Current Affairs Monthly Capsule October 2019 D2b3e1f2

Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I
October 2019
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October 2019
Table of Contents
Awards &Honours ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Days & Events ................................................................................................................................................... 7
International Affairs ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Personalities in News ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Government Policies & Schemes ..................................................................................................................... 18
Science & Technology ..................................................................................................................................... 20
Business & Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 22
Sports.............................................................................................................................................................. 25
Defence........................................................................................................................................................... 34
National Affairs ............................................................................................................................................... 38
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October 2019
Awards &Honours
28th Vyas Samman conferred
• The 28th Vyas Samman for the year 2018 was conferred on Leeladhar Jagoori on 30 Oct 2019 for his poetry collection- Jitne Log
Utne Prem.
• The Vyas Samman, started in 1991, is given by K K Birla Foundation for an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an
Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.
• It carries an award money of four lakh rupees along with a citation and plaque.
President Kovind confered first CSR awards
• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the first National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards to the companies for their
outstanding contribution in the area of CSR on 29 Oct 2019.
• These awards will be conferred every year on 2nd October from now on.
• Every fiscal year since 2014-15, the corporate sector has set aside more than Rs. 10,000 crore for social welfare.
Varun Jain won Businessworld 40 Under 40 Award
• udChalo, a brand of Upcurve Business Services Pvt. Ltd, an online travel portal for the Defence Forces, announced that its
Founder, Director & CEO, Varun Jain was recently named as India's Most Definitive List of Young Achievers, by Businessworld 40
under 40 in association with BW Disrupt.
• BW 40 under 40 summit is a quest for the most influential leaders of the year.
Gandhi Mandela Award 2019
• The Gandhi Mandela Foundation has constituted India's first International Award, The Gandhi Mandela Award.
• The award was announced on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The award honours exemplary work and achievements of the Heads of State and Government and other distinguished
persons/organizations around the world.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mandhana won Wisden award
• Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batswoman Smriti Mandhana are the two Indian names among the five winners of the
prestigious Wisden India Almanack Cricketer of the Year award.
• Mandhana is the third woman to be named Cricketer of the Year, after Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma.
• Stalwarts Gundappa Viswanath and Lala Amarnath were inducted into the Wisden India Hall of Fame.
BharatPe won award at Meity
• BharatPe, India's largest merchant fin-tech company has won the DigiDhan Mission Fin-tech Award 2018-2019 for 'Innovation in
Digital Payments through Emerging Technology' at the MeitY Start-up Summit 2019 held in Delhi.
• The award was presented by Chief Guest, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communication, Electronics & IT and Law & Justice.
Rajbhasha Awards presented
• CEO, Prasar Bharati, Shashi Shekhar Vempati gave away Rajbhasha Awards to the winners of Hindi Pakhwada competition held at
Prasar Bharati secretariat.
• Winners, who received awards, are employees at Prasar Bharati Secretariat.
• The theme of the competition was Plastic Free India and Cleanliness drive.
• The competition was conducted in 10 categories, including essay writing.
Ilham Tohti won Sakharov Prize
• The European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize to Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti.
• He has been awarded the Sakharov Prize for his attempts to foster dialogue between Chinese people and the Uighur.
• Ilham Tohti, who is from the Uighur minority, has been a fierce critic of China’s treatment of the Uighur people.
• The former Professor of economics was sentenced in 2014.
President to present National CSR Awards
• The President of India Ram Nath Kovind, will present the National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA) to select
companies for their outstanding contribution in area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on 29th October 2019 in New Delhi.
• These awards are the highest recognition in the domain of CSR by the Government of India.
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October 2019
Homen Borgohain awarded Lifetime Achievement

• Eminent writer Homen Borgohain was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th edition of the Sadin-Pratidin
Achievers Award 2019 on 23 October.
• The Sadin-Pratidin Achievers Award is presented by the Guwahati-based media group Sadin-Pratidin group.
• It recognizes the eminent person and luminaries who have excelled in their chosen area of activities.
Graeme elected as MCC Honorary Life Member
• Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has been elected as Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
• He has an impressive record in One-Day International, scoring 6,989 runs including ten centuries and also became South Africa’s
youngest ever captain at 22.
• Tim May was also awarded Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cricket.
Gully Boy & Delhi Crime won award
• Gully Boy & Delhi Crime have won awards at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
• Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer Gully Boy won the best film from India award in the regional finals at the Asian Academy
Creative Awards ceremony.
• Netflix series Delhi Crime won for Best Actress, Best Direction, Best Drama Series, Best Editing and Best Original Programme.
National Panchayat Awards 2019 conferred
• Minister of Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar conferred the National Panchayat Awards 2019 at a function in New Delhi on
23 Oct 2019.
• The Awards were given to awardee Panchayats and States in various categories.
• These categories are Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar, Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha
Puraskar, Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award, etc.
Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award presented
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to legal luminary and former Attorney General K.
Parasaran in New Delhi on 20 October 2019.
• He was honoured on the occasion of the Elder’s Day celebration of Age Care India, an organization working for the welfare of the
elderly.
• Throughout his distinguished career, Mr Parasaran had handled a wide array of cases.
15 films to compete for Golden Peacock Award
• Fifteen films representing 20 Countries will compete for the Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India
(IFFI).
• This will be the golden Jublee edition of the festival.
• The selection of the films has been made from over 700 entries.
• Mr. John Bailey will chair the International Jury of 50th International Film Festival of India.
Hong Kong’s orchestra won Gramophone Awards
• Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has been named orchestra of the year at the 2019 Gramophone Awards.
• The group is the first Asian orchestra to win the award.
• Dutch-born conductor Van Zweden is its Music Director since 2012.
• The category is the only one of the classical music magazine’s awards open to the public vote.
Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman presented
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee presented Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman to 79 community Durga Pujas that received awards
in different categories.
• Durga Puja festival helps in community development, building relations among people to people besides generating income.
• UNESCO has agreed to recognize Durga Puja as World Cultural Heritage.
GoAir received the Best Airline award
• GoAir has received the ‘Best Airline’ award by Andaman Tourism Award - 2019 in its first edition for its leadership in attaining on-
time performance for 12 consecutive months.
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October 2019
• Andaman Tourism Award was organised at Port Blair.

• According to the data released by the DGCA, GoAir has emerged as the most punctual airline in August 2019, thereby creating
history in the Indian aviation sector.
TCS named India's most outstanding company
• Tata Consultancy Services has been voted as the overall most outstanding company in India and the most outstanding company
in India's IT services sector in Asiamoney's 2019 Asia's outstanding companies poll.
• Additionally, TCS was recognised as the most awarded company of the decade in India for topping Asiamoney's various investor
surveys and awards like the best-managed companies award.
Director Priyadarshan got Kishore Kumar award
• Noted director and producer Priyadarshan, who has made several blockbuster Malayalam and Hindi films, was conferred the
Madhya Pradesh government’s National Kishore Kumar Samman for 2018-19 at a function in Khandwa, MP.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation.
• Khandwa is the birthplace of the legendary singer-actor Kishore Kumar.
India won four UNESCO heritage awards
• The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation were announced on 14 Oct 2019.
• The four winners from India, include one from Ahmedabad -- Award of Distinction for Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of
Management (IIM); and three from Mumbai -- Award of Merit for Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and Our Lady of Glory Church;
while Honourable Mention for Flora Fountain.
Margaret and Bernardine won Booker Prize
• Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges flout the rules by declaring a tie.
• British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie's tragicomic 'Quichotte' was among the six books shortlisted for the prize.
• Evaristo is the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969.
Abhijit Banerjee won Nobel Prize for Economics
• The 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics has been jointly won by Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, his wife, Esther Duflo, and
Michael Kremer of the United States for their experimental approach for alleviating global poverty.
• Abhijit is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Deepika Padukone's foundation honoured
• Actress Deepika Padukone's The Live Love Laugh Foundation has been honoured with the Dr. Guislain's Breaking The Chains of
Stigma Award for 2019 in Ghent, Belgium.
• The organisation has received the award for its positive dialogue around mental illness in India.
• The award is an initiative by the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent, Belgium.
Kayakalp Awards given to hospitals
• Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan gave away Kayakalp Awards to different Central Government institutions, district
hospitals, community health centres and private hospitals.
• The awards were given for their work in maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene in public health facilities.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi bagged a cash prize of three crore rupees.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 given
• The Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 is awarded to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
• He has been awarded for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to
resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.
• He will receive a full cash prize, valued this year at 9-million kronor ($918,000), a gold medal and a diploma.
Nobel Prize in Literature announced
• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature has been announced along with the 2018 Prize.
• Austrian author Peter Handke has won the 2019 Prize while Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk has received the 2018 Prize.
• Handke's notable works include Short Letter, Long Farewell and A Sorrow Beyond Dreams.
• Tokarczuk was awarded for a narrative imagination with encyclopedic passion.
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October 2019
The US to award Pepsico India

• The United States has named PepsiCo India for the 2019 Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).
• The award will be presented in a ceremony on 31 October 2019.
• The award recognizes the company's efforts to save more than 17 billion litres of water.
• The company saved water through community water programmes which positively impacted 60,000 community members.
Spirit Of Kerala won People’s Choice Award
• Short film from Kerala Spirit Of Kerala has won the People’s Choice Award at the recently concluded My Rode Reel film
competition.
• The film won the honour beating 1,680 entries.
• The short film is based on a boat race and directed by Arun Joseph.
• My Rode Reel film competition is touted as the ‘world’s largest short film competition’.
2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry announced
• The 2019 Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been announced.
• Three scientists, John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino, have been jointly awarded the coveted prize for
their development of lithium-ion batteries.
• John Goodenough of the University of Texas is the oldest laureate ever awarded a Nobel prize.
• M Stanley Whittingham is from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Army Aviation Corps in Nashik presented
• President Ram Nath Kovind awarded the prestigious Presidents Colour to the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) in Nashik on 10 October
2019.
• The personnel in the Corps have been excellent ambassadors of India while operating overseas in countries like Somalia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, while on United Nations Peace Keeping Missions.
Nobel prize in physics awarded
• Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics were announced.
• Three scientists, James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have won the Prize for their contribution to the understanding
of the evolution of the universe and earth's place in the cosmos.
• They will share a 9-million kronor cash award, a gold medal and a diploma.
• The laureates will receive them at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, 2019.
2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded
• The 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to scientists William G Kaelin, Jr, Peter J Ratcliffe and Gregg L
Semenza.
• The Nobel Committee announced that they received the award jointly for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to
oxygen availability.
• The three will share the Nobel prize sum of nine million Swedish kronor or about 9 Lakh 14 thousand US dollar.
Ramesh selected for Asia Environmental Award
• Senior Indian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey has been selected for the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by the
United Nations Environment Programme.
• He is known for his investigation and intelligence gathering on poachers.
• Pandey will receive the award on November 13, 2019 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
Shanti Raghavan, Dipesh Sutariya won Award
• Shanti Raghavan and Dipesh Sutariya of EnAble India were awarded the 10th Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2019, for
building an ecosystem of skilling, employment and entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities (PwDs).
• EnAble India has changed the mindset of 729 business houses and built frameworks of inclusion in universities and government
agencies,
Azizbek Ashurov won Nansen Refugee Award
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October 2019
• Human rights lawyer from Kyrgyzstan Azizbek Ashurov was awarded the 2019 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
prestigious Nansen Award.
• He will receive the award comprising of a commemorative medal and a cash prize of USD 150,000 prize money at a ceremony in
Geneva on Oct 7, 2019.
• He has helped Kyrgyzstan become the world’s first country to end statelessness.
President conferred Vayoshreshtha Samman-2019
• President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Vayoshreshtha Samman-2019 on the eminent senior citizens and institutions in
recognition of their services towards the cause of the elderly persons.
• The Vayoshreshtha Samman is a Scheme of awards instituted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry and are presented
as part of the celebration of the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October.
Sachin Tendulkar received award
• President Ram Nath Kovind presented the most effective Swachchta Ambassador award to Sachin Tendulkar on 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• In the past 5 years, the sanitation drive launched in the country had truly become a mass movement.
• The UN has set sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030, but India would be achieving them 11 years ahead of the
schedule.
Kalli Purie gets award
• India Today Group Vice-Chairperson Kalli Purie was awarded India's Most Powerful Women in Media award.
• She received the award at the British Parliament.
• She is the Vice-Chairperson of the India Today Group.
• Kallie Purie began working with the India Today Group in 1996 as a marketing executive and reporter for their flagship magazine,
India Today.
Days & Events

World Cities Day: 31 October
• The UN General Assembly has designated the 31st October as World Cities Day.
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October 2019
• The Day is expected to greatly promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization and contributing to
sustainable urban development around the world.
• The theme for 2019 is Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations.
National Unity Day: 31 October
• National Unity Day - Rashtriya Ekta Diwas - was observed across the country 31 Oct, on the occasion of the 144th birth
anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Since 2014, October 31st is observed as the National Unity Day and people from all walks of life participate in the 'Run For Unity'.
• PM Narendra Modi paid floral tribute to Sardar Patel at the 'Statue of Unity'.
International Animation Day: 28 October
• The International Animation Day (IAD) was observed on 28 October.
• The day marks the main global event to celebrate the art of animation.
• The day recognizes and celebrates the artists, the scientists, and the technicians behind animated art, including animated movies.
• International Animation Day was proclaimed in 2002 by the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA).
World Day For Audiovisual Heritage: 27 October
• World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is celebrated all over the world on 27th of October.
• The theme for World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2019 is “Engage the Past Through Sound and Images”.
• In 2005, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) General Conference declared October 27 as
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.
Ayurveda Day: 25 October
• The Ayurveda day is observed on 25 October 2019.
• Every year, the National Ayurveda Day is celebrated on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras).
• The government is to organize the fourth Ayurveda Day at the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• Dhanwantari Pujan and National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards 2019 ceremony are to be held at NIA.
Vigilance Awareness Week: 28 Oct-2 Nov
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will observe the Vigilance Awareness Week from 28 Oct to 2 Nov 2019.
• The week will be observed with the theme of Integrity- a way of life.
• The week will be observed as per directions of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
• CVC observes Vigilance Awareness Week every year to promote probity in public life and to achieve a corruption free society.
National Unity Day to be celebrated on Oct 31
• National Unity Day will be celebrated on 31st October 2019 to mark the birth anniversary of Ironman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kevadia in Gujarat to pay homage to the great leader at the Statue of Unity.
• Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the commemorative Run For Unity from New Delhi's Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.
United Nations Day: 24 October
• 24th October is being celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948.
• The United Nations was founded in 1945 to support collective action to realize peace, development and human rights for all.
• United Nations will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 with inclusive global conversation on the
role of global cooperation in building the future we want.
World Development Information Day: 24 October
• The UN observes World Development Information Day on 24 October every year.
• The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development Information Day to draw the attention of the world to
development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.
• The General Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide with United Nations Day i.e. 24 October.
World Statistics Day: October 20, 2020
• World Statistics Day is to be observed on 20 October 2020.
• The day aims to show that good data and statistics are indispensable for informed decision-making by all actors in society.
• The United Nations celebrates the event every five years.
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October 2019
• The day was instituted by the United Nations in 2010.

