Exclusive October 2017 GA Refresher For IBPS PO Main

Exclusive October 2017 GA
Refresher for ibps PO/rrbs main

Banking & Economy
Govt inks $200 million Loan Agreement with World Bank
• The Govt of India and the World Bank signed a $200 million Loan Agreement for the Assam
Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
• The Project will support the Govt of Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agriculture
productivity and market access, and enable small farm holders produce crops that are resilient to
recurrent floods or droughts in the state.
• The $200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a
7-year grace period, and a maturity of 16.5 years.
Fiscal deficit touches 91.3% of full-year target between April-Sept 2017
• The Centre’s fiscal deficit rose to Rs. 4,98,938 crore or 91.3 per cent of the Budget target between April
and September 2017.
• This is a marginal improvement from the August data when fiscal deficit touched 96.1 per cent of the
full-year target.
• The revenue deficit was also contained but remained in excess of the Budget target at 118 per cent
or Rs.3,79,591 crore between April and September this fiscal.
AU Small Bank, SIDBI launch Rs. 200-cr fund for MSMEs
• AU Small Finance Bank tied up with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to launch
a Rs. 200-crore fund for providing loans to MSMEs.
• The programme will fund term loans in Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 2 crore ticket size.
• It aims to enhance credit to MSMEs. We are looking at disbursing this amount in the next 12—15
months to nearly 100 units.
ADB commits $65.5 m to check coastal erosion in Karnataka
• The Asian Development Bank has signed a $65.5 million loan agreement with India for checking coastal
erosion on the western coast of Karnataka.
• The loan is the second tranche of a $250-million financing facility under the Sustainable Coastal
Protection and Management Investment Programme.
₹2.11 lakh crore for public sector banks to boost lending
• The Union govt unveiled an ambitious plan to infuse ₹2.11 lakh crore capital over the next two years
into public sector banks (PSBs) and prioritised financing support for MSMEs in 50 clusters.
• The govt’s capitalisation package for public sector banks will provide a strong booster dose of relief for
the capital starved public sector banks.
• Under this plan, PSBs will get Rs 1.35 lakh crore from Recapitalisation Bonds, Rs 18,000 crore from
Budgetary and remaining Rs 58,000 crore will be raised through sale of share of banks.
Oil companies to back 30-plus start-ups with Rs 320-crore fund
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• India’s state-run companies launched Start-up Sangam initiative to develop new business models,
marketing plans, technology and innovations in heavy oil and gas industry sector by supporting 30 start-
ups.
• It aims to support more than 30 start-ups who will be funded for the next three years through a corpus of
Rs 320 crore.
• The corpus has been created by contributions from India Oil Corporation, ONGC, Engineers India, Oil
India, Numaligarh Refinery, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Gail
(India), Balmer Lawrie and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals.
GSTN unveils offline option for GSTR-3B returns filing
• The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has released an offline facility that will allow taxpayers
to finalise their GSTR-3B forms on their own computers before uploading it onto the portal in order to
minimise chances of errors before uploading on portal.
• The deadline for the filing of the GSTR-3B form for September was October 20.
• Taxpayers have to file the summary GSTR-3B forms each month till January.
• This Excel based offline facility will provide an opportunity to the taxpayer to verify the details of
GSTR 3B before filing and minimise chances of error. It will make the process of filing returns simpler.
• The Union Government holds 24.5% equity in GSTN.
• All States including two UTs (Delhi and Puducherry) and Empowered Committee of State Finance
Ministers (EC) together hold another 24.5%.
Govt permits banks to sell more small savings schemes
• The Union Finance Ministry has allowed banks, including top three private sector lenders to accept
deposits under various small savings schemes in order to encourage savings.
• This decision will allow increase outlets for selling small savings scheme that will result in higher
mobilisation under scheme.
HRD Ministry pushes for cash-free campuses
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development aims to make financial transactions completely digital
in all higher education institutions.
• Under this initiative, all public and private institutions including Central and State universities will be
fully digitised.
• The move will bring within the digital ambit all such institutions — public and private — including
Central and State universities, IITs, NITs, business schools, etc.,
RBI clarifies linking of Aadhaar with bank account mandatory
• The Reserve Bank of India clarified that linking of Aadhaar to bank account is mandatory under the
Prevention of Money-Laundering (Maintenance of Records).
• The clarification comes after a section of the media reported while quoting a reply to a Right to
Information Act application that linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar is not mandatory.
• The central bank has not issued any separate directions to banks for linking of Aadhaar with bank
accounts after the government revised the PML Act.
Banks to provide funds at 7% to women SHGs under DAY-NRLM: RBI
• The RBI has said banks will provide funds to women self help groups, SHGs, in rural areas at 7 per cent
under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in the
current fiscal.
• The central bank issued the revised guidelines on interest subvention scheme under DAY-NRLM, as
received from the Ministry of Rural Development for implementation by 21 public sector banks and 19
private banks.

• All women SHGs will be eligible for interest subvention on credit upto 3 lakh rupees at 7 per cent per
annum.
• Banks will be subvented to the extent of difference between the Weighted Average Interest Charged and
7 per cent subject to the maximum limit of 5.5 per cent for the year 2017-18.
MCX launches India’s first commodity options in Gold
• Largest commodity bourse Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) launched India’s first
commodity options in gold.
• It was launched by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The gold futures contract will have bi-monthly
duration.
Yes Bank commits Rs 156 cr for Namami Gange project
• Private sector, Yes Bank has committed Rs 156 crore to fund first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to be
constructed at Varanasi under Hybrid Annuity-PPP Model.
• The bank has signed a deal with Essel Infraprojects for the financial closure of Rs 156 crore that will
fund the STP under Namami Gange Project.
Union Bank launches bilingual Android app
• Union Bank of India has launched an Android app, Union Sahyog, as part of its drive to digitise
customer-facing banking services.
• The Union Sahyog app is bilingual, offering both English and Hindi language, and packs in all mobile-
based banking applications, missed call/SMS-based services, Internet banking login and self-user
creation, deposit and loan product information, online account opening, online loan application, online
complaints and even RTI.
GoM holds first meeting on GST composition scheme
• The Group of Ministers (GoM) set up to make the GST composition scheme more attractive held its first
meeting in New Delhi.
• The five members GoM, headed by Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have been tasked to
revisit Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates for restaurants.
• It will examine whether the AC restaurants pass on the benefit of cost reduction under GST to
consumers and if they are not, whether they should be disallowed input tax credit claims.
• Currently, GST is levied at 12 per cent on non-AC restaurants and 18 per cent on air-conditioned
restaurants. The GoM was set-up by the GST Council in its last meeting on 7th of this month.
• The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and consisting of his state counterparts, had
on October 7 constituted the GoM, which will submit its report by the end of November.
GDP may grow at 7% in FY’18: NITI Aayog
• NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said the economic slowdown that began in 2013-14 has
bottomed out and the GDP is likely to grow at 6.9-7 % this fiscal and 7.5% in 2018-19.
• The economic growth slowed to 7.1% in 2016-17, the year in which 87% of the currency was
demonetised, despite a very good show by the agricultural sector.
• On a quarterly basis also, the growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal had slipped to 5.7%.
RBI allows interoperability of wallets in six months
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that banks and non-bank entities should make their wallets, or
prepaid payment instruments, interoperable through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) within six
months.
• Interoperability is allowed with a view to making electronic payments seamless.
• It will only be allowed for wallets which are compliant with Know Your Customer norms.

• In the first phase, all Know Your Customer (KYC)-compliant PPIs should be made interoperable
amongst themselves through UPI.
• In next phase, interoperability shall be enabled between wallets and bank accounts through UPI.
Mastercard launches its first Innovation Centre in India
• American financial technology company Mastercard launched its first innovation lab in India iin Pune,
Maharashtra.
• It is Mastercard’s ninth lab in the world and the second in Asia Pacific besides Singapore.
GIC Re launches India’s 3rd biggest IPO
• General Insurance Corp of India (GIC Re) kicked off its mega Rs 11,370 crore initial public offer.
• This is India's third biggest IPO ever after Coal India's Rs 15,200 crore and Reliance Power's Rs 11,700
crore issues.
• General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is the largest reinsurance company in India in terms of
gross premiums accepted in fiscal 2017, and accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the premiums
ceded by Indian insurers to reinsurers during fiscal 2017, according to CRISIL Research.
SBI to set up country's largest innovation centre at Mumbai
• The nation's largest lender State Bank of India is creating a 15,000-sqft innovation centre in Navi
Mumbai investing around Rs 100 crore.
• The centre, to be built at its Global IT Centre in Belapur in Navi Mumbai, will be the largest innovation
centre by any financial services company in the country.
• The innovation centre is part of a Rs 200-crore allocation that the bank has earmarked for innovation last
year.
HSBC launches app to track trade transactions
• HSBC announced the launch of mobile app - Trade Transaction Tracker - to help customers track the
status of their trade transactions on a real-time basis.
• This feature has been built into the existing HSBC net mobile application and has been launched in
select countries in which HSBC operates, including India.
Digital payments to grow at 26 % CAGR during 2016-2020
• A new World Payment Report said that the initiatives of the government and the National Payments
Council of India (NPCI) will help non-cash transactions grow at a compound annual growth rate of 26.2
per cent during 2016 to 2020.
• The World Payment Report 2017 was jointly commissioned by Capgemini and BNP Paribas.
• India is expected to witness a six-fold growth in digital transactions to reach 25 billion transactions
during 2017-18, up from 4 billion in 2015-16.
IMF lowers India’s growth forecast to 6.7 %
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its October World Economic Outlook (WEO) has lowered
India’s economic growth forecast at 6.7% in 2017 and 7.4 % in 2018.
• The IMF projection is 0.5 and 0.3 percentage points less than the projections earlier this year.
• In April 2017 forecast, IMF had revised upwards India’s growth performance for 2016 to 7.1% as
opposed to 6.8%.
• The IMF forecast is in line with a number of recent projections that have scaled down India’s growth
prospects for the fiscal due to disruptions from demonetisation and GST, despite the government’s
strong defence of the moves.
• IMF forecast is latest in series of downgrades in India’s growth prospects unveiled by other multilateral
agencies such as World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and OECD.
• Earlier, RBI had lowered its growth forecast for 2017-18 to 6.7% from 7.3%.

• The IMF has scaled up its GDP growth forecast for both the US and China by 0.1 percentage point for
2017 to 2.2 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively.
Govt rolls out DBT for fertiliser subsidy in 7 states/UTs
• The Centre has introduced the direct benefit transfer (DBT) for fertiliser subsidies from this month in
seven small states and union territories including Delhi.
• The govt bears about Rs. 70,000 crore annually as fertiliser subsidy to provide cheaper nutrients to
farmers.
• The DBT for fertiliser subsidy is being implemented from October 1 in seven states/UTs, namely,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Rs 2,000 crore to set up Aadhaar units in post offices
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Rs 2,000 crore specifically for setting up Aadhaar centres
in post offices.
• The decision comes in the wake of complaints regarding private vendors on counts such as petty
corruption and attempted frauds and the Supreme Court taking note of reports of alleged leakage of UID
data.
• Aadhaar enrolment and updation facilities will be available in around 15,000 post offices by March 31
next year and this will complement the earlier decision that bank branches will have similar centres by
October 31.
ICICI Bank aid to armed forces
• ICICI Bank, the country's largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, committed financial
assistance of Rs. 10 crore to the Indian armed forces.
• The contribution, payable in two equal tranches this year and next year, will be utilised towards welfare
activities and betterment of the families of ex-servicemen, who lost their lives guarding the nation.
• Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank, handed over a cheque for Rs. 5 crore to Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman at a function in the Raksha Mantralaya.
NABARD buys additional 7% stake in SIDBI from IDBI Bank for Rs 900 crore
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has bought an additional 7
percent stake in Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for Rs 900 crore from public
sector lender IDBI Bank.
• With this, NABARD now owns 10 percent of SIDBI.
World Bank reduces India GDP growth forecast to 7% for 2017-18
• South Asia has slipped to the third position behind East Asia and the Pacific regions after remaining the
world’s fastest-growing region for eight consecutive quarters.
• In its South Asia Economic Focus (Fall 2017), the World Bank reduced India’s GDP growth forecast to
7% for 2017-18 from 7.2% estimated earlier, blaming disruptions caused by demonetisation and the
implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), while maintaining at the same time that the
economy would claw back to grow at 7.4% by 2019-20.
• Both the Asian Development Bank as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) has also cut their growth projections for India to 7% and 6.7%, respectively, for
fiscal 2017-18.
RBI to soon launch financial literacy drive in 9 states
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to launch financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in 9 states on
pilot basis to educate people on e-transactions, formal sector borrowings and insurance purchases.

