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Monthly Current Affairs Capsule & Quiz

October 2020

International Day of Older Persons: 01 October

International Day of Older Persons is observed

globally on 1st October every year.

The year 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of

the United Nations and the 30th Anniversary

of the International Day of Older Persons.

The day is an opportunity to highlight the

important contributions that older people

make to society and raise awareness of the

opportunities and challenges of ageing in

today’s world.

2020 theme: Pandemics: Do They Change

How We Address Age and Ageing?

China to send world's first asteroid mining robot

into space in November

China will send out the world’s first mining robot

into space by November this year.

A private Beijing company, Origin Space,

will send out the world’s first mining robot,

termed as an ‘asteroid mining robot’ into

space by November 2020.

The robot will, however, not do any actual

mining.

The mission will be a preliminary assessment

of the asteroid mining robot’s capabilities of

identifying and extracting valuable resources,

aimed at the eventual mining of asteroids.

The 30-gram spacecraft, NEO-1, is likely to

be launched as a secondary payload on a

Chinese Long March rocket, which will enter

at an orbit around the earth at 500-kilometre

altitude.

The actual progress that can be made by the

NEO-1 mission is subject to speculations, as

it has never been attempted before.

Donald Trump, US First Lady test COVID-19

positive

United States President Donald Trump announced

that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested

positive for the novel coronavirus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished

for quick recovery and good health of United

States President Donald Trump and First

Lady Melania Trump.

Donald John Trump is the 45th and current

president of the United States.

Before entering politics, he was a

businessman and television personality.

US issues fresh sanctions against Syria

The United States announced over a dozen sanctions

against Syrian individuals and entities to further

pressure the Syrian government.

The sanctions designated the head of the

Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, the

governor of the Central Bank of Syria, and a

business network that allegedly "generate

revenue for the regime and its supporters,".

The State Department on the same day

blacklisted other three Syrian persons for

their roles in the Syria conflict.

According to the statement, all property and

interests of the property of the designated

entities and the individuals in the United

States have been blocked, and US persons are

generally prohibited from engaging in any

transactions with them.

Capital: Damascus

President: Bashar al-Assad

Currency: Syrian pound

World Animal Day: 04 October

World Animal Day is observed every year on

October 4 since 1929.

The day aims to raise the status of animals in

order to improve welfare standards around

the globe.

It was originated by Heinrich Zimmermann

and he organized the first World Animal Day

on 24 March 1925 at the Sport Palace in

Berlin, Germany.

India, Bangladesh hold second edition of naval

exercise in Northern Bay of Bengal

The second edition of the bilateral naval exercise

‘Bongosagar’ between India and Bangladesh was

held in Northern Bay of Bengal.

Ships from both navies participated in

surface warfare drills, seamanship evolutions

and helicopter operations.

Indian Navy ships Kiltan, Khukri &

Bangladesh Navy ships Abu Bakr, Prottoy,

helo and MPA undertook manoeuvres,

surface drills, helo operations and

seamanship evolutions.

Bongosagar will be followed by the third

edition of India Bangladesh Coordinated

Patrol (CORPAT) on 4-5 October.

The first edition of the Exercise Bongosagar,

was held in 2019.

World Teachers’ Day: 05 October

World Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year on

October 5 globally.

It aims to focus on appreciating, assessing

and improving the educators of the world and

to provide an opportunity to consider issues

related to teachers and teaching.

International Teachers Day is celebrated by

the United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in

partnership with United Nations Children’s

Fund (UNICEF), International Labour

Organisation (ILO) and Education

International.

The theme for World Teachers’ Day 2020 is

“Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining

the Future”.

World Habitat Day 2020: 5 October

The United Nations designated the first Monday of

October as World Habitat Day.

In 2020, the World Habitat Day is being

celebrated on 5th October.

The day is commemorated every year

worldwide to throw light on the condition of

our towns and cities, and on the basic right of

all to adequate shelter.

2020 theme: “Housing For All — A Better

Urban Future” as a proper place to live has

become important more than ever.

Cargo spacecraft SS Kalpana Chawla arrives at

ISS

A commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the

International Space Station (ISS), carrying the name

of deceased NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla,

arrived at the International Space Station.

Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born

woman to enter space, has had the spacecraft

named after her for her key contributions to

human spaceflight.

The SS Kalpana Chawla, a Northrop

Grumman Cygnus, was launched from the

Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

On the NG-14 mission, the SS Kalpana

Chawla will deliver approximately 3,630

kilograms of cargo to the station.

World Cotton Day: 07 October

The WHO-recognised World Cotton Day (WCD) is

observed on 7th October since 2019 to celebrate the

international cotton industry and its contribution to

communities and the global economy.

The day was inaugurated by the World Trade

Organization (WTO) in Geneva on October

7, 2019.

WCD Day was initiated by the Group of

Cotton-4 countries namely Benin, Burkina

Faso, Chad and Mali to reflect the importance

of cotton as a global commodity.

QUAD Foreign Ministers of India, USA, Japan,

Australia meet in Tokyo

Quad Countries’ Foreign Minister meet held in

Tokyo, Japan.

All four Quad countries the United States,

Japan, India and Australia to hold bilateral

discussions over “Free and Open Indo-

Pacific” (FOIP) initiative amid the

coronavirus pandemic.

This is the second Quad FM meeting. The

first was held in 2019.

The Quad FM meeting was represented by

External Affairs Minister of India S

Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo, Australian Foreign Minister Marise

Payne, and Japanese Foreign Minister

Toshimitsu Motegi.

They discussed the post-COVID-19

international order and the need for a

coordinated response to the various

challenges emerging from the pandemic.

Russia successfully tests new hypersonic

TSIRKON missile

Russia says it has successfully tested a new

hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile in TSIRKON

(Zircon) Hypersonic Cruise missile.

The Tsirkon test comes amid tensions over

arms control between Russia and the United

States.

The strike was carried out from the Admiral

Gorshkov vessel which was located in the

White Sea in northern Russia.

The missile hit its target at a distance of 450

kilometres (280 miles) in four and a half

minutes after reaching hypersonic speeds of

more than Mach 8.

World Post Day: 9 October

World Post Day is observed on 9th October every

year.

The main aim of World Post Day is to create

awareness of the role of the postal sector in

people’s and businesses’ everyday lives and

its contribution to the social and economic

development of countries.

09 October marks the anniversary of the

establishment of the Universal Postal Union

in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern.

Oil prices rise as Hurricane Delta approaches US

Gulf of Mexico

Oil prices rose as oil workers evacuated rigs in the

U.S. Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Delta.

Energy operators in the Gulf of Mexico have

shut 80% of oil output in preparation for

Hurricane Delta.

The storm, packing winds of up to 115 miles

per hour (185 kph), ranked as a category 3

hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane

Wind Scale and forecasters expect it to

strengthen before making landfall.

Kuwait's cabinet hands in resignation, emir asks

PM to prepare for election

The Kuwaiti government, headed by Prime Minister

Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, reportedly submitted its

resignation to Emir Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al

Sabah.

Kuwait's new emir has asked the Gulf state's

cabinet to carry on its duties and prepare for

parliamentary elections.

Sheikh Nawaf, 83, took the helm of the U.S.-

allied OPEC member state following the

death of his brother Emir Sheikh Sabah al-

Ahmed.

Kuwait Capital: Kuwait City.

Currency: Kuwaiti dinar.

World Mental Health Day: 10 October

October 10 is the second Saturday of 2020 and is

celebrated as the World Mental Health Day.

The objective of this day is to spread

awareness about mental health issues and

taking efforts in supporting those.

It also emphasizes what more needs to be

done to make sure that talking about mental

health does not remain a taboo in society.

This day is organised by the World

Federation for Mental Health.

It is also supported by WHO, the

International Association for Suicide

Prevention, and United for Global Mental

Health.

China formally joins WHO led COVAX initiative

on COVID-19 vaccine

China has formally joined COVAX, the global

initiative for COVID-19 vaccine by signing an

agreement with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The statement did not give details on the level

of support Beijing will provide to the

initiative.

The COVAX facility, led by the World

Health Organization (WHO), aims to deliver

at least 2 billion doses of vaccines by the end

of 2021.

The WHO had said it had been negotiating

with China for its participation in the

initiative, with Russia and the United States

so far choosing not to join.

More than 150 countries have joined the

WHO led initiative to develop, produce, and

fairly distribute an effective COVID-19

vaccine.

World famous Jog falls in Karnataka to get face

lift

The world famous Jog falls in Karnataka will get a

face lift at a cost of Rs. 120 crore.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was given

details of the project during a Tourism

department review meeting in Bengaluru.

During the review meeting, the overall

development of other important tourist

destinations in the state such as

Kemmanagundi hill station, Nandi hills, the

world heritage site of Badami caves,

Srirangapattana and Mysuru haat were also

discussed.

Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river

located in the Western Ghats inUttara

Kannada District.

International Day of the Girl Child: 11 October

International Day of the Girl Child (also known as

Day of Girls and the International Day of Girls) is

observed annually on October 11 since 2012.

This international observance day was

declared by the United Nations to raise

awareness of issues facing girls

internationally surrounding education,

nutrition, child marriage, legal and medical

rights.

2020 theme: “My voice, our equal future”.

World Migratory Bird Day: 10 October

The World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated twice a

year, that is, on the second Saturdays of May and

October.

The Day will celebrate the biannual

migration on 10 October.

The aim of the day is to raise awareness of

migratory birds and the importance of

international cooperation to conserve them.

Earlier in May, the day was celebrated on

May 9, 2020.

2020 theme: Birds Connect Our World

World Arthritis Day: 12 October

World Arthritis Day is observed globally on 12th

October every year.

The day is celebrated to raise awareness

about arthritis, an inflammatory condition

which causes pain and stiffness in joints

which can worsen with age.

There are more than 100 different types of

arthritis, with different causes and treatment

methods. The most common types are

osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis

(RA).

This day was started by Arthritis and

Rheumatism International (ARI) in 1996 in

order to spread awareness about arthritis and

encourage policymakers to help reduce the

burden of arthritis.

International Day for Disaster Reduction: 13

October

The United Nations International Day for Disaster

Reduction is observed annually on 13 October since

1989.

The day is celebrated to promote a global

culture of risk-awareness and disaster

reduction and also celebrates how people and

communities around the world are reducing

their exposure to disasters and raising

awareness about the importance of reining in

the risks that they face.

Theme of 2020 International Day for Disaster

Reduction is ‘Disaster risk governance’.

Bangladesh cabinet approves capital punishment

for rape

Bangladesh Cabinet approved a draft law to include

death penalty as the highest punishment for rape.

The decision to amend the Prevention of

Women and Children Repression Act-2000

was announced after the Cabinet meeting

Chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The ordinance will be issued after getting

approval of the President as Parliament is not

in session.

Currently, the highest punishment for rape is

life imprisonment.

FATF's Asia Pacific Group keeps Pakistan on

‘enhanced follow-up list’ for slow progress

against terror financing

In a major setback to Pakistan, the Financial Action

Task Force's (FATF's) Asia Pacific Group (APG) on

Money Laundering has reprimanded the South-Asian

country for its slow progress on the technical

recommendations of the FATF to fight terror

financing.

Earlier, Pakistan had requested for its ratings

pertaining to targeted financial sanctions on

terrorism and terrorist financing to be

revised.

The APG stated that the insufficient progress

made by the country fails to justify a re-

rating.

The Financial Action Task Force is an

intergovernmental organisation founded in

1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop

policies to combat money laundering.

Headquarters: Paris, France

President: Marcus Pleyer

World Standards Day: 14 October

World Standards Day or International Standards Day

is observed globally on 14 October every year.

The day aims to raise awareness about the

importance of standardisation to the global

economy among the consumers, regulators

and industry.

14 October was specifically chosen to mark

the date, in 1946, when delegates from 25

countries first gathered in London and

decided to create an international

organization focused on facilitating

standardization.

The 2020 theme is “Protecting the planet with

standards”.

International Day of Rural Women: 15 October

The International Day of Rural Women is observed

globally on 15 October every year.

The day recognizes the role of women and

girls in ensuring the sustainability of rural

households and communities, improving

rural livelihoods and overall well-being.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers

Welfare observes the day in India as the

Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas since 2016.

2020 theme: “Building rural women’s

resilience in the wake of COVID-19,”.

World Students’ Day: 15 October

World Students’ Day is observed every year on 15

October to mark the birth anniversary of former

President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

This year marks the 89th birth anniversary of

the former president and ‘Missile Man’ Dr

APJ Abdul Kalam.

In 2010 the United Nations declared 15

October “World Students’ Day”, due to

Kalam’s love for students and who himself

was a dedicated teacher and identified

himself foremost in that role before anything

else.

World Food Day: 16 October

World Food Day is an international day celebrated

every year around the world on 16 October in honor

of the date of the founding of the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in

1945.

The day is celebrated widely by many other

organizations concerned with food security,

including the World Food Programme and

the International Fund for Agricultural

Development.

The theme for this year's World Food Day

2020 is "Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together".

Global Handwashing Day: 15 October

Global Handwashing Day is observed on October 15

each year to raise awareness and highlight the

importance of handwashing as an effective means of

disease prevention.

This year it marks a critical reminder for the

world that this simple, cost-effective practice

can save lives.

Handwashing has always been one of the

most effective ways of keeping diseases at

bay and is also one of the key cornerstones of

COVID-19 prevention.

Russia approves second coronavirus vaccine after

Sputnik V

After launching the very first vaccine for the

treatment of coronavirus back in August, Russia has

registered another covid-19 vaccine 'EpiVacCorona'.

Russia became the first country to give

regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine in

August when Sputnik V was officially

registered ahead of large-scale clinical trials,

drawing criticism from some quarters in the

scientific community.

The second Russian vaccine to get regulatory

approval has been developed by the Vector

State Research Centre of Virology and

Biotechnology.

Putin said that a third Russian vaccine against

Covid-19, developed by the Chumakov

Centre, would also be registered in the near

future.

International Poverty Eradication Day: 17

October

October 17 is marked as the International Poverty

Eradication Day.

The main aim of this day is to raise awareness

about the people who are struggling and

living in poverty. It is necessary to remove

poverty mainly in developing countries.

According to UN Secretary-General António

Guterres, one of the keys to ending child

poverty is addressing poverty in the

household, from which it often

stems. Access to quality social services must

be a priority.

2020 Theme: Acting together to achieve

social and environmental justice for all

Kyrgyzstan President resigns after protests over

disputed election

Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov has

resigned after days of protests over a disputed

parliamentary election, saying he wants to prevent

clashes and bloodshed.

Jeenbekov said, he does not want to go down

in the history of Kyrgyzstan as a president

who allowed bloodshed and shooting on its

people.

He also called on newly-appointed Prime

Minister Sadyr Japarov and other opposition

politicians to take their supporters away from

the capital so that peace could return to

Bishkek.

Kyrgyzstan has been in crisis since

parliamentary elections on 4 October.

Capital: Bishkek

Currency: Kyrgyzstani som

India to deliver Kilo Class submarine INS

Sindhuvir to Myanmar Navy

India will deliver a Kilo Class submarine INS

Sindhuvir to Myanmar Navy as part of defence

cooperation.

This will be the first submarine of the

Myanmar Navy.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic

neighbours and shares a 1,640-kilometer-

long border with a number of northeastern

states including militancy-hit Nagaland and

Manipur.

In the last few years, both sides have been

ramping up maritime security cooperation.

Kilo class refers to diesel-electric attack

submarines that were designed and built in

the erstwhile Soviet Union.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern secures second

term with historic victory

New Zealand voted to award Prime Minister Jacinda

Ardern a second term in office.

Prime Minister Ardern's liberal Labour Party

won a historic mandate by securing 49 per

cent of the vote in comparison to the 27 per

cent bagged by its primary challenger.

This is the first time since New Zealand

implemented a proportional voting system 24

years ago that a single party (Labour) won an

outright majority of seats in Parliament.

During the 2020 elections, New Zealanders

also voted on two key issues- whether to

legalise marijuana and euthanasia.

BepiColombo spacecraft swings past Venus on

long road to Mercury

The BepiColombo SpaceCraft has crossed Venus in

its journey towards Mercury.

The spacecraft was launched jointly by Japan

Aerospace Exploration Agency and

European Space Agency to explore planet

Mercury.

This spacecraft mission has been launched to

explore and study the mercury.

It was launched on the Ariane 5 rocket and

will arrive in Mercury in 2025.

India hosts virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice

of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

India hosted the virtual Summit of Ministers of

Justice of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO.

Addressing the Ministers of Justice from

SCO Member States, Law and Justice

Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted the

initiatives taken by the Indian Government

for providing affordable and easy access to

justice for all.

He mentioned Pro Bono Legal Services to

provide free legal aid to marginalized

sections of the society.

As part of activities of the Justice Ministers’

Forum, the Minister urged SCO Member

States to promote exchange of ideas, best

practices and experiences in identified areas

through the platform.

World Osteoporosis Day: 20 October

The World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) is observed

annually on October 20.

The day aims to raise global awareness of the

prevention, diagnosis and treatment of

osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.

Osteoporosis is a condition when the bone

turns fragile and is thus susceptible to

fracture.

It is quite common in women aged above 35.

World Statistics Day: 20 October

The World Statistics Day is observed globally on 20

October.

The celebration of World Statistics Day 2020

is a global collaborative endeavour,

organized under the guidance of the United

Nations Statistical Commission.

At its 41st Session in February 2010, the

United Nations Statistical Commission

proposed celebrating 20 October 2010 as

World Statistics Day (Decision 41/109).

2020 theme “Connecting the world with data

we can trust.”

Asia Power Index 2020

India has been ranked at 4th position, with a score of

39.7 out of 100, in the Asia Power Index 2020,

released by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute.

The Asia Power Index 2020 ranks 26

countries and territories to assess the relative

power of states in Asia.

The United States has retained its position as

the most powerful country influencing the

Asia-Pacific with a score of 81.6.

It is followed by China (76.1) and Japan (41)

at second and third spot respectively.

Australia to join Malabar Naval exercise with

India, US and Japan

Australia will join the Malabar naval exercise

involving India, US and Japan.

The exercise showcases the deep trust

between four major Indo-Pacific

democracies and their shared will to work

together on common security interests.

The Annual Naval Exercise Malabar-2020 is

expected to be held in the Bay of Bengal and

the Arabian Sea later this year.

This year, the exercise has been planned on a

‘non-contact-at sea’ format.

The Malabar series of Naval exercises started

in 1992 as a bilateral Indian Navy-US Navy

exercise and Japan joined the Naval exercise

in 2015.

International Chefs Day: 20 October

International Chefs Day is observed globally on 20

October every year.

The day aims to celebrate and honour the

noble profession and educate people around

the world about eating healthy.

This was formed by Dr Bill Gallagher, a

renowned chef and the former president of

the World Association of Chefs Societies

(World Chefs), in 2004.

It is also the day for experienced chefs to pass

on their knowledge and culinary skills to the

next generation with a sense of pride and

commitment.

2020 theme ‘Healthy Food for the Future’.

UAE delegation reaches Israel for first time in

history

In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a

United Arab Emirates delegation reached Israel.

It was accompanied by top US officials to

cement the normalisation of ties between the

two nations.

As part of the US-brokered deal, four

agreements were signed relating to

investment, scientific cooperation, civil

aviation and visa exemptions, during the

visit.

International Stuttering Awareness Day: 22

October

International Stuttering Awareness Day is observed

globally on 22nd October every year.

The day is intended to raise public awareness

of the millions of people who have a speech

disorder of stuttering or stammering.

Stuttering is a speech disorder that involves

frequent and significant problems with

normal fluency and flow of speech. People

who stutter know what they want to say, but

have difficulty saying it.

2020 theme “Journey of Words – Resilience

and Bouncing Back”.

World Snow Leopard Day: 23 October

World Snow Leopard Day is observed globally on

23rd October.

The main purpose of this day is to show the

importance of snow leopard conservation and

raise awareness about this incredible animal.

The day also emphasizes the importance of

taking measures to stop poaching, as well as

consolidating efforts in terms of an

environmental organization in the countries

of the snow leopard range.

The day was initiated by the countries that

encompass the snow leopard’s range.

They include Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia,

Pakistan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan,

Kazakhstan, India, China, Bhutan, and

Afganistan.

Mole Day: 23 October

The Mole Day is celebrated every year on 23 October

from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m.

It commemorates chemistry’s measuring unit

called “Avogadro’s Number” (6.02 x 10²³)

For a given molecule, one mole is a mass (in

grams) whose number is equal to the molar

mass of the molecule.

United Nations Day: 24 October

October 24 has been celebrated as United Nations

Day since 1948.

The United Nations officially came into

being after the signatory documents which

includes the five permanent members of the

Security Council.

The United Nations officially came into

existence on 24 October 1945.

The year 2020 marks the 75th year of the

UN's existence.

The theme for 2020 is 'The Future We Want,

the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective

Commitment to Multilateralism’.

World Development Information Day: 24

October

The United Nations celebrates World Development

Information Day every year on October 24.

The UN General Assembly in 1972

established the World Development

Information Day to direct people’s attention

toward developmental problems and the need

to strengthen international cooperation to

solve them.

The day aims to direct people’s attention

toward developmental problems and the need

to strengthen international cooperation to

solve them.

US approves sale of weapons systems worth

around 1.8 billion dollar to Taiwan

The US State Department has approved the sale of

weapons systems worth around 1.8 billion dollar to

Taiwan.

The deal comprised three weapons systems,

including rocket launchers, sensors and

artillery.

Taiwan welcomed the decision and said the

weapons will help improve its defensive

capabilities to deal with the enemy threat and

new situation.

China said that the arms deal will likely have

a major impact on its relationship with the

US.

Brazil's President Bolsonaro rejects purchase of

coronavirus vaccine from China

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has decided to

cancel the purchase of Coronavac, a COVID-19

vaccine in phase-3 clinical trials by Chinese firm

Sinovac.

Both Brazil's President and Health Minister

have been infected by a novel coronavirus.

Brazil has been among the world’s hardest-

hit nations by the pandemic, with more than

5 million infections and more than 150,000

COVID-19 deaths.

Earlier, Bangladesh had rejected co-

financing of the phase 3 trial of the Sinovac

made Corona vaccine.

World Polio Day: 24 October

The World Polio Day is celebrated annually on

October 24.

The day is observed to raise awareness for

polio vaccination and eradication of polio.

It provides an opportunity to highlight global

efforts toward a polio-free world and honour

the tireless contributions of those on the

frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from

every corner of the globe.

As of August 2020, Afghanistan and Pakistan

are the only two nations which remain with

the continued transmission of wild

poliovirus.

2020 theme “A win against polio is a win for

global health.”

Pakistan to remain in grey list of FATF till

February 2021

The global terror financing watchdog, Financial

Action Task Force (FATF) has announced that

Pakistan will continue to remain on its grey list till

February 2021.

This decision has been taken since Pakistan

has not been able to fulfil six out of the 27

mandates to check terror funding.

FATF has strongly urged Pakistan to swiftly

complete its full action plan by February

2021.

The FATF Headquarters: Paris, France

Saad al-Hariri renamed Lebanon Prime Minister

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun designated Sunni

Muslim politician Saad al-Hariri as prime minister.

Hariri won the backing of a majority of

parliamentarians in consultations with Aoun.

Sunni leader Hariri's last coalition

government was toppled almost exactly a

year ago as protests gripped the country.

Hariri was backed by his own Future

lawmakers, the Shi'ite Amal party, Druze

politician Walid Jumblatt's party and other

small blocks.

Andorra Joins IMF as its 190th Member

Andorra has joined the International Monetary Fund

(IMF), to become its 190th member.

IMF’s Membership allows the Andorran

government to benefit from IMF policy

advice, especially as the country tackles the

crisis caused by COVID-19 and can now

receive an annual review or “health check” of

its economy by the IMF, tap technical

assistance, and access IMF lending if needed.

Andorra is a microstate situated between

France and Spain. However, it is the largest

microstate in Europe.

Bangladesh govt. orders ‘no mask, no service’

policy

The Bangladesh government has decided that no

service will be provided to people who don’t wear

masks.

The cabinet meeting Chaired by Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina decided that no one

will be allowed to enter offices without the

mask.

It decided that all offices must install notice

boards saying ‘no mask, no service’ in order

to control the spread of COVID 19 virus in

the country.

People at all public and private offices, social

institutions, haat-bazaars, shopping malls,

other establishments, educational

institutions, mosques or other places of

worship throughout the country must use

masks in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sudan to join UAE, Bahrain in recognising Israel

President Donald Trump announced that Sudan will

start to normalise ties with Israel, making it the third

Arab state to do so as part of US-brokered deals in

the run-up to Election Day.

The announcement came after the North

African nation agreed to put $335 million in

an escrow account to be used to compensate

American victims of terror attacks.

Trump said at least five other countries want

to come into the deal, which is collectively

called the Abraham Accords.

Chinese foreign ministry not to recognize Hong

Kong BNO passports as valid travel documents

Chinese foreign ministry said that it will consider not

recognizing Hong Kong British national overseas

(BNO) passports as valid travel documents, a day

after the British government's announcement of new

visa rules for British National Overseas citizens in

HK.

Britain will start to process BNO visa

applications for residents in the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)

from January 31, 2021.

Britain had announced plans to extend the

immigration rights of BNO passport holders

on 1st July, the day after China imposed

stringent national security law on Hong

Kong.

As per new visa rule, BNO Visa holders will

have the right to work and study in the UK

for a period of five years.

They can apply for citizenship after the sixth

year.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage: 27 October

The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed

globally on 27 October every year.

The day was chosen by UNESCO to raise

awareness of the significance and

preservation risks of recorded sound and

audiovisual documents.

2020 theme : “Your Window to the World”.

Japan to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said

that the country will achieve zero carbon emissions

by 2050.

Mr. Suga announced this in his policy speech

at first parliamentary session since he took

office last month.

He emphasized the need to shift away from

fossil fuels to counter climate change as an

opportunity rather than a burden.

As per Japan’s current energy plan, 56 per

cent of its energy reqirements come from

fossil fuels.

BRICS Parliamentary Forum to be held in virtual

format

The BRICS Parliamentary Forum started in virtual

format from 27 October 2020.

It will be chaired by Chairman of Russian

Parliament, Vyachaslav Volodin.

Speakers and members of five BRICS

Parliaments - Brazil, Russian, India, China

and South Africa will participate in the

Forum.

An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by

Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla and consisting

of Member of Lok Sabha Kanimozhi

Karunanidhi will attend the Forum.

NATO plans to set up new space center in

Germany

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

alliance, plans to build a headquarters for space

operations at its airbase in Ramstein in Germany, to

counter a rising Russian and Chinese threat.

The new centre is to be a central point of

contact to support NATO missions with

communication and satellite images.

It will also be a place to exchange

information on potential threats to satellites.

Some 2,000 satellites orbit the Earth, more

than half of which are operated by NATO

members, allowing everything from mobile

phone services to weather forecasts.

NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

International Animation Day: 28 October

International Animation Day is observed globally on

28 October every year.

The day celebrates the art of animation and

also recognises the artists, scientists and

technicians behind animation.

The day was created in 2002 by the

International Animated Film Association

(ASIFA), an International Animated Film

Association, a member of UNESCO.

Luis Arce declared as Bolivia’s President

Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)

announced that Luis Arce Catacora, the candidate for

the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party, has

won the October 18 presidential elections with 55.1

percent of the votes.

The MAS also obtained absolute majorities

in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies,

although it did not achieve the two-thirds

majority required to carry out constitutional

reforms.

This is the first time since 1989 that the

country has published the official results of a

presidential election in such a short period of

time.

India exceeds 140 per day per million tests

advised by WHO by more than five times: Health

Ministry

India has exceeded the 140 per day per million tests

as advised by the World Health Organization by

more than five times.

Very high levels of testing lead to early

identification, prompt isolation and effective

treatment of COVID19 cases.

This has resulted in sustained low Fatality

Rate. With higher testing, eventually there is

a fall in the positivity rate.

In July 2020, the WHO has advised that a

country needs 140 tests per day per million

population.

India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic

cruise missile

India successfully test-fired BrahMos supersonic

cruise missile with several indigenous features.

The test firing of the missile was carried out

by the Defence Research and Development

Organisation, DRDO from Balasore in

Odisha.

BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic

cruise missile features indigenous Booster

and Airframe Section along with many other

‘Made in India’ sub-systems.

The BrahMos Land-Attack Cruise Missile

was cruising at a top speed of Mach 2.8. It is

one more major step in enhancing the

indigenous content.