• The theme of the 2015 World Statistics Day was Better Data, Better lives.
Int. Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993.
• It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
• 2019 Theme: Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty.
International Day of Rural Women: 15 October
• The International Day of Rural Women is observed on 15th October.
• The day recognizes the crucial role of women and girls in ensuring the sustainability of rural households and communities,
improving rural livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
• The theme for 2019 is Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience.
World Students’ Day 2019: 15 October
• World Students’ Day is celebrated every year on October 15 on former president APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday.
• The day is commemorated on his birth anniversary since he was a dedicated teacher and identified himself foremost in that role
before anything else.
• In 2010, the United Nations declared October 15 to be World Students’ Day.
World Food Day: 16 October
• World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and
Agriculture Organization in 1945.
• The theme for WFD 2019 is Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World.
• This day generates awareness globally for those who suffer from hunger and to ensure the need for food security and nutritious
diets for all.
World Standards Day observed on 14 October
• World Standards Day is observed on 14th October every year.
• The day is observed to raise awareness of the significance of standardization to the global economy.
• The theme for 2019 is Video Standards create a global stage.
• The day pays tribute to the efforts of the experts all over the world who developed the voluntary technical agreements that are
published as International Standards.
Int Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 Oct
• The United Nations observes International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on 13 October every year.
• The day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising
awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face.
• Theme for 2019: Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.
World Migratory Bird Day: 12 October
• World Migratory Bird Day is observed on 12 October every year.
• It is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.
• It has a global outreach and is an effective tool to help raise global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds.
• The Theme for 2019 is 'Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution!'.
International Girl Child Day: 11 October
• International Day of the Girl Child is globally observed on 11 October every year.
• The day aims to meet the needs and challenges faced by girls.
• It also aims to promote girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
• The theme for the year 2019 is Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable.
World Obesity Day: 11 October
• World Obesity Day is observed globally on 11 October every year.
• The day aims to raise awareness about the prevalence, severity, and diversity of weight stigma.
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October 2019
• The obesity often reinforces inaccurate and negative stereotypes about the weight which can lead to weight stigma.
• World Obesity Day was initiated by the World Obesity Federation in the year 2015.
World Mental Health Day: 10 October
• World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year.
• It is observed with an aim to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world.
• It also aims to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
• The theme for World Mental Health Day 2019 is Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention.
October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• The month of October is observed as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month every year.
• The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease.
• It also helps to increase attention and support for awareness, early detection, and treatment as well as palliative care of this
disease.
• WHO aims to promote breast cancer control programmes as part of national cancer control plans.
World Post Day: 9 October
• UN celebrates World Post Day every year on 9 October.
• The purpose of World Post Day is to bring awareness to the Post’s role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as
its contribution to global social and economic development.
• The day marks the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern.
• It was declared World Post Day in 1969.
Indian Air Force to marked 87th anniversary
• Air Force Day is being celebrated on 8 October 2019, marking 87th anniversary of Indian Air Force.
• IAF is the fourth largest air force in the world after the US, China and Russia.
• The IAF has over 60 airbases all over India.
• The Hindon Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force is the largest in Asia and 8th largest in the world.
World Habitat Day: 7 October
• World Habitat Day is observed on 7 October 2019 every year.
• The day aims to reflect on the state of the towns and cities and the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
• It also aims to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.
• Theme: The theme for 2019 is Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste into wealth.
World Animal Day: 4 October
• World Animal Day is celebrated on 4 October every year.
• The day aims to raise awareness about the protection of animals all over the globe.
• On this day, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, is also celebrated.
• The day is dedicated to spread awareness and improve the welfare standards of animals around the world.
World Space Week: October 4-10
• World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the
human condition.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10.
• The theme of World Space Week 2019 is ''The Moon: Gateway to the Stars".
Gandhi Jayanti: 2 October
• Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated across India on 2 October every year.
• It marks the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was born 2 October 1869.
• It is one of the three national holidays of India.
• The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-
Violence.
International Day of Older Persons: 1 October
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• The UN observes 1 October every year as International Day of Older Persons.

• The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to
society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.
• 2019 Theme: The Journey to Age Equality.
International Affairs
Facebook launched healthcare tool
• Facebook has unveiled a ‘Preventive Health’ tool that connects people to health resources and sends check-up reminders.
• Facebook has launched the tool in the United States.
• The tool is designed to help users to find affordable places to receive care, set reminders to schedule tests and mark when tests
are completed.
• The recommendations will be provided on the basis on their age and sex.
Pakistan released commemorative coin
• The government of Pakistan released a new coin to commemorate the 550th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.
• The coin worth Pakistan Rupees 50 will be available at the Kartarpur Sahib along with a postal stamp worth Pakistan Rupees 8 to
the travelling pilgrims.
• Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan
• President: Arif Alvi.
• Currency: Pakistani rupee
• Capital: Islamabad.
Twitter to ban all political advertising
• Twitter will ban all political advertising worldwide from 22nd November 2019.
• This is in response to growing criticism over misinformation from politicians on social media.
• Twitter's rival Facebook recently ruled out a ban on political ads.
• According to the BBC, news of the ban has divided America's political camps for the 2020 election.
Sharjah International Book Fair inaugurated
• The 38th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 was inaugurated on 31 Oct 2019 by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al
Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
• Nearly 1800 exhibitors from 77 countries are participating in the Fair.
• The fair will showcase 987 activities presenting scientific, knowledge and literary themes.
• The theme for 2019 is Open Books Open Minds.
First phase of Bishwa Ijtema on Jan 10-12
• The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslim community after Hajj, will be held from January 10 to
January 12 in 2020.
• The second phase will take place from January 17 to January 19 in 2020.
• The decision was taken at a preparatory meeting for holding the Bishwa Ijtema at the Home Ministry conference room.
China, Russia, Pakistan call for peace talks
• Representatives of Pakistan, China, and Russia called on the US and the Taliban to return to the negotiation table at the earliest
and reach an agreement with an aim to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan.
• The discussion in this regard was held during the four-party consultations between representatives of US, China, Pakistan and
Russia on the Afghan peace process.
World’s first guitar-shaped hotel
• Hard Rock opens world’s first guitar-shaped hotel.
• The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is built in South Florida.
• The guitar-shaped hotel features the recognizable body of an guitar.
• Its aqua-glass tones reflect the Florida sunlight during the day.
California declares state-wide emergency
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October 2019
• California's Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state-wide emergency due to the unprecedented high winds that have led to the
Kincade Fire in the state.
• The blaze has destroyed dozens of homes and wineries, including the iconic Soda Rock Winery built in 1869.
• The Kincade Fire ignited on 23rd October 2019 and spread quickly due to powerful wind gusts up to 145 kilometres per hour.
Colombo Declaration
• On October 24, 2019, the member states of United Nations endorsed a proposed road map for action on nitrogen challenges
called Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management.
• It was organized by Sri Lanka with the support of UN and its member nations.
• The aim of the Declaration is to halve nitrogen waste by 2030.
• The event endorsed UN plans for a campaign called “Nitrogen for Life”.
Justin Trudeau wins Canada's general election
• After the elections in Canada Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party will return to power, but as a minority government.
• The victory ensures that Trudeau will serve as Prime Minister for a second term.
• Canada Capital - Ottawa.
• Canada Currency - Canadian dollar.
Indian tourists to be exempted from visas
• Indian and Chinese tourists will be exempted from visas to enter Brazil for tourism or business purposes.
• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that there will be no reciprocity in the beginning.
• US, Australia, Japan, and Canada are already exempt from short-term tourist and business visas.
• Both India and China are part of BRICS.
2024 Olympic Games logo unveiled in Paris
• The logo for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games unveiled at a ceremony in the French capital Paris.
• The circular design with Paris 2024 in the art deco style which was in vogue in 1924 when Paris last hosted the Games, also
incorporates the lips and outline of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic since the revolution in 1789.
Joko Widodo re-elected as the President
• Joko Widodo has been re-elected as the President of Indonesia.
• This will be his second Presidential term in Indonesia.
• Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia.
• Indonesian Rupiah is its currency.
Sri Lanka removed from FATF's Grey List
• Sri Lanka has been removed from the "Grey List" of the international terror financing watchdog FATF.
• It will no longer be subject to the Financial Action Task Force's monitoring.
• The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related
threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
UN elects 14 Member States to UNHRC
• The United Nation General Assembly has elected 14 States to the 47 member body of UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
• The UNHRC is responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.
• The Assembly elected Armenia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Namibia, Netherlands,
Poland, Republic of Korea, Sudan and Venezuela.
First all-female pairing to spacewalk
• Two Female Astronauts of USA, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir became the first all-female to carry out a spacewalk on 18 Oct
2019.
• The US sent its first female astronaut into space in 1983 and has now had more women astronauts than any other country.
• But the first woman in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in 1963, followed by compatriot Svetlana Savitskaya in
1982.
India-Bangladesh rail links will reopen
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October 2019
• Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina announced on 16 October 2019 that all the rail links with India closed after the 1965
war will be reopened.
• The first rail line between India and Dhaka was opened in 2008 when Maitree express between Dhaka and Kolkata was started.
• In 2017 Bandhan express was also started between Kolkata and Khulna.
World’s 1st AI university in UAE
• UAE announced the establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence( MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi.
• This is the first graduate-level, research-based AI university in the world.
• MBZUAI will enable graduate students, businesses and governments to advance the artificial intelligence field.
Italy to introduce web tax on digital giants
• Italy approved a new tax on digital companies, including U.S. tech giants, as part of its 2020 draft budget on October 16, 2019.
• The levy, due to be introduced from 2020, will oblige companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, to pay a 3% levy on
internet transactions, according to a text of the draft budget.
• The Italian scheme is expected to yield about 600 million euros a year.
WHO Launches its first World Report on Vision
• The World Health Organisation launched its first 'World Report on Vision'.
• It provides new data on the global magnitude of vision impairment and seeks to generate greater awareness as well as increased
political will and investment to strengthen eye care globally.
• The report estimates that US$14.3 billion is needed to address the backlog of 1 billion people living with vision impairment.
Singapore to ban ads on sugary drinks
• Singapore is set to become the first country in the world to ban ads for unhealthy drinks with high sugar content.
• The ban, which will apply to 'the least healthy' sugar-sweetened beverages, will cover all media platforms including print,
broadcast and online.
• In addition to an ad ban, sugary drinks would also be required to display a colour-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label.
U.K. to issue coin in honour of Mahatma Gandhi
• The UK government has decided to issue a commemorative coin to mark the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• This was announced at the annual GG2 ceremony in London to celebrate the British Asian success.
• Sajid Javid has topped the power list released annually by the Asian Media Group (AMG), UK-based publishers behind the GG2.
U.S. pulled back troops in northeast Syria
• In Syria, US troops have begun withdrawing from positions in northern part, paving way for a Turkish operation against Kurdish
fighters in the border area.
• U.S. forces had withdrawn from an area between the towns of Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.
• The withdrawal will leave Kurdish-led forces in Syria that have long allied with Washington vulnerable to a planned incursion by
the Turkish military.
WTO to host first World Cotton Day celebration
• World Trade Organisation, WTO hosted the first World Cotton Day (WCD) celebrations in Geneva on 8 October 2019
• This event stems from the application by the Cotton-4 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali) to the United Nations
General Assembly for its official recognition of a World Cotton Day.
• Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani is representing India in the five-day event.
Scotland to ban the smacking of children
• Scotland has become the first part of the UK to ban the smacking of children.
• The country introduced a law that makes smacking the children a criminal offence for parents and carers to use physical
punishment against a child.
• The law change is aimed to give children the same protection from assault as adults.
• The law has brought Scotland into line with United Nations recommendations.
Dharmendra Pradhan on 3-day visit to Mongolia
• Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan will pay a three-day visit to Mongolia beginning 7 October 2019.
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• The Minister will participate in the opening ceremony of infrastructure that Mongolia has already constructed for the Indian
funded, Mongol Refinery project.
• The Mongol Refinery project is being developed under a line of credit of 1.236 billion US dollars extended by India.
U.S. claims successful ICBM tests
• On 2 October 2019, the U.S. military had tested an unarmed 'Minuteman III' intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with
reentry vehicle from a base in California across the Pacific Ocean.
• It was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the re-entry vehicle travelled about 6,750km across the Pacific Ocean to the
Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
World Teachers' Day: 5 October
• World Teachers' Day or International Teachers' Days is celebrated on 5 October every year.
• Its aim is to acknowledge the significant role of educators across the world.
• It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of UNESCO's 1966 recommendation concerning the status of teachers.
• This year's theme is 'Young Teachers: The future of the Profession'.
WTO cuts global trade growth forecast
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday trimmed by more than a half its 2019 global trade growth forecast to just 1.2%
• The WTO had in April projected a 2.6% rise in the volume of merchandise trade for 2019.
• It also cut its forecast for 2020 to 2.7% from 3% predicted in April. World merchandise trade volume grew 3% in 2018.
Ecuador to quit OPEC in 2020
• Ecuador, one of the smallest members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said it will leave the 14-
nation bloc from January 2020 due to fiscal problems.
• Ecuador produces about 545,000 barrels per day (BPD) of crude oil.
• Ecuador joined OPEC in 1973, withdrew in 1992, then rejoined in 2007.
First UAE astronaut returned safely
• NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Soyuz Commander Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and visiting
astronaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) safely returned to Earth on 4 October 2019 after an eight-
day stay.
• The crew landed safely in Kazakhstan.
• On 14 March Hague and Ovchinin along with NASA astronaut Christina Koch started their mission to ISS.
China unveiled DF-41 missile
• China unveiled the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental-range ballistic missile, the most powerful missile on the planet at the
National Day parade, as China observed its 70th anniversary of Communist rule.
• It has a range of up to 9,320 miles, more than any missile on Earth.
• It is capable of carrying 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads and could theoretically, hit the US in 30 mins.
Russia marked 100th birthday of Kalashnikov
• Russia is preparing to mark the centenary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, maker of the legendary rifle.
• At Victory Museum in western Moscow, visitors including the young cadets are invited to assemble Kalashnikovs and pose for
selfies at the exhibition.
• Russia will celebrate the life of Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47 with a number of events including the museum display and a
biopic.
An iceberg broke off from the Amery Ice Shelf
• The Australian Antarctic Division said that a new iceberg has broken off from the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica.
• It is more than half the size of the Australian Capital Territory.
• Amery Ice Shelf was located at Mac. Robertson Land.
• It is a broad ice shelf in Antarctica located at the head of Prydz Bay.
Books & Authors
India in a Warming world book released
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October 2019
• A new book titled 'India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development' is set to release on November 2019.
• This book is featuring a collection of articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr Friederike Otto & Shibani
Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash.
• It is published by Oxford University Press.
Book penned by Viswanathan Anand
• Indian Chess player, Viswanathan Anand has penned a book titled “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life”.
• The book, published by Hachette India, is releasing on December 11.
• The book is based on the experience he had in the game of Chess.
• In the book, he revisits his greatest games and worst losses, his unique experiences of playing against the best minds.
A new book The Tech Whisperer released
• A new book entitled The Tech Whisperer, written by digital transformation expert Jaspreet Bindra was released recently.
• The book has been published by Penguin India.
• The book will describe and simplify emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality, and talk about
how companies can employ these to drive their digital transformation.
Personalities in News
Nirmal climbed 14 highest peaks in 189 days
• The mountaineer from Nepal, Nirmal Purja, created a new speed record by climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks over 8,000
metres in just 189 days.
• The 14th peak which he climbed was Shishapangma, located at Nyalam County, China.
• The other 13 peaks are Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum
II, K2, Broad Peak, Cho Oyu and Manaslu.
Person in News
• Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde was appointed as the 47th Chief Justice of India. Justice Bobde will take oath as the CJI on November
18, 2019. He will have a tenure of 17 months and would demit office on April 23rd, 2021.
• Bangladesh Test and T20 Captain Shakib Al Hasan has been banned by ICC from all cricket for two years. He accepted three
charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Person in News
• Bollywood actor Yami Gautam will be the brand ambassador for Rising Himachal Global Investors’ Meet-2019 to be held in
Dharamsala on November 7 and 8, 2019.
• Chakravarthula Raghavachari, an eminent Telugu journalist who had served as editor of the Communist Party-sponsored
Visalandhra Telugu daily for over 32 years, passed away in October 2019.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead
• The fugitive leader of the Islamic State (IS) group killed himself during a US military operation in north-west Syria, President
Donald Trump has said.
• Baghdadi came to prominence in 2014, when he announced the creation of a "caliphate" in areas of Iraq and Syria.
• The jihadist group imposed a brutal rule in the areas under its control and was behind many attacks around the world.
Justin Trudeau wins Canada's general election
• After the elections in Canada Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party will return to power, but as a minority government.
• The victory ensures that Trudeau will serve as Prime Minister for a second term.
• Canada Capital - Ottawa.
• Canada Currency - Canadian dollar.
Bill Gates overtook Jeff Bezos
• Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates overtook Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person.
• Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos lost the title as the world’s richest man, after losing nearly $7 billion in stock value leaving
his net worth to $103.9 billion.
• Bill Gates' current worth is $105.7 billion.
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October 2019
• He debuted on Forbes’ first ever billionaire list in 1987 with a net worth of $1.25 billion.
Person in News
• Kais Saied, a political outsider and retired law professor, was sworn in as Tunisian president. He took the oath before the National
Assembly on 23 Oct 2019.
• Marieke Vervoort, Belgian Paralympic athlete has ended her life through euthanasia (the practice of intentionally ending a life to
relieve pain and suffering). She won gold in the 100 meters at the 2012 London Games.
Person in News
• Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cabo Verde. He
will replace Rajeev Kumar.
• Abhishek Nayar has announced his first-class cricket retirement after 13 long years of first class cricket playing for Mumbai and
Puducherry. He is known more for his contribution to Mumbai’s successive Ranji Trophy triumphs.
Army Wife achieved Guinness World Records
• Kiran Uniyal, wife of a serving Colonel of Indian Army has created Individual Guinness World Records for The most full contact
knee strikes in three minutes (one leg) (female), 263 strikes & The most full contact knee strikes alternate legs in one minute
(female),120 strikes.
• The earlier records were of 177 strikes and 102 in female category respectively.
Person in News
• P.C. Sharma has taken over as Member (Material Management), Railway Board and ex-officio Secretary to Govt. of India on 11th
October, 2019. Prior to this, he worked as General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata.
• Boxer Patrick Day passed away in October 2019. He won two Nationals titles, the New York Golden Gloves tournament and an
Olympic Team alternate, all in 2012.
Miscellaneous News
• Manyavar announced Ranveer Singh as their brand ambassador. He will be seen endorsing the brand’s latest festive collection
through a slew of commercials spread across television, digital, and social media.
• Rajendran, a 70-year-old temple elephant belonging to Paramekkavu Devaswom, who was a regular presence in the famed
Thrissur Pooram festivities for over 50 years, passed away.
Apeksha made a record
• A post-graduate student from Mangaluru, Apeksha Kottary, has entered the India Book of Records for making the longest gift
item, an explosion box, designed on the theme Incredible India.
• She has made over 35 varieties of unique gift items so far.
• The measurement of this box is 25x25 cm when closed and when opened, its length is around 1,000 cms.
First blind IAS officer: Sub-collector
• India's first visually-impaired IAS officer Pranjal Patil has taken charge as Thiruvananthapuram sub-collector.
• This is her second assignment since her appointment into service in 2018.
• Pranjal lost her vision at the age of 6. Hailing from Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, she completed her postgraduation in internal
relations from JNU.
Person in news
• Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will be the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Jay Shah is likely
to be the new secretary, while Arun Dhumal could be the new treasurer.
• First female head of Nobel’s Literature Award Body, Sara Danius passed away. She served as the first female permanent secretary
of the Swedish Academy between 2015 and 2018.
Indian nun Mariam, 4 others declared Saints
• Indian nun Mariam Thresia and four others were declared Saints by Pope Francis at a grand ceremony at the Vatican City on 13
October 2019.
• Mariam Thresia founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family in Thrissur in May 1914.
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October 2019
• She was canonised along with Cardinal John Henry Newman, laywoman Marguerite Bays, Sister Dulce Lopes and Sister
Giuseppina Vannini.
Narendra Modi: Most-followed world leader
• PM Narendra Modi has become the most-followed world leader on Instagram with over 30 million followers.
• He is now the only world leader to reach the 30 million followers milestone on the social media platform.
• He has 50.7 million followers on Twitter and has over 44.4 million likes on his Facebook page.
• He has his own YouTube channel as well.
• He made his Instagram debut in November 2014.
Muslim Man of the Year- Imran Khan

• Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been declared as Muslim Man of the Year 2020 by Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic
Studies Centre.
• Imran won the title in the recent list of the most persuasive Muslims in the world issued by the Centre.
• He has also become the sixth most popular world leader on Twitter, boasting 10.5 million followers on the social media platform.
Bastian Schweinsteiger announced retirement
• World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement at the age of 35, following the end of the American MLS
season.
• Schweinsteiger, who has played for Chicago Fire since 2017, is among the most decorated German footballers, having won many
titles with Germany’s Bayern Munich and the national team over a 17-year professional career.
Salford University honoured Asha Bhosle
• Ace singer Asha Bhosle, has added yet another feather to her cap.
• She was conferred with an honorary doctorate on 7 October 2019 by the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, England.
• She has won several other prestigious awards including the Guinness Book of World Records.
• She is also a recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
Person in News
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October 2019
• US actress Diahann Carroll, who won Golden Globe and Tony awards and was nominated for an Oscar passed away. She was also
the first black woman to win the Tony Award for best actress.
• The Punjab government has appointed Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma as the new Lokpal. Justice Sharma had served as Punjab and
Haryana high court judge from March 22, 2006, to October 26, 2010.
Koneru Humpy climbs to world No 3
• India’s Koneru Humpy has jumped to world No 3 in the latest rankings released by the International Chess Federation.
• Grandmaster Humpy accumulated 17 ELO points to rise to the third spot with a global rating of 2,577.
• Chinese players Hou Yifan (2,659 points) and Ju Wenjun (2,586 points) occupied the first and second spots in the latest ranking.
Appointments and Resignations
• Kapil Dev has resigned from the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI. He resigned as the chief of the CAC days after Shanta
Rangaswamy stepped down from the 3-member committee.
• SS Mallikarjuna Rao was appointed as the Managing Director(MD)and Chief Executive of the Punjab National Bank(PNB). He is
currently serving as chief executive of the Allahabad Bank.
Person in News
• Air Marshal S K Ghotia took over as the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the
Indian Air Force (IAF). He replaced Air Marshal H S Arora, who moved to Air Headquarters as the Vice-Chief of Air Staff.
• The doyen of nutrition research in India, Colathur Gopalan, passed away in October 2019. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri
and the Padma Bhushan.
Government Policies & Schemes

Nagaland govt launched Ex-gratia Scheme
• Nagaland Govt launched the Nagaland Ex-gratia Scheme for Students Studying outside Nagaland belonging to any recognized
scheduled tribes and indigenous inhabitants of the state.
• The scheme is targeted for students who die outside the state while pursuing secular, technical, professional, diploma and
theology courses.
• Corpus Fund of 5 crore rupees will be kept in a fixed deposit for the same.
Odisha launched new initiative
• In an effort to raise awareness about the perils of using plastic, the Kotpad Notified Area Council (NAC) in Koraput district Odisha
is providing free meals to the poor in exchange for a kilogram of plastic waste.
• The programme entails a meal for anyone who brings a kilogram of used polythene bags, plastic bottles and cups.
• It is being carried out under the State government’s ‘Aahar’ scheme.
Odisha Mo Parivar programme launched
• Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched a social service initiative aimed at encouraging environment protection, blood donation,
and the welfare of Odias in distress.
• The initiative will also come to the rescue of Odias stranded in foreign countries.
• The programme is a tribute to late Biju Patnaik.
• The BJD President appointed party leader Arup Patnaik as its convener.
UP CM launched Kanya Sumangala Yojana
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath launched its flagship scheme Kanya Sumangla Yojna on 25 October 2019.
• The scheme will provide an amount of 15 thousand rupees in a phased manner to every family in which a girl child takes birth.
• Funds will be released in instalments when a girl child completes various achievements, like vaccination, admission in class 1, 5
and 9, graduation.
Assam govt started scholarship scheme
• The Assam government has decided to start a scholarship scheme for children of tea tribe community, studying in 10th and 12th
classes.
• It would cover students of all tea gardens in the state.
• An amount of 10 thousand rupees will be provided to each student.
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• ‘Shramik Mitras’ would be appointed in every tea garden to make people aware of the scheme.
No govt jobs for those with more than 2 kids
• The Assam Cabinet decided that no government jobs will be given to persons having more than two children after January 1,
2021.
• The important decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting that also adopted a New Land Policy, which will give three bighas of
agricultural land to landless indigenous people and half a bigha for constructing a house.
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 opened
• The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 (Series-6) opened from 21 Oct 2019.
• It will continue till 25th Oct 2019.
• The issue price of the Bond during this subion period will be three thousand eight hundred and 35 rupees per gram, with the
settlement date of 30th of this month.
• The Centre has decided to allow a discount of 50 rupees per gram to those investors who apply online.
The second phase of GOAL Programme announced
• The second phase of GOAL Programme was announced recently by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda.
• GOAL stands for Going Online as Leaders.
• The programme aims for digital skill training of Tribal Women.
• For this programme, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has partnered with the Niti Aayog and Facebook.
Food Safety Mitra scheme launched
• On the occasion of World Food Day, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Food Safety Mitra
Scheme, Eat Right Jacket and Eat Right Jhola.
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced this scheme.
• Eat Right Jhola is a reusable, washable and bio-degradable bag.
‘YSR Kanti Velugu’ launched in Andhra Pradesh
• Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the ‘YSR Kanti Velugu’, a comprehensive, sustainable and universal eyecare
scheme.
• Under the scheme, eye check-up will be conducted for all people in the State.
• Beginning from schoolchildren in the first phase of the programme, nearly 5.40 crore people will undergo a screening test under
the medical scheme.
‘mHariyali Mobile App’ launched by MoHUA
• Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep S Puri launched a mobile App, 'mHariyali', which is aimed to encourage
public engagement in planting trees and other such green drives.
• The App provides for automatic geotagging of plants.
• This app will also enable nodal officers to periodically monitor the plantation.
• The App is user-friendly and works on any android mobile phone.
Rajasthan govt increases monthly allowance
• The Rajasthan government has increased the unemployment allowance for transgenders in the state from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500
per month.
• The Rs 500 monthly increment has been made under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Sambal yojna.
• A person availing the benefit should be a graduate from a recognised university.
Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated ‘AngiKaar’
• In Tripura, CM Biplab Kumar Deb inaugurated the ‘AngiKaar’ campaign for the state in a formal function held at the city’s town
hall on 10 October 2019.
• The objective of the ‘AngiKaar’ campaign is to bring the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U) under one
fold of other central government implemented scheme.
Delhi govt launched Farishte Dilli Ke scheme
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October 2019
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched 'Farishte Dilli Ke’, a new initiative aimed at felicitating citizens who take accident
victims to hospitals.
• The government will bear all the expenses related to a road accident.
• More than 3,000 lives have been saved during the trial run of this project in the past one and a half years.
• 'Farishte Dilli Ke’ scheme was launched in February 2017.
1.34 crore street lights to be replaced
• The number of LED street lights in the country has doubled from 49 lakh in March 2018 to 1 crore on 1 October 2019.
• These lights are being installed under the Street Lighting National Programme that was launched on 5 January 2015 with the
objective to replace all conventional street lights with smart and energy-efficient LED street lights by March 2019.
• This has been fixed for March 2020.
CM of Andhra Pradesh launched YSR Vahana Mitra
• CM of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the YSR Vahana Mitra scheme on 4 October 2019.
• The amount of Rs 10,000 is for the recurring expenses like insurance and maintenance of the vehicle to procure fitness
certificate.
• The allowance of Rs 10,000 would be given every year and the amount will be credited into the bank accounts directly.
Telangana became fully electrified state
• Telangana has become one of the fully electrified states in the country after providing electricity to over 5 lakh 15 thousand
households under the Soubhagya Yojana introduced by the Centre in October 2017.
• During the last two years, the entire state has been covered and the households in remote areas have been provided electricity
under the Sahaj Bijili Ghar Yojana (Soubhagya).
Science & Technology
1st ever Indian Brain Atlas created
• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), Telangana have created the first-ever ‘Indian
brain atlas’(IBA).
• The study has revealed that the Indian brain, on an average, is smaller in height, width and volume when compared to Western
and other Eastern populations.
• This will help in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related ailments.
MIT researchers developed new technology
• Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have developed a new technology to capture carbon
dioxide from a stream of air, virtually at any concentration level.
• This may pave the way for new strategies to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels.
• The new method could take out the gas even when it was present in very low concentrations.
Bio Bricks from Agri waste
• The researchers from IIT Hyderabad and School of Architecture, Bhubaneswar have developed bio-bricks from agricultural waste.
• The product serves dual purposes of development of eco-friendly sustainable material and also waste management.
• The bricks are made from agro-waste like wheat straw, paddy straw, sugarcane bagasse and cotton plant.
• Bio-bricks are more sustainable than clay bricks.
ISRO to launch 14 Satellites
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 14 small satellites.
• The payloads will launch on PSLV’s C47, C48 and C49 missions, scheduled to launch in November and December 2019 from Satish
Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• In each of the three PSLV flights, ISRO will have one of its earth observation satellites as the larger primary payload.
NASA To Launch Golf Cart-Sized Rover
• NASA will send a golf cart-sized robot to the moon in 2022 to search for deposits of water below the surface.
• This is an effort to evaluate the vital resource ahead of a planned human return to the moon in 2024 to possibly use it for
astronauts to drink and to make rocket fuel.
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October 2019
• The VIPER robot stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.
Male white bellbird is the world’s loudest
• The male white bellbird is the world’s loudest bird which hits 125.4 decibels.
• This study was published in the journal Current Biology.
• This was recorded by Biologist Jeff Podos at Brazil in the mountains of the northern Amazon.
• The call by the bird is made as part of their mating rituals and it’s mating call is about three times louder than screaming phias.
Researchers developed new catalyst
• Researchers have developed a new catalyst that can help turn carbon dioxide from car exhaust pipes and other sources into fuels
like natural gas or propane.
• The latest approach from engineers at Stanford University in the US yields four times more ethane, propane and butane than
existing methods that use similar processes.
• It could significantly reduce the near-term impact on global warming.
DRDO is manufacturing a hypersonic missile
• The DRDO is working on manufacturing a hypersonic missile, that would be capable of travelling at a speed five times faster than
that of sound.
• The next generation hypersonic weapons will have the capacity to move at a speed of about a mile per second.
• A wind tunnel is being worked on at the moment where the weapon will be tested and fine-tuned, before it is put to operational
use.
Mars once had salt lakes: Study
• Mars once had salt lakes similar to those on the Earth, according to a study which indicates that its climate 'dried out' over a long
time.
• The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
• It noted that over 3 billion years ago the lake that was present in Gale Crater underwent a drying episode.
• The Gale Crater formed about 3.6 billion years ago when a meteor hit Mars.
IIT Kharagpur graduate developed unique device
• IIT Kharagpur graduate Debayan Saha has invented a device called PM 2.5 which he claimed when fitted near the silencer pipe in
vehicles will curb air pollution.
• The technology uses a combination of electric energy and wave energy to influence the pollutants like PM 2.5 such that they act
like a magnet attracting other particulate pollutants from the ambient atmosphere to get attached to it.
World’s oldest known natural pearl discovered
• The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on
Marawah Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
• Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been radiocarbon dated to 5,800-5,600 BCE, during the Neolithic
period.
• The earliest known pearl in the UAE came from a Neolithic site in Umm Al Qaiwain.
Renewable energy storage device developed
• Researchers have developed a new dielectric capacitor- a device that stores energy like a battery, taking inspiration from a
French pastry.
• The croissant is made by folding multiple layers of dough.
• The researchers found that by pressing and folding a polymer film capacitor, they were able to store 30 times more energy than
the best-performing commercially available dielectric capacitor.
NASA unveils space-suit for Moon mission
• NASA has unveiled its next-generation space-suits for upcoming Artemis programme.
• Artemis is scheduled to launch by 2024.
• It will be NASA’s first woman mission on the Moon.
• This space-suit will be more flexible and easy to wear, NASA reported.
• NASA announced that it will allow astronauts to squat to pick up rocks and move more easily.
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Scientists discovered the worlds fastest ant

• Scientists have discovered the world’s fastest ant which runs at speeds equivalent of 360mph in humans.
• The Saharan silver ant, named after where it lives, can put in 50 strides a second, covering a distance of nearly a metre (85.5cm).
• The length of their strides quadrupled from 4.7mm to 20.8mm as their speed accelerated, according to a paper published in the
Journal of Experimental Biology.
Swiss glaciers melt rate reached record level
• Switzerland's glaciers have lost a 10th of their volume in the past 5 years alone, a melting rate unmatched during observations
stretching back more than a century.
• Measurements on 20 Swiss glaciers have shown that melt rates in 2019 have reached record levels, according to the annual study
on the state of the glaciers, published by the Cryospheric Commission, Swiss Academy of Sciences.
DNA barcoding of spiders in India
• Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India undertook a barcode of at least 100 species of spiders based on their DNA.
• It is the largest exercise on DNA barcoding of spiders from India.
• DNA barcoding is a method used to quickly identify any species based on extracting a DNA sequence from a tiny tissue sample of
any organism.
A new species of giant Dinosaur found
• A new species of dinosaur that was 4 times bigger than a velociraptor and lived around 145 million years ago has been unearthed
in Thailand.
• The 26 feet long dinosaur is an early member of a widespread group of dinosaurs called Carcharodontosaurids.
• Carcharodontosaurids included some of the largest land predators ever known.
Saturn: The planet with most moons
• A team of astronomers has discovered a haul of 20 new moons orbiting the ringed planet, Saturn.
• This discovery has brought its total to 82 moons, while Jupiter, by contrast, has 79 natural satellites.
• The moons were discovered using the Subaru telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii.
• Each of the newly discovered objects in orbit around Saturn is about 5 km in diameter.
IIT Madras students developed new service
• IIT Madras students have developed an AI-based solution called ‘Eye in the Sky’ for disaster management and aid services.
• A team of engineering students is building drones enabled with AI and computer vision to develop an end-to-end solution for
identifying accurate and critical information on people trapped in disaster-hit areas and communicate them to relief task force.
A drug to prevent heart failure
• The researchers have developed a potential drug to treat heart attack and prevent heart failure -- for which no cure currently
exists.
• The study was published in the journal Nature Communications Biology,
• The drug works based on our body's natural clock called the circadian rhythm found in all cells of the body.
• The discovery might ultimately help find other heart therapies.
Scientists create world's strongest silver
• Scientists claim to have developed the strongest silver ever—42% sturdier than the previous world record.
• The team used a copper impurity -- a form of doping or 'micro-alloy' as the scientists style it -- to control the behaviour of defects
in silver.
• It can overcome a traditional trade-off in industrial and commercial materials between strength and ability to carry electrical
current.
Business & Economy
RBI imposes fine on 2 banks
• The RBI has imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Pune-based Janata Sahakari Bank and Rs 25 lakh on Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative
Bank.
• The fine is imposed for violating income recognition, advances management and asset classification norms.
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• The penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in the RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
RBI imposes Rs 35 lakh penalty on TMB
• RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 35 lakh on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank for violating norms on frauds classification and notification.
• It imposed the fine via an order dated October 24, 2019.
• It stated that the bank has been penalised for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on frauds
classification and reporting by commercial banks and select FIs directions 2016.
ICICI Bank sold entire stake in GST Network
• ICICI Bank has exited the GST Network by selling its entire 10 per cent stake to as many as 13 state governments.
• The stake sale is for aggregate cash consideration of ₹1 crore.
• The stake transfer to various stake governments will be completed by the end of March 2020.
• The bank will transfer 0.14 per cent stake to the Assam government and 0.81 per cent stake to the Telangana government.
Vreedhi Financial Services received licence
• Vreedhi Financial Services has secured a non-banking finance company licence from the RBI.
• It’s objective is to provide credit and other services to micro-enterprises operating in tier two-three cities and small towns.
• The company will create a digital lending model by the next financial year.
• It will address the gap between the addressable and viable credit in the micro-enterprises space.
India Post launches mobile banking facility
• The Department of Post announced that it has launched mobile banking for its savings account customers.
• The facility will be available on all the post office savings account holders of the CBS (core banking solutions) post offices.
• The launch of the mobile banking facility comes almost a year after the Department of Post launched Internet banking facility for
its savings account holders.
RBI imposed Rs 1 crore fine on LVB
• The RBI imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain provisions of
directions issued by RBI on 'Income Recognition and Asset Classification' (IRAC) norms.
• A monetary penalty of Rs 75 lakh has been imposed on Syndicate Bank for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on
frauds classification and reporting.
World Bank slashed India growth forecast
• The World Bank has sharply cut India’s growth forecast for current fiscal to 6%, down from 7.5% forecast in April.
• However, the bank in its latest edition of the South Asia Economic Focus said the country was expected to gradually recover to
6.9% in 2021 and 7.2% in 2022.
• Moody’s Investors Service recently lowered its growth forecast for India to 5.8% for the current fiscal year from 6.2%.
India to invest $60 bn in developing gas supp.
• India is investing over $60 billion in developing natural supply and distribution infrastructure as it chases the target of the share
of natural gas in its energy base to 15 per cent by 2030.
• Natural gas currently constitutes 6.2 per cent of all energy consumption in the country.
• Natural gas is gradually becoming a bridging fuel for low carbon economy in India.
RBI introduces new reporting system
• The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new reporting system – the Central Information System for Banking Infrastructure
(CISBI) – for all co-operative banks.
• Under this system, these banks are required to submit information pertaining to opening/closing/ conversion of branches,
offices, and non-administratively independent offices in a single proforma online on the CISBI portal.
RBI slaps fine on Toyota Financial
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹12.88 lakh on Prepaid Payment Instrument issuer Balancehero
India Private and ₹5 lakh on Toyota Financial Services India.
• RBI imposed a penalty under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• It has imposed the monetary penalty on Balancehero India Private Ltd for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines.
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Credit Saison India gets NBFC licence