• Six NGOs registered with the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund -- CRISIL Foundation, Dhan
Foundation, Swadhaar Fin Access, Indian School of Micro Finance for Women (ISMW), Samarpit and
the PACE Foundation -- have been selected to execute the pilot project in collaboration with banks.
• It will be commissioned in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by 6 NGOs in collaboration with sponsor banks.
• The total cost of the pilot project over a period of three years is Rs 18.40 crore.
• The aim of initiative is to inculcate habit of making household budget and recording financial
transactions, encourage transactions in savings accounts, and active saving by depositing in banks
through recurring deposits and fixed deposits.
GST council constitutes GoM to review GST Composition Scheme
• The GST Council has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to make the composition scheme more
attractive and revisit the goods and services tax rates on restaurants.
• It will be headed by Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and submit its report in two weeks.
• It will examine steps to make it more attractive as only 15.50 lakh businesses out of total 98 lakh have
registered under GST regime opting for composition scheme.
Govt launches sovereign gold bond scheme 2017-18 – Series-III
• The Union Govt in consultation with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Sovereign Gold Bonds
2017-18 – Series-III.
• The applications for bond will be accepted from October 09, 2017 to December 27, 2017.
• The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited, designated post
offices and recognised stock exchanges namely the NSE and BSE.
Aadhaar mandatory for PPF, NSC, Kisan Vikas Patra
• The Union govt has made linking Aadhaar mandatory for the Public Provident Fund (PPF), the National
Savings Certificates (NSC) and the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP).
• In a series of four notifications, the govt said the existing subscribers have time till December 31, 2017
to link their Aadhaar.
• The govt had made it mandatory to link Aadhaar to PAN by December 31 and to SIM connections by
February 2018.
RBI to allow inter-operability in prepaid payment instruments
• Reserve Bank of India is going to allow inter-operability among prepaid payment instruments (PPI)
soon.
• It will enable users to transfer funds from one mobile wallet to another as per the vision for Payment and
Settlement Systems in the country.
RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6%

• The six members Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to
maintain status quo in policy rates by keeping repo rate unchanged at 6.0% under liquidity adjustment
facility.
• The decision of MPC was consistent with neutral stance of monetary policy in consonance with
objective of achieving medium-term inflation target of 4% within a band of +/- 2%, while supporting
growth.
• The monetary policy committee of the RBI has cut its GDP forecast, revising it down to 6.7% this year
as against 7.3% per cent projected earlier in August.
• GDP growth had fallen to 5.7% in the first quarter and has been coming down continuously over the
past five quarters. On inflation, the committee felt that it has broadly moved on expected lines.
• It has projected that inflation will move in the 4.2 per cent to 4.6 per cent range over the next half year.
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Core sector growth rises to 4.9% in August 2017
• According to Ministry of Commerce & Industry, eight core sectors grew by 4.9% in August 2017, the
highest growth rate since April 2017. It was higher than 3.1% in August 2016 and 2.6% in July 2017.
• The growth was recorded on account of robust performance of coal, natural gas and electricity
segments. But, growth in Crude oil, cement and fertiliser segments declined.
• Coal production recorded 15.3% growth in August 2017.
• Electricity output grew by 10.3% in August 2017.
• Steel production registered 3% growth in August 2017.
• Cement sector growth fell to -1.3% in August from 3.1% growth in August 2016.
• Fertilizer output contracted by -0.7% in August 2017 as against 2.5% growth in August 2016.
• Natural gas registered a 4.2% growth in August 2017 from a low base of -5.9% fall in August 2016.
• Refinery products output stayed almost at same level with 2.4% growth in August 2017 as against 2.5%
growth in August 2016.
• Crude oil production shrunk by -1.6% in August 2017 from negative growth of -3.9% in 2016.
• In India, there are eight core sectors comprising of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products,
fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity.
US fines HSBC $175 mn for lax forex oversight
• The US central bank fined global banking giant HSBC $175 million for failing to oversee foreign
exchange traders who misused confidential client information and colluded with traders at competing
banks.
• Between 2008 and 2013, the bank failed to detect misconduct by senior traders, including its global head
of foreign exchange cash trading.

National News
Govt launches MSME Delayed Payment Portal
• The Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry has launched MSME Delayed Payment
Portal – MSME Samadhaan (http://msefc.msme.gov.in).
• The portal aims at empowering micro and small entrepreneurs across country to directly register their
cases relating to delayed payments by Central Ministries, Departments, CPSEs and State Govts.
PM Modi flags off ‘Run for Unity’ on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 31 flagged off a run to commemorate the 142nd birth anniversary
of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The Run for Unity, which began from the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, saw the participation
of a large number of people, including sports personalities like Sardar Singh, Deepa Karmakar, Suresh
Raina and Karnam Malleswari.
• The 1.5 km run here came to an end near the India Gate C-Hexagon-Shah Jahan Road radial.
• The central govt observes October 31 all over the country as a ’Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ to commemorate
the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
India sends first wheat shipment to Afghanistan via Chabahar port
• India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port in Iran, seen as a
“landmark” move to operationalise the new strategic transit route, bypassing Pakistan.
• The shipment was flagged off from the Kandla port in Gujarat.
• It will pave the way for operationalisation of the Chabahar port as an alternate, reliable and robust
connectivity for Afghanistan.
• Chabahar port is strategically located in Sistan-Balochistan province on energy-rich Iran’s southern
coast in Gulf of Oman near its border with Pakistan and can be easily accessed from India’s western
coast.
India to host UN summit on migratory species in 2020
• India will host the next UN global wildlife conservation and international species protection conference
in 2020.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that India will host next
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Conference of Parties 13
(CMS COP13) in year 2020.
• The announcement was made during 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties 12 (COP12) to CMS
held in Manila, Philippines.
Phase 1 of Bharat Net project to be completed by December 2017
• Phase-I of the national optic fibre network christened Bharat Net project, which aims to deploy high
speed optical fibre cables across rural areas, will be completed by December 2017.
• Once completed it will provide internet access to 1,00,000 gram panchayats.
• Bharat Net has so far reached 83,000 gram panchayats.
• The aim is to create a fibre-first programme where the government, as well as the private sector can
together achieve the objective of doubling the reach of telecom fibre network in the country by 2020.
Railways Bidar-Kalaburgi line inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Indian Railways’ 110km Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track in
the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that is aimed at reducing the distance between Bengaluru and New
Delhi by 380km and travel time by six to eight hours.
• The new track will provide direct rail connectivity from Bengaluru to Bidar in the state’s northern
region, about 690km away from the state capital.
India’s first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra for Skilling in Smart Cities inaugurated
• India’s first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was inaugurated at Mandir Marg, New Delhi.
• It has been set up Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana by National Skill Development Corporation
(NSDC) in collaboration with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
• It will provide skill training for unemployed youth through its short-term training (STT) module and
contribute to capacity building of municipal employees through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
program.
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is flagship scheme of MSDE to enable large number of youth to
take up industry relevant skill training to make them employable.
Govt sets up expert group for suggestions on artificial intelligence policy
• The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has set up an internal expert
committee to advise the government on a policy on artificial intelligence (AI).
• The expert committee will advise the IT ministry on the most apt technologies for India as government’s
main focus is to reduce cyber-attacks with AI.
NHAI to get power to speed up Bharatmala programme
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will soon get powers to approve highway projects
with construction cost of more than Rs 1,000 crore to ensure faster implementation of Bharatmala
programme.
• The programme, along with the proposal to enhance powers of NHAI will soon get Cabinet clearance
soon.
• Currently, all highway projects entailing construction cost more than Rs 1,000 crore, excluding land is
approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Google Viewed as Most Authentic Brand in India
• Indian consumers regard Google as the most authentic brand, even though Amazon.com tops the list
globally, reveal results of a new survey.
• In India, Google is followed by Microsoft, Amazon.com, Maruti Suzuki and Apple.
• Globally, Apple takes the second spot after Amazon in the authenticity race, according to the results
revealed by Cohn & Wolfe.
• The global authenticity index puts Microsoft, Google and PayPal at third, fourth and fifth places
respectively -- all technology brands said the 2017 "Authentic Brands Study".
WCD Ministry launches campaign on women for women
• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has launched online campaign
#IamThatWoman in an attempt to end Gender bias in women against women.
• It was launched by WCD Minister Meneka Gandhi.Ministry seeks to highlight various aspects of
women standing ‘by’ and ‘for’ women.
PM Modi inaugurates first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
• The first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), modelled on the lines of AIIMS, inaugurated by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on ‘Ayurveda Day’ on Oct 17.
• The AIIA will bring in the synergy between traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern diagnostic
tools and technology.
• It has been set up on a total area of 10.015 acres on a budget of Rs 157 crore.

• It is the first medical institute under the AYUSH ministry to hold the coveted National Accreditation
Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation.
• The Post Graduate programme (MD/MS) in Ayurveda at AIIA started from the academic session 2016-
17 and the Ph.D courses started from the session 2017-18.
Mahindra launches 'Prerna' project for women farmers
• Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a programme, Prerna to empower women working in the
agriculture sector by promoting efficient and ergonomic farm tools and equipment.
• The project initially launched in the state of Odisha, with the intention to positively impact the lives of
over 1,500 families across 30-plus villages.
• The company, which is part of the USD 19 billion Mahindra Group, celebrated the 'Mahila Kisan Diwas'
with the launch of this programme.
• The first project under Prerna is collaboration between Mahindra & Mahindra, the Central Institution for
Women in Agriculture (CIWA), a department of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
and the NGO Pradan (Professional Assistance for Development Action).
Varun Dhawan youngest Indian actor to get statue at Tussauds
• Actor Varun Dhawan will get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, making him the youngest
Indian actor to have his statue at the museum.
• He will be the fourth from India to join Madame Tussauds Hong Kong with those of Mahatma Gandhi,
Narendra Modi and Amitabh Bachchan currently on display.
Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016 brought into force
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has brought into effect new Bureau of
Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified in March 2016.
• The Act replaced Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.
• It aims to help in ease of doing business in country, enhance ‘Make In India’ campaign and ensure
availability of quality products and services to the consumers.
• The BIS Act, 2016 establishes the BIS as the National Standards Body of India for the purpose of
standardization, marking and certification of articles and processes.
Economic Advisory Council held its first meeting
• The recently constituted Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) held its first
meeting on Oct 11 to deliberate upon and lay out a roadmap to give a leg up to the Indian economy in
the short term after GDP growth for the first quarter fell to a three-year low of 5.7%.
• The council, headed by Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy and has economists Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy
and Ashima Goyal as members, was set up in September.
• Ratan Watal, principal advisor to Niti Aayog, is the member-secretary of the panel.
President of India inaugurates India water Week-2017
• The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated 5th edition of India Water Week-2017 on Oct 10,
2017 in New Delhi.
• The theme of India Water Week is “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth”.
Govt imposes anti-dumping duty on certain Chinese steel products
• The Centre has imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of certain steel wire rods from China for five
years, with a view to guard the interest of domestic players from cheap in-bound shipments.
• The duty was imposed after the commerce ministry's directorate general of anti-dumping and allied
duties (DGAD) recommended duty on such imports.
• The duty would be the difference between the landed value of the steel products and $535 per tonne
while for others, it should be the gap between the landed value and USD 546 per tonne.