The missile weighs around 2.5 tonnes and has

a strike range of approximately 300 km.

It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in

the world.

It is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise

missile and other similar sea-skimming

Russian cruise missile technology.

The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed

from the names of two rivers, the

Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of

Russia.

India establishes Air Bubble arrangement with

Kenya & Bhutan

India has established Air Bubble arrangement with

Kenya and Bhutan.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

said, in order to further boost bilateral

international air connectivity, Air Bubble

arrangements are now in place with the two

countries.

Now Indian carriers will be able to operate to

these countries.

Carriers of these countries will also be able to

fly to India.

Air Bubble is the term coined during

COVID-19 times. It refers to transport and

people connectivity between specific regions

in the world.

Especially between those regions where

COVID-19 has been contained to similar

levels.

Kenya Capital: Nairobi

Currency: Kenyan shilling

South Eastern Railway launches “Operation My

Saheli” for safety of lady passengers

The South Eastern Railways (SER) has launched the

project, “Operation my Saheli” to enhance the

security of women passengers in the train throughout

the entire journey from the originating point to their

destinations.

Since 18th September 2020, The pilot version

of the project “Operation my Saheli” has

been introduced in 3 trains: Howrah-

Yesvantpur Duronto Special, Howrah-

Ahmedabad Special and Howrah-Mumbai

Special.

“Operation my Saheli” is executed under the

Framework of “Nirbhaya Fund” and no

additional expenditure is provided by the

Head of Railways.

Under this a team of Women Sub Inspectors

briefed the women passengers on the safety

precautions and provided emergency contact

numbers.

The team will collect the information such as

seat number and contact information of the

women passengers and will remain in contact

throughout the journey.

Notification issued for 1st phase of assembly

elections in Bihar

In Bihar, notification for the First Phase of State

Assembly Elections was issued.

With this, the election the process of

nomination of candidates has started.

During the First Phase of Assembly elections,

polling would be held on 28th of October in

71 Assembly constituencies spread over 16

districts.

Last date of nomination is 8th of this month

and scrutiny of nomination papers would take

place on 9th of October.

In view of COVID-19 pandemic, the Election

Commission has for the first time given the

option of online filing of nomination papers

to the candidates.

Bihar Assembly Elections would be held in

three phases for 243 constituencies.

The polling for the second and third phase

would be held on 3rd and 7th of November.

Counting of votes would take place on 10th

of November.

Over 7.29 crore electorate are eligible for the

polls of the Assembly elections in Bihar.

Maharashtra Circle of India Post to release

picture postcards on Sawantwadi Toys

Maharashtra Circle of India Post will release picture

postcards on Sawantwadi Toys to mark the 151 years

of postcards in India.

The postcard, inspired by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's call to make the country a

global toy hub, will be released by HC

Agrawal, Chief Postmaster General,

Maharashtra Circle of India Post through

video conferencing.

Prime Minister Modi on August 30, during

his monthly "Mann ki Baat" programme,

talked about making "toys for the world" and

highlighted the ability of India to become a

"toy hub".

Sawantwadi toys refers to hand made works

of art made of wood in Sawantwadi a town in

Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.

Sawantwadi is considered to be India's

largest market for wooden models of fruits

and wooden toys.

These toys are made from the wood of the

Indian Coral tree (Erythrina variegata).

100 percent organic farming benefits over 66,000

farming families in Sikkim

Sikkim is the first 100 per cent organic state in the

country. All of its farmland is certified organic.

The transition has benefitted more than

66,000 farming families that practice organic

and agroecological farming on more than

76,000 hectares of land.

The process of converting Sikkim into a 100

percent organic state was fast-tracked in 2010

with the launch of the Sikkim Organic

Mission.

In the year 2015, the entire agricultural area

in the state was converted to certified organic

and finally in 2016 the state was formally

declared a 100 percent organic state.

The policy implemented a phase out of

chemical fertilizers and pesticides and

achieved a total ban on sale and use of

chemical pesticides in the state.

Indian Coast Guard Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS

'Kanaklata Barua' commissioned in Kolkata

Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) ICGS 'Kanaklata Barua' of

the Indian Coast Guard was commissioned at the

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE)

Ltd in Kolkata.

ICGS Kanaklata Barua is one of the five

FPVs built by GRSE, the Defence Public

Sector Undertaking, for the Indian Coast

Guard and it was delivered on June 9.

The FPVs are medium-range surface vessels

with a length of 50 metres, width of 7.5

metres and displacement of around 308

tonnes.

The vessels are designed for a maximum

speed of 34 knots with an endurance of more

than 1,500 nautical miles.

The entire design of the FPVs has been

developed in- house by GRSE as per

requirements specified by the Indian Coast

Guard.

Ideal weight for Indian men and women increased

to 65-55kg

The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), which is

located in Hyderabad, has revised the ideal weight

for both men and women in the country by adding 5-

5 kg.

As per the new guidelines, the average

weight of Indian men is 65kg, whereas, for

women, the average weight has now been

increased to 55 kg.

The leading nutrition research body also

made changes in the height of both men and

women.

The research body also increased the height

for men to 5 feet 8 inches from 5 feet 6 inches

a decade ago.

Similarly, the height of Indian women has

now been increased to 5 feet 3 inches from 5

feet in 2010.

Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his

151st birth anniversary

A grateful nation is paying homage to Father of the

Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st birth

anniversary.

A series of activities are being organized

across the country and also around the globe.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on

2 October 1869 in Porbandar.

In the year 1888, Mahatma Gandhi left for

London to study law.

He returned to India in 1915, after spending

21 years of his life in South Africa.

In 1915, Gandhiji returned to India

permanently and joined the Indian National

Congress with Gopal Krishna Gokhale as his

mentor.

Gandhi's first major achievement was in 1918

when he led the Champaran and Kheda

agitations of Bihar and Gujarat.

Gandhi used Satyagraha and hunger strike for

the first time during an industrial dispute

between the owners and workers of a cotton

mill in Ahmedabad.

In 1924 at the Belgaum session of INC

Gandhi was elected as the President of INC.

In 1928 in the Calcutta session, Gandhi

warned the British government to free India

within a year. On January 26th, 1930 INC

celebrated Indian Independence, as per the

proposal of 1929 Lahore session of INC.

On 12 March 1930, Gandhi launched the

Civil disobedience Movement by marching

to Dandi from Ahmedabad.

He launched the Quit India Movement in

1942 in which Gandhi gave the slogan of ‘Do

or Die.

Prez, VP, PM pay tributes to Lal Bahadur Shastri

on his 116th birth anniversary

President, Vice President and Prime Minister paid

tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur

Shastri on his 116th birth anniversary on 02 October.

Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904 – 1966) was the

2nd Prime Minister of India and a senior

leader of the Indian National Congress

political party.

It was during his tenure as the Prime Minister

that the posts of Sadar-e-Riyasat and Wazir

in J&K were abolished and replaced with the

positions of Governor and the Chief Minister.

In 1965, a plutonium reprocessing plant was

started in India. He gave the go-ahead for the

production of nuclear explosives, which led

to the launch of the Nuclear Explosive

Design Group and the Study of Nuclear

Explosions for Peaceful Purpose (SNEPP).

The 1964 Shastri-Bandarnaike Agreement

played an important role in improving India's

strained relations with Sri Lanka due to issues

related to the Tamil community in that

country.

He promoted the White Revolution – a

national campaign to increase the production

and supply of milk – by supporting the Amul

milk co-operative of Anand, Gujarat and

creating the National Dairy Development

Board.

He led the country during the Indo-Pakistan

War of 1965. His slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai

Kisan" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer")

became very popular during the war.

The war formally ended with the Tashkent

Agreement on 10 January 1966; he died the

following day, still in Tashkent.

DRDO successfully test fires Laser Guided Anti

Tank Guided Missile

The indigenously developed Laser Guided Anti Tank

Guided Missile, ATGM was successfully test fired

defeating a target located at longer range.

The test was conducted from MBT Arjun at

KK ranges, Armoured Corps Centre and

School Ahmednagar in continuation of a

successful trial done on 22nd of last month.

The ATGM employs a tandem HEAT

warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive

Armour protected armoured vehicles in

ranges from 1.5 to 5 kilometres.

It has been developed with multiple-platform

launch capability and is currently undergoing

technical evaluation trials from 120 mm

rifled gun of MBT Arjun.

This Laser Guided Missile has been

developed by Armament Research and

Development Establishment, Pune in

association with High Energy Materials

Research Laboratory, Pune and Instruments

Research and Development Establishment,

Dehradun.

PM Modi to inaugurate world’s longest highway

tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’, Rohtang on Oct 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Atal

Tunnel, Rohtang on 3rd of October.

It is the longest highway tunnel in the world.

The 9.02-kilometre long tunnel connects

Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the

year.

Earlier, the valley was cut off for about six

months each year owing to heavy snowfall.

The tunnel is built with ultra-modern

specifications in the Pir Panjal range of

Himalayas at an altitude of three thousand

metres from the Mean Sea Level.

It reduces the road distance by 46 kilometres

between Manali and Leh and the time by

about four to five hours.

On World Postcard Day, Odisha launched picture

postcard named "Jau Kandhei" released on

theme 'Traditional Toys of India'

On the occasion of World Postcard Day, the Chief

Postmaster General, Odisha Circle, has released a

picture postcard named "Jau Kandhei" on the theme

of 'Traditional Toys of India'.

World Postcard Day is observed every year

on 01 October every year.

Ten other postal circles across the country

have also released similar postcards on the

same theme.

The objective is to promote the artisans

making traditional toys in Odisha and other

parts of the country.

Tamil Nadu & Arunachal Pradesh integrated

under One Nation One Ration Card Scheme

Two more States, Tamil Nadu and Arunachal

Pradesh have been integrated with the existing

national portability cluster of 26 States and UTs

under One Nation One Ration Card.

With this, a total of 28 States and UTs are

now seamlessly connected with each other

under the One Nation One Ration Card plan.

The necessary preparatory activities to

integrate these States with the national

cluster, upgradation of ePoS software,

integration with central IM-PDS and

Annavitran portals, availability of ration

cards or beneficiaries data in Central

Repository, requisite testing of national

portability transactions, etc. have already

been completed in these two States.

The beneficiaries of these states can lift their

entitled foodgrains under NFSA from any

ePoS enabled Fair Price Shop of their choice

anywhere in the country, by using their

existing/same ration card with Aadhaar

authentication on ePoS device.

Mumbai ranks 2nd after Delhi in crimes against

women, reveals NCRB data

According to the latest data released by the National

Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Mumbai recorded

6,519 cases, after national capital Delhi at 12,902

cases during the year 2019.

However, there has been a drop of 1.5 per

cent in crimes in Maharashtra.

In 2019, the state recorded 3.41 lakh cases,

down from 3.46 lakh in the previous year.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

data has revealed that overall the crime cases

against women in Mumbai in last two years

have been 6,058 and 5,453 respectively.

Mumbai also has the highest number of

sexual harassment incidents on public

transport and recorded the highest number of

cases for use of children in pornography.

The financial capital also ranked third on the

list of rape cases after Delhi and Jaipur.

Gujarat govt signs MoU with Denmark in water

sector

Gujarat Government has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding -MoU with Denmark in the water

sector.

The state government arm Gujarat Water

Supply and Sewerage Board has signed the

MoU with ‘Danish Water Forum’ through an

online interactive platform.

This will help in technology exchange,

training, capacity building, knowledge

exchange, cooperation in water supply,

wastewater treatment- reuse and water

management between the two organizations.

MoU has been signed for a five-year period

in order to set up Indo-Danish Water

Technology Alliance in Gujarat and

contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable

Development Goal -6.

India expresses concern over Armenia,

Azerbaijan clashes

For almost four decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan

have been battling over a piece of land situated in the

mountainous region of south Caucasus.

The dispute over Nagorno Karabakh that

began in 1988 has over the years caused

massive human rights violations, a severe

refugee crisis and impacted the economies of

both the Transcaucasian republics.

The issue flared up once again this week,

resulting in more deaths and destruction.

Reportedly, close to a hundred lives have

been lost between civilians and Armenian

combatants. Azerbaijan is yet to release data

on its military losses.

India has expressed its concern over reports

of resumption of hostilities in the Nagarno-

Karabakh region of the Armenia-Azerbaijan

border which took place in the early hours of

September 27.

Arjun Munda launches largest market of tribal

products ‘Tribes India E-Marketplace’

Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda virtually

launched India’s largest handicraft and organic

products marketplace- Tribes India E-Marketplace

on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

This path breaking initiative of TRIFED will

showcase the produce and handicrafts of

tribal enterprises from across the country. It

will help them market their products directly.

On this occasion, Mr Arjun Munda also

flagged off several other TRIFED initiatives

that are aimed to support tribal brethren.

These include the inauguration of Tribes

India’s 123rd and 124th outlets in Rishikesh

and Kolkata, inclusion of new tribal product

ranges from the states of Jharkhand and

Chhattisgarh and partnership of TRIFED and

Tribes India with Amazon in their Seller Flex

program.

Over 97 per cent of cities across country become

Open Defecation Free

Government said that more than 97 per cent of the

cities across the country have become Open

Defecation Free, ODF.

The spirit of Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari

is exemplified by the Swachh Survekshan

2020 in which over 12 crores of citizens have

participated in the survey.

When Swachh Bharat Mission- urban was

launched in 2014, it was with the vision of

achieving Clean India by 2nd October 2019,

the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of

the Nation.

From a position of zero ODF states and cities

in 2014, more than 97 per cent of Indian cities

have now become ODF.

ISRO to launch its Venus mission in 2025

ISRO is scheduled to launch its Venus mission in

2025 and France will participate in it.

The VIRAL (Venus Infrared Atmospheric

Gases Linker) instrument co-developed with

the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos

and the LATMOS atmospheres,

environments and space observations

laboratory attached to the French national

scientific research centre CNRS has been

selected by the ISRO after a request for

proposals.

ISRO chairman K Sivan and CNES president

Jean-Yves Le Gall held talks and reviewed

the areas driving cooperation between France

and India in space.

After the Mars Orbiter Mission

(Mangalyaan) and Moon missions

Chandrayaan-1 and 2, ISRO has set its eyes

on Venus for carrying out its interplanetary

mission.

France and India share a robust collaboration

in the arena of space.

It is one of the three nations with whom India

collaborates in the strategic sectors of

nuclear, space and defence -- the other two

being the US and Russia.

‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal’- MOHUA to

celebrate six years of Swachh Bharat Mission-

Urban on Gandhi Jayanti

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA)

is celebrating the sixth anniversary of Swachh Bharat

Mission-Urban (SBM-U) by organizing a webinar

titled ‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal’ on 2nd

October 2020.

The day, which also marks the 151st birth

anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, focus on

celebrating the achievements of the past six

years under the Mission along with

experience sharing by States and cities and

partner organizations.

Since its launch in 2014, SBM-U has made

significant progress in the area of both

sanitation and solid waste management.

UP becomes first state in country to undertake

over one crore tests to screen Coronavirus

Uttar Pradesh has achieved another landmark in

testing of COVID samples by becoming the first state

in the country to undertake over one crore tests to

screen Coronavirus.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed it a

great achievement and said that the

government has conducted 1.5 lakh tests per

day for the past 45 days.

The total number of tests conducted in state

stood at 1,00,98,896 as per official data

released by the State Medical Education

Department.

Of these, nearly 42 per cent of tests were done

through the RT-PCR method.

UP’s share in the total tests conducted in the

country now stands at 13.6 per cent.

State’s daily average of testing over the past

few days has been 1.5 lakh tests.

Chemicals minister launches home delivery of

fertilisers for Andhra farmers

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V Sadananda

Gowda launched the home delivery facility of

fertilisers for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.

Gowda launched POS 3.1 software, SMS

Gateway and home delivery facility of

fertilisers for farmers in Andhra Pradesh.

Under the POS 3.1 version, keeping in view

of prevailing pandemic condition, contactless

one-time password (OTP)-based

authentication option has been introduced.

Farmers will be able to purchase fertiliser

without touching fingerprint sensors.

SMS Gateway will periodically send SMS to

farmer about availability of fertiliser at retail

outlets from where he last purchased the

fertiliser.

Under an initiative of home delivery of

fertilisers in Andhra Pradesh, the state

government has launched 10,641 Rythu

Bharosa Kendralu (RBKs) in all gram

panchayats to provide farmers with quality

inputs and allied services.

Google India launches campaign to drive demand

for small businesses

Google India announced the launch of its nationwide

campaign “Make Small Strong” in order to help

support small businesses and drive demand through

customer support.

‘‘Make Small Strong’ campaign is meant to

“rally support from the citizens for small

businesses.

The citizens can help small businesses by

buying locally, leaving reviews and ratings

and by promoting their favourite retailers on

social media.

This would help to generate demand for these

businesses.

PM Modi inaugurates world’s longest highway

tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel Rohtang’

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the

nation the World’s longest Highway tunnel – Atal

Tunnel at its south portal in Manali.

The 9.02 Km long tunnel connects Manali to

Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year.

Earlier the valley was cut off for about 6

months each year owing to heavy snowfall.

The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern

specifications in the Pir Panjal range of

Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 Mtrs

(10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level

(MSL).

The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46

Kms between Manali and Leh and the time

by about 4 to 5 hours.

Atal Tunnel or the Rohtang tunnel has been

built in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas.

Centre to waive compound interest on loans up to

Rs 2 cr for six-months due to coronavirus

pandemic

In a relief to individual borrowers and medium and

small industries, the Centre has agreed in the

Supreme Court to waive compound interest (interest

on interest) charged on loans of up to two crore

rupees for a six-month moratorium period

announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government will seek due authorization

from Parliament for making appropriate

grants in this regard and the endeavour shall

be over and above the support of 3.7 lakh

crore rupees to MSMEs.

70,000 crore rupees for home loans already

extended through the Garib Kalyan and

Atmanirbhar packages announced by the

government earlier.

The government has decided that the relief on

waiver of compound interest during the six-

month moratorium period shall be limited to

the most vulnerable category of borrowers.

India signs USD 90 million defence deal with US

to buy spares for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft

The US has approved India's request to buy USD 90

million worth of equipment, spare parts and

logistical support for its fleet of C-130J Super

Hercules cargo aircraft.

The proposed sale will support the foreign

policy and national security of the US by

helping to strengthen the US-India strategic

relationship and improve the security of a

major defence partner.

The items ordered by India are aircraft

consumables spares and repair/return parts;

ground support and equipment; Cartridge

Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated

Devices (CAD/PAD) fire extinguisher

cartridges; flare cartridges; BBU-35/B

cartridge impulse squibs.

The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules

is a four-engine turboprop military transport

aircraft.

NABARD launches refinance scheme for WASH

programme

In a bid to promote sustainable and healthy lifestyle

in rural areas, National Bank for Agriculture and

Rural Development (NABARD) on announced a

special refinance facility to support the government''s

Water, Sanitisation and Hygiene (WASH)

programme.

An amount of Rs 800 crore has been

earmarked for this purpose for the financial

year 2020-21, NABARD.

NABARD will provide concessional

refinance to all eligible financial institutions,

including commercial banks, regional rural

banks and cooperative banks, with a

repayment period of up to 36 months.

PM Modi pays tributes to freedom fighter

Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to

revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna

Varma on his birth anniversary.

The freedom fighter devoted his life towards

India's freedom and inspired many

nationalists.

Shyamji Krishna Varma was born in 1857

and had set up a revolutionary centre in 'India

House' at London.

He propagated the cause of India's

independence through his writings in a

publication journal called 'The Indian

Sociologist'.

India successfully test-fires new version of

nuclear-capable Shaurya Missile

In a major success amid the ongoing border crisis

with China, India successfully test-fired a new

version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the

coast of Odisha, which can strike targets at around

800 kms.

The missile would be lighter and easier to

operate in comparison with the existing

missile.

In the last phase while moving close to its

target, the missile moves at hypersonic

speeds.

PM Modi inaugurates artificial intelligence

'RAISE 2020' Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the

Summit RAISE 2020 - ‘Responsible AI for Social

Empowerment 2020.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information

Technology and NITI Aayog are organizing

the Mega Virtual Summit on Artificial

Intelligence till 9th of October.

The summit will discuss cross-sector subjects

like ‘Leveraging AI for Pandemic

Preparedness’, the Impetus that Innovation

Places on Digitisation’, Inclusive AI and

Partnerships for Successful Innovation.

The summit will be a global meeting of minds

to exchange ideas and chart a course for using

AI for social transformation, inclusion and

empowerment in areas like Healthcare,

Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility,

among other sectors.

'Corona Intensive Community Survey Campaign'

underway in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, "Corona Intensive Community

Survey Campaign" is going on.

Under this campaign, a door-to-door survey

is being conducted to identify patients with

symptoms of corona infection in rural and

urban areas of the state by October 12.

The objective of this campaign is to identify

Corona patients as soon as possible by

conducting intensive community surveys in

urban and rural areas.

Through this campaign, the state government

is trying to break the chain of corona

infection by isolating corona patients.

J&K LG Manoj Sinha dedicates Ashthal Bridge

to public in Kulgam

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj

Sinha during his visit to Panchayat Halqa Ashthal,

Kulgam in connection with Back to Village-3

programme, dedicated Ashthal Bridge to the public.

The Ashthal Bridge connects village Ashthal

with adjoining areas while benefiting about

10,000 souls residing in 13 habitations.

The Lt Governor also laid the foundation

stone for a Solid Waste Management plant. It

is going to benefit 239 households.

To maintain the high sanitation standards, at

least two dustbins in every panchayat are to

be installed for solid and liquid waste

management.

Assam CM launches ‘Kritagyata’ for online

pension submission and tracking

The Chief Minister of Assam has launched a portal

“Kritagyata”, an online pension submission and

tracking system.

It has been launched to lend convenience to

the pensioners to dispose off their pension

related claims.

With the help of the portal, the retired

government employees will submit the

pension related papers online and will also

get the opportunity to check the status of his

pension.

The portal has been launched in line with the

“Bhabhisya” portal of Government of India.

Sofia Vergara tops Forbes’ highest-paid actress of

2020

According to Forbes’ latest list, Sofia Vergara is the

highest-paid female actor in the world.

She made $43 million in a one-year period,

which is the equivalent of Rs 315 crore.

According to Forbes, most of Vergara’s

earnings came from Modern Family and

America’s Got Talent, which she padded up

with endorsement deals.

Last year’s number one, Scarlett Johansson,

had made $56 million.

Dwayne Johnson topped the male list, with

$87.5 million. Akshay Kumar was the only

Indian actor on either list.

12th BRICS Summit to be held virtually on

November 17

The 12th BRICS Summit will be held on 17th

November 2020 via video conference.

The theme of the Meeting of the Leaders of

BRICS countries which includes Brazil,

Russia, India, China and South Africa is

“BRICS Partnership for Global Stability,

Shared Security and Innovative Growth”.

The Summit this year is being held under the

Chairmanship of Russia and aims at a

multifaceted cooperation between the

member countries.

The five member countries have continued

close strategic partnership on all the three

major pillars of peace and security, economy

and finance, cultural and people-to-people

exchanges.

Centre to urgently release Rs. 20,000 crore as

compensation to States for revenue losses

The Centre will urgently disburse nearly 20 thousand

crore rupees among the states from the amount

collected as compensation cess this year.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made

the announcement after the 42nd GST

Council meet.

The Centre will also disburse Rs. 25 thousand

crore towards Integrated GST for 2017-18 to

those states that received less amount due to

the anomalies.

Also, the revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan

Pandey informed that starting from 1st

January next year, taxpayers with less than

Rs. 5 crore annual turnover will not be

required to file monthly GSTR-1 and GSTR-

3B returns.

India successfully tests Supersonic Missile

Assisted Release of Torpedo

Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo,

SMART was successfully flight tested from Wheeler

Island off the coast of Odisha.

All the mission objectives including missile

flight upto the range and altitude, separation

of the nose cone, release of Torpedo and

deployment of Velocity Reduction

Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly.

SMART is a missile assisted release of

lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System

for Anti-Submarine Warfare or ASW

operations far beyond Torpedo range.

A number of DRDO laboratories including

DRDL, RCI Hyderabad, ADRDE Agra,

NSTL Visakhapatnam have developed the

technologies required for SMART.

India, Myanmar agree to operationalise Sittwe

port in first quarter of 2021

India and Myanmar have agreed to work towards the

operationalisation of the Sittwe port in the Rakhine

state in the first quarter of 2021.

The announcement came after the conclusion

of the two day long visit of Chief of Army

Staff (COAS) General M M Naravane and

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to

Myanmar on 4-5 October.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen their

partnership in connectivity projects, capacity

building, power and energy.

India announced a grant of USD 2 million for

the construction of the border haat bridge at

Byanyu/Sarsichauk in Chin State that will

provide increased economic connectivity

between Mizoram and Myanmar.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launches ‘Yudh

Pradushan ke Virudh’ campaign against air

pollution ahead of winter

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a

mega anti-air pollution campaign, saying polluted air

can be life threatening in view of the COVID-19

pandemic.

Under the campaign "Yudh Pradushan ke

Virudh", separate plans have been prepared

for each of the 13 pollution hotspots in the

city.

An anti-dust campaign is being initiated by

the Delhi government to settle the dust.

As part of the campaign, a technology

developed by Pusa Agriculture Institute

would be used to curb the menace of stubble

burning.

The government will launch a photo-based

app ‘Green Delhi’ for complaints related to

pollution. This App will be launched for

citizens before the end of this month.

Puducherry airport becomes AAI’s first 100%

solar-powered airport

The Puducherry airport has become the first airport

of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) which is

entirely solar-powered.

The 500KWp ground-mounted solar power

plant was commissioned on 2nd October

2020.

The approx cost of the plant is Rs 2.8 crore.

With becoming absolutely power-neutral, the

Puducherry airport will be able to meet its

entire power requirement through the solar

power plant.

MoHUA enters into MoU with Swiggy to take

street food vendors online under PM SVANIDHI

scheme

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has

entered into an MoU with Swiggy, one of the leading

food delivery platforms, to onboard street food

vendors on its e-commerce platform.

The MoU aims at giving the street food

vendors online access to thousands of

consumers and help them grow their

businesses.

The arrangement has been facilitated under

the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s

AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.

The Ministry and Swiggy will run a pilot

programme by on-boarding 250 vendors

across five cities namely - Ahmedabad,

Chennai, Delhi, Indore, and Varanasi.

The street vendors will be helped with PAN

and FSSAI registration, training on

technology, menu digitization and pricing

along with hygiene and packaging best

practices.

ISLRTC, NCERT sign MoU to convert

educational materials into Indian Sign Language

A historic Memorandum of Understanding was

signed between Indian Sign Language Research and

Training Center and NCERT to make education

materials accessible for Deaf children in their

preferred format of communication, Indian Sign

Language.

The signing of this MoU is a historic step as

availability of NCERT textbooks in Indian

Sign Language will ensure that Hearing

Impaired children can also now access

educational resources in Indian Sign

Language.

It will be a useful and much needed resource

for Hearing Impaired students, teachers,

teacher educators and parents.

The Minister said that this MoU is a step

towards achieving the common goal of

fulfilling needs of Rights of Persons with

Disabilities Act, 2016 and New Education

Policy, 2020.

Gujarat govt announces Digital Seva Setu

Programme for rural areas

Gujarat Government has announced Digital Seva

Setu Programme for the rural areas.

Under this programme, the citizens will be

able to get benefit from various public

welfare services at the Panchayat level.

The Digital Seva Setu has been initiated

under the Bharat Net Project- an initiative to

connect the Village Panchayats through fibre

network.

The villages of Gujarat will be connected

with a 100 MBPS optical fibre network under

the Digital Seva Setu programme.

The Phase-1 of Digital Seva Setu will start

from 8th October, which will cover 2,000

Village Panchayats.

Citizens in rural areas will be able to get the

benefits of this programme by paying a

nominal fee of Rs 20.

Indian Air Force Day: 08 October

Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year by the

Indian Air Force on 8th of October.

This year Indian Air Force celebrated its 88th

anniversary.

Indian Air Force was officially established on

8 October 1932 by the British Empire as the

Royal Indian Air Force.

The name was changed to Indian Air Force in

1950.

Smriti Irani launches first ever Brand & Logo for

Indian Cotton on 2nd World Cotton Day

Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launched the first

ever Brand and Logo for Indian Cotton on Second

World Cotton Day through video conferencing.

Now India’s premium cotton would be

known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world

cotton trade.

