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Contents

Topic Page Number MOU/Agreement Countries 3 MOU Industry/States/Others 3-4 Appointments and Resignations 4-9 Awards and Recognitions 9-13 Conference and Summits 13-18 International News 18-21 National News 21-28 State News 28-35 Finance and Banking News 35-39 Business News 39-41 Economy News 41-43 Science & Technology 44-45 Defence News 45-47 Sports News 47-53 Committees 53-54 Rankings of Countries 55-56 Rankings (Persons and Organisations) 56-57 Loans from Banks 57-58 Deadlines 58-59 Books and Authors 59-60 Obituaries 60-62 Nobel Prize Winners 62-63 Important Days (Dec-Jan) 63-64 Union Budget 64-65 Important Government Schemes 66-67 Demonitisation in 68

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MOU/Agreement Countries

India To start a postal service called cool box service, which will help Japanese people living in India to order food from Japan. India Belarus Both countries released a postage stamp to mark 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two sides. India Russia To build the Roppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, the first initiative under a Indo-Russia deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries. India Switzerland On technical cooperation in the rail sector, including development of tilting trains that tilt on approaching a bend. India Myanmar On upgradation of the Womens Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar. India A Sweden-India Startup Sambandh initiative has been launched by Invest India and Founders Alliance in Sweden for higher cooperation among start-ups. India Mozambique To expedite development of the giant Rovuma gas discovery, which is planned to be converted into LNG for exports. Myanmar Bangladesh For the return of over six lakh Rohingya Muslims who had fled to Bangladesh to escape a violent crackdown by the Myanmar military.

MOU Industry/States/Others

NITI Aayog International Road They have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to Federation, Geneva (IRF cooperate in the field of Intelligent Transportation Geneva) Systems (ITS). Punjab National Bank BSNL They have teamed up to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states in the country. PNBs Speedway wallet will operate like any other mobile wallet for paying bills, recharging phone besides its users will be able to deposit and withdraw money from authorised retail outlets. Yes Bank IIM-Lucknow They have signed a charter to help spread Climate Literacy, aiming to achieve sustainable development through shared learning. Paytm Payments Bank National Payments to launch a RuPay-powered digital debit card. Corporation of India (NPCI) HSBC Sa-Dhan To develop digital ecosystem for Indias unbanked segment. Sa-Dhan is microfinance industry association. Amazon Web Services Microsoft To launch an open-source and deep learning interface (AWS) Gluon that will help developers to deploy machine learning models across several platforms. Indian Railways German Railways To make countrys existing rail corridors semi high speed. The semi high speed trains will run at 200 km per hour. Punjab National Bank Engineering Export To provide access to finance for the small and medium Promotion Council (EEPC) enterprises and merchant exporters of the council

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of India Andhra Pradesh Govt Visa For Digital Dhan Sankalp project. It is an initiative to develop Visakhapatnam into Indias first less cash city. Vijaya Bank Hindustan Petroleum For enabling all HPCL retail outlets with BHIM/UPI Corporation Ltd (HPCL) merchant solutions. IndusInd Bank MobiKwik To launch a co-branded wallet IndusInd Mobikwik Kotak Mahindra Bank Fintech firm Zeta Launch of Paymint, a multi-wallet digital prepaid solution for salaried employees. AU Small Finance Bank Small Industries To launch a Rs. 200-crore fund for providing loans to Development Bank of India MSMEs. (SIDBI) Yes Bank Abu Dhabi Global Market To further foster cross-border exchange between the (ADGM), the International fintech ecosystems of the United Arab Emirates and Financial Centre in Abu India. Dhabi, Punjab National Bank Action Construction For augmenting tractors/agricultural implements Equipment Ltd (ACE) financing to the farmers across the country through PNBs branch network Yes Bank Innovation Centre To bring fintech innovations and startups from India (ICDK India) Denmark to India, and facilitate entry of Indian startups to the region. Reliance General YES Bank A comprehensive bancassurance-corporate agency Insurance agreement has been signed between the two. Paytm ICICI Bank To jointly launch Paytm-ICICI Bank Postpaid, the most seamless way to access interest-free short-term digital credit. Karnataka Bank Boston Consulting Group MoU for transformation initiatives of banks. Project - (India) Pvt Ltd KBL Vikaas – was launched for same.

Appointments and Resignations

Cabinet Reshuffle:

Newly-appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is only the second woman after late Indira Gandhi to become the Defence Minister of India, and the first one to take independent charge. She is the first full-time woman defence minister of the country after late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had twice held charge of defence portfolio. Sitharaman previously served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and the Minister for Commerce and Industry with independent charge, and now succeeds Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to take charge of the defence ministry. Now the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has two women ministers - Nirmala Sitharaman and Sushma Swaraj.

 Piyush Goyal elected as new Railway Minister after Suresh Prabhu quit the post. Earlier he was Minister of State for Power.  Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation from Uma Bharti.

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 Suresh Prabhu is new Minister of Commerce and Industry.  Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is new Minister of Minority Affairs.  Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore replaced Vijay Goel as the new Sports Minister. He is the first sportsperson to take charge of Sports Ministry.  Alphons Kannanthanam is new Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism.

President Kovind appoints five new Governors for states and Lieutenant Governor for Andaman

 B. D. Mishra (Retd.) as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Took over from Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.  Banwarilal Purohit as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Took over from C. Vidyasagar Rao.  Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Bihar. Took over from Keshari Nath Tripathi.  Professor Jagdish Mukhi as the Governor of Assam. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.  Ganga Prasad as the Governor of Meghalaya. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.  Devendra Kumar Joshi as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Took over from Jagdish Mukhi.

Name Post Institution and other Info Nirmala Sitharaman Defence Minister India Rajiv Mehrishi Comptroller and He is Former Union Home Secretary AuditorGeneral of India Uma Shankar Executive Director Reserve Bank of India Dr. A. Surya Prakash Chairman Prasar Bharati Board BJPs Sanyukta Bhatia will be the first woman to hold the Lucknow Municipal Corporation Mayors post in 100 years after the Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Act came into being in 1916 The Union Agriculture Ministry has roped in actor Akshay Kumar for television advertisements to promote the governments flagship agriculture schemes like soil health card and crop insurance. Besides soil health card scheme, the actor will promote Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and others. Salil S. Parekh Chief Executive Officer and Infosys Managing Director Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar Vice Chief Naval Staff, India Preeti Sudan Union Health Secretary Gautam H. Bambawale Indian ambassador to China He will replace Vijay Gokhale Dineshwar Sharma Interlocutor in Jammu and The Centre has decided to start a sustained dialogue Kashmir in Jammu and Kashmir and added that former Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Dineshwar Sharma will be the representative from the Government of India. Dr. Arvind Subramanian Chief Economic Advisor Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India Dr. Arvind Subramanian has been given a one year extension, post the completion of his current-three year tenure. Ajay Bhushan Pandey Chairman Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). He is Aadhaar authority UIDAI Chief Executive. Viveck Goenka Chairman Press Trust of India

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Rajnish Kumar Chairman State Bank of India Suresh Sethi MD and CEO India Post Payments Bank Ashish Srivastava MD and CEO PNB MetLife Jayant Rikhye CEO Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) India Ajay Vipin Nanavati Chairman Syndicate Bank Sankara Narayanan Managing Director (MD) and Vijaya Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) P R Seshadri MD and CEO Karur Vysya Bank KV Rama Moorthy MD and CEO Tamilnad Mercantile Bank M Nagaraja Sarma Chief Managing Director United India Insurance Co Ltd. Shashi Shanker Chairman and Managing Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) Director Rajiv Kumar Secretary Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance Rajiv Kumar Vice Chairman NITI Aayog Sanjaya Baru Secretary General Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) Desh Deepak Verma Secretary General Rajya Sabha India TV chairman and President News Broadcasters Association (NBA) editor-in- chief Rajat Sharma Rajni Kant Mishra Chief Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Y.C. Modi Director General National Investigation Agency (NIA) Gopal Singh Chairman and Managing Coal India Ltd (CIL) Director B Sambamurthy Chairman Board of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) Balraj Joshi Chairman-cum-managing NHPC Limited director (CMD) Anita Karwal Chairperson Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Royana Singh Chief Proctor First woman to hold the post at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Akshay Kumar Ambassador Uttarakhand Swachh Bharat Mission brand ambassador Sanjeev Kapoor Ambassador World Food Indias Food Street. Food Street, being held by Ministry of Food Processing Industry, will be hosted for the first time in India from November 3. Parineeti Chopra first Indian woman for Tourism Ambassador Ajay Bisaria Indias new High He succeeded Gautam Bambawale Commissioner to Pakistan Actress Dia Mirza UN Environments Goodwill Ambassador for India Ellie Goulding Global Goodwill Ambassador She is British singer-songwriter for UN Environment

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Mary Kom Ambassador Youth World Championships Vikas Seth Chief Executive Officer Bharti AXA Life Insurance Sudhanshu Jain Chief Financial Officer Paytm Payments Bank (PPB) Sethurathnam Ravi Chairman Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Y.C. Modi Director-General National Investigation Agency (NIA) Ira Joshi Director-General Doordarshan News Ajay Bisaria Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Navtej Sarna Indian Ambassador to the US He was supposed to retire November 2017 end, has been given a year extended. Neelamani N. Raju Karnatakas first woman Director General and Inspector General of Police Kenneth Juster US Ambassador To India S Y Qureshi Ombudsmen to formulate the AIFF Constitution within eight weeks. Tulsi Gabbard Chairperson World Hindu Congress 2018 Debjani Ghosh 1st woman President National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) Pradeep Singh Chairman and Managing Director Air India Kharola (CMD) B.N. Sharma Chairman National Anti-profiteering Authority – which is under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act Actor Trisha Krishnan UNICEF celebrity advocate for She is the first actor from the South Indian film child rights industry to receive this honour, which was previously bestowed upon Bollywood celebrities like Nandita Das, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Raveena Tandon. AVPS Chakravarthi Ambassador World Packaging Organisation Anupam Kher Chairman Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune Sambit Patra Non-official director Board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd. Nisha Desai Biswal President US-India Business Council NS Venkatesh Chief Executive Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) Rukaiya Rangwala Business Head MobiKwik Payment Gateway Rakesh Asthana Special Director Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Gurbachan Singh Special Director Intelligence Bureau (IB) Deepak Kumar Special Director General Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Mishra and Sudeep Lakhtakia Rajesh Ranjan and Special Director General Border Security Force (BSF) A.P. Maheshwari Alok Kumar Pateria Additional Director General (ADG) Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Birendra Prasad President Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) Baishya Suresh Raina Ambassador Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC)

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Soumya WHO Deputy Director General for Swaminathan Programmes Jane Ellison WHO Deputy Director General for Corporate Operations Brenda Hale first female president of UKs supreme court Jagmeet Singh first Sikh politician to lead major Canadian party French Audrey Director-General UNESCO Azoulay David Harquail Chairman World Gold Council. It is headquartered in London United Kingdom Eman Al-Ghamdi First time a Saudi woman has been named to a senior government post for the first time. Former United Chair of Ethics Commission International Olympic Committee (IOC) Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Peter Thomson first special envoy for the oceans UN has appointed him as the first special envoy for the oceans, seeking to galvanize efforts to protect the worlds seas. Kenneth I Juster Ambassador US Ambassador to India. Juster is Successor to Richard Verma (First US Ambassador to India of Indian origin) Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister New Zealand Ukhnaa Khurelsukh Prime Minister

Halimah Yacob President First woman and 8th President of Joao Lourenco President Angola JY Pillay President Singapores acting President Uhuru Kenyatta President Borut Pahor President Slovenia Emmerson President Mnangagwa Mercedes Aráoz Prime Minister Fernández Angela Merkel Chancellor Germany Raquel Dodge Prosecutor-General For the first time in s history, a female is named at prosecutor-generals post, Bilal Dar, a young boy from Srinagar has become the brand ambassador for Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Dar has been contributing to the Swachhta Abhiyan since the age of 12. Lalawmpuii Chawngthu has become the second woman in Mizoram to be inducted in the states council of ministers after a gap of 30 years. Lalhlimpui Hmar was the first woman Minister of State in Mizoram in 1987. RESIGNATIONS Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp which was later acquired by Facebook, has announced that he was

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leaving the company to start a non-profit venture of his own. Acton had co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009 and agreed to sell it to Facebook in 2014 for approximately $19 billion USD in cash and stock. Indian womens boxings first foreign coach, Stephane Cottalorda, has ended his stint abruptly after just one month in India, alleging delay in salary and other payments. He is from Paris, France. Icelands Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has resigned Kwon Oh-hyun, Samsung Electronics CEO, vice chairman, and the head resigned from his post Facebook India MD Umang Bedi quits, Bhushan interim MD The government has accepted the resignation of its Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections. Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, the countrys second-most senior legal officer, has resigned citing personal reasons. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabes appointment as its Goodwill Ambassador has been cancelled. He was just recently appointed as the WHOs Goodwill Ambassador. Robert Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and once proclaimed that only God will remove me, resigned as president Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned

Awards and Recognitions

Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge India won award for putting high effort to combat Illegal Wildlife Trade Miss Supranational 2017 Miss Korea Jenny Kim Time magazines 2017 Person silence breakers The silence breakers — the women behind this years of the Year #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in America won the award Vyas Samman for year 2017 Mamta Kalia For her novel Dukkham Sukkham 2017 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Maryna Viazovska Received award for her contribution to number theory Von Hippel Award C.N.R Rao Eminent scientist, Professor C.N.R Rao, has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research. Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar Vijaya Bank (Region C) ANR National Award S S Rajamouli for his contribution to the Telugu film industry. Shri Shakti Samman Parull Mahaajan She is Eminent Social Activist. Got Award for her phenomenal contribution in the field of Women Empowerment. Global Diversity Award at Salman Khan The Global Diversity Award is given to people of immense Britains House of Commons stature in terms of what they have done for diversity in the world. Sarala award Banaj Devi She is Noted Odia poet and short story writer. She got Sarala award for her short story compilation Kathapua National Award for Excellence Hyderabad

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in Energy Management International Airport Ltd National Tourism Awards - Gujarat Hall of Fame award for being the Best State in Comprehensive Development of Tourism National Tourism Awards - Madhya Pradesh Best Tourism State Miss World 2017 Manushi Chillar Indias Manushi Chillar won the coveted Miss World 2017 pageant held in China, 17 years after Priyanka Chopra won the title in 2000. Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel- She is from South Africa Peters Miss International 2017 Kevin Lilliana She is from Miss India Australia 2017 Aarzu Singh National Awards for senior Gurbax Singh He is Indian boxing coach citizens Sandhu Lal Bahadur Shastri National Bindeshwar Pathak Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management for the year 2017 Centenary National Award for Namita Gokhale She is an eminent writer in English language Literature Mathrubhumi Literary Award M K Sanu He is eminent critic, biographer and orator for 2016 Shivarama Karanth Huttura Prakash Raj Prashasti Anna Politkovskaya Award Gauri Lankesh (Posthumously) She is first Indian Journalist to win Anna Politkovskaya Award Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award Javed Akhtar He is veteran writer-lyricist. Padma Prabha Puraskaram Prabha Varma He is eminent poet, lyricist and journalist. Indira Gandhi Award for TM Krishna He is Carnatic vocalist National Integration for 2015- 16 Lifetime Achievement Award Actress Sharmila by the PHD Chamber of Tagore Commerce and Industry Cross of the Order of Merit Rajesh Nath The highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to German Swachh Iconic Place in India Meenakshi Temple located in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Sundareswarar Temple Parmod Mahajan Smriti Award Anupam Kher and Saira Banu

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Golden Peacock Award in N Chandrababu He is current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister category --Global Leadership Naidu in Public Service and Economic Transformation Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Former PM Disarmament and Manmohan Singh Development General Insurance Company of Apollo Munich the Year Health Insurance Company Veteran actors Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and film director K. Raghvendra Rao have bagged the NTR National Film Awards for 2014, 2015 and 2016. Jnanpith award 2017 Krishna Sobti He is an eminent Hindi Litterateur Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award Anand Kumar President Ram Nath Kovind awarded this years Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award to Super 30 founder Anand Kumar for his contributions in the field of teaching and education. Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Girish Karnad Achievement Award 2017 Best film at International Film 120 Beats Per It is a French film, directed by Robin Campillo. Festival of India (IFFI) Minute 3rd ICCR Distinguished Hiroshi Marui He is a Professor from Japan. Indologist award 2017 DSC Prize for South Asian Anuk He is from . He won for the book - The Story of Literature Arudpragasam a Brief Marriage Mother Teresa Memorial United Nations Award for Social Justice, 2017 High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Airline of the Year for 2018 Air New Zealand American Bazaar Philanthropy Ajay Raju Indian-American attorney award 2017 World Food Prize Award Akinwunmi He is from . Adesina Also Adesina is the current President of the African Development Bank. 2017 Man Booker Prize George Saunders He is US Author. Awarded for his novel Lincoln in the Bardo Blue Planet Prize Hans Joachim He is German theoretical physicist Schellnhuber Balzan Prize Bina Agarwal Two U.S. scientists + India Economist BIna Agarwal UN peace prize Zannah Mustapha He is a Nigerian lawyer who helped secure the release of more than 100 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) was awarded Container Terminal of the Year Award for the above 0.6 million TEUs category at The Gateway Awards 2017 held at Mumbai. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured for his pioneering work in the field of organic farming during a ceremony at Germanys Lagau on the occasion of the One World Festival.