India's first portal dedicated to para-sports launched
• In a bid to create awareness about para-sports and provide a platform to para sportspersons to narrate
their stories of triumph and adversity, thenationspride.com, the country's first portal dedicated to para-
sports was launched here today.
• thenationspride.com is a non-profit initiative, helmed by 17-year-old Mumbai student and sports
enthusiast, Saachi Munot.
• The portal brings readers inspiring stories of Indian para-sportspersons, who have consistently delivered
stellar performances on domestic and global arenas alike, but whose stories have largely gone untold or
unheard.
Study group to examine problems people residing in border areas
• The Union Home Ministry has formed study group to examine various problems faced by people
residing near International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir in wake of
regular ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
• It will be headed by Rina Mitra, Special Secretary in Home Ministry.
• Its members are principal secretary (Home) in J&K Government, divisional commissioner of Jammu
and divisional commissioner of Srinagar.
PM inaugurates Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations of ICSI
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations of the Institute of
Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) in New Delhi.
• Originally set up as not-for-profit organisation on October 4, 1968, the institute was in 1980 converted
into a statutory professional body under an Act of Parliament — The Company Secretaries Act 1980.
Foundation stone of NW-4's Krishna river stretch
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid foundation stone to develop Muktyal to Vijayawada waterway
stretch on River Krishna as part of National Waterway 4 at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh.
• The 82-km inland waterway stretch is Phase-1 of National Waterway-4 developed under Sagar Mala
project.
• It will be used mainly for transportation of cement and construction material for new capital city
Amaravati. The work is expected to be completed by June 2019.
Ministry of Health ranks first in Swachh Bharat initiative
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was adjudged as best department for its contribution
during ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’, an inter-ministry initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission.
• The Ministry had observed Swachhta Pakhwada from February 1-15, 2017.
• The award was presented on third anniversary of the Mission on October 2, 2017 and was received by
Health Secretary C. K. Mishra on behalf of the Ministry.
President Kovind declares Rural Gujarat as Open Defecation Free
• President Ram Nath Kovind has declared Rural Gujarat as Open Defecation Free (ODF) at Kirti Mandir
in Porbandar.
• He has felicitated rural women for achieving ODF status for rural Gujarat. Urban Gujarat already has
been declared ODF.
India unveils third National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017-2031
• India unveiled the third National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017-2031 spelling out the future road map
for wildlife conservation.
• The plan was unveiled by environment minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on the inaugural day of the Global
Wildlife Programme (GWP) conference on Oct 02.
• The third action plan comes after the first plan in 1983 and second from 2002 till 2016.

Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple adjudged as cleanest iconic place
• The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai (Tamil Nadu) was adjudged as the cleanest iconic
place in country under Swachhta Hi Seva (cleanliness is service) programme.
• The temple earned top slot from among 10 iconic places selected by Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission.
• It has piped other iconic places such as Taj Mahal, Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Golden Temple, Tirupathi
temple and Sri Vaishno Devi temple.
• It is historic Hindu temple located on southern bank of Vaigai River in temple city of Madurai, Tamil
Nadu.
• It is dedicated to Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareswar, a form of Shiva. It was
built during reign of Pandyas.
Five-member committee to select RSTVs next editor-in-chief
• A five-member committee, headed by Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash, has been formed to
select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV).
• Other members of the Search-cum-Selection Committee are Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, Prasar
Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Additional Secretary (Personnel) in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat
P P K Ramacharyulu and journalist Rahul Srivastava, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said in the order.
Govt launches Paryatan Parv to boost tourism
• The Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Other Union Ministries and State Governments
has launched nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv’ to showcase cultural diversity of country and reinforce the
principle of ‘Tourism for All’. Its objective is to draw focus on the benefits of tourism.
• It was inaugurated at Humayun’s Tomb and will be held across the country from the 5th to 25th October
2017.
Govt constitutes high-level committee for water management in northeast
• The Govt has constituted a high-level committee for proper management of water resources in North
Eastern Region (NER) under Chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog.
• The Committee is tasked to facilitate optimising benefits of appropriate water management in form of
agriculture, bio-diversity conservation, hydro-electric power, reduced flood damage erosion, inland
water transport, forestry, fishery and eco-tourism.
• It will submit its report, including Plan of Action, by June, 2018.
Cabinet approves renaming of Kandla Port as Deendayal Port
• The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of Union Ministry of Shipping to rename of Kandla Port in
Gujarat as Deendayal Port, Kandla.
• The port was renamed after BJP ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay who had dedicated his entire
life for public service and was epitome of simplicity, honesty and selfless service for poor and down-
trodden.
NHAI launches countrywide Free Eye Check-up Campaign
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched countrywide Free Eye Check-up
Campaign and distribution of spectacles for truck drivers, cleaners and helpers.
• It was launched by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources,
River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari at Panjari Toll Plaza, Nagpur Bypass, Nagpur
in Maharashtra.
President appoints Commission to Examine OBC Sub-categorisation
• President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed five-member commission to examine sub-categorisation of
Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

• It will be headed by retired Chief Justice of Delhi High Court G. Rohini.
• Besides, Dr J K Bajaj, Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Registrar General and Census
Commissioner and Joint Secretary from Ministry of Social Justice will be ex-officio members of
commission.
• The commission will examine extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among castes
included in broad category of OBCs, especially with reference to OBCs included in the Central list.
STATE News
UP declares Vrindavan, Barsana as sacred sites
• The Uttar Pradesh govt issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as
“pavitra teerth sthals (sacred pilgrimage sites)”.
• No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore.
First International Conference on Consumer Protection held in New Delhi
• The First International Consumer Protection Conference on “Empowering consumers in new markets”
for the South, South East and East Asian Countries was held on 26 to 27 October 2017 in New Delhi.
• The protection of consumers’ rights in the digital context is important for a sustainable and inclusive
development of e-commerce, which also needs to address cross-border cooperation and enforcement.
‘Third Global Investors’ India Forum Held In New Delhi
• The 3rd Global Investors’ India Forum held in New Delhi.
• The theme of the event was ‘Ideate, Innovate, Implement and Invest in India’ and it was attended by
global industry stalwarts.
• In the forum, major focus was given on generation of electricity and its distribution across the country.
The event was organized by the ASSOCHAM.
Piyush Goyal launches Railways' first set of solar plants in Delhi
• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched Indian Railway’s first set of solar plants with total capacity of
5 megawatt peak (MWp) on roof tops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Anand Vihar and Delhi
railway stations.
• It is an ambitious project aimed at reducing the national transporter's carbon footprint.
• This project was launched as part of Union Govt’s ambitious National SolarMission in which Indian
Railways plans to commission 1000 MWp solar plants across its network.
TN govt announces ₹10 crore for setting up Tamil Chair in Harvard

• Tamil Nadu govt has sanctioned Rs. 10 crore towards setting up of a Tamil Chair at the Harvard
University in the US.
• The setting up of such a Chair would immensely contribute to Indology and also research on Tamil
literature and culture.
Madras High Court bans photos of living persons on banners
• The Madras High Court banned the use of “photographs or pictures” of living persons on “banners, flex
boards, signboards” across the state.
• If at all any permission is given by the authority concerned for erecting banners, flex boards, signboards,
etc, the authority concerned shall ensure that the photographs or pictures of such persons who are alive
shall not be depicted by way of those banners, flex boards, signboards etc.
Rajasthan CM launches Rajiv Mehrishi's 'India 2017 Yearbook'
• Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje launched an e-book titled 'India 2017 Yearbook', compiled by the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and former Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
• The book does not just serve civil services aspirants but also people from different walks of life such as
bureaucrats, corporate, business or journalists.
L&T Technology Services conferred with CII Industrial Innovation 2017
• At CII Industrial Innovation Awards ceremony in New Delhi.
• L&T Technology Services was conferred with the CII Industrial Innovation Award, 2017 that
recognized it as one of the most innovative Indian companies in the services category at
the CII Industrial Innovation Awards ceremony in New Delhi.
PM launches South Asia’s first Ro-Ro ferry service in Gujarat
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated first phase of Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off) ferry service between
Ghogha in Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch district in the Gulf of Cambay, Gujarat.
• It is South Asia’s first world class Ro-Ro ferry service.
• The Ro-Ro ferry services are vessels made to carry wheeled cargo (such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer
trucks, trailers, and railroad cars) that are driven on and off ferry on their own wheels or using a
platform vehicle.
• It is opposite of lift-on and lift-off (lo-lo) vessels which uses crane to load and unload cargo.
President declares urban Maharashtra open defecation free
• President Ram Nath Kovind declared urban Maharashtra open defecation free (ODF) under the Swacch
Bharat Mission at the event held in Mumbai.
• This decision was made after all 384 urban local bodies (ULB) comprising 27 municipal corporations ,
256 municipal councils and 101 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra were declared ODF.
• Maharashtra is third big state after Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh to become Open Defecation Free in urban
areas.
President Ramnath Kovind inaugurates Shirdi airport in Maharashtra
• President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated Shirdi airport in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and also
flagged off inaugural flight of Alliance Air from Shirdi to Mumbai.
• The new airport will slash travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi, around 240 km apart, to barely 45
minutes from existing six hours. Shirdi is small town in western Maharashtra.
• It is world-famous pilgrim spot for ‘samadhi’ temple of 20th century saint, known as Saibaba, who is
revered by all communities.
Rajasthan Govt introduces bill prohibiting probes against judges, officers without sanction

• Rajasthan Govt has introduced The Code of Criminal Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017 in
the state assembly to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in state
from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.
• The bill replaces Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 promulgated in this regard.
First ASEAN India Music Festival held at Purana Qila in New Delhi
• The first ever ASEAN-India Music Festival was held at Purana Quila in New Delhi.
• The 3 day festival was organised by External Affairs Ministry in collaboration with Culture Ministry to
celebrate the 25th year anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations.
Varanasi to get 2 new STPs by March next year
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi will soon get two sewage
treatment plants, STPs as part of the government’s bid to curb Ganga water pollution.
• The treatment plants, having a total 260 million litres daily (MLD) capacity will be commissioned at
Varanasi’s Dinapur and Goitha before March next year.
• The govt had recently awarded contract for constructing 50 MLD capacity sewage treatment plants at
Ramana in Varanasi.
Dharmendra Pradhan launches Odisha's first PNG supply in Bhubaneswar
• Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated Odisha's first PNG (Piped
Natural Gas) project in Bhubaneswar.
• The PNG supply, a part of 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga', was launched almost six months before the
deadline of March 2018 set by the Minister.
• The project's target is to provide one crore PNG connections in the state by 2020.
Hirasar Greenfield airport project in Gujarat gets green clearance
• The Centre has given green clearance for a Greenfield airport project at Hirasar, about 28 km from
Rajkot in Gujarat, at a cost of over Rs. 1,400 crore.
• The state govt has proposed a new airport in Rajkot district as the existing one is small and the earlier
plan to extend the current runway could not materialise because of high land cost.
• The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 1,405 crore. It would be a single runway airport for operating ‘C’
category aircraft.
• The proposed project will be built in an area of 1,025.54 hectare, of which 96.48 per cent is govt land.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister launches Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the ambitious ‘Bhavantar Bhugtan
Yojna’ in the presence of the farmers at the Krishi Upaj Mandi in Khurai, Sagar district of Madhya
Pradesh.
• The objective of this scheme is to ensure reasonable prices to the farmers for their agriculture produces
and thereby protecting them from losses suffered on account of distress sale.
International Puppet Festival to be held in Kolkata
• The capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata for the first time will host an international Puppet festival
named ‘PUN (Puppets Unite Neighbours) International Puppet Festival’ at Mohorkunj from 26th to 31st
October 2017.
• The puppet festival is aimed at regenerating the emotions attached to puppetry.
'Rajasthan assembly first in India to call motions online'
• The Rajasthan assembly has become the first in India to call attention and adjournment motions and
proposals online from legislators to send them to the state govt.
• Speaker Kailash Meghwal inaugurated the new system by sending a call for an attention motion to the
state government with a click of a mouse.