• Credit Saison India has received a non-banking financial company (NBFC) licence from the Reserve Bank of India.
• It is the domestic subsidiary of Japanese financial services leader Credit Saison.
• The company, which operates in the country under its registered name of Kisetsu Saison Finance India, has also received $30
million from the Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed parent entity.
India Ratings lowers its growth forecast
• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) revised its forecast of India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in current financial year
downward to 6.1%.
• This is Ind-Ra's second downward revision.
• Ind-Ra had cited a slowdown in both urban and rural consumption demand growth as one of the key reasons for the downward
revision.
Moody’s cuts India’s GDP growth forecast
• Moody, the rating agency has lowered its 2019-20 GDP growth forecast for India to 5.8% from 6.2%.
• It stated that the Indian economy is experiencing a pronounced slowdown partly due to long-lasting factors.
• It expects growth to pick up to 6.6% in FY21 and around 7% over the medium term.
• India’s economic growth slumped to a six-year low of 5% in the April-June quarter.
Shubh Loans gets NBFC licence from RBI
• Fintech start-up Shubh Loans has received a licence from the Reserve Bank of India to set up a non-banking financial company.
• The licence has been received through the subsidiary -- Ekagrata -- of its parent company Datasigns Technologies.
• It has already raised series A2 funding of Rs 34 crore from Omidyar Network India.
• Shubh Loans is set to implement NBFC compliant frameworks and gove.
Current account deficit narrows to 2% of GDP
• As per the data released by the Reserve Bank of India, India’s current account deficit (CAD) narrowed to $14.3 billion or 2% of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during April-June quarter.
• However, on a sequential basis, CAD widened from $4.6 billion or 0.7% of GDP.
• CAD measures the difference between the value of the goods and services a country imports and the value of its exports.
CBDT inks 300th advance pricing agreement
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed the 300th advance pricing agreement (APA) in September 2019.
• The APA scheme provides tax certainty to multi-national enterprises and is in line with the government's commitment towards
fostering a non-adversarial tax regime.
• Three APAs were entered into in September which has taken the total number of APAs signed by CBDT to 300.
Bajaj Finance overtakes SBI in market cap
• On 1 October 2019, Bajaj Finance Ltd surpassed state-run lender State Bank of India (SBI) in terms of market capitalisation for the
first time.
• Bajaj Finance has a total loan book of ₹1.25 trillion, whereas SBI’s loan book stood at ₹22.40 trillion.
• Rajeev Jain is the CEO of Bajaj Finance.
• It is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.
SBI, Bank of Baroda limit cash withdrawals
• State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) have limited the number of cash withdrawals for customers using micro-ATMs
of other banks to just up to four times a month.
• Micro ATMs are the handheld point of sale terminals used to disburse cash in remote locations where bank branches cannot
reach.
• Through micro-ATMs, banks can remotely connect to their core banking system.
RBI cut repo rate by 25 bps to 5.15%
• The RBI slashed the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 5.15% from 5.40% with
immediate effect.
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October 2019
• The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands reduced to 4.90%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to
5.40%.
• RBI has revised the GDP outlook for 2019-20 to 6.1%, from 6.9% in previous Monetary Policy committee meet.
DGTR launched an online system named ARTIS
• The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has launched an online system - ARTIS - for filing of anti-dumping applications
by domestic industry with an aim to facilitate speedy resolution of dumping issues.
• ARTIS (Applications for Remedies in Trade for Indian Industry and other Stakeholders) is developed for filing of applications,
responses with respect to trade remedial measures.
Axis Bank launched Express FD
• Axis Bank launched the Express FD, a digital fixed deposit (FD) product that allows a customer to open an FD account in 3 minutes
through the digital mode without opening a savings account with the bank.
• ‘Express FD’ offers attractive interest rates and zero issuance fees.
• A customer can open an Express FD account by investing a minimum Rs 5,000 up to Rs 90,000, for a tenure of 6-12 months.
S&P slashed India growth forecast
• S&P Global Ratings reduced India’s growth projection for 2019-20 from 7.1% to 6.3%.
• In the April-June quarter, the economy expanded by just 5%.
• Data released by IHS Markit showed the India Manufacturing PMI at 51.4 in September and the lowest since May 2018.
• The output of India’s eight infrastructure sectors contracting for the first time in more than four years in August at 0.5%.
Core sector growth slips to 52-month low
• Growth in the eight core sectors in August slumped to the lowest in four years and four months.
• That is, the -0.5% registered in August 2019 was the lowest since April 2015.
• Growth in five out of the eight sectors of the Index of Eight Core Industries fell into the negative zone in August.
Sports
Ravinder settled for silver
• At the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship in Budapest, Indian grappler Ravinder settled for a silver medal after going down
to Kyrgyzstan's Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov in the final.
• He suffered a 3-5 loss to Ulukbek in 61 kg category.
• Ulukbek is the current Asian U23 champion.
• This was India's first medal at the 2019 edition and overall fifth silver at the Championships.
Satwiksairaj, Chirag Shetty reclaim top 10
• Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reclaimed its position in the top 10 of the latest BWF
Badminton rankings.
• Satwik and Chirag, who became the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a BWF World Tour Super 750 event at the French Open
last week, gained two places to grab the ninth place.
• Lakshya Sen moved up a place to 51, while Shubankar Dey to no. 38.
Swastika, Kavya Sree Baskar clinched bronze
• India's Swastika Ghosh and Kavya Sree Baskar have secured bronze medals in the Oman Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Open in
Muscat.
• Swastika beat Wan-Hsuan Lee in the quarters 4-3 to advance to the medal round.
• Kavya Sree lost 1-3 against eventual champion Pu-Syuan Cheng of Taipei in the Cadet Singles to be content with the bronze
medal.
Swaroop Singh completed Ironman Malaysia
• Indian Army’s officer Lt. Col. Swaroop Singh Kuntal became the fastest Indian to complete Ironman Malaysia in a record timing of
12 hours and 14 minutes.
• Ironman event consists of sea swimming followed by cycling and running.
• The triathlon is required to be done in a cut- off time of 17 hours.
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October 2019
• During cycling, the maximum temperature reached 380C, and while running, it reached 350C.
India's First Day-Night Test to be held
• The Bangladesh Cricket Board has agreed to India's proposal to play a day-night Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the
upcoming two-match series.
• The game, starting on November 22, 2019, will be the first day-night Test for both teams and second of the series.
• The first day-night Test took place in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand.
Simona Halep beat Bianca Andreescu
• Simona Halep of Romania beat Canada's Bianca Andreescu 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in their purple group round-robin clash at
the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals.
• Simona Halep is a Romanian professional tennis player.
• She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019.
• The WTA is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis.
Payas Jain bagged team gold
• Indian paddler Payas Jain teamed up with South Korea’s Seongil Jang and Sora Matsushima of Japan to win the gold medal at the
ITTF World Cadet Challenge played in Wladyslawowo, Poland.
• In the girls team event, Yashaswani Ghorpade led the Asian challenge to help them earn a bronze medal with a 3-0 win over
Poland.
Boxer Deepak won silver
• Deepak won a silver medal while tennis player N Sriram Balaji claimed a bronze medal in their respective events at the ongoing
seventh Military World Games in Wuhan, China.
• Deepak settled for the silver in the men’s light flyweight (46-49kg) category after losing to Zhussupov Temirtas of Kazakhstan.
• Balaji defeated Uzbekistan’s Fomin Sergey 6-2 6-3 in the men’s singles bronze medal contest.
Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship
• Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship by three strokes matching Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories. Snead was 52
years old when he recorded his final tour victory in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1965.
• Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Grand Prix for Mercedes on 27 October 2019. Hamilton’s 10th win of the season, and 83rd of
his career, was also a 100th for Mercedes as a constructor.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag lost French Open final
• The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finished second best at the French Open Super 750.
• They lost the finals in straight games against top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia.
• Satwik and Chirag, had won their maiden Super 500 title at the Thailand Open in August 2019.
Papua New Guinea qualify for World T20
• Papua New Guinea secured their place in the ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2020.
• ICC men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2020 will be held in Australia.
• Papua New Guinea secured a 45-run win over Kenya in Dubai.
• Assad Vala is the captain of the Papua New Guinea men's cricket team.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mandhana won Wisden award
• Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batswoman Smriti Mandhana are the two Indian names among the five winners of the
prestigious Wisden India Almanack Cricketer of the Year award.
• Mandhana is the third woman to be named Cricketer of the Year, after Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma.
• Stalwarts Gundappa Viswanath and Lala Amarnath were inducted into the Wisden India Hall of Fame.
SAI facilities to be made free of cost
• The Sports Ministry announced that sports facilities and stadia across the country under the auspices of the Sports Authority of
India (SAI) would be made free of cost from November 1, 2019.
• Facilities would be free for national sports federations, clubs and various leagues.
• The facilities can be availed for free only for sports events.
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October 2019
Karnataka crowned Vijay Hazare Trophy champs