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RECOGNITIONS  The Meghalaya Election Department has entered Limca Book of Records for the formation of the biggest human logo comprising young voters in the state.  According Forbes magazines annual India Rich List 2017, Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani emerged as Indias wealthiest for the 10th straight year  Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill Gates to become the worlds richest person with a net worth of $91.6 billion.  Late singer Michael Jackson has been named the highest-earning dead celebrity for the 5th consecutive year by Foes. His eaigs hae ee estiated to e $ illio ₹ oe.  Forbes released the top 20 richest sportsmen in the world for 2017 with Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo leading the chart.  Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand, even though Amazon.com tops the list globally, reveal results of the 2017 Authentic Brands Study by the new survey of global communications agency Cohn & Wolfe.  Akshay Ruparelia, Indian-origin teenager has made a fortune by selling houses through his online estate agency business during his school lunch breaks and has become one of UKs youngest millionaires.  Gina Miller, an Indian-origin campaigner has been named the UKs most influential black person of the year.  Sixteen-year-old Mohamad Al Jounde from Syria was awarded the International Childrens Peace Prize for his efforts to ensure the rights of Syrian refugee children.  Acknowledging the role played by yoga legend Bishnu Charan Ghosh and his family members in spreading Indian postural yoga in Japan, the Japanese postal department has released postage stamps on four of Bengals famous exponents of the ancient Indian practice.  Two mountain ranges on Pluto have been named after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary respectively by the International Astronomical Union. Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes are mountain ranges honouring Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the Indian/Nepali Sherpa and New Zealand mountaineer who were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest and return safely.  Reliance Foundation Young Champs named as the No.1 grassroots academy in India by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).  Mansour Anis, a 14-year-old Indian-origin teenager based in Sharjah, UAE has become one of the youngest pilots to fly a single-engine aircraft  Two Indians — Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma — have made it to the rankings of most powerful women in business outside the United States drawn up by the Fortune magazine while Indra Nooyi featured in the top three on the US edition list. Topped by Banco Santander group executive chairman Ana Botin.  PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi came in at No. 2 on the US Most Powerful Women in Business list, led by General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra.  In commemoration of the first anniversary of her canonisation, the Archdiocese of Calcutta is set to declare Mother Teresa as its co-patron.  In Karantaka, former DIG D Roopa, who highlighted in a report alleged irregularities at the Central jail in Bengaluru, including preferential treatment to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, was conferred the Presidents Medal.  Raj Kumar Vaishya, a 98-year-old man has cleared the Masters in Economics examination from Patnas Nalanda Open University (NOU).  Google Doodle, today, celebrates 100th birthday of Asima Chatterjee, a renowned Indian chemist, who was the first female Doctorate of Science in India from an Indian University.

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 National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and veteran actress Hema Malini will be felicitated at the 4th Indian Film Festival of Russia, for their contribution to Indian cinema.  Priyanka Chopra to be honoured at Varietys Power of Women  Worlds Most Influential People in Market Structure - Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi ranked 7th. Topped by European Unions Commissioner (Competition) Margrethe Vestager.  An Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, Aparna Kumar has become the first Indian woman to scale Mount Manaslu, which is the eighth highest mountain peak in the world.  CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar was named the most powerful woman in India as she ranked 32nd in Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women list by Forbes. This years list is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  With a net worth of $38 billion, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes annual list of Indias 100 richest tycoons of 2017. He is followed by Wipros Azim Premji and Hinduja family.  Tata Power Solar has won Dun & Bradstreet – Everest Infra Awards 2017 under Infrastructure Project category for commissioning Indias largest solar project under Domestic Content Requirement for NTPC at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.  The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, the sacred shrine temple has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation following the massive renovation and restoration work .  Indian short film The School Bag, which tells a story based in Pakistan, has won the Best Short Film Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM). The film is directed by Dheeraj Jindal.  Shri Harmandir Sahib also known as Golden Temple and the Darbar Sahib has been awarded as the most visited place of the world. The holy Sikh Shrine is situated in Amritsar, Punjab. It is surrounded by a Sarovar which is fed by river Ravi. Book of World Records, London Awards Harmandir Sahib as the Most Visited Place of the World.  Indias Ambani family has topped the Forbes list of Asias 50 Richest Families for the first time, with a net worth of $44.8 billion.  Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan honoured with personality of the year award at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.  Indias foreign-language Oscar hopeful Newton bagged two wins at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane, with Rajkummar Rao winning the best actor, and writer Mayank Tewari and director Amit V. Masurkar grabbing the best screenplay honour.  In a first, a woman has been inducted as a pilot in the Indian Navy. Shubhangi Swaroop, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, will soon be flying Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft.

Conference and Summits

Summit Place . Extra Knowledge International AYUSH Conference India Theme -- Lifestyle diseases: Prevention and and Exhibition 2017 management through AYUSH CMS Conference of the Parties India To be hosted in 2020 as announced by UN for CMSCOP13 Environment Programme Mitra Shakti 2017 Pune, Maharashtra It is 5th India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise. International seminar and Global Kochi, Kerala . In February, 2018 Ayurveda meet

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12th World Sudoku Championship Bengaluru . and the 26th World Puzzle Championship 8th Global Entrepreneurship Hyderabad, Telangana To be held in November. Theme -- Women First, Summit Prosperity for All 14th India-EU Summit India . To be held in October 9th BRICS summit (2017) Xiamen, China 10th BRICS summit Johannesburg, South . to be held in 2018 Africa World Congress on Adolescent India To be held in October Health Theme: Investing in Adolescent Health the Future is Now India Mobile Congress 2017 New Delhi First BIMSTEC disaster New Delhi, India To be conducted between October 10-13 and management exercise acronymed as BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 First ever Nordic-Baltic youth film New Delhi . festival Island Development Agency (IDA) New Delhi . Meet Three-Day International New Delhi Conference – FIPSPHYSIOCON 2017 Global Clubfoot Conference New Delhi . 21st World Congress of Mental New Delhi Health World Food India 2017 New Delhi . 1st Heli Expo India and New Delhi International Civil Helicopter Conclave-2017 India Disaster Response Summit New Delhi Jointly by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Facebook Asean-India business and New Delhi To be held in January 2018 investment summit 36th International Geological New Delhi To be held in year 2020 Congress (IGC) Hindustan Times Leadership New Delhi Summit Seminar on cyber security in the New Delhi context of Indian Navy Global Conference on Cyber Space New Delhi Theme – Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive (GCCS) Cyberspace for Sustainable Development 12th North East Business Summit New Delhi 15th Asia Pacific Computer New Delhi Emergency Response Team (APCERT) Conference South Asia Regional Training and New Delhi It was Interim Meeting of the Steering Committee

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Technical Assistance Center of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)s South (SARTTAC) Meet Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) 42nd World Congress of the New Delhi Theme - Military Medicine in Transition: Looking International Committee of Ahead. Military Medicine (ICMM) Consultative Workshop on New New Delhi National Policy on Biofuels 12th meeting of the Standing New Delhi Committee of Inter-State Council (ISC) International Seminar on Indian New Delhi Space Programme: Trends and Opportunities for Industry Global Conference on Stroke New Delhi Asean-India Connectivity Summit New Delhi Theme: Powering Digital and Physical Linkages (AICS) for Asia in the 21st Century Japan-India Act East Forum New Delhi . First meeting of 15th Finance New Delhi Commission Shared Value Summit 2017 New Delhi . First Ever International New Delhi Conference on AYUSH and Wellness Arogya 2017 Bodhi Parva BIMSTEC Festival of New Delhi . Buddhist Global Partnership Summit 2017 New Delhi . International Conference on New Delhi . Sports Medicine and Sports Sciences SAICON 2017 International Tourism Mart Guwahati, Assam . World Congress of Optometry Hyderabad, Telangana Coastal Shipping and Inland Water Kochi, Kerala Transportation Business Summit 2017 12th India-Japan annual summit Gandhinagar, Gujarat Japan PM Shinzo Abe came to India and met PM Modi International Conference on New Delhi India did not invite Pakistan and North Korea to Consumer Protection attend the conference First Meeting of BIMSTEC Task New Delhi Force on Traditional Medicine Third Global Investors India New Delhi Forum Third International Conference on New Delhi Theme - Yoga for Wellness Yoga CMS Vatavaran New Delhi It is an international film festival on environment

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and wildlife Global meet on Indian space New Delhi industry World Congress on Adolescent New Delhi Theme: Investing in Adolescent Health—the Health Future is Now 2017 Technology Summit New Delhi To be in held in November, 2017 Canada will be the partner country First ever National Conference on New Delhi Mission Mode to address Under- Nutrition Conference on Sustainable New Delhi In the conference, Wood is Good campaign Landscapes & Forest Ecosystems : launched. The purpose of the campaign is to Theory to Practice promote wood as a climate-friendly resource and substitute to materials like steel and plastic. First National Conference on New Delhi Uniformed Women in Prison Administration North East Calling New Delhi Rajaswa Gyan Sangam, 2017 New Delhi VASTRA Fair Jaipur, Rajasthan International Conference on India at Delhi, Gandhinagar and Dholavira Dialogue of Civilizations – IV International medical conference Chandigarh . International puppet festival Kolkata The puppet festival is aimed at regenerating the emotions attached to puppetry and it will be held at Mohorkunj in Kolkata. First ever ASEAN-India music Purana Quila in New festival Delhi Skill Seeds International MSME Hyderabad and Startup Expo 2017 20th International Childrens Film Hyderabad Festival International Symposium to Jaipur, Rajasthan Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2017) 12th Biennial International Jaipur, Rajasthan Conference & Exposition of Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (SPG) Asian Bankers Association (ABA) Mumbai Hosted by State Bank, with the theme of Asias turn to transform. 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Dantewada, Summit Chhattisgarh Sangai International Festival Manipur First ever North East Development Imphal, Manipur Summit (NEDS) 2017

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Nobel Prize Series — India 2018 Goa (Science Impacts Life) Indias first Military Literature Chandigarh Festival Organic World Congress – 2017 Greater Noida India-UAE Partnership Summit Dubai, UAE United Nations conference on Abu Dhabi, UAE nuclear energy 8th SAARC speaker Sri Lanka Parliamentarians conference ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Singapore To be held in 2018 Diwas 4th ASEAN Defense Ministers Clark, Meeting (ADMM) Plus -- Southeast Asian defence ministers meeting South Asian Association for Colombo, Sri Lanka Regional Co-operation in Law (SAARCLAW) 2nd World Congress on Marxism , China To be held in 2018 7th ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) , Theme for this years meeting was Innovative Economic Ministers Meeting Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity. UN General Assembly (UNGA) New York, USA External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj session represented India at the annual UNGA session International Hindu Conference Kathmandu, Nepal Theme: Emerging spiritualism: Renaissance of Hinduism International conference on Kathmandu, Nepal climate change SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Sochi, Russia Organisation) summit Ministerial meeting of the UN Japan Security Council APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Da Nang, Theme - Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Cooperation) Summit 2017 Shared Future 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Vancouver, Canada Ministerial Conference International Energy Agency (IEA) Paris, France Ministerial Meet 23rd Conference of Parties (COP- Bonn, Germany India Pavilion at COP 23 was also inaugurated 23) to the United Nations there. Framework Convention on Climate Indias theme for COP 23 is Conserving Now, Change (UNFCCC) Preserving Future World Youth Forum 2017 Sharm El sheikh, International Conference on Janakpur, Nepal Ramayan Circuit and Mithila- Awadh Relations

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ASEAN Summit 2017 Manila, Philippines East Asia Summit 2017 Manila, Philippines South Asia Economic Summit Kathmandu, Nepal 1st WHO Global Ministerial , Russia The conference was themed Ending TB in the Conference on Ending TB in Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Sustainable Development Era Response. 13th Asia-Europe Foreign Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar Ministers Meeting For the first time, India, US and Afghanistan will hold a joint trade and investment show in Delhi, as New Delhi steps up to its role of being a bigger development partner to Afghanistan.

International News

 Hurricane Harvey menaces Texas, Louisiana in the USA.  Hurricane Maria devastates island of Dominica  Mawar, the 16th typhoon of this year, has made landfall in Chinas Guangdong province, bringing heavy rains and winds,  Hurricane Irma kills 10 people in Cuba  The WHO has released its first tranche of emergency funding of $175,000 to provide lifesaving healthcare to the vulnerable population in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar.  The US will provide a humanitarian aid package worth $32 million to the Rohingya Muslim minority who have fled violence in Myanmar and crossed into neighbouring Bangladesh.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it needs to pump in over $800 million to eliminate measles from five developing economies of South East Asia (SEA) — Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Timor Leste — by 2020. The deadline for elimination of the highly contagious infection, killing annually an estimated 134,200 children globally, is 2020.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) has told the South East Asian countries to integrate their national plans and mobilise and utilise resources efficiently to reach the Tuberculosis elimination target of 2030.  s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has reached the value of $1 trillion for the first time, the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said. This amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.  Organisations, institutions and individuals advocating non-violence are joining hands with the Indian community in the Netherlands and the Embassy of India to launch a unique campaign titled Follow the Mahatma on October 1 and 2.  Chabahar Port in Iran will be operational by the end of 2018. Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan province in the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations southern coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from Indias western coast, bypassing Pakistan.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will grant gratis visa to Myanmarese citizens wanting to visit the country.  Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL) , under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, .

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 UN has said that the security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, urging the country to end the cruel military operation in its Rakhine state.  Nepal has begun its first-ever survey to remeasure Mount Everest to check if the worlds tallest peaks height was altered by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 2015.  Prince Charles, the heir to Britains throne, has become the longest-serving Prince of in history.  United States banking regulator has shut down operations of Pakistans Habib Bank (HBL) in New York after almost 40 year.  The United States has announced $25 million award to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery for transformational programmes around the world to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery – also known as human trafficking.  Sri Lanka has banned plastic bags and other disposable products after one of the countrys biggest dump collapsed in April leading to a disposal crisis.  The worlds highest sandcastle has been created in the German city of Duisburg, standing at 16.68 metres (54.72ft) tall.  China is gearing up to ban petrol and diesel cars, a move that would boost electric vehicles and shake up the world´s biggest car market in a country that is plagued by pollution.  Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced $76 million for a BRICS economic and technology cooperation plan and another $4 million to support the projects of the blocs New Development Bank at the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China.  China has increased the maximum speed of bullet trains on the Beijing-Shanghai line to 350 kilometres (217 miles) per hour, six years after a fatal accident led to a speed cap. Now it has started operating the worlds fastest bullet train, Fusing, between Beijing and Shanghai, the countrys busiest route.  China hold memorial for worlds oldest captive panda named Basi who died at the age of 37 in Fuzhou. Basi was the model for the 1990 Asian Games in Beijings mascot Panpan.  China has issued a commemorative stamp priced at 1.2 yuan in honour of the worlds largest radio telescope located in Guizhou province.  Chinese real estate giant Evergrande Groups Chairman Hui Ka Yan has become Asias richest man with a net worth of $41.1 billion.  The Chinese government has banned initial coin offerings, a new fundraising phenomenon that has taken the Internet by storm.  Nepal has signed a USD 635 million UN assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out the countrys development strategy for the next five years.  Russia has launched the worlds largest and most powerful icebreaker ship, designed to transport cargo via the Northern Sea Route in the Arctic Ocean.  Indonesian scientists have found the worlds smallest squirrel in the countrys Borneo rain forest. The Bormean pigmy squirrel or exilisciurus exilis was found in Meratus mountain of South Kalimantan province.  The Tajikistan government has banned its women from wearing veils and has introduced a legislation, wherein it has asked the women to stick to traditional national clothes and culture.  London has retained its crown as the worlds top financial center in a ranking that surveys industry professionals, extending its lead over New York and Hong Kong despite ongoing uncertainty about the implications of Brexit.

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 The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has taken snow leopard off the endangered list, where it was included in 1972. In the new assessment, IUCN has placed the animal under the less-threatened vulnerable category.  Saudi Arabia has invited women to a sports stadium for the first time to attend the kingdoms 87th National Day celebrations with their families. This marks a shift from previous celebrations in the kingdom where women are effectively barred from sports arenas.  Saudi women will be allowed to drive in the kingdom in 2018  Saudi Arabia has voted to allow women to issue fatwas, following a vote in Saudis advisory council.  Taxi-hailing app Uber suffered a major blow as Transport for London (TfL) — the body responsible for issuing licences to cab companies — said that from September-end it would lose its licence to operate in the city.  Fifty countries have signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact that the worlds nuclear powers spurned but supporters hailed as a historic agreement nonetheless. Brazil was the first country to sign onto the ban, followed by nations from Algeria to Venezuela.  The INTERPOL General Assembly has voted to admit the State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands as new member countries. The membership of the world policing body now totals 192.  PM Narendra Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Philippines and inaugurated Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory.  Ayodhya Mahotsav, depicting the cultural heritage of the temple town, would be staged in Seoul and Gimhe cities of South Korea next year. In return, a Korea Festival will be held in Lucknow and Ayodhya.  India has pledged to contribute about USD 2.87 million to Afghanistan in its latest financial assistance to the neighbouring country.  Developing countries will receive $540 million to continue their work in phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals, according to UN Environment Programme (UNEP).  Fake news, a term heavily popularised by US President Donald Trump, has been named the word of the year by Collins dictionary due to its widespread use around the world. It was found that the use of this word registered a 365 per cent rise in the last 12 months. Fake News - false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting. Last year, term selected was – BREXIT.  US grants $500k to promote religious freedom in India, Sri Lanka  United Nations hosts first talks on use of killer robots in Geneva  A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held in Bonn, Germany.  Sarajevo Haggadah, the 14th- century richly illuminated Hebrew manuscript, which was brought to Sarajevo through the efforts of Jews fleeing persecution in Spain, has been included in UNESCOs Memory of the World Register.  is changing its name to Qazaqstan as part of a transition from Cyrillic to a Latin-based script. A national commission will be set up to oversee the transition, which will be completed by 2025.  A female bottlenose dolphin named Nana, thought to be around 47 years old, has died at a Japanese aquarium  A five-ship Indian naval training flotilla, based in Kerala is on a visit to Sri Lanka to foster bridges of friendship between the two countries and expose their trainees to foreign waters.  China unveiled one of the worlds coolest library with more than one million books to readers. It is located in the Binhai Cultural District in Tianjin, China.

