- Snehlata Shrivastava appointed first woman Lok Sabha Secretary General
Snehlata Shrivastava has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. She will be the first woman secretary general of the Lok Sabha and will assume charge on December 1. Her tenure will end on November 30, 2018.
Rama Devi holds the distinction of the being the first woman secretary general of the Rajya Sabha. Shirivastava was till recently Secretary (Justice) in the law ministry.
- Bengal to get World Bank subsidy to buy 130 electric buses
The West Bengal government has negotiated with the World Bank to avail subsidy to buy 130 electric buses for plying in Kolkata, Asansol and Durgapur.
The World Bank has agreed to provide a subsidy of Rs seven lakh per bus. While 100 buses would play in Kolkata, the remaining 30 have been earmarked for industrial towns of Durgapur and Asansol.
- India among countries where 10% drugs are substandard: WHO
Approximately 10.5% of medicines in low and middle income countries including India are sub-standard and falsified, a report released by World Health Organization (WHO).
The study titled Public health and socioeconomic impact of substandard and falsified medical products also pointed to increasing antimicrobial resistance.
- ITI signs MoU with C-DAC to collaborate on IoT
Public sector company ITI Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), to collaborate in the area of Internet of Things (IoT).
It also aims to provide end-to-end IoT solutions and services to the Central and state Government establishments, also large enterprises.
C-DAC is the premier R&D organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- Karnataka Bank ties up with BCG for transformation initiatives
Karnataka Bank Ltd has partnered with the Boston Consulting Group (India) Pvt Ltd for its transformation initiatives. The transformation project — ‘KBL Vikaas’ — was launched in Mangaluru.
The project is aimed at total transformation of the bank by re-positioning it as a ‘relevant and significant bank’ by focusing on technology and by keeping intact its core values and identity.
- Australian state allows euthanasia from 2019
An Australian state parliament has legalised euthanasia for the terminally ill with MPs voting to give patients the right to request a lethal drug to end their lives from 2019.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill was passed by the state parliament of Victoria after a comprehensive, historic and passionate debate in both lower and upper houses and the legislation.
The bill will now go through an 18-month implementation period before it comes into effect in June 2019.
- Russia to launch ‘independent internet’ for BRICS
The Russian Security Council has asked the country’s government to develop an independent internet infrastructure for BRICS nations, which would continue to work in the event of global internet malfunctions.
The initiative was discussed at the October meeting of the Security Council, which is Russia’s top consultative body on national security. President Vladimir Putin personally set a deadline of August 1, 2018 for the completion of the task.
- India and Italy sign MoU for enhanced cooperation in the health sector
India and Italy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the health sector.
The objective of this MoU is to establish comprehensive inter-ministerial and inter-institutional cooperation between the two countries in the field of health by pooling technical, scientific, financial and human resources with the ultimate goal of upgrading the quality and reach of human, material and infrastructural resources involved in health care, medical education & training, and research in both countries.
- Planet to launch 4 satellites on board India’s PSLV-C40
Planet Labs Inc, a US-based integrated aerospace and data analytics company, four of its Dove satellites will be launched aboard India’s PSLV-C40 mission, scheduled to fly in January next year.
The primary payload for this mission is Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Cartosat-2 Series satellite, and Planet’s four satellites will ride as secondary payloads.
In February this year, Planet’s 88 Dove satellites travelled on the PSLV-C37 as part of ISRO’s record-breaking launch of 104 satellites.
- Srikanth, Sindhu win top awards at the Indian Sports Honours
Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth who won four Super Series titles this year bagged the Sportsman of the Year award at the inaugural edition of Indian Sports Honours.
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu was the Sportswoman of the Year award in the individual sport category.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the fastest bowler to reach ‘Club 300’ in Test cricket and women’s cricket team skipper Mithali Raj were awarded Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards, respectively, in the Team Sport category.
- Veteran CPI leader Chandrasekharan Nair passes away
Veteran CPI leader and former Kerala minister E Chandrasekharan Nair died. He was 89. He was a minister in the LDF cabinet in 1980-81, 1987-91 and 1996-2001.
Born into the family of prominent lawyers at Irumbanangadu in Kollam in December 2, 1928, Nair, a graduate in law and mathematics, entered politics through students’ union and joined the Communist Party in 1952.
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