• Karnataka was crowned the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Champions as they beat Tamil Nadu by nine wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
at Bengaluru.
• Abhimanyu Mithun and Mayank Agarwal put on a masterclass performance as Karnataka won their fourth Vijay Hazare Trophy
title with a dominant display against Tamil Nadu via VJD method.
• As per VJD method, Karnataka should have been 86/1 in 23 overs.
Abhijit Banerjee conferred life membership
• The Mohun Bagan Athletic Club has conferred life membership to Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee.
• The club handed him the First Day Cover of 1911 and the maroon green jersey with his name written on it.
• In 1911, Mohun Bagan became the first Indian club to win the Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield beating the East Yorkshire
Regiment of the British Army in the final.
Rohit Sharma reached top 10 in all formats
• Rohit Sharma has become the third Indian batsman to reach the top 10 in all three formats after series against South Africa.
• Rohit's player of the series effort of 529 runs helped him make huge strides from 44th place before the series.
• He has held a career-high ranking of second in ODIs in February 2018 and seventh in T20 in November 2018.
Praveen: 1st Indian to win gold in Wushu
• Praveen Kumar became the first Indian man to win a Wushu World Championships gold, beating Russel Diaz of Philippines in the
48kg category in Shanghai.
• India finished third overall in the championship in event with a gold, two silvers and a bronze.
• Wushu is a Chinese martial art which combines full-contact kickboxing, including close-range punches and kicks.
Anandan won gold in Military World Games
• Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran won two gold medals in the disabled men's 100m and 400m IT1 events to open India's medal
account at the 7th CISM World Military Games.
• Gunasekaran clocked 12.00 sec to win the 100m event, India's first medal in the ongoing Games.
• Peru's Casas Jose was second with a timing of 12.65 while Fajardo Pardo Teodicelo of Colombia took the bronze with 12.72 sec.
Raunak Sadhwani: India’s 65th Grandmaster
• Raunak Sadhwani became India’s 65th Grandmaster.
• He defeated Russian GM Alexander Motylev to become the Grandmaster at the age of 13 years.
• Sadhwani’s first GM norm came in the 2019 Aeroflot Open and the 2nd in the 2019 Porticcio Open and the final norm at FIDE-
Chess Grand Swiss.
• He has joined the growing list of country’s teenaged GMs that includes Nihal Sarin and D. Gukesh.
Bengal Warriors won 7th Pro Kabaddi League
• In the final of 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League 2019, Bengal Warriors won their first title by defeating Dabang Delhi by 39-
34 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Most Valuable Player award of the League was bagged by Naveen Kumar from Dabang Delhi, Best raider to Pawan Kumar
Sherawat from Bengaluru Bulls; Best defender award to U Mumba’s Fazel Atrachali.
Riya Bhatia won ITF title in Nigeria
• India's Riya Bhati has won the ITF women’s tennis tournament in Lagos, Nigeria.
• She defeated Slovenian player Nastja Kolar of Slovenia 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the summit clash of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis
tournament.
• This was the 3rd singles title in the professional circuit for Riya, who had won her last two titles in 2016 and 2017.
Denis Shapovalov won the Stockholm Open
• Canadian Denis Shapovalov won his first ATP Tour title.
• The fourth-seeded Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., captured the Stockholm Open on 20 October 2019 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over
Serbian Filip Krajinovic.
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October 2019
• Not only was it Shapovalov's first ATP title but he also became the first Canadian Tour winner since Milos Raonic of Thornhill,
Ont., in Brisbane in January 2016.
Sports News
• Andy Murray won the men's singles title at the European Open 2019 on 20 October 2019. He defeated Switzerland's Stan
Wawrinka by scoring 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. This is his 1st ATP title since March 2017.
• Virat Kohli broke Mohammad Azharuddin’s record for being the Indian skipper who has enforced the most number of follow ons.
He beat Azharuddin’s record of seven matches.
Rohit Sharma hit maiden double hundred
• Rohit Sharma is the first Indian opener to register two 150-plus scores in a single Test series and also the fourth Indian batsman
to score a double century against South Africa.
• He scored 212 runs from 255 deliveries before losing his wicket to Kagiso Rabada.
• His stellar innings had 28 fours and six sixes.
Kuhoo Garg-Dhruv Rawat won Egypt title
• In badminton, Kuhoo Garg and Dhruv Rawat won the mixed doubles title at the Egypt International 2019 in Cairo on October 20,
2019.
• They showed excellent understanding as they had accounted for the second seeds Ahmed Salah and Hadia Hosny 21-16 21-15 of
Egypt in the second round and 16-21 21-16 21-9 win over fourth seeds Koceila Mammeri and Linda Mazri of Algeria in the semi-
finals.
Amit Panghal won in World Military Games
• In Boxing, Amit Panghal won his opening bout in the men's flyweight (52kg) category as the boxers gave India a good start in the
7th CISM World Military Games in Wuhan, China on 20 Oct 2019.
• Panghal beat Douglas Andrade of Brazil 4-1, while Chirag (56kg) defeated Zambia's Katanga Christopher 5-0.
• A total of 9308 military personnel from 109 countries are competing in the World Military Games.
Shahbaz Nadeem makes test debut
• Shahbaz Nadeem has made debut in India vs South Africa test series on October 19.
• Shahbaz was selected in the team because fast bowler Ishant Sharma is on rest.
• He has a rich experience of 15 years as a cricket player.
3rd SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship
• The Indian football team won the 3rd Edition of the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championships 2019 by beating Bangladesh by 5-3 in
the penalty shoot-out.
• The tournament was organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and was held at Changlimithang Stadium in
Thimpu, Bhutan.
• Indian captain is Shilky Devi.
Indian boxers clinched 21 medals
• Indian boxers at the Asian Junior Championships, clinched 21 medals, including six golds and nine silvers, to end with the best
medal haul among 26 competing countries in Fujairah, UAE.
• The Indian men's squad fetched two golds, three silvers and an equal number of bronzes, while the women claimed four gold, six
silver and three bronze medals.
Veerjeet clinched gold in Junior Nationals
• Weightlifter Veerjeet Kaur has won a gold medal in the 49kg weight category at the ongoing Junior National Weightlifting
Championship 2019 in Bodh Gaya, Bihar.
• Veerjeet lifted a total of 160kg — 70kg (snatch) + 90kg (clean and jerk) — to beat her closest opponent by a margin of 15kg.
• Earlier, Veerjeet had won a bronze medal in the Khelo India Games.
PV Sindhu 13th highest paid woman sportsperson
• PV Sindhu is the most marketable Indian woman sportsperson and also the most marketable woman badminton player in the
world, according to the Forbes list of highest paid women sportspersons for the year (June 1, 2018 to June 1, 2019).
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October 2019
• Sindhu is ranked 13th in the world with a total earning of 5.5 million USD for the year.
• Serena Williams tops the list.
Lionel Messi won 3rd straight Golden Shoe
• Barcelona captain Lionel Messi received his 6th Golden Shoe as the top scorer in the European leagues.
• Messi won the trophy for a 3rd straight year after scoring 36 goals, 3 more than his closest challenger, Kylian Mbappe of Paris
Saint-Germain.
• Messi now has two more Golden Shoes than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
• The award was created in 1967 when it was won by Eusebio.
Int. level chess tournament inaugurated
• International chess tournament for chess players whose FIDE rating is below 1600 was inaugurated on October 15, 2019 at the
grounds of Koteshwara Karnataka Public School.
• This tournament is organized by Kashvi Chess School (KCS).
• The tournament ended on October 17, 2019.
• The tournament was inaugurated by gold medal winner of Commonwealth Games of 2018, Shriyana S Mallya of Mangaluru.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: Youngest to score 200
• Yashasvi Jaiswal created history as he became the youngest cricketer in the world to score a double century in One Day cricket.
• His is the ninth instance of an Indian scoring a List A double-ton.
• Playing in his debut Vijay Hazare season, the 17-year-old scored 203 off 154 balls against Jharkhand at Alur, Karnataka.
• His score comprised 12 sixes and 17 fours.
ICC changed super over rule
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has changed the super-over rule for all its major events following the uproar over the
outcome of the men’s World Cup final in 2019 when England was declared winners against New Zealand on boundary count.
• As per new rule, in case of a super over tie, there will be a repeated super over until one team has more runs than the other.
Sports News
• Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas won the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix held at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka in Mie
Prefecture, Japan. Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were ranked at the 2nd and 3rd respectively.
• India beat Bangladesh 5-3 via a penalty shoot-out to win the SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship title after the summit clash
ended goalless in regulation time.
India won the 3rd and final ODI
• In Women's cricket, India won the series against South Africa by 3-0.
• India scored 146 runs in 45.5 overs.
• For India, Harmanpreet Kaur scored a brilliant 38 runs and Shikha Pandey 35.
• Mithali Raj became only the second captain with 100 wins in women's cricket.
Brigid Kosgei broke marathon world record
• Brigid Kosgei of Kenya has broken the world record for the women’s marathon with a time of 2:14:04 hours at the Chicago
Marathon on 13 October 2019.
• Kosgei has broken a record that has been undisturbed for 16 years.
• The previous existing world record had been held by Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe.
• The earlier record had been 2:15:25 hours.
Sports News
• Priyanshu Rajawat claimed the men's singles title at the Bahrain International Series Badminton at Isa Town on 14 Oct 2019. He
beat Jason Anthony Ho-Shue from Canada in the finals.
• India’s double Asian Games silver medallist Fouaad Mirza bagged the top honours at the CCI3*S, an Olympic qualifying event,
held in Strzegom, Poland.
Sports News
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October 2019
• Lalitha Prasad Polipalli successfully defended his 52kg national title. Prasad is a national champion at sub-junior, junior and thrice
at seniors.
• Zimbabwe and Nepal were re-admitted as ICC members in a meeting held in Dubai on 14 October 2019. Zimbabwe will now be
able to take up their place in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in January and the ICC Super League later in 2020.
Sports News
• Daniil Medvedev lifted his second Masters 1000 title to continue his scintillating run on the ATP Tour. This was Medvedev's 9th
straight sets victory as he has not dropped a single set since St Petersburg Open in Sept 2019.
• Dutee Chand completed a sprint double in the 59th National Open Athletics Championships, clocking the fastest time in 200m by
an Indian in 2019 with a 23.17 second burst.
Gauff: Youngest American woman to win WTA
• Coco Gauff won the Linz Open title on 13 October 2019 in Austria.
• She became the youngest American woman to win a tour singles title since 1991 to win the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)
title.
• Because of this win, Coco Gauff is set to become World No. 71.
• The previous record was set by Jennifer Capriati in 1991.
• Venus and Serena Williams won their first WTA titles when they were 17.
India won Test by innings and 137 runs
• India won the second Test against South Africa in Pune by an innings and 137 runs.
• India made history by their 11th consecutive win.
• India had won the series-opener in Bengaluru by 203 runs.
• India scored a mammoth 601 for five in their first innings with skipper Virat Kohli leading the side with a majestic double
hundred.
Sanju Samson set international record
• Sanju Samson eclipsed Pakistan’s Abid Ali 209 to score the highest-ever List A score by a wicketkeeper as he smashed an
unbeaten 212 runs off just 129 deliveries against Goa in Alur.
• He was playing for Kerala.
• He scored 20 fours and ten sixes in his sublime knock of 212 runs.
Sports News
• Manju Rani settled for silver medal in World Women's Boxing Championships at Ulan-Ude in Russia. Ekaterina Paltceva defeated
Rani 4 -1 in 48 kg category in the final match of the tournament.
• Simone Biles broke the all-time record for most medals by any gymnast at the world championships by winning the balance beam
competition at the World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany.
Sports News
• M C Mary Kom settled for a bronze medal in the World Women's Boxing Championships after losing to Turkey's Busenaz
Cakiroglu in an intense semifinal bout at Ulan Ude in Russia.
• Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has successfully completed the first-ever marathon under two hours in the Austrian capital of Vienna. He
ran forty-two kilometres in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.
Women’s Cricket: India clinch series 2-0
• In Women's cricket, India defeated South Africa by five wickets in the Second One-Day International at Vadodara and clinched
the three match series by 2-0.
• India women overwhelmed the victory target of 248 in 48 overs losing only five wickets.
• The third and final ODI between India and South Africa women will be played at Vadodara on 14th October 2019.
Dutee Chand breaks her own national record
• Star sprinter Dutee Chand smashed her own national record, clocking 11.22 seconds, in the women's 100m semifinals at the 59th
National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi.
• The 23-year-old surpassed her previous timing of 11.26 second which she had set at the Asian Championships in April this year.
• Later she won the gold, leaving Archana Suseendran and Himashree Roy behind.
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Virat Kohli creates history

• Virat Kohli scripted history as he scored a record seventh double hundred of his career and became the first Indian captain to
score 250 plus in a single Test inning.
• Kohli became the fifth Indian batsman to score 250 in a Test innings after Virender Sehwag, Karun Nair, VVS Laxman, and Rahul
Dravid.
• He also became the first Indian to smash 40 international hundreds as Indian captain.
Annu Rani won gold at Athletics Championships
• Javelin thrower Annu Rani won a gold medal in the women's javelin throw event at the 59th National Open Athletics
Championships in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• She defeated Sharmila Kumari to win the title.
• In October 2019, the 25-year-old set the national record at 62.43m at the World Championships in Doha.
Ashleigh Barty wins ‘The Don’ Award
• Ashleigh Barty has been awarded Australian sport’s highest individual honour ‘The Don’ Award at the annual Sport Australia Hall
of Fame.
• With the award, she has joined legends like Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe in lifting the prestigious prize.
• Barty was the first Australian to win the French Open in 46 years.
Virat became 2nd to Captain India in 50 Tests
• Virat Kohli became just the second Indian captain to lead India in 50 Test matches as he walked out for toss in the second Test
against South Africa in Pune.
• MS Dhoni is the only other player who has completed this milestone.
• Dhoni captained the side 60 times between 2008 and 2014 while Sourav Ganguly is third on the list, having led the side 49 times.
Mithali Raj: 1st female to complete 20 yrs
• Indian women's cricket captain Mithali Raj became the first female player to last more than 20 years in international cricket.
• She achieved the feat while leading India to an emphatic eight-wicket win over South Africa Women in the first ODI at Vadodara.
• Mithali, who made her ODI debut against Ireland on June 26, 1999, completed 20 years and 105 days in the 50-over format.
Bastian Schweinsteiger announced retirement
• World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement at the age of 35, following the end of the American MLS
season.
• Schweinsteiger, who has played for Chicago Fire since 2017, is among the most decorated German footballers, having won many
titles with Germany’s Bayern Munich and the national team over a 17-year professional career.
India to host 3×3 baskeball Olympic qualifiers
• India will host the Tokyo Olympic Games 3×3 basketball qualifying tournament in March 2020.
• The event will be held under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and will be organised by the International
Basketball Federation (FIBA).
• Six spots (three each for men and women) for 2020 Olympics will be up for grabs at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying
Tournament.
Simone Biles won 15th world title
• Simone Biles has clinched a record-extending 15th World Gymnastics Championship title in Stuttgart, Germany.
• With the victory, she has become the event’s most decorated woman.
• Simone Biles won a record 21st medal at the world gymnastics championships as the United States retained their women’s team
all-around title.
• She earned the most points in the vault, balance beam and floor.
Christine Wolf won Hero Women’s Indian Open
• Austria’s Christine Wolf has won the Hero Women’s Indian Open at Gurugram, Haryana.
• It was Christine’s first title after six years on the Ladies European Tour.
• Norway’s Mariaane Skarpnord finished as runner-up while England’s Meghan MacLaren finished third in the competition.
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• Among the Indian players, Anika Varma finished at fifth position while Tvesa Malik was at 6th position.
ICC women's ODI rankings: India at second
• In the latest ICC women's ODI rankings, India maintained their second position but increased the points lead over third-placed
England.
• The Indian women's team is now three points ahead of England.
• India now has 125 points against England's 122.
• In the T20 International ranking, India is placed at the fifth position.
Naomi Osaka won second straight WTA title
• Japan’s Naomi Osaka beat Australian world number one Ash Barty in the final of the China Open in Beijing.
• It was world number four Osaka’s second title in the Asian swing after clinching the Pan Pacific Open in Japan in September 2019.
• Osaka broke the reigning French Open champion Barty three times and dropped serve only once in the one-hour-50-minute
encounter.
Sumit achieved career best ranking of 129
• Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal achieved a career-best ranking of 129 after jumping six places in the latest men’s singles
rankings.
• Nagal had attainted his career-best ranking of 135 after jumping 26 spots, riding on a title finish at the Buenos Aires ATP
Challenger clay event in Argentina in September 2019,
• He was in the limelight after he made his Grand Slam debut.
Harmanpreet Kaur: 1st Indian to play 100 T20Is
• Harmanpreet Kaur has become the 1st Indian to play 100 T20 International matches.
• She has joined the club of 10 female players who have reached the three figure mark in terms of appearances.
• New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and Australia”s Ellyse Perry are on top of the list with 111 appearances.
• Harmanpreet Kaur has 2 more appearances in T20Is than MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
Sports News
• Novak Djokovic clinched the Japan Open tennis title defeating Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets. Djokovic,
playing in his first Japanese competition, dominated throughout the game.
• Surender Singh of India created three world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting Championship in Berlin, Germany.
Surender bagged gold medal in 110 kg category.
Sports News
• In the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship, Niki Poonacha and Sowjanya Bavisetti were crowned champions in the men's
and women's singles events in New Delhi. Niki beat Aryan Goveas 6-2, 7-6 in the men's singles final.
• India's Avinash Sable qualified for Tokyo Olympics in men's 3000m steeplechase event by shattering his own national record for
the second time in three days.
Koneru Humpy climbs to world No 3
• India’s Koneru Humpy has jumped to world No 3 in the latest rankings released by the International Chess Federation.
• Grandmaster Humpy accumulated 17 ELO points to rise to the third spot with a global rating of 2,577.
• Chinese players Hou Yifan (2,659 points) and Ju Wenjun (2,586 points) occupied the first and second spots in the latest ranking.
Katarina Johnson won Heptathlon gold
• Katarina Johnson-Thompson won Heptathlon gold at the World Championships 2019 in Doha, Qatar.
• She won with a British record of 6,981 points.
• She defeated 2017 champion Nafissatou Thiam by 304 points.
• Austria's Verena Preiner took third.
• Johnson-Thompson secured Britain's third medal in Doha, after Dina Asher-Smith's 200m gold and 100m silver.
Maj AQ Khan Won Silver Medal
• Maj Abdul Quadir Khan of the Corps of Signals brought laurels to India by winning a Silver Medal at the 53rd Asian Body Building
and Physique Sports Championship held at Batam, Indonesia on 2 Oct 19.
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October 2019
• His accomplishment in the sport has also brought glory to the Indian Army and Corps of Signals.
• He was commissioned in June 2014.
India got its first Floating Basketball Court
• India got its first-ever Floating Basketball Court in the Arabian Sea near Bandra Worli Sealink.
• It was installed by the National Basketball Association on 2 October 2019.
• On 20 December 2018, NBA India had announced that the first-ever NBA game would be organized in the country in October in
Mumbai.
• The NBA India Games 2019 will feature the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers.
Ben Stokes named PCA player of the year
• Ben Stokes has been voted Professional Cricketers’ Association player of the year at the Professional Cricketers’ Association
awards.
• Tom Banton of Somerset picked up the PCA young player of the year, while England bowler Sophie Ecclestone collected the
women’s player of the summer award.
• The 50th NatWest PCA Awards were held at the Roundhouse in Camden.
Dina Asher-Smith wins world 200m gold
• Dina-Asher Smith became the first British woman to win a major global sprint title as she stormed to victory in 200m at the World
Championships.
• She won silver in the 100m and outclassed the field to take gold in a British record of 21.88 seconds.
• Brittany Brown took silver (22.22) and Swiss Mujinga Kambundji bronze (22.51).
World Women's Boxing Championship began
• The World Women's Boxing Championship began at Ulan Ude in Russia on 3 October 2019.
• The best female boxers in the world will compete in the 11th edition of the championships.
• M C Mary Kom will start as a strong medal contender for India yet again in 51 kg category.
• Spotlight will also be on former champion and Mary Kom's contemporary L Sarita Devi in 60 kg category.
Fit India Plog run to mark Gandhi Jayanti
• Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju flagged off 'Fit India Plog run at in New Delhi on 2 October 2019 to mark Gandhi Jayanti.
• Member of Parliament and Singer Manoj Tiwari, Wrestler Bajrang Punia, Poet Ashok Chakradhar among others were present on
the occasion.
• The run was organised at over 2,000 places all over the country including 225 places in the national capital.
India registers fourth win in Belgium tour
• In Hockey, the Indian men's team won over reigning World and European champions Belgium to register their fourth consecutive
win of the tour in Antwerp, Belgium on 1 October 2019.
• Amit Rohidas and Simranjeet Singh scored for India while Belgium's lone goal came from captain Felix Denayer.
• India will again face Belgium on 3 October 2019.
Sports News
• In Tennis, Andy Murray beat Matteo Berrettini 7-6, 7-6 at the China Open on 1 October 2019 to set up a second-round tie against
fellow Briton Cameron Norrie.
• In athletics, Avinash Sable qualified for the finals of the men's 3000-meter steeplechase after bettering his own national record at
the World Championships in Doha. He also became the 1st Indian man to qualify for a track event final.
Fraser-Pryce won World Championship 100m gold
• Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won gold medal in 100m race of 2019 IAAF World Championships held in Doha.
• This was her 4th women’s 100 metres world title.
• She defeated Britain’s European champion Dina Asher-Smith who took silver medal while Marie-Josee Ta Lou finished 3rd.
Annu Rani qualified for Javelin Throw Final
• Annu Rani has become the first Indian to qualify for Women's Javelin Throw Final at World Athletics Championships in Doha.
• She smashed her own national record during the qualification round of the Championships with best attempt of 62.43 metres.
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• Annu Rani finished fifth in the qualifying round, a place above the current World Record holder Barbora Spotakova.
Wilson Singh-Satish Kumar pair won gold
• In Swimming, India's N Wilson Singh and Satish Kumar Prajapati won a gold medal in 10 metres platform synchronised event at
the ongoing 10th Asian Age Group Championships in Bengaluru.
• India, thus, extended their total tally to 60 medals (17 gold, 23 silver and 20 bronze) in the championships.
• The bronze medal went to Mojtaba Valipour and Masood Vakili of Iran with a score of 266.16.
Defence
Border Personnel Meeting organized
• Border Personnel Meeting between the Indian Army and People's Liberation Army was conducted by the People 's Liberation
Army on 30 October 2019 on the Chinese side at Bum La.
• The BPM on 30th Oct every year is in vogue since the signing of Border Peace and Tranquility agreement between both the
Nations on 7 September 1993.
Indo-French bilateral exercise to be conducted
• The bilateral 'Exercise SHAKTI' between the armies of India and France will be conducted from 31st October to 13th November
2019 at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
• The joint exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain.
• The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.
Security partnership between India and France
• French President Emmanuel Macron announced a three-pronged security partnership with India in the southern Indian Ocean in
the backdrop of China’s growing ambitions in the region.
• These will help in maritime surveillance, protection of marine areas, construction of a joint agenda to avoid any form of
hegemony or intrusion.
• France is the 2nd largest maritime power in the world.
White water rafting expedition flagged off
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• The white water rafting expedition ‘Rudrashila’ undertaken by Kalidhar Battalion was flagged in by Lieutenant General VS
Sreenivas, on 25 October 2019 at Jodhpur Military Station.
• The white water rafting expedition was organized by Kalidhar Battalion to commemorate its 75th Raising Day.
• The team covered a total distance of over 140km from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh in the mighty Ganges River.
Indian Army to conduct Sindhu Sudarshan ex
• The Indian Army will conduct exercise Sindhu Sudarshan for the year 2019 in the deserts of Rajasthan from November 29 to
December 4, 2019.
• The aim of this exercise is to evaluate the capability of the defence services in an integrated air-land battle.
• The operational efficiency of the Strike Corps fighting in the desert terrain will be assessed during the exercise.
IAF fired two BrahMos missiles at Trak Island
• 2 BrahMos surface to surface missiles were fired by Indian Air Force at Trak Island in the Andaman Nicobar group of islands.
• The missile engaged the designated mock targets close to 300 km away.
• The firing of the missiles has enhanced Air force capability to engage the grounds targets with pinpoint accuracy from a mobile
platform.
India-Myanmar Naval Exercise: IMNEX-2019
• The India-Myanmar Naval Exercise called IMNEX-2019 is being organised in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The opening ceremony of the second edition of Indo-Myanmar joint naval exercise was conducted onboard INS Ranvijay.
• Myanmar naval ships UMS Sin Phyu Shin (F-14) and UMS Tabinshweti (773) arrived at Visakhapatnam.
• The exercise would be conducted in two phases: Harbour phase and Sea Phase.
Sudarshan Chakra Vahini began at Jaisalmer
• Two-day long manoeuvres by Sudarshan Chakra Vahini of Indian Army Started at Jaisalmer, field firing range in Rajasthan.
• In this war exercise, the army is going to exhibit its strength regarding Agni Missile and artillery.
• Artillery, Arms and mechanized forces, Army air defence and helicopters of army aviation are participating in this exercise to test
mutual coordination.
Sangam Youth Festival organised by Indian Army
• Over 1,500 students from 32 different colleges and university participated in the ‘Sangam Youth Festival’.
• It was organised by the Indian Army in collaboration with Jammu University Campus in a bid to spread the message of peace,
prosperity, communal harmony and national integration.
• During this festival, several events were held so the students can showcase their talents and skills.
DANX-19 exercise conducted
• Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted the 2nd edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 (DANX-
19).
• The Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and field manoeuvres.
• It was done to validate defensive plans of Headquarters ANC towards pursuance of the Command’s responsibility and ensuring
the territorial integrity of the islands.
6th Edition of Seapower Seminar Concludes
• The sixth edition of the Dilli Series Seapower Seminar on Role of Sea Power in Shaping of Nations concluded on 18 October 2019
at the Indian Naval Academy (INA).
• Eight papers were presented during the seminar centered on the theme.
• The INA christened the Annual Seminar as the ‘Dilli’ series after Mount Dilli located at Ezhimala.
‘Shinyuu Maitri’ 2019 began in West Bengal
• IAF and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) are carrying out a joint military air force exercise ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ October 17-23,
2019 in West Bengal.
• C-130 J aircraft of the Special Operations Squadron of IAF and C-130 H of Tactical Airlift Squadron of JASDF will participate in the
exercise.
• Its focus is to undertake Joint Mobility and Tactical interoperability among the two forces.
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IAF began Joint Exercise with Oman