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 China has unveiled Asias largest artificial island-building ship.  China has launched worlds first all-electric ship that can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two- hour charge.  China, which on its way to emerge as a Space Superpower, has claimed be the first nation to make contact with alien life using the worlds largest radio dish.  becomes new member of International Solar Alliance  Typhoon Damrey arrives in Vietnam  Nepal inaugurated a bridge built with Indias financial assistance of USD 430,626 on the Kaligandaki river near China border.  Nepal scraps 1200-MW Budhigandaki Hydroelectric project with China  Nepal Electricity Authority, NEA has signed a joint venture agreement with a Chinese company to construct 750 MW West Seti hydropower Project.  Scientists have developed the worlds first artificial intelligence politician that can answer a persons queries regarding local issues such as policies around housing, education and immigration. The virtual politician, called SAM, was created by Nick Gerritsen, a 49-year-old entrepreneur in New Zealand.  Syria has officially signed up to the Paris Agreement, leaving only the United States as the only country to reject the global climate-rescue pact.  The Saudi Ministry of Trade and Industry declared that Yoga has been listed under sports activities.  Russia will create Independent Internet for BRICS Countries.  The word populism has been announced as Cambridge Dictionarys Word of the Year 2017. The dictionary defined populism as political ideas and activities that are intended to get the support of ordinary people by giving them what they want.  Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced the creation of a new virtual currency Petro in a bid to ease the countrys economic crisis.  US President Donald Trump has recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, breaking nearly 70-year-old US policy. The US has become the first country to recognise the status of Jerusalem which is claimed as the capital by both Israel and Palestine.  Australia has became the 26th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

National News  US tech giant Google has unveiled Tez- a simple and secure mobile app for digital payments and commerce, built with the goal of working for everyone in India, and is available now for download on Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS). App is available in English and seven Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujrati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu). Tez works in partnership with four Banks – Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of India (SBI) – to facilitate the processing of payments across over 50 UPI enabled banks.  The Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) on 5 September 2017 launched DIKSHA Portal (diksha.gov.in) for providing digital platform to teachers for making their lifestyle more digital. DIKSHA will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education.  PM Narendra Modi launched a postage stamp based on Ramayana during his visit to historic Tulsi Manas temple in Varanasi and said that stamps are a wonderful way to preserve history.

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 The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) of the Ministry of Women & Child Development has started a monthly Jan Sampark program to enable the public to have interaction with its officials and staff  The government has decided to increase the retirement age of central government doctors including those working under the AYUSH ministry and in the railways to 65 years.  Dr. Harshvardhan launched Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana which will experiment and endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through cluster approach in Uttarakhand  Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer. Theme – Nurturing the Nurturer.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives, an injectable contraceptive MPA under the Antara programme and a contraceptive pill, Chhaya, in the public health system to expand the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the emerging needs of couples.  The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a nationwide hackathon OpenGovDataHack to support and showcase potential ideas/talent from inner India. The hackathon aims to enable participants develop their ideas into apps/infographics primarily by the use of open government data around the themes of drinking water and sanitation, transport, education, health, and crime to a stage, after which it can be evaluated by a jury and be selected for prizes and support/funding.  The Union Cabinet has given its approval for an increase of 1% additional Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners to compensate for price rise. This additional installment of DA represents an increase of 1% over the existing rate of 4% of basic pay/pension.  The Union Cabinet approved a Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) with an outlay of Rs 10,881 crore during the period from 2017-18 to 2028-29.  India has started Operation Insaniyat to provided assistance to Bangladesh in response to the humanitarian crisis being faced on account of the large influx of Rohingya refugees into that country from Myanmar.  INS Garhial of Indian Navy carried around 86 thousand family packs as relief material in the ongoing operation Insaniyat launched in support of Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.  National Aluminium Company (Nalco), Hindustan Copper (HCL)and MECL, three state-run PSUs, have signed an MoU to form a joint venture — Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (Kabil).  Government think-tank Niti Aayog has come out with the National Nutrition Strategy, seeking to put nutrition at the forefront of the narrative of the National Development Agenda. It aims at ensuring every child, adolescent girl and woman attains optimal nutritional status by 2022.  The government issued an alert on spread of new malware Locky Ransomware that can lock computers and demand ransom for unlocking them.  The Department of Biotechnology announced 3 missions focussing on the northeast India, including the B4, which is centred on the Brahmaputras biodiversity and biology. This new project aims at starting a lab on boat on Bramhaputra river for biological analysis of the river system. The first laboratory under the Bramhaputra Biodiversity Biology Boat (B4) initiative will cover Pasighat, Dibrugarh, Neemati, Tejpur and Guwahati in Assam.  Portal PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) — an electronic platform for no child labour in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry. Launched for effective implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP).  On the eve of Antyodaya Diwas 2017, the government has celebrated the Bharat Ke Kaushalzaade occasion on 24th September this year. Antyodaya Diwas has completed 3 years this year on 25th September.

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 India, Asias third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the worlds most expensive coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka. The Civet coffee is also called as Luwark coffee.  GOI inaugurated the first Pension Adalat and a pension app for Central Government employees in New Delhi. The Adalat aims to quick resolve long pending pension cases.  Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched -Mission 24 for Mumbais M east ward which is known to have one of highest slum populations in the city.  Indias first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the NALSAR University of Law At Hyderabad, Telangana.  After remaining non-functional for the last three years the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway line connecting Nepal and India is expected to become functional by 2018.  Recently-released black comedy film Newton, starring Rajkummar Rao, is Indias official entry to the 90th Academy Awards ceremony.  The Kandla Port Trust in Gujarat has been renamed Deendayal Port Trust.  An MoU was signed by Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat program, to boost cultural ties.  On the occasion of National Ayurveda Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) at Delhis Sarita Vihar. The All India Institute of Ayurveda, set up on a total area of 10.015 acres on a budget of Rs 157 crore, is the first medical institute under the AYUSH ministry to hold the coveted National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation.  India is among the five countries — Pakistan, Nigeria, Congo and being the others — responsible for half of all new-born deaths in the world, according to a UN report. The report, Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017, revealed that 5.6 million children died before reaching the age of five in 2016. However, this is a marked decrease compared to 2000 when nearly 9.9 million children had died before turning five.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service connecting Saurashtra with south Gujarat. The first phase of the project worth Rs 650-crore connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat. This is the first of its kind project not only in India, but also in South-East Asia. Essar Projects, the EPC arm of Ruias-led Essar Group, has constructed and designed the roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) terminals at both Dahej and Ghogha ports.  Indias first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in New Delhi launched.  Government has launched Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana and expansion of Postal Life Insurance. Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana -- a minimum of one village will be taken up in each of the districts of the country, and efforts will be made to cover all households of the village with at least one Rural Postal Life Insurance policy each.  The much-awaited Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act has come into effect from October 12 with a provision to bring more services and products like jewellery under the mandatory standard regime. Parliament had, in March 2016, passed the law to replace the BIS Act of 1986.  Indias first Sewage Treatment Plant under Hybrid Annuity Mode to come up in Haridwar and Varanasi  President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Shirdi International Airport in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.  Ministries of power and textiles have jointly announced a new scheme SAATHI under which Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will provide energy efficient power loom equipment to small and medium units at no

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upfront cost. SAATHI -- Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small Industries.  Cabinet approves SANKALP, STRIVE schemes to boost Skill India Mission SANKALP - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion -- Rs 4,455 crore Centrally sponsored scheme including Rs. 3,300 crore loan support from World Bank. STRIVE - Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement -- Rs. 2,200 crore – central sector scheme, with half of the scheme outlay as World bank loan assistance.  The Union Cabinet has approved road building programmes of around Rs 7 lakh crore with a target to construct 83,677 km of roads in the next five years.  MSME Delayed Payment Portal – MSME Samadhaan (http://msefc.msme.gov.in), empowering micro and small entrepreneurs across the country to directly register their cases relating to delayed payments by Central Ministries/Departments/CPSEs/State Governments.  HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the Paika Bidroha (Paika rebellion) of 1817 will find a place in the history books as the First War of Independence from the next academic session. Paika Bidroha against the British rule took place four decades before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, which has so far been regarded as the First War of Indian Independence.  The Government of India, has increased its stake in IDBI Bank to 77.79% by acquiring 3.81 per cent shares through preferential allotment.  Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched the railways first set of solar plants in Delhi with a total capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp), an ambitious project aimed at reducing the national transporters carbon footprint.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Indian Railways 110km Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that is aimed at reducing the distance between Bengaluru and New Delhi by 380km and travel time by six to eight hours  President Ram Nath Kovind launched Mata Amritanandamayi Maths Rs 100 crore clean water initiative for rural India at the math headquarters in the coastal hamlet of Vallikkavu in Kerala  India has opened 2 immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar & Bangladesh. Myanmar - Zorinpui check post of Mizoram. Bangladesh - Kawrpuichhuah post of Mizoram.  President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of World Tourism Day which is celebrated on September 27 annually, launched Incredible India 2.0 Campaign, Adopt a Heritage project.  The Centre has launched a six-year project called SECURE Himalaya, to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states in India. SECURE ---- Securing Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan ecosystems  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI). The special drive will focus on improving immunization coverage in select districts and cities to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by December 2018.  The Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) has launched Indias first commodity options in gold, giving stakeholders a new set of financial instruments to hedge their price risks.  Nepal and India will be conducting in November a joint head count of tigers in the national parks, forests and sanctuaries along the international border between the two neighbours using a similar camera tapping method.  The worlds largest combustion research centre which will impart a major boost to the Indian scientific community has been inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

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 India sent first wheat shipment to Afghanistan via Irans Chabahar port. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif flagged off the shipment through video-conferencing.  To strengthen maritime security, India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).  India first country to partner with Facebook on disaster response.  The ₹ uey ote completed 100 years on 30 Nov, 2017, after the first note, which was printed in England, was issued o Noee , i Idia. The ote as lauhed eause the sile used fo ₹ ois as eing used to ake eapoy opoets duig Wold Wa I. Notaly, he the ote as issued, ₹ as euialet to .g of silver. Since 1917 to 2017, there have been 125 different One Rupee notes that have been issued for circulation with different serial numbers and signatures.  The Union Cabinet approved Indias membership for European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a move which will help it obtain funding in various areas including services and manufacturing.  Government approved new scheme called Mahila Shakti Kendra and expanded the umbrella scheme Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women for a period 2017-18 to 2019-20.  Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 was held in Hyderabad between November 28 and November 30. This years Summit highlighted the theme Women First, Prosperity for All. Mitra, a made-in-India robot developed by Bengaluru-based Invento Robotics, declared the start of GES 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US First daughter Ivanka Trump inaugurated the event by pressing a button on the bot.  Government launched a new mobile app — UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) which will allow citizens to access Government services on a single platform. App has been developed by SpiceDigital.  Under Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat Yojana, Madhya Pradesh has been made partner of Manipur and Nagaland.  Ministry of Human Resources Development has launched a Digital Signature campaign on Constitution Day affirming faith in Indian Constitution and to generate awareness on fundamental duties enshrined in the Constitution.  The Centre approved setting up of Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendras across 115 most backward districts of the country for reaching out to rural women and facilitating skill development, employment, digital literacy, health and nutrition.  The government has given the go-ahead for setting up Indias first mega coastal economic zone (CEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra as part of a plan to develop 14 such industrial clusters to spur manufacturing and generate jobs.  The Ministry of Finance increased the maximum age of joining the National Pension System (NPS) from the existing 60 years to 65 years under NPS – Private Sector (i.e. all citizen and corporate model).  Goa ranks top, Bihar at bottom of Gender Vulnerability Index released by Child development NGO Plan India.  According to a joint study by Assocham and EY, India is home to the largest number of malnourished children in the world.  Railways has launched the main arch of the worlds highest bridge on the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmirs Reasi district which will provide direct connectivity to the Kashmir valley.  The Inter-State Council, which is mandated to investigate and advise on disputes between states, has been reconstituted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairman and six Union ministers and all chief ministers as members.

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According to a gazette notification, the Union ministers who will be members of the reconstituted council are Rajnath Singh (home), Sushma Swaraj (external affairs), Arun Jaitley (finance), Nitin Gadkari (road transport), Thaawar Chand Gehlot (social justice and empowerment) and Nirmala Sitharaman (defence).  Cabinet approved extension of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as RKVY-RAFTAAR for fiscals 2017-18 to 2019-20. The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RKVY- RAFTAAR) will incentivise states in increasing allocations to agricultural and allied sectors to boost farm output. The financial allocation of the scheme will be Rs 15,722 crore.  Power and New & Renewable Energy Ministry, launched the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – Saubhagya Web Portal.  World Food India 2017 - launched Nivesh Bandhu, an Investor Facilitation Portal. Karnataka was the focus State. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor was named brand ambassador for World Food Indias Food Street. Germany, Japan and Denmark were partner countries to World Food India, while and the Netherlands were the focus countries.  A Pan India scholarship program for school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana has been launched by the government to increase the reach of Philately. SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby)  Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the worlds highest motorable road in the cold desert of Ladakh.  Tata Steel has established Indias largest Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) facility, capable of handling 200 metric tonnes per hour, at its state-of-the-art steel plant at Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur district of Odisha.  The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) in its document called New India @2022 anticipated a New India by 2022 that will be free from poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism  The government made installation of FASTag, a rechargeable card that uses passive radio frequency identification (RFID ) technology to debit toll charges automatically, mandatory for all four-wheel automobiles sold from December 1.  The government has more than tripled the maximum amount that a central government employee can borrow from the government to Rs 25 lakh, from Rs 7.50 lakh earlier.  India sets Guinness Record for cooking 918 kgs of Khichdi at the World Food India 2017 event.  The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) opened its campus to an Israel Centre which is aimed at becoming a bridge of academic collaboration between India and Israel.  India has pledged an additional USD 100 million towards the UN partnership fund, significantly scaling up its support to sustainable development projects across the developing world.  Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways & Coal launched Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran App benefitting customers of Coal India Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road mode.  Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launched SHe-box (sexual harassment electronic box), an online portal for registering complaint related to sexual harassment in non-government and government organisations.  Unesco, the UN cultural organisation, has included Chennai in its list of Creative Cities for its contribution to music. Chennai is the third Indian city on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities list after Jaipur and Varanasi.  Google Arts and Culture unveils its first lab experiment in India in Mumbai.  A new passenger train between West Bengal and Bangladesh, Bandhan Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina via video conferencing. The train will connect Kolkata

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to Khulna in Bangladesh. This will be the second train to run between the two countries after Maitree Express that runs between Dhaka and Kolkata.  Northeast to get Indias first air dispensary.  Number of pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir limited to 50,000 a day, to avoid any mishap.  WCD Ministry to hosted Hausala 2017 to Celebrate Child Rights Week from 16-20 November 2017.  The government has launched phase 2 of BharatNet to connect 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed broadband by March 2019. Phase 1 of BharatNet set to complete by the end of 2017.  Railways to start 9-month upskilling exercise named Project Sakshamfor employees in January  The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced $1 million to create awareness about Tuberculosis (TB) to help India in its fight against the disease. The move would support Prime Minister Modis ultimate goal of securing a TB-free India by 2025.  Worlds first Sanskrit 3D film Anurakthi was among the main attraction in 3D category at the International Film Festival of India in Panaji in Goa.  Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar launched the Jai Kisaan App, a farmer engagement app packed with features and functions to fulfill the needs of the farmers community in India.  The Eastern Railways has pressed Indias first Swarna Rajdhani rake - Sealdah – New Delhi Rajdhani . Indian Railways decided to upgrade Premium Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains under Project Swarna.  Tata Power Solar has commissioned Indias first rooftop solar car port at Unity One mall in Rohini, Delhi.  Bombay Stock Exchange Institute Ltd. (BIL), has signed an MoU with DLT Labs in Mumbai to set up the countrys first state-of-the-art Block Chain Lab in an institution.  Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has collaborated with app-based taxi aggregator Ola to launch the countrys first electric charging station at one of its petrol/diesel stations in Nagpur.  Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has sent a proposal to United Nations for declaring 2018 as International Year of Millets to raise awareness among consumers, policy makers, industry and research sector.  Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in Bengaluru on 4 day visit to India.  A biographical film on the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal titled An Insignificant Man was finally released on November 17, 2017. The film has been directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vina Shukla.  A two-day Korea festival showcasing Koreas rich art, culture and heritage was inaugurated by Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) Executive Vice President Min Hong Min at the Ambience Mall in Gurugram, Haryana.  According to the state-wise analysis of state of women entrepreneurship in the country by Sheatwork, a knowledge hub for women entrepreneurs, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of women entrepreneurs in India, followed by Kerala and West Bengal  The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi has approved setting up of National Nutrition Mission (NNM) with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18.  India won the election to the Council of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in Category-B which represents the developing countries and countries with largest interests in international sea-borne trade.  The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of 1.12 lakh more affordable houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

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Under PMAY(U), the government targets to provide houses to all urban poor by 2022. Currently, the shortage of houses is pegged at 1.2 crore.  Madame Tussauds has debuted in Delhi, with 50 wax models of Indian and international celebrities. Waxworks of Bollywood actors, sports stars, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and father of the Indian nation Mahatma Gandhi are on display at the museum. The Delhi centre is the 23rd museum for Madame Tussauds.  Cyclone Ockhi hit southern Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep  Government of India increased the budget of Agricultural Education by 47.4% this year as compared to the financial year 2013-14.  Indias Kumbh Mela (held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik) has been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.  Centre offers Rs 2.5 lakh for every inter-caste marriage with a Dalit  With 19 countries ratifying its framework agreement, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) headquartered Gurugram became the first treaty-based international government organisation to be based in India. Australia is the 19th member to join ISA.  In the World Energy Access report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), IES has said that India will achieve electricity for all by early 2020s.  India has been admitted as the 42nd member of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a global export control regime.  Kacheguda Railway Station (in Hyderabad) under the South Central Railway (SCR) has earned the unique distinction of being the first Energy Efficient A1 Category Railway Station on Indian Railways.  The waste management system being implemented in Keralas coastal town of Alappuzha, often called the Venice of East, has been recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the five models across the world for fighting the pollution menace.  A Public Procurement Portal MSME Sambandh was launched by the government for MSME in New Delhi.  India has been declared free from infective Trachoma which is a contagious bacterial infection of the eye. It causes inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids.  UN Women in collaboration with Facebook inaugurated a two day event in Mumbai titled We The Women to empower and recognise the magnificent contribution of women in our society.  Haryana (with 69 per cent score) has topped the list in the ease of doing business rankings, according to government data. It is followed by Telangana (68.46) and Gujarat (67.74).