The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent

Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity,

Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness.

India is the second largest cotton producer

and the largest consumer of cotton in the

world.

It produces about six million tonnes of cotton

every year which is about 23 per cent of the

world cotton.

Maharashtra becomes first state to cap prices of

masks

In Maharashtra, the committee appointed to control

the price of masks and sanitizers, has submitted a

report to the State Government.

After the approval of the government, it will

be mandatory to sell masks at the revised rate.

The committee appointed to control the price

of masks and sanitizers in Maharashtra, had

studied all aspects of mask manufacturing

companies.

The prices have been fixed after studying all

the factors like raw material, production cost,

profit of producers and distributors.

After the government approval, the N-95

mask will be available for around 19 to 50

rupees depending on the type, whereas

double and triple layer masks will be

available for just three to four rupees.

With this, Maharashtra has become the first

state to cap the prices of masks. The prices of

sanitizers are also being capped as well.

Union Cabinet approves signing of Memorandum

of cooperation in field of cyber-security between

India & Japan

The cabinet gave its approval for signing a

Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of

cyber-security between India and Japan.

The MoC will enhance cooperation in areas

of mutual interest, which includes capacity

building in the area of cyberspace, protection

of critical infrastructure, cooperation in

emerging technologies, sharing information

on cyber security threats and malicious cyber

activities.

The Cabinet also approved the ratification of

seven chemicals listed under Stockholm

Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

(POPs).

The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty

to protect human health and environment

from POPs, which are identified chemical

substances that persist in the environment,

bio-accumulate in living organisms,

adversely affect human health and have the

property of long-range environmental

transport.

C-DAC to commission India’s fastest

Supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi – AI’

The Centre for Development of Advanced

Computing (C-DAC) will be commissioning India’s

largest HPC-AI supercomputer ‘PARAM Siddhi –

AI’.

This initiative will place India among the top

countries in global AI supercomputing

research and innovation.

The initiative was headed by Abhishek Das,

Scientist and Program Director (HPC-AI

Infrastructure Development) at C-DAC, who

conceived the idea and designed the

architecture for the largest HPC-AI

infrastructure in India.

This high-performance computing-Artificial

Intelligence (HPC-AI) supercomputer is a

machine with 210 AI Petaflops (6.5 Petaflops

Peak DP).

Government launches API integration between

PM SVANidhi Portal and SBI eMudra Portal

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs will

integrate the application programming interface

(API) between SVANidhi portal and various banks

to expedite loan sanctioning and disbursement

process under Modi government’s PM SVANidhi

scheme for nano entrepreneurs.

To begin with, the ministry launched the API

integration between the PM SVANidhi portal

and SBI’s eMudra portal.

This integration will facilitate seamless flow

of data between the PM SVANidhi Portal and

SBI’s eMudra Portal in a secure environment.

It will expedite the loan sanctioning and

disbursement process, to benefit the street

vendors seeking a working capital loan under

the Scheme.

Ministry would perform similar integration

with other banks as well for which a

consultative meeting will be held shortly.

Yogi Adityanath inaugurates UP's largest oxygen

production plant in Ghaziabad

In the trying times of Covid-19 pandemic during

which the demand for oxygen shot up to

unprecedented levels, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the state’s largest

oxygen production plant in Modinagar, Ghaziabad.

Medical oxygen is extremely important in the

treatment of critically ill Covid-19 patients.

The newly constructed Modinagar plant can

produce 150 tonnes of liquid oxygen per day.

The plant was set up as part of an MoU

(memorandum of understanding) signed

between the Uttar Pradesh government and

the company during the UP Investors’

Summit - 2018 in February 2018.

The plant also can store 1,000 metric tonnes

of oxygen. It will supply oxygen to 200

government and private hospitals in the state.

RBI keeps key interest rates unchanged

The Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly

Monetary Policy statement issued has maintained a

status quo keeping the key interest rates unchanged.

The reverse repo rate remains unchanged at

3.35 per cent, the repo rate at 4%.

The marginal standing facility (MSF) rate

and the Bank Rate have been kept unchanged

at 4.25%.

The Monetary Policy Committee has also

decided to maintain its accommodative

stance as long as necessary at least through

the current financial year and next year as

Indian economy is entering into a decisive

phase in its fight against coronavirus.

In major announcements, RBI Governor

Shaktikanta Das proposed that the RTGS

system for real time fund transfer to become

24X7 from December 2020.

FM launches Indian Bank’s business mentoring

programme for MSMEs

Public sector lender Indian Bank has come out with

‘MSME Prerana’, an online Business Mentoring

Programme for MSMEs.

The bank says it is the first-of-its-kind

initiative by a bank in the country for the

(MSME) sector.

The initiative was formally launched by

Union Minister of Finance & Corporate

Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman.

MSME Prerana is for empowering

entrepreneurs through skill development and

capacity building workshops in the local

language.

Spread over 12 sessions, MSME Prerana

programme aims to enable MSME

entrepreneurs to acquire expertise in handling

finance and managerial skills, capacity to

handle crises in business, understand the

dynamics of credit rating and risk

management.

Railway service suspended on Pampan bridge

Railway service across the historic Pampan bridge,

connecting Pampan Island with Rameswaram on

mainland Tamil Nadu has been suspended till further

notice.

The Madurai railway division has informed

that rail traffic on the two kilometre long

bridge has been suspended for conducting

maintenance work.

The bridge, with a unique bascule section that

can be drawn up to allow passage of ships,

has been in service since 1915.

Following damage to the bascule section,

service on the bridge had been stopped for a

period in 2018 - 19.

In the meantime, work on a new bridge at

Pampan had been inaugurated by Prime Mi

sister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018.

The Pampan bridge is a major tourist

attraction in the area because a whole train is

accommodated on the bridge in the middle of

sea at one point of time during the crossing.

Thaawarchand Gehlot Virtually Inaugurates

International Conference on “Mental Health:

Looking Beyond COVID 19”

Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment

Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated the virtual

“International conference on Mental Health:

Looking Beyond COVID 19” through video

conferencing.

Prof. Craig Jeffrey, Director, Australia-India

Institute co-chaired the conference.

Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot drew the attention

of rising trend of mental health concerns

across the globe.

He also apprised about the recent initiatives

of the Govt of India such as setting up of

National Institute of Mental Health

Rehabilitation at Sehore, Madhya Pradesh &

KIRAN mental health rehabilitation helpline

for addressing mental health issues.

The Conference was organized by

Department of Empowerment of Persons

with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social

Justice & Empowerment in association with

University of Melbourne, Australia as a part

of joint initiative under the Memorandum of

Understanding signed between the

Government of Australia and Government of

India for cooperation in the disability sector

in November, 2018.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'

virtually inaugurates Gyan Circle Ventures

Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal

inaugurated the Gyan Circle Ventures.

It is a MeitY funded Technology Business

Incubator (TBI) developed by the Indian

Institute of Information Technology (IIIT),

Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

It functions as a Technology Incubation and

Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0)

incubation center.

These, ‘Gyan Circle ventures’ have the

potential to infuse entrepreneurship in young

minds.

It would also encourage them to become

successful innovators.

Amazon India ties up with IRCTC to start online

train ticket bookings

Amazon India has partnered with ‘Indian Railway

Catering and Tourism Corporation’ (IRCTC), to

provide its customers with the facility to book

reserved train tickets on Amazon.

With this new offering, users will be able to

check seat and quota availability across all

train classes on the Amazon app.

They can pre-load money into their Amazon

Pay Balance wallet to make this experience

even smoother and pay in a single click.

Amazon.in is offering the customers a variety

of self-serve options such as live checking of

PNR status (for tickets booked on Amazon

only), downloads and cancellations of tickets

booked on Amazon.

Users paying with Amazon Pay Balance also

get an instant refund in case of cancellations

or booking failures.

National Postal Week: 9-15 October

The Department of Posts is celebrating National

Postal Week from 9-15 October 2020, to mark the

occasion of the World Postal Day.

World Post Day is observed every year on

October 9.

Every year, the National Postal week is

organised to generate awareness of the role

and activities of the postal services among the

public and media on a national scale.

The online campaign will be organised to

create awareness about new offerings and

availability of citizen-centric services in Post

Offices.

National Postal Day : 10 October

In India, the National Postal Day is celebrated

annually on 10 October, as an extension of World

Post Day, which is celebrated on 9 October.

The Day aims to commemorate the role

played by the Indian postal department for

the past 150 years, which was founded in

1854 by Lord Dalhousie.

The postal services in India have given the

best performance despite the diversity in

culture, tradition and difficult geographical

terrains.

Two-day coastal security exercise Sagar Kavach

concludes

A two-day Coastal Security Exercise- 'Sagar

Kavach'- to assess the preparedness of all agencies

towards dealing with an asymmetric threat

emanating from the sea, concluded.

The exercise conducted along the coastal

areas of Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep

assumes significance in the backdrop of

prevailing security situation in the country.

20 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard

as well as 50 patrol crafts manned by various

security agencies,took part in the exercise.

Sagar Kavach is a half-yearly exercise with

an objective to check the Coastal Security

mechanism and validate Standard Operating

Procedures.

Goa becomes India’s first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State by

providing tap water connection to every rural

household

As per the data provided by the Ministry of Jal

Shakti, Goa has become the first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ State

in the country by providing tap water connection to

every rural household.

The state provided tap water connection to 2

lakh 30 thousand rural households in all the

191 Gram Panchayats of the state.

North Goa with 1,65,000 rural households

and South Goa with 98,000 rural households

are fully saturated with assured piped water

supply through tap connections.

Uttarakhand CM launches 'Mukhya Mantri Saur

Swarojgar Yojana'

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat

launched the Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana

for self-employment by solar energy farming at the

Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali auditorium in

Dehradun.

The aim of the scheme is to promote the

production of green energy and to provide

self-employment opportunities to the youth

of the State and returning migrants.

Each beneficiary of this scheme will be

allocated solar plants of 25 kilowatts and

10,000 people will get self-employment

under this scheme.

All the benefits available under the scheme

will also be acceptable to the developers of

this scheme.

Andhra Pradesh CM launches ‘Jagananna Vidya

Kanuka’ scheme to distribute school kits

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan

Reddy has launched a new scheme named the

‘Jagananna Vidya Kanuka’ scheme to distribute

school kits among the poor children of the state.

The state shall spend around Rs 650 crore

towards the scheme.

Under this scheme, the government school

students from classes 1 to 10 across the state

will set the school kits or Vidya Kanuka,

which will contain three pairs of uniform, one

pair of shoes, two pairs of socks, a belt, one

set of textbooks and notebooks and one

school bag.

Mukesh Ambani Tops the Forbes India Rich List

for 13th Consecutive Year

The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman

Mukesh Ambani, has topped the Forbes India Rich

list for 2020.

He has retained his position as the wealthiest

Indian for the 13th consecutive year on

Forbes India list.

The tycoon added $37.3 billion to his net

worth, to bring his total fortune to $88.7

billion, a rise of 73% over previous year.

The second spot has been retained by Adani

Group Chairman Gautam Adani, with a net

worth of $25.2 billion.

Tech tycoon Shiv Nadar acquired the third

spot with a net worth of $20.4 billion.

Centre permits export of Bangalore Rose Onions

& Krishnapuram Onions

Union Government has permitted export of

Bangalore Rose Onions and Krishnapuram Onions

of up to ten thousand metric tonnes each.

It has been allowed for the period upto 31st

of March next year.

The decision is aimed at empowering farmers

and increasing their income.

Bangalore rose onion, locally called gulabi

eerulli, is a variety of onion grown in and

around Bangalore in Karnataka.

Rose onions are not cultivated in any other

place in India.

They are also known to contain higher levels

of protein, phosphorus, iron and carotene.

It got the Geographical Indication tag in

2015.

PM Modi releases Rs 100 commemorative coin in

honour of Vijaya Raje Scindia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a

commemorative 100 rupee coin in the honour of

Vijaya Raje Scindia.

One of the founder members of BJP, Vijaya

Raje Scindia is also popularly known as the

Rajmata of Gwalior.

Vijaya Raje Scindia was married to the last

ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, Jivajirao

Scindia.

In later life, she became a politician of

considerable influence and was elected

repeatedly to both houses of the Indian

parliament.

She was also an active member, for many

decades, of the Jana Sangh and co-founder of

Bharatiya Janata Party.

Indian Navy Ships Sahyadri and Kora adjudged

as Best Ships in FAF 2020

Fleet Award Function(FAF), 2020 was organised to

mark the successful culmination of the Operational

Cycle of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy at

Visakhapatnam.

During the event, the Fleet Operations

Officer presented the Annual Report of

activities and achievements of the Fleet for

01 Apr 19 to 31 Mar 20.

The event was also a worthy

acknowledgement of the ships which under

the Operation ‘Samudra Setu’ successfully

rescued Indian Diaspora from various nations

at an unprecedented scale, view COVID-19

pandemic.

Sixteen trophies were awarded in recognition

of excellence in various operational verticals.

The most coveted trophies of Best Ship were

awarded to INS Sahyadri amongst Capital

ships and INS Kora amongst Corvettes and

similar classes of ships.

Rajnath Singh inaugurates 44 bridges built by

BRO, lays foundation stone of Nechiphu tunnel in

Arunachal Pradesh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 44

bridges built by Border Road Organisation (BRO),

and laid the foundation stone of Nechiphu tunnel in

Arunachal Pradesh.

The 44 bridges which are located in seven

states and union territories will usher in a new

era of connectivity and development

especially in the far flung areas of the

country.

These bridges will prove immensely

beneficial in terms of military and civil

transport in the western, northern and north-

eastern areas of the country.

The defence minister also symbolically laid

the foundation stone of the Nechiphu tunnel

in Arunachal Pradesh at the virtual event.

The nearly 290-km-long road will be crucial

for the movement of troops and heavy

weaponry into the frontier bases of the

Ladakh region and will provide a crucial link

to the Kargil region.

All eight beaches recommended by Govt gets

coveted International Blueflag Certification

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that

all eight beaches recommended by the Government

have got the coveted International Blueflag

Certification.

It is an outstanding feat, as no Blueflag nation

has ever been awarded for 8 beaches in a

single attempt.

The beaches which got International Blueflag

Certification are Shivrajpur beach in Dwarka

Gujarat, Ghoghla beach in Diu, Kasarkod and

Padubidri in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala,

Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden

Beach in Odisha and Radhanagar beach in

Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series

of stringent environmental, educational,

safety and accessibility criteria is met and

maintained.

A world-renowned award trusted by millions

around the globe, the Blue Flag programme

is operated under the auspices of the

Foundation for Environmental Education,

FEE and is headquartered in Copenhagen,

Denmark.

Kerala becomes first state to have completely

digital, hi-tech classrooms in all public schools

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has declared the

state public education sector completely digital as

Kerala has become the first state in the country to

have high-tech classrooms in all its public schools.

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for

Education (KITE) has implemented the

project which comes under the general

education department.

Over 3.74 lakh digital equipments were

distributed in 16,027 schools for the smart

classroom project.

Apart from KIIFB fund, the asset

development funds of public representatives

and local government funds were also

utilized for the project.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces fiscally

prudent proposals to tune of Rs 73,000 cr to boost

demand

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced

major schemes to boost demands in the country by

nearly 73 thousand crore rupees.

Ms. Sitharaman informed that the new

proposals aim at giving a thrust of around 36

thousand crore rupees to the consumer

demands by the Leave Travel Concession

LTC Voucher and Festival advance scheme.

Additionally, 37 thousand crore rupees will

be infused in the capital expenditure by the

Centre and the State Governments.

Reserve Bank of India reallocates portfolios of

deputy governors

Reserve Bank of India has reallocated portfolios of

deputy governors, with the department of regulation

entrusted to the newly-appointed M Rajeshwar Rao.

Mr Rao was executive director of the Reserve

Bank before being elevated to the post of

deputy governor.

Mr Rao will look after the departments of

communication, enforcement legalities

among others.

Deputy Governor MD Patra will continue to

look after the monetary policy department.

Deputy Governor MK Jain will look after the

central security cell, corporate strategy and

budget department, consumer education and

protection department, department of

supervision, and human resource

management department, among others.

Deputy Governor BP Kanungo will oversee

coordination, currency management, external

investments and operations, department of

government and banks accounts, IT, payment

and settlement systems, foreign exchange

department, internal debt management

department, Right of Information (RIA)

Division, and secretary's department.

National Philately Day: 13 October

The National Philately Day was celebrated on 13

October throughout the country.

The Philately is the study of postage stamps

and postal history.

The day also marks the collection,

appreciation and research activities on

stamps and other philatelic products.

My Stamp is the brand name for personalized

sheets of Postage Stamps of India Post.

Postage stamp is a small adhesive piece of

paper of specified value issued by a national

post Office to be affixed to a letter or parcel

to indicate the amount of postage paid.

E-Sanjeevani rapidly gaining popularity amongst

patients & doctors

Health Ministry’s telemedicine initiative - E-

Sanjeevani is rapidly gaining popularity amongst

patients and doctors.

It has recorded five lakh teleconsultations in

a short span of time and the last one lakh

consultations were completed in a record

time of 17 days.

As a digital modality of health care services

delivery, e-Sanjeevani is gradually shaping

into a parallel stream for the Indian

healthcare delivery system with the number

of teleconsultations per day on the platform

touching 8,000 mark in the last few days.

At present, 26 states are using e-Sanjeevani’s

two variants of telemedicine namely - doctor

to doctor (e-SanjeevaniAB-HWC) and

patient to doctor (e-SanjeevaniOPD).

PM Modi to release commemorative Rs 75 coin to

mark 75th Anniversary of FAO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a

commemorative coin of 75 rupees denomination to

mark the 75th Anniversary of Food and Agriculture

Organization, FAO on 16 October 2020.

The journey of FAO in making the vulnerable

classes and masses stronger, economically

and nutritionally, has been unparalleled.

The Prime Minister will also dedicate 17

recently developed biofortified varieties of

eight crops to the nation.

These varieties, along with other food

ingredients, will transform the normal Indian

thali into nutri-thali.

FAO Headquarters: Rome, Italy

Head: Qu Dongyu

Founded: 16 October 1945

Govt agrees to extend subsidy of 50 % on

transportation of notified fruits & vegetables

through Kisan Rail trains

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has

agreed to extend a subsidy of 50 per cent on

transportation of notified fruits and vegetables

through Kisan Rail trains, under 'Operation Greens -

TOP to Total.'

The Ministry will initially provide ten crore

rupees to operate the scheme, which will be

deposited with South Central Railway.

Operation Green is being implemented as

part of Atmanirbhar Abhiyan under the ageis

of Union Ministry of Food Processing.

The first Kisan Rail train service on the

Indian Railways network was launched on 7

August 2020. The train runs between Devlali

in Maharashtra and Danapur in the state of

Bihar.

MP Police begins initiative to connect Banchhara,

Kanjar communities with mainstream society

In Madhya Pradesh, the police have started an

initiative to connect Banchhara and Kanjar

community with the mainstream of the society.

These communities are known for their

criminal activities.

This is the first of its kind of attempt in

Madhya Pradesh.

The youth of these communities are getting

free training and employment in private

companies.

Efforts are also being made to provide them

opportunities in police recruitment.

These efforts have started showing positive

results and so far around 100 youth of

Banchhda and Kanjar community have got

jobs in various companies in the first phase.

India gets re-elected as President of International

Solar Alliance

India has been re-elected as the President of the

International Solar Alliance (ISA) and France as the

Co- President for a term of two years.

This was decided during the virtual meeting

of the third assembly of the International

Solar Alliance attended by 34 ISA members.

Four new Vice-Presidents were also chosen

to represent the four regions of ISA.

Headquarters: Gurugram

Founded: 30 November 2015

Exim Bank extends $400 mn soft loan to Maldives

for connectivity project

India has extended a USD 400 million (about Rs

2,932 crore) soft loan to Maldives through the Exim

Bank to finance a connectivity project in the nation

of islands.

With the signing of the above agreement,

Exim Bank has till date extended three LoCs

worth a cumulative USD 1.2 billion to

Maldives, on behalf of India.

Exim Bank said the soft loans to Maldives

have funded connectivity, water, sewerage

projects, Addu Development Project, an

international cricket stadium, Gulhifalhu

port, Hanimaadhoo airport and road

construction work.

India contributes 1 million dollars to UNRWA for

Palestine Refugees

India has contributed one million dollars to the

United Nations Relief and Works Agency

(UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

This aid will support the Agency's

programmes and services, including

education, health care, relief and social

services.

India's support for the Palestinian cause is an

integral part of the nation's foreign policy.

The United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near

East is a UN agency that supports the relief

and human development of Palestinian

refugees.

Headquarters location: Amman, Jordan.

Government sets up a panel of secretaries to

streamline telecom spectrum allocation

The government has constituted a panel of

secretaries under cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba to

streamline the spectrum allocation process.

It will also examine the possibility of drawing

up an annual calendar for auction of airwaves

that will give telcos a clear road map of the

quantum as well as the frequency of spectrum

on offer for commercial use.

Besides Gauba, the panel comprises the

secretaries of home, defence, railways,

telecom, I&B and department of space.

PM Modi pays tribute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on

his birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Dr.

APJ Abdul Kalam on the occasion of his Birth

Anniversary.

A.P.J Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October

1931 at Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram, Tamil

Nadu.

In 2002, he was elected as 11th President of

India and before becoming president he was

working with the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research

and Development Organisation (DRDO) as

an aerospace engineer.

Kalam, who died in 2015, also earned the

sobriquet ‘Missile Man of India’ for his role

in the development of India’s missile

programmes.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches ‘Drink

from Tap Mission Sujal’

The Odisha Government launched ‘Sujal - Drink

from Tap Mission’.

The aim of the mission is to provide quality

drinking water, fit for direct consumption

from the pipe, to over 15 lakh people in 15

towns.

Rs 1300 crore will be spent by the

Government to provide the drink directly

from tap quality water to all households in

urban areas.

The initiative was started at Salia Sahi in

Bhubaneswar and Masani Chandi in Puri.

CCEA approves demerger of Nagarnar Steel

Plant from NMDC Limited

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has

given its in-principle approval to the demerger of

Nagarnar Steel Plant (NSP) from National Minerals

Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited.

It has also approved the strategic

disinvestment of the demerged company

(NSP) by selling the entire Government of

India stake in it to a strategic buyer.

NSP is a three million tonne per annum

Integrated Steel Plant being set up by NMDC

at Nagarnar in Bastar District of Chhattisgarh

in an area of 1980 acres at revised estimated

cost of Rs. 23,140 crore.

As on date NMDC has invested Rs. 17,186

crore in the project.

Union Health Minister launches 2nd phase of

“Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna”

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh

Vardhan virtually launched the second phase of

“Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for the

underprivileged Thalassemic patients.

Beneficiaries of the scheme had expressed

their gratitude for this valuable support in

midst of the gloom in their lives.

Thalassaemia is a blood disorder in which

your body has less hemoglobin than normal.

This disorder is passed down through

families.

Patients with thalassaemia suffer from

anemia due to low levels of hemoglobin.

Union Cabinet approves World Bank supported

STARS project

The Union Cabinet has approved World Bank

supported Strengthening Teaching-Learning and

Results for States -STARS project.

The Project seeks to support States in

developing, implementing, evaluating and

improving interventions with direct linkages

to improved education outcomes.

The total project cost is Rs. 5,718 crore with

the financial support of the World Bank

amounting to 500 million US dollar.

STARS project would be implemented as a

new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the

Department of School Education and

Literacy.

It will cover six States namely Himachal

Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya

Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha.

Statue of Unity to be reopened for visitors from

Oct 17

In Gujarat, the world's tallest statue - the Statue of

Unity will be reopened for visitors from 17th

October.

The site will be reopened for the tourists from

the first day of the nine-night Navratri

festival.

The world famous tourist site will be

reopened for the first time after it was shut

down due to Coronavirus pandemic.

It is the world's tallest statue with a height of

182 metres (597 feet).

It is located on the Narmada River, facing the

Sardar Sarovar Dam.

It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V.

Sutar, and was inaugurated by Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018.

Nitin Gadkari to initiate simultaneous blasting

for Zojila Tunnel in J&K, Ladakh

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin

Gadkari initiated simultaneous blasting for Zojila

Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The tunnel will provide all-weather

connectivity between Srinagar valley and

Leh on NH-1.

It involves construction of a 14.15-kilometre

long tunnel at an altitude of about three

thousand metres under Zojila pass on NH-1

connecting Srinagar and Leh through Dras

and Kargil.

At a height of 3000 meters in the Peerpanjal

mountain range, construction of Zojila

tunnel is a historic necessity to provide an all

weather road connectivity between Ladakh

and the rest of the world.

Minister Nitin Gadkari also sets a target for

the National Highway Infrastructure

Development Corporation Limited

(NHIDCL) and the contractor to complete the

construction before 2024.

Anti-pollution measures under GRAP to come

into force in Delhi-NCR region

Anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response

Action Plan (GRAP) came into force in the Delhi-

NCR region.

Delhi Government has banned use of

electricity generators, except those needed

for essential or emergency services, in the

national capital.

GRAP includes the measures which will be

taken by different government agencies to

prevent worsening of Air Quality of Delhi-

NCR and prevent PM10 and PM2.5 levels to

go beyond the ‘moderate’ national Air

Quality Index (AQI) category.

The plan requires action and coordination

among 13 different agencies in Delhi, Uttar

Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan (NCR

areas).

India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working

Group on GLP

India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good

Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD), recognising the contribution

of the Indian GLP programme.

Good Laboratory Practice is a quality system,

which has been evolved by OECD to ensure

that safety data generated on various

chemicals like industrial chemicals,

pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products and

medical devices can be relied upon by

regulatory authorities.

The Department of Science and Technology

had established the National GLP

Compliance Monitoring Authority

(NGCMA) with the approval of the Union

Cabinet on April, 2002.

The OECD is an intergovernmental

economic organisation with 37 member

countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate

economic progress and world trade.

Headquarters: Paris, France

Govt bans imports of air conditioners with

refrigerants

The government banned the import of air

conditioners in its latest bid to boost domestic

production by checking the entry of “non-essential”

goods into the country.

They join the list of products such as tyres,

TVs sets and agarbattis where import

restrictions have been imposed.

ACs have been identified as potential items

for focus on domestic manufacturing as

components are imported in large quantities.

PM greets National Security Guard on its raising

day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted National

Security Guard (NSG) personnel and their families

on the Raising Day of NSG.

The NSG is a counter-terrorism unit that

formally came into existence in 1986 by an

act of Parliament- ‘National Security Guard

Act, 1986’.

It operates under the Ministry of Home

Affairs and is a task-oriented force that has

two complementary elements in the form of:

Special Action Group (SAG) comprising of

the Army personnel- is the main offensive or

the strike wing of the NSG, and

Special Ranger Groups (SRG) comprising

personnel drawn from the Central Armed

Police Forces/State Police Forces. They

generally handle VIP securities.

Director General of NSG: Surjeet Singh

Deswal

Delhi CM launches campaign ‘Red light on,

Gaadi off’ to tackle air pollution

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a

campaign Red light on, Gaadi off to tackle air

pollution in the national capital.

Kejriwal said that there are one crore vehicles

registered in the city. He urged people to

switch off their vehicles, while waiting on a

traffic signal.

On average a car spends about 15 to 20

minutes at a red light every day and consumes

about 200 ml of oil.

If a person starts switching off his vehicle at

a red light, he can save seven thousand rupees

in a year.

J&K Govt inks MoU with Flipkart to provide

platform for local artisans, craftsmen, weavers to

reach customers worldwide

The JK Government signed an historic

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with online

store Flipkart to provide a platform for local artisans,

craftsmen, weavers to reach customers across the

globe.

The partnership with the e-commerce

marketplace like Flipkart will enable the

local artisans, craftsmen and weavers to reach

global markets and also provide an

appropriate opportunity for the momentous

growth and development of the respective

sectors.

This e-marketing channel shall involve and

benefit artisans and weavers both in

organized and unorganized sector and for the

first six months, Flipkart will not charge any

fee from the artisans and weavers.

Gujarat govt announces setting up of world’s

biggest Zinc Smelter project in Dosawada in Tapi

district

Gujarat government has announced the setting up of

the world’s biggest Zinc Smelter project in

Dosawada in Tapi district.

The proposed 300 KTPA production capacity

project would provide big employment

opportunities to the local youths in this tribal

area.

The project with the investment of Rs.10

thousand crore will also have a State-of-the-

art Research and Development Centre.

The project will satisfy the domestic as well

as global needs through exports.

