the first multi-skills park in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Asian India USD 150 Loan to finance road infrastructure and international trade Development million corridor in West Bengal and north-eastern states Bank (ADB)

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ADB India USD 240 Loan agreement to provide safe drinking water to about million 1.65 million people in three districts of West Bengal ADB India USD 100 Loan agreement aimed at expanding sewerage and million drainage coverage and providing sewage treatment in Kolkata. ADB India USD 110 Loan agreement for the upgradation of 2,800 kilometers million all-weather rural roads in Madhya Pradesh  The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said it has sanctioned Rs 334.75 crore in August, under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), to West Bengal for 158 minor irrigation and 23 flood protection projects.  The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has approved Rs 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritised irrigation projects under the government’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).  Andhra Pradesh got around Rs 1,255 crore World Bank loan assistance for a project aiming at enhancing agricultural productivity. The central government, state government and World Bank signed the loan agreement for a $172.20 million project to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability and climate resilience of about two lakh poor and marginalised farmers in the state  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would grant $13 million to the government-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to set up an energy efficiency revolving fund (EERF).  India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 105 million dollar loan agreement to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower.  India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $300-million loan agreement to support state-run India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed three loan agreements with the government to provide debt of $574 million for on-lending, electricity transmission and water supply infrastructure projects.  The Centre and the Jharkhand government signed a pact with the World Bank under which the multilateral agency will advance a loan of $310 million to boost the state’s power system, mainly transmission infrastructure.  The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200-million loan agreement for improving Bihar’s state highways.  Government of India and the Asian Development Bank signed a $75 million loan to provide 24 x7 water supply in Karnataka’s four coastal towns of Kundapura, Mangalore Puttur and Udupi and improve sanitation infrastructure for Mangalore town.  Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has extended a credit facility of USD 500 million (about Rs 3,542 crore) to Tanzania for water supply projects in the African country. Under this agreement, of the total credit by Exim Bank, goods and services of value of at least 75 per cent of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India.  The board of Beijing-headquartered Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) has approved a $400-million loanfor a water sanitation project in Andhra Pradesh, taking the overall exposure of the bank to India to $2 billion spread over nine projects.  A project to boost tourism in Tamil Nadu will be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the tune of $31 million (about Rs 222.84 crore). An agreement in this regard was signed between the government of India and ADB.  India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $60 million loan agreement to reduce floods and the riverbank erosion in Assam, the Finance Ministry said. The Tranche 2 loan is part of the $120 million multi-tranche financing

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facility for the Assam Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Investment Program approved by the ADB Board in October 2010.  The Odisha government signed a loan agreement of $85 million with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to train 1.5 lakh youths in the state. With this assistance, youths in the age group of 15-34 years will be given skill development training to make them competent to get better work and higher paying jobs.  India will receive loan to the tune of Rs 6668.46 crore from Japan for various development projects. The loan will used to develop the phase two of the Chennai metro project, a dairy development project and a programme for Japan-India cooperative actions towards Sustainable Development Goals in India. Deadlines/ Important Dates

 UIDAI extended till November 1 the deadline for banks to do minimum Aadhaar enrolments and updations in identified branches. The banks have been mandated to set up Aadhaar enrolment and updation facilities within their premises in one out of every 10 branches.  The Supreme Court said that no Bharat Stage IV vehicle shall be sold across the country with effect from April 1, 2020. The Bharat stage emission standards are standards instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that food businesses need to comply with new packaging regulations that bar use of recycled plastics and newspapers to wrap food articles by July 1. Books

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

The Beauty of All My Days The book has 10 chapters and numerous photographs of the writer’s private life, or as Bond describes it, writerly life. Notes of a Dream: The Authorized Biography of AR Krishna Trilok Rahman Don’t Tell The Governor Ravi Subramanian The Fire Burns Blue: A History of Women’s Cricket Karunya in India Keshav and Sidhanta Pathak A Great Association-Glimpses into the Life of Swami

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Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha Nirviseshananda Tirtha The Velvet Gloves Balakrishna Kamath Modiraj Main Kisan, Double Aamad Ya Double afat Yogendra Yadav Of Counsel: The Challenges of the Modi-Jaitley Arvind Subramanian Economy Timeless Laxman Usha Srinivas Laxman based on the life and times of legendary cartoonist, the late R.K. Laxman Changing India Former Prime Minister Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Tony Joseph Where We Came From Assalamalaikum Watan Sanjay Khan