State News

Andhra Pradesh

 Andhra Pradesh has announced a new programme to offer prayers to water bodies and to create awareness among the public regarding water preservation. Named Jala Siriki Haarati, the programme is aimed at praying at all the rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, irrigation projects, water reservoirs, check dams and all kinds of water bodies.  The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an MoU with the US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to build Indias first Hyperloop system. The planned project is aimed at connecting cities Amaravati and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, supposedly covering the distance of over 35 km in just five minutes.

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 Andhra Pradesh has released People First mobile application for grievance redressal at the Collectors conference in Vijayawada. Under this application, people of Andhra Pradesh can dial 1100 to register complaints about government services and schemes.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared that the year of 2017 as e-pragati year.  No helmet, no petrol rule comes into force in Andhra Pradesh  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Swachh Andhra Mission on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. PV Sindhu has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Swachh Andhra.  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the TU142M aircraft museum in Visakhapatnam. The Russian aircraft, which was decommissioned in March 2017 at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu after 29 years, was brought to the city on April 8 to be converted into a Museum.  Etikoppaka toys of Andhra, popularly known as Lakkapidathalu, have received Geographical Indication by the Registration of Geographical Indication, categorised in class 20 of the toys category.  The Araku valley near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh hosted the first edition of its Hot Air Balloon Festival.  President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Naval Maritime Aircraft Museum in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh featuring the maritime patrol aircraft Tupolev-142M, which served the Navy for almost three decades.

Arunachal Pradesh  Arunachal Pradeshs biggest festival Solung of the Adi Tribe was celebrated with traditional fervor and in a grand way at Boleng in Siang District on September 3.  The Arunachal Assembly has passed a bill paving way for creation of a new district to be named Kamle. With the official creation of the new district, the total number of districts in the state shot up to 23.

Assam  Assam has become first state to pass a legislation which states that Assam government employees who dump parents will lose part salary. The Assam Assembly passed The Assam Employees Parental Responsibility And Norms for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill that makes it mandatory for state government employees to take care of their parents and needy siblings or face a cut in their income.  Singapore will set up a Skill Center at Guwahati which will cater to the entire North-Eastern region.  A 100-ft tall bamboo idol of Goddess in Assam is all set to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest bamboo sculpture ever made in the world  A program called SATH- Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital, a joint initiative of Government of Assam and NITI Aayog, which aims to provide structured support to Assam in identifying key health priorities and implement the solutions towards transforming the health and improving the well-being of people of Assam has been launched in Assam.  Foundation stone for the countrys first ever Industrial Training Institute for the Dibyangans exclusively was laid on October 3 in Dibrugarh in Assam.  ISRO to set up research centre in Guwahati, Assam  The first ever Namami Barak festival was held at Silchar in Assam.

Bihar  Sonepur cattle fair, considered as Asias largest such, kicked-off in Bihar.  The Bihar government gave its nod for setting up a State Ayush Society to give a boost to alternative medicine in the state.

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 In a unique initiative, Gender Alliance Bihar, a collective effort of over 270 civil society organisations backed by the UN Population Fund, has come up with a mobile application Bandhan Tod to fight the rampant social evil of child marriage in the state.  In Bihar, four-day Chhat Pooja celebrations are beginning from today (24 October), with NAHAY-KHAY. Kharna rituals will be held tomorrow.

Chhattisgarh

 Chhattisgarh bans use of chlorinated plastic and Polyvinyl Chloride.  Chhattisgarh has become the first state in the country to award citizenship to as many as 51 Hindu families who had migrated from Pakistan several years ago.

Delhi  The Supreme Court has placed a ban on the sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) during the upcoming festive season of Diwali. The ban will remain in effect till November 1.  New Delhi, the national capital, has been named as worlds worst megacity for sexual violence against women in a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.  Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd installed the Nobel Memorial Wall at Rajiv Chowk metro station for the seventh consecutive year.  The Delhi government signed a twin city agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for strengthening cooperation in the fields of e-governance, transportation, climate change and smart city.  Dr Ambedkar International Centre inaugurated by PM Modi in New Delhi.

Gujarat  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a unique world-class hospital at the Swaminarayan Gurukul Vidyapeeth Pratisthanam in Ahmedabad.  Gujarat on October 10 reduced VAT on petrol and diesel by 4%, becoming the first state to give relief to consumers from a recent surge in oil prices.  The Centre has given green clearance for a greenfield airport project at Hirasar, about 28 km from Rajkot in Gujarat, at a cost of over Rs. 1,400 crores.  Birsa Munda Tribal University inaugurated in the tribal dominated Rajpipla town in Narmada district about 90 kms from Vadodara.  Ahmedabad in Gujarat has been formally accorded the status of Indias first World Heritage City. The honour makes the walled city of Ahmedabad the first city in India, and the third in Asia after Bhaktapur (Nepal) and Galle (Sri Lanka).  Making steps towards digital revolution in the schools of Gujarat, state govt. launched state-wide Gyankunj Project on Teachers Day. The objective of the project is to produce world-class students.  Gujarat government has launched Shramik Annapoorna Yojana (Construction Workers Meal Scheme), under which each registered worker is provided a plateful of food for a mere Rs 10 with the Gujarat government providing a hefty subsidy of Rs 19 per meal.  The ₹-crore high-speed rail training centre for the first bullet train project will be set up in Vadodara, Gujarat.  Amaazia, Indias first Cartoon Network branded amusement park, will open in Surat, Gujarat in the first quarter of 2019.

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Haryana  President Ram Nath Kovind has accorded approval to the proposal for setting up the worlds first AYUSH University at Haryanas Kurukshetra.  According to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, approximately 17.3 lakh new cancer cases are being estimated by the year 2020 in India. Haryana has a major share, with over 39% of cases recorded in the state.  The Haryana government announced lifetime monthly pension to the Hindi satyagrahis and those from the state who were jailed during the Emergency in 1975, hiked financial assistance to veterans of the Second World War (WW-II) and their widows, and provide 10-hour power supply to the agriculture sector.  Haryana first state to treat Hepatitis-C patients with oral medicine  Gurugram to have North Indias biggest butterfly park  Worlds biggest toilet pot model was unveiled at Marora, popularly known as the Trump village, in Mewat region, near Gurugram, Haryana on the World Toilet Day in a bid to create awareness towards sanitation and use of toilets.  The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsava-2017 in Kurukshetra, Haryana.

Himachal Pradesh  After two years of trial runs on the challenging Manali-Rohtang highway, Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC) has finally launched its electric bus service on the route on a regular basis. With this, Himachal Pradesh has become the first hill state in the country to run electric buses.  Himachal Pradesh hosted the International Lavi Fair at Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district. The 300-year-old Lavi fair is an important trade event between India and Tibet.  PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an AIIMS premier hospital in Bilaspur town of Himachal Pradesh.

Jammu & Kashmir  Pratham-Shyok bridge that will link Leh to Karakoram, providing connectivity on the strategically important Darbuk- Shyok-Daulat Beg Olde axis for military transport.  First power plant under PM Ladakh scheme commissioned in Biaras Drass of Kargil in Jammu & Kashmir.

Jharkhand  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for Ranchi Smart City coming up on the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) land. This would be the countrys first green-field smart city.

Karnataka  Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the Mathru Purna scheme, which aims to provide nutritious meals to about 12 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers in the state.  Karnataka government, from next academic year, has decided to provide free education to girls from class one to graduation level in all public and aided private schools and colleges.  Karnataka has become the first Indian state to have an electric vehicle policy after the state Cabinet approved the Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy.  The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, inaugurated the Swachhta Hi Seva and Shouchalayakkagi Samara (A Crusade For Toilets) Programme in Karnataka.

Kerala  Onam, the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala, celebrated in the state.

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 Kerala is going to open Indias first transgender-exclusive clinics at government medical colleges across the state.  Kerala government launched She Pad, a scheme to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from classes VI to XII in government and aided private schools affiliated to the state school board.  The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), common platform of 21 countries including India and geographically bordering Indian  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a unique world-class hospital at the Swaminarayan Gurukul Vidyapeeth Pratisthanam in Ahmedabad.

Lakshadweep Island  According to a study, Parali I island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, part of Bangaram atoll, which had an area of 0.032 sq.km in 1968 has been completely eroded, resulting in its inundation.

Madhya Pradesh  MP govt. launched Single Click Pension Delivery scheme, wherein the money will go directly into the account of the beneficiaries.  MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated a toilet in the Mangalwara area for the exclusive use of transgenders --- first of its kind in the country.  Madhya Pradesh, which was the first state to announce that it would switch to January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle starting 2018, has put the plan on the back burner.  Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna for the farmers of the state launched. Madhya Pradesh is the first state to lend money to farmers at zero percent interest.

Maharashtra  Maharashtra government has announced plans to launch 112 as a single integrated helpline number for police, fire brigade, and ambulance services.  The Maharashtra government is planning to ban plastic carry bags after the Gudi Padwa (Maharashtrian New Year) next year. Gudi Padwa falls in March-April period.  Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the Maharashtra Mission 1 Million initiative under which over 10 lakh students across the state will play football.  MahaLabharthi web portal that will help people get information about all the government schemes that they are eligible for.  The restored Royal Opera House, located at Mumbais Charni Road, has received the Award of Merit from the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The building, which was closed to the public in 1993 and reopened in 2016, was restored by architect Abha Narain Lambah.  The Maharashtra government has set up a seven-member committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sudhir Shrivastava to recommend ways to stop the custodial deaths.  Maharashtra government, in a bid to become plastic-free state from March 2018, has banned packaged water bottles in Mantralaya and other government offices.

Manipur  Heikru Hidongba, the traditional boat race festival of Manipur, was celebrated at the Thangapat (moat) of Shri Bijoy Govindajee, Sagolband, Imphal on September 3.  Manipur celebrates Mera Houchongba festival

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 Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh inaugurated a two-day India-Myanmar media interaction programme in Imphal.

Mizoram  Mizorams Dampa Tiger Reserve now holds the distinction of housing the highest number of clouded leopards in Southeast Asia, the state government has claimed. Density of population of clouded leopards, locally knows as Kelral, is 5.14 per 100 sq km in the reserve.

Nagaland  Nagaland scripted history when it became the first State in the Northeast to launch Point of Sale (POS) facility for electricity bill payment, where the mode of payment will be cashless.  President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Hornbill Festival and State Formation Day celebrations of Nagaland in Kisama.

Odisha  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the logo and mascot for the Hockey Mens World Cup 2018 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.  The annual Balijatra festival was inaugurated at the Gadagadia ghat in Cuttack on the banks of river Mahanadi.  Odisha government launched a scheme - Fish Pond Yojana - to boost fish production in the state with a budgetary provision of 96 crore rupees.  The Odisha government will launch a massive vaccination drive to combat killer Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in 13 districts of the state.  Odisha government has launched a new scheme, Nabakrushna Choudhury Seccha Unnayan Yojana worth Rs 635 crore to provide irrigation facility to about 55,000 hectare of agricultural land across the state.

Puducherry  The Puducherry government has decided to ban manufacture and use of plastic packaging materials of less than 51 microns as these were found to be injurious to health and a source of menace during monsoon in the Union Territory.

Rajasthan  Rajasthan becomes 1st state to incorporate skill development programme in higher education.  Rajasthan has launched the Election Commissions web- based project, ERO-Net, using which voters can register their names on electoral rolls.  Government has passed an ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction -- Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.  The annual Balijatra festival was inaugurated at the Gadagadia ghat in Cuttack on the banks of river Mahanadi.  Odisha government launched a scheme - Fish Pond Yojana - to boost fish production in the state with a budgetary provision of 96 crore rupees.  The Odisha government will launch a massive vaccination drive to combat killer Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in 13 districts of the state.

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 Odisha government has launched a new scheme, Nabakrushna Choudhury Seccha Unnayan Yojana worth Rs 635 crore to provide irrigation facility to about 55,000 hectare of agricultural land across the state.

Tamil Nadu  The Madras high court has banned the use of pictures of living persons on banners and hoardings in Tamil Nadu, where towering cut-outs of politicians and actors are almost a part of the local culture.  Indias Second Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) Established in Chennai. 1st at Punjab.  India and Israel are coming together to set up a centre for excellence in floriculture at Thally in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu.

Telangana  Regional Vocational Training Institute, Hyderabad, the first of its kind in Telangana inaugurated.  Trademark Hyderabadi dishes biryani, baghare baingan, and seviyan have all made their way into India postage, with the Department of Post issuing stamps with photos of the same.  Telangana declared Urdu as the states second official language. First official language is Telugu.  The Telangana Government announced a move to set up an exclusive innovation hub on the lines of T-Hub for women called WE-Hub, backing it with an exclusive Rs. 15-crore fund.  Telangana government will set up Worlds first Information Technology (IT) campus for persons with disabilities that will focus on creating employment opportunities for them.  Internet for every household in Telangana by December 2018

Uttarakhand  The Uttarakhand Government and a charitable funding agency, Swan Cultural Center and Foundation launched Solar Briefcase in Kedarnath Dham. The initiative was taken to provide electricity to far flung areas in the hill state.

Uttar Pradesh  In order to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga from escalating anthropogenic pressures, development of a Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad, UP along with a River Biodiversity Park at Sangam (confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati) have been approved under Namami Gange programme.  UP government approved the Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana, a mass marriage scheme, wherein Rs 35,000 will be spent on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items.  The Mughalsarai railway station of Uttar Pradesh has been renamed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay railway station.  TheUttar Pradesh government has issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as pavitra teerth sthals (sacred pilgrimage sites). No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore.  Uttar Pradesh cabinet decided to make Indias first conservation reserve for black buck in Allahabads Meja.  With an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 491 on the 500-point scale, Varanasi has become the most polluted Indian city among 42 cities, according to data from Central Pollution Control Board. 2nd - Gurugram.  Uttar Pradesh tops in opening new PMJDY accounts after demonetisation.  The Telangana Government announced a move to set up an exclusive innovation hub on the lines of T-Hub for women called WE-Hub, backing it with an exclusive Rs. 15-crore fund.  Telangana government will set up Worlds first Information Technology (IT) campus for persons with disabilities that will focus on creating employment opportunities for them.

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 Internet for every household in Telangana by December 2018

West Bengal  Indias first State of art virology laboratory inaugurated at Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata.  The West Bengal Transport department has introduced Yatrik mobile phone app to help in the easy booking of traditional meter taxis in Kolkata.  The West Bengal government has negotiated with the World Bank to avail subsidy to buy 130 electric buses for plying in Kolkata, Asansol and Durgapur. The World Bank has agreed to provide a subsidy of Rs seven lakh per bus.  West Bengal got GI (Geographical Indication) tag for rosogolla. Both WB and Odisha had applied for it. After this, Odisha government has announced that it would apply for the tag for Odishara Rasogolla soon.  West Bengal Green University Bill 2017 for setting up an environmental studies university at Hooghly district. With this it has become the first state in India to setup green university.

Finance and Banking News

 Foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of the permanent headquarters building of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) held in Shanghai, China. The building is expected to become a landmark building along Huangpu River.  RBI has announced it has added private lender HDFC Bank to its list of domestic systemically important banks (D- SIBs) considered too big to fail. With HDFC Banks inclusion, there are now three banks that are described as too big to fail, including state-run State Bank of India and private lender ICICI Bank.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided not to pursue a proposal for introduction of Islamic banking in the country. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam.  The Reserve Bank of India, RBI, has withdrawn the sale of Rs Ten thousand crore worth of government securities under Open Market Operations, OMO.  RBI has asked co-operative societies not use the word Bank in their names as it violates the Section 7 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.  The RBI has decided to allow asset reconstruction companies to have higher holding than the 26 per cent cap set earlier with regard to limits on shareholding of the post-converted equity of a borrower company under reconstruction.  In August, the RBI had paid a dividend of Rs 30,659 crore for the fiscal ended June 2017. It was less than half the Rs 65,876 crore it had paid in 2015-16. Now, the Government has seeked Rs 13,000 crore of surplus lying with the central bank.  Govt set Rs 10,000 min balance in bank accounts as rural poverty measure  Moodys Investors Service upped the long-term ratings of four Indian financial institutions by a notch to Baa2 following the upgrade of the countrys sovereign rating to the same level. These are -- Export- Import Bank of India (EXIM India), HDFC Bank, Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) and State Bank of India (SBI)  The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) announced that NRIs and PIOs are not required to link bank accounts and other services with Aadhaar.

