Daily CurrentTitle Affairs Capsule st 1 OctoberTitle 2019

International Day of the Older Persons: 01 October

The International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 every year.

 The day is observed to raise problems faced by the elder persons and to promote the development of a society for all ages.  2019 Theme: ‘The Journey to Age Equality’.

PIO cards to continue as valid travel document till March 2020

Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards along with valid foreign passport will be considered for exit/entry into India till 31st of March 2020.

 Government of India advisory has said that the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) will now accept PIO cards as valid travel document till 31st of March next year along with valid foreign passport  The Indian Immigration Check Post(s) will continue to consider all PIO cards valid for exit/entry into India till 31st of March next year.

 Earlier, all PIO cardholders were advised to convert their cards to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards by 30th of September this year.

Rajnath Singh launches the website of DefEXpo

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the website of 11th edition of DefEXpo, to be held in Lucknow from 5th to 8th February 2020.

 The website, www.defexpo.gov.in provides online services to exhibitors, besides hosting informative content about the product profile of Defence Public Sector Undertakings and Ordnance Factories.  Exhibitors can avail early bird discounts by booking space on the website before the 31st of next month.

Kerala leads the School Education Quality Index

The School Education Quality Index, SEQI prepared by NITI Aayog was launched by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman and CEO in New Delhi.

 Kerala has bagged the number one rank followed by Rajasthan in overall performance.  In incremental performance ranking, Haryana is number one followed by Assam and Uttar Pradesh.  In small states category, Manipur has claimed the top spot followed by Tripura and Goa in overall performance.

Planet named after Pandit Jasraj

Pandit Jasraj has been bestowed with a surreal, rare and a universal honour from International Astronomical Union (IAU).

 Minor Planet 2006 VP32 discovered on November 11, 2006, has been named as 'Panditjasraj'.  The planet, Panditjasraj is in our Solar System and is situated between Mars and Jupiter.  This is a proud moment for India as Pandit Jasraj, with this honour, is the 1st Indian Musician, to join the galaxy of immortal composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Tenor Luciano Pavarotti.  Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj is an exponent of Indian classical vocal music.  Jasraj is the recipient of numerous awards, honours, and titles, including the prestigious Padma Vibhushan and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

K S Dhatwalia appointed as chief spokesperson of govt

Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia, an Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, was appointed as the principal spokesperson of the Union government.

 Dhatwalia, a 1984-batch IIS officer, has been posted as the new principal director general of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the publicity wing of the central government.  The officer, who has succeeded Sitanshu Kar, will function as the principal spokesperson of the government of India.

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Bhadauria takes charge as IAF Chief

Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took charge as the 26th Chief of the Indian Air Force.

 He succeeds Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who retired after 41 years of service in the IAF.  Air Marshal Bhadauria was commissioned in the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 1980 and has held various command, staff and instructional positions.  An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Bhadauria won the coveted Sword of Honour for standing first in the overall order of merit.  The Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria is one of the few Air Force pilots to fly a Rafale jet.

RBI appoints Jai Bhagwan Bhoria as administrator for PMC Bank

The Reserve Bank of India has superseded the Board of Punjab and Cooperative Bank Limited, and appointed Jai Bhagwan Bhoria as the bank's administrator with all powers of the board.

 The amount of withdrawal from the bank allowed to depositors has been increased from one thousand to ten thousand rupees.  The RBI's directives will remain in force for a period of six months.

Sumit Nagal wins men's singles title ATP Challenger Tournament

In Tennis, Sumit Nagal has won the men's singles title of ATP Challenger Tournament at Buenos Aires in Argentina.

 He defeated local favourite Facundo Bognis in straight-sets 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 37-minute match to claim the 54,160 US dollars prize money.  The 22-year-old from Haryana, seeded seventh, outclassed 8th seed Bognis of Argentina to become first Indian to win on South American clay court.  Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju congratulated Sumit calling it a Brilliant performance.

Veteran actor Viju Khote passes away

Veteran actor Viju Khote passed away in Mumbai.

 He had acted in more than 300 Hindi and Marathi films.  He gained fame for his character Kaliya in the blockbuster film .  Khote was popular for his comedy roles in many films including , .