Sewage treatment plants to be set up in Haridwar, Varanasi
• The Centre approved setting up of sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Haridwar and Varanasi in the
public-private partnership mode for a combined cost of ₹324.69 crore under its Namami Gange
programme.
• It will be the India’s first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) under Hybrid Annuity Mode, will come up in
Haridwar (Uttarakhand) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).
• In this regard, a tripartite agreement was signed between National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
and state level executing agencies Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and Uttarakhand Pey Jal Nigam and with
concessionaires.
44th Indian Handicrafts and Gifts-Delhi Fair inaugurated in New Delhi
• The 44th edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gifts (IHGF)-Delhi Fair was held at India Expo Centre and
Mart on outskirts of Delhi in Greater Noida.
• It was organised by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and was inaugurated by Union
Textiles Minister Smriti Irani.
• The five-day B2B IHGF Fair was biggest platform in National Capital Region (NCR) for promotion of
handicrafts business.
3rd International Conference on Yoga held in New Delhi
• The 3rd International Conference on Yoga was held in New Delhi with the theme “Yoga for Wellness”.
• Ministry of AYUSH organized the 2-day conference as part of yearlong events organized to celebrate
21st June as International Day of Yoga.
Bihar Cabinet Approves Reservation for ‘Divyangs’ in Govt Jobs
• The Bihar Cabinet approved reservations for persons with disabilities in govt jobs and educational
institutions.
• The cabinet gave its approval during a meeting presided by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
• The provision has been brought in accordance with the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
• The cabinet also approved the establishment of a state advisory board for the empowerment of
‘Divyangjan’ as envisaged in the Act.
Telangana announces e-waste programme
• The Telangana govt announced two new policies focussing on Internet of things and e-waste, which are
part of the 10 major focus areas of the state's IT policy launched last year.
• The IoT policy is designed to attract Rs 10,000 crore worth of investments and the creation of five
clusters each in three districts. The govt aims to provide employment for 50,000 people in five years.
Maharashtra launches web portal with information on new government schemes
• Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘MahaLabharthi‘, web portal that will help people get
information about all the government schemes that they are eligible for.
• The govt is now working to connect the web portal with other websites, to allow people to apply for the
welfare schemes.
• The web portal, https://www.mahalabharthi.in, works on the basis of personal, educational and
professional information provided by a person while registering on it.
HP Govt. implements senior citizen health insurance scheme
• The Himachal Pradesh govt has implemented the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS) in
the state with a view to provide easy access to curative geriatric health care services by way of
additional insurance cover

• The scheme will provide top up coverage of Rs. 30,000 per senior citizen to all existing Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojna smart card holders in addition to basic coverage of Rs.30,000 in Trust/Society
mode.
• The estimated annual add-on premium for the implementation of SCHIS is up to Rs.500 per family.
• The Central and State govt will share the insurance premium in the ratio of 90:10.
First BIMSTEC Disaster Management exercise held in New Delhi
• The first BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise (DMEx-2017) will be organised in Delhi-NCR.
• It was conducted by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency in the National
Capital Region (NCR).
• The exercise, to be held from October 10-13, 2017, will be a platform to share best practices on all
aspects of disaster risk reduction and strengthening regional response and coordination for disaster
management among BIMSTEC countries.
• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
involves countries in South and South East Asia that is, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
Uttarakhand Govt. launches 'Solar Briefcase'
• The Uttarakhand Govt and a charitable funding agency, Swan Cultural Center and Foundation, launched
'Solar Briefcase' in Kedarnath Dham.
• The initiative was taken to provide electricity to far flung areas in the hill state. "
First Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee (JSC) held in New Delhi
• The First Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee (JSC) was held in New Delhi.
• The delegations for the meeting was led by TVSN Prasad, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of
Home Affairs andStephen Bouwhuis, First Assistant Secretary, International and Auscheck Division,
Criminal Justice Group, Attorney General's Department.
Chhattisgarh bans PVC used in carry bags
• The Chhattisgarh govt has banned the use of chlorinated plastic and short-life Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
in the state.
• The advertising and promotion of materials like PVC banners, flex, and hoardings have also been
banned with immediate effect.
World Dental Show 2017 opens in Mumbai
• The 3-day international exhibition, ‘World Dental Show 2017’ was opened in Mumbai, Maharashtra to
showcase evolving global technologies and techniques in dentistry.
• It was hosted by Indian Dental Association (IDA) and witnessed participation from international
exhibitors from China, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Russian, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, UK and US.
UP govt launches ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’
• Uttar Pradesh State Govt launched a mass marriage scheme called ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah
Yojana’.
• Under the scheme, Uttar Pradesh social welfare department will conduct mass marriages.
• The District magistrates of respective districts will authorize urban local bodies like Nagar panchayat,
Nagar Palika and Nagar Nigam, kshetra panchayats, Zila panchayats, government/ semi-government
organizations and NGOs to organize programmes in this regard.
Snow leopard photographed for first time in Arunachal Pradesh
• Scientists for first time have captured images of Snow Leopard using camera trap at Thembang village’s
Community Conserved Area (CCA) in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

• The camera trap study was conducted by World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-India) in collaboration
with Arunachal Pradesh Environment and Forest Department to focus on unexplored snow leopard
habitats.
Turtle Sanctuary to be set up in Allahabad
• The Union Ministry of Water Resources has approved project to set up Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad
along with River Biodiversity Park at Sangam in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh under Namami Gange
programme.
• The purpose of the Turtle sanctuary is to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga froom
escalating anthropogenic pressures.
Karnataka Govt launches Mathru Poorna scheme
• The Karnataka Govt has launched Mathru Poorna Scheme to meet nutritional needs of pregnant and
lactating women in rural areas of state.
• Under the scheme, pregnant and lactating poor women in rural areas will get one nutritious meal daily
for 25 days in a month. It will be implemented through anganwadis in State.
• Nutritious food will be provided for 15 months, from start of pregnancy up to siix months after delivery.
Global Wildlife Programme Conference held in New Delhi
• The Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) Conference was recently held in New Delhi with the theme
of “Peoples’ participation in wildlife conservation”.
• It was jointly hosted by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), World Bank
and United Nations Development Programme.
• It was initiated in 2015 by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Chandrababu Naidu launches 'Swachh Andhra Mission' on Gandhi Jayanti
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Swachh Andhra Mission on the occasion
of Gandhi Jayanti.
• Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Swachh Andhra along with
state minister for Information Technology and Rural Development Nara Lokesh and public
representatives, were the dignitaries who joined Naidu on the occasion.
Odisha govt creating land bank for industrial allocation
• The state govt of Odisha is creating a 1.2 lakh acre land bank across the state for allocation to the
industrial sector to avoid a repeat of the Posco fiasco.
• The objective is to cut red tape and wrangling with local issues in the land acquisition process.
• The state govt is acquiring government land for industrial use and proposes to offer it with all facilities
in place.
3rd Edition of Women of India Organic Festival held at Dilli Haat
• The third edition of Women of India Organic Festival was held at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.
• The 15-day festival aimed at promoting women entrepreneurs and farmers in the organic sector.
• The theme of the festival this year was good for Women, Good for India, Good for You.
• It was inaugurated by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

International News
India and US Hold 11th Trade Policy Forum Meeting in Washington D.C.
• The 11th Trade Policy Forum (TPF) Meeting was held in Washington D.C. on 26th October 2017.
• It was jointly chaired by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu and US Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Germany celebrates 500 years since Reformation
• Germany on Oct 31 celebrates 500 years since theologian Martin Luther nailed his “95 theses” to a
church door, marking the start of the Reformation that created the Protestant church and transformed
European society.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attended a service at the
same church where Luther is said to have first displayed his list of criticisms of the Catholic Church in
1517.
• Reformation Day on October 31 is this year a public holiday across all of Germany.
Saudi to allow women into sports stadiums from 2018
• Saudi Arabia will allow women into three sports stadiums for the first time from 2018.
• It opens up the previously male-only venues to families.
• The kingdom appears to be relaxing some norms as part of its "Vision 2030" plan for economic and
social reforms, which aims to boost female employment.
World’s first hydrogen tram begins operation in China
• The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China
• It marks a big step in the application of green energy in public transport.
• It is the world’s first hybrid electric tram, with hydrogen being the main power source.
• China Railway Rolling Corporation (CRRC) Tangshan Co is the maker of the tram.
• The tram was put into commercial operation for the first time in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei
Province. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no pollutants.
• No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is
controlled under 100 degrees Celsius.
14th SAARCLAW Conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka
• The 14th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law (SAARCLAW) Conference was
held in Colombo, capital city of Sri Lanka along with 11th SAARC Chief Justices Conference.
• The three-day conference was inaugurated by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and
saw participation from South Asia’s top Judges, legal practitioners and academics.
Burundi becomes first to leave International Criminal Court
• Burundi will become the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
• Burundi is the only one of three African nations to go ahead with its withdrawal after making moves last
year to leave amid accusations that the court focuses too much on the continent.
Saudi Arabia bestows citizenship on a robot named Sophia
• Saudi Arabia has become the first country to give citizenship to a robot named Sophia, which was
created by Hong Kong-based Company Hanson Robotics.
• The move is an attempt to promote Saudi Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence – and,
presumably, allow it to become a full citizen.
Chile named best country to visit in 2018

• Lonely Planet, the travel guide company, ranked Chile as the number one country to visit in 2018, in its
Best in Travel 2018 list.
• It was followed by South Korea and Portugal in the 2nd and 3rd positions. In the top 10 cities category,
Seville of Spain was ranked as number one.
Qatar introduces minimum wage for migrant workers
• The tiny Gulf state host of the 2022 football World Cup, Qatar will introduce a minimum wage for
workers amid global outcry over the alleged ill-treatment faced by migrant workers in the country.
• The announcement by labour and social affairs minister Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi comes the day
before a meeting of the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) – which has previously warned
that Qatar could face action over the appalling conditions faced by its two-million strong migrant work
force.
Kilogram will get new measure from 2019
• The International Conference of heads of Metrology Institutes held in Sevres, France has decided that
the measure of kilogram will no longer be pegged to cylinder.
• From 2019 onwards, it will be set by value of Planck constant in combination with definitions of meter
and second.
APEDA to promote NE products in Bangladesh and Myanmar
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken up a
programme for promotion of north eastern products in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• In this regard, it has proposed to organise promotional programmes in Bangladesh and Myanmar in
association with the High Commission of India in Dhaka and its Embassy in Yangon.
• The export of APEDA scheduled products to Bangladesh during 2016-17 was of US $396.44 million.
Peru approves medicinal use of marijuana
• The Peruvian Congress has approved a bill that authorises the medicinal and therapeutic use of cannabis
and its derivatives in the country.
• With this Peru became sixth country in Latin America to legalise cannabis.
• Uruguay was first in 2013, allowing sales of cannabis any purpose.
• It was followed by Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.
• Marijuana is greenish-gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of Cannabis
sativa – the hemp plant.
4th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus to be held in Philippines
• The fourth edition of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus will be held in Philippines.
• India will be represented by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• It is her first foreign visit as Defence Minister.
Vanuatu Becomes First Nation to Accept Bitcoin in Exchange for Citizenship
• The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has become host to the world’s first govt to accept bitcoin in
exchange for citizenship.
• Vanuatu’s citizenship program costs $200,000 USD, meaning that at current prices the residency
program costs less than 41.5 bitcoins.
HPCL becomes first Indian OMC to trade lubricants in Myanmar
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), a public sector oil company became the first Oil
Marketing Company (OMC) from India to mark its presence in the lubricant market in Myanmar.
• HP Lubricants, having achieved the number one position in the domestic market, sought to prove itself
in foreign shore by venturing into Myanmar.
Japan launches fourth Michibiki satellite for hi-tech GPS

• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched Michibiki-4 satellite (QZSS-4)
onboard of H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre.
• It was fourth satellite in Michibiki series i.e. Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which is a satellite-
based high-precision global positioning system similar to US operated GPS.
• Moreover, it was 36th H-IIA vehicle to be launched so far and fifth launch of an H-IIA rocket in 2017.
• Michibiki-4 is third QZSS satellite to be launched in 2017 and once operational it will bring the
constellation of QZSS to its operating capacity of four until a planned expansion to 8 satellites occurs
around 2023.
US approves first test to screen Zika virus in donated blood
• United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ‘Cbas Zika test’ for detecting Zika
virus in donated blood.
• It is first of kind test approved by FDA for detecting Zika virus in donated blood.
• The cobas Zika test is manufactured by Roche Molecular Systems Inc.
• It is intended for use by blood collection establishments to detect Zika virus in blood donations and not
for individual diagnosis of Zika virus infection. Zika virus is vector borne disease transmitted primarily
by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the same mosquito that transmits dengue.
India, EU to hold 14th summit talks on October 6
• India and the European Union will hold the 14th summit on Oct 06.
• The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the president of the European Commission,
Jean—Claude Juncker, will visit from October 5—7 for the summit.
• The EU is India’s largest regional trading partner with bilateral trade in goods at $88 billion in 2016.
• The 13th India-EU Summit was held in Brussels on March 30 last year during Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit.
World’s biggest and most powerful nuclear icebreaker ship launched by Russia
• Russia launched Sibir (Siberia), the world’s largest nuclear-powered icebreaker ship built under Project
22220 into the water at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg.
• Sibir is second of three icebreakers of new class of biggest nuclear powered icebreakers ever constructed
under Project 22220. The first one was Arktika (Arctic) was put in service in June 2016.
• Third icebreaker Ural is set to be completed in 2019.
Govt opens two border crossing points with Myanmar, Bangladesh
• The Union Home Ministry has opened two Zorinpui and Kawrpuichhuah immigration check posts along
borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• The Zorinpui landcheck post is located in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram.