• Indian Air Force is participating in a Bilateral Joint Exercise with Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), named EX-EASTERN BRIDGE-V,
from 17 Oct 2019 in Oman.
• The last exercise, EX-EASTERN BRIDGE-IV was held in 2017 at Jamnagar.
• For the first time, MiG-29 fighter aircraft will be participating in an International Exercise outside India.
• The IAF contingent comprises of MiG-29 and C-17 aircraft.
Defence exports grown by 7 times in 2 years
• India's defence exports have grown 7 times in the last two years, reaching a value of two billion dollars.
• 440 companies in the private sector have taken up defence production in the last five years.
• These companies have been given contracts worth five lakh crore rupees for the supply of defence equipment.
• AI is one of the areas in which the startups are going to play an innovative role.
India handed over 2nd pair of Mi-24V
• India handed over the second pair of Mi-24V helicopters to Afghanistan, boosting the capability of the Afghan Air forces.
• The helicopters were officially handed over by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar to Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister
Asadullah Khalid in Kabul.
• These helicopters are a replacement for the four attack helicopters previously gifted by India to Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016.
10th edition of JME ‘Vajra Prahar 2019‘ began
• The 10th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar 2019’ between India and the US began on 13 Oct 2019 at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle, US.
• It is a Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US.
• These exercises will enable the sharing of best practices and experience in areas such as joint mission planning capabilities.
Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN – 2019
• Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN-2019 between India and Japan will be conducted at counter Insurgency and Jungle
Warfare School, Vairengte from 19 Oct to 02 Nov 2019.
• Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces comprising 25 soldiers each will participate in the exercise.
• Its aim is to share experience gained during various Counter Terrorism Operations in respective Countries.
2nd edition of India-Bangladesh CORPAT begins
• The 2nd edition of Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) of the navies of India and Bangladesh begun in Northern Bay of Bengal.
• Guided-missile destroyer INS Ranvijay and missile Corvette INS Kuthar are participating in the exercise along with BNS Ali Haider
and BNS Shadinota from Bangladesh.
• The exercise aims at development of mutual communication and sharing of best practices between the two navies.
IAF Squadrons awarded citations
• 2 squadrons of the Indian Air Force, which played a key role in the Balakot air strike, were decorated with citations at the Hindon
base on the 87th IAF Day on 8 Oct 2019.
• IAF chief RKS Bhadauria decorated the 51 Squadron and the 9 Squadron.
• Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman and fighter pilots, who were a part of the Balakot operation, participated in the
flypast.
First Rafale Fighter Jet Delivered to India
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets and flew a sortie in the MMRCA fighter jet from a
French airbase in Paris to gain first-hand experience of the aircraft.
• Rafale was handed over to Singh on the foundation day of the Indian Air Force.
• The first Rafale bears a tail number ‘RB 01', where 'RB' stands for Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria.
First Training Squadron at Mombasa, Kenya
• Indian Naval Ships Tir, Sujata and Shardul and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, arrived at Mombasa Kenya 7 Oct, 19 for a three
day visit.
• The Senior Officer of First Training Squadron is Captain Varun Singh, who is also Commanding Officer of INS Tir.
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• The training curriculum includes subjects like Seamanship, Navigation, Shiphandling, Boat Work and Engineering, etc.
Indian Army organized Veer Kutumb Rally in J&K
• In J&K, Crossed Swords Division organized a VEER KUTUMB RALLY at Tanda, Akhnoor with an aim to reach out to veterans, veer
naris, widows and their families.
• The Rally was organised by the Indian Army as part of its activities to observe 2019 as the 'Year of the Next of Kin'.
• General Officer Commanding (GoC) Crossed Swords Division, Maj Gen R. Dewan, was the Chief Guest on the occasion.
Indian Army to hold Him Vijay exercise
• Indian Army will hold Him Vijay exercise, the biggest ever mountain combat exercise, in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The exercise borders the Chinese controlled Tibet Autonomous Region.
• Hence, China has raised concerns about the exercise.
• Three battle groups each comprising of 4,000 soldiers will be participating in the exercise.
• It will end on 25 October 2019.
Name of Sq. Leader added to Nat. War Memorial
• The name of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna has been added to the National War Memorial after it was approved by the Indian Air
Force.
• Squadron Leader Khanna and three other IAF personnel were killed in January 1990 in Kashmir allegedly by JKLF founder Yasin
Malik.
• Twenty-seven bullets were pumped into Khanna's body.
• The trial against Malik had resumed last month in Jammu.
Army inducts Israeli Spike missiles
• The Indian Army inducted the Israeli 'Spike' anti-tank guided missiles or ATGMs on 3 October 2019.
• The Spike missile integrates a top attack capability which means it is able to fly over its target and knock it out from above.
• The long-range Spike missile has a range of 4km and can be guided by an operator mid-flight, in case course correction is
required.
12-day India-Kazakhstan JME began
• A joint military exercise between India and Kazakhstan with focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain began
on 3 October 2019.
• The 12-day exercise named KAZIND-2019 will conclude on October 15, 2019.
• The aim of the exercise is to conduct company-level joint training with an emphasis on counter-terrorism operations in the
mountainous terrain.
Indian Air Force released promo video
• The Indian Air Force released a promotional video featuring the story of the Balakot airstrike.
• The video was released by IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria ahead of the Indian Air Force Day, which falls on October 8.
• The promotional video features shots of fighter jets taking off, dropping missiles and radars zooming in to targets.
Goa Maritime Conclave began
• Goa Maritime Conclave started in Goa on 4 October 2019.
• National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was the chief guest for the inaugural event of the Conclave.
• Indian Navy through the Naval War College, Goa is hosting this Conclave.
• The Theme for the Conclave is Common Maritime Priorities in Indian ocean Region and need for Reginal Maritime Security.
Aqua Stallions rafting team created record
• Lieutenant Colonel Pravin Grewal and paratrooper Ganpat Singh who were part of the Indian Army's Aqua Stallions rafting team
have created the national record for fastest rafting in high altitude areas.
• The team created the record at Zanskar river in Ladakh in September 2019.
INS Tarkash at St Denis, France
• As part of Indian Navy's Overseas Deployment to Africa, Europe and Russia, INS Tarkash arrived at St Denis, Reunion Island,
France on 3 Oct 19 for a 3-day visit.
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• INS Tarkash, commanded by Captain Sathish Vasudev, is a potent frontline frigate of the Indian Navy equipped with a versatile
range of weapons and sensors.
• The ship is part of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet.
Maj AQ Khan Won Silver Medal
• Maj Abdul Quadir Khan of the Corps of Signals brought laurels to India by winning a Silver Medal at the 53rd Asian Body Building
and Physique Sports Championship held at Batam, Indonesia on 2 Oct 19.
• His accomplishment in the sport has also brought glory to the Indian Army and Corps of Signals.
• He was commissioned in June 2014.
Indo-Mongolian Joint Ex Nomadic Elephant 2019
• 14th edition of Indo-Mongolian joint military training, Exercise Nomadic Elephant-XIV, will commence from 5 Oct 2019.
• The exercise will be conducted from 5 Oct 19 to 18 Oct 19 at Bakloh.
• The Mongolian Army is being represented by officers and troops of the elite 084 Air Borne Special Task Battalion while Indian
Army is being represented by a contingent of a battalion of RAJPUTANA RIFLES.
Exercise Ekuverin to be organised
• 10th edition of the Joint Military Exercise Ekuverin between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force will be
organised from 7-20 October 2019 at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra.
• The Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces have been conducting Exercise Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ in the
Dhivehi language since 2009.
First aircraft carrier dry dock inaugurated
• The Indian Navy's largest dry dock to date was inaugurated at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai in a ceremony presided over by
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• Named 'Aircraft Carrier Dry Dock', the 281m long, 45m wide, and 17m deep facility is capable of accommodating INS
Vikramaditya, the service's sole 44,750-tonne refurbished Kiev-class carrier, as well as ships of up to 90,000 tonnes.
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile test-fired
• DRDO successfully test-fired a land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile off the coast of Odisha from the
Integrated Test Range in Chandipur on 1 October 2019.
• The missile, with a strike range of 290 km, can be fired from land as well as sea-based platforms.
• It has been fitted with increased indigenous equipment and is a version used by the Army.
National Affairs
India now has 28 states and 9 UTs
• According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the appointed day for the two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh
was October 31, 2019.
• This is for the first time that a state is converted into two Union Territories.
• The total number of states in the country will now be 28 while the total Union Territories will go up to nine.
Amit Shah flagged off Run For Unity
• Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Run For Unity from New Delhi's Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.
• The run started from the main gate of the Major Dhayanchand National stadium and ended at Amar Jawan Jyoti.
• Around 15,000 people participated in the event.
• To facilitate people taking part in the Run for Unity Metro services began at 4 am from terminal stations of all lines.
TN: 1st state to enact law on contract farming
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• Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to enact a law on contract farming.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion
and Facilitation) Act.
• The law would safeguard interests of farmers during times of bumper harvest or fluctuating market prices.
• They would be paid at a pre-determined price.
EU Parliamentary delegation visited Srinagar
• A delegation of 23 Members of Parliament from different European countries which is on a two-day visit to Srinagar met
students, women, traders, fruit growers besides panchs & sarpanchs.
• The delegation is the first international group to visit Kashmir after scrapping of J&K’s special status.
• The delegation also visited Army’s 15 Corps Headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.
Nirmala Sitharaman releases special coin
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has released a special commemorative coin on Paramahansa Yogananda to mark his 125th
Birth Anniversary.
• Paramahansa Yogananda was a great son of India, who was recognized globally.
• His universal message was to bring harmony among mankind and making it so acceptable globally even when communications
modes were limited.
Nagaland partnered with Madhya Pradesh
• Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' programme has brought in the states of Nagaland and Madhya Pradesh as one to celebrate the
spirit of national integration.
• The Directorate of Higher Education of Government of Nagaland as the nodal department of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' has
conducted various activities undertaken in partnership with Madhya Pradesh.
Mastercard to launch solution for smartphones
• Mastercard is set to launch a solution in India where a smartphone can become a contactless acceptance device.
• If your phone has NFC, then it can become a point-of-sale (POS) device.
• A customer can tap the contactless card on the phone.
• With this innovation, a retailer doesn’t need to invest in the hardware for accepting contactless payments. The phone will be
sufficient.
‘Right to Health Conclave’ to be inaugurated
• A 2-Day Right to Health Conclave will be inaugurated on Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day, November 1, 2019.
• The Subject Experts connected to health and social works from across the country will participate in the conclave.
• They will hold deliberations on issues related to the health during various sessions during the conclave.
• The first session will be on the subject ‘Spirituality and Health’.
Thotlakonda Buddhist site to be renovated
• Thotlakonda Buddhist site will be renovated as a meditation place for Vizagites and tourists.
• It was a sacred place of Buddhists during 300 BC to 300 AD.
• The 2,000-old Maha Stupa at Thotlakonda collapsed on one side due to heavy rains,.
• Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is situated on a hill near Bheemunipatnam about 15 kilometres from Visakhapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh.
Women in Delhi to get free rides in buses
• Women in Delhi will get free rides in public buses starting from 29 Oct 2019.
• As per the plan, conductors will distribute pink tickets having face value of 10 rupees each to women passengers for free-travel.
• The government will then reimburse the transporters based on the number of such tickets issued.
• Currently, 3,400 bus marshals are already working.
Air India depicted 'Ik Onkar' on tail
• In a unique gesture to mark 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, Air India has depicted Sikh religious symbol 'Ik
Onkar' on the tail of one of its aircraft.
• The flight is set to fly from Amritsar to Stansted in the United Kingdom on 31 Oct 2019.
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• Air India will fly its aircraft thrice a week on the Mumbai-Amritsar-Stansted route.
IOB launched health care plus insurance policy
• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in association with Universal Sompo General Insurance Co Ltd. has launched upgraded health care
plus insurance policy.
• It is a co-branded insurance scheme exclusively designed for IOB customers with a sum insured starting from ₹50,000 and going
up to ₹15 lakh.
• The policy issuance will be made on a real-time basis at the IOB branches to its customers.
‘Kyarr’ will become a super cyclone
• The Meteorological Department said the situation in the Arabian Sea could become very bad in the next 24 hours following the
condition of the Kyarr cyclone turning in to a super cyclone.
• The storm could affect the coastal areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.
• According to the weather department, the center of Cyclone Kyarr is currently about 540 km from the west-southwest coast of
Mumbai.
UP CM launched new emergency helpline no. 112
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath launched an all-encompassing emergency helpline number '112' to access police, fire brigade, ambulance
and other services under the Emergency Response Support System.
• He also launched a senior citizen safety initiative 'Savera'.
• This single helpline number 112 will reduce the response time.
Lucknow school bagged Guinness World Record
• Lucknow-based school has won the Guinness World Record for becoming the 'world's largest school' in terms of strength of
students.
• City Montessori School (CMS) has won the global award for having 55,547 students in 2019-20, as stated by CMS founder, Jagdish
Gandhi.
• Currently, the CMS has 18 branches and approximately 56,000 students all over the city.
‘Maharatna’ status granted to HPCL & PGCIL
• ‘Maharatna’ status has been granted by the Government to state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Power
Grid Corporation of India Limited.
• The status also comes with greater operational and financial autonomy.
• The grant of Maharatna status to the PSUs will impart enhanced powers to their Boards to take financial decisions.
CBSE & NCERT launched ‘Tamanna’ test
• CBSE and NCERT have launched an online aptitude test called ‘Tamanna’.
• Tamanna stands for Try And Measure Aptitude And Natural Abilities.
• Tamanna is an aptitude test that aims to help students of Class 9 and 10 to make a better choice of subjects, eventually helping
them in making an informed decision while choosing subjects in Class 11 and 12.
First kerosene-free district of Gujarat
• Gandhinagar has become Gujarat’s first Kerosene-free district.
• Home Minister Amit Shah allotted 1,000 LPG connections to the people in Gandhinagar.
• Amit Shah said that rural women have been allotted LPG connections under the Ujjwala Yojana.
• It was also announced that ONGC completed this scheme with a cost of Rs. 6.13 core.
• This scheme is covering more than 75,000 rural women.
PM KISAN call centre to be set up
• The government is planning to set up a call centre to respond to farmers’ queries about the PM Kisan minimum income support
scheme.
• It plans to have a dedicated round-the-clock interactive voice response (IVR) system.
• At present there is a helpline number for farmers to register complaints and seek information, but there have been complaints
galore that farmers do not getting any response.
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Delhi recorded season's worst air quality
• Delhi's air quality dropped to season's worst on 25 Oct 2019, with the decreased wind speed leading to accumulation of
pollutants and affecting dispersion.
• The city's overall air quality index (AQI) fluctuated between 315 and 284.
• Most of the places in Delhi recorded the AQI in the "very poor" category, while the situation inched towards "severe" in some
areas.
6 new medical institutes for Tamil Nadu
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave its approval to Tamil Nadu’s proposal to establish six new medical colleges.
• The institutes will come up in Tiruppur, the Nilgiris, Ramanathapuram, Namakkal, Dindigul and Virudhunagar at a cost of ₹1,950
crore and will be attached to existing hospitals in these districts.
• The Centre would sign MoU with the Tamil Nadu govt for the same.
CSIR conducted genome sequencing
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has done genome sequencing of over one thousand persons from different parts of
India.
• The initiative called IndiGen has enabled benchmarking the scalability of genome sequencing and computational analysis at
population scale in a defined timeline.
• The outcome will be utilized towards understanding the genetic diversity on a population scale.
Indian Railways launched One Touch ATVM
• Indian Railways has launched ‘one touch ATVM’ at 42 suburban stations of Central Railway to render fast ticketing to millions of
commuters over Mumbai Suburban Network.
• Railway passenger can avail the service of this new machine at 42 suburban stations.
• This new machine will reduce the waiting time of the passengers and allow passenger to avoid standing in long queues.
Vijaya Bank Museum inaugurated in Bengaluru
• The Vijaya Bank Heritage Museum has been inaugurated at the headquarters of the Vijaya Bank i.e. Bengaluru.
• The museum has a rare collection of photos through which the growth of the bank is showcased.
• Vijaya Bank was one of the premier nationalised banks in the country.
• The erstwhile Vijaya Bank, along with the erstwhile Dena Bank, was amalgamated with Bank of Baroda on April 1, 2019.
J&K Governor announces new initiatives
• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik announced several new initiatives to further empower the urban local bodies and
fulfil the demands of elected representatives.
• He announced delegation of financial powers to each Municipal Council/Committee to the tune of 25 lakh rupees.
• The Governor also announced life and health insurance coverage to all Safai Karmcharies.
Amit Shah on a four-day visit to Gujarat
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a four-day visit to Gujarat from 25 October 2019.
• During this visit, he will dedicate and lay foundation stones of series of development projects in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha
constituency.
• On the 1st day, he distributed financial assistance to the beneficiaries of various government schemes at a programme held at
Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
President Kovind visited Rajgir
• President Ram Nath Kovind visited Rajgir in Bihar on 25 October 2019.
• He inaugurated day long golden jubilee celebrations of Vishwa Shanti Stupa (World Peace Pagoda) in Rajgir.
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• The Vishwa Shanti Stupa has completed 50 years of its establishment.