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 According to a government of India notification, all the peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platforms will be treated as non- banking financial companies (NBFCs) and will be brought under the ambit of the banking regulator.  Indian insurance sector regulator IRDAI has given the final nod to online non-life insurer Acko General Insurance Ltd.  The State Bank of India (SBI) announced SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA) — a chat assistant aimed to address customer enquiries like a bank representative does. Developed by Payjo, an artificial intelligence (AI) banking platform, SIA is equipped to handle nearly 10,000 enquiries per second or 864 million in a day — which is nearly 25 per cent of the queries processed by Google each day.  According to the Truecaller Insights report, the State Bank of India is the biggest bank by volume of SMSes, with 30 per cent of Truecaller users using it, followed by HDFC at 14 per cent and ICICI at 13 percent.  State Bank of India (SBI) has launched comprehensive digital service platform You Only Need One also known as YONO which is a omni digital platform that offers just about everything related to financial services and lifestyle products or services.  Public sector lender IDBI Bank has initiated a turnaround plan – Project Nishchay in consultation with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The project aims to accelerate the struggling lenders turnaround programme and improve financial performance.  Indias largest private sector lender by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank has announced a new home loan scheme that offers borrowers the benefit of 1% cashback on every EMI, for the entire tenure of the loan. The offer will be valid for home loans with a minimum tenure of 15 years and maximum tenure of 30 years.  Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments bank in India to integrate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its digital platform.  In a bid to help develop the fintech ecosystem in India, Fino Payments Bank has launched its mobile banking app called BPay.  Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) on Sep 1 2017 has kick-started its banking operations. Fincare CEO - Rajeev Yadav. It has its Registered Office at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Corporate Office at Bangalore, Karnataka.  Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot Eva — built for HDFC Bank by Bengaluru-based Senseforth AI Research — has successfully addressed over 2.7 million customer queries in six months to become the countrys largest banking chatbot.  Singapores biggest lender DBS Group Holdings has won the Reserve Bank of Indias approval to provide banking services in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary.  Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (BFIL), formerly SKS Microfinance, has signed an exclusivity agreement for a potential merger with IndusInd Bank.  Reserve Bank of India opens branch in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.  According to the Reserve Bank of India, Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio for NBFCs increased to 5% at end-March 2017 from 2.9 per cent at end-March 2012.  The Reserve Bank has clarified that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017.  SBI Foundation has committed Rs 10 crore for the conservation and restoration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) of Mumbai over the period of 3-5 years.  SBI is creating a 15,000-sqft innovation centre in Belapur in Navi Mumbai investing around Rs 100 crore.

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 SBI has launched a new product -- SME Assist -- to provide short-term working capital demand loans to its MSME clients.  The State Bank of India has launched the second edition of its Hackathon named Digitize For Bank. This hackathon will be held from 1st to12th November 2017.  According to a Crisil report, banks are likely to need nearly Rs 3.3 lakh crore this fiscal as provisioning for large NPA accounts in the current financial year.  Union Bank of India has launched an Android app, Union Sahyog, as part of its drive to digitise customer-facing banking services.  Oriental Bank of Commerce becomes 7th bank to be under PCA (Prompt corrective Action) by RBI. Others are - Dena Bank, Central Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and UCO Bank  ICICI announced financial assistance of Rs. 10 crores to the Indian Armed Forces.  HDFC Bank wants to become the Go To bank and preferred banker for the start-up community in the country. Launched SmartUp zones in its branches across India.  HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched Neo — a servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial intelligence for customer service. The insurer hopes to deploy the bot in answering policy —related queries on social media.  Private sector Yes Bank has committed Rs 156 crore to fund first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to be constructed at Varanasi under Hybrid Annuity-PPP Model.  HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) announced the launch of a mobile app – Trade Transaction Tracker – to help customers track the status of their trade transactions on a real-time basis.  Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of Eazy Connect, that will extend online customer service to social media platforms.  The government announced an aggressive Rs 2.11 lakh crore capital infusion for the NPA hit public sector banks over a period of 2 years. Out of this, Rs 1.35 lakh crore will be through the recapitalisation bonds, while remaining Rs 76,000 crore from the budgetary support. Non-performing assets of banks have increased from Rs 2.75 lakh in March 2015 to Rs 7.33 crore as on June 2017.  North East Small Finance Bank Limited has commenced operations as a small finance bank from 17th October 2017. The Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi Microfinance Limited– North East (RGVNMFL-NE) is the promoter of North East Small Finance Bank.  State-run lender Bank of Baroda launched digital Supply Chain Finance solution which aims to accelerate working capital loan opportunities for the small and medium enterprises and large corporate clients.  Andhra Bank has launched a new scheme, Pattabhi Sitaramayya — Self Business Group (PS-SBG), for self-help groups (SHGs) to encourage entrepreneurship.  Kotak Mahindra Bank (Kotak) has launched 24 hour accessible e-Lobbies Smart Banking 24×7 in the Mumbai suburbs of Juhu and Powai.  Indias largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank, announced the launch of Indias first voice- based international remittance service to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in India.  ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Pru Life) has become the first life insurance company in India that has implemented the Electronic – National Automated Clearing House (e-NACH) service of the National Payment Corporation of India.  Private sector RBL Bank has set up an all women branch in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The women branch is a testament to the banks efforts in encouraging gender equality.

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 Paytm Payments Bank formally launched. It is Indias only mobile first bank providing zero balance accounts and zero digital transaction charges. Currently, India has four Payments Bank including Paytm Payments Bank. The other three operational ones are Airtel Payments Bank, India Post Payments Bank and Fino Payments Bank.  AU Small Finance Bank received approval from Reserved Bank of India (RBI) to operate as Scheduled Commercial Bank. AU Small Finance Banks name has now been included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.  YES Bank is all set to launch a first-of-its-kind fintech survey. Called India Fintech Opportunities Review, the study will cover India and a few major fintech markets in the world.  India Post Payments Bank will become operational in all 650 districts of the country by April next year. Two such banks are already operational in Ranchi and Raipur.  Private sector lender Yes Bank signed an agreement with the government to provide Rs 1,000 crore financing for food processing projects.  HSBC has pledged to provide $100 billion in financing and investment by 2025 to help combat climate change.  Private Sector, Federal Bank has obtained RBI approval to open representative offices at Kuwait and Singapore.  Canara Bank launched a digital library, a Canarites app, a field recovery mobile app, a retail loan (vehicle) – tracking system, and a regulatory guidance tracking system.  IDFC Bank, MobiKwik and Net1 have partnered to launch a co-branded virtual prepaid card on the Visa platform to customers of MobiKwik.  Emirates NBD, the UAEs second-largest lender, has started operations in India with an aim to invest USD 100 million capital into its Indian operations. Branch opened in Mumbai.  IndiaFirst Life Insurance (IndiaFirst Life) has launched an unique micro-insurance plan insurance khata targeted at those in the informal sector and agricultural labourers with seasonal incomes.  Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched Pro-fit, a platform that will act as a one-stop solution to all the health-record tracking needs of customers.  During the International Fraud Awareness week, Axis Bank in association with Mumbai Police has launched its latest campaign #MuhPeTaala to promote safe banking.  Private sector lender Axis Bank has launched an instant international payment services using Ripples enterprise blockchain technology solution for retail and corporate customers.  The Royal Bank of Canada is the first Canadian lender to be added to the Financial Stability Boards list of global systemically important banks, which are deemed too big to fail.  JM Financial Home Loans, a step-down subsidiary of Mumbai-based JM Financial, has received certificate of registration from the National Housing Bank for carrying out housing finance activities.  The government has engaged private lender ICICI Bank to enable online payments at 470 mandis integrated with national portal of electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM).  RBI announced that overseas branches and subsidiaries of Indian banks have been permitted to refinance external commercial borrowings (ECBs) of AAA rated public sector and private sector companies. Earlier ECB refinancing, was so far restricted to only foreign lenders.  RBI has launched an SMS campaign and a missed-call helpline to warn people against scams like fraudsters promising prize money from the RBI. Helpline number – 8691960000. The missed call to this helpline number is returned with another call that provides more information on steps to be taken in such cases

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 Indias largest digital bank Paytm Payments bank has unveiled Paytm Ka ATM outlets that allows customers to open Saving Accounts and deposit/withdraw money from their bank accounts.  Axis Securities, a subsidiary of Axis Bank, has become the first-ever broking arm of a bank to take membership of a commodity exchange by registering itself with NCDEX.  Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company has started adoption of digital branch services through its offering Mosambee to add depth and breadth to its service offerings.  The Financial Services Commission, has opened its representative office in Mumbai, a move that will further strengthen and deepen its partnership with its Indian counterparts.

Fifth bi-monthly policy review

The RBI maintained its projection for FY18 real GVA growth at 6.7 per cent, saying the risks are evenly balanced. Also the RBI expects the inflation to stay in 4.3-4.7 per cent in December and March quarters.

Current Monetary Policy Rates:  Repo Rate: Unchanged at 6%  Revrese Repo Rate: Unchanged at 5.75%  Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: Unchanged at 6.25%  Bank Rate: Unchanged at 6.25%  Cash Reserve Ratio: Unchanged at 4%  Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): Unchanged at 19.5%

RBI asks large borrowers to obtain 20-digit Legal Entity Identifier unique code

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed corporate borrowers having exposure of Rs 5 crore and above to mandatorily obtain 20-digit Legal Entity Identifier (LEI). The move is aimed at improving risk management in the wake of the huge stressed assets in the banking system.

 RBI said that borrowers with fund and non-fund exposure of Rs 1,000 crore and above will have to get the unique code by March 31, 2018.  Those having exposure between Rs 500 crore and Rs 1,000 crore have to obtain the LEI code by June 30 and those having between Rs 100 crore and Rs 500 crore by March 31, 2019.  Borrowers with bank credit between Rs 50 crore and Rs 100 crore have been given time to comply with LEI provision by December 2019.  LEI is a 20-digit unique code to identify parties to financial transactions worldwide.  Entities can obtain LEI from any of the local operating units (LOUs) accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) – the entity tasked to support the implementation and use of LEI.

Business News  Google has announced to acquire part of the Taiwan-based HTC Corporations mobile division team for $1.1 billion.  Google has acquired Bitium, a company that provides enterprise customers with identity and access management solutions, including single sign-on (SS) and provisioning for Cloud applications.  HCL Technologies has announced the acquisition of automation-driven data management platform Datawave.

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 To enable small businesses and start-ups to file their Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns smoothly, Airtel Business has launched Airtel GST Advantage.  Thyssenkrupp AG and Tata Steel Ltd. reached a tentative deal to merge their European steel businesses in a bid to create the regions second-largest producer and tackle overcapacity in the industry.  Bharti Airtel, the telecommunications service provider, has acquired a strategic stake in Juggernaut Books, a digital platform to discover and read high quality, affordable books and to submit amateur writing.  E-commerce major Flipkart has acquired mobiles and IT products repair services company, F1 Info Solutions for an undisclosed amount.  State-owned IDBI Bank has sold 9 per cent stake in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) for an undisclosed amount in a bid to mobilise funds by exiting non-core business. Earlier in September, the bank sold 1% stake in Sidbi.  E-commerce major Amazon India has launched a new marketplace Amazon Business to cater to the requirements of the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country.  The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has bought an additional 7% stake totaling to 10% in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) for Rs900 crore from troubled public sector lender IDBI Bank Ltd.  Bharti Airtel acquires Tatas telecom business on cash-free basis - Consumer Mobile Businesses (CMB) of Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML).  Bharti Airtel has received Ghanas National Communications Authoritys approval for the merger between Bharti Ghana (Airtel) and Millicom Ghana (Tigo)  Axis Bank has acquired payments wallet Freecharge for Rs. 373 crore. Sangram Singh has been appointed as the CEO of Freecharge Payment Technologies Private Ltd.  The Board of Directors of IndusInd Bank Ltd and Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd have approved the merger of two companies through a composite scheme of arrangement.  E-commerce major eBay has acquired a 5.4% stake in Flipkart.  The IDFC Group and Shriram Group have decided to call off their merger proposal as they were not able to reach a mutually acceptable swap ratio.  Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has revamped its portal www.udyamimitra.in with enhanced features to provide easy access to credit and hand-holding services for micro small medium enterprises (MSME).  Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs6 trillion market capitalisation after its shares surged over 75% so far this year and hit a fresh lifetime high.  Nokia and Xiaomi ink patent and equipment deal, Xiaomi buys Nokia patents  Popular mobile-based digital payment platform Paytm launched Inbox, a messaging service that will allow consumers to chat with friends and family, and send and request money at the same time.  ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) gets government nod for acquiring HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum).  Rs 10,000 Crore MoU signed between Govt of India & Patanjali  According to Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), provisional figures of direct tax collections up to October, 2017 show that net collections are at Rs. 4.39 lakh crore which is 15.2 percent higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year.  The GST Council decided to raise Composition Scheme threshold to Rs 2 crore. The Council, which held its 23rd meeting in Guwahati, decided that there will be no inter-state taxes and input tax credit for composition dealers.

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 Out of 228 items in the 28% tax bracket, 178 have been put into the lower tax category of 18%. It will be applicable from 15th November.  Amazon India announced the launch of Amazon Saheli, a new pioneering program aimed at empowering and enabling women entrepreneurs across the country to sell their products on the Amazon.in marketplace.  Amazon India collaborated with hardware accelerator HAX and crowd-funding community Kickstarter to announce Startup C-Cube — a multi-level challenge for the startups that will commence in Bengaluru on December 5.  Paytm has picked up a majority stake in CreditMate, a Mumbai-based startup that facilitates two-wheeler loans for customers with no formal credit history. Economy News  For the first time ever, forex exchange reserves crossed the $400-billion mark as on September 8 to reach $400.727 billion, data from the Reserve Bank of India show. The central bank took almost a decade to shore up its forex kitty by $100 billion to cross $400 billion from $300 billion.  According to a new series of gross State domestic product data with 2011-12 as the base year published by the Central Statistics Office, Arunachal Pradesh was the fastest expanding State economies in 2015-16 followed by Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra topped the list.  State Bank of India (SBI) is Indias most trusted and most popular bank according to a survey conducted by Brand Finance, a business valuation and strategic consultancy headquartered in London.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said, Indias current account deficit (CAD) rose sharply to $14.3 billion in the first quarter (April-June) of 2017-18 from $0.4 billion reported for the like period of 2016-17.  The Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) weekly statistical supplement showed that Indias foreign exchange (Forex) reserves kitty increased by $1.20 billion as on November 24, 2017. The overall Forex reserves rose to $400.74 billion from $399.53 billion reported for the week ended November 17.  According to Fitchs December Global Economic Outlook (GEO), the global ratings agency reduced the growth forecast for the fiscal year to end-March 2018 (FY18) to 6.7% from 6.9%.  Indias GDP growth to rise to 7.5% in 2018: Morgan Stanley  According to Dun and Bradstreet report titled Indias Top Banks 2017, the credit growth of all scheduled commercial banks slowed down from 10.9 per cent in 2015-16 to 8.1 per cent in 2016-17.  According to Japanese financial services major Nomura, Indias current account deficit is expected to widen to 1.5 per cent of GDP in 2017  Project Insight, launched in October 2017, will use big data analytics to match information from social media sites to deduce mismatches between spending pattern and income declaration. So next time a photo of your shiny new luxury car on Instagram or a costly watch on Facebook may lead the taxman to your door as the tax department from next month will begin amassing virtual information to trace black money.  Indias first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is likely to be completed by 2022, the year marking 75 years of Indias Independence.  According to Fitch Ratings, Indian Banks will require about USD 65 billion in additional capital, to meet the new Basel-III capital standards by March 2019 (financial year 2018-19) and push loan growth.  The Reserve Bank of India, RBI will introduce 100 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of AIADMK founder Late Dr M G Ramachandran. It will also issue 5 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of Dr M G Ramachandran.

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 The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released a Commemorative Coin on Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi and inaugurated an exhibition entitled Kurai Onrum Illai-MS: Life in Music on the occasion of Birth Centenary Commemoration of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (also known as M.S.) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered Asias Nobel Prize.  The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has upped the age limit for joining the National Pension Scheme (NPS) to 65 years from the current 60. NPS is currently open for people between 18 and 60, and the Board has approved raising the age limit for joining to 65. The scheme anyway has the option of continuing and making contributions up to the age of 70.  According to revised estimates published by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), global merchandise trade is expected to grow at a higher 3.6 per cent in 2017, compared with 1.6 per cent increase last year. The WTO had earlier projected the world trade to grow at 2.4 per cent in 2017.  Indias external debt amounted to $485.8 billion during the quarter ended June17, up 1.3 per cent over the same period a year ago.  According to data released by the Commerce Ministry, cooling of food prices helped ease Indias annual rate of inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with the revised base year of 2011-12, in September to 2.6 per cent.  According to market research firm Gartner, Global IT spending in India is projected to hit $3.7 trillion in 2018 — a 4.3 per cent increase from 2017.  According to Coffee Board, coffee output in India, is pegged to be a record 3.50 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18 marketing year started this month on higher acreage.  The GST council meet chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned that permanent account number (PAN) or Aadhaar would not be mandatory if jewellery is purchased above Rs 50,000.  Govt. approved Rs 2,000 crore specifically for setting up Aadhaar centres in post offices, a move that will see private contractors phased out from the data collection process.  The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to September, 2017 reported a 15.8 percent increase (Rs. 3.86 lakh crore) compared to the net collections for the corresponding period of last year.  Digital payments to grow at 26 % CAGR during 2016-2020: World Payment Report  The centre has released Rs 8,698 crore to states to compensate them for revenue loss following Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation. All states barring Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh, have been given compensation.  According to the data furnished by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGA), the Indian budgetary fiscal deficit over the first half of the current financial year at Rs 4.99 lakh crore — stood at 91.3 per cent of the full years target of Rs 5.46 lakh crore.  According to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, the economic slowdown that began in 2013-14 has bottomed out and the GDP is likely to grow at 6.9-7 % this fiscal (2017-18) and 7.5% in 2018-19.  Government has permitted banks to sell more small savings schemes. Banks can also sell National Savings Time Deposit Scheme 1981, National Savings (Monthly Income Account) Scheme 1987, National Savings Recurring Deposit Scheme 1981 and NSC VIII issue. Present annual rate of interests are as:  Investments in the public provident fund (PPF) – 7.8 per cent  Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments – 7.5 per cent and mature in 115 months.  Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme – 8.3 per cent

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 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme – 8.3 per cent. The interest rate on the senior citizens scheme is paid quarterly.  Singapores DBS Bank lowered Indias GDP growth forecast for 2017-18 to 6.6% from the previous 6.8%. In 2018-19 – 7.2%.  The government gave ex-post facto clearance to implementation of the Special Banking Arrangement (SBA) of Rs10,000 crore for payment of outstanding claims towards fertiliser subsidy in 2016-17.  Asia Index Pvt Ltd, a joint venture of S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE, has launched an environmental, social and governance (ESG) index to measure the exposure to securities meeting sustainability investing criteria.  Eight core sectors grew to a six-month high of 5.2 per cent in September, helped by a robust performance in coal, natural gas, and refinery segments.  The data furnished by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGA) showed that Indias budgetary fiscal deficit for the first seven months of 2017-18 stood at 96.1 per cent — Rs 5.25 lakh crore — of the full years target of Rs 5.46 lakh crore.  According to data of Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Indias Gross Domestic Products (GDP) surged by 6.3 percent in the second quarter (July-September) Q2 of 2017-18.  According to the Japanese financial services major, Nomuras report, Indias current account deficit (CAD) for this financial year is expected to be around $40 billion, or 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).  The revenue department has announced that farmers do not need to quote PAN for cash sale of their produce up to Rs 2 lakh a day.  The government has decided to increase the New Fund Offer (NFO) size of Bharat 22 ETF from Rs. 8,000 crore to Rs. 14,500 crore, to cater to the demand of retail investors and retirement funds.  Lauding Indias increasing per capita income, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva said she has no doubt that India will be a high-middle income country by 2047 when it completes its centenary year of independence.  Indias insurance regulator IRDAI has mandated all insurers – life and non-life – to link the Aadhaar number of the policy holders to their policies. It further said that linking of Aadhaar number to insurance policies is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules 2017.  Sidbi, Crisil to launch sentiment index named CriSidEx for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector  The Government of India launched the BHARAT-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund targeting an initial amount of about Rs.8,000 crore. This New Fund Offer is open till November 17, 2017. The Units of the Scheme will be allotted 25% to each category of investors.  According to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with the revised base year of 2011-12, went up in October to 3.59 per cent from 2.60 per cent in September.  International credit rating agency Moodys Investors Service has upgraded Indias bond rating for the first time in 14 years, saying continued progress in Indias economic and institutional reforms will enhance its high growth potential. It has upgraded Indias bond rating to Baa2 from its lowest investment grade (Baa3).  Moodys Investors Service has upgraded the ratings of infrastructure government-related issuers (GRIs) NTPC, NHPC, NHAI & GAIL to Baa2 in line with Indias sovereign ratings.  Rating agency Standard & Poors (S&P) maintained Indias sovereign ratings at BBB-/A-3 with stable outlook.  Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country increased by 17 per cent to USD 25.35 billion during April-September this fiscal.