Science & Defence
Home Ministry relaxes Arms Rules
• The Ministry of Home Affairs has liberalised Arms Rules to encourage investments in manufacture of
arms and ammunition.
• The rules were liberalised with aim of making India a regional leader in supplying small arms to
neighbouring countries as well as become an export hub.
• According to the new rules, license granted for manufacturing will be now valid for the lifetime.
• The requirement of renewal of the licence every five years has been done away with.
L&T hands over offshore patrol vessel to Coast Guard
• Larsen and Toubro (L&T) handed over offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named “Vikram” to the Indian
Coast Guard.
• It is country’s first-ever such defence vessel to be built in a private shipyard.
• The vessel was indigenously developed in-house at L&T’s Kattupalli shipyard.
• Its entire design and construction processes have undergone dual certification from American Bureau of
Shipping and Indian Registrar of Shipping.
World’s fastest, shortest laser pulse created
• Researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have successfully created the world’s shortest X-ray laser
pulse with duration of just 43 attoseconds (1×10−18 of a second).
• This laser pulse is the shortest controlled event that has ever been created by humans.
• It will allow observing electrons in slow motion.
Scientists link new virus to kala-azar
• Scientists have found that parasite called Leptomonas seymouri hosting virus called Lepsey NLV1 may
be also responsible for spread of kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis).
• Kala-azar is endemic to the Indian subcontinent in 119 districts in four countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India and Nepal).
IIT Bombay makes analog device that mimics neurons
• A team comprising researchers from IIT Bombay and IIT Gandhinagar has succeeded in fabricating an
artificial neuron.
• Manufacturing a brain-like chip made of artificially fabricated neurons is one aim of scientists working
in the field of artificial intelligence.
• This silicon neuron is an analog device that mimics the biological neuron in that it fires a spiky signal
when it detects simultaneously occurring inputs from outside.
Scientists develop RNA editing tool
• Scientists from the Broad Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in US have created a new
gene-editing tool that tweaks the individual RNA 'letters' in human cells without making changes to the
entire genome, paving the way for therapies that can reverse disease-causing mutations.
• The molecular system, called RNA Editing for Programmable A to I Replacement (REPAIR) has
profound potential as a tool for both research and disease treatment.
• REPAIR is based on the gene-editing tool CRISPR that can be used to modify DNA in cells.
Ichthyosaur fossil discovered for first time in India
• Researchers from the University of Delhi for the first time have discovered 152 million-year-old fossil
of Ichthyosaur, an extinct marine reptile in in Kutch desert region of Gujarat.

• The specimen belongs to Ophthalmosauridae family of ichthyosaurs that lived in oceans between 165
and 90 million years ago.
• The 5.5 m long fossil was found inside rocks from esozoic Era, which ran between 252 and 66 million
years ago along with fossils of ammonites and squid-like belemnites.
CVC to develop Integrity Index of 25 Organizations
• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has decided to develop Integrity Index of 25 Government
Organizations in line with its broader strategy and emphasis on preventive vigilance.
• The index will be for bench-marking internal processes and controls within organisation as well as
management of relationships and expectations of outside stakeholders.
• The Integrity Index will bring out annual scores/rankings of Public Sector Undertakings/Public Sector
Banks and Financial Institutions/Departments/Ministries of Government of India by linking the essential
drivers of vigilance with long term efficiency, profitability and sustainability of public organizations and
create an internal and external ecosystem that promotes working with Integrity in public organizations.
Indian Navy approves new mission-based deployment plan
• Indian Navy has cleared the new mission-based deployment plan for deploying mission-ready ships and
aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications and choke points in Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The deployment of warships in the Indian Ocean region to effectively counter China's growing presence
in the strategically key waters. It was discussed in the ongoing naval commanders’ conference.
Scientists develop new tool to improve monsoon forecast
• The researchers from Florida State University in the U.S. developed a method that uses rainfall rates to
mark the span of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) at any given location throughout the affected
region.
• Scientists have developed a new tool for objectively defining the onset and demise of the summer
monsoon — a colossal weather system that affects millions of people annually.
Coast Guard OPV commissioned as Suraksha
• Sri Lankan Coast Guard (SLCG) has commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) SURAKSHA at
Colombo Harbour. Offshore Patrol Vessel CG 60 was provided by the Indian Coast Guard.
• It is the first Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to be inducted into its fleet, would be used by the Sri Lanka
Coast Guard for patrolling and surveillance in Sri Lanka waters, humanitarian assistance and disaster
response operations, prevention of maritime pollution as well as training purposes.
• The OPV, with a displacement of 1,160 tons, is 74.10m in length and 11.4m in breadth. It can sail at a
speed of 22 nautical miles per hour.
NASA extends Dawn Mission at dwarf planet Ceres
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has approved second extension of Dawn
mission at Ceres dwarf planet which is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• During this extension, Dawn spacecraft will descend to lower altitudes than ever before at dwarf planet,
which it has been orbiting since March 2015.
First tri-services military exercise between India-Russia begins
• The first tri-service armed Forces (Army, Navy, & Air Force) exercise INDRA 2017 between India and
Russia began at the 249th Combined Army Range Sergeevisky and in Sea of Japan near Vladivostok.
• It is overall 10th edition of INDRA exercise and India’s first bilateral military exercise with any country
involving all three services.
New species of large gecko discovered in Eastern Ghats
• Researchers have discovered new species of gecko at Chhattisgarh’s Kanger Ghati National Park in
Eastern Ghats.

• It common name is the Kanger valley rock gecko and scientific name is Hemidactylus kangerensis,
named after the valley were it was discovered. It is fairly large and can grow to over eight inches long.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissions INS Kiltan
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissioned the indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) stealth corvette INS Kiltan at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.
• It is India’s first major warship to have a superstructure of carbon fibre composite material resulting in
improved stealth features, lower top weight and maintenance costs.
• INS Kiltan is the latest indigenous warship after Shivalik-class, Kolkata-class and sister ships INS
Kamorta and INS Kadmatt to have joined the Indian Navy’s arsenal.
Planet Nine does exist in solar system: NASA
• NASA scientists said that the elusive ‘Planet Nine’ does exist, and may be 10 times the mass of the
Earth and 20 times away from the Sun than Neptune.
• Planet Nine could turn out to be our solar system’s missing ‘super Earth’ — a planet with a mass higher
than the Earth’s, but substantially lower than the masses of ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
• The signs so far are indirect, mainly its gravitational footprints, but that adds up to a compelling case.
World’s largest combustion research centre inaugurated at IIT Madras
• National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was inaugurated at Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras in Tamil Nadu.
• It is world’s largest combustion research centre and one of best diagnostic centres in the country to
understand combustion.
SpaceX completes successful launch of recycled rocket Falcon 9
• SpaceX successfully launched its recycled rocket Falcon 9 and landed it on a drone ship in the Atlantic
Ocean.
• The recycled Falcon 9 rocket was carrying the Echostar 105/SES-11 satellite.
• It was 18th successful landing of Falcon 9 rocket first stage which was previously use in transporting
cargo to International Space Station in February 2017.
INS Satpura, Kadmatt participates in Passage Exercise in Japan
• Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt participated in Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese
Marine Self Defence Force (JMSDF) held at Sasebo, Japan.
• These ships are participating in the exercise in pursuance of India’s Act East Policy and demonstration
of India’s commitment to peace and stability in Indo-Pacific Region.
Launch of Mobile Health App 'MedWatch' By the Indian Air Force
• On the occasion of its 85th anniversary, the Indian Air Force (Oct 08) has launched an innovative
mobile health App named 'MedWatch' in keeping with the Prime Minister's vision of 'Digital India'.
• The concept and content of the App is by the Directorate General of Medical Services (Air) and it has
been developed in-house with zero financial outlay by the Directorate of Information
Technology (DIT).
• 'MedWatch', available on the IAF's AFCEL network, comprises a host of features that will provide
authentic health information to all IAF personnel.
Algae-based footwear developed by scientists
• Scientists have developed algae-based flip-flops that could be environment friendly alternative to
petroleum-based slippers in countries like India and China.
• Three billion petroleum-based footwears are produced worldwide each year, eventually ending up as
non-biodegradable trash in landfills, rivers and oceans.
Scientists develop smart bandage

• Scientists from US have developed a smart bandage that can precisely control dose and delivery
schedule of medication tailored for a specific type of wound, leading to faster healing.
• This is the first bandage that is capable of dose-dependent drug release and can be used to heal chronic
wounds or battlefield injuries.
Bacteria can spread antibiotic resistance through soil
• Researchers including one of Indian origin from North Carolina State University in US have found that
antibiotic resistance can be passed between bacteria found in the soil.
• They also have found that spreading manure on ground as fertiliser can also spread antibiotic resistance
to bacteria in the soil.
• Bacteria contain small DNA molecules known as plasmids.
• Thus, these plasmids in bacterias are responsible for antibiotic resistance in soil also.

Nobel prize 2017

RANKING & REPORTS
India ranks 75 in Global Passport Power Rank 2017
• India’s passport was ranked 75th among 94 countries in recently released Global Passport Power Rank
2017.
• India was ranked three notches better than its previous ranking of 78 in 2015.
• Singapore’s passport scored visa-free score of 159 and has become the world’s most powerful passport,
making it first Asian country to top it.
• Singapore is followed by Germany, Sweden and South Korea. The Global Passport Power Rank is
released by Canada based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital.
Four Asian vulture species now on highest protection list
• Several species of vultures, including four that have India on their migratory routes, were awarded the
highest protection by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
(CMS).
• The whale shark, which inhabits the Indian Ocean, got global protection too.
• The summit held in Manila has been the largest in the 38-year history of the Convention, which is also
known as the Bonn Convention after the German city in which it was signed.
Jeff Bezos replaces Gates as world's richest person with $90.6-bn fortune
• According to Forbes magazine, Jeff Bezos surpassed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world.
• The fortune of Amazon's founder reached some $90.6 billion,compared with the $90.1 billion that the
online edition of the magazine attributes to Gates.
India ranks 100th in Global Hunger Index 2017
• India ranked 100th position among 119 countries on Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 report released
by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
• This year ranking has been slipped by three positions as compared to 97th rank in Global Hunger Index
2016.
• In 2017 GHI, India scored 31.4 and was placed in high end of “serious” category.
IIP rises to 9-month high of 4.3% in August 2017
• According to data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO), factory output measured in terms of Index
of Industrial Production (IIP) has grown nine-month high to 4.3% in August 2017.
• The manufacturing sector output grew 3.1% in August 2017, mining sector output surged 9.4% and
electricity generation increased 8.3%.
• The CSO had revised base year of IIP from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in May 2017.
India tops list of pollution-linked deaths: Study
• According to new study published in medical journal The Lancet, India has topped list of countries with
pollution-related deaths in 2015.
• In India, 2.51 million people died prematurely in 2015 due to diseases linked to air, water and other
forms of pollution.
• Of the 2.51 million deaths in India, 1.81 million were related to air pollution, 0.64 million to water
pollution, 0.17 million to occupational exposure and 95,000 linked to lead pollution.
Jaipur and Srinagar Airport ranked first and second in ACI-ASQ Survey
• The Jaipur and Srinagar Airport were ranked first and second respectively in ACI (Airports Council
International)-ASQ (Airport Service Quality) Survey in the category of 2-5 million passengers.