J&K LG announces ‘My Town My Pride’

programme

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj

Sinha has announced that the government is coming

up with a movement called ”My Town My Pride”.

It aims to provide governance at the doorstep

in urban areas on the pattern of the

‘Back2Village (B2V)’ programme.

The program has three main objectives —

public outreach in towns, strengthening

grassroots democracy and service delivery at

doorsteps.

The programme will also ensure on-the-spot

grievance redressal, instant delivery of

services to the masses, and on the ground

speedy execution of people-centric projects.

UP Government launches Mission Shakti for

security of women in the state

The Uttar Pradesh government launched ‘Mission

Shakti’ programme for the security of women in the

state.

Mission Shakti has been started with the

hopes of guaranteeing respect and safety to

every woman of UP.

The chief minister also stated that over 1,500

police stations all over the state would now

have a separate room for women’s

complaints.

In these dedicated rooms, the complainants

would be attended by a female constable and

the complaints would be acted upon with

urgency.

Supersonic Cruise Missile, BrahMos successfully

test fired from Indian Navy’s indigenously-built

stealth destroyer INS Chennai

BRAHMOS, the supersonic cruise missile was

successfully test fired from Indian Navy’s

indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS Chennai,

hitting a target in the Arabian Sea.

The missile hit the target successfully with

pin-point accuracy after performing high-

level and extremely complex manoeuvres.

BRAHMOS as a prime strike weapon will

ensure the warship’s invincibility by

engaging naval surface targets at long ranges,

thus making the destroyer another lethal

platform of Indian Navy.

The highly versatile BRAHMOS has been

jointly designed, developed and produced by

India and Russia.

First-ever SCO Startup Forum to be launched on

27th October

The first-ever SCO Startup Forum will be launched

on 27th October 2020 ahead of the SCO trade

ministers meeting on 28th October.

The forum will lay the foundation for

multilateral cooperation and engagement

among the SCO Member States to develop

and hone their startup ecosystems,

collectively.

India is currently the third-largest startup

ecosystem in the world with over 35,000

startups, close to 25% of which are core

technology startups operating in areas of AI,

Robotics, Cloud Computing, IoT, Digital

Health, Financial & Education Technology.

The ‘Startup India’ has launched 10 bilateral

bridges since its inception and has helped

many technology-based startups to expand

their businesses to global markets.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member

States (China, India, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and

Uzbekistan)

FM Nirmala Sitharaman participates in 102nd

meeting of World Bank Development Committee

Plenary

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated in

102nd meeting of the World Bank Development

Committee Plenary through video conference.

In her intervention at this session, Mrs.

Sitharaman said that COVID -19 Pandemic

continues to impact the developing and

developed countries till date and the hard

fought gains in reducing the level of poverty,

achieved over a number of years, are at risk

of being lost.

She also mentioned that the Government has

committed 2.03 Billion dollar for

strengthening health infrastructure in the

wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian and Sri Lankan navies to begin their

annual exercise SLINEX

The 8th annual joint exercise between Indian and Sri

Lankan navies - SLINEX-20 - will begin at

Trincomalee coast.

The 3-day exercise will continue till 21st of

October.

SLINEX-20 aims to enhance interoperability,

improve mutual understanding and exchange

best practices and procedures for multi-

faceted maritime operations between both

navies.

SLINEX series of exercise exemplifies the

deep engagement between India and Sri

Lanka which has strengthened mutual

cooperation in the maritime domain.

Bangladesh invites PM Modi to join celebrations

of 50 years of country’s independence

Bangladesh has invited Prime Minister Narendra

Modi to join the celebrations of the 50 years of the

country’s independence on March 26 next year.

A virtual meeting between the Prime

Ministers of India and Bangladesh is also

likely to take place later this year.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was scheduled

to visit Bangladesh to join in the birth

centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But the visit was

cancelled due to the Corona pandemic.

India, Chile hold first joint commission meeting

India and Chile held their first joint commission

meeting and agreed to add new momentum to their

relations in a wide range of fields including trade and

commerce, agriculture, health and social security,

defence and space.

The meeting held virtually was co-chaired by

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and

his Chilean counterpart Andres Allamand

Zavala.

India welcomed Chile's decision to designate

India as a priority country in its foreign

policy. Chile will also be opening its

Consulate General in Mumbai.

Capital: Santiago

Currency: Chilean peso

Govt extends concessional rate on cargo

movement between India, Chabahar Port in Iran

Government has extended the current concessional

rate of 40 per cent discount on cargo movement

between India and Chabahar Port in Iran for a period

of one year.

The discount will apply for the coastal

movement of cargo and vessel related

charges, being handled at Jawaharlal Nehru

Port and Deendayal Port to Shahid Beheshti

Port, Chabahar.

The levy of concessional vessel related

charges is to be applied proportionately,

subject to vessel loading at least five

thousand tonnes cargo to Shahid Beheshti

Port.

The aim of the extension of the discount

period is to promote the trade through Shahid

Beheshti Port. It will also give a boost to

coastal movement of cargo.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

launches AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

launched the AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme.

The scheme is a unique way to assist

cooperatives play an important role in

creation of healthcare infrastructure in the

country.

AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme has been

formulated by the National Cooperative

Development Corporation (NCDC).

NCDC would extend term loans to

prospective cooperatives to the tune of 10

thousand crore in the coming years.

NCDC’s Ayushman Sahakar scheme aims at

bringing transformation in the health services

primarily in the rural areas.

The scheme also provides working capital

and margin money to meet operational

requirements of the health facilities. It

provides interest subvention of one percent to

women majority cooperatives.

Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stone for country’s

first-ever multi-modal logistic park in Assam

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways

Nitin Gadkari virtually laid the foundation stone for

the first-ever multi-modal logistic park of the country

in Assam.

The 694 crore rupees park at Bongaigaon

district will provide direct connectivity to air,

road, rail and waterways to the people of

Assam.

It will be developed under the Bharatmala

Pariyojana of the Centre.

The fund for the multimodal logistics park

would be spent in 3 components - road and

railway connectivity as well as building and

infrastructure work.

GOI, ADB inks 177 million dollar loan pact to

upgrade 450 kms of state highways & major

district roads in Maharashtra

Asian Development Bank, ADB and Government of

India signed a 177-million dollar loan to upgrade 450

kilometres of state highways and major district roads

in Maharashtra.

The project will improve connectivity

between rural areas and urban centres in the

state enabling rural communities to better

access markets, employment opportunities

and services.

The project will also strengthen road safety

measures by developing a road safety audit

framework that will protect vulnerable

groups such as the elderly, women and

children, following the international best

practice.

NITI Aayog to establish Frontier Technologies

Cloud Innovation Centre with AWS

In order to address societal challenges through digital

innovation, NITI Aayog announced the

establishment of a Frontier Technologies Cloud

Innovation Centre, CIC with Amazon Web Services,

AWS.

It is the first of its kind in India.

This CIC is part of the AWS CIC Global

Programme which provides an opportunity

for government agencies, non-profits and

educational institutions, to come together on

pressing challenges, apply design thinking,

test new ideas, and access the technology

expertise of AWS.

Police Commemoration Day: 21 October

The Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st

October every year to honor the loyalty and supreme

sacrifice of police personnel for the nation.

It was on this day in 1959 when CRPF led a

saga of valour and sacrifice in the

inaccessible, inhospitable terrain of Hot

Springs in Ladakh.

A patrol party of twenty personnel of CRPF

and Intelligence Bureau had gone to search

for a missing reconnaissance party when it

was ambushed by the Chinese Army.

In spite of the sudden attack and

disadvantageous tactical position, they

fought valiantly against the Chinese army

personnel who were in large numbers and

heavily armed.

In this battle, ten CRPF men were martyred

in defense of the country.

Maharashtra becomes first state in country to cap

prices of masks

Maharashtra has become the first state in the country

to cap the prices of masks.

N95 masks will now be available at Rs 19 to

Rs 49, while two-layer and three-layer masks

will be available for Rs 3 to 4.

This maximum selling price limit will be

applicable to all mask manufacturing

companies / distributors / retailers in the

state.

All mask manufacturers / distributors /

retailers in the state will be required to

display the quality of the mask and its fixed

maximum selling price.

People celebrate Kati Bihu festival in Assam

People celebrated Kati Bihu festival in Assam’s

Bongaigaon area.

The Kati Bihu is also closely related to

agriculture.

Kati Bihu is celebrated on the first day of

'Kati' month in the Assamese calendar.

On the occasion of Kati Bihu, women, both

in urban and rural areas, try to ward off evil

and pray for a rich harvest by lighting earthen

lamps.

This is a much sombre festival when

compared to the other two Bihu festivals of

the state - the Rongali and Bohagi Bihu.

The festival is held at this time of the year

since the granaries of the farmers usually

remain empty and therefore it is known as

Kongali (poor) Bihu.

Dharmendra Pradhan launches trial run of

Delhi's buses on Hydrogen-Blended CNG

Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and

Steel Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Indian Oil's

compact reformer plant and launched the much-

awaited trial run of Delhi's buses on Hydrogen-

blended CNG (HCNG).

It was launched at the Rajghat Bus Depot-I of

Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

H-CNG blends can be produced directly from

CNG, bypassing the energy-intensive

electrolysis process and high-pressure

blending costs.

It provides a higher yield H-CNG mixture by

up to 4% to 5% compared to CNG's input

quantity.

The cost of H-CNG production by the above

process is about 22% cheaper than

conventional physical blending.

Uttar Pradesh Governor launches Safe City

Project, a women's safety campaign, in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel

inaugurated the 'Safe City Project'.

It is a 180-day-long campaign under which

the police and other departments will work

towards the safety of women.

The Governor flagged off 100 pink scooties

and 10 four-wheeler police vehicles as part of

the campaign.

Lucknow is among eight cities in the country

selected for the 'Safe City Project'.

The central government has approved the

project for Lucknow at a total cost of Rs 194

crore with an aim to strengthen security of

women in public places.

The projects will be financed under Nirbhaya

Fund at a cost of INR 2919.55 Crores.

14 States report reduction in prevalence of

parasitic intestinal worm infection 'Soil-

Transmitted Helminthiases'

The Health Ministry has said that 14 States have

reported reduction in prevalence of parasitic

intestinal worm infection also known as Soil-

Transmitted Helminthiases (STH).

While 9 States have shown substantial

reduction in worm prevalence in the STH

follow up prevalence survey.

These States are Chhattisgarh, Himachal

Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Telangana,

Tripura, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and

Bihar.

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases is a

significant public health concern mostly in

low resource settings.

These are known to have detrimental effects

on children’s physical growth and well being

and can cause anemia and under-nutrition.

Since its launch in 2015, the National

Deworming Day (10 February), a flagship

program of the Ministry of Health is run as a

biannual single day programme implemented

through the platforms of schools and

anganwadis.

India participates in 18th meeting of Prosecutors

General of SCO via video conference

India participated in the 18th meeting of Prosecutors

General of SCO via video conference.

Representing India, Solicitor General Tushar

Mehta said India has zero tolerance to

corruption and black money.

He also highlighted the government's

flagship Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna,

saying it has expanded India’s financial

architecture.

India will host the next meeting of

Prosecutors General in 2021.

The eight member bloc will meet for this

year’s SCO Council of Heads of Govt on 30th

Nov which will be hosted by India.

IIT Kharagpur's 'COVIRAP' gets ICMR

certification

‘COVIRAP,’ the diagnostic technology developed

by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology,

Kharagpur, has been successfully validated for its

efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian

Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

This COVID-19 Diagnostic Test has been

designed to be fairly easy to conduct and

affordable as well and can produce results

within one hour.

This new testing method implements a highly

reliable and accurate molecular diagnostic

procedure that can be conducted in an ultra-

low-cost portable device unit developed by

the IIT, Kharagpur research team.

Indigenously built ASW stealth corvette INS

Kavaratti commissioned into Navy

The last of four indigenously built Anti-Submarine

Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes INS Kavaratti

under Project 28 (Kamorta class) was commissioned

into the Indian Navy by Chief of the Army Staff,

General Manoj Naravane, at Naval Dockyard in

Visakhapatnam.

Kavaratti is indigenously designed by the

Indian Navy's in-house organization,

Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built

by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers

(GRSE), Kolkata.

The ship will be commissioned into the Navy

as a combat-ready platform as the ship has

completed sea trials of all the systems fitted

onboard.

Kavaratti takes her name from erstwhile INS

Kavaratti which was an Arnala class missile

corvette.

India to host third India-US 22 Ministerial

Dialogue on Oct 27

India will be hosting the Third India-US 22

Ministerial Dialogue on 27th of October in New

Delhi.

United States Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T.

Esper will be visiting India to participate in

the dialogue.

From the Indian side, Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister

Dr. S. Jaishankar will lead the delegation.

The first 22 Ministerial Dialogue was held in

New Delhi in September 2018 and followed

by the second in Washington DC in 2019.

The agenda for the third dialogue will cover

all bilateral, regional and global issues of

mutual interest.

RPF launches 'Meri Saheli' initiative in

Amaravathi Express between Vijayawada-Hubli

As per the directives of Railway Board, the staff of

Railway Protection Force in Vijayawada Division

launched 'Meri Saheli' initiative in Train No.07225

Amaravathi Express between Vijayawada-Hubli.

The main motto of this 'Meri Saheli' initiative

is to provide a safe and secure environment

to lady passengers travelling in trains

throughout their journey.

To carry out this novel initiative, an all-

women team headed by one RPF lady Sub-

Inspector and few Constables has been

constituted at Vijayawada Railway Station to

assist the women passengers on train.

The women team inspected the entire

coaches of Amaravathi Express and briefed

the women passengers on precautions to be

taken during the journey and 182 Emergency

helpline in case of any emergency, along with

COVID-19 protocol and guidelines.

This initiative was launched by RPF to

continuously monitor the safety of lady

passengers from the originating station to the

destination.

Prahlad Singh Patel takes part in 77th

Anniversary of formation of Azad Hind

Government at Red Fort

Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel

took part in the commemoration event of 77th

Anniversary of the Formation of Azad Hind

Government at Red Fort in Delhi.

Azad Hind Fauz veterans, 99-year old Naik

Lalti Ram and 101- year old Sepoy

Parmanand Yadav and family Members of

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose were also

present on the occasion.

Azad Hind was an Indian provisional

government established in Japanese occupied

Singapore during World War II.

On 21st October 1943, Subhash Chandra

Bose announced the formation of the

Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free

India) in Singapore, with himself as the Head

of State, Prime Minister and Minister of War.

He gave the famous battle cry ‘Chalo Dilli’.

He promised independence to Indians saying,

‘tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe Azadi

dunga’ (You give me blood, I will give you

freedom).

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launches ‘Mo

Bidyut’ portal

Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has launched

the electricity consumer service portal ”Mo Bidyut”.

The bilingual online electricity integrated

consumer service portal has been developed

by the Energy Department and dedicated to

the public under 5T (Teamwork,

Transparency, Technology, Time leading to

Transformation) initiative of the state

government.

Through this people will now be able to avail

efficient, time-bound, and transparent online

service delivery.

The Mo Bidyut supports the people to obtain

new electricity connections, enables online

bill payment and the grievances related to

electricity services can be addressed through

this portal.

Haryana tops Anemia Mukt Bharat Index in

country

Haryana State has the best Anemia Mukt Bharat

(AMB) Index among 29 states in the country.

The Anemia Mukt Bharat, an initiative of the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and

UNICEF, has been launched to reduce the

prevalence of Anemia all over India.

In a recently released scorecard of the

Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Index by the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,

Haryana was ranked at the top slot with an

AMB Index of 46.7.

DRDO successfully conducts final trial of Nag

anti-tank guided missile in Pokhran range

India successfully carried out the final trial of the

third generation, anti-tank guided missile ‘NAG’,

from the Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan.

The Nag anti-tank guided missile has been

developed by the Defence Research and

Development Organization (DRDO), to

engage highly fortified enemy tanks in day

and night conditions.

The successful final user trial of the missile

makes the Nag anti-tank missile ready for

induction in the Indian Army.

It will be manufactured by defence PSU

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), under the

Integrated Guided Missile Development

Program (IGMDP), of DRDO.

Culture & Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel

launches Life in Miniature project

The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism

Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched ‘Life in

Miniature’ project.

The project is a collaboration between the

National Museum, New Delhi, Ministry of

Culture, and the Google Arts and Culture.

Under the ‘Life in Miniature’ project, various

miniature paintings from the National

Museum can be viewed online on Google

Arts and Culture by people around the world.

It would include miniature art like the

Ramayana, Royal Saga, Pahari style

paintings in never before seen ways and in

extraordinary detail.

Asan Conservation Reserve gets first Ramsar site

tag from Uttarakhand

The Asan Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand has

become the first Ramsar site in the state, giving it the

status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’.

The Reserve is located near Dehradun district

in Garhwal region.

Apart from this, Kabartal Wetland from

Bihar is the another new site to be recognised

by Ramsar.

With this, the total number of Ramsar sites in

India has increased to 39, which is the highest

in South Asia.

Andhra Pradesh CM launches ‘YSR BIMA’

insurance scheme for BPL families

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan

Mohan Reddy launched ‘YSR Bima’, a scheme to

provide financial assistance through insurance cover

to beneficiary in case of death or accident of their

families members.

All families with white ration cards are

eligible for YSR Bima scheme.

Village/ward volunteers will visit the

families and enrol the names of the primary

householders.

The scheme will benefit 1.41 crore BPL

families of the state.

The claim amount will be directly credited

into the beneficiary bank account within 15

days of making the claim.

Tamil Nadu Government Launches Smart Black

Board Scheme in 80,000 Govt schools

The state government of Tamil Nadu has launched

the Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000

government schools of the state.

The initiative aims to ensure better teaching

environment as well as lead towards Digital

India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Under this Smart Black Board scheme, audio

visual teaching material would be possible,

that can even be fed into the computer screens

in classes using widely available pen drives.

ECI constitutes 2-member committee to examine

issues concerning expenditure limits

The Election Commission of India has set up a 2-

member committee to examine the issue of revising

the expenditure limit for candidates for Lok Sabha

and assembly polls.

The committee will comprise of Shri Harish

Kumar, Ex. IRS and DG (Investigation), Shri

Umesh Sinha, Secretary General and DG

(Expenditure).

The need to set up this committee was felt in

view of the increase in number of electors and

rise in Cost Inflation Index.

It will submit its report within 120 days of its

constitution.

V Prez Venkaiah Naidu pays tributes to

Ashfaqulla Khan on his birth anniversary

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid tribute to the

revolutionary freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan on

his birth anniversary.

The young freedom fighter is most widely

known for the Kakori train robbery in 1925

and subsequent arrest with fellow Hindustan

Socialist Republican Association (HSRA)

leader Ram Prasad Bismil.

Ten other revolutionaries, along with Bismil

and Khan, had conducted an armed robbery

in the Kakori Express that was going from

Shahjahanpur to Lucknow.

Bismil and Khan were sentenced to death by

hanging, along with Rajendra Lahiri and

Roshan Singh.

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin gets nod for phase 3

clinical trials

India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate,

COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech in

collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical

Research (ICMR) has received the nod for Phase-3

clinical trials in the country.

The Subject Expert Committee which

functions under the drug regulator Drug

Controller General of India (DCGI) has given

approval for the last phase of clinical trials

with certain conditions.

In the Third Phase of trials, which is proposed

to begin in the first week of next month, the

potential vaccine candidate will be tested on

over 28 thousand people aged 18 years and

above.

These tests will be conducted across 10 states

and 19 sites including Delhi, Mumbai, Patna

and Lucknow among others.

Besides, Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN,

another indigenously developed vaccine

candidate by Zydus Cadila Limited is also in

Phase -2 of human clinical trials.

AYUSH Minister inaugurates Regional Raw

Drug Repository at AIIA

AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated

the Regional Raw Drug Repository at All India

Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi through a virtual

function.

This RRDR is the second in the series of

repositories proposed by the National

Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB).

There is an increased demand for the natural

healing and herbal products across the globe

which has been further pushed by the

ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to document the diversity in the

genetics and chemistry of medicinal plants,

eight RRDR and one NRDR have been

proposed by the Ministry of AYUSH.

Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district bags top

position for implementation of PMGSY

Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district has bagged top

position among 30 districts of the country in

successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram

Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Himachal Pradesh has also secured second

position at the national level for construction

of roads under PMGSY.

Union Ministry of Rural Development has

declared the list of top performing 30 districts

in the country for implementing the PMGSY

programme.

Six more districts of Himachal Pradesh have

also secured position among top 30 best

performing districts, which include Chamba,

Shimla, Kangra, Una, Sirmour, Hamirpur and

Solan.

PMGSY is a programme funded by the Union

government to connect habitations having

population of more than 250 in the state.

October 22: Black day for Jammu and Kashmir

In Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj

Sinha said that October 22 will always remain a

black day.

On October 22, thousands of tribal invaders

from Pakistan crossed into Kashmir

overrunning outposts of Hari Singh’s state

forces in Muzaffarabad, Domel and other

places on the road to Srinagar.

The Kashmir forces were too small in

number. Plus, the Muslim soldiers, who were

in equal numbers with the Dogras in the

force, joined hands with the raiders.

Pakistan maintained it had nothing to do with

this invasion, but Indian military histories say

the invasion was planned two months ahead

by the Pakistan Army, and codenamed

Operation Gulmarg.

UP cops to converse in regional dialects also on

112 helpline number

In a novel initiative of Uttar Pradesh government,

police personnel will also converse in regional

dialects on 112 police Help Line to the convenience

of the rural population of the state.

As part of this scheme, it has been decided to

include Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli and

other local dialects in the system.

The communication officers serving at the

emergency services have been specially

trained for this purpose and they can speak in

many dialects including pahari and Bhojpuri.

India gets Chairmanship of ILO Governing body

after a gap of 35 years

After a gap of 35 years, India assumed the

Chairmanship of Governing Body of International

Labour Organisation (ILO).

Labour Secretary Apurva Chandra has been

elected as the Chairperson of the Governing

Body of the ILO for the period October 2020-

June 2021.

The Governing Body (GB) is the apex

executive body of the ILO, which decides

policies, programmes, agenda, budget, and

elects the Director-General.

At present, the ILO has 187 members.

Chandra will be presiding over the upcoming

Governing Body's meeting, to be held in

November 2020.

NITI Aayog panel for reforms in urban planning

education

A panel constituted by the NITI Aayog will look into

introducing reforms in the urban planning education

system.

The 14-member advisory committee, headed

by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar,

will review the urban planning education

system in India and examine the availability,

demand and supply of qualified urban

planners in the country.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and

secretaries of three ministries—Housing and

Urban Affairs, Higher Education and

Panchayati Raj—are among the members of

the committee.

PM Modi launches 3 key projects, including

‘Kisan Suryoday Yojana’, in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three key

projects in Gujarat through video conferencing.

Modi launched the Kisan Suryodaya Yojana

for providing 16 hours of power supply to

farmers.

He also inaugurated the Paediatric Heart

Hospital attached with U.N Mehta Institute of

Cardiology and Research Centre and a

Mobile Application for tele-cardiology at the

Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the

ropeway at Girnar on the occasion.

World Bank sanctions Rs 3 crore for Goa to

develop India’s first sand dune parks

India’s first sand dune parks and interpretation centre

is set to be developed in Goa.

The Goa state biodiversity board has

proposed the project, which will be

implemented with financial assistance from

the World Bank.

The World Bank has sanctioned around Rs.3

crore under the programme.

Park would also have Bridges made of nature

friendly material to reduce trampling on sand

dune vegetation.

Besides this, nurseries of sand dune

vegetation will also be set up, which will

enable its replantation on beach stretches

where vegetation has gone extinct.

Mastercard partners with Atlantis to expand

Digital First Program in India

Mastercard has entered into a partnership with

Atlantis to expand the Digital First Program in India.

The partnership aims to provide the users of

Mastercard, a technology solution that

enables them to enjoy a best-in-class digital

banking experience.

After the launch in India, the partnership will

expand to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The partnership allows the users of the

Mastercard to have immediate account access

and convenient payments.

Bank of Baroda ties up with Toyota Kirloskar

Motor

State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) announced a tie

up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) to enable

finance options for the automaker's customers and

dealers.

Following the pact, BoB will be one of the

preferred financiers for the entire range of

vehicles sold by TKM.

The new service facilitates customers to avail

customised solutions such as high on-road

funding of 90 per cent, long repayment

period of 84 months, no prepayment or

foreclosure charges.

This relationship will augment the MSME

segment with dealer finance program and

retail segment with auto loan finance and also

provides an opportunity to cross-sell other

bank products to these dealers.

India Posts releases 75th Anniversary of UN

Commemorative Stamp

Department of Posts (DOP), Ministry of

Communications released a commemorative postage

stamp on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations

Organisations.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson,

Anurag Srivastava stated India attaches the

highest priority to the expansion of the UN

Security Council so that it reflects

contemporary realities of the world.

He stated reformed multilateralism will be a

key pillar of the overall approach in the

upcoming innings of India as a non-

permanent member.

It may be noted that the Department of Posts

has previously released similar

commemorative postage stamps on the UN’s

9th, 40th, and 50th Anniversaries in 1954,

1985, and 1995 respectively.

4-day Commanders’ Conference of Indian Army

to begin in New Delhi

A 4-day Commanders’ Conference of Indian Army

will begin in New Delhi.

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane will chair the

apex level biannual event that formulates

important policy decisions through a

collegiate system of deliberation.

It will be attended by all Army Commanders,

Principal Staff Officers of the Army

headquarters and other senior officers.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of

Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of

Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria

are expected to address the conference.

UP govt secures first rank in disbursing loans

under PM Swanidhi Scheme

Uttar Pradesh government has secured the first rank

in central government's one of the most ambitious

schemes - the PM Atmanirbhar Nidhi Scheme

(SVANidhi Scheme).

State has ranked first in all the categories -

Applications, Sanctions and Disbursements

of the loans under the scheme.

As many as 6,22,167 applications were

received under the scheme in the state which

is highest in the country, out of which

sanctions were given to 3,46,150 applicants

while the loans were disbursed to 2,26,728

beneficiaries.

Seven cities of the state also find place in the

list of top 10 cities of the country.

Varanasi, Lucknow and Aligarh are the top

three cities in the list even as other cities of

the state include Allahabad, Gorakhpur,

Ghaziabad and Kanpur.

Indian Navy operationalises first batch of 3

women pilots on Dornier Aircraft at Kochi

Indian Navy has operationalized the first batch of

three Women Pilots on Dornier Aircraft by the

Southern Naval Command (SNC) at Kochi.

Country's first batch of women pilots are

ready to soar high on Dornier Aircraft.

The three women pilots were part of the six

pilots of the 27th Dornier Operational Flying

Training Course DOFT.

They graduated as Fully operational

Maritime Reconnaissance MR Pilots at a

passing out ceremony held at INS Garuda in

Kochi.

The three women pilots of the first batch are

Lieutenant Divya Sharma, Lieutenant

Shubhangi Swaroop, and Lieutenant

Shivangi.

President Ram Nath Kovind pays homage to

former President K.R. Narayanan on his birth

anniversary

President Ram Nath Kovind paid homage to former

President K.R. Narayanan on his birth anniversary at

Rashtrapati Bhavan.

He served as the 10th President of India

(1997–2002) and 9th Vice President of India

(1992–1997).

He was the first person from the Dalit

community to hold either post.

Union Minister launches ‘e-Dharti Geo portal’

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Hardeep

Singh Puri has launched the ‘e-Dharti Geo Portal’.

The portal has been launched to integrate

legacy drawings such as maps and lease plans

in the management information system and

make its geographic information system

(GIS)-enabled.

With the launch of the portal the property

certificate details and outline map of the

property can be easily accessed online.

The portal will also help a purchaser to learn

about the details of the property whether any

lawsuit is pending in respect of the property.

ICICI Bank shuts down operations in Sri Lanka

ICICI Bank has shut down his operations in Sri

Lanka after getting approval from the Sri Lankan

monetary authority.

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of

Sri Lanka, having considered the request

made by ICICI Bank, has granted approval to

close down the business operation of the bank

in Sri Lanka and cancel the licence issued to

it.

IIT Kharagpur, TCS jointly develop new

Industry 4.0 solution

IIT Kharagpur and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

have jointly developed a novel Industry 4.0

technology for remotely controlled factory

operations and real-time quality correction during

industrial production in a bid to deliver quality output

at low costs.

Through this innovation, IIT Kharagpur aims

to stimulate innovation in advanced

manufacturing to boost the capital goods

sector.