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Science & Technology  Indias rendezvous with the red planet continues as its celebrated Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) completes three years in orbit. The country had on 24 September 2014 successfully placed the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft in the orbit around the red planet, in its very first attempt, thus breaking into an elite club.  NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the worlds most experienced spacewoman, has returned to Earth after clocking cumulative 665 days in space. The 57-year-old landed after completing 288 days and 4,623 orbits around Earth during her third ISS mission.  According to an international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the Earth-sized planets orbiting the ultracool TRAPPIST-1 dwarf star 40 light-years away may have substantial amounts of water and could be habitable.  Scientists from Brown University in the US have created the first map of water trapped in the uppermost layer of the Moons soil using data from an instrument aboard Indias Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. As per a study says that this may prove useful to future lunar explorers.  In a bid to boost the health sector, scientists at The University of Manchester have created the worlds first molecular robot which can be used to build molecules and also help discover novel drugs.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for the first time a test -- cobas Zika test -- for detecting the Zika virus in donated blood.  According to a large clinical trial in Liberia, two experimental Ebola vaccines — cAd3-EBOZ and rVSV-ZEBOV — are safe and can elicit immune response that lasts for at least one year.  After orbitting the Red Planet for 16 years, NASAs Mars Odyssey spacecraft has captured its first images of the Martian moon Phobos.  Astronomers have discovered that a Sun-like star - Dubbed Kronos - lurking around 350 light-years away consumed the rocky equivalent of 15 Earths.  Indias second bid to explore Earths satellite is likely to start in March 2018. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is set to start a lunar journey of the Chandrayaan-2 mission as early as March of next year.  Technology Giant Google announced the launch of Datally App that will help users understand, control and save on their mobile data.  NASA launched a next-generation satellite, called the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, into space designed to monitor weather around the world and help improve forecasts.  Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet, named Ross 128 b, outside our solar system which is expected to be temperate and could be a comfortable abode for possible life.  The Space Kingdom of Asgardia has launched its first satellite - Asgardia-1. This so-called virtual nation is the pet project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli.  The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug Abilify MyCite in the United States with a digital ingestion tracking system.  India is all set for the take-off of its maiden mission to the Sun by the year 2019. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman AS Kiran Kumar said, Aditya-L1, Indias maiden mission to the Sun, will be launched in 2019.  India has created history after it successfully flight-tested the worlds fastest supersonic cruise missile BrahMos Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from the Indian Air Forces (IAF) front-line fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea based target in the Bay of Bengal.

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It is 2.5 tonne supersonic air-to-surface cruise missile with range of more than 400 km. BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPOM of Russia.  Tech giant Google announced the launch of Files Go app that takes a mobile-first approach to freeing up space, finding files faster and easily sharing them with others, even when offline. Defence News  The joint military exercise – Surya Kiran between India and Nepal held in in Rupandehi district, Nepal.  The exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017 between India and USA, will be held from September 14-27 at Joint Base Lewis- McChord in the US.  Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy on 7 September 2017 began the 2017 Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.  Indian Naval ship Sukanya reached Belawan port, Indonesia to take part in the 30th edition of CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) and third Bilateral exercise between the Indian and Indonesian navies.  Exercise INDRA-2017, the first ever Tri Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces conducted at the 249th Combined Army Range Sergeevisky and in the Sea of Japan near Vladivostok, Russia.  Indian and Kazakhstan - 14-day joint exercise ͚Prabal Dostyk 2017͛ from November 2 in Bakloh belt of Himachal Pradesh.  Indian and the Bangladeshi armies - an intensive combat exercise ͚Exercise Sampriti͛ at Indias Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram.  Indian and Myanmar armies - their maiden joint exercise ͞IMBAX-2017͟ at Umroi Cantonment, about 25 km from Shillong, the state capital of Meghalaya  An army training capsule on counter-insurgency/ counter-terrorism operations will be conducted in Patnas Danapur Cantonment from November 13 to December 10.  Indo – United Kingdom joint army training exercise ͚Ajeya Warrior 2017͛ will be conducted between the Indian and United Kingdom Army from 01 to 14th December 1-14, 2017 at Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan.  Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba visited Bangladesh to participate in the International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX), the first ever operational exercise held under the aegis of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Bangladesh.  Defence of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Exercise (DANX) was conducted under the aegis of Andaman & Nicobar Command.  Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conducted Multi State Mega Mock Tsunami Exercise 2017 along the entire East Coast in 31 coastal districts across four states-West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (UT)  Aiming to strengthen coastal security along the Odisha and West Bengal coastline, the governments of both states will hold a joint security exercise Sagar Kavach in the Bay of Bengal  The Union Government announced on 3 November 2017 that an indigenously developed lightweight Glide bomb was successfully tested in Chandipur in Odisha.  Indian Navy is likely to go with an advanced catapult-based aircraft launch mechanism (CATOBAR) from the U.S. for its second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II)  India successfully test-fired the indigenously-designed and developed long-range subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay from an Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odishas Balasore. It failed its last test in December 2015.

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 A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel to participate in exercise Blue Flag-17. Blue Flag is a bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos.  The Indian Coast Guard has handed over offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varuna to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. India has earlier handed over two offshore patrol vessels of the Indian Coast Guard — Varaha in April 2006 and Vigraha in August 2008. ICGS Varuna, named after sea god Varuna, was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard in February 1988.  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) twice successfully flight tested indigenously developed third generation Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Nag in Rajasthan.  Astra, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile, is all set for production and later induction into the armed forces.  A multi agency exercise was conducted on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake as the final event of Pralay Sahayam in Hyderabad.  A new interceptor boat V-409 built by Bharati Defence and infrastructure limited was launched at Mangalore. The objective of the boat is to provide coastal security.  The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two high-speed interceptor boats –C-433 and C-434 (built by L&T Shipbuilding) — fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun at the Dighi Port in Mumbai, in a move that will boost security along the Maharashtra coastline.  For the first time in 22 years, Indias first ingenuously built INS Kalavari submarine has been handed over to the Indian Navy.  INS Tarasa, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft intended for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrolling, has been commissioned into the Indian Navy.  China has announced commissioning its first radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, giving its air force an edge in the region. The Chengdu J-20 is Chinas fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet  Bangladesh naval ship Somudra Avijan arrived Visakhapatnam on a four-day goodwill visit to the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).  On the occasion of its 85th anniversary, the Indian Air Force has launched an innovative mobile health App named `MedWatch in keeping with the Prime Ministers vision of Digital India.  Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissioned the third of the four indigenously-built Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes INS Kiltan under Project 28 (Kamorta class) into the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnams Naval Dockyard.  Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt will participate in Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese Marine Self Defence Force.  An offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named Vikram , entirely developed in-house by Larsen and Toubro and the countrys first-ever such defence craft to be built in a private shipyard, has been handed over to the Coast Guard.  GOI has armed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with ISROs geostationary communication satellite, GSAT-6, to supervise the nearly 3,500-km-long Sino-Indian border.  The Indian Navy has dispatched a P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Manila to undertake a Search and Rescue (SAR) for missing sailors of a merchant vessel that sank off the coast of Philippines.  The Indian Coast Guard on 29 November 2017 conducted a Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise Clean Sea – 2017 at sea off Port Blair, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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 The Surface to Air Missile AKASH with indigenous radio frequency seeker against target Banshee has been successfully launched from Chandipur, Odisha. With this success, India has achieved the capability of making any type of Surface to Air Missile. Sports News

Tournament Winner Other Info Korea Open (Badminton) PV Sindhu She defeated World Championships gold winner, Japans Nozomi Okuhara 2nd South Asian Basketball, SABA, India Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal Under – 16 Championship third. South Asian Regional Badminton India Beat Nepal to win the tournament Tournament ICC Intercontinental Cup Afghanistan Beat UAE Mens singles in the tennis event of Sumit Nagal Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Malaysian Squash Tour X event Harinder Pal Sandhu 8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial Sumit Nagal ITF Futures Mens tennis championship 57th National Open Athletics Govindan Championships (Mens 500-meter Lakshmanan race) Commonwealth Youth weightlifting Konsam Ormila Devi She bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight Championship category. Cship held at Gold Coast, Australia World Cadet Chess Championship in Divya Deshmukh the under-12 category Cadet World Wrestling Championship Sonam Malik She won a gold medal by defeating Japanese Wrestler Sena Nagamoto Belgian Junior Open (Badminton) Vaishnavi Reddy 2017 US Open (tennis) – Mens singles Rafael Nadal (Spain) 2017 US Open (tennis) – Womens Sloane Stephens With she won her 1st Grand Slam. singles (American) 2017 US Open (tennis) – Mens Henri Kontinen Doubles (), John Peers (Australia) 2017 US Open (tennis) – Womens Ekaterina Makarova Doubles (Russia), Elena Vesnina (Russia) 2017 US Open (tennis) – Mixed Martina Hingis Doubles (Switzerland) and Jamie Murray (British) Italian Grand Prix Mercedes Lewis Beat Max Verstappen Hamilton Singapore Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Beat Daniel Ricciardo

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Hockey Asia Cup title India Defeated Malaysia. Held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. FIFA Under-17 World Cup England Defeated Spain. Tournament held in India. Final at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The FIFA U-17 World Cup in India became the most attended in the history of the tournament. Pro Kabaddi League title Patna Pirates Beat Gujarat Fortunegiants French Open title – mens singles Kidambi Srikanth It is his 4th title of the year. Earlier - Indonesia Open, Australian Open and Denmark Open. Denmark Open title – mens singles Kidambi Srikanth Bulgarian International Shuttler RMV Gurusaidutt World Open Under-16 Snooker Anupama Held in Russia Championship title Ramachandran U-15 Asian Junior Championship Shuttler Samiya Imad Held in Myanmar Farooqui European Racing Championship Mahaveer He became first Indian to win the race Raghunathan Gold at Wushu World Championships Pooja Kadian Indias first ever gold medal at the chanpionship International Shooting Sport Jitu Rai and Heena Federation‬ (ISSF) World Cup Final - Sidhu 10m air pistol mixed team event Macao Open trophy Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar Vietnam Open trophy – mens doubles Saketh Myneni and Vijay Sundar Prashanth Erste Open title – mens doubles Rohan Bopanna and Held in Vienna, Austria Pablo Cuevas 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championships India Both Indian mens and womens kabaddi teams won. Mens team beat Pakistan and womens team beat South Korea to win Chship. U-19 Asia Youth Cup trophy Afghanistan Beat Pakistan. Senior National title – womens singles PV Sindhu title Senior National title – mens singles H.S. Prannoy title Asian Boxing Championships Mary Kom Held in Vietnam National Womens Trap champion Shagun Chowdhary at the ongoing 61st National Shooting Championship Competition National Mens Trap Shooting title Manavjit Sandhu at the ongoing 61st National Shooting Championship Competition Panasonic Open India (Golf) Shiv Kapur Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open Aditi Ashok

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(Golf) Asia Cup Hockey Title (Women) India Beat China ATP Challenger Tour Yuki Bhambri IBSF World Billiards Championship Pankaj Advani Championship held at Doha, Qatar IBSF World Snooker Championship Pankaj Advani Held at Doha, Qatar World Weightlifting Championship Mirabai Chanu She became the first Indian woman in over two decades to clinch gold at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championship Asian Marathon Championship Gopi Thonakal He became the first Indian man to win the Asian Marathon Championship Davis Cup France Beat Belgium The Best FIFA Mens Player award Cristiano Ronaldo The Best FIFA Womens Player award Lieke Martens China Open title (tennis) – mens Rafael Nadal singles China Open (tennis) – womens singles Caroline Garcia From France Grand Prix Max Verstappen F1s Malaysian Grand Prix Max Verstappen after beating Lewis Hamilton.

Japanese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton US Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Tianjin Open Maria Sharapova Brazilian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Valtteri Bottas Ballon dOr Cristiano Ronaldo He won the Ballon dOr for a fifth time

Sports  The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the revamped Khelo India programme at a cost of Rs.1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.  India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting Championships.  Birmingham has been named as the British governments choice to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.  India becomes 1st visiting country to inflict 5-0 whitewash on Sri Lanka.  The World Senior Badminton Championship began at Kochi. It is for the first time that India is hosting the Championship.  Asia Road Racing Championship started from 22nd September in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  South Asian Championship to be held in Guwahati from December 6-10.  Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom has become the first Indian to be picked as International Boxing Associations (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes Forum, scheduled in November.  MS Dhoni has became the first wicketkeeper to have 100 stumpings to his names in one-day international. Dhoni surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had 99 stumpings in 404 matches.  Indian captain Virat Kohli became the fastest player to score 15,000 runs in international cricket during the one-off T20I against Sri Lanka.

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 The renowned Indian Badminton legend Prakash Padukone has been selected for the first life time award by Badminton Association of India. He has been selected for the award for his contributions to Badminton.  The captain of the Indian basketball team, Amritpal Singh scripted history by becoming the first Indian-born player to be picked up by an Australian NBL team.  The present Chief Coach of India senior women Hockey Team, Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne is appointed as the Chief Coach of Indian Senior Men Hockey Team. Also, Shri Harendra Singh, Dronacharya Awardee, Hockey Coach as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team.  FIFA U-17 World Cup song officially launched - Called Kar Ke Dikhla De Goal, the song has been written by lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Pritam.  Acting on the recommendations of the Olympic Task Force on preparations for Olympics 2020-2028, the Sports Ministry has announced the setting up of an Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) to look into the same. The task force with members such as Abhinav Bindra and P Gopichand had submitted its interim report focussing on short- term preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games on May 22.  Hockey India has sacked national coach Roelant Oltmans after a string of unimpressive outings at the international level.  Englands top tier football club Tottenham Hotspur has unveiled the worlds first-ever dividing retractable pitch at its new stadium. The retractable grass football pitch will sit on top of an artificial pitch which will be used by American football league NFL  Official Slogan and Emblem of FIFA Womens World Cup France 2019. - The slogan of the tournament Dare To Shine reflects the development of football, especially womens football.  India remain 4th in womens cricket team rankings  The Indian football team rose two spots above to 105th position in the latest FIFA rankings in October 2017.  Ravi Shastri has emerged as the worlds highest earning cricket coach with salary close to 1.17 million dollars per year, according to ESPNCricinfo.  Jeakson Singh Thounaojam created history at Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by scoring Indias first goal in a World Cup during Indias match against .  Yuvraj Singh has been appointed as Laureus first Indian ambassador.  Virat Kohli has become the top run-scorer at the 200 ODI-mark, after taking the field against New Zealand in the first ODI at Mumbai.  Virat Kohli became the fastest to reach 9000 ODI runs, taking just 194 innings to achieve the feat  On October 29, as the ICC Rankings were updated, both the Indian captains Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj came out on top. Kohli overtook South Africas AB de Villiers in the rankings and Mithali Raj overtook Australias Meg Lanning.  Indian pacer Ashish Nehra confirmed his retirement from all forms of cricket on Nov. 1  Kavita Devi, who was part of the WWEs Mae Young classic tournament, has made history by becoming the first ever woman wrestler from India to be awarded a WWE developmental contract.  Netherlands captain Arjen Robben announced retirement from international football.  All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the first cricketer from Bangladesh to be inducted in the MCC World Cricket Committee under the chairmanship of Mike Gatting.  Heena Sidhu clinched the 10-metre air pistol gold medal at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships.