• It was for second consecutive time Jaipur Airport was rated Best Airport in the World in the 2 to 5
million passengers per year traffic volume category.
IISC & IIT Bombay among world’s top 200 for engineering
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore and Indian Instituted of Technology (IIT) Bombay
were ranked among world’s top 200 institutions for engineering and computer science in Times Higher
Education subject-wise rankings.
• IISc was placed at the 89th spot, while IIT Bombay was placed in the 126- 150 category, globally.
• India has a total of eleven institutions in rankings, IITs in Delhi, Kanpur and Kharagpur were placed in
201-250 band and IITs in Madras and Roorkee in 251 – 300 category.
India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List
• According to the Nation Brands 2017 report of Brand Finance, India is ranked 8th on the latest list of
most valuable nation brands, slipping one spot this year and ceding its previous spot to Canada.
• While India’s ranking reflects on the current economic slowdown in the country, Canada saw a growth
of 14 per cent in its brand value.
• The United States retains its top position followed by China, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
• India’s National Brand Value in 2017 is $2.04 trillion, which is one per cent lower than last year’s $2.06
trillion.
Air pollution affects children’s memory
• According to study published in journal Environmental Pollution, exposure to air pollution can have
damaging effects on children’s cognitive development and reduce their working memory.
• The study has assessed impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon— a pollutant directly
related to traffic during walking commute to and from school.
APPROVALS & MoUs

India, Italy sign six agreements
• India and Italy inked six pacts to boost cooperation in key sectors, including energy and trade.
• These pacts were signed after detailed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian
counterpart Paolo Gentiloni on ways to strengthen ties and countering terrorism.
• The prime ministerial trip from Italy was happening after more than a decade. The last visit of an Italian
prime minister to India was in February 2007.
• Singed Agreements are
• MoU on cooperation in field of Energy.
• Executive Protocol on Cultural Cooperation.
• Joint Declaration of Intent of Cooperation for Safety in Railway sector.
• MoU for promoting mutual investments between Italian Trade Agency and Invest India.
• MoU on 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indian Council of Cultural Relations and
Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Italy.
• MoU between Training Unit of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,
Government of Italy and Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs, India
Life term for government officials indulging in torture
• The Law Commission in its latest report has recommended govt to ratify Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
• The Law Commission also recommended life in jail for public servants convicted of torture.
• The report submitted to the law ministry said the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, and the Indian
Evidence Act, 1872, require amendments to accommodate provisions regarding compensation and
burden of proof.
Microsoft Partners Karnataka Govt to Bring AI to Agriculture
• Karnataka govt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India to empower
farmers with technology-oriented solutions like Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced
analytics.
• Microsoft with guidance from the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission (KAPC), Department of
Agriculture will develop a multi-variant agricultural commodity price forecasting model.
Five-judge statute Bench to decide on Aadhaar validity
• The Supreme Court decided to constitute a five-judge Constitution Bench to hear petitions from
November against the validity of the Aadhaar scheme.
• A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra took the step after Attorney General K.K. Venugopal
said falsehoods had been spread about Aadhaar linking.
Govt makes use of Public Finance Management System mandatory for central schemes
• The Centre has made the use of Public Finance Management System (PFMS) mandatory for all central
schemes.
• It will ensure benefits of government schemes to reach the last mile.
• The move would help in tracking and monitoring the flow of funds to the implementing agencies.
India, Sri Lanka ink housing project deal in Hambantota
• Sri Lanka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to build 1,200 houses in
strategically located southern port city of Hambantota.
• The signing of the MoU in Hambantota assumes significance not only in its timing, but also in taking
India’s housing project to the Sinhala-majority Southern Province.
India and US to implement HOSTAC to strengthen maritime security
• India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for Helicopter Operations from
Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).
• This decision was taken during a meeting between Indian Defense Minister, Ms. Nirmala Sitharama and
US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis.
Govt gives LoI to 7 companies for 14 monuments
• The Union Ministry of Tourism gave Letters of Intent (LoI) to seven shortlisted companies for adopting
14 monuments under Adopt a Heritage Scheme at the closing ceremony of ‘Paryatan Parv’ held in New
Delhi.
• The shortlisted companies will be future ‘Monument Mitras’ who would associate pride with their
Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) activities.
• Jantar Mantar, Purana Quila, Safdarjung Tomb, Agrasen ki Baoli, and Qutub Minar (Delhi), Hampi
(Karnataka), Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra), Sun Temple, Raja Rani Temple and Ratnagiri Monuments

(Odisha), Leh Palace and Mt. StokKangri (Jammu & Kashmir), Mattancherry Palace Museum (Kerala),
Gangotri Temple Area and Trail (Uttarakhand) are the 14 adopted monuments.
• The ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’ of Ministry of Tourism was launched on World Tourism Day i.e.
27th September, 2017 by the President of India.
Home Ministry set to take over Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is set to move a proposal before the Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS) for taking over the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
• BCAS is currently under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and is responsible for laying down
standards, policies and measures with regard to security of all commercial flights.
Bangladesh signs gas oil deal with India
• Bangladesh signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement with an Indian refiner to import gas oil to
meet the country’s energy demand.
• The deal between Bangladesh Petroleum Corp. (BPC) and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) was signed
in presence of India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit
to discuss bilateral issues.
CCEA approves SANKALP & STRIVE Schemes to boost Skill India Mission
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two World Bank supported schemes
Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill
Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) to boost Skill India Mission.
• SANKALP scheme envisages setting up of Trainers and Assessors academies with self-sustainable
models.
• SANKALP is Rs 4455 crore centrally sponsored scheme including Rs 3300 crore loan support from
World Bank.
• STRIVE scheme will incentivize ITIs to improve overall performance including apprenticeship by
involving SMEs (Small Scale Enterprises), business association and industry clusters.
• STRIVE is Rs 2200 crore central sector scheme with half funding will be World bank loan assistance.
Amazon, Microsoft launch deep learning platform
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft have teamed up to launch an open-source and deep
learning interface 'Gluon' that will help developers to deploy machine learning models across several
platforms.
• The interface would give developers a place where they can prototype, build, train and deploy machine
learning models.
India, Brazil, South Africa sign IBSA Trust Fund agreement
• India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) have signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement that seeks to fight
poverty in developing countries.
• It was signed at the 8th IBSA trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting in Durban, South Africa.
• Each country will contribute US $1 million annually to this fund which is managed by the UN
Development Programme’s (UNDP) Special Unit for South-South Cooperation.
India inks MoC to send interns to Japan for training
• India and Japan have signed memorandum of cooperation (MoC) on Technical Intern Training
Programme (TITP) to significantly expand the bilateral cooperations in the field of skill development.
• India is the third country with which Japan has signed the MoC.
• It was launched by Japan under Technical Intern Training Act scheduled to come into force in
November 2017.
Myntra, Textile Ministry tie-up to promote handloom industry

• E-commerce major Myntra launched its CSR initiative in association with the Union Textile Ministry, to
work directly with weavers and elevate their economic stature.
• It has been launched with an initiative to provide impetus to the Govt's agenda to transform and revive
demand for arts and handloom products in India.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund inks pact worth $1 b with Abu Dhabi Investment
Authority
• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India has signed an investment agreement
worth $1 billion with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
• With this, ADIA becomes the first institutional investor in NIIF’s Master Fund and a shareholder in
National Investment and Infrastructure Limited, the NIIF’s investment management company.
• The corpus of the NIIF is proposed to be ₹40,000 crore ($6 billion) wherein the government will invest
49 per cent.
Bharti, Millicom seal deal for operations in Ghana
• Bharti Airtel and Millicom International Cellular announced the closure of a deal to combine their
operations in Ghana.
• Under the joint agreement, Airtel and Millicom will have equal ownership and governance rights in the
combined entity, which will have revenues of about $300 million.
Hamas, Fatah ink deal on Palestinian reconciliation
• Palestinian political parties Hamas and Fatah have signed reconciliation deal in an effort to end a
decade-long rift. It was brokered by Egypt.
Tata Teleservices to merge with Bharti Airtel
• Bharti Airtel recently announced the acquisition of Consumer Mobile Businesses (CMB) of Tata
Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharastra Ltd (TTML).
• After this merger, over 40 Million TTSL customers will join Bharti Airtel.
• Bharti Airtel will absorb TTSL’s CMB operations across country in nineteen circles (17 under TTSL
and 2 under TTML).
• The merger also includes transfer of all customers and assets of Tata CMB to Bharti Airtel.
LG India ties up with Bajaj Finserv to launch co-branded card
• Consumer Electronics major LG Electronics India announced the launch of an exclusive OEM co-
branded card in partnership with Bajaj Finserv.
• It will be available to customers buying LG products on a minimum invoice amount of ₹7,000 and
maximum of up to ₹2 lakh.
Union Cabinet approvals
Approves change of status for marine body IALA
• Cabinet approved status change of International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and
Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) from Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to Inter-Governmental
Organization (IGO).
• The move will bring IALA at par with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International
Hydrographic Organisation (IHO).
Approves MoU between SEBI and CMA, Kuwait
• The Union Cabinet approved signing of MoU by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with
Capital Markets Authority (CMA), Kuwait for mutual co-operation and technical assistance.
Approves MoU between SEBI and FSC

• The Union Cabinet approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Securities and
Exchange Boaroard of India (SEBI) and Financial Services Commission (FSC), Gibraltar for mutual co-
operation and technical assistance.
Approves MoC between India and Japan to establish Liquid, Flexible and Global LNG Market
• The Union Cabinet approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan
on establishing a liquid, flexible and global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Market.
• The MoC aims to promote bilateral relationship between India and Japan in the energy sector.
Approves MoC between India and Japan on Technical Intern Training Program
• The Union Cabinet has approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and
Japan on the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP).
• The Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) is ambitious program to send Indian technical interns to
Japan for onjob training for a period of three to five years.
Visa, AP tie up to benefit over 90% Vizagites
• Visa tied up with the Andhra Pradesh govt for Digital Dhan Sankalp project.
• It is an initiative to develop Visakhapatnam into India’s first ‘less cash’ city.
• The initiative also aims at making the coastal city country’s first ‘less cash’ city.
IIT Kharagpur signs MoU with Samsung for digital academy
• IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting
up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus.
• The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation
Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems,
commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances.
• The training aims to help students acquire industry-relevant skills and “become job ready”.
NMCG approves Eight Projects under Namami Gange Programme
• The Executive Committee of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved eight projects
worth Rs. 700 crore under Namami Gange Programme.
• The four projects pertain to sewage management in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, three are
related to treatment of drains through bio-remediation and one related to inventorization and
surveillance of Ganga River.
• Pollution abatement works
• Sewage management
• Treatment of drains using bio-remediation technology
• Pollution inventorization, assessment and surveillance Project
CBDT signs 2 more APAs with taxpayers
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed two more advance pricing agreements (APAs) in
September 2017 with Indian taxpayers
• It has been signed in order to reduce litigation by providing certainty in transfer pricing.
• The two signed APAs pertain to automobile and healthcare consulting sectors.
Uday Kotak Committee Recommendations on Corporate Governance
• The Banker Uday Kotak led 21-member Committee on corporate governance has submitted its report to
the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• The panel was constituted by SEBI in June 2017.
• It was given four months to submit its recommendations.
India signs €300 million agreement with European Investment Bank