• Situated on Ratnagiri hillock, this iconic structure was constructed by Japanese Buddhist monk popularly known as Fujii Guruji in
1969.
IRDAI imposed penalty on Cholamandalam MS GIC
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has imposed penalties of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC.
• The insurer was penalised for violations observed during an inspection.
• The penalty of Rs 1 crore is for violation of Clause 15 of Schedule I of IRDA (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2013.
• The other penalty of Rs 1 lakh is for motor insurance.
Appointments
• Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and Indian badminton player PV Sindhu were named the ambassadors for Bharat Ki Laxmi
on 22 October 2019. It is an initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Ashok Malik has been appointed as the policy advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs with the rank of additional secretary. He
was press secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind for a two-year term.
First national protocol launched
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the first national protocol to enumerate the snow leopard
population in the country on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day.
• The Day is celebrated on October 23 every year to protect and conserve the snow leopards and preserve the beautiful wildlife of
the Himalayas.
• India is believed to have 400 to 700 snow leopards.
First all women-run automobile service station
• India’s first all-women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur was inaugurated by Mahindra & Mahindra recently.
• This move is part of the company’s initiative called ‘Pink Collars’ to promote the recruitment of women in core productive roles.
• The Compact Qwik workshop has women in roles including technicians, service advisors, drivers, part managers and security
guards.
2021.
Hunar Haat to be held in November 2019
• The next 'Hunar Haat', an initiative of the Minority Affairs Ministry, will be organised from November 1-10, 2019 in Prayagraj,
Uttar Pradesh.
• More than 300 master artisans and culinary experts including a large number of women artisans will participate in it.
• All the 'Hunar Haats' to be organised in 2019 and 2020 will be based on the theme of Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat.
MeitY launched MeitY Startup Hub
• MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), a platform to connect the startup ecosystem, has been formally inaugurated by Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, at the MeitY Startup Summit 2019.
• It will work like a social media platform for all the stakeholders of the ecosystem, including incubators, accelerators, mentors,
angel funds, and venture capitalists.
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that of sound.
use.
50 IFFI announced films for Open Air Screening
• The 50th International Film Festival of India announced the films in Open Air Screening section of the festival.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa celebrates its Golden Jubilee Edition from 20th-28th November 2019.
• Every year IFFI organises Open Air Screenings to bring the best of Cinematic experience to the Cine enthusiasts.
• The theme would be ‘The Joy of Cinema’.
Siachen now opened for tourists: Rajnath Singh
• Siachen glacier, known for its arduous climate and difficult terrain, is now open for tourism.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 21 Oct 2019 announced that the Siachen area is now open for tourists and tourism.
• The Kumar Post is at height of more than 15,000 ft.
• Tourists will be able to travel from the base camp at Partapur at 11,000 feet to the Kumar Post.
United Nations WFP launched campaign
• The UN World Food Programme (WFP) launched a cinema advertisement campaign 'Feed Our Future' to raise awareness and
take steps against hunger and malnutrition in India.
• The campaign launch event included a panel discussion hosted by TV host Mini Mathur.
• Actor-director Nandita Das and filmmakers Neeraj Ghaywan and Anubhav Sinha shared their perspectives over cinema and social
change.
DAC approved procurement of equipments
• The Defence Acquisition Council has accorded approval for Capital Procurement for the Defence forces for indigenously designed
and developed equipment.
• The first two projects include third-generation Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and the Auxiliary Power Units for the T-72 and T-90
Tanks.
• The third project pertains to discrete Electronic Warfare systems for the mountain and High-Altitude terrain.
Multimedia exhibition organized in Frankfurt
• A multimedia exhibition as part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was organized in the India Pavilion at the
Frankfurt International Book Fair.
• The life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi were celebrated by performing Dandi Yatra on 19 Oct 2019.
• The Frankfurt International Book Fair is the largest and most important book fair which is held annually in the month of October.
AIR National Sangeeth Sammelan concerts began
• All India Radio National Sangeeth Sammelan concerts, a major series in the music calendar, began in 26 centres, including
Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu.
• The concerts, recorded live in front of an invited audience will be broadcast as a national programme overall stations of AIR from
November 9 to December 15, 2019.
• Some of the prominent performers include Dr N Rajam and Malladi Suri Babu.
100 more Mohalla Clinics inaugurated in Delhi
• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated 100 more Mohalla Clinics in Delhi on 19 Oct 2019.
• With these new health clinics, a total of 302 Mohalla Clinics are now functional in the city.
• These clinics are part of the city government's push to set up 1,000 neighbourhood clinics
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• Facilities of diagnostic tests such as lipid profile, kidney and liver function test are available free of cost.
Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu inaugurated
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu which has been constructed at an altitude of 14,650
feet in the forward area of Ladakh region.
• This bridge has been built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• This Bridge is built on the strategically important road Durbuk Shyok Daulat Beg Oldie in sub sector north in eastern Ladakh.
Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated CCRT e-portal
• Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated e-portal of Centre for Cultural Resources and
Training and YouTube Channel in New Delhi on 21 Oct 2019.
• The aim is to take India to newer digital pinnacle and to promote Indian culture.
• He attended the “Digital Bharat - Digital Sanskriti” program organised by Rashtriya Centre for Cultural Resources and Training.
Miscellaneous News
• PM Narendra Modi released a book titled 'Bridgital Nation' in New Delhi. The book has been authored by Chairman, Tata Sons, N
Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushothaman.
• Mahindra & Mahindra announced the inauguration of India’s first all-women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur. This is
part of the company’s larger initiative named ‘Pink Collars’
Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council abolished
• Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council was abolished on October 18, 2019, making the way for the bifurcation of Jammu &
Kashmir State into two Union Territories - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
• The J&K Council was dissolved under Section 57 of the J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019.
• With this, the tenure of all the Members of the Legislative Council has come to an end.
Bio methane plant inaugurated in Coimbatore
• Swiss Minister for Environment, Energy Simonetta Sommaruga inaugurated bio methane plant in Coimbatore.
• The Swiss-funded Rs.45 lakh project will generate bio methane from 1.5 ton solid waste collected from Ward 22 in West Zone,
which can generate about 150 units of power.
• The power will mainly be used for electrification of street lights in the area.
11th Nuclear Energy Conclave
• Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 11th Edition of Nuclear Energy Conclave 2019 in New Delhi.
• It was organized by India Energy Forum.
• A nuclear plant is coming up in the Gorakhpur of Haryana.
• A 'Hall of Nuclear Energy' was also opened at Pragati Maidan in Delhi.
• The theme of the Conclave: 'Economics of Nuclear Power- Innovation towards Safer & Cost-Effective Technologies'.
NIN centenary stamp released
• A special commemorative postal stamp of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad was released by Union Minister for
Health & Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan.
• The stamp has been brought out under the Corporate My stamp scheme of India Posts.
• These stamps are of limited edition and are made to order.
• Alongside these, the NIN also opted for printing its centenary logo.
Goa Electricity dept ties up with HDFC Bank
• The Goa electricity department tied up with the HDFC Bank for online payment of electricity bills wherein consumers in Goa can
pay their bills digitally using the additional payment gateway.
• Consumers will have an option to make payments through various modes such as credit or debit card of any of the bank, net
banking by visiting the department’s website – www.goaelectricity.gov.in.
First Robotic restaurant of Odisha
• A restaurant in Bhubaneswar opened its doors to customers claiming to be the first eatery in eastern India where two
indigenously developed robots will serve customers.
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• Named ‘Champa’ and ‘Chameli’, the two humanoid robots rolled on the floor of the Robo Chef restaurant and served food to the
waiting customers.
• After serving, the two robots even chimed “Apana mane khushi to” (Are you happy).
Maharashtra police ties up with AI firm
• The Maharashtra Police has tied up with Logically, an extended intelligence (artificial and human intelligence)-powered tech firm,
to detect and prevent the spread of fake news.
• The company helps detect fake news, logical fallacy, and inaccuracies.
• It has been monitoring various social media platforms since 20 days to monitor cases of violation under the Model Code of
Conduct (MCC).
Odisha's biggest trade fair to begin on Nov 12
• Baliyatra, one of the biggest trade fairs of Odisha, is scheduled to begin on November 12, 2019.
• The trade fair will continue for eight days.
• This year’s Baliyatra will be jointly organized by the Cuttack District Administration, District Cultural Council, and the Cuttack
Municipal Corporation.
• There will be separate vending zones for small traders and vendors.
Girls to be admitted in Sainik Schools
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal for admission of girl children in Sainik Schools from academic session 2021-
22 in a phased manner.
• The decision is in line with the objective of the government towards greater inclusiveness, gender equality, enabling greater
participation of women in Armed Forces and strengthening the motto of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'.
Kerala extends maternity leave benefits
• Kerala is extending maternity leave benefits to teachers and other staff of private educational institutions, including those in the
unaided sector.
• When the amendment to the Act comes into force, Kerala would become the first state in the country to provide maternity
benefits in the private educational sector.
• Employees covered under the law can avail 26 weeks’ maternity leave with salary.
India's livestock population increased
• India's livestock population has increased to over 535 million showing an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census-2012.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying released the 20th Livestock Census -2019 on 16 Oct 2019.
• As per the livestock census, the share of cattle is around 36%, goat is over 27%, buffaloes is over 20%, sheep around 14% and pigs
around 2%.
Magnificent MP Conference inaugurated
• CM of MP Kamal Nath formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference on 17 Oct 2019 in Indore.
• He also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.
• 223 industries are investing in Madhya Pradesh.
• Foreign investment proposals worth 4,385 crore rupees are in the process of consideration.
Miscellaneous News
• The road starting from Kapurthala connecting Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in Punjab has been declared as
new National Highway - 703 A A and named as Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg.
• A two-day international conference on biosciences, BIOSUMMIT’19, was inaugurated at Vellore Institute of Technology.
Digital museum inaugurated
• Lok Sabha MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary inaugurated a three-day spiritual fest in form of a digital museum to showcase the life
and philosophy of Guru Nanak via ultra-modern technology at Lyallpur Khalsa College.
• It was a humble effort of the Punjab government to commemorate the 550th Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak.
• The museum had brought together various technologies such as LFD screens and RFID.
Colour themed Kalam library inaugurated
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• Colour themed Dr Kalam Library was inaugurated by The Arc Foundation India and Rotary Club of Coimbatore Heritage as a mark
of love and tribute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary at the Government High School, Koundampalayam.
• The Joint Managing Trustee of The Arc Foundation India, M.A. Aparna addressed the children on the purpose of inaugurating
such a library.
Textiles Secretary inaugurated IHGF-Delhi Fair
• Textiles Secretary, Ravi Capoor, inaugurated the 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (IHGF) at the India Expo
Centre & Mart at Greater Noida on 16 October 2019.
• The Fair is being held from on 16-20 October 2019.
• The IHGF-Delhi Fair 2019 will have knowledge seminars on various topics by expert faculties, fashion shows and ramp walks by
models.
Assam govt to host two-day stakeholders' meet
• The Assam government will be hosting a 2-day stakeholders' meeting between India and Bangladesh from 22 October 2019 in
Guwahati.
• A 70-member delegation from Bangladesh, including two Central ministers will be participating in the meet.
• The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the centre point of India’s trade expansion with ASEAN and Bangladesh, Bhutan and
Nepal or BBN countries.
UP Culture Dept to organise programme
• The Culture Department of UP government is going to organise the country’s first training and performance programme of world-
famous KHON Ramlila, a masked form of Ramlila art of Thailand in collaboration with the Thai government.
• KHON Ramlila of Thailand is included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritage and it’s a form of masked dance
depicting the scenes of Ramlila.
41st DRDO Directors Conference inaugurated
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 41st DRDO Directors Conference in New Delhi.
• Chiefs of the three forces & DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy were also present on the occasion.
• The discussion included efforts taken by DRDO to ensure technological advancement of the Indian forces to safeguard the
country.
9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains flagged off
• Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains.
• These trains will connect small towns to major cities.
• The Vadnagar-Mehsana train was gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The trains are – Delhi-Shamli, Bhubaneswar-Nayagarh town, Murkongselek-Dibrugarh, Coimbatore-Palani, Coimbatore-Pollachi,
Vadnagar-Mehsana, Asarya-Himmatnagar, Karur-Salem, Yesvantpur-Tumkur.
Mastercard and MS Dhoni partnered
• Mastercard, along with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, launched a nationwide initiative ‘Team Cashless India’ to accelerate the
acceptance and adoption of digital payments.
• The initiative brings consumers and merchants to the forefront of the digital payments dialogue.
• The campaign encourages all Indians to nominate one or more merchants who currently do not accept digital payments.
Miscellaneous News
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a 2-day international seminar at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi.
• Chenani- Nashri Tunnel on NH 44, in Jammu and Kashmir will be named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. It is the humble
homage to Mukherjee whose battle for Kashmir, One Nation One Flag has immensely contributed in national integration.
Mylan along with DCGI to launch new TB drug
• Multinational pharmaceutical company Mylan is working with Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch pretomanid, a
medicine used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB),
• Non-profit drug developer TB Alliance and Mylan NV had in April 2019 announced a global collaboration to make the
experimental drug pretomanid for the cure of pulmonary tuberculosis.
MoS Organized the 17th Meeting of MSDC
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• The Ministry of Shipping is working on a plan to develop a national port grid based on the synergy between major and minor
ports in the country.
• The 17th Meeting of Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) was held on 15 October 2019.
• The government is looking at developing synergy between the major and minor ports so that together they can bring port-led
development in the country.
DPIIT launches website, mobile app for IPR
• Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra launched the website and
mobile application L2Pro India (Learn to Protect, Secure and Maximize Your Innovation) on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
• The website and app will be very useful to the startup community which holds great promise for India and its economy.
2nd phase of LOTUS-HR launched in New Delhi
• The 2nd phase of an Indo-Dutch project called Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse, or LOTUS-HR was
launched at Barapullah drain in New Delhi.
• This project was launched by Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan and the Dutch Royal couple, Netherlands King
Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
• The (LOTUS-HR) project was set up in 2017 at the Sun Dial Park.
Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot
• Air India became the first airline in the world to use a TaxiBot on an Airbus A320 aircraft operating a commercial flight with
passengers onboard.
• A TaxiBot or a Taxiing Robot is a pilot-controlled semi-robotic towbar-less aircraft tractor used as an alternate taxiing equipment.
• It is used for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice versa.
Bengaluru to have dedicated ATS from Nov 1
• Bengaluru will have a dedicated Anti-Terror Squad from November 1, 2019.
• The decision was taken after National Investigation Agency warned that at least 20 sleeping cells of terrorist groups exist in
Bengaluru.
• Anti Terror Squad will work in coordination with NIA, cybersecurity cell and Psychotropic drug control cells.
CBIC launched programme
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has launched a programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in
India.
• This would be done under the bond scheme, of Customs Act, 1962.
• The Section enables conduct of manufacture and other operations in a customs bonded warehouse.
• The scheme has been modernized with clear and transparent procedures.
UP govt makes women as nodal officers
• UP government has made women officers as nodal officers and directed them to go to their respective districts and review the
implementation of welfare schemes for women.
• 3-member teams of women officers will visit their allocated districts on October 18, 19 and 20, 2019.
• They will make women aware about the various government schemes such as Ujjwala Yojna, Mission Indradhanush.
14 skills training centres to be set up
• 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centres will be set up across 9 cities for media and entertainment sector.
• These cities are Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Trivandrum.
• The institutes will be set up for advanced skill training of candidates in media and entertainment sector and to further develop
skilling eco-system for training candidates.
India’s first 5G powered ‘connected music’
• Ericsson and Airtel enabled a 5G powered Connected Music performance during the inauguration of the India Mobile Congress
(IMC) 2019.
• A first for India, the show involved connecting two parts of a musical performance using a live 5G network and presenting it as
one, for live audiences at both locations.
• The ultra-low latency of the 5G network powered the connected music showcase at the IMC.
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Andhra Pradesh launched water grid project