 The book “Feisty At Fifty” authored by Sudha Menon, was released at the Pune International Literary Festival. It has been published by Pan Macmillan India. The books speaks about different phases of a woman’s life.  Congress leader Shashi Tharoor ‘unveiled’ the word to the public in a tweet that also introduced his new book, “The Paradoxical Prime Minister”. Shashi Tharoor described his new book on PM Narendra Modi as “more than just a 400-page exercise in floccinaucinihilipilification“.The word means “the action or habit of estimating something as worthless”  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a biography of late , a pioneer in the application of innovative systems and construction techniques in the Indian constuction sector. The biography titled ‘Building a Legacy’ is authored by city-based Chartered Accountant V Pattabhi Ram.  Stephen Hawking’s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant’s death. Stephen Hawking’s final book “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” was launched recently.  A new book on Maharana Pratap named “Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior” authored by historian Rima Hooja has been released. The book narrates the life of Maharana Pratap, the great Rajput warrior and also talks about the famous battle of Haldighati.  The biography of UP Chief Minister ‘Yogi Adityanath: The Rise of a Saffron Socialist’ is now amongst best seller books. The book written by Pravin Kumar.  Veteran commentator and cricket statistican Vijayan Bala has come up with his new book “Indian Sports: Conversations and Reflections”, a compilation of interviews of eminent sportspersons he has conducted since 1971.  Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announced the launch of her new book, ‘The Rule Breakers’. The book claims to explore complex themes of women’s equality, gender, and inclusion among others.  A book on experiential learning based on Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Nai Talim’ (basic education) was released by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi released Venkaiah Naidu’s book, Moving On… Moving Forward: A Year in Office, on his experiences during the first year as the Vice President of India and Chairman of and called him a strict “disciplinarian”.  “Listen To Me” – Autobiography of Shashi Deshpande.

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 Famous yoga exponent and author, Mansi Gulati launched her book, ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’  Actress Manisha Koirala unveiled her book “Healed”, her personal story of a battle against ovarian cancer. Penned by the “1942: A Love Story” actress with Neelam Kumar, the book is subtitled “How cancer gave me a new life.”  Dr Murali Mohan Chuntharu, a Dental Surgeon and also DK Home Guard Commandant has written a book named “Arivu”, which explains about Mouth Cancer and prevention of the disease.

Obituaries

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

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Yeshwant Deo Marathi composer Pradip Chowdhury Veteran journalist and former News Editor of Press Trust of India (PTI) G.D. Agarwal Environmentalist Bhola Singh Politician Madan Lal Khurana Politician Former Delhi Chief Minister Pankaj Bandyopadhyay Poltician Founding member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Politician Former Union petroleum minister Dolagobinda Pradhan Politician Veteran freedom fighter and former Odisha Minister Shantaram Potdukhe Politician Former union minister of state for finance Manoharsinh Jadeja Politician Former Gujarat finance minister Sri Shilpi Siddanthi Siddalinga Karnataka’s popular Lingayat seer Swami Vizag Prasad Telugu senior actor Na. Muthuswamy Veteran theatre personality

Imtikumzuk Longkumer Former Nagaland Assembly Deputy Speaker Ganpatrao Andalkar Sports Person (Wrestler) Anna Rajam Malhotra Diplomat Independent India’s first woman IAS officer Randhir Singh Kondapalli Koteswaramma Revolutionary leader, writer and feminist Kalpana Lajmi Filmmaker Biswanath Dutt Former BCCI President Renowned hindi commentator Pandit Tulsidas Borkar Legendary harmonium exponent Narayan Das Maharaj Padma Shri awardee and revered saint Vice-Admiral M.P. Awati (retd.) commanded a naval unit of the Eastern Fleet in the 1971 India-Pakistan war Vinod Agarwal Bhajan singer Walton Jyrwa Lytan Meghalaya photo-journalist Sailendu Nath Phukan Former Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh and Odisha High Courts Lal Sethi Sports Journalist K P S Srivastava PTI journalist Banamali Maharana Mardal maestro TN Srinivasan Economist Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri Army Major during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, had held his post through the night in the famous battle of Longewala in Rajasthan

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Lalan Sarang Marathi actor and theatre personality Chitta Jena Odia singer Alyque Padamsee Veteran actor, theatre personality and advertising guru William Goldman Oscar-winning screenwriter and best-selling author, known for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All The President’s Men” Stan Lee American comic book writer T.S. Kanaka Asia’s first woman neurosurgeon M.I.Shahnawaz Congress MP from Kerala Baishnab Parida former Member of Parliament (MP) and eminent Odiya writer Fahmida Riaz India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Ustad Imrat Khan Indian classical music doyen known for promoting the sitar and the surbahar internationally, belonged to the Etawa Gharana Sandeep Michael Former Indian hockey player Ricky Jay Magician and actor M.H. Ambareesh Kannada films rebel actor Mohammed Aziz Bollywood singer Ashutosh Jain Senior Hindi News Reader of Arun Kumar Shaw 7 times Former National Champion Swimmer Jayaraman Noted agriculturalist Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque Qasmi Islamic scholar and Congress Lok Sabha MP from Bihar Jagdish Thakkar Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the prime minister’s office and senior journalist Mushirul Hasan Historian  In his book When Stone Walls Cry, He presents the unknown facets of prison life of the Nehrus and how that transformed their vision and character.

