Current Affairs Weekly Updates – October Week III

In Current Affairs 2017
October 23, 2017

[mks_col] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Download Current Affairs PDFs” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs/current-affairs-pdf/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Online Tests” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/online-test/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Quizzes Everyday” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs-quiz/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [/mks_col]

Download Current Affairs OCTOBER III WEEKLY PDF

AWARDS AND HONOURS

NAME OF THE AWARD	AWARD WINNER	KEY POINTS TO NOTE
Padma Prabha Puraskaram	Prabha Varma	He is eminent poet, lyricist and journalist
2017 Man Booker Prize	George Saunders	For his first full-length novel Lincoln in the Bardo
Swachh Bharat Inter-Ministerial Award	Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas	─
NASSCOM Customer Service Excellence Award 2017	CSS Corporation	India’s premier IT industry body
Green platinum award	The Govardhan Eco Village	Set up by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Lata Mangeshkar Award	Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan	─

APPOINTMENTS

NAME	DEPT/FIELD
Sunny Verghese	Chairman of World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Manika Jain	Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia
Jacinda Ardern	New Zealand Prime Minister
Sibi George	Ambassador of India to Switzerland
Izham Ismail	CEO of Malaysia Airlines
Audrey Azoulay	Director General of UNESCO

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a programme, Prerna, to empower women working in the agriculture sector by promoting efficient and ergonomic farm tools and equipment.
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 government.
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.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has attended a “Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana” programme in Sagar. A
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is undertaking an online campaign #IamThatWoman.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has laid the foundation stone for the TU142M aircraft museum in Visakhapatnam.
The Arunachal Assembly has passed a bill paving way for creation of a new district to be named Kamle, bifurcating the present Upper and Lower Subansiri districts.
The Maharashtra government has released a sum of Rs 4,000 crore under the first phase of the over Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme.
The Income Tax Department has launched an ‘online chat’ service for taxpayers so that they can seek answers to their basic queries and doubts relating to direct tax issues.
AAI-owned Jaipur and Srinagar airports have been ranked among the best aerodromes in the world in the 2-5 million passengers per annum category by the Airport Council International (ACI).
The Indian Army has organised ‘Jashn-e-Breng’ festival in Kokernag village of the Anantnag district to promote peace and brotherhood between security forces and the local population.
The civic body of Mumbai has introduced an online single window system to issue permissions for new businesses and factories.
The troubled textile sector in Telangana State is all set to get a booster dose with the Government taking up the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India’s first roll on-roll off or ‘Ro-Ro’ ferry services between Ghogha in Saurashtra’s Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch district on October 22.
Kerala government has given green signal to a proposal of the state Startup Mission (KSUM) to accord sabbatical leave to the faculty members of all colleges who intend to establish startups.
The Vasundhara Raje government has passed an ordinance, which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.
The central adoption body CARA is planning to set up a portal to help prospective parents from outside India track the status of their applications instead of relying solely on their country’s authorised agency.
State-owned Kandla Port Trust has received environment clearance for setting up a Rs 1,176-crore smart industrial port city in Kutch, Gujarat.
The Indian Council of Cultural Relations, is organising India International Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong between November 8-11.

BANKING AND FINANCE NEWS

Kotak Mahindra Bank and Zeta, a fintech pioneer has announced the launch of ‘Paymint’, a comprehensive digital wallet to manage multiple employee benefits.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has nod for commencement of operations for the North East Small Finance Bank.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will provide funds to women SHGs (self help groups) in rural areas at 7 percent under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in the current fiscal.

RANKING AND INDEX

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has emerged as the only Indian institute to better its performance among the top 100 universities in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings 2018.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The country is rapidly marching towards indigenisation and the commissioning of the third Kamorta class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvette is a classic example of that, said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

India and Russia have began their first mega tri-services war game involving their armies, navies and air forces with an aim to boost their operational coordination.
India and Japan have signed a memorandum of cooperation on Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP).
India, Brazil and South Africa signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement that seeks to fight poverty in developing countries.
India and Mozambique have agreed to expedite development of the giant Rovuma gas discovery, which is planned to be converted into LNG for exports..

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Pakistan has once again secured a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) among countries representing the Asia-Pacific region.
Search engine giant Google has emerged as the most authentic brand in the country, followed by Microsoft, Amazon, Maruti Suzuki and Apple, according to New York-based global communications firm Cohn & Wolfe.
The French parliament has adopted a controversial anti-terror bill that gives the authorities permanent new powers to search homes, shut places of worship and restrict freedom of movement.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been removed as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organisation following outrage among Western donors and rights groups at the appointment.

SPORTS

WINNER	TITLE	SPORT/ VENUE
Selena Selvakumar(17)	Egypt Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Ope	─
India	Asia Cup Hockey title	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Gaganjeet Bhullar	8th Asian Tour Golf title	─
Kidambi Srikanth	Superseries title of 2017	Defeated Korean veteran Lee Hyun II

Kavita Devi,a former competitive powerlifter, has become the first ever Indian woman to be signed by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
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

OBITUARY

NAME OF THE PERSON	FIELD
Shamsher Khan	India’s first Olympic swimmer
Roy Dotrice	British Actor
Richard Wilbur	Poet Laureate
William Lombardy	Chess grandmaster

IMPORTANT DAYS

DATE OBSERVED	DAY OBSERVED	THEME / PURPOSE
October 15	International Day of Rural Women	Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls
October 16	World Food Day	Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development
October 17	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	─
October 20	World Statistics Day	Better Data, Better Lives