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 In a bid to create awareness about para-sports and provide a platform to para sportspersons to narrate their stories of triumph and adversity,thenationspride.com, the countrys first portal dedicated to para-sports has been launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra.  Dehradun, Uttarakhand hosted its first ever Ranji Trophy cricket match.  Scott Fleming, former India mens national team head coach, has joined NBA India as Head of Basketball Operations.  The U-17 World Cup will set a record of sorts as it will see for the first time a female assistant referee in a FIFA mens competition this time. Seven female assistant referees from across the world, one from each continent, have been chosen by FIFA.  Switzerlands Esther Staubli became the first female referee to officiate a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup when Japan clashed with New Caledonia in the final round group E match in Kolkata on 14th October 2017.  Official ball for Under-17 football World Cup -- Krasava, a word generally used by Russian sports fans to describe a striking performance and it is the ultimate praise for a team when they play with creativity and flair.  9 top weightlifting countries suspended by the by the International Weightlifting Federation – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Turkey, and .  Australian fast bowler John Hastings announced his retirement from first-class and one-day cricket  Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football Federation.  The next cricket season will witness the debut of Puducherry in the domestic circuit after the Supreme Court- appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) acceded to BCCIs proposal of granting associate membership to the Union Territory.  Turkey is all set to host the 10th installment of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in September 2018 in Ankara, capital city of Turkey.  The Indian football team remained static at 105th in the latest FIFA rankings. India drew with Myanmar 2-2 at home in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers during this ranking period.  Indian ace shuttler Srikanth Kidmabi has risen to the zenith of his career as he established himself as world number 2 in the latest BWF mens singles ratings.  Indian womens cricket team captain Mithali Raj bagged the Indian Sportswoman of the Year (Team Sports) award at the Indian Sports Honours (ISH) event.  The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has decided to name the Gate No. 3 and 4 of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium after the cricketer-turned-commentator , Anjum Chopra.  Womens Youth World Boxing Championship held in Guwahati. Mary Com is the Ambassador of 2017 AIBA youth womens World boxing championship. Assams famed one-horned rhino – Guppy – is the official mascot, and Make Some Noise its anthem.  Basel, Switzerland will become the first city to jointly host the Badminton and Para Badminton World Championships after it was awarded the 2019 edition of the Para event.  The second edition of World Gaming Festival (casino) will be held in Panaji, Goa from November 30 to December 4  Guwahati hosted the World Youth Womens Boxing Championship  Mairaj Khan crowned skeet champion at 61st National Shotgun Cship  India wrestler Ritu Phogat clinched a silver medal in the 48kg event in the Under-23 Senior World Wrestling Championship at .  Geeta Phogat wins gold at All India Police Championship

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 Prakash Nanjappa wins gold at Commonwealth Shooting Championships  Virat Kohli - top of the latest ICC Twenty-20 Rankings for Batsmen.  Sandeep Tulsi Yadav, who had also failed the dope test last year, has been handed a four-year ban by the Anti- Doping Disciplinary Panel of the NADA.  France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup  Spains Rafael Nadal was presented with ATP World No. 1 award  The official mascot of the 2017 AIBA Youth Womens World Boxing Championship is Assams famed one-horned rhino. The official mascot, anointed Guppy, is a female version of Assams one-horned rhino. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 19 at the Maulana Mohd. Tayebulla Hockey Stadium.  Ankushita Boro, a young girl from Assam, has done India proud after winning The Best Boxer title in World Youth Womens boxing Championship held in Guwahati.  The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has named a gate of the Feroz Shah Kotla ground after former India opener Virender Sehwag. The Gate No. 2 of the stadium, in Delhi, was named as the Virender Sehwag Gate.  Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah became the number one bowler in the latest ICC T20I rankings Player Rankings.  Pakistan to host ACC Emerging Nations Cup in April 2018  Hong Kong is set to become the first Asian city to host the Gay Games, after it won the right to host the Games in 2022, beating the likes of Mexicos Guadalajara and Washington DC.  25-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis has announced her retirement from professional tennis at the conclusion of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.  Adidas Football has unveiled the Telestar 18 official ball for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia.  Indias star gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been conferred a D.Litt. degree from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala.  M. S. Dhoni inaugurated his first global cricket academy in Dubai, UAE  The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed fine of Rs 52.24 crore on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for anti-competitive conduct in the IPL Media Rights agreement.  UKs premier Southhall Football Club will jointly set up an international level football academy with Cordia Institutes at its campus at Sanghol in Fatehgarh Sahib district in Punjab.  M C Mary Kom and Sushil Kumar resigned as the national observer for Indian boxing.  Virat Kohli became the fourth fastest Indian batsman to reach the landmark of 5,000 runs in the five-day format on the opening day of the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka.  Captain Virat Kohli surpassed Brian Lara to set the record for most double centuries scored by a Test captain on the second day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi.  Prithvi Shaw named Indias captain for U-19 World Cup to be held in 2018 in New Zealand.  Visually impaired swimmer Kanchanmala Pande scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win gold at the World Para Swimming Championship, held in Mexico.  India will host the Senior Womens World Boxing Championships in 2018 and the Senior Mens World Championships in 2021.  Delhi will host India Open boxing tournament from Jan 28, 2018.  Melbourne (city in Victoria, Australia) will host Golf World Cup in 2018

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 Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee. 2018 Winter Games will be hosted by Pyeongchang County, South Korea.  FIFA lifted two-year ban imposed on Kuwaits football federation.

Indian Sports Honours  Sportsman and woman of the year for individual sports – Indian shuttlers Srikanth Kidambi and PV Sindhu respectively  Sportsman and woman of the year in the team sports – off-spinner R Ashwin in mens and Mithali Raj respectively  Inspirational Honour – Tennis player Sania Mirza  Transformational Contribution to Sports award – Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra  Team of the Year – The Indian Womens Cricket Team Indian Sports Honours is an initiative partnered by India skipper Virat Kohli and Sanjiv Goenka, in line with their vision to support the development of Indian sports.

National Wrestling Championship  Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who was back on mat after the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, won a gold medal in mens 74 kilogram freestyle competition.  Sakshi Malik and wrestler Geeta Phogat achieved a gold medal each 62kg and 59 kg categories respectively of womens wrestling.

Committees

Head of Purpose Committee Dr. Rajiv Kumar NITI Aayog has constituted an Expert Task Force to provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing Indias exports. It will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar. Bhupender Yadav The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee of both the Houses, under the Chairpersonship of Shri Bhupender Yadav, M.P for examination and presenting a Report to the Parliament. Sushil Kumar Modi The Union Finance Ministry has constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) to monitor and (Bihar Deputy Chief resolve IT challenges faced in implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Minister) Dilip C Chakraborty The RBC (risk-based capital) committee headed by Dilip C Chakraborty in its report to Irdai suggested that the industry should move ahead with RBC to ensure that capital held by a company will take into account its overall risk profile. Bibek Debroy The Economic Advisory Council headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy will be an independent body for giving advice on economic and related issues to the government, especially to the Prime minister. T.K. Viswanathan The Home Ministry is examining a report submitted by a high-level committee formed to propose new laws or amendments to deal with hate speech on the internet. The committee, headed by T.K. Viswanathan submitted its report to the Union Home Ministry recently. PM Narendra Modi Government of India will commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi during the period from 2nd October, 2019 to 2nd October,

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2020. Rajiv Kumar (NITI For proper management of water resources in the North-Eastern region Aayog Vice Chairman) G Rohini (Delhi High To examine subcategorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under Article 340 of Courts former Chief the Constitution Justice) Himanta Biswa To make the composition scheme more attractive and to revisit the goods and services Sarma tax rates on restaurants. Sarma is Assam finance minister. Shashi Tharoor A parliamentary committee has decided to examine the whole gamut of Sino-Indian relations, including the border situation. PV Reddi Law ministry nod to panel to look into pay hike issue of lower court judges Afzal Amanullah Committee appointed by the government on Haj Policy has recommended phasing out of subsidy for Haj pilgrims and allowing women devotees above 45 years of age to travel in a group of at least four without a male. Arun Jaitley Panel will oversee merger proposals of state-owned banks. The other members of the panel include Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The constitution of Alternative Mechanism (AM) is a movement in that direction. A. Arumughaswamy Panel constituted by Tamil Nadu Government to look into the circumstances leading to the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Y. M. Deosthalee Panel set up by RBI to develop a comprehensive public credit registry (PCR) — an extensive database of credit information for India that is accessible to all stakeholders. A Surya Prakash Panel formed to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). Surya is Prasar Bharati Chairman. B C Khanduri Panel to examine the operational preparedness of the armed forces and review the accidents involving strategic defence assets. Yashwant Thorat Maharashtra government has formed a committee to study the feasibility of merging financially weak District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) with the Maharashtra State Cooperative (MSC) Bank Sushil Chandra Multi-Agency Group (MAG) will investigate the Paradise Papers on offshore financial holdings, including a list 714 Indian individuals and entities. M Vinod Kumar Panel has started a review of the laws governing goods and services tax (GST) to remove any glitches. CK Mishra Committee to formulate short and long-term measures to solve the problem of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. Nand Kishore Singh He will lead 15th Finance Commission. Commission is formed by the government to recommend on the sharing of revenue between the Centre and states for a five-year period from April 1, 2015 and will go on until March 31, 2020. (This Finance Commission comes under Article 280 of the Constitution.) Arbind Modi A task force under Arbind Modi for redrafting the 50-year old income tax law in sync with the economic needs of the country. Amitabh Kant Panel to address the problem of stressed assets in Indias power sector. Kant is NITI Aayogs chief executive.

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Rankings

Index India’s Other Information Rank Global Retail Development 1st India replaced China at numero uno position Index Highest proportion of 1st According to the Capgemini and LinkedIn survey, India has the digital talent highest proportion of digital talent with 76 percent among the countries surveyed, compared to the global average of 56 percent. Global TB Report 2017 1st Indias rank accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016. report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Worlds largest 2nd Ist – China smartphone market India overtook USA to become worlds second-largest smartphone market Business Optimism index 7 1st – Indonesia Most valuable nation 8th 1st – USA brand According to Brand Finances Nation Brands 2017 Climate Change 14 The top three rankings are unoccupied. 4th – Sweden Performance Index (CCPI) 2018 Melbourne Mercer Global 28th 1st – Denmark Pension Index 2017 World Economic Forums 40 Topped by Switzerland (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index IMD World Talent Ranking 51 1st – Switzerland Most Powerful passports 75th 1st – Singapore. in the World Passport Index developed by global financial advisory firm Arton Capital Ease of Doing Business 100th 1st – New Zealand index Report by World Bank. India has climbed to 4th position in protecting interest of minority investors, as per the latest Ease of Doing Business Report of the World Bank. List is topped by Kazakhstan. Global Hunger Index (GHI), 100th 2017 Kochenov Quality of 101 Topped by Germany Nationality Index (QNI) World Economic Forums 103 Topped by Norway (WEF) Global Human Capital Index Global Gender Gap index 108 1st – Iceland Index is launched by World Economic Forum India leapt up the global rankings by 12 places to take the 14th spot in terms of best country for expats to live and work in, says a HSBC survey. Topped by Singapore. India is the most corrupt Asian country with 69 per cent bribery rates, according to a report by Transparency

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International. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that India ranked third among the countries that have faced the most natural disasters in the last half century. The United States experienced the most disasters According to a KPMG (a professional service company) survey, India has emerged as the top country for reporting corporate responsibility information in the annual financial report of companies, but the quality of disclosures has to improve. With 2.51 million deaths in 2015, India has been ranked No. 1 in pollution related deaths, according to a report by The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. 2nd - China The Indian government is the third most trusted government in the world, a survey by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has revealed. The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Indonesia, while India grabs the third spot. Indians second-highest public bingers in the world. 1st – Mexico. Binge Watching means the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television programme in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming. India tops domestic air passenger traffic in September, China second: International Air Transport Association (IATA) According to the Q3 2017 Salary Budget Planning Report, Indias projected salary growth for 2018 stood the highest in the Asia-Pacific region at 10 per cent despite a decreasing year-on-year pattern. According to a report released recently by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), India has slipped from a rating of compliant to an overall rating of largely compliant as regards its meeting international standards for exchange of tax information. Union Agriculture Minister Radhan Mohan Singh announced that India has become the second largest fish producing country in the world.

Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)

 In the race to go digital, businesses judge Indias Silicon Valley — Bangalore — the best host among 45 cities worldwide. San Francisco came in second followed by two other Indian cities — Mumbai and New Delhi.  The posh Khan Market in South Delhi has been ranked as the 24th most expensive retail location in the world. The top spot on the list was bagged by Upper 5th Avenue in New York, followed by Causeway Bay in Hong Kong.  Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has been recognised in Fortunes annual list of the Top 50 companies that are changing the world. mKrishi developed by TCS got 30th rank. JPMorgan Chase topped the list.  New Delhis Connaught Place has been ranked as the tenth most expensive office market in the world, as revealed by the CBRE South Asias Global Prime Office Rents survey. Hong Kongs Central Markettopped the survey ranking.  Apple topped the list of the worlds 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Apple is followed by Google.  Reliance Industries Ltd has jumped five places to rank as the worlds third-biggest energy company behind Russian gas firm Gazrpom and German utility E.ON, according to Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings.  Three Indian entrepreneurial legends, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Mittal and Vinod Khosla have been included in Forbess special list of the worlds 100 Greatest Living Business Minds .

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 Patanjali Ayurved CEO Acharya Balkrishna has been named among Indias top 10 richest people for the first time in Hurun Rich List 2017, with a wealth of ₹70,000 crore. Mukesh Ambani retains the richest Indian title for the sixth year.  Forbes – Priyanka Chopra is eighth highest paid TV actress, Sofia Vergara tops the list  Google, Bharat Heavy Electricals and State Bank of India have been named as the top three best places to work in India by leading global job site Indeed.  Bengaluru is the worlds most affordable technology hub, according to a study conducted by a realty consultancy firm.  London has retained its rank as the number one city in the world shrugging off Brexit worries, according to Global Power City Index (GPCI).  Japanese capital city Tokyo has topped The Economist Intelligence Units Safe Cities Index 2017. Delhi and Mumbai have ranked 43rd and 45th respectively.  The Jaipur and Srinagar Airport got First and Second rank respectively in the category of 2-5 million passengers in ACI-ASQ Survey.  Hyderabads Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has bagged the World 1 airport Award trophy of the Airports Council International (ACI) in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category. Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose Asian IndusInd USD 200 The seven-year senior loan will go toward IndusInd Banks Development Bank million microfinance activities. The loan specially will be used to serve Bank (ADB) (about Rs low income women borrowers in rural areas 1,282 crore) ADB West Bengal $300 million To continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to bring about more accessible, affordable, and high quality public services ADB India $4 billion ADB has extended the lending to support the country to accelerate inclusive economic transformation ADB Himachal USD 80 For modernisation of Himachal Pradeshs technical and Pradesh million vocational education and training (TVET) institution (about Rs 524 crore) ADB India $20 billion Asian Development Bank (ADB) will raise annual funding to India to up to $4 billion from existing $2.7 billion, from next year. Period - 2018-22. So totaling to $20 billion ADB India $500 million Loan to improve rural road connectivity in five states – Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. ADB Reliance $583 million The loan is given to develop the Reliance Bangladesh Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Power Project ADB India $346 million To fund highway upgradation project in Karnataka. NABARD Andhra Rs. 273.06 Loan under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for Pradesh crore Rural Water supply, Road and Bridge projects. Govt.

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World Bank India $119 Million For the Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence & Equity (OHEPEE) Project was signed with the World Bank. World Bank India USD 200 For the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project million AIIB (Asian India USD 2 million For various projects in Andhra Pradesh. Projects for roads and Infrastructure loan (Rs. buildings department, for rural safe drinking water department, Investment 13,000 municipal and urban development department and Panchayat Bank) crores) Raj department Asian India USD 65.5 To continue interventions to check coastal erosion on the Development million western coast in Karnataka. Bank (ADB) ADB India USD 300 To continue a series of fiscal reforms in the State of West Bengal million to improve the quality of public service delivery. AIIB and ADB India USD 100 To improve power transmission network and expand the use of million solar and wind energy Brics New India and $400 million Loans will be used to rehabilitate the Indira Gandhi canal system Development Russia in India and to build a toll transport corridor connecting Ufa city Bank (NDB) centre to the M-5 federal highway in Russia European India € Euo For Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6 Investment million Bank (EIB) India Bangladesh USD 4.5- For developing Bangladeshs infrastructure, health and billion education. India Ethiopia India would give Ethiopia a line of credit of USD 195 million for power transmission sector and medicines worth USD 2 million. India Sri Lanka USD 585,000 The assistance package was given to develop agriculture as well as engineering faculty on the Killinochchi campus of University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. State-run State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the sanction of loans worth Rs 2,317 crore in collaboration with the World Bank to finance grid-connected solar rooftop projects in the country. SBI had availed line of credit facilities worth $625 million from World Bank for onward lending to viable solar rooftop projects last year. So far, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) mega-project was being developed only with the Indian governments financial assistance. Now a $4.5 billion soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency will be used to boost $100 bn Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project. The union government and the World Bank signed a guarantee agreement for USD 98 million and grant agreement for USD 2 million for the Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project.