The innovation was undertaken at the Indian

Institute of Technology Kharagpur’s centre

of excellence in Advanced Manufacturing

Technology set with support from the

Department of Heavy Industry, Government

of India along with an industry consortium.

The technology has been developed by Prof

Surjya K Pal, professor in-charge at the

Centre of Excellence in Advanced

Manufacturing Technology in association

with TCS.

Samsung Tops Forbes’ list of World’s Best

Employer 2020

South Korea based electronics conglomerate,

Samsung Electronics has topped the list of ‘World’s

Best Employer 2020′ published by Forbes’.

Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and LG are among

the top 5 in the list respectively.

The global list features 750 multinational and

large corporations headquartered in 45

countries.

From India, HCL Technologies is the top

industry in the list.

It is placed at the 30th position globally.

Northern Command celebrates 74th Infantry Day

on 27 October 2020

74th Infantry Day was celebrated by Northern

Command on 27 October with traditional wreath

laying ceremony at the Dhruva Shahid Smarak in

Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir

The Infantry Day is celebrated to

commemorate the operations launched by the

Indian Army on 27 October 1947 to thwart

the Pakistani aggression on the State of

Jammu and Kashmir.

On this solemn day, the supreme sacrifices

made by the Indian Army in defending the

honour and integrity of the nation were

remembered by all.

Feni bridge connecting India and Bangladesh to

be completed by December

The 1.8 kilometre long Feni bridge connecting

Sabrum in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh will be

completed by December this year.

This was announced by the Road Transport,

Highways and MSMEs Minister Nitin

Gadkari while laying the foundation stone of

nine National Highway projects in Tripura

through video conferencing.

The Feni bridge being built at the cost of Rs.

129 crore will ease the transportation of

goods from Chattogram and Kolkata ports.

An integrated check post is also proposed to

be built near Sabrum.

The RCC bridge over Feni will improve

connectivity to the international border with

Bangladesh.

India, US hold 3rd bilateral two plus two

Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi

India and US held the 3rd bilateral two plus two

Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi and signed the

landmark defence pact BECA.

The signing of BECA is significant as it

allows India to use global geospatial maps of

the United States for accuracy of stand-off

weapons like cruise and ballistic missiles.

From the Indian side, Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister

Dr. S. Jaishankar led the delegation.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and

Secretary of Defence Mark Esper led the US

delegation.

India and the US signed five agreements in

total.

India Post, US Postal Service sign agreement for

electronic exchange of customs data

Department of Posts and United States Postal

Service, USPS have entered into an agreement for

electronic exchange of customs data related to postal

shipments exchanged between the two countries.

The agreement will make it possible to

transmit and receive electronic data of

international postal items prior to their

physical arrival at the destination and would

enable customs clearance of postal items in

advance in line with the evolving global

postal framework.

This will also improve the performance of

postal services in terms of reliability,

visibility and security.

USA is the top export destination for India

which is also reflected in exchange of goods

through postal channel.

Centre sets up high-level committee to

commemorate Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur’s 400th

birth anniversary

The Centre set up a high-level committee headed by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate the

400th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The mandate of the 70-member committee

includes approval of policies, plans,

programmes and supervision and guiding the

commemoration, besides deciding broad

dates for detailed programmes of celebration.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten

Gurus of the Sikh religion.

He founded the city of Anandpur Sahib in

Punjab in 1665.

On 24 November 1675, the Guru was

publicly beheaded on the orders of

Aurangzeb for refusing to accept the

authority of Mughal Emperor, at Chandni

Chowk in Delhi.

V Prez Venkaiah Naidu launches virtual festival

of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of

Music and Dance’

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu launched the

virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National

Festival of Music and Dance’ organized by Natya

Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations.

He appreciated Natya Tarangini for

organising the ‘Parampara Series’

continuously since past 23 years, and

adopting innovative efforts to make it happen

for the 24th year, even in difficult times like

this.

It may be noted that this festival has been

organized to coincide with the World Day for

Audio-visual Heritage.

Arjun Munda launches two Centers of Excellence

for Tribal Welfare

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda

launched two Centers of Excellence for Tribal

Welfare.

These centers were launched in collaboration

between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and

Art of Living through video conference.

One Center will be engaged in the field of

training tribal farmers in Aurangabad district

of Maharashtra on sustainable natural

farming while the second one will be working

towards strengthening Panchayati Raj

Institutions in 5 districts covering 30 Gram

Panchayats and 150 villages of Jharkhand.

India hosts 19th Meeting of SCO Ministers of

Foreign Economy & Foreign Trade

India hosted the 19th Meeting of the Shanghai

Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Ministers of

Foreign Economy and Foreign Trade.

In the meeting four documents were adopted.

They include a statement on the response to

Covid-19 which reinforces the need for

greater cooperation for access to medicines

and facilitation of trade and statement on the

Multilateral Trading System of Ministers of

SCO Countries who are WTO Members.

This statement highlights the importance of

the rule-based multilateral negotiations.

India extends $1 bn credit line to Central Asian

countries for priority projects

India extended a $1-billion line of credit to Central

Asian countries for priority projects in connectivity,

energy, IT and health care.

This move being perceived as part of New

Delhi’s efforts to boost its role as a

transparent development partner.

The line of credit was welcomed by ministers

of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic,

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan during the

second meeting of the India-Central Asia

Dialogue held via video conference under the

chairmanship of external affairs minister S

Jaishankar.

Acting Afghan foreign minister Haneef

Atmar joined the meeting as a special invitee.

Chairman of 15th Finance Commission N.K.

Singh holds virtual meeting with Chairman of

previous Finance Commissions

Chairman of 15th Finance Commission, N.K. Singh

and its Members held a virtual meeting with the

Chairmen of previous Finance Commissions, Dr C.

Rangarajan, the Chairman 12th Finance Commission

and Dr. Vijay Kelkar who was the Chairman 13th

Finance Commission.

15th Finance Commission is mandated to

submit its final report for 2021-26 by 30th

October, 2020.

The Chairmen of the previous Finance

Commissions appreciated the tough

challenge faced by the 15th Finance

Commission, given the background of the

Covid-19 pandemic, the resultant loss of

economic activity and its impact on fiscal

parameters of the general government.

Air quality in Delhi continues to remain in ‘very

poor category’

The air quality in Delhi continues to remain in a very

poor category.

According to the Central Pollution Control

Board, Delhi's air quality index was recorded

at 397 at 10 AM.

An Air Quality Index between 201 and 300 is

considered poor, 301 to 400 very poor and

401 to 500 severe.

According to the System of Air Quality and

Weather Forecasting and Research, SAFAR,

the air quality is likely to marginally improve

and stay in the very poor for.

UP govt starts digital library to help students in

higher education

In the ongoing fight against Covid, Uttar Pradesh

government has started a digital library to help the

students in higher education to get the education

content in digital format.

This library will help poor students who are

unable to purchase costly books Now they

can freely download everything available in

the library related to their course.

The library has more than 35000 e content

related to 134 subjects in Hindi and English.

It can be accessed by any student free of cost.

A team of around 1700 educationists and

technical experts of 23 universities worked

together for the content of Digital Library.

Young Advocates Welfare Fund launched in

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, the Young Advocates Welfare Fund

has been launched.

It provides a monthly financial assistance of

three thousand rupees each for two years to

the lawyers who just come out of law

colleges.

Normally a fresher from law colleges takes

three to four years to begin practice as an

advocate in the court as the registration in the

Bar Council, and the mandatory practicing

under a senior advocate takes time.

Unable to sustain themselves during the

initial period, many from poor and rural

backgrounds shifted their profession.

The Young Advocates Welfare Scheme is

aimed at helping such fresh candidates to

withstand the initial challenges.

Railways launches ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative for

security of women passengers

Railways has launched Meri Saheli initiative for

focused action on security of women passengers

across all zones.

The objective of this mission is to provide

safety and security to lady passengers

travelling by trains for their entire journey

from starting station to destination station.

Meri Saheli initiative was started as a pilot

project in South Eastern Railway in

September this year and after getting

encouraging response from lady passengers,

it was extended to all zones and Konkan

Railway with effect from 17th of this month.

The RPF team collects only the seat numbers

of the ladies and conveys them to stoppages

en-route.

PM Modi Inaugurates 4th edition of India Energy

Forum

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 4th India

Energy Forum by CERAWeek organised by HIS

Markit.

The theme of this edition is “India’s Energy

Future in a World of Change”.

India is the third-largest and the fastest-

growing aviation market in terms of domestic

aviation and Indian carriers are projected to

increase their fleet size from 600 to 1200 by

2024.

Indian Army develops messaging application

‘Secure Application for Internet’

Indian Army has developed a simple messaging

application named the Secure Application for

Internet (SAI).

The application supports end to end secure

voice, text and video calling services for

Android platforms over the internet.

The model is similar to commercially

available messaging applications like

Whatsapp, Telegram, SAMVAD and GIMS

and utilises end to end encryption messaging

protocol.

SAI will be utilised pan Army to facilitate

secure messaging within the service.

Tamil Nadu passes order for 7.5 % reservation to

govt school students in UG medical courses

Tamil Nadu Government has passed an order to

provide 7.5 percent reservation for Government

school students in undergraduate medical courses.

The state Assembly passed a bill

unanimously on September 15th for the

purpose.

However, it is yet to become a law as it awaits

the state Governor’s nod.

It will be made applicable for the state quota

seats in the government and private medical

colleges.

PM to inaugurates Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir

at Kevadia in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit

to Gujarat.

He will pay tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai

Patel at the 'Statue of Unity' near Kevadiya in

Narmada district on the occasion of 145th

birth anniversary of this great leader.

He inaugurated the Arogya Van and Arogya

Kutir at Kevadia.

He also inaugurated Ekta Mall Children

Nutrition Park. Mr. Modi will then

inaugurate Jungle Safari and Geodesic Dome

Aviary and lay the foundation stone for

various projects before reaching the Statue of

Unity.

He will also launch the country's first

seaplane service between Kevadia and

Ahmedabad Riverfront.

Kolkata International Film Festival rescheduled

to January 2021

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the

internationally acclaimed Kolkata International Film

Festival (KIFF) has been rescheduled to January

2021 by West Bengal Government.

KIFF was supposed to be held from

November 5, 2020 but the dignitaries and

global film fraternity suggested the state

government postpone it to January.

Founded in 1995, it is the second oldest

international film festival in India.

The festival is organized by the West Bengal

Film Centre under the West Bengal

Government.

Telangana CM launches ‘Dharani’ Portal for

land & property registrations

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao

launched ‘Dharani’ Portal for land and property

registrations.

The slot bookings in the website for the land

registrations begins and all the land and

property registrations will start from

November 2.

The property details which are not uploaded

on the portal will be treated as illegal and will

not be allowed for further registrations or

mutation.

The one-in-all, Dharani portal has been

designed to reduce loopholes in the

registration process.

Odisha launches ‘Sumangal’ & Student

Scholarship web portals

Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has launched

two web portals named ‘Odisha State Scholarship

Portal’ and ‘Sumangal Portal’.

The portal is to help eligible students of the

state to avail scholarship benefits in a

seamless and transparent manner, while the

latter one is to help people avail inter-caste

marriage incentives.

According to a government release, 21

scholarships would be offered by eight state

departments and more than 11 lakh

beneficiary students from Scheduled Castes,

Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes,

and educationally backward classes would

benefit from the scholarship portal.

Through the State Scholarship Portal,

scholarships will be credited directly to

students’ bank accounts as the portal is linked

to the state treasury.

National Unity Day: 31 October

National Unity Day is celebrated in India on 31

October.

It was introduced by the Government of India

in 2014.

The day is celebrated to mark the birth

anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.

In 2018, the Government Of India

accomplished the task of building the tallest

statue across the world.

Birth anniversary of Homi Jehangir Bhabha: 30

October

The birthday of the famous nuclear physicist, Homi

Jehangir Bhabha, popularly known as the father of

Indian Nuclear Programme is observed every year on

30 October.

Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha was an Indian

nuclear physicist and founding director of the

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

In 1939, when World War II broke out,

Bhabha was in India for a vacation. Due to

the war, he could not go back to complete his

research at Cambridge.

In 1948, Nehru appointed Bhabha as the

Director of Nuclear Programme and gave

him a task to develop the nuclear weapons.

He envisioned India’s three-stage nuclear

power programme and emphasized the use of

India’s huge thorium reserve rather than its

inadequate uranium reserves for power

generation.

He won the Adams Prize (1942) and Padma

Bhushan (1954). He was nominated for the

Nobel Prize for Physics in 1951 and 1953-

1956.

Union Cabinet approves Memorandum of

Cooperation in the field of ICTs between India

and Japan

The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum

of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on

cooperation in the field of Information and

Communication Technologies.

It aimed for cooperation in many fields like

5G network, Submarine cable, standard

certification of communication equipment,

utilization of latest Wireless Technologies

and ICTs, ICTs capacity building, Artificial

Intelligence (AI), etc.

It will help India strengthen ICTs

infrastructure in the country and help boost

connectivity of mainland India to remote

areas.

India and Japan have also signed the

Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of

cybersecurity.

Cabinet approves Mechanism for procurement of

ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing

Companies

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,

CCEA approved Mechanism for procurement of

ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies

under Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme.

Earlier, there used to be one rate for ethanol

but now there will be different prices.

He said the new Price fixed for Ethanol

produced from sugar will be Rs 62.65 per

litre, ethanol manufactured from B heavy

molasses will be Rs 57.61 per litre and

ethanol manufactured from C heavy molasses

will be Rs 45.69 per litre.

Government has been implementing Ethanol

Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme wherein

OMCs sell petrol blended with ethanol up to

10 per cent.

U.K. to partner for developing GIFT City

The United Kingdom (UK) has entered into a

strategic partnership to develop India’s GIFT City.

GIFT - Gujarat International Finance Tec-

City is India’s first international financial

services centre. It is located in Gandhinagar

of Gujarat.

India and the U.K. also signed off on a new

infrastructure finance and policy partnership

to support India execute its National

Infrastructure Pipeline that envisages

investments worth $1.4 trillion.

Dr Harsh Vardhan launches DST initiative SERB

– POWER for women scientists

Dr Harsh Vardha launched a Scheme titled “SERB-

POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in

Exploratory Research)”, designed exclusively for

women scientists, in a function on an e-platform.

The scheme targets women researchers of

age 35 to 55 years.

SERB – POWER Scheme will have two

components namely (i) SERB-POWER

Fellowship (ii) SERB- POWER Research

Grants.

It will provide 25 to 75 Fellowship per year.

The selected candidates under the scheme

will receive a Fellowship of 15000 rupees per

month.

This is in addition to the regular income.

Also, they will receive 10 lakh rupees per

annum as a research grant and 90000 Rupees

as overhead in their career.

Hyderabad Airport Begins E-Boarding for

International Fliers

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is the first one in

India to start paperless e-boarding.

This is the first step towards e-boarding

facility for international flights.

The airport already provides this facility for

end-to-end paperless e-boarding to their

domestic passengers.

This service will give a safer option for

international passengers.

IndiGo is the first airline to avail of the

indigenously developed digital solution, ie,

international e-boarding facility. Its Sharjah-

bound passengers e-boarded themselves from

Hyderabad.

IIT-Guwahati team develops tech to produce

agri-based anti-ageing compounds

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology

(IIT), Guwahati, have developed a low-cost

membrane technology to produce psychoactive

drugs and anti-aging compounds.

It has been developed from a wide range of

agricultural resources like citrus fruits and

peels especially orange peels, berries,

parsley, pulses, tea, sea buckthorn and

onions.

The technology has been patented and does

not use any organic solvents, which normally

increases prices.

Commercially available techniques use

various costly organic solvents like

Chloroform, Acetone, Acetonitrile.

Flipkart, Bajaj Allianz launch cyber insurance to

cover online financial frauds

E-commerce marketplace, Flipkart and Bajaj Allianz

General Insurance have launched a cyber insurance

cover for online financial frauds.

The product, ‘Digital Suraksha Group

Insurance’, will help customers who want to

cover themselves against financial losses

caused as a result of cyber attacks, cyber

frauds, or other such malicious activities

across various online platforms.

Customers can opt for a one-year cover at

premiums as low as Rs 183 for a cover of

₹50,000.

It will compensate for direct financial loss

(up to the sum insured) due to unauthorised

digital financial transactions as a result of

identity theft arising out of cyber-attacks,

phishing/spoofing, and SIM-jacking.

Indian Bank launches Green-Tech Initiative, ‘IB-

eNote’

Indian Bank, a premier Public Sector Bank, launched

an green initiative, ‘IB-eNote’ that enables a totally

paperless working environment.

The IB e-Note is a tool that enables

processing and tracking of notes put up by

various offices digitally.

This green initiative is expected to improve

Turnaround Time considerably, besides

saving on cost of paper, printing and other

administrative expenses.

For this Bank has customised SharePoint,

which is one of the features of Microsoft

Office.

Microsoft is a leading technology company

that has pioneered many industry-firsts.

The Bank also launched ‘Ind Guru’, an e-

learning platform for its employees.

Yes Bank tie-up with BSE to empower small

business companies

Yes Bank has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Bombay Stock Exchange

(BSE) to empower the SME segment through

awareness and knowledge-sharing programmes.

Under this MoU, both BSE and Yes Bank

will conduct knowledge events for SMEs,

export promotion of SME scale companies,

in addition to providing banking and

financial solutions.

This MoU shall further entail services

pertaining to the development and imparting

industry-specific and related knowledge-

based information.

The Bank will also offer customised services

and products to the listed SME members of

the platform and advisory solutions to EXIM

potential listed SMEs.

Axis Bank, Vistara launch co-branded forex card

Vistara and Axis Bank launched a co-branded forex

card that can load up to 16 currencies.

The card has locked-in exchange rates and

the card holder will accrue 3 award points on

Club Vistara for every $5 or an equivalent

value spent.

The forex card can load up to 16 currencies

and has various emergency assistance

services like loss of passport assistance

through TripAssist and insurance cover of up

to ₹ 3 lakh.

Vistara is the first Indian airline to offer a co-

branded forex card.

World Bank expects India’s GDP to contract by

9.6% in FY-21

The World Bank expects India’s economy to contract

9.6% FY21, steeper than 3.2% shrinkage projected

earlier.

South Asia as a region is set to plunge into its

worst ever recession with a sharper than

expected contraction of 7.7%, the World

Bank said in its half-yearly South Asia Focus.

India’s growth is projected to rebound to

5.4% in FY22, mostly reflecting base effects,

assuming Covid19 -related restrictions are

completely lifted by 2022.

As per the bank, weak activity, domestically

and abroad, is also likely to depress both

Indian imports and exports.

India’s economy shrank an unprecedented

23.9% in the first quarter.

PepsiCo to set up greenfield potato chips

production unit in UP with investment of Rs. 814

crore

The multi-national food and beverage major PepsiCo

is setting up a greenfield potato chips production unit

in Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs. 814 crore.

The unit is being set up in Kosi, Mathura on

35 acres of land provided by UP State

Industrial Development Authority

(UPSIDA).

The unit, which is expected to commence

commercial production by middle of the next

year, will facilitate direct and indirect

employment to about 1,500 patrons.

Farmers of central UP which is considered

the potato belt of state have been demanding

for such food processing units for decades.

Axis Bank collaborates with Google Pay, Visa to

launch a new ACE Credit card

Axis Bank announced the launch of its ACE Credit

Card in India in collaboration with Google Pay and

Visa.

The card meant to help with digital payments.

From application to issuance, with the entire

user journey for the credit card application

will be done digitally.

For essential use cases, including mobile

recharges and bill payments made via Google

Pay, users can earn a cashback.of 5 per cent.

There is also an unlimited 2 per cent cashback

on other transactions.

RBI to conduct first OMO for state bonds worth

Rs 10,000 cr on Oct 22

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct first Open

Market Operations (OMOs) to buy State

Developments Loans (SDLs) aggregating Rs 10,000

crore through auction on October 22, 2020 to

improve liquidity and pricing for these bonds.

The size may be enhanced in the subsequent

auctions, depending on market response

On October 9, RBI had announced intent in

the Statement on Developmental and

Regulatory Policies OMOs to purchase state

government bonds.

The central bank said it will buy bonds

maturing between January 2029 and March

2031.

It is offering to purchase bonds issued by 15

states including Assam, Bihar, Gujarat,

Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh

and Maharashtra.

India's agricultural exports rise by 14.8 % during

first five months of current fiscal

India’s agricultural exports have recovered from a

pandemic-induced decline.

Exports of major farm products stood at

53,000 crore rupees in the five-month period

between April and August 2020-21, a rise of

14.8 percent compared to the corresponding

period last year.

During the April to August period, farmers

gained from higher exports of rice, wheat and

sugar.

Exports of basmati rice, a big-ticket export

item among cereals, during April-August

rose 8.2 percent from the year-ago period,

while the value of non-basmati rice exports

grew 91.3 percent.

IIT Madras startup launches ‘mooPay’ for Dairy

Farmers in Rajasthan

Stellapps, the IIT-Madras incubated dairy-tech

startup, has launched a first-of-its-kind, fully-

automated direct payment platform, ‘mooPay’, for

dairy farmers in Rajasthan.

mooPay is a payment gateway for dairies and

dairy farmers where the dairy officials can

transfer milk payments digitally to member

farmers from the dairies’ existing bank

account to farmers’ savings bank account.

This will remove the risks and costs of

transferring money in cash to hundreds of

thousands of farmers in hundreds of villages.

SBI raises USD 1 billion untied loan with JBIC,

other lenders

The State Bank of India signed a loan agreement

amounting to up to one billion US Dollars with the

Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The loan is intended to promote the smooth

flow of funds for the whole range of business

operations of Japanese automobile

manufacturers in India.

As part of the agreement, 600 million US

Dollars will be financed by JBIC while the

remaining amount will be financed by other

participating banks.

The facility will be co-financed by SMBC,

MUFG Bank, Mizuho Bank, Shizuoka Bank

and Bank of Yokahama.

RBI bars payment system operators from

launching any new QR codes

The Reserve Bank of India has barred Payment

System Operators (PSOs) from launching any new

proprietary QR code for payment transactions.

Currently, there are two interoperable QR

codes — UPI QR and Bharat QR.

QR codes (quick response codes) are two-

dimensional machine-readable barcodes,

which are increasingly used to facilitate

mobile payments at the point-of-sale.

QR codes (quick response codes) can store a

large amount of information. PSOs that use

proprietary QR codes shall shift to one or

more interoperable QR codes.

DMRC & SBI card launch multi-purpose smart

card

The SBI Card in association with the Delhi Metro

Rail Corporation launched a contactless multi-

purpose card that can function as a credit card and as

a metro smart card.

The credit card Delhi Metro SBI Card is

designed for regular commuters on Delhi

Metro.

It will enable its users to use it as a smart card

with an auto-top up facility whenever the

balance is below Rs 100.

The credit card facility will automatically

recharge a top-up value of Rs 200 from the

user’s linked card/bank account.

The card offers an enhanced daily commute

experience to millions of metro commuters

together with a rewarding experience on their

daily purchases.

SBI appoints Charanjit Attra as CFO

The country’s largest public sector lender State Bank

of India (SBI) announced the appointment of

Charanjit Singh Attra as Chief Financial Officer

(CFO).

The position of CFO has been vacant since

former Deputy MD & CFO Prashant Kumar

moved to Yes Bank as part of the RBI’s

rescue plan led by SBI.

Kumar was replaced in interim capacity by C

Venkat Nageshwar.

Attra has been nominated on various

committees of the Institute of Chartered

Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Reserve

Bank of India (RBI) and he also was a special

invitee on the National Advisory Committee

on Accounting Standards set up in the

Ministry of Company Affairs.

M A Ganapathy appointed as Director General,

BCAS

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has

approved the appointment of M A Ganapathy to the

post of Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation

Security (BCAS), for a tenure up to his

superannuation on February 29, 2024 or until further

orders.

He is a 1986 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand

cadre.

The post of BCAS chief fell vacant after

Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the

Director General of Border Security Force in

August.

Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma, Shashanka

Bhide appointed as new members of MPC

The government has named three eminent

economists Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma and

Shashanka Bhide as the new members of the

Monetary Policy Committee.

While Ms. Goyal is a professor at the Indira

Gandhi Institute of Development Research;

Jayanth Varma teaches at the Indian Institute

of Management, Ahmedabad. Mr. Bhide is

senior advisor at the National Council for

Applied Economic Research.

The other three ex-officio members of the

MPC are Reserve Bank Governor

Shaktikanta Das, Deputy Governor (in-

charge of monetary policy) Michael Patra

and executive director Janak Raj.

The six-member MPC has the mandate to

maintain annual inflation at 4 percent, with

an upper tolerance of 6 percent and a lower

tolerance of 2 percent.

Govt appoints Dinesh Kumar Khara as SBI

chairman for three years

The government has appointed Dinesh Kumar Khara

as chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), the

country's largest lender, for three years.

Khara, one of the bank's four managing

directors, replaces Rajnish Kumar, who is

stepping down after being at the helm for

three years.

A state-run banks appointment panel in

August recommended Khara as the next

chairman of SBI.

Prior to his elevation, Khara was managing

director of associates and subsidiaries at SBI.

GoI appoints M Rajeshwar Rao as the RBI

Deputy Governor

The Centre has appointed M Rajeshwar Rao as the

new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

Prior to this, M Rajeshwar Rao was an

executive director at RBI.

He succeeds NS Vishwanathan as the central

bank’s fourth deputy governor. NS

Vishwanathan who resigned from the post in

March 2020 before the completion of his

term in June, citing health reasons.

Govt appoints J Venkatramu as MD, CEO of

India Post Payments Bank

A Cabinet panel appointed J Venkatramu as

managing director (MD) and chief executive officer

(CEO) of India Post Payments Bank for three years.

Venkatramu has over 22 years of work

experience across banking services such as

payments, mobile banking, retail banking

products and has also managed digital

financial services projects.

He is currently chief digital officer at Equitas

Small Finance Bank.

Venkatramu will take over the post of Suresh

Sethi who had served as founder MD and

CEO of the payments banks till March, much

before his tenure ended.

India Post Payments Bank is a state-owned

entity, under the department of posts, with

100% government equity and is governed by

the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Jordan’s King Abdullah II appointed Bishr al-

Khasawneh as PM

Jordan's King Abdullah II designated his chief policy

adviser Bishr al-Khasawneh to form a new

government amid criticism of the previous

government's handling of the virus pandemic.

Al-Khasawneh will oversee parliamentary

elections Nov 10.

The king had dissolved Parliament a week

earlier at the end of its four-year term.

Under the constitution, that left al Razzaz'

government a week to resign.

Jordan Capital: Amman

Currency: Jordanian dinar

Nilesh Shah re-elected as AMFI chairman

Mutual fund industry body Association of Mutual

Funds in India (AMFI) said Nilesh Shah, managing

director of Kotak Asset Management Company

(AMC), has been re-elected as its chairman.

Besides, he would continue as the ex-officio

chairman of Amfi Financial Literacy

Committee, being the chairman of the

industry body.

Besides, Saurabh Nanavati, who is the chief

executive officer of Invesco Asset

Management (India) Pvt Ltd, has been re-

elected as the vice-chairman of Amfi.

iyush Goyal gets additional charge of Ministry of

Consumer Affairs

Union Minister Piyush Goyal was assigned the

additional charge of Ministry of Consumer Affairs,

Food and Public Distribution.

He was given the additional charge following

the death of Lok Janashakti Party (LJP)

founder and union minister Ram Vilas

Paswan.

He was elected to Lok Sabha eight times and

also held the record of winning with high

margins from his constituency Hajipur.

Goyal is currently serving as the Minister of

Railways and Minister of Commerce and

Industry in the NDA-led government.

Ram Vilas Paswan passed away at the age of

74 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences,

New Delhi.

CWG medallist Shuttler Chetan Anand named

brand ambassador of India’s first-ever

Badminton Brand ‘Transform’

Commonwealth Games medallist in Badminton,

Chetan Anand has been roped in as the brand

ambassador for India's first-ever homegrown

professional badminton brand “Transform”.

Transform Badminton is India’s 1st

professional badminton brand at par with the

best racquets available in the market that are

currently imported from abroad for playing in

India.

Transform racquets have been made out of

the military grade graphite.

Chaitanya Venkateswaran becomes British High

Commissioner for a day

Chaitanya Venkateswaran from New Delhi had the

unique opportunity to spend a day as the UK's senior-

most diplomat in India under the mission's initiative

aimed at empowering and highlighting the

challenges faced by women across the world.