C.N. Balakrishnan Senior Congress leader and former Kerala Minister Ajayan Malayalam film director Pandit Arun Bhaduri classical singer

Belisario Betancur Former Colombian president George H W Bush 41st President of the United States of America Tulsi Giri Former Nepalese Prime Minister Prabhanjan (given name Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi Award

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S.Vaidyalingam) winner Dipali Borthakur Legendary singer Popularly known as “Nightingale of Assam” Nirupam Sen Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Nirendranath Chakrabarty Sahitya Academy Award-winning Bengali writer Bengali singer Captain Former Union Minister Sulagitti Narasamma Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Hamidi Kashmiri tallest literary figure in the world of Urdu language, literature and literary Shehu Shagari Former Nigerian President Filmmaker Ntozake Shange African American playwright Paul G. Allen Microsoft co-founder Will Vinton Oscar-winning American animator Montserrat Caballe Spanish soprano

Burt Reynolds American Actor Tran Dai Quang Vietnam’s President Larry Roberts Engineer from USA He was the program manager for The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet) (precursor to the internet) Norman Gimbel Grammy and Oscar Winning Lyricist from USA

Important Days

September 2018

Date Day Extra Info 02 September World Coconut Day Theme 2018 - Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellness 05 September National Teachers Day The birthday of the second president 05 September International Day of Charity 08 September International Literacy Day Theme 2018- Literacy and skill development 10 September World Suicide Prevention Day Theme 2018- Working Together to Prevent Suicide 12 September United Nations Day for South- South Cooperation 14 September Hindi Day

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15 September International Day of Democracy Theme 2018 - Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World 15 September Engineers Day Theme 2018 - Engineering Challenges for Knowledge Era 16 September International Day for the Theme 2018 - Keep Cool and Carry On: The Preservation of the Ozone Layer Montreal Protocol 21 September International Day of Peace Theme 2018 - The Right to Peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70 23 September International Day of Sign Theme 2018 - With Sign Language, Everyone is Languages Included ! 25 September Antyodaya Diwas In 2014, the Government of India decided to observe 25th September as Antyodaya Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. 26 September International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 26 September World Contraception Day 27 September World Tourism Day Theme 2018 - Tourism and the Digital Transformation 27 September World Maritime Day Theme 2018 - IMO 70: Our Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future 28 September World Rabies Day Theme 2018 - Rabies: Share the message. Save a life 28 September International Day for Universal Access to Information 29 September World Heart Day Theme 2018 - My Heart, Your Heart 30 September International Translation Day Theme 2018 - Translation: Promoting Cultural Heritage in Changing Times October 2018

Date Day Extra Info 01 October International Day of Older Persons 2018 Theme: Celebrating Older Human Rights champions 01 October International Coffee Day 2018 Theme: Women in Coffee 01 October 2018 World Habitat Day First Monday of October. 2018 Theme: Municipal Solid Waste Management 01 October 2018 World Architecture Day First Monday of every October. 2018 Theme: Architecture… for a Better World 02 October Gandhi Jayanti, International Day of Non-Violence 4th to 10th October World Space Week 2018 Theme: Space Unites The World 05 October World Teachers Day 2018 Theme: The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher 08 October 86th Indian Air Force Day 09 October World Post Day 2018 Theme: Imagine you are a letter travelling through time. What message do you

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wish to convey to your readers? 9th to 15th October National Postal Week Department of posts celebrated the week in Maharashtra 10 October World Mental Health Day 2018 Theme: Young people and mental health in a changing world 11 October International Day of the Girl Child 2018 Theme: With Her: A Skilled Girl Force 12 October 2018 World Sight Day Observed on second Thursday of October. 2018 Theme: Eye Care Everywhere 12 October World Arthritis Day 2018 Theme: It’s in your hands, take action 13 October 2018 World Migratory Bird Day Second Saturday of October. 2018 Theme: Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation 13 October International Day for Disaster 2018 Theme: Reducing the economic loss of Reduction disasters 14 October International Standards Day 15 October International Day of Rural Women 2018 Theme: Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls 15 October World Students’ Day 16 October World Food Day 2018 Theme: Our Actions Are Our Future. A #Zero Hunger World By 2030 Is Possible 17 October International Day for the Eradication of 2018 Theme: Accelerating global actions for a Poverty world without poverty 20 October World Osteoporosis Day 20 October World Statistics Day 24 October United Nations Day 24 October World Development Information Day 24 October World Polio Day 2018 Theme: End Polio Now 27 October World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2018 Theme: Your Story is Moving 28 October National Ayurveda Day 28 October International Animation Day 29 October World Stroke Day 29 October International Internet Day 29th Oct to 3rd Nov Vigilance Awareness Week 2018 Theme: Eradicate Corruption – Build A New India 31 October World Cities Day 2018 Theme: Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities 31 October World Savings Day 31 October Rashtriya Ekta Diwas(National Unity Day)