• Govt has signed Finance Contract with European Investment Bank (EIB) for lending of €300 million for
Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6.
• The Phase II of metro project is jointly financed by EIB (€500 million) and Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (€300 million).
• The project envisages extension of East-West & North-South lines for Bangalore Metro Rail which
includes a total length of 72.095 km (13.79 km underground) and 61 stations with 12 underground
stations.
India, Ethiopia sign agreements on trade, communication
• India and Ethiopia have signed agreements on trade, communication and media to boost bilateral ties.
• The agreements were signed after wide ranging talks between President Ram Nath Kovind and his
Ethiopian counterpart Mulatu Teshome at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
• The agreement was signed during President Ram Nath Kovind’s second leg of his maiden visit abroad to
Djibouti and Ethiopia.
• Trade Agreement
• Agreement in field of Information, Communication and Media.
India, Djibouti sign pact on bilateral consultations
• India and Djibouti have signed an agreement to establish regular Foreign Office-level bilateral
consultations between both countries.
• The agreement was signed during President Ram Nath Kovind’s first leg of his four-day visit to Djibouti
and Ethiopia.
• President Ram Nath Kovind is first Indian leader to visit Djibouti and it was also his maiden trip abroad
since taking office.
Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Mastercard
• Andhra Pradesh govt has entered into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mastercard to pave
way for digital financial transactions in a secure environment.
• The MoU will help Andhra Pradesh government in adopting and hastening innovations such as
digital payments and launch financial inclusion programmes.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Switzerland
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post-facto
approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and the State Secretariat for
Education, Research and Innovation of the Swiss Confederation for cooperation in skill development.
Cabinet approvals
Approves MoU between India and Myanmar
• The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and
Myanmar on upgradation of the Women’s Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar.
Cabinet approves Extradition Treaty between India and Lithuania
• The Union Cabinet has approved signing and ratification of Extradition Treaty between India and
Lithuania.
Nepal, India to conduct first joint tiger count
• Nepal and India for the first time will undertake a joint tiger census next month in their national parks,
forests and protected areas adjoining the two countries using a globally-recognised method.
• The counting of tigers will begin from the second week of November.
• This is the first time that both the countries are counting tiger heads using the same method that is
recognised globally.

• Nepalese and Indian conservation officials had decided to use the camera tapping procedure for the
joint.
• At the International Tiger Conference in Russia in 2010, participating countries including Nepal had
made a commitment to double the tiger population by 2022.
• The Chitwan National Park in Chitwan and Parsa Wildlife Reserve of Nepal are adjacent to the Balmiki
Tiger Reserve in Bihar.
• Likewise, Nepal's Bardiya National Park adjoins India's Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary while the
Shuklaphant National Park in Nepal adjoins India's Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
India gets first-ever U.S. crude shipment
• India received first ever shipment of US crude oil of 1.6 million barrels, purchased by state-run Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC) at Paradip Port in Odisha.
• It was imported on board of MT New Prosperity, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) that had left US
Gulf Coast on August 19, 2017 and arrived at Paradip port.
Yatra partners OYO to expand hotel inventory
• Yatra Online Inc has tied up with OYO to bring the hospitality firm's inventory on its platform.
• The partnership brings OYO's inventory onto a online travel agent platform and with this Yatra's total
hotel inventory will expand to over 70,000 hotels in India.
• The company's partnership with OYO is a firm step in that direction and enables it to deliver a unique
proposition to the customers allowing them to choose from a variety of travel and accommodation
options in India.
BSNL, Aeris Communications partner for IoT solutions
• State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd announced agreement with IoT solutions provider
Aeris Communications to jointly tap the Internet of Things market in India.
• Under the agreement, both the companies will offer packaged IoT solutions and services to enterprises,
small and medium businesses and public sector undertakings, among other segments in India.
RCom, Aircel call off merger talks
• Reliance Communications and Aircel have called off talks for a possible merger of their respective
mobile service operations.
• RCom and Aircel Limited had signed binding agreements in September 2016 for the merger of RCom's
mobile businesses with Aircel.
• The merger with Aircel was part of RCom's strategy to reduce debt.

Appointment
Appointments Appointee
Private Secretary to President Vikram Singh
Tata Steel global CEO, MD TV Narendran
Vice Chief of Naval Staff Ajit Kumar
High Commissioner to the Republic of Zambia N.J.Gangte
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern
ADG, CISF Alok Kumar Pateria
Ambassador of India to Switzerland Sibi George
HSBC India CEO Jayant Rikhye
CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana
Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail
Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Manika Jain
Cambodia
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
MD & CEO of PNB MetLife Ashish Srivastava
India’s Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale
First non-Indian CEO of PepsiCo India Ahmed El Sheikh
CEO of Freecharge Sangram Singh
FTII chairman Anupam Kher
President of the U.S.-India Business Council Nisha Desai Biswal
(USIBC)
India’s Ambassador to Principality of Monaco Vinay Mohan Kwatra
Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay
HSBC next Chief Executive John Flint
Expenditure Secretary Ajay Narayan Jha
Secretary of the AYUSH Dept Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha
Environment ministry Secretary CK Mishra
New Secretary of the dept of Empowerment Shakuntala Gamlin
Health Secretary Preeti Sudan
Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas
Sports Secretary Rahul Prasad Bhatnagar
First female president of UK’s Supreme Court Brenda Hale
Governor of Bihar Satya Pal Malik
Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit
Governor of Meghalaya Ganga Prasad
Chairman of SBI Rajnish Kumar
Deputy DG of WHO Soumya Swaminathan

Awards
Cleartrip named 'Best Mobile App for Travel' at Mobexx Awards
• Online travel solutions provider Cleartrip was named the 'Best Mobile App for Travel and Leisure' at the
Mobexx Awards 2017.
• The award was conferred for the success that it has had on the mobile platform, seen by many as the
future of advertising and brand marketing.
• The Indian team from IIT Roorkee has won Schneider Electric's global 'Go Green in the City 2017'
contest held in Paris.
Sharmila Tagore honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award
• Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The 72-year-old actor was bestowed with the recognition by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in New Delhi for her contribution in the field of cinema.
AP CM Naidu receives 'Golden Peacock Award' in London
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has received the 'Golden Peacock Award' under
the category - Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation - at a convention
in London. Naidu received the award for his excellence in public service.
Javed Akhtar receives the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award
• Veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has been honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award.
EDII bags AICTE award for supporting start-ups
• Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has received an award from All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE) for supporting start-ups.
• The premier Institute received the award for its contribution towards promoting and mentoring
technology start-ups.
Indian-Origin Campaigner Named UK's Most Influential Black Person
• An Indian-origin campaigner has been named the UK's most influential black person of the year for
winning a legal challenge that prevented British Prime Minister Theresa May from triggering
Brexit without Parliament's approval.
• Gina Miller, 52, topped the 2018 'Powerlist' of 100 people of African and African Caribbean heritage,
published in London by Powerful Media yesterday.
South African Indian-origin couple wins top US award for AIDS research
• A globally-acclaimed South African Indian-origin researcher couple was honoured with a prestigious
award for their exceptional contributions in the field of HIV/AIDS.
• Professors Salim Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim received the award from the Institute for
Human Virology (IHV) in Baltimore in the US.
• The award was presented to them by Robert Gallo, who discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS' at the
19th international meeting of the IHV.
• The couple discovered that the Tenofovir Gel prevents Genital Herpes. It was the first drug proven to be
effective against this disease.
US author George Saunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize
• American author George Saunders won the 2017 Man Booker Prize, a high-profile literary award for his
first full-length novel “Lincoln in the Bardo”.

• With this, he became second consecutive American writer to win prize after Paul Beatty (for his novel
The Sellout), after rules were changed in 2014 to allow authors of any book written in English and
published in UK to compete.
Eminent poet Prabha Varma chosen for Padma Prabha Puraskaram
• Eminent poet, lyricist and journalist Prabha Varma has been selected for the Padma Prabha Puraskaram
this year.
• A jury headed by ace novelist M Mukundan chose Varma for the prestigious award, considering his
contribution to Malayalam literature.
• The award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 75,000, a plaque and a citation, was instituted by the Padma
Prabha Memorial Trust.
TM Krishna wins Indira Gandhi National Integration Award
• Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna will be conferred with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration
for 2015-16 for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country.
• The award consists of a citation and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
• The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration was instituted in 1985 by the Congress in its
centenary year.
Mohun Bagan lift Governor's Gold Cup for 10th time
• Maidan heavyweights Mohun Bagan won the 37th All India Governor's Gold Cup football tournament
for the 10th time by defeating Partha Chakra by a narrow 1-0 margin.
• In the final match played at Paljor Stadium, Mohun Bagan's striker GA Kramah scored the lone goal in
the seventh minute.
M K Sanu awarded Mathrubhumi Literary Award
• Eminent critic, biographer and orator M K Sanu was chosen for Mathrubhumi Literary Award for 2016
to honour his contribution to the Malayalam literature.
• He was selected by jury headed by eminent poet Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri.Mathrubhumi Literary
Award is instituted by leading Malayalam daily ‘Mathrubhumi’.
GCMMF gets best FMCG award
• Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF) - the body that markets brand
Amul - was recognised as India's best fast moving consumer good (FMCG) company in the food sector
at the fifth IAA Leadership Awards at Mumbai.
• The awards instituted by the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter recognize
excellence towards contribution in marketing, advertising and media sectors as well as celebrate
outstanding achievements of individuals and teams.
Gauri Lankesh becomes first Indian to win Anna Politkovskaya Award
• Late Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh awarded a prestigious Reach All Women in WAR (RAW in
WAR) Anna Politkovskaya Award.
• She will share this award wiith Gulalai Ismail, a Pakistani peace activist who has faced death threats for
speaking out against Taliban.
• With this Gauri Lankesh becomes first person from India to receive this prestigious honour.
Indian entrepreneur Birendra Sasmal wins UK business award
• Ghana-based Indian entrepreneur Birendra Sasmal won International Business Person of Year at Asian
Achievers Awards in London.
• Sasmal CEO of Subah, bagged this award for turning his company into a thriving IT, telecoms and
manufacturing success story with operations across West Africa.
Rajesh Nath, MD, VDMA India, gets Germany's highest civilian honour

• Rajesh Nath, Managing Director of VDMA India, has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’,
the highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to Germany.
• The award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal Cross of Merit was instituted in 1951 and is
Germany’s only honour that is awarded to both Germans and foreigners for achievements in the
economic, social, political or intellectual realms.
BOOKS & Authors