The British High Commission has been

organising the 'High Commissioner for a

Day' competition annually since 2017,

inviting young Indian women aged 18 to 23

years to take over as their most senior

diplomat.

Chaitanya is the fourth young woman to take

over as the British High Commissioner in an

annual competition run by the UK mission in

celebration of International Day of the Girl

Child on October 11.

Chaitanya, an active volunteer, has worked to

aid visually-impaired students, acid attack

survivors and marginalised LGBT groups.

Supreme Court appoints Former Justice M B

Lokur as one-man panel to prevent stubble

burning

The Supreme Court has appointed Justice (retd)

Madan B Lokur, a former judge of the apex court, as

a one-man monitoring committee to prevent stubble

burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar

Pradesh.

These states are known as the main source of

pollution in Delhi-national capital region

(NCR).

The new committee will monitor the stubble

burning and take preventive steps.

The panel shall submit its report on stubble

burning within 15 days to the apex court.

Union Bank of India CEO Rajkiran Rai is new

chairman of IBA

Indian Banks' Association (IBA) said Union Bank of

India's MD and CEO Rajkiran Rai G has been elected

as the association's chairman for the term 2020-21.

State Bank of India's Chairman Dinesh

Kumar Khara has been elected as the deputy

chairman of the association.

IBA is an association of banks and other

entities in the banking ecosystem in India

catering to its members.

Vishal V Sharma appointed India’s next

permanent representative to UNESCO

Vishal V Sharma has been appointed as the next

permanent representative of India to the United

Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO).

Sharma has succeeded Jawed Ashraf.

Sharma is expected to take up the assignment

shortly.

UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.

Founded: 16 November 1945

Head: Audrey Azoulay

IWF appoint Michael Irani as interim president

The International Weightlifting Federation

announced the appointment of Michael Irani as its

interim president.

Irani is chair of the IWF Medical Committee

and a former chair of the IWF Anti-Doping

Commission.

He has extensive experience of the fight

against doping and in safeguarding athlete

welfare.

Prior to this, Michael Irani was serving as the

chairman of the IWF Medical Committee.

Rohan Jaitley elected unopposed president of

Delhi and District Cricket Association

Rohan Jaitley, the 31-year-old son of former finance

minister late Arun Jaitley, has been elected

unopposed as the new president of Delhi and District

Cricket Association (DDCA).

Rohan is slated to remain in the post till June

30, 2021.

Rohan, a lawyer by profession, had filed his

papers on the last day of nominations.

Notably, late Arun Jaitley had also served as

the president of DDCA between 1999 and

2013.

The DDCA was a headless body for nearly a

year after Rajat Sharma resigned from the

post citing corruption and unprofessionalism

in the association.

Sushil Kumar Singhal accredited as next High

Commissioner of India to Solomon Islands

Sushil Kumar Singhal, a 2000-batch Indian Foreign

Service officer, has been concurrently accredited as

the next High Commissioner of India to the Solomon

Islands.

Mr Singhal will be residing in Port Moresby.

He is presently serving as the High

Commissioner of India to the Independent

State of Papua New Guinea.

Solomon Islands Capital: Honiara

Currency: Solomon Islands dollar

Parle agro ropes in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as

brand ambassador

Parle Agro has roped in Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the

national brand ambassador to maximise reach and

awareness of its fruits plus fizz portfolio ‘B-Fizz’.

The campaign will be aggressively promoted

across IPL on Hotstar and YouTube.

B-Fizz is a unique and refreshing apple juice-

based malt flavoured carbonated drink that is

set to revolutionize the taste experience of

consumers across age groups.

Indian-origin Wavel Ramkalawan elected

President of Seychelles

Indian-origin Wavel Ramkalawan has been elected

as the President of Seychelles.

Seychelles has elected an opposition

candidate as president for the first time since

1977.

He has defeated the incumbent Danny Faure.

Ramakalwan is a priest of Indian Origin

whose grandfather came from Gopalganj,

Bihar.

Aditya Puri retires, Sashidhar Jagdishan takes

over as HDFC Bank MD-CEO

Aditya Puri, who was HDFC Bank managing

director and CEO for 26 years, retired from India’s

largest private bank.

Sashidhar Jagdishan has taken over the

charge.

Jagdishan has been part of the bank since

1996, and played a critical role in supporting

the growth trajectory of the bank.

With an overall experience of over 30 years,

Jagdishan has extensive knowledge and

experience in the fields of banking, finance

and economics.

Assam CM presents Anundoram Borooah Award

2020 to 16944 students who scored above 75% in

10th exams

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

presented the Anundoram Borooah Award 2020 to

students who secured 75 percent or above in

matriculation examination in Guwahati.

As part of the award, an amount of 20

thousand rupees each was directly transferred

to bank accounts of 16 thousand 944 students

for purchasing laptops.

A total of Rs 34 crore has been released by

the government for the purpose.

This year, 16,944 students secured 75% &

above in HSLC exams.

Aimed to encourage the meritorious students,

the award honours the first Assamese & fifth

Indian ICS, Anundoram Borooah.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat gives away Swachh

Bharat Awards 2020; Gujarat bags first position

under Swachh Sundar Samudayak Shouchalaya

category

The Swachh Bharat Awards-2020 were given to

States, Districts, Blocks and Village Panchayats by

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh

Shekhawat.

The awards were given particularly under

drinking water and cleanliness categories.

The Union Government had earlier launched

three missions under Swachh Sundar

Samudayik Shouchalaya, Samudayik

Shouchalaya Abhiyan and Gandagi Mukth

Bharat.

Under the Swachh Sundar Samudayik

Shouchalaya category Gujarat bagged the

first position at state level whereas

Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu got the Award for

cleanliness at District Level.

Under the Samudayik Shouchalaya Abhiyan,

Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh were awarded as

the best performing states whereas Prayagraj

and Bareilly got it for being the best

performing districts.

Under the Gandagi Mukth Bharat Mission,

Haryana and Telangana were awarded the top

slot.

Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea

Ghez wins 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced

the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.

One half of the award has been given to

Roger Penrose for black hole discovery; and

the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and

Andrea Ghez.

UK’s Roger Penrose has been awarded “for

the discovery that black hole formation is a

robust prediction of the general theory of

relativity”

America’s Reinhard Genzel and Andrea

Ghez have jointly won “for the discovery of

a supermassive compact object at the centre

of our galaxy.

Emmanuelle Charpentier & Jennifer A. Doudna

win Nobel Prize in Chemistry 202

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna

“for the development of a method for genome

editing”.

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A.

Doudna have discovered one of gene

technology’s sharpest tools: the

CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors.

Using these, researchers can change the DNA

of animals, plants and microorganisms with

extremely high precision.

This technology has had a revolutionary

impact on the life sciences, is contributing to

new cancer therapies and may make the

dream of curing inherited diseases come true.

Charpentier published her discovery in 2011.

The same year, she initiated a collaboration

with Jennifer Doudna, an experienced

biochemist with vast knowledge of RNA.

Together, they succeeded in recreating the

bacteria’s genetic scissors in a test tube and

simplifying the scissors’ molecular

components so they were easier to use.

American poet Louise Glück wins 2020 Nobel

Prize for Literature

The 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature has been

awarded to American poet Louise Glück.

A professor at Yale University, Glück made

her debut in 1968 with her collection titled

'Firstborn'.

She won the prize for "for her unmistakable

poetic voice that with austere beauty makes

individual existence universal."

She is seen as one of the most prominent poet

and essayists in American contemporary

literature.

She has received several prestigious awards,

among them the Pulitzer Prize (1993) and the

National Book Award (2014).

Poet Nityananda Nayak to receive Sarala

Puraskar

Odia poet Nityanand Nayak will be conferred the

prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his poetry work

‘Setebelaku Nathiba’, published in 2017.

The poet will be felicitated with a cash award

of `5 lakh and a citation.

Sarala Puraskar is recognised as the foremost

literary award of Odisha.

Two other eminent personalities from the

State - Ranjit Kumar Nag and Shyamsundar

Pattanaik - will be felicitated for their

contribution to fields of music and art

respectively.

While Nag will be awarded the Ila Panda

Sangeet Samman, Pattanaik would be

felicitated with Ila Panda Chitrakala

Samman.

The awards comprise a cash award of

`1,50,000 and a citation.

Nobel Prize in Economics goes to Paul R Milgrom

and Robert B Wilson for improvements to auction

theory

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has

been awarded jointly to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert

B. Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and

inventions of new auction formats”

The award is officially known as the Sveriges

Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in

Memory of Alfred Nobel 2020.

The laureates in economic sciences are

selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of

Sciences in Stockholm.

The Nobel prize, which consists of a gold

medal, a diploma and a cheque for 10 million

Swedish kronor ($1.1 million, 950,000

euros), will be shared equally between the

Laureates.

ISA Solar Awards conferred for the first time

For the first time since the inception of the

framework agreement of ISA, Solar awards were

conferred on countries of the region as well as

institutions working for solar.

Solar Awards were awarded for the three

categories

Visvesvaraya award – to recognise the

countries with maximum floating solar

capacity in each of the four regions of ISA.

Kalpana Chawla awards – to recognise

outstanding contribution of scientists and

engineers working in the field of solar

energy.

Diwakar award – to recognizes organisations

& institutions that have been working for the

benefit of differently-abled people and have

maximised the use of solar energy in the host

country.

The winners of these 3 categories are

Visvesvaraya award – Japan for the Asia

Pacific region and the Netherlands for

Europe and Others region.

Kalpana Chawla awards – Dr.Bhim Singh

from IIT Delhi (India) and Dr. Aaesha

Alnuaimi from Dubai Electricity and Water

Authority (United Arab Emirates.

Diwakar award – Arpan Institute (Haryana)

and Arushi Society.

PM Hasina confers highest civilian award of

Bangladesh to 8 individuals, 1 institution

The highest national award of Bangladesh

‘Swadhinata Puraskar 2020’ was conferred on eight

distinguished persons and an educational institute.

The recipients included Jute and Textiles

Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi , Azizur

Rahman (posthumous), Commander Abdur

Rauf (posthumous) and Mohammad Anwar

Pasha (posthumous) for their contribution in

the liberation war of Bangladesh.

In the field of medical sciences the award was

conferred on Professor Dr Md Obaidul Kabir

Chowdhury and Prof Dr AKMA Muktadir.

Kalipada Das and actress Ferdousi

Mazumdar were honoured in the field of

culture.

The renowned boarding school for girls in

Tangail, Bharateswari Homes, was given

away the independence award for institutions

doing commendable work in the field of

education.

The award carries a gold medal, certificate

and Taka 5 lakh.

‘Gully Boy’ wins best original score at 14th Asian

Film Awards

The 14th Asian Film Awards (“AFA14”) were

announced on 28 October 2020 virtually by the Asian

Film Awards Academy (“AFAA”).

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer Gully

Boy bagged the award for the Best Original

Score at the event.

The award went to Karsh Kale and The

Salvage Audio Collective.

Kiren Rijiju launches new logo of Sports

Authority of India

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched the Sports

Authority of India’s (SAI) new logo at Delhi’s Major

Dhyan Chand Stadium.

The event was attended by Sports Secretary

Ravi Mital, Indian Olympic Association

President Narinder Batra and Director

General SAI Sandip Pradhan, at the stadium.

SAI has been the pivot of the sports

ecosystem in the country since its

establishment in 1982 and has been

instrumental in identifying and developing

grassroot talents across the country.

The new logo signifies SAI's journey of

metamorphosis from identifying and

nurturing grassroot level sporting talent to

creating sporting excellence in the country.

Visnu Shivaraj Pandian wins gold in 10 meter air

rifle event of International Online Shooting

India's Visnu Shivaraj Pandian won the 10m air rifle

event at the fifth edition of the International Online

Shooting Championship.

The 16-year-old Visnu shot 251.4 to win the

title by a clear margin of two points.

The second place was won by world no. 27

Etienne Germond of France while Olympic

quota winner Martin Strempfl of Austria took

the third place.

Shooters from 15 countries are participating

in the two-day competition.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju flags in CRPF

Divyang Yodha Cycle rally

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

flagged in CRPF Divyang Yodha Cycle rally that

began its journey from Sabarmati Ashram, Gujarat

and culminated at Rajpath.

The cycle rally covered about one thousand

kilometre to reach Delhi in the last 16 days.

The rally team consisted of six women of

CRPF Mahila Battalions.

The internal security warriors of the CRPF

are actively serving the country across

several conflict zones and the brave hearts

have made supreme sacrifice in the service of

the nation.

CRPF Formed: 27 July 1939

Director General, CRPF: A P Maheshwari,

IPS

Lewis Hamilton wins 2020 Eifel Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won

the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, held at the Nürburgring in

Nürburg, Germany.

This is Hamilton’s 7th win of the season and

91st career race victory, which was till now

achieved only by Michael Schumacher.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands)

came second followed by Daniel Ricciardo

(Renault, Australia) at third position.

Rafael Nadal beats Novak Djokovic to win his

13th French Open Men's Singles title

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his 13th

French Open and equal Roger Federer's all-time

record of 20 Grand Slam titles.

For world number one Djokovic, the defeat

ended his hopes of an 18th Slam and of

becoming the first man since Rod Laver in

1969 to win all four majors twice.

World number two Nadal claimed his 100th

match win at Roland Garros against just two

defeats since his 2005 debut.

In Women's doubles, Timea Babos and

Kristina Mladenovic retained their French

Open title.

With this, Babos and Mladenovic, who were

withdrawn from the US Open due to COVID-

19 protocols, have now won four Grand Slam

doubles title together.

Polish teenager Iga Swiatek becomes the new

French Open Champion

In Tennis, Polish teenager Iga Swiatek has become

the new French Open Champion.

She beat the American Australian Open

winner Sofia Kenin in the Women Singles

final by 6-4, 6-1.

The 19-year-old Swiatek will earn

$1,900,000 for the incredible achievement

and moves to 17th position in the world

ranking.

Earlier, Sofia Kenin left the court due to

injury and could not play her natural game

after returning on the court.

Five players from Indian Judo Team to

participate in Grand Slam 2020 competition

Five players from the Indian Judo Team will be

participating in the Grand Slam 2020 competition, an

International Judo Federation event happening in

Budapest, Hungary from 23rd to 26th this month.

The five judokas, consisting of two women

and three men players, will leave for the

competition on 19th.

The women’s team includes 25-year-old

Sushila Devi 48 kg from Manipur and 22-

year-old Tulika Mann 78 kg of Delhi.

The men’s team comprises former Olympian

and 28-year-old Avtar Singh 100 kg, 22-year-

old TOPS developmental group athlete

Jasleen Singh Saini 66 kg from Punjab and

24-year-old Vijay Yadav 60 kg.

National Shooting Camp for core Olympic

shooters to take place at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting

Range for two months starting Oct 15

National Shooting Camp for core Olympic shooters

will be taking place at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting

Range, New Delhi for a period of two months

starting 15th of October.

In order to maintain a secure bio-bubble

whereby the athletes can train safely and to

prevent a Coronavirus outbreak, the

responsibility of maintaining the Standard

Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be shared

by the Sports Authority of India and the

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

The NRAI will make boarding and lodging

arrangements at a hotel nearby the venue, for

which SAI will provide support as per

existing norms.

From the hotel to the entry to the shooting

range, it will be the responsibility of the

NRAI to maintain the SOP in order to keep a

secure bio-bubble.

Mohun Bagan receive I-League trophy, 7 months

after clinching title

More than seven months after Mohun Bagan

clinched the 2019-20 I-League title, they were

handed over the trophy.

Bagan won it when they clinched a 1-0 win

over Aizawl on March 10 this year.

The I-League, is one of the two coexisting

premier football leagues in India along with

Indian Super League.

Nozomi Okuhara clinches Women's Singles title

at Denmark Open

In Badminton, former World Champion Nozomi

Okuhara clinched the Denmark Open title beating

three-time world champion Carolina Marin in

women's singles.

The Japanese star took 56 minutes to get the

better of the Olympic gold medallist Spaniard

in two games 21-19, 21-17. With reign

PV Sindhu of India opting to sit out the event,

two of her biggest rivals made it through to

the final.

In the men's singles final, world number

seven Anders Antonsen of Denmark defeated

his compatriot Rasmus Gemke by 18-21, 21-

19, 21-12.

Elavenil wins gold, Shahu Mane silver in Sheikh

Russel International Air Rifle Championship

World number one Indian Elavenil Valarivan won a

gold medal and Shahu Tushar Mane bagged a silver

in the Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle

Championship.

The championship was organised by

Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation

(BSSF).

In the 60-shot competition in which shooters

from six nations participated, including hosts

Bangladesh and India, Elavenil shot a modest

627.5 to come out on top.

Shiori Hirata won the silver with 622.6, while

Indonesian Vidya Toyyiba took the bronze

with 621.1.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju Attends Y20

Summit Virtually

Union Minister of Youth and Sports Kiren Rijiju

attended the Youth-20 (Y20) Summit being held

virtually in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Y20 Youth Summit is a youth-led event

bringing young leaders from across G20

countries to discuss and debate the G20

Leaders' agenda.

The Summit concludes with the drafting of

the Y20 communique.

Indian side emphasized on galvanizing the

youth to take on the challenges set forth by

the worldwide COVID 19 Pandemic.

The theme of the Summit was “Government

– Youth dialogue on post-COVID-19

opportunities”.

Lewis Hamilton wins Portuguese Grand Prix

2020

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won

the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, held on 25 October

2020.

This was the 12th round of the 2020 Formula

One World Championship.

This is Hamilton’s 8th win of the season and

92nd career race victory.

With this win he has surpassed the record of

91 wins set by German great Michael

Schumacher.

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes- Finland) came

second followed by Max Verstappen (Red

Bull – Netherlands) at third spot.

Senior BJD leader Pradeep Maharathy passes

away at 65

Pradeep Maharathy, a Biju Janata Dal legislator from

Pipili, died after he tested positive for the

coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

He suffered from comorbidities such as

diabetes and hypertension.

He became the first sitting MLA in the state

to have succumbed to the disease.

The seven-time MLA and former minister

had been on ventilator support since.

At least 47 MLAs of the 147-member Odisha

assembly, including deputy Speaker

Rajanikanta Singh and several ministers,

have tested positive for Covid-19.

Social activist Pushpa Bhave passes away at 81 in

Mumbai

Veteran social activist Pushpa Bhave passed away in

Mumbai following a prolonged illness. She was 81.

She has been associated with the Rashtra

Seva Dal and democratic movements since

her student days.

She was also an academician and an

intellectual, who fought for the rights of

common citizens.

She had taken part in the Samyukta

Maharashtra movement and the Goa

liberation movement.

During the Emergency, she had offered her

home as shelter to underground political

workers.

Actress Mishti Mukherjee passes away

Actress Mishti Mukherjee has passed away due to

renal failure.

Mishti made her Bollywood debut as a lead

actress in Subhash Ghai's 2014 release,

"Kaanchi: The Unbreakable".

She had featured in a special appearance

dance number in the 2013 release "Main

Krishna Hoon" before that.

In a short career span, Mishti was also seen

in films such as "Great Grand Masti" (2016),

"Begum Jaan" (2017) and Manikarnika: The

Queen Of Jhansi" (2019), besides Bengali

and Telugu projects, and music videos.

Justice AS Dave, former Judge and acting CJ of

the Gujarat HC passes away

Former Acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High

Court Justice Anantkumar Surendraray Dave passed

away at the age of 62

Justice Dave was appointed as a Gujarat High

Court Judge in 2004 and was made

permanent in 2006.

He was appointed as an Acting Chief Justice

of the Gujarat High Court on November 14,

2018 and served until the present Chief

Justice Vikram Nath took over the helm in

September 2019.

Legendary rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen dies at

65

Eddie Van Halen, considered one of rock music’s

greatest guitar players, died of cancer.

Van Halen is among the top 20 best-selling

artists of all time and his band was inducted

into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 1972, with brother Alex on drums, Eddie

Van Halen formed the band that would

become Van Halen.

Michael Jackson's Thriller, whose iconic

Beat It featured a guitar solo from Eddie Van

Halen.

Rolling Stone magazine put Eddie Van Halen

at No 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

Former CBI director Ashwani Kumar passed

away

Former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland and ex-

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director

Ashwani Kumar was found dead at his residence in

Shimla.

Kumar was in service in both the central

government and the Himachal Pradesh state

government for more than 37 years.

Kumar, who joined the Indian Police Service

in 1973, took over the reins of the office of

the Director-General of Police (DGP) of the

Himachal Pradesh in August 2006.

After two years, Kumar was appointed to the

sensitive post of CBI Director.

He was sworn-in as the Governor of

Nagaland on March 21, 2013 and as

Governor of Manipur on July 29, 2013.

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passes away

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan passed away in

New Delhi. He was 74.

The Lok Janshakti Party founder and

Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and

Public Distribution had recently undergone a

heart operation at a private hospital.

He was elected to Lok Sabha eight times and

also held the record of winning his

constituency, Hajipur, with the highest

margin for several years.

He started his political career as a member of

Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected to

the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969.

Later, Paswan joined Lok Dal upon its

formation in 1974 and became its general

secretary.

He opposed the emergency and was arrested

during the period.

He entered the Lok Sabha in 1977, as a Janata

Party member from Hajipur constituency,

was chosen again 1980, 1989, 1996 and

1998, 1999, 2004, and 2014.

First woman chief justice of Kerala KK Usha

passes away

Former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court,

Justice KK Usha, passed away.

She became the first woman to join the High

Court Judiciary from the Bar and became a

Chief Justice.

She was India’s representative at the United

Nations’ Joint Seminar on ‘Convention on

the elimination of all forms of discrimination

as regards women’, organised by the

International Federation of Women Lawyers

and the International Federation of Women

of Legal Careers.

She was a member and the President of the

University Women’s Association.

She was involved in ‘Sree Narayana Sevika

Samajam’, an orphanage and home for

destitute women.

Nagaland Environment Minister C M Chang

passes away

Nagaland Minister for Environment, Forest and

Climate Change and Justice and Law C.M. Chang

passed away.

State Health officials confirmed that Chang

died of COVID-19.

He was the sitting MLA of NDPP from 51-

Noksen Assembly Constituency.

Kaumudi Munshi, The Nightingale Of Gujarat

passes away

Legendary singer Kaumudi Munshi, known as the

‘Nightingale of Gujarat’, passed away.

Her contribution to make ‘Sugam Sangeet’

popular to the masses will be remembered by

generations of music lovers.

She tested positive for Covid-19 and was

hospitalized

Some of her songs in Gujarati that are popular

even today are ‘Sachi re maari satre bhavani

maa’, and ‘koi aghe aghe thi venu vai che’.

Charlie Moore, 1952 Olympic 400 hurdles

champion pass away

Charlie Moore, the 400-meter hurdles champion at

the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, has died.

Moore died from pancreatic cancer,

according to World Athletics.

Moore won the 400 hurdles in the rain in

1952 in 50.8 seconds to tie the Olympic

record he set in the quarterfinals.

Moore also earned a silver medal in Helsinki

on the United States’ 1,600-meter relay team.

After the Olympics, he set a world record of

51.6 in the 440 hurdles at the British Empire

Games in London.

Eminent Kuchipudi dancer Shobha Naidu passes

away

Well-known Kuchipudi classical dancer and Guru,

Shobha Naidu passed away.

A disciple of eminent Guru Vempati Chinna

Satyam, Shobha Naidu performed with her

guru's troupe across the world and brought

laurels to the country.

In recognition of her services, the

Government of India presented her Padma

Shri Award in 2001.

Thousands of her disciples are now practising

and performing Kuchipudi classical dance

forms world over.

India's first Oscar winner Costume designer

Bhanu Athaiya passes away

India's first Oscar winner Costume designer Bhanu

Athaiya died.

Kolhapur-born Athaiya, who was active till

just five years ago, began her career as a

costume designer in Hindi cinema with Guru

Dutt's 1956 superhit "C.I.D.". She went on to

work in over 100 films.

She jointly won the Academy Award for Best

Costume Design with John Mollo, for

Richard Attenborough's “Gandhi”. The

lavish biopic of Mahatma Gandhi swept the

Oscars with eight awards.

In 2012, Athaiya returned her Oscar to the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

Sciences for safe keeping.

Renowned Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan

Namboothiri passes away

Renowned Malayalam poet and Jnanpith laureate

Mahakavi Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri passed

away.

Recently, he was conferred with the Jnanpith

award, the highest literary award in the

country.

Popularly known as Akkitham, his

''Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam'' (Epic of

the 20th Century) is considered as one of the

first truly modernist poems in Malayalam

literature.

Among the numerous awards which came his

way are Padma Shri, Ezhuthachan Award,

Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala

Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry,

Odakkuzhal Award, Vallathol Award and the

Vayalar Award.

Well-known cricket journalist and commentator

Kishore Bhimani passes away

Veteran sports journalist and Cricket commentator,

Kishore Bhimani, has passed away. He was 80.

Bhimani was a leading cricket commentator

in the Eighties and Nineties and is best

remembered for being on air during the tied

Test of 1986 between India and Australia in

Chepauk, Chennai.

He had received a lifetime achievement

award for his decades long contribution in the

fields of media and commentary in 2013.

First woman IAF Officer Vijayalakshmi

Ramanan (retd) passes away

Wing Commander (Retd) Dr Vijayalakshmi

Ramanan, the first woman officer to be

commissioned in the Indian Air Force, has passed

away due to old age ailments. She was 96.

Dr Ramanan was commissioned in the Army

Medical Corps on August 22, 1955 and was

promoted to the rank of Wing Commander in

August 1972. She served as an obstetrician

and gynaecologist at various Air Force

Hospitals.

She was honoured with the Vishist Seva

Medal five years later. She had retired in

February, 1979.

Veteran Assam Economist Dr Jayanta Madhab

passes away

The renowned Assamese economist, Dr. Jayanta

Madhab, has passed away due to heart ailments and

diabetes. He was 91.

Dr Madhab served as the economic advisor

from 2003-2009, to the Government of

Assam during the tenure of former Chief

Minister Tarun Gogoi.

He was also the founder and first Chairman

of North Eastern Development Finance

Corporation Ltd (NEDFi).

He had served as a director at the Asian

Development Bank (ADB).

Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee passes away At

78

Lee Kun-hee, the chairman of South Korea’s largest

conglomerate, Samsung Group, has passed away.

Lee helped to transform Samsung from a

small trading business to become the world’s

largest producer of smartphones and memory

chips.

The firm’s overall turnover today is

equivalent to a fifth of South Korea’s GDP.

Lee was also the richest person in South

Korea, according to Forbes, with a net worth

of nearly $21bn (£16bn).

Veteran Gujarati Singer Mahesh Kanodia passes

away

Veteran Gujarati film musician, singer and former

Lok Sabha MP from Patan constituency Mahesh

Kanodia has passed away following prolonged

illness.

He was a member of the 10th, 11th, 12th and

14th Lok Sabha from Patan constituency of

North Gujarat.

His contribution in Gujarati Cinema was

spread over more than four decades.

He was known for singing in 32 different

voices including female voices.

He was awarded for Best Music for the

Gujarati films Jigar ane Ami, Tanariri, Jog

Sanjog and Laju Lakhan.

Gujarati film superstar & actor-turned-politician

Naresh Kanodia passes away

Gujarati film superstar and actor-turned-politician

Naresh Kanodia passed away. He was 77.

He was suffering from COVID infection along with

other comorbidities.

Kanodia represented Karjan Assembly seat

from 2002 to 2007. He worked in more than

100 Gujarati films.

He along with his brother Mahesh Kumar-

who passed away just two days ago, used to

run the highly successful orchestra Mahesh-

Naresh & Party.

Former Gujarat CM Keshubhai Patel passes

away at 92

Former chief minister of Gujarat Keshubhai Patel

passed away at the age of 92.

He had tested positive for coronavirus last

month and was admitted at a hospital in

Ahmedabad.

Patel served as the chief minister of Gujarat

in 1995 and from 1998 to 2001, after which

he was replaced by Narendra Modi.

He quit the BJP and launched his own

political party - Gujarat Parivartan Party - in

2012.

He was a member of Gujarat Legislative

Assembly six times.

Minister for DoNER Dr Jitendra Singh releases

Coffee Table Book on Discovering Heritage of

Assam

Minister for Development of North Eastern Region,

DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh released a Coffee Table

Book on Discovering the Heritage of Assam, with

foreword by Amitabh Bachchan and published by

Penguin.

