Current Affairs Daily Digest – October 02 2019
1. Gandhi Jayanthi is celebrated on 2 October
Gandhi Jayanthi is celebrated on 2 October in India. The Day marks the to mark the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The celebrations in the year 2019 mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The day is celebrated every year. His birth anniversary is observed as the International Day of Nonviolence.
2. Paryatan Parv 2019 launched
Center has launched the nationwide Paryatan Parv 2019 on 2 October. It was inaugurated by the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
Organized by:
Paryatan Parv 2019 was organized by the Ministry of Tourism.
Aim:
Paryatan Parv aims to propagate the message of Dekho Apna Desh with the objective to encourage Indians to visit various tourist destinations of the country. It also spread the message of Tourism for All.
3. International Day of Non Violence is observed on 2 October
International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October. The day is observed on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. He is the leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.
The day aims to disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness. The principle of non-violence rejects the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change.
4. President Ram Nath Kovind will be conferring ‘Vayoshreshtha Samman-2019’
Eminent Senior Citizens & Institutions in recognition of their services towards the cause of elderly persons on 3 October 2019. The awards will be conferred at a function organized by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot will preside over the function.1
5. Government launched the DIN system of CBDT
Ministry of Finance has launched the Documentation Identification Number (DIN) system of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 1 October 2019. On the day of launching, about 17,500 communications with DIN were generated.
DIN system has been created as per the direction of Finance Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman. The introduction of DIN will make every CBDT communication to have a documentation identification number.
6. Surjit S Bhalla appointed as Executive Director for India at IMF
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Economist Surjit S Bhalla as Executive Director for India on board of International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 71 year old Bhalla is appointed for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
7.‘The Gandhian Challenge’: launched by AIM, Atal Tinkering Labs and UNICEF India
On the occasion of 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and UNICEF India, including Generation Unlimited, launched ‘The Gandhian Challenge’ for school children.
This innovation challenge provides a platform for every child across India to ideate innovative solutions for a sustainable India of their dreams, using Gandhi’s principles.
8. Govt appoints Mallikarjuna Rao as MD and CEO of PNB
Ch S S Mallikarjuna Rao was appointed the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Punjab National Bank, an official order said.
Rao, 57, currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Allahabad Bank, has been appointed to the new post up to September 18, 2021.
9. Novartis and Microsoft join forces to develop drugs using AI
Novartis and Microsoft are joining forces to apply artificial intelligence to some of the most intractable problems in healthcare, in one of the most expansive tie-ups so far between big pharma and big tech.
10. Punit Goenka re-elected as IAA India Chapter’s president
Punit Goenka, managing director and chief executive officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, has been re-elected as the president of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). Megha Tata, managing director, Discovery South Asia has been elected as vice president. She takes over from IPG’s Shashi Sinha.
11. Kerala, Chandigarh top govt think tank NITI’s school education quality index
Kerala and Chandigarh emerged as the top performers in the school education quality index (SEQI) of all states and Union territories, government think tank NITI Aayog said.
Performance was judged on the basis of several parameters, such as education outcome, governance, enrolment rate, language and mathematics skills, transition rate, and drop-out rate, among others.
Among large states, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab and Assam were the top performers. Jharkhand, Bihar, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh were the laggards.
12. SoftBank and Oyo in $100m plus deal for Japan apartment operator
SoftBank Group and Indian hotel startup Oyo have jointly acquired an 80% stake in Japanese rental apartment operator MDI.
The acquisition cost over $100 million, according to a person familiar with the deal. Oyo confirmed the transaction but declined to comment on either the price or its stake in the joint venture set up to acquire MDI. SoftBank and MDI also declined to comment.