November 2018

Date Day Extra Info

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1 November World Vegan Day 1 November Army Aviation Day 2 November International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 5 November National Ayurveda Day Theme 2018: Ayurveda for Public health 5 November World Tsunami Awareness Day 7 November National Cancer Awareness Day 8 November International Day Of Radiology Theme 2018: Cardiac Imaging or World Radiography Day 10 November World Science Day for Peace and Theme 2018: Science, a Human Right Development 11 November National Education Day 12 November World Pneumonia Day Theme 2018: Stop Pneumonia: Invest in Child Health 13 November World Kindness Day 13 -19 November 2018 World Antibiotic Awareness Theme 2018: Antibiotics: handle with care Week 14 November Children’s Day 14 November World Diabetes Day Theme 2018: The Family and Diabetes 14 November Rosogolla Day in West Bengal West Bengal government observed ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14, to commemorate the first anniversary of the state’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication or GI tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’. 15 November 2018 World Philosophy Day Commemorated on 3rd Thursday of November 16 November National Press Day 16 November International Day for Tolerance The World Tolerance Summit (WTS) 2018 was inaugurated on November 16 in Dubai, UAE. The theme of the summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’. 17 November International Students Day 18 November Naturopathy Day The AYUSH Ministry celebrated its first Naturopathy Day across the country on 18 November. 18 November 2018 World Day of Remembrance for Commemorated on 3rd Sunday of November. Road Traffic Victims Theme 2018: Roads have Stories 19 November World Toilet Day Theme 2018: When nature calls, we have to listen and act 19 November International Men’s Day 19th to 25th November “Qaumi Ekta Week” (National Integration Week) 20 November Universal Children’s Day

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21 November World Hello Day 21 November World Fisheries Day Theme 2018: Labour rights are human rights: working together to ensure the rights of fishers – fighting trafficking and forced labour in the fishing sector 21 November World Television Day 25 November International Day for the Theme 2018: Orange The World: #HearMeToo Elimination of Violence Against Women 26 November Constitution Day/Samvidhan Divas 26 November National Milk Day

December 2018

Date Day Extra Info 1 December World AIDS Day Theme 2018: Know Your Status 2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2 December World Computer Literacy Day 3 December International Day of Persons Theme 2018: Empowering persons with with Disabilities disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality 4 December Indian Navy Day Theme 2018: Indian Navy, Mission-deployed and Combat-ready 5 December World Soil Day Theme 2018: Be the Solution to Soil Pollution 5 December International Volunteer Day Theme 2018: Volunteers build Resilient Communities 7 December International Civil Aviation Day Theme 2018: Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left behind 7 December Indian Armed Force Flag Day 9 December International Anti-Corruption Theme 2018: Together, We Are United Against Day Corruption 10 December Human Rights Day Theme 2018: Stand Up For Human Rights 11 December International Mountain Day Theme 2018: #MountainsMatter 12 December Universal Health Coverage Day Theme 2018: Unite for Universal Health Coverage: Now is the Time for Collective Action 12 December International Day of Neutrality 14 December National Energy Conversation Day 16 December Vijay Diwas 18 December International Migrants Day Theme 2018: Migration with Dignity 18 December National Minority Rights Day

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20 December International Human Solidarity Day 22 December National Mathematics Day The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of famed Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. 23 December Kisan Diwas/Farmers Day 24 December National Consumer Day Theme 2018: Timely Disposal of Consumer Complaints 25 December Good Governance Day The day is observed to mark the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

January

Date Day 4 January World Braille Day 9 January NRI Day/ Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 10 January World Hindi Day 12 January National Youth Day 15 January Indian Army Day 24 January National Girl Child Day 25 January National Voters Day 27 January International Holocaust Remembrance Day 29 January World Leprosy Day 30 January Shaheed Diwas 31 January Raising Day of National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) VISIT www.aspirantszone.com for New Pattern Questions in each section.

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