The Coalition Years 1996-2012: Pranab Mukherjee's political autobiography
• Former president Pranab Mukherjee released the third part of his memoir ‘The Coalition Years: 1996-
2012’.
• Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice president
Rahul Gandhi, and leaders of other political parties were at the function.
• Mukherjee’s memoir is the third in the series.
• The other two are -- The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years and The Turbulent Years: 1980-
1996.
Deepika Padukone Launches Hema Malini's Biography Beyond The Dream Girl
• Deepika Padukone launched the biography of veteran actress Hema Malini in Mumbai.
• The biography, titled Beyond The Dream Girl, is written by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, and was unveiled
on Hema Malini's 69th birthday (October 16).
• The biography's foreword has been written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sports
England wins FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017
• England won 17th edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating Spain by 5-2 goals in the final match
held at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan/Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• England’s Phil Foden was the tournament’s best player and awarded ‘Golden Ball’.
• Rhian Brewster of England who scored most goals in tournament (8 goals) was awarded ‘Golden Shoe’.
• Brazil’s goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao was awarded ‘Gollden Glove’.
• The official Mascot for FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 was clouded leopard named ‘Kheleo’.
Jasprit Bumrah secures top spot in ICC T20 rankings
• Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah climbed to the number one spot in the latest ICC T20 rankings.
Heena Sidhu clinches gold at Commonwealth Shooting Championships
• Shooter Heena Sidhu continued her terrific form this year winning gold in the women's 10m Air Pistol
event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships, Brisbane.
• She scored 240.8 in the final to beat Australian Elena Galiabovitch, who shot 238.2 to settle for silver.
• India's Deepak Kumar won a bronze in 10m Air Rifle event.
Pakistan to host ACC Emerging Nations Cup in 2018
• Pakistan will host the next Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Nations Cup in April next year.
• The decision to have the Emerging Cup in Pakistan was taken during the meeting of the ACC held in
Lahore.
Kidambi Srikanth wins French Open Super Series
• India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth (World no. 8) won French Open Superseries badminton title in
men’s single category.
• In the final match, he defeated Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto by 21-14, 21-13 score.
• It was Kidambi Srikanth’s fourth Super Series Premier title in 2017 season after winning Australian
Super Series title, Indonesia Super Series Premier title and Denmark Open Super Series title.
• Women’s single: It was won by Tai Tzu-ying from Chinese Taipei.
• Men’s double: It was won by Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-huei and Lee Yang.
• Women’s doubles title: Indonesian duo Greysia POLL and Apriyani Rahayu won the title by defeating
Lee Sottee and SHIN Seung Chen.
• Mixed Doubles title: Indonesian pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana NATSIR won the title by defeating
Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen.
Indian junior team defeat Malaysia to win bronze medal in Johor Cup hockey
• Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team beat hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the Bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan
of Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here today.
Virat Kohli ranked No. 1 ODI batters in ICC rankings
• Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli has returned to the top of the ICC rankings for batsmen in One
Day International (ODI) cricket after smashing his 32nd ODI century against New Zealand.
Mithali Raj rises to top spot in ICC batswomen ranking
• Indian captain Mithali Raj moved up one place to occupy the number one spot in the latest ICC ODI
rankings for batswomen.
• Ellyse Perry of Australia and Amy Satterthwaite of New Zealand also jumped one place each to be at
second and third spots while Meg Lanning of Australia has dropped from first to fourth after missing the
series against England due to injury.
• Among women bowlers, Jhulan Goswami remained on second spot with 652 rating points, behind
Marizanne Kapp (656) of South Africa.
Virat Kohli becomes fastest batsman to score 9000 ODI runs
• Virat Kohli became the sixth Indian and the fastest to complete 9000 ODI runs during the series-
deciding third game against New Zealand.
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni had reached the milestone last year while other Indians who have done so
are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Azharuddin.
• Another milestone was reaching his 49th international century surpassing Rahul Dravid (48 tons).
• He is second among Indian batsmen in terms of international hundreds after Sachin Tendulkar (100
tons).

Federer Wins 8th Basel Title, 95th Overall
• The Swiss superstar, Roger Federer won his eighth Basel title, battling back to defeat the surging Juan
Martin del Potro, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to clinch his ATP World Tour-leading seventh title of the year.
• Federer moved ahead of Ivan Lendl into standalone second place on the Open Era titles list, only
trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies.
Puducherry becomes an associate member of BCCI
• The coming days will be momentous for the game in Puducherry after the Cricket Association of
Puducherry (CAP) was chosen by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) as an associate member of
the BCCI.
• Puducherry will now be allowed to play the Ranji Trophy next year.
• Puducherry can also now host both international matches and the Board’s domestic games.
Gokul Natesan becomes second Indian-origin player to be signed by NBA
• Gokul Natesan is the 97th pick in the NBA draft to became only the second Indian-origin player to be
signed by an NBA G-League side.
• Amjyot Singh recently became the third Indian to walk into the National Basketball Association (NBA)
league.
• The Managing Director for India of NBA is Yannick Colaco.
• Gokul Natesan is at 97th in the NBA Draft, becoming the only second Indian-origin player selected
from the NBA G-League side.
Amjyot Singh becomes third Indian in NBA
• The 6-foot-9-inch Chandigarh hoopster became the third Indian, after Satnam Singh and Palpreet Singh
Brar, to walk into the National Basketball Association (NBA) league.
India wins 2017 Asia Cup hockey title
• India won 2017 Asia Cup hockey title by defeating Malaysia in the final match held in Dhaka,
Bangladesh by 2-1 score.
• It was India’s overall third Asia Cup title and earlier it had won it in 2003 and 2007.
• For India goals were scored by Ramandeep Singh (3rd minute) and Lalit Upadhyay (29th).
• For Malaysia single goal was scored by Shahril Saabah (50th minute).
• Pakistan won bronze medal by defeating South Korea by 6-3 score in third-fourth place play-off match.
Pooja Kadian wins gold medal at Wushu World Championships
• India’s Pooja Kadian created history by winning India’s first ever gold medal at Wushu World
Championships in Kazan, Russia.
• In the final Pooja defeated Evgeniya Stepanova.
• Among other Indian winners, Rameshchandra Singh Moirangthem won bronze medal in men’s Sanda 48
kg category.
Kidambi Srikanth wins third Super Series title
• India’s ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won US $750,000 Denmark Open title of badminton in the men’s
single category.
• In the final match, he defeated South Korea’s Lee Hyun II by 21-10, 21-5 score.
• It was Kidambi Srikanth’s third Super Series Premier title in 2017 season after wining Singapore Super
Series title and Indonesia Super Series Premier title.
• Women’s singles: Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand) won the title by defeating Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
by 14-21 21-15 21-19 score.
• Men’s Double: Chinese pair of Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan won the title by defeating Indonesian pair of
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.

• Women’s doubles: South Korean pair of Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan won the title by defeating
Japanese pair of Shiho Tanaka and Koharu Yonemoto.
• Mixed doubles: Chinese pair of Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen won the title by defeating Hong Kong
pair of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet.
India's Selena clinches triple gold at Egypt Junior and Cadet TT
• India's young paddler Selena Selvakumar completed a golden sweep in the Egypt Junior and Cadet
Table Tennis Open, adding the junior girls' singles and doubles titles at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
Kavita Devi becomes India’s first woman wrestler to sign for WWE
• Kavita Devi,a former competitive powerlifter, has become the first ever Indian woman to be signed by
the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
• Hailing from Haryana, Kavita underwent training to be a professional wrestler under the guidance of
The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) at his Punjab based wrestling promotion and training academy.
• Kavita Devi also has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to compete in a WWE ring, as she
was a featured participant in the Mae Young Classic women’s tournament.
• WWE also announced that Shadia Bseiso from Jordan has become the first Arab woman from the
Middle East to sign a WWE developmental contract.
Legendary Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt retires from Olympics
• Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 gold medal-winning sailor Robert Scheidt has announced his retirement
from Olympic competition, ending a career that spanned a quarter of a century.
• The 44-year-old said he would continue to participate in non-Olympic events and support Brazil's elite
sailors as they prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Maria Sharapova wins Tianjin Open to claim first title since drug ban
• Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova was made to fight by 102nd-ranked teenager Aryna
Sabalenka at the Tianjin Open before winning her first title since her 15-month doping ban.
Shakib included on MCC’s World Cricket Committee
• Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has become the first person from his country to be included on
the MCC’s World Cricket Committee.
• Shakib joins New Zealand women’s captain Suzie Bates, former West Indies paceman Ian Bishop, and
former Sri Lanka offspinner and current ICC Elite Panel umpire Kumar Dharmasena as new additions to
the committee.
• Sourav Ganguly is only one Cricketer from India to be included in MCC World Cricket Committee.
• MCC World Cricket Committee: Mike Gatting (chairman), Vince van der Bijl, Brendon McCullum,
Ian Bishop, Ramiz Raja, John Stephenson, Kumar Sangakkara, Kumar Dharmasena, Sourav Ganguly,
Rod Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Suzie Bates, Tim May, Shakib Al Hasan
Arjen Robben retires from international football
• Netherlands captain Arjen Robben signalled the end of his international career after his country failed to
reach the 2018 World Cup finals despite a 2-0 win over Sweden.
Boxing coach Sandhu gets national award for senior citizens
• Long-serving Indian boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu has been honoured with the National
Awards for senior citizens by President Ramnath Kovind.
• He has the distinction of coaching both the men and women boxers.
• He was India's longest-serving men's national coach, occupying the position for two decades before he
was handed charge of the women campers earlier this year.
Ashish Nehra announces retirement
• Veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

• He will play his final game against New Zealand in the first T20 of the series at his home ground of
Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on November 1, ending a prolific but injury-plagued career.
• The 38-year-old intimated his decision to chief coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli.
• India and New Zealand will lock horns in three ODIs and three Twenty20s starting October 22.
Gurusaidutt wins Bulgarian International
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt clinched the mens singles title at the
Bulgarian International Future Series tournament.
• Gurusaidutt defeated Muhammed Ali Kurt 21-17 21-16 in a 35-minute match to boost his confidence
ahead of next month’s Senior Nationals Championship.
Iceland become smallest country to qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup
• Iceland became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup when they beat Kosovo 2-0 to
book a place at their first finals in Russia next year as winners of Group I.
• It was a remarkable achievement for a country which has a population of about 350,000.
Indian pair win gold at World Archery Youth Championship
• Mixed pair of Jemson Ningthoujam and Ankita Bhakat clinched the recurve team gold medal as India
returned with three medals from the World Archery Youth Championship in Rosario.
• This is India’s first world title at the youth championships since Deepika Kumari’s victories in 2009 and
2011.
• India also bagged one silver and one bronze in a promising show by the youngsters.
FIFA suspends the Pakistan Football Federation
• FIFA has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect in
accordance with the decision of the Bureau of the FIFA Council dated 10 October 2017 on account of
undue third-party interference.
• The Bureau [of the Fifa Council] took this decision as a result of the fact that the PFF offices and its
accounts remain in control of a court-appointed administrator, which constitutes a violation of the PFF
obligations to manage its affairs independently and without influence from any third parties in
accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
Samiya wins gold at U-15 Asian Junior Championship
• Indian shuttler Samiya Imad Farooqui clinched the gold medal at the Under-15 women's singles
competition after defeating Indonesia's Widjaja Stephaniat the Asian Junior Championship.
• The third seeded Indian, who had reached the finals at Pembangunan Jaya Raya International Junior
Grand Prix U-19 in April, defeated Stephani 15-21 21-17 21-19 in a 56-minute match to lay claim to the
coveted title.
• She is second Indian to win this championship after P V Sindhu who had won gold medal in U-19 Asia
Junior championship in 2012 at Gimcheon, South Korea.
Gurusaidutt wins Bulgarian International
• Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt won men’s singles title at Bulgarian
International Future Series tournament.
• In final match, he defeated Muhammed Ali Kurt 21- 17, 21-16.
Morgan Hurd wins all-around title at gymnastics world championships
• American Morgan Hurd won the all-around title in the world gymnastics championships Friday night,
spoiling Ellie Black’s bid to become the first Canadian winner.
• The 16-year-old Hurd edged Black by 0.101 points, finishing with 55.232 points in her world
championships debut. Russia’s Eremina Elena was third at 54.799.
Anupama wins inaugural World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship

• Anupama Ramachandran of India and Dylan Emery of Wales have claimed the World Open Under-16
Snooker Championshiptitles in the girls and boys category, respectively, in St. Petersburg Russia.
• Federation of Billiards Sports of Russia hosted this first ever World Open championships for Under-16
boys and girls, which was a success with total participation of 73 cueists from across the world.
Jagan wins sixth title in a row at National Motorcycle Racing
• TVS Racing's mascot Jagan Kumar notched his sixth straight title in the premier Super Sport Indian
(165cc) class on a rain-affected day to bring down the curtain on the MRF MMSC FMSCI
Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.
Important days
October
1 October:- International Day of Older Persons & National Blood Donation Day
2 October:- International Day of Non-Violence
5 October:- World Teachers’ Day [UNESCO]
2 October (first Monday in October):- World Habitat Day
8 October:- Air Force Day
9 October:- World Post Day
10 October:- World Mental Health Day [WHO] & National Post Day
11 October:- International Day of the Girl Child
13 October:- International Day for Disaster Reduction
14 October:- World Standards Day
15 October:- International Day of Rural Women
16 October:- World Food Day [FAO]
17 October:- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty; National Ayurveda Day
20 October:- World Statistics Day
21 October:- Police Commemoration Day
24 October:- United Nations Day
27 October:- World Day for Audio Visual Heritage; Infantry Day
31 October:- Anti -Terrorism Day; ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’(Birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel)

Obituary
Former BCCI GM M.V. Sridhar
Renowned Malayalam writer Punathil Kunjabdulla
Veteran British actor Roy Dotrice
India’s first Olympic swimmer Shamsher Khan
Writer & journalist H. M. Marathe
Renowned filmmaker Kundan Shah
All the BEST !!

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