The voluminous coffee table book with

pictures and photographs presents an

absorbing compilation of heritage, faith,

beliefs and traditions of different ethnic tribes

and subtribes living in the largest State of the

North Eastern Region.

The book has been written by IRS officer

Padampani Bora who has over the years

established himself as an accomplished

author, specializing in the subjects reflecting

diverse nuances of the North Eastern Region

of India.

Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia launches a

book “Bapu-The unforgettable”

On the occasion of the 151st Birth Anniversary of

Mahatma Gandhi, the Deputy Chief Minister of

Delhi, Manish Sisodia has launched the coffee-table

book titled “Babu – The Unforgettable” over the

virtual event.

This virtual event was organised by the Delhi

Archives & Department of Art, Culture and

Language, Government of Delhi.

The department also organised a webinar on

“Footprints of Gandhi Ji in Delhi”.

Anand Neelakantan pens debut kids’ book “The

Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for

Kids”

“Baahubali” series author Anand Neelakantan has

written his debut book in the children’s space which

tells some of the most hilarious stories about child

asuras and their antics.

Puffin has published “The Very, Extremely,

Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids”, which

has full-colour illustrations accompanying

the narrative.

The stories are interspersed with funny songs

and poems making the book a read-aloud as

well as a bedtime companion.

PM Modi releases autobiography of Dr.

Balasaheb Vikhe Patil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases the

autobiography of Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and

rename Pravara Rural Education Society as ‘Loknete

Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Pravara Rural Education

Society’.

Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil served as Member

of Lok Sabha for multiple terms.

His autobiography is titled ‘Deh Vechwa

Karani’ which means ‘dedicating one’s life

for a noble cause’.

Pravara Rural Education Society was

established in 1964 at Loni in Ahmednagar

district, with the aim to provide world class

education to the rural masses and empower

the girl child.

The Society is currently serving with the core

mission of educational, social, economical,

cultural, physical and psychological

development of students.

Shashi Tharoor announces book titled ‘The Battle

of Belonging’

Renowned Author and Politician, Shashi Tharoor is

set to release his new book titled “The Battle of

Belonging” is set to be released in November 2020.

The book is published by Aleph Book

Company.

Shashi Tharoor described this book as his

“magnum opus” on the Theory, evolution and

practice of Nationalism across the globe and

especially in India.

The book appears to be an extension of his

book “Why I Am a Hindu”.

NK Singh launches his autobiography ‘Portraits

Of Power’

Veteran Economist and bureaucrat N K (Nand

Kishore) Singh has released his autobiography titled

“Portraits of Power: Half a Century of Being at

Ringside”.

Singh is currently serving as the Chairman of

the 15th Finance Commission.

The book portrays the life of NK Singh who

played an active role in the development of

the Indian economy.

The book portrays NK Singhs’s stents from

1964 when he joined the Indian

Administrative Service(IAS), serving in

higher positions of the Indian Government

before entering politics as a member of Rajya

Sabha.

Book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories

from 1984” authored by Sarbpreet Singh

A book titled “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories

from 1984″ authored by Sarbpreet Singh.

The author Sarbpreet Singh’s recounts the

Sikh massacre of 1984 in this book.

The book is a fictionalised version of real

happenings comprising just eight chapters.

It shows the events of 1984 through the prism

of many lives & impact on Sikhs.

UP Governor releases 'science toon' book on

COVID-19 pandemic

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel released

the world's first scientoon book” – “Bye Bye

Corona”.

The book has been written by ‘scientoonist’

Dr Pradeep Srivastava, former Senior

Principal Scientist at CSIR-Central Drug

Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow.

The book contains information regarding the

novel coronavirus, its symptoms and ways to

prevent it. The book highlights the methods

of dealing with the virus in day to day life.

October English Quiz 2020

Q. International Day of Older Persons is observed

every year on _________.

29 September

30 September

01 October

02 October

03 October

Q. The WHO has advised that a country needs

_________ tests per day per million population.

50

70

140

200

320

Q. India successfully test-fired BrahMos supersonic

cruise missile with several indigenous features.

BrahMos missile has been developed by India in

collaboration with _________.

France

US

Japan

Russia

Israel

Q. Recently, India has established an Air Bubble

arrangement with Kenya & Bhutan. What is the

capital of Kenya?

Dodoma

Nairobi

Addis Ababa

Abuja

None of these

Q. Which of the following zone of Indian railways

recently launched “Operation My Saheli” for safety

of lady passengers?

South Eastern Railway

Eastern Railway

East Central Railway

East Coast Railway

Northern Railway

Q. In Bihar, notification for the First Phase of State

Assembly Elections was issued. State Assembly

Elections in Bihar will be carried out in _________

phases.

2

3

4

5

6

Q. Recently, a circle of India Post will release

picture postcards on Sawantwadi Toys. Sawantwadi

Toys are associated with which of the following

states?

Bihar

Odisha

Assam

Maharashtra

Gujarat

Q. Which of the following state’s Chief Minister

recently presented the ‘Anundoram Borooah Award

2020’ to students who scored above 75% in 10th

exams?

Bihar

Assam

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Nagaland

Q. Which of the following bank has launched a

green initiative ‘IB-eNote’ that enables a totally

paperless working environment?

Axis Bank

HDFC Bank

Canara Bank

Indian Bank

None of the above

Q. Who among the following recently launched the

new logo of Sports Authority of India’s (SAI)?

Amit Shah

Prahlad Singh Patel

Kiren Rijiju

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Ramesh Pokhriyal

Q. Which of the following country will send out the

world’s first mining robot into space by November

this year?

US

Japan

France

China

India

Q. Indian Coast Guard Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS

'Kanaklata Barua' has been commissioned in

__________.

Mumbai

Kochi

Puri

Kolkata

Chennai

Q. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has

revised the ideal weight of men to_________.

62kg

65kg

66kg

68kg

70kg

Q. Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his

151st birth anniversary. Mahatma Gandhi returned to

India in_________, after spending 21 years of his life

in South Africa.

1912

1915

1904

1917

1910

Q. Nation paid tributes to former Prime Minister Lal

Bahadur Shastri on his 116th birth anniversary on 02

October. Which of the following statement is true

about Lal Bahadur Shastri?

A. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the 3rd Prime Minister

of India.

B. During his tenure as the Prime Minister, the posts

of Sadar-e-Riyasat and Wazir in J&K were abolished

and replaced with the positions of Governor and the

Chief Minister.

C. He gave the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan".

A only

B only

A and B

B and C

A, B and C

Q. Recently, DRDO has tested the indigenously

developed Laser Guided ATGM. T in ATGM stands

for

Time

Tank

Truck

Transport

None of these

Q. What is the length of the world's longest highway

tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’?

7.32km

7.82km

8.22km

9.02km

9.82km

Q. World Postcard Day is observed every year on

_________.

30 September

01 October

02 October

03 October

04 October

Q. Recently, Tamil Nadu & Arunachal Pradesh has

been integrated under One Nation One Ration Card

Scheme. After the integration of these two states the

number of states/UT under ONOR has been

increased to _________.

24

25

28

30

31

Q. Which of the following city has been ranked

number one in crime against women according to the

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)?

Pune

Kolkata

Delhi

Mumbai

Jaipur

Q. Which of the following state government has

recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding -

MoU with Denmark in the water sector?

Bihar

Punjab

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Kerala

Q. Which of the following bank has signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) to empower the

SME segment through awareness and knowledge-

sharing programmes?

HDFC Bank

ICICI Bank

Yes Bank

Indian Bank

None of these

Q. United States President Donald Trump

announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump

had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Trump

has been serving as the ________ president of the

US?

41st

42nd

43rd

44th

45th

Q. Recently, The United States announced over a

dozen sanctions against Syrian individuals and

entities to further pressure the Syrian government.

What is the capital of Syria?

Mogadishu

Khartoum

Damascus

Addis Ababa

Tripoli

Q. __________ and Azerbaijan have been battling

over a piece of land situated in the mountainous

region of south Caucasus.

Libya

Turkey

Lebanon

Armenia

Egypt

Q. Who among the following has recently launched

the largest market of tribal products ‘Tribes India E-

Marketplace’?

Amit Shah

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Arjun Munda

Prakash Javadekar

None of these

Q. According to the recent government

announcement, Till date, about _________ of the

cities across the country have become Open

Defecation Free, ODF.

75%

81%

85%

93%

97%

Q. ISRO is scheduled to launch its Venus mission in

the year _________.

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

Q. What is the name given of the webinar organised

by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

(MoHUA) to celebrate six years of Swachh Bharat

Mission-Urban on Gandhi Jayanti?

Swachh Bharat, Swachh Man

Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal

Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat

Lakshay 100 Pritashat

None of these

Q. Which of the following has became the first state

in the country to undertake over one crore tests to

screen Coronavirus?

Maharashtra

Karnataka

Uttar Pradesh

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Q. Recently, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V

Sadananda Gowda launched POS 3.1 software, SMS

Gateway and home delivery facility of fertilisers for

farmers in __________.

Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Bihar

Punjab

Q. Which of the following has recently announced

the launch of its nationwide campaign “Make Small

Strong” in order to help support small businesses?

Amazon India

Paytm

Google India

TCS

Facebook

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as

the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the State Bank

of India (SBI)?

Shyam Srinivasan

Pallav Mohapatra

Charanjit Singh Attra

Atul Kumar Goel

None of these

Q. Which of the following state has won the first

position in Swachh Sundar Samudayak Shouchalaya

category in Swachh Bharat Awards 2020?

Andhra Pradesh

Bihar

Gujarat

Telangana

Assam

Q. World Animal Day is observed every year on

_______.

01 October

02 October

03 October

04 October

05 October

Q. ‘Bongosagar’ is a naval exercise between

Bangladesh and _________.

Myanmar

India

China

Indonesia

None of these

Q. What is the length of World’s longest Highway

tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’?

8.35 km

8.82 km

9.02 km

9.56 km

10.60 km

Q. Government has decided to waive compound

interest on loans up to ___________ for six-months

due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rs 1 crore

Rs 1.5 crore

Rs 2 crore

Rs 5 crore

Rs 10 crore

Q. India will signs USD 90 million defence deal

with which of the following country to buy spares for

C-130J Super Hercules aircraft?

France

Russia

Israel

US

Japan

Q. Which of the following organisation has decided

to launch a refinance scheme for Water, Sanitisation

and Hygiene (WASH) programme?

ISRO

DRDO

NABARD

NITI Aayog

None of these

Q. Visnu Shivaraj Pandian is associated with which

of the following sorts?

Shooting

Golf

Football

Badminton

Tennis

Q. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju

flagged in CRPF Divyang Yodha Cycle rally from

Sabarmati Ashram, Gujarat to Rajpath. Who among

the following is the current Director General of

CRPF?

A P Maheshwari

Surjeet Singh Deswal

Arvind Kumar

G. Satheesh Reddy

None of these

Q. Recently, Pradeep Maharathy passed away. He

was a/an ________.

Cricketer

Painter

Politician

Journalist

None of these

Q. Recently, Pushpa Bhave passed away. She was

a/an _________.

Journalist

Cartoonist

Social activist

Politician

None of these

Q. World Teachers’ Day is observed every year on

_________.

01 October

02 October

03 October

04 October

05 October

Q. PM Modi pays tributes to Shyamji Krishna

Varma on his birth anniversary. He was a /an

________.

Politician

Scientist

Freedom Fighter

Mountaineer

None of these

Q. Recently, India successfully test-fired a new

version of nuclear-capable Shaurya Missile. It can

strike targets at around________.

200 kms

500 kms

800 kms

1,200 kms

1,500 kms

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the

‘RAISE 2020’ summit. ‘RAISE 2020’ is associated

with?

New Education Policy

GST Returns

Artificial Intelligence

Defence Products

None of these

Q. Which of the following state/UT is organisting

'Corona Intensive Community Survey Campaign'?

Bihar

New Delhi

Maharashtra

Chhattisgarh

Gujarat

Q. Recently, Ashthal Bridge has been inaugurated

in which of the following state/UT?

Jammu and Kashmir

Himachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh

Assam

Nagaland

Q. Which of the following state/UT has recently

launched ‘Kritagyata’ for online pension

submission and tracking?

Bihar

Assam

Telangana

Kerala

None of these

Q. Who among the following is named as the

highest-paid female actor in the world?

Julie Bowen

Scarlett Johansson

Sofia Vergara

Elizabeth Olsen

Jennifer Lawrence

Q. Recently, Mishti Mukherjee passed away. She

was a/an ________.

Novelist

Social activist

Actress

Journalist

Poet

Q. Recently, Minister for Development of North

Eastern Region, DoNER, released a Coffee Table

Book on Discovering the Heritage of Assam, with

foreword by Amitabh Bachchan. Who among the

following is the current minister of DoNER?

Shripad Naik

Harsh Vardhan

Jitendra Singh

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

None of these

Q. World Habitat Day 2020 was observed on

___________.

2 October

3 October

4 October

5 October

6 October

Q. On the NG-14 mission, A commercial cargo

spacecraft reached the International Space Station

(ISS) carrying approximately 3,630 kilograms of

cargo to the station. The aircraft has been named after

the astronaut ________.

Rakesh Sharma

Sunita Williams

Kalpana Chawla

Laurel Clark

None of these

Q. The 12th BRICS Summit will be held on 17th

November 2020 via video conference under the

chairmanship of ________.

Brazil

India

China

Russia

South Africa

Q. On the conclusion of the 42nd GST Council meet,

the Centre has decided to disburse

nearly___________ among the states from the

amount collected as compensation cess this year.

5 thousand crore rupees

10 thousand crore rupees

15 thousand crore rupees

20 thousand crore rupees

30 thousand crore rupees

Q. Recently, India successfully tested the ‘SMART’

Torpedo release from Wheeler Island off the coast of

Odisha. S in SMART stands for _________.

Sided

Supersonic

Secondary

Screen

Satellite

Q. India has recently agreed to operationalisation of

the Sittwe port based in _________.

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Myanmar

Indonesia

Vietnam

Q. Which of the following state/UT has launched the

‘Yudh Pradushan ke Virudh’ campaign against air

pollution ahead of winter?

Haryana

Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi

Punjab

Bihar

Q. Which of the following airport has become the

first airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI)

which is entirely solar-powered?

Puducherry airport

Hyderabad airport

Pune airport

Guwahati airport

None of these

Q. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has

entered into an MoU with___________ to onboard

street food vendors on its e-commerce platform.

Zomato

Uber Eats

Swiggy

Ola

Phone Pe

Q. Recently, Anantkumar Surendraray Dave passed

away. Dave served as the Chief Justice of the

________ High Court.

Assam

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

None of these

Q. World Cotton Day is observed every year on

_________.

05 October

06 October

07 October

08 October

09 October

Q. In October 2020, the foreign ministers of the

QUAD-India, USA, Japan, Australia meet in

_________.

New Delhi

Tokyo

New York

Sydney

Melbourne

Q. In October 2020, NCERT has partnered with

_________, to make education materials accessible

for Deaf children in their preferred format of

communication, Indian Sign Language.

Indian Sign Language Research And Training

Centre

Zabaan School for Languages

Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute For

Persons with Physical Disabilities

Association of Sign Language Interpreters

None of these

Q. Which of the following state government has

announced a Digital Seva Setu Programme for the

rural areas?

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Assam

Gujarat

Karnataka

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as

the Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation

Security (BCAS)?

M A Ganapathy

V S K Kaumudi

Surjeet Singh Deswal

S N Shrivastava

None of these

Q. In October 2020, Who among the following has

been named as the new members of the Monetary

Policy Committee?

Ashima Goyal

Jayanth R Varma

Shashanka Bhide

A and B

A, B and C

Q. Who among the following has been named as the

chairman of State Bank of India (SBI)?

S. S. Mallikarjuna Rao

Prashant Kumar

Dinesh Kumar Khara

Sanjiv Chadha

None of these

Q. Who among the following has won the 2020

Nobel Prize in Physics?

Roger Penrose

Reinhard Genzel

Andrea Ghez

A and B

A, B and C

Q. Recently, Eddie Van Halen passed away. He was

a/an _________.

Actor

Footballer

Guitarist

Writer

None of these

Q. Who among the following recently released the

book “Bapu-The unforgettable”?

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Smriti Irani

Manish Sisodia

Prakash Javadekar

Amit Shah

Q. Which of the following country has recently test

fired new hypersonic ‘TSIRKON’ missile?

Russia

China

USA

France

North Korea

Q. Which of the following statements is/are true?

A. Indian Air Force Day is celebrated every year on

8th of October.

B. This year Indian Air Force celebrated its 88th

anniversary.

C. Indian Air Force was officially established on 8

October 1932 as the Royal Indian Air Force.

D. The name was changed to Indian Air Force in

1961.

A and B

A and C

A, B and C

A, B and D

A, B, C and D

Q. India’s premium cotton would be known as

__________ in the world cotton trade.

Shakti Cotton

Tejas Cotton

Kasturi Cotton

Reshmi Cotton

Tej Cotton

Q. Which of the following has become the first state

to cap the prices of face masks?

Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

Assam

Maharashtra

Telangana

Q. In October 2020, the Union Cabinet approves

signing of Memorandum of cooperation in field of

cyber-security between India & _________.

Australia

New Zealand

Japan

Russia

France

Q. Centre for Development of Advanced Computing

(C-DAC) will commission India’s fastest

Supercomputer named as ___________.

PARAM Siddhi - AI

Pratyush- AI

Supernova X400

Supernova Padma-AI

None of these

Q. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

launched the integration of API (application

programming interface) of various banks with

SVANidhi portal. To begin with, the ministry started

with _________ .

State Bank of India

HDFC Bank

ICICI Bank

Punjab National Bank

None of these

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as

the new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of

India?

MA Ganapathy

Tarun Bajaj

Ashima Goyal

Dinesh Kumar Khara

M Rajeshwar Rao

Q. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna for

__________.

for the phage display of peptides and antibodies

for the directed evolution of enzymes

for the design and synthesis of molecular machines

for the development of a method for genome

editing

None of these

Q. Recently, Ashwani Kumar passed away. He

served as the __________.

Director of Central Bureau of Investigation

Chairman of planning commission

Deputy governor of RBI

Finance secretary

None of these

Q. World Post Day is observed every year on

_________.

7 October

8 October

9 October

10 October

11 October

Q. Which of the following part of the world has been

affected by hurricane Delta?

Korean peninsula

Gulf of Mexico

South China Sea

Indonesia

Madagascar

Q. The Prime Minister of Kuwait Sabah Al Khalid

Al Sabah recently submitted his resignation to Emir

Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah. What is the

currency of Kuwait?

Dirham

Riyal

Dinar

Pound

Peseta

Q. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

inaugurated the state’s largest oxygen production

plant in _________.

Jhansi

Ghaziabad

Azamgarh

Gorakhpur

Varanasi

Q. The Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly

Monetary Policy statement kept the key interest rates

unchanged. The current repo rate stands at

________.

3.55%

4.50%

3.35%

3.15%

4.15%

Q. Which of the following banks has recently

launched an online Business Mentoring Programme

‘MSME Prerana’, for MSMEs?

HDFC Bank

State Bank of India

Indian Bank

Axis Bank

None of the above

Q. Which of the following bank has launched a co-

branded forex card with Vistara airlines that can load

up to 16 currencies?

IndusInd Bank

Axis Bank

Kotak Mahindra Bank

Yes Bank

None of the above

Q. For the FY21, The World Bank expects India’s

economy to contract _________.

7.2%

7.7%

8.4%

9.6%

10.4%

Q. Who among the following bank has been

appointed as the managing director (MD) and Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) of India Post Payments

Bank?

Anubrata Biswas

J Venkatramu

Sandeep Tandon

Kunal Shah

None of the above

Q. Who among the following has won the Nobel

Prize for Literature 2020?

Emmanuelle Charpentier

Jennifer Doudna

Louise Glück

Reinhard Genzel

Andrea Ghez

Q. World Mental Health Day is observed every year on

________.

08 October

09 October

10 October

11 October

12 October

Q. China has formally joined COVAX, the global

initiative for COVID-19 vaccine. COVAX facility is led

by ________.

World Bank

World Health Organisation

International Committee of the Red Cross

World Trade Organization

None of these

Q. The world famous Jog falls in Karnataka will get a

face lift at a cost of Rs. 120 crore. Jog falls is on _______

river.

Indravati

Sabari

Sharavati

Malaprabha

None of these

Q. Railway service across the historic Pamban bridge has

been suspended till further notice. Pamban bridge is in

________.

Andhra Pradesh

Kerala

Maharashtra

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka

Q. Recently, Union Minister of Social Justice &

Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated

the virtual “International conference on Mental Health:

Looking Beyond COVID 19” through video

conferencing. The conference was organised in

partnership with ________.

France

Japan

Australia

UAE

US

Q. Who among the following has recently inaugurated

the Gyan Circle Ventures developed by the Indian

Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Chittoor,

Andhra Pradesh.

Harsh Vardhan

Nitin Gadkari

Ramesh Pokhriyal

Prakash Javadekar

None of these

Q. In October 2020, Which of the following has

partnered with ‘Indian Railway Catering and Tourism

Corporation’ (IRCTC), to book reserved train tickets on

its platform.

My Jio

Amazon

Flipkart

Google Pay

None of these

Q. Jordan's King Abdullah II designated his chief policy

adviser Bishr al-Khasawneh as Prime Minister. What is

the capital of Jordan?

Amman

Beirut

Damascus

Tripoli

None of these

Q. Who among the following has been reappointed as the

chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India

(AMFI)?

Akash Pandey

Nilesh Shah

Rajdeep Kumar

Amitabh Rastogi

None of these

Q. Who among the following will be conferred the

prestigious Sarala Puraskar by the Odisha government?

Radhanath Ray

Nityanand Nayak

Reba Ray

Kunjan Nambiar

None of these

Q. International Day of the Girl Child is observed

every year on __________.

09 October

10 October

11 October

12 October

13 October

Q. World Migratory Bird Day is observed every

year on _______.

09 October

10 October

11 October

12 October

13 October

Q. National Postal Day is observed every year on

________.

09 October

10 October

11 October

12 October

13 October

Q. Recently the Coastal Security Exercise- 'Sagar

Kavach'- was conducted on the coasts of

__________.

Kerala

Karnataka

Lakshadweep

Gujarat

A, B and C

Q. Which of the following state government has

launched the ‘Mukhya Mantri Saur Swarojgar

Yojana’ for self-employment by solar energy

farming?

Assam

Jharkhand

Odisha

Uttarakhand

Madhya Pradesh

Q. Which of the following state government has

launched the ‘Jagananna Vidya Kanuka’ scheme to

distribute school kits?

Karnataka

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Andhra Pradesh

Telangana

Q. Who among the following gets additional charge

of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs after the death

of Ram Vilas Paswan?

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Nitin Gadkari

Piyush Goyal

Smriti Irani

None of these

Q. The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman

Mukesh Ambani has topped the Forbes India Rich

list for ________ consecutive year.

5th

7th

8th

10th

13th

Q. Chetan Anand is associated with which of the

following sports?

Football

Tennis

Table tennis

Badminton

Chess

Q. Recently KK Usha passed away. She served as

the first woman chief justice of _________ high

court?

Kerala High Court

Assam High Court

Karnataka High Court

Bombay High Court

Madras

Q. World Arthritis Day is observed every year on

_________.

10 October

11 October

12 October

13 October

14 October

Q. The Union Government has permitted export of Rose

Onions and Krishnapuram Onions of up to ten thousand

metric tonnes each. Rose Onions are grown in and around

________.

Indore

Aurangabad

Gandhinagar

Bangalore

Guwahati

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a

commemorative 100 rupee coin in the honour of Vijaya

Raje Scindia. Vijaya Raje Scindia is popularly known as

the Rajmata of ________.

Udaipur

Hyderabad

Gwalior

Jaipur

None of these

Q. Which of the following ship has been awarded Best

Ship trophy at the Fleet Award Function(FAF), 2020?

INS Sahyadri

INS Kora

INS Rajput

A and B

A, B and C

Q. Recently the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the

foundation stone of Nechiphu tunnel in ________.

Arunachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Leh

Sikkim

Meghalaya

Q. Recently eight beaches recommended by the

Government have got the coveted International Blueflag

Certification. The Blue Flag programme is operated under

the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental

Education, FEE and is headquartered in _________.

France

New Zealand

Denmark

Switzerland

UK

Q. On the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child

day, Who among the following got an opportunity to

serve as the British High Commissioner for a day?

Licypriya Kangujam

Chaitanya Venkateswaran

Nafisa Ali

Ridhima Pandey

Aditya Mukarji

Q. Who among the following recently won the Eifel

Grand Prix 2020?

Max Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo

Lewis Hamilton

Sebastian Vettel

None of these

won French Open Men's Singles title?

Alexander Zverev

Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer

Andy Murray

Q. Who among the following won French Open

Women's Singles title?

Sofia Kenin

Naomi Osaka

Iga Swiatek

Ashleigh Barty

None of these

Q. International Day for Disaster Reduction is

observed every year on ________.

11 October

12 October

13 October

14 October

15 October

Q. In October 2020, Which of the following

neighbouring country’s cabinet has approved capital

punishment for rape?

Nepal

Myanmar

Bhutan

Sri Lanka

Bangladesh

Q. Recently, the Asia Pacific Group of FATF kept

Pakistan on ‘enhanced follow-up list’ for slow

progress against terror financing. FATF is

headquartered in _________.

Geneva

Paris

Rome

Berlin

London

Q. Which of the following has become the first state

in the country to have high-tech classrooms in all its

public schools?

Rajasthan

Uttar Pradesh

Kerala

Bihar

Assam

Q. In October 2020, the Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman has announced a fiscally prudent

proposals to tune of _________ to boost demand.

Rs 45,000

Rs 55,000

Rs 61,000

Rs 73,000

Rs 92,000

Q. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has

reallocated portfolios of deputy governors. Who

among the following is not the current deputy

governor of RBI?

M Rajeshwar Rao.

MD Patra

MK Jain

Ajay Bhushan Pandey

BP Kanungo

Q. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has

been awarded jointly to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert

B. Wilson for _________.

for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of

market design

for their empirical analysis of asset prices

for improvements to auction theory and

inventions of new auction formats

for their contributions to behavioural economics

for their experimental approach to alleviating global

poverty

Q. Five players from Indian Judo Team will

participate in the Grand Slam 2020 competition.

Which of the following country is the host for the

Grand Slam 2020 competition?

Russia

Hungary

New Zealand

Canada

UAE

Q. Recently, C.M. Chang passed away. He was

serving as the Minister for Environment, Forest and

Climate Change and Justice and Law of _________.

Sikkim

Telangana

Kerala

Himachal Pradesh

Nagaland

Q. Recently PM Modi released the autobiography of

_________ titled as ‘Deh Vechwa Karani’?

Ashish Rajpal

Dr. Balasaheb Vikhe Patil

Sanjit Roy

Dr. Achyuta Samanta

None of these

Q. World Standards Day is observed every year on

__________.

12 October

13 October

14 October

15 October

16 October

Q. National Philately Day is observed every year on

__________.

12 October

13 October

14 October

15 October

16 October

Q. What is the name given to the Health Ministry’s

telemedicine initiative?

E-Paramarsh

E-Upchaar

E-Aushadhi

E-Sanjeevani

E-Upay

Q. On 16 October 2020, Prime Minister Narendra

Modi will release a commemorative coin of 75

rupees denomination to mark the 75th Anniversary

of_________.

World Wide Fund for Nature

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

Food and Agriculture Organization

International Committee of the Red Cross

None of these

Q. Recently, the government has agreed to extend the

subsidy of _________ on transportation of notified

fruits & vegetables through Kisan Rail trains.

10%

20%

25%

50%

75%

Q. Which of the following state police have started

an initiative to connect Banchhara and Kanjar

community with the mainstream of the society?

Uttar Pradesh

Odisha

Madhya Pradesh

Jharkhand

Maharashtra

Q. Recently, PepsiCo is setting up a greenfield potato

chips production unit in which of the following

districts of Uttar Pradesh?

Moradabad

Mathura

Jhansi

Lalitpur

Jaunpur

Q. Which of the following bank has announced the

launch of its ACE Credit Card in India in

collaboration with Google Pay and Visa.

HDFC Bank

Yes Bank

Axis Bank

IndusInd Bank

None of the above

Q. The National Shooting Camp for core Olympic

shooters to take place at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting

Range. Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range is in

________.

Hyderabad

Indore

New Delhi

Bhopal

Gandhinagar

Q. Recently, legendary singer Kaumudi Munshi

passed away. She was also known as Nightingale of

_________.

Maharashtra

Telangana

Assam

Gujarat

Nagaland

Q. International Day of Rural Women is observed

every year on ________.