Deadlines/ Important Dates

What for Deadline/Date Deadline for banks to set up enrollment centres within their premises. If the banks September 30, 2017 fail to do so,UIDAI will impose Rs 20,000 as fine per uncovered branch after September 30 First phase of the national optic fibre network, christened Bharat Net project - December, 2017 which aims to deploy high-speed optical fibre cables across rural areas

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Deadline for sale of pre-GST goods with stickers of revised rates. Earlier it was December 31, 2017 September 30. RBI has asked banks to provide doorstep banking facilities to senior citizens of December 31, 2017 more than 70 years of age and differently-abled persons by Indian Railways has decided to install Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system January 31, 2018 across its zones and divisions by Aadhaar and mobile number must be linked by February 6, 2018 Deadline fixed for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various schemes, including March 31, 2018 ones bank accounts. Roll out of BS-VI fuel in the national capital (Earlier the deadline was April 1, 2020) April 2018 Target of 100 per cent completion of installing bio-toilets in the Indian Railways December 2018 coaches (Earlier the deadline was September 2019) To meet affordable housing targets, the Centre has extended the benefits of the March 2019 interest subsidy scheme on home loans under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or PMAY (Urban). Earlier it was till December 2017 NBCC to redevelop 10 railway stations with amenities similar to airports 2020

Books

Book Author Other Info How India Sees the World: Kautilya Shyam Saran He is Former Foreign Secretary to the 21st Century 100 things every professional The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued cricketer must know players handbook that covers several issues from money managing to managing emotions. The book is also in line with Lodha recommendations. Hit Refresh Satya Nadella He is India-born Microsoft CEO Unstoppable: My Life So Far Maria Sharapova She is Russian tennis player A to Z of Financial Management in Dr. Rajat The book is book on financial management. Autonomous Institutions Bhargava and Deenanath Pathak A journey towards self-reliance First ever coffee table book on Department of Defence Production (DDP) e-book titled India 2017 Yearbook Rajiv Mehrishi Mehrishi is Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and former Union home secretary Dreamnation: Uniting a Country Saji Mathew and Book contains inspiring words of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with Handwritten Dreams Jubie John Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Ram Kamal It is Biography of Hema Malini. It also contains a short Girl Mukherjee foreword written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Two (Novel) Gulzar Veteran lyricist Gulzar has come out with his debut novel titled Two in English which examines the status of refugees after the Partition. Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! co-authored by It is a coffee table book, which provides historical The Stars! S.M.M. Ausaja, insights, lesser-known facts and behind-the-scene

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Karan Bali, Rajesh exclusives of the most iconic movies made in the history Devraj and Tanul of the Indian film industry. Thakur

Obituaries

Name Profession Other Info Shashi Kapoor Veteran Bollywood actor Veteran Bollywood actor and the romantic screen icon of the 70s and early 80s, Shashi Kapoor who immortalised the line Mere Paas Maa Hai, died this evening after prolonged illness. Adarsh Sen Anand Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Purabi Mukhopadhyay Rabindrasangeet singer Adithyan South Indian music director Ja Ra Sundaresan Tamil journalist and humourist Sukharanjan Sengupta Journalist KS Chugh Doctor He is known as the father of nephrology in India. He was a recipient of several national and international awards, including the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2000. P.P. Antony Former national womens hockey coach Shirish Pai Poet Marathi poet and activist Arun Sadhu Journalist journalist and Renowned Marathi writer Shakila Actress Bollywood actress Tom Alter Actor Padma Shri awardee and veteran film, television and theatre actor, director and writer R N Sudarshan Actor South Indian Dwijen Bandyopadhyay Actor Bengali Abdul Majid Actor An icon of the Assamese film industry, an eminent actor, Director and writer P P Rao Senior Advocate He was a constitutional law expert Gauri Lankesh Journalist Sultan Ahmed Politician Former Union minister and sitting Trinamool Congress MP Jomde Kena Politician Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Syed Mustafiz Politician Former Odisha health minister M L Fotedar Politician He was a veteran Congress leader who was a close confidante of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandh Kiyanilie Peseyie Politician Former Speaker of the Nagaland Assembly and sitting MLA

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Alwar Mahant Politician He was Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Chandnath Rajasthans Alwar K.R Aravindakshan Politician He was Communist Party Marxist State General Secretary Prabhakarpant Ojharkar Politician Purushottam Lal Politician Former Minister for Information and Broadcasting Niharendu Mallick Player Indian shuttler Justice V Khalid Judge Former Supreme Court judge and eminent jurist Justice Bhagwati Prasad Chief Justice Former chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court Abdul Mannan Hossain Politician Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi Politician He was former Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting. Virendra Sanghi Journalist Jagdish Mohan Hindustani vocalist Kunwar Narain Hindi poet Ashok Khal Veteran cyclist Amritsar Govindsingh Cricketer Milkha Singh Sreerupa Bose Cricketer Former India womens cricket team coach and (Mukherjee) batswoman Manu Sharma Hindi Author Biju Phukan Assam Actor Vettoor Purushan Malayalam actor Abi Malayalam actor and mimicry artist Thodupuzha Vasanthi Malayalam TV and film actress Rita Koiral Bengali actress Mangi Bai Arya Rajasthani Maand folk singer K S Achyutan Former Director of Doordarshan Dr MV Sridhar Ex-BCCI general manager Bismoy Kumar Mohanty Journalist RM Bhagawati Journalist veteran Guwahati-based journalist and editor of Dainik Asam, oldest Assamese daily newspaper HM Marathe Marathi writer and journalist Punathil Kunjabdulla Writer Hugely popular writer and novelist Punyaslok Dasgupta Poet Shamsher Khan Swimmer He was the first swimmer to represent India in Olympics Girija Devi Singer Thumri exponent and veteran classical singer Kundan Shah Director Lekh Tandon Filmmaker

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I.V. Sasi Director Acclaimed Malayalam film director Ram Mukherjee Director and screenwriter Indian film director and screenwriter in Hindi and Bengali cinema and father of Bollywood star Rani Mukerji. Satish Chandra Historian Veteran historian of medieval India and noted educational administrator Fats Domino (Antoine Pianist American. Legendary rhythm and blues pianist and Dominique Domino Jr.) singer-songwriter and rock and roll pioneer William J. Lombardy, Chess Player American Choirul Huda Footballer Veteran Indonesian goalkeeper Ralphie May Comedian American Richard Wilbur Poet American Roy Dotrice Actor British Harry Dean Stanton Actor American Frank Vincent Actor American Richard Anderson Actor American Walter Becker Guitarist He was Americas legendary guitarist, bassist and co- writer for the sophisticated, dark-humored band Steely Dan Charles Bradley Singer American John Ashbery Poet American Kirti Nidhi Bista Former Prime Minister of Nepal Dina Wadia She was Mohammad Ali Jinnahs Daughter Mansur bin Muqrin Saudi Prince

Arjan Singh, pride Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and India͛s oldest, five-star ranked air force officer has passed away.

Arjan Singh was the only officer of the IAF to be given a distinction equal to that of a Field Marshal. In 2016, the IAF named its Panagarh (West Bengal) air base after Arjan Singh on the occasion of his 97th birth anniversary. The Panagarh base would be called Air Force Station Arjan Singh. He was the only living officer to have a base named after him

Nobel Prize Winners

Award Winner For What 2017 Nobel Prize in Americans Jeffrey C. Hall, for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms Physiology or Medicine Michael Rosbash and Michael controlling the circadian rhythm. W. Young 2017 Nobel physics prize Americans Rainer Weiss, Barry for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne the observation of gravitational waves. 2016 Nobel Prize in Swiss Jacques Dubochet, for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high- Chemistry German Joachim Frank and resolution structure determination of biomolecules in

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British Richard Henderson solution. 2017 Nobel Peace Prize International Campaign to for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic Abolish Nuclear Weapons humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear (ICAN) headquartered in weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to Geneva, Switzerland achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons. 2017 The Sveriges Riksbank American Richard H. Thaler for his contributions to behavioural economics. Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2017 Nobel Prize in British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro who, in novels of great emotional force, has Literature uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.

Important Days

December 2017

Date Day Extra Info 1 December World AIDS Day Theme: Right to health 2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery 2 December World Computer Literacy Day 3 December International Day of Persons with Theme: Transformation towards Disabilities sustainable and resilient society for all 4 December Navy Day 5 December World Soil Day Theme: Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground 7 December Indian Armed Forces Flag Day 7 December International Civil Aviation Day Theme: Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behin 9 December International Anti-Corruption Day Theme: United against corruption for development, peace and security 10 December Human Rights Day 11 December International Mountain Day Theme: Mountain Under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration 12 December Universal Health Coverage Day 12 December International Day of Neutrality 16 December Vijay Diwas 18 December International Migrants Day 20 December International Human Solidarity Day 22 December National Mathematics Day 23 December Kisan Diwas/Farmers Day 24 December National Consumer Day 25 December Good Governance Day

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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)

Union Budget Highlights

Agenda of Union Budget 2017-18 : TEC India (Transform, Energize, Clean) Three Changes in Union Budget 2017-18: (i) Date- Presented on 1 February instead of last working day of February (ii) Merger of General Budget and Railway Budget (iii) Removal of Planned & Non-Planned Expenditure

Funds Allocated The total Budget expenditure allocated for 2017-18 is Rs. 21.47 lakh crores.  Target of agriculture credit fixed at Rs 10 lakh cr in 2017-18  Income tax rate reduced from 10% to 5% for tax slab of Rs 250,000 to Rs 500,000.  Total allocation for rural, agriculture and allied sectors- Rs 1,87,223 crore  Allocation under MNREGA- Rs.48,000 crore  Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion programme (SANKALP) will be launched in 2017- 18 with an outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore to provide market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth.  Mahila Shakti Kendra to be set up at village level with an allocation of Rs. 500 crores  Under Maternity Benefit Scheme Rs. 6,000 will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women  NABARD fund will be increased to Rs. 40,000 crore.  A sum of Rs. 10 lakh crore is allocated as credit to farmers, with 60 days interest waiver.  Irrigation corpus increased from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore.  Govt to set up dairy processing fund of Rs 8,000 crore over three years with initial corpus of Rs 2,000 crore  Dedicated micro-irrigation fund to be created with a corpus of Rs 5000 crore  The allocation for rural agri and allied sector in 2017-18 is record Rs 1,81,223 crore.  More funds beyond Rs 10,000 cr for recapitalisation of banks will be provided if needed  Govt doubles distribution target under Mudra Yojana to Rs 2.44 lakh crore for 2017-18  National Housing Bank will refinance indiviual loans worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2017-18

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 To construct one crore houses by 2019 for homeless, PM Awas Yojana allocation raised from Rs 15,000 cr to Rs 23,000 cr.  27,000 cr on to be spend on PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY); 1 cr houses to be completed by 2017-18 for houseless.  Rs 500 cr allocated to set up Mahila Shakti Kendras; Allocation raised from Rs 1.56 lakh cr to Rs 1.84 lakh cr for women & child welfare.  For transport sector, including railways, road and shipping, government provides Rs 2.41 lakh crore  Allocation of Rs 10,000 cr for Bharat Net project for providing high-speed broadband in FY18  Allocation for national highways stepped up to Rs 64,000 cr from Rs 57,676 cr  Sports Ministry got a total of Rs 1943 crore in contrast to Rs 1592 crore earmarked last year, thus increasing the budget for sport by 40%.  Rs 1,840.77 crore allocated to tourism ministry.  Allocation under MNREGA increased to 48,000 crore from Rs 38,500 crore. This is highest ever allocation.

Infrastructure and Railway  A total allocation of Rs. 39,61,354 crore has been made for infrastructure.  Total allocation for Railways is Rs. 1,31,000 crore.  No service charge on tickets booked through IRCTC.  Raksha coach with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh crore for five years (railway safety fund for passenger safety).  Unmanned level crossings will be eliminated by 2020.  3,500 km of railway lines to be commissioned this year up from 2,800 km last year.  SMS-based clean my coach service is put in place.  No service charge will be levied on tickets booked through the IRCTC website from April 1.  Coach mitra facility will be introduced to register all coach related complaints.  By 2019 all trains will have bio-toilets.  Rs. 64,000 crore allocated for highways. Study more about Union Budget 2017-18 using our Union Budget 2017-18 Questions and Answers PDF containing 101 Questions with Answer. Click Here to download.

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Important Government Schemes

Public Provident Fund(PPF) Scheme [Interest Rate- Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) [Interest Rate-7.5%] 7.8%] Introduction : KVP scheme is a saving scheme in which a Introduction : It is a long term investment scheme backed person can buy KVP certificates(available in denominations by Government of India and returns in this scheme are fully of Rs 1,000, 5000, 10,000 and Rs 50,000) and the amount exempted from Tax. Introduced in the year 1968. doubles after maturity period. Who can open the account : Resident Indian Individuals and It was introduced in 1988, then discontinued in 2011 and individuals on behalf of minors. then again introduced in 2014 with some minor changes. Interest Rate : 7.8% (compounded yearly) The amount deposited in this scheme is used for welfare of Minimum Amount for opening : Rs. 100/- farmers. Minimum Deposit :Rs. 500/- in a financial year Who can open the account : Resident Indian Individuals and Maximum Deposit : Rs. 1,50,000/- in a financial year individuals on behalf of minors. Maturity : 15 years (can be extended in blocks of 5 years) Interest Rate : 7.5%(annually) Premature closure : Not Allowed before 15 years Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000/- Important points Maximum Deposit : No limit  A PPF subscriber can take loan against the PPF Maturity : 115 months(amount becomes double) account between the 3rd and 6th financial year of Important points opening of account.  No income tax benefit is available under the  Partial withdrawal is permissible after 7th financial scheme. year from the year of opening of account.  Certificate can be encashed after 2 & 1/2 years from  Interest is tax-free the date of issue.(Premature withdrawal)

Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) [Interest Rate- Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts [Interest Rate-8.3%] 8.3%] Introduction : It is a saving scheme for girl child introduced Introduction : It is a saving scheme for senior citizen. by government of India in 2015. Introduced in the year 2004. It is only a one time deposit Who can open the account : (i)A legal Guardian/Natural saving scheme(in multiples of Rs 1000) Guardian can open account in the name of Girl Child from Who can open the account : (i)An individual of the Age of the birth of the girl child till she attains the age of 10 years 60 years or more (ii) In a family a maximum of 2 girl child can have this (ii) An individual of the age of 55 years or more but less than account. 60 years who has retired on superannuation or under VRS Interest Rate : 8.3%(annually) can also open account subject to the condition that the Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000/- in a financial year account is opened within one month of receipt of Maximum Deposit : Rs. 1,50,000/- in a financial year retirement benefits and amount should not exceed the Maturity : (i)After the girl attains the age of 21 years amount of retirement benefits. (ii) After the girl attains 18 years provided she is married. Interest Rate : 8.3%(compounded quarterly) Important points Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000  Deposits in an account can be made till completion Maximum Deposit : Rs 15 lakh of 14 years, from the date of opening of the Maturity : 5 years (can be extended by 3 years after account. maturity)  Investment in Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana scheme is Important points exempted from Income Tax under section 80C.  Interest is taxable  Partial withdrawal facility available after attaining  Premature closure of account is allowed after 1 year 18 years of age. of opening the account but with penalty.  There is no limit on the number of deposits made in  A person can open any number of accounts in any a financial year. Deposits should be in multiple of Rs post office subject to maximum investment limit by 100/- . adding balance in all accounts.

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National Savings Certificates (NSC) Scheme [Interest  Scope of Coverage: All savings bank account Rate-7.8%] holders in the age of 18-50 years Introduction : It is a saving scheme introduced by  Benefits: Rs 2 lakh government of India in 1950s and subscriber can buy these  Premium: Rs 330 per annum certificates from Post Office  Maturity/Termination: On attaining age 55 years Who can open the account : Any Indian Resident Interest Rate : 7.8%(compounded half yearly but paid at Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) maturity)  PMJDY is a financial inclusion mission to ensure Minimum Deposit : Rs. 100/- banking service to everyone ina affordable manner. Maximum Deposit : No Limit  In this Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA) Maturity : 5 years can be opened in which there is no requirement of Important points minimum balance.  Available in denomination of Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs  Any individual above the age of 10 years can open 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. BSBDA account.  Tax deduction under Section 80C, up to INR 1 Lakh a  Accidental insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh year  Life Insurance cover of Rs 30,000  Overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 Atal Pension Yojana(APY) Standup India – Loan from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 100 lakh for 7  APY is a guaranteed pension Scheme of GOI and is years administered by PFRDA.  Pension between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 a month Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana- Premium  Joining age between 19 and 40 years  Kharif Crops – 2%  Rabi Crops- 1.5% Pradhan Mantri Surakhsa Beema Yojana (PMSBY)  Horticulture Crops – 5%  PMSBY is a Accidental Insurance Scheme offereing Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana accidental death and disability covers for death or Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd. disability on account of an accident. It is (MUDRA) is a new institution set up by Government of India administered by Public Sector General Insurance to provide funding to the non-corporate, non-farm sector companies income generating activities of micro and small enterprises  Scope of Coverage: All saving bank account holders hose edit eeds ae elo ₹ Lakh. between the age 18-70 years Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY),  Benefits: Death- Rs 2 lakh MUDRA has created three products i.e. 'Shishu', 'Kishore' Total and irrecoverable loss of both organ- and Tarun as per the stage of growth and funding needs of Rs 2 lakh the beneficiary micro unit. These schemes cover loan Total and irrecoverable loss of one organ- amounts as below: Rs 1 lakh  Shishu: oeig loas up to ₹,  Premium: Rs 12 per annum  Kishore: oeig loas aoe ₹, ad up to  Maturity/Termination: On attaning age 70 years ₹,,  Tarun: covering loas aoe ₹,, ad up to Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) ₹,,  PMJJBY is an insurance scheme offereing life insurance for death due to any reason. Administered by LIC.

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Demonetisation in India

Till now demonetisation of bank notes has been taken 3 times in India of which 2 came after Independance.

S.No Date and Year Notes Demonitised Then Prime Minister Then RBI Governor First time 12 January 1946 Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and - (India was ruled by C. D. Deshmukh Rs 10,000 Britain) Second Time 16 January 1978 Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Morarji Desai I. G. Patel Rs 10,000 Third Time 9 November 2017 Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 Narendra Modi Urjit Patel

RBI can withdraw the legal tender character of bank notes as per Section 26(2) of RBI Act, 1934

Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act 2017

 For non- resident Indians (Indian passport holders), the grace period to deposit SBN is till June 30, 2017. Maximum Rs 25,000. This facility will not be available for Indian citizens resident in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  The grace period for resident Indians expired on March 31, 2017.  After the expiry of grace period, holding of not more than 10 notes in total, irrespective of denomination or not more than 25 notes for the purpose of study/ research/ numismatics is permitted. It may result into fine which may extend upto 10,000 INR or five times the face value of the SBNs involved in the contravention, whichever is higher.

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