13 October

14 October

15 October

16 October

17 October

Q. World Students’ Day is observed every year on

________.

13 October

14 October

15 October

16 October

17 October

Q. Which of the following country has been elected

as President of the International Solar Alliance?

France

India

UK

Mexico

Australia

Q. In October 2020, Exim Bank extended a $400

million soft loan to which of the following islands

nation to finance a connectivity project?

Madagascar

Trinidad and Tobago

Cuba

Maldives

Malta

Q. India has contributed one million dollars to the

United Nations Relief and Works Agency

(UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for

Palestine Refugees in the Near East is headquartered

in ________.

Amman

Lebanon

Cairo

Ankara

None of these

Q. Recently, The government has constituted a

panel of secretaries under the chairmanship of

____________ to streamline the spectrum allocation

process.

Rajiv Gauba

Pramod Kumar Mishra

Ajay Kumar Bhalla

Pradeep Kumar Sinha

None of these

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Dr.

APJ Abdul Kalam on the occasion of his Birth

Anniversary. Kalam served as the ________

president of India.

9th

10th

11th

12th

13th

Q. Which of the following state government has

recently launched ‘Sujal - Drink from Tap Mission’?

Bihar

Assam

Odisha

Jharkhand

West Bengal

Q. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has

given its in-principle approval to the demerger of

Nagarnar Steel Plant (NSP) from National Minerals

Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited. NSP is

being setup in _________.

Ahmednagar

Belgaum

Bastar

Rajkot

Asansol

Q. Recently, 1952 Olympic champion Charlie

Moore passed away. He was associated with which

of the following sports?

Pole vault

Hurdles

Javelin throw

Shot put

Fencing

Q. Well-known classical dancer and Guru, Shobha

Naidu passed away. She was associated with which

of the following dance forms?

Odissi

Kathak

Bharatanatyam

Kuchipudi

Mohiniyattam

Q. What is the theme of World Food Day 2020?

Family Farming

Social Protection and Agriculture

Our Actions Are Our Future

Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together

None of these

Q. Global Handwashing Day is observed every year

on _________.

14 October

15 October

16 October

17 October

18 October

Q. Which of the following country has recently

registered COVID-19 vaccine 'EpiVacCorona'?

China

USA

Russia

UK

France

Q. Recently, the Union Health Minister launched the

2nd phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna”.

Thalassemia is a disorder associated with

_________.

Liver

Eyes

Blood

Brain

Skin

Q. The Union Cabinet has approved Strengthening

Teaching-Learning and Results for States -STARS

project. STARS project is supported by ________.

New Development Bank

Asian Development Bank

World Bank

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

None of these

Q. The world's tallest statue ‘Statue of Unity’ will

be reopened for visitors from 17th October. Statue of

Unity has been designed by ________.

Dhruva Mistry

Anish Kapoor

Sankho Chaudhuri

Ram V Sutar

None of the above

Q. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin

Gadkari initiated simultaneous blasting for Zojila

Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The

tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between

Srinagar valley and Leh on_________.

NH-1

NH-14

NH-8

NH-19

None of these

Q. Recently, Anti-pollution measures under the

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) came into

force in ________.

Agra

Delhi NCR

Mumbai

Indore

Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad

Q. Recently Bhanu Athaiya passed away. She was

India’s first _________.

Female High Court Judge

Woman to cross English channel

Oscar award winner

Person to receive Jnanpith award

None of these

Q. Recently, Jnanpith recipient Akkitham Achuthan

Namboothiri passed away. He was associated with

which of the following language?

Kannad

Gujarati

Malayalam

Telugu

None of the above

Q. International Poverty Eradication Day is

observed every year on _________.

15 October

16 October

17 October

18 October

19 October

Q. Recently, Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay

Jeenbekov has resigned after days of protests over a

disputed parliamentary election. What is the capital

of Kyrgyzstan?

Tashkent

Dushanbe

Bishkek

Ashgabat

None of these

Q. India will deliver a Kilo Class submarine INS

Sindhuvir to _______.

Bangladesh

Myanmar

Indonesia

Maldives

None of these

Q. Recently, India has been designated the Vice-

Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working

Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD). OECD is

headquartered in _________.

London

Bern

Berlin

Paris

Rome

Q. In October 2020, The government banned the

import of _________ in its latest bid to boost

domestic production.

LED bulbs

Air conditioners

Engine oil

Copper based electric wires

None of these

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted National

Security Guard (NSG) personnel and their families

on the Raising Day of NSG. Who among the

following is the current Director General of NSG?

Surjeet Singh Deswal

Rakesh Asthana

V S K Kaumudi

Rajesh Ranjan

None of these

Q. Which of the following city has recently

launched the campaign ‘Red light on, Gaadi off’ to

tackle air pollution?

Hyderabad

Mumbai

New Delhi

Bhopal

Patna

Q. Recently, the JK Government has signed an MoU

with ________ to provide a platform for local

artisans, craftsmen, weavers to reach customers

across the globe.

Amazon

Paytm

Flipkart

Snapdeal

None of these

Q. Which of the following state has announced the

setting up of the world’s biggest Zinc Smelter

project?

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Assam

Bihar

Haryana

Q. Recently, Kishore Bhimani passed away. He was

a/an ________.

Sports Journalist

Sitar player

Kathak dancer

Novelist

Climate activist

Q. Recently, Jacinda Ardern has secured the second

term as the Prime Minister of ________.

Australia

New Zealand

Canada

Austria

Spain

Q. Which of the following state/UT has recently

announced the ‘My Town My Pride’ programme?

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi

Maharashtra

Jammu and Kashmir

Q. Who among the following has been designated as

a one-man monitoring committee to prevent stubble

burning in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar

Pradesh?

Dipak Misra

Jagdish Singh Khehar

M B Lokur

Uday Lalit

None of these

Q. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct first

Open Market Operations (OMOs) to buy State

Developments Loans (SDLs) aggregating

_________ through auction.

Rs 5,000 crore

Rs 08,000 crore

Rs 10,000 crore

Rs 15,000 crore

None of these

Q. Which of the following state/UT has launched

Mission Shakti for security of women in the state?

Bihar

Maharashtra

Gujarat

Uttar Pradesh

Assam

Q. Who among the following has been appointed as

the chairman of Indian Banks' Association (IBA)?

Rajkiran Rai

Rakesh Sharma

Shyam Srinivasan

Sandeep Bakhshi

None of these

Q. Recently, Vishal V Sharma has been appointed

as the next permanent representative of India to

___________.

Food and Agriculture Organization

International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and

Cultural Organization

World Bank Group

None of these

Q. Recently, the International Weightlifting

Federation (IWF) has appointed Michael Irani as its

interim president. IWF is headquartered in

_________.

Geneva

Bern

Rome

Paris

New York

Q. Who among the following has been elected

unopposed president of Delhi and District Cricket

Association?

Rohan Jaitley

Pankaj Singh

Jay Shah

Sunil Gavaskar

None of the above

Q. Who among the following is the author of the

book ‘The Battle of Belonging’?

Ramachandra Guha

Shashi Tharoor

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Sharad Pawar

None of these

Q. ‘BepiColombo’ mission has been launched to

explore and study which of the following planet?

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Mercury

None of these

Q. Recently, Which of the following country hosted

the virtual Summit of Ministers of Justice of

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

China

India

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Russia

Q. The highly versatile BRAHMOS missile has

been jointly designed, developed and produced by

India and _________.

France

Israel

USA

Russia

None of these

Q. The first-ever SCO Startup Forum will be

launched on 27th October 2020 ahead of the SCO

trade ministers meeting on 28th October. Which of

the following country is not a member of SCO?

Kazakhstan

Turkmenistan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

Q. Who among the following participates in the

102nd meeting of the World Bank Development

Committee Plenary?

Piyush Goyal

Nirmala Sitharaman

Rajnath Singh

Nitin Gadkari

None of the above

Q. ‘SLINEX-20’ is a military exercise between

India and ________.

South Africa

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Saudi Arabia

Seychelles

Q. Which of the following country invited PM Modi

to join celebrations of 50 years of the country's

independence?

Sri lanka

Indonesia

Bangladesh

Vietnam

None of the above

Q. Recently, India and Chile held their first joint

commission meeting. What is the capital of Chile?

Lima

Bogota

Santiago

Buenos Aires

None of these

Q. Recently, the Government has extended the

concession rate on cargo movement between India,

Chabahar Port in __________.

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Iran

Oman

None of these

Q. Which of the following football club recently

received the I-League trophy, 7 months after

clinching the title.

Mohun Bagan

Gokulam Kerala

Indian Arrows

Sudeva

TARU

Q. Who among the following recently clinched the

Women's Singles title at Denmark Open?

Nozomi Okuhara

Akane Yamaguchi

Chen Yufei

Carolina Marin

Aya Ohori

Q. World Osteoporosis Day is observed every year

on _________.

17 October

18 October

19 October

20 October

21 October

Q. World Statistics Day is observed every year on

_________.

17 October

18 October

19 October

20 October

21 October

Q. India has been ranked on ________ spot on Asia

Power Index 2020?

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

None of these

Q. Which of the following countries has topped the

Asia Power Index 2020?

Japan

China

USA

India

Indonesia

Q. Which of the following country has joined the

Malabar Naval exercise with India, US and Japan?

Australia

France

UAE

Sauddi Arabia

None of these

Q. Who among the following has recently launched

the AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR scheme?

Nitin Gadkari

Narendra Singh

Thawar Chand Gehlot

Ravi Shankar Prasad

None of these

Q. Nitin Gadkari lays the foundation stone for the

country's first-ever multi-modal logistic park in

_________.

Rajasthan

Bihar

Assam

Gujarat

Telangana

Q. NITI Aayog will establish India’s first Frontier

Technologies Cloud Innovation Centre in

partnership with __________.

Google

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure

IBM

None of these

Q. Which of the following institute’s startup

launches ‘mooPay’ for Dairy Farmers in Rajasthan?

IIT Mumbai

IIT Madras

IIT New Delhi

IIT Kharagpur

Q. ISA Solar Awards has been conferred for the first

time under which of the following categories?

Kalpana Chawla awards

Visvesvaraya award

Diwakar award

C. V. Raman award

B only

A and B

B and C

A, B and C

A, B, C and D

Q. International Chefs Day is observed every year

on _________.

18 October

19 October

20 October

21 October

22 October

Q. In October 2020, In an historic development, the

first delegation from which of the following country

reached Israel?

Saudi Arabia

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Syria

Armenia

Q. Police Commemoration Day is observed every

year on _________.

18 October

19 October

20 October

21 October

22 October

Q. Which of the following state has become the first

state in the country to cap prices of masks?

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Maharashtra

Assam

Q. Recently, which of the following satte celebrated

Kati Bihu festival?

Assam

Nagaland

Manipur

Tripura

Arunachal Pradesh

Q. Recently, Dharmendra Pradhan launched the trial

run of buses on Hydrogen-Blended CNG buses in

_________.

New Delhi

Chennai

Mumbai

Gandhinagar

None of these

Q. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Governor launches a

women's safety campaign ‘Safe City Project’ in

__________.

Agra

Prayagraj

Lucknow

Meerut

None of these

Q. According to Health Ministry, How many states

have reported reduction in prevalence of parasitic

intestinal worm infection also known as Soil-

Transmitted Helminthiases (STH)/

4

6

11

14

19

Q. Elavenil Valarivan is associated with which of

the following sports?

Football

Hockey

Badminton

Shooting

Table tennis

Q. Recently, Union Minister of Youth and Sports

Kiren Rijiju attended the Youth-20 (Y20) Summit

being held virtually in _________.

Saudi Arabia

China

US

France

Germany

Q. International Stuttering Awareness Day is

observed every year on ________.

19 October

20 October

21 October

22 October

23 October

Q. India participates in the 18th meeting of the

Prosecutors General of SCO via video conference.

Who among the following is the current Solicitor

General of India?

Mukul Rohatgi

Tushar Mehta

Ashok Bhushan

K. K. Venugopal

Arun Mishra

Q. Recently, the ‘COVIRAP’ diagnostic technology

developed has been successfully validated for its

efficacy in COVID-19 detection by the Indian

Council of Medical Research (ICMR). COVIRAP

has been developed by _________.

IIT Delhi

IIT Madras

IIT Mumbai

IIT Kharagpur

IIT Ropar

Q. In October 2020, The last of four indigenously

ASW stealth corvettes _________ was

commissioned into the Indian Navy at Naval

Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

INS Kavaratti

INS Kamorta

INS Kadmatt

INS Tejas

None of these

Q. Which of the following Indian city will host the

third India-US 22 Ministerial Dialogue on 27th of

October?

Washington DC

Chennai

New York

New Delhi

Srinagar

Q. Recently, The RPF has started _________

initiative is to provide a safe and secure environment

to lady passengers travelling in trains throughout

their journey.

Suraksha

Mission Shakti

Meri Saheli

Disha

None of these

Q. Which of the following state has launched the

‘Mo Bidyut’ portal?

Bihar

Jharkhand

Odisha

Telangana

Andhra Pradesh

Q. Which of the following state has topped the

Anemia Mukt Bharat Index in the country?

Gujarat

Assam

Haryana

Uttar Pradesh

Rajasthan

Q. Sushil Kumar Singha has been concurrently

accredited as the next High Commissioner of India

to the Solomon Islands. What is the capital of

Solomon Islands?

Honiara

Port Vila

Apia

Suva

None of these

Q. “Portraits of Power: Half a Century of Being at

Ringside” is the autobiography of ________.

Arvind Panagariya

Shikha Sharma

NK Singh

Raghuram Rajan

Arvind Subramanian

Q. World Snow Leopard Day is observed every year

on _________.

21 October

22 October

23 October

24 October

25 October

Q. Recently, DRDO successfully conducted the

final trial of the NAG missile in Pokhran range. NAG

is a/an ________.

Anti-Tank Missile guided missile

Anti-ship ballistic missile

Multi-platform hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile

Anti aircraft missile

None of these

Q. The Union Minister of State for Culture and

Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched the ‘Life

in Miniature’ project in partnership with ________.

Facebook

Amazon.in

Google

Yahoo

Apple

Q. Recently, Asan Conservation Reserve gets first

Ramsar site tag from ________.

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Karnataka

Uttarakhand

Himachal Pradesh

Q. Which of the following state has launched the

‘YSR BIMA’ insurance scheme for BPL families?

Odisha

Jharkhand

Assam

Andhra Pradesh

West Bengal

Q. Which of the following state/UT has launched the

Smart Black Board scheme in 80,000 government

schools of the state?

Bihar

Kerala

Telangana

Tamil Nadu

Assam

Q. Who among the following will lead the panel

formed by Election Commission of India to examine

the issue of revising the expenditure limit for

candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly polls?

Harish Kumar

Umesh Sinha

Rajeev Kumar

A and B

A, B and C

Q. Who among the following has been named as the

national brand ambassador of Parle Agro to

maximise reach and awareness of its fruits plus fizz

portfolio ‘B-Fizz’?

Virat Kohli

Suresh Raina

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Salman Khan

Ayushman Khurana

Q. Recently, Vijayalakshmi Ramanan passed away.

She was the first _________.

First woman to cross English Channel

Female Chief Justice of Bombay High court

Woman officer in the Indian Air Force

Female F1 driver of India

Female director of AIIMS New Delhi

Q. Recently, Jayanta Madhab passed away. He was

a/an _________.

Journalist

Economist

Actor

Singer

Politician

Q. Mole Day is observed every year on 23 October.

What is the value of Avogadro’s Number?

6.02 x 1017

6.02 x 10-17

6.02 x 1023

6.02 x 10-23

None of these

Q. United Nations Day is observed every year on

________.

22 October

23 October

24 October

25 October

26 October

Q. World Development Information Day is

observed every year on ________.

22 October

23 October

24 October

25 October

26 October

Q. Recently, Which of the following country has

approved the sale of weapons systems worth around

1.8 billion dollar to Taiwan?

France

US

Israel

Russia

None of these

Q. After Bangladesh, Which of the following

country has rejected the purchase of the coronavirus

vaccine from China?

Brazil

Japan

Afghanistan

UAE

None of these

Q. Recently, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu paid

tribute to the revolutionary freedom fighter

Ashfaqulla Khan who is most widely known for the

Kakori train robbery. Kakori train robbery took

place in the year _______.

1919

1922

1925

1927

1930

Q. ‘COVAXIN’ has received the nod for Phase-3

clinical trials in the country. ‘COVAXIN’ has been

developed by ________ in collaboration with the

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Cipla Ltd.

Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd.

Bharat Biotech

None of these

Q. AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik

inaugurated the Regional Raw Drug Repository at

All India Institute of Ayurveda. AAI is in ________.

Kolkata

New Delhi

Chennai

Agra

None of these

Q. Which of the following district bags the top

position for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram

Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)?

Indore

Mandi

Mathura

Almora

Chamoli

Q. Which of the following is state/UT observed

black day on October 22?

Andaman and Nicobar

Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat

Jammu and Kashmir

Assam

Q. Which of the following state police personnel

will also converse in regional dialects on 112 police

Help Line to the convenience of the rural population

of the state.

Bihar

Karnataka

Uttar Pradesh

West Bengal

Uttarakhand

Q. World Polio Day is observed every year on

________.

22 October

23 October

24 October

25 October

26 October

Q. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has

announced that Pakistan will continue to remain on

its grey list till February 2021. FATF is

headquartered in ________.

Rome

Paris

Geneva

Vienna

None of these

Q. Recently, Saad al-Hariri has been renamed as

Prime Minister of ________.

Egypt

Jordan

Lebanon

Turkey

None of these

Q. Which of the following country has joined the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) to become its

190th member?

Andorra

San Marino

Monaco

Malta

None of the above

Q. Recently, Which of the following country has

assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of

International Labour Organisation (ILO)?

China

India

Bangladesh

Russia

Nepal

Q. Who among the following will lead the NITI

Aayog panel formed to look into introducing reforms

in the urban planning education system?

Jayati Ghosh

Amitabh Kant

Rajiv Kumar

Ashok Lavasa

Arvind Subramanian

Q. PM Modi will launch the Kisan Suryodaya

Yojana for providing 16 hours of power supply to

farmers in _________.

Bihar

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Punjab

None of these

Q. Recently, the World Bank has sanctioned Rs 3

crore to develop India’s first sand dune parks in

_________.

Andhra Pradesh

Goa

Odisha

Rajasthan

Gujarat

Q. Who among the following has entered into a

partnership with Atlantis to expand the Digital First

Program in India?

Rupay Card

Mastercard

Visa

ICICI Bank

None of these

Q. Which of the following bank has announced a tie

up with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) to enable

finance options for the automaker's customers and

dealers?

Axis Bank

Bank of Baroda

HDFC Bank

Yes Bank

None of these

Q. Which of the following country has recently

ordered a ‘no mask, no service’ policy?

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Nepal

Myanmar

None of these

Q. Which of the following country has joined UAE,

Bahrain in recognising Israel?

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Sudan

Libya

None of these

Q. Which of the following country’s foreign

ministries does not recognize Hong Kong BNO

passports as valid travel documents?

China

Japan

USA

Austria

None of these

Q. Which of the following country has released a

commemorative postage stamp on the 75th

anniversary of the United Nations Organisations?

India

Bhutan

China

Sri Lanka

None of these

Q. Which of the following country is the host for the

4-day Commanders’ Conference of Indian Army?

Kolkata

New Delhi

Chennai

Srinagar

None of these

Q. Which of the following country has secured the

first rank in disbursing loans under PM Swanidhi

Scheme?

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Rajasthan

Gujarat

None of these

Q. Who among the following is a part of the first

batch of Women Pilots on Dornier Aircraft?

Divya Sharma

Shubhangi Swaroop

Shivangi

A and B

A, B and C

Q. Who among the following has won the

Portuguese Grand Prix 2020?

Lewis Hamilton

Valtteri Bottas

Max Verstappen

Charles Leclerc

None of these

Q. Recently, Lee Kun-Hee passed away. He was the

chairman of which of the following company?

Samsung

Intel

Huawei

Sony

None of these

Q. Recently, Mahesh Kanodia passed away. He was

a/ an _________.

Climate activist

Journalist

Singer

Footballer

None of these

Q. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is observed

every year on _________.

25 October

26 October

27 October

28 October

29 October

Q. Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by

_________.

2030

2035

2040

2050

2055

Q. Who among the following is leading the Indian

delegation at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum 2020?

Om Birla

Sumitra Mahajan

M. Venkaiah Naidu

Meira Kumar

None of these

Q. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

alliance plans to build a headquarters for space operations

in ________.

US

France

Germany

Russia

Canada

Q. President Ram Nath Kovind pays homage to former

President K.R. Narayanan on his birth anniversary.K.R.

Narayanan served as the _________ president of India.

07th

08th

09th

10th

11th

Q. Who among the following launched the ‘e-Dharti Geo

portal’ to integrate maps and lease plans and make its

geographic information system (GIS)-enabled.

Hardeep Singh Puri

Rajnath Singh

Amit Shah

J. P. Nadda

None of these

Q. Which of the following bank has shut down its

operations in Sri Lanka?

Yes Bank

ICICI Bank

Axis Bank

HDFC bank

None of these

Q. Which of the following company has topped the

Forbes’ list of World’s Best Employer 2020?

Amazon

Google

IBM

Microsoft

Samsung

Q. Recently, Indian-origin Wavel Ramkalawan has been

elected as the President of _________.

Maldives

Seychelles

Cambodia

Laos

None of these

Q. Recently, Naresh Kanodia passed away. He was a/an

_________.

Journalist

Footballer

Actor

Cricket commentator

Novelist

Q. International Animation Day is observed every

year on ________.

25 October

26 October

27 October

28 October

29 October

Q. Luis Arce has been declared as the president of

which of the following nations after the 18th October

elections?

Peru

Mexico

Bolivia

Ecuador

None of these

Q. The Northern Command of Indian army

celebrated the Infantry Day on _________.

25 October

26 October

27 October

28 October

29 October

Q. The 1.8 kilometre long Feni bridge will be

completed by December this year. Feni bridge will

connect India to ________.

Bhutan

Nepal

Bangladesh

Myanmar

Sri Lanka

Q. Who among the following is leading the Indian

delegation at the 3rd bilateral 2+2 Ministerial

Dialogue between India and US?

Rajnath Singh

Narendra Modi

S. Jaishankar

Amit Shah

A and B

A and C

B and C

A and D

B and D

Q. India Post has recently signed an agreement for

electronic exchange of customs data with which of

the following country’s postal department?

Japan

US

Australia

Israel

France

Q. The Centre set up a high-level committee headed

by __________ to commemorate the 400th birth

anniversary of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Amit Shah

Amitabh Kant

Narendra Modi

Prahlad Singh Patel

Smriti Irani

Q. Who among the following inaugurated the virtual

festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National Festival

of Music and Dance’ organized by Natya Tarangini

in partnership with the United Nations?

M. Venkaiah Naidu

Ram Nath Kovind

Amit Shah

Narendra Modi

Nitin Gadkari

Q. Recently, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs

launched two Centers of Excellence for Tribal

Welfare. Who among the following is the current

Tribal Affairs minister of India?

Hemant Soren

Dharmendra Pradhan

Narendra Singh Tomar

Arjun Munda

Giriraj Singh

Q. Recently, Aditya Puri resigned from the post of

Managing Director of which of the following bank?

Axis Bank

Yes Bank

HDFC Bank

ICICI Bank

None of the above

Q. Which of the following country hosts the 19th

Meeting of SCO Ministers of Foreign Economy &

Foreign Trade?

Russia

India

China

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

Q. Recently, India extends __________ credit line

to Central Asian countries for priority projects

$ 1 billion

$ 1.5 billion

$ 2 billion

$ 2.5 billion

$ 5 billion

Q. Who among the following is the chairman of the

15th Finance Commission?

Ashok Lahiri

Arvind Subramanian

Ajay Narayan Jha

N.K. Singh

None of these

Q. Air Quality Index between 201 and 300 is

considered as _________.

Poor

Moderate

Good

Hazardous

None of the above

Q. Which of the following state government has

recently started a digital library to help students in

higher education?

Maharashtra

Gujarat

Haryana

Uttar Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Q. Which of the following state has launched a

Young Advocates Welfare Fund to provide a

monthly financial assistance of 3000 rupees each for

two years to the lawyers who just come out of law

colleges?

Gujarat

Tamil Nadu

Haryana

Karnataka

Uttar Pradesh

Q. Which of the following bank has signed a loan

agreement amounting to up to one billion US Dollars

with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation?

State Bank of India

Yes Bank

HDFC Bank

Punjab National Bank

Indian Bank

Q. The Reserve Bank of India has barred Payment

System Operators (PSOs) from launching any new

proprietary QR code for payment transactions. Q in

QR code stands for _________.

Quality

Quick

Quantitative

Quasi

Quard

Q. Recently, Keshubhai Patel passed away. He

served as the chief minister of __________.

Bihar

Uttar Pradesh

Telangana

Gujarat

Punjab

Q. Who among the following is the author of the

book “Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories from

1984”?

Khushwant Singh

Shobha De

Sarbpreet Singh

Amitav Ghosh

Surjit Patar

Q. ‘Swadhinata Puraskar’ is the highest national

award of _________.

Nepal

Pakistan

Myanmar

Bangladesh

Sri Lanka

Q. Indian Railways has launched __________

initiative for security of women passengers.

Sakhi

Meri Saheli

Meri Suraksha

Nirbhay

None of these

Q. Who among the following recently inaugurated

the 4th India Energy Forum by CERAWeek

organised by HIS Markit?

Amit Shah

Nitin Gadkari

Piyush Goyal

Narendra Modi

Raj Kumar Singh

Q. Which of the following organization has

developed a simple messaging application named the

‘Secure Application for Internet’ (SAI)?

Defence Research and Development Organisation

India Army

Indian Air Force

Indian Space Research Organisation

State Bank of India

Q. Which of the following state has passed an order

for 7.5 % reservation to govt school students in UG

medical courses?

Maharashtra

Tamil Nadu

Karnataka

Madhya Pradesh

Kerala

Q. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated

Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir in _________.

Rajasthan

Bihar

Gujarat

Madhya Pradesh

None of the above

Q. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the

Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) has been

rescheduled to __________.

December 2020

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

April 2021

Q. Recently, which of the following state has

launched ‘Dharani’ Portal for land and property

registration?

Bihar

Odisha

Telangana

Karnataka

Assam

Q. ‘Sumangal’ & Student Scholarship web portals

has been launched by __________ state government.

Jharkhand

Odisha

West Bengal

Assam

None of the above

Q. Which of the following has launched a

contactless multi-purpose card that can function as a

credit card and as a metro smart card in association

with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation?

Axis Bank

SBI Card

HDFC Bank

Rupay Card

Phonepe

Q. National Unity Day is observed every year on

_________.

27 October

28 October

29 October

30 October

31 October

Q. Who among the following is known as the

father of Indian Nuclear Programme?

Homi Jehangir Bhabha

Verghese Kurien

Vikram Sarabhai

Satyendra Nath Bose

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Q. The Union Cabinet has approved the

Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India

and _________ on cooperation in the field of

Information and Communication Technologies.

Australia

US

France

Israel

Japan

Q. Government has been implementing the Ethanol

Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme to sell petrol

blended with ethanol up to ________.

5%

10%

12%

15%

25%

Q. Which of the following countries has entered

into a strategic partnership to develop India’s GIFT

City?

France

UK

Japan

US

None of these

Q. Who among the following launched “SERB-

POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in

Exploratory Research)”, designed exclusively for

women scientists?

Prakash Javadekar

Smriti Irani

Harsh Vardhan

Nitin Gadkari

None of these

Q. Which of the following has become the first one

in India to start paperless e-boarding?

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport

Kolkata International Airport

None of these

Q. Which of the following institutes have

developed a low-cost membrane technology to

produce psychoactive drugs and anti-aging

compounds?

IIT Delhi

IIT Mumbai

IIT Guwahati

IIT Madras

None of the above

Q. Who among the following has released the

world's first scientoon book” “Bye Bye Corona”?

Narendra Modi

Rajnatha Singh

Anandiben Patel

Smriti Irani

Harsh Vardhan

Q. Who among the following indian film has won

the best original score at 14th Asian Film Awards?

Gully Boy

Kesari

Super 30

Panipat

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