• The Andhra Pradesh government has launched an ambitious project to provide a drinking water connection to every household
in the state by 2022.
• The statewide water grid project would ensure supply of clean drinking water to every household from 2022 for at least the next
30 years.
• Groundwater levels in the state have fallen to below 1,100 feet in districts like Anantapur and Chittoor.
ICICI Bank launches new FD scheme FD health
• ICICI Bank launched a fixed deposit scheme called FD Health, that comes with an in-built critical insurance policy.
• The FD Health – Critical illness Cover will be provided to only the primary holder of the FD account.
• Anyone between of 18-50 years, will get complimentary insurance cover for a year on 33 critical illnesses.
• Free of cost insurance cover will be provided for 1st year.
Nitin Gadkari to inaugurated a Conference
• Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSME inaugurated a conference on One Nation One FASTag in
New Delhi.
• The conference saw the signing of MoUs with state departments / other agencies for bringing in a unified electronic tolling
solution across the country.
• Another MoU between the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. and GSTN was also signed.
‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’ to be launched
• Life Insurance Council has decided to launch the Indian life insurance industry’s first joint mass media campaign with the slogan
‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’.
• The slogan will encourage Indian households to opt for adequate life insurance cover as the fundamental necessity in their lives.
• The campaign represents joint efforts of all 24 Indian life insurance companies.
National Cultural Festival to be held in MP
• In MP, the 10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of
Culture from 14-21 October 2019 under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' campaign.
• The National Cultural festival will display diverse forms of folk, art and culture of 22 states.
• Its concept was conceived in the year 2015.
Tripura gets its first-ever SEZ
• The government of India has given in-principle approval for setting up of Tripura's first-ever SEZ at Sabroom.
• The estimated investment in the project will be around Rs 1550 Crore.
• Rubber based Industries – Tyres, Threads etc, Textile and Apparel Industries, Bamboo Industries and Agri-Food Processing
Industries are the industries which will be set up at the SEZ.
WHO India Cooperation Strategy launched
• The Union Health Ministry has launched the ‘World Health Organisation (WHO) India Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2019–
2023: A Time of Transition on 9 October 2019.
• The strategy will provide a strategic roadmap for the WHO to work with the Indian government towards achieving its health
sector goals.
• It will help in improving the health of its population of India.
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, laid the foundation stone for the campus of JSS Academy of Higher Education and
Research at Varuna Village, Mysuru.
• The Global Campus of JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research at Varuna Village is a tribute to Sri Shivarathri Rajendra
Mahaswamiji whose 104th Jayanti is being celebrated this year.
Delhi's second airport begins operations
• The first commercial flight from the Hindon civil airport started from 11th October.
• A private aircraft with nine passengers on board took off from Pithoragarh's Naini-Saini airport at 11.30 am.
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• The Hindon airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8.
• Hindon Airport will serve as the ‘second’ airport.
• The air force station is located close to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Government to introduce POSHAN atlas
• The government is to introduce POSHAN atlas under POSHAN Abhiyan.
• The announcement was made by Union Minister of WCD Smriti Irani at the 5th National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges.
• POSHAN atlas is developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and Deendayal Research Institute.
• The atlas aims to tackle malnutrition.
any organism.
National Postal Week is being celebrated
• The Maharashtra and Goa Circle of the India Post is celebrating National Postal Week which will end on 15 October.
• The week is being celebrated to spread awareness about services provided by the department and efforts made to meet
changing requirements of customers.
• The week also commemorates the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss capital Berne.
SARAS Aajeevika Mela being held
• The Ministry of Rural Development is organising SARAS Aajeevika Mela at India Gate Lawns from 10-23 October 2019.
• SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an initiative by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• Its objective is to bring the rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under one platform to showcase their skills and sell their
products.
GEMINI system to aid fishermen
• GEMINI, a new system, is launched to aid fishermen.
• It is a portable receiver developed to avoid communication blackouts.
• It linked to ISRO-satellites and is fail-proof and warn fishermen of danger.
• GEMINI is an India-made global positioning system.
RBI approves merger of DCBs
• The RBI has given approval to the Kerala government to amalgamate 13 district cooperative banks (DCBs) with the Kerala State
Cooperative Bank to form Kerala Bank.
• Except the Malappuram District Cooperative Bank, all district banks had approved the scheme of amalgamation proposed by the
State government at their respective general body meetings.
38th India Carpet Expo began in Varanasi
• The 38th India Carpet Expo is being held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The expo is organized by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).
• It aims to promote the cultural heritage and weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings for the visiting
overseas carpet buyers.
• It is being held from 11-15 October 2019.
1st National Hindi Science writers conference
• In Uttar Pradesh, the first 2-day long National Hindi Science writers conference started on 11 October in Lucknow.
• Its aim is to release science writing from the clutches of English and to promote use of Hindi and other Vernacular languages.
• More than one thousand science writers from across the country are expected to take part in this conference.
Govt launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan
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• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan, SUMAN initiative in
New Delhi.
• It was launched during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare.
• The initiative aims at assuring dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for
every woman and newborn.
HRD Minister inaugurated programme ‘DHRUV’
• Union Minister for Human Resources Development Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank launched DHRUV programme in the headquarter
of ISRO in Bengaluru on 10 October 2019.
• DHRUV is a unique programme to identify talented students and mentor them in the centre of excellence for 14 days so that they
can reach their full potential and work for the society.
BSE joins hands with FICCI
• BSE and FICCI organised a brainstorming session to identify gaps in the existing policies and make suggestions for robust policies.
• Besides, the session was organised to promote Udyam Saathi and Udyam Sakhi initiatives to foster the MSMEs sector.
• The MSMEs were invited to present their summary of ideas and suggestions as well as discuss their main issues of concern to the
ministry.
1st Day Care Recreation Centre in Leh
• A day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated in Leh.
• The first Government-sponsored and operated day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens was inaugurated by Supreme
Court judge, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer.
• It will also be equipped with computer learning and a library and the aged citizens can entertain themselves with recreational
activities.
Reliance MF renamed: Nippon India Mutual Fund
• Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund.
• The organization was renamed following the purchase of 75% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management by Nippon Life
Insurance.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund has become the largest foreign-owned Asset Management Company in India.
• Sundeep Sikka will continue to lead the company as the CEO.
Infosys bagged digital transformation deal
• Infosys has been selected as the main supplier to deliver Volvo Cars’ digital transformation services for its enterprise digital
commercial operations applications and products.
• Infosys will offer next generation application services leveraging its global delivery model (GDM), agile delivery, automation and
other service optimisation levers to deliver effective service operations.
‘Garbage Cafe' in Chhattisgarh commenced
• The first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe' commenced in Ambikapur city of Chhattisgarh.
• The café is being run by the Ambikapur municipal corporation.
• In this unique Cafe, poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of plastic, while breakfast will be
provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe.
India to get BS-VI fuel from next April
• Bharat Stage (BS)-VI fuel will be available in several big cities of the country, including Jaipur, from April 1, 2020 and the initiative
will reduce vehicular pollution by 80-90%
• An investment of Rs 60,000 crore has been made for this.
• The government has prepared a national clean air programme for 122 cities of the country under which schemes for reducing
pollution will be made.
India International Cooperative Trade Fair
• A 3-day India International Cooperative Trade Fair will be held in New Delhi from 11 October 2019.
• The fair is aimed at promoting cooperative to cooperative trade within India and abroad leading to enhanced rural and farm
prosperity.
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• This will be India's first and the largest international cooperatives trade fair promising to usher in a new era of cooperative
excellence.
eDantseva website and mobile app launched
• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the eDantseva website and mobile application.
• It is the first ever national digital platform on oral health information and knowledge dissemination.
• This marks an important milestone as e-DantSeva will reach out to more than one billion people with one click in the form of a
dedicated website and mobile application.
National e-Assessment Centre of IT Department
• Revenue Secretary Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National e-Assessment Scheme (NeAC) on 7 October 2019.
• In the first phase, the Income Tax Department has selected 58,322 cases for scrutiny under the faceless e-Assessment Scheme
2019 and the e-notices have been served before 30th of September 2019 for the cases of Assessment Year 2018-19.
Nagpur to host 5th international conference
• The fifth international conference on sleep disorders is being hosted in Nagpur from 12 October to 13 October 2019.
• The conference is held under the aegis of the Southeast Asian Academy of Sleep Medicine(SEAASM).
• It is conducted by the Department of Respiratory, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology at Getwell Hospital
& Research Centre at Chitnavis Centre in Nagpur.
AIM NITI Aayog & UNDP launched Youth Co:Lab
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India jointly launched Youth
Co:Lab.
• The lab aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship and innovation in young India and to recognize young people as critical
drivers of sustainable development.
• During the launch, a Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed between AIM, NITI Aayog and UNDP India.
63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din celebrated
• In Maharashtra, 63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din was celebrated at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur on 8 October 2019.
• Buddhist followers from the different parts of the country and abroad reached at the venue to pay homage to Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar.
• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti along with District Administration and Nagpur Municipal Corporation are organizing this
mega event.
Stone laid for IIM campus in Amritsar
• Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank laid the foundation stone of the campus of the IIM in
Amritsar's Manawala.
• The IIM campus would come upon 60,000 square metres and have state-of-the-art facilities in the library, academic block and
hostels.
• The allocation of 350 crore rupees has been sanctioned for the first phase of the construction.
Government launched Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan
• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched a unique initiative called 'Ganga Amantran' to connect with the
stakeholders of the river.
• It is a pioneering exploratory open- water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river to begin on 10 October till 11
November 2019.
• The expedition will start at Devaprayag and culminate at Ganga Sagar.
50th IFFI, 2019 to witness over 200 best films
• The 50th International Film Festival of India, 2019 will witness over 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non
feature films in Indian panorama section.
• This was announced by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
• 12 prominent films in different languages that have completed 50 years in 2019 ,will also be showcased from 20th to 28th
November.
GoI launches eco-friendly crackers
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• Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan launched eco-friendly green firecrackers which have been manufactured in India.
• Environment-friendly fireworks have been developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs and
manufactured by licensee-manufacturers.
• A green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for their differentiation.
India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up
• The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have joined hands to set up the
country’s first e-waste clinic.
• It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units.
• The electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or can be deposited directly at the clinic in exchange for a fee.
Health Minister launched trans-fat free logo
• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the Trans Fat Free logo of Food Safety & Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI), at the 8th International Chefs’ Conference (ICC VII).
• This marked an important milestone in the movement against Trans-Fats and also provided a momentum to accelerate the ‘Eat
Right India’ movement of FSSAI.
Finance Minister inaugurated NeAC
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) for better taxpayer service and
promotion of ease of doing business in New Delhi.
• Income Tax Department's NeAC, will avoid face-to-face interaction between taxpayers and tax officials.
• Setting up of NeAC is a step to reduce taxpayer grievances in line with the prime minister's vision of 'Digital India'.
CBDT launches document identification number
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) implemented a computer-generated Document Identification Number (DIN) which will
ensure greater transparency and accountability in tax administration.
• The DIN system, which becomes operative from 1 October 2019, will apply to all kind of communications from the income tax
department.
• This will also help taxpayers detect fake notices and letters.
App to register consumer grievances launched
• The government of India launched the 'Consumer App' that would help consumers register their grievances online as well as give
suggestions on consumer-related issues.
• This will serve as a one-stop solution for consumer grievance redressal and complaints filed on the app can be tracked by
consumers to know the progress.
• The App is available in both English and Hindi.
Rajasthan to create pneumoconiosis fund
• Rajasthan has announced the creation of a Pneumoconiosis Fund, which will be majorly financed by money from the District
Mineral Foundation (DMF).
• This Fund will be used to finance a comprehensive policy on the disease released by the Rajasthan government on 3 October
2019.
• Pneumoconiosis, a lung disease, mostly affects workers who work in the mining and construction sectors.
NHSRC to be WHO collaborating centre
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced the re-designation of the National Health Systems Resource Centre
(NHSRC) as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy.
• NHSRC as a collaborating centre has supported WHO in formulating technical specifications for medical devices such as oxygen
concentrators and resuscitation devices.
Village Secretariat system launched in Andhra
• The Andhra Pradesh government launched 'Village Secretariat programme' on 2 October 2019.
• Under the new system, one Village Secretariat has been set up for every population of 2,000, with each one comprising close to
a dozen village officials.
• The idea behind it, according to the state government, is to ensure that its services reach people on the ground
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Interest on house building advance reduced

• The Centre has reduced the interest on House Building Advance from 8.5% to 7.9% for its employees
• According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the new interest rate has come into force from October 1.
• The House Building Advance is admissible to permanent employees and all those temporary employees who have rendered five
years of continuous service.
Portability of Ration cards started
• An inter-State portability for ration cards has been launched for Rajasthan and Haryana to facilitate the distribution of foodgrains
to beneficiaries of the National Food Security scheme.
• Labourers in the unorganised sector, migrating from one State to the other state, will mainly benefit from the scheme.
• The Centre would implement the portability of ration card all over the country soon.
India's 1st plastic to diesel conversion plant
• Mathura MP Hema Malini inaugurated the country's first plastic to diesel conversion plant in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• Notably, a model of this plant had been placed for a demonstration before PM Modi when he had arrived in Mathura some time
back as a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• This model is now working on a full scale at the Mathura Municipal Corporation's (MMC) trenching grounds.
CM of HP launched Pragati Rath of HDFC bank
• CM of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur launched Pragati Rath of the HDFC bank.
• It is a month-long initiative where the van would move to different parts of Himachal to provide financial and digital literacy to
the people.
• The bank announced adopting of 15 villages of the State under Holistic Rural Development Programme and also launch of
Sustainable Livelihood Initiative in the State.
Tourism Ministry launches App for 12 sites
• Tourism Ministry launched the Audio Guide facility Audio Odigos for 12 sites of India on the occasion of Paryatan Parv 2019.
• An MoU for Gol Gumbad, Delhi with Government of Delhi and Resbird Technologies was also exchanged for the development of
Tourism Amenities.
• Audio guide odigo offers Government of India verified content, with visuals & voice over support.
UCO Bank launched UCash, Digilocker and an App
• UCO Bank launched three new digital products called, UCash, Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• UCash enables customers to withdraw money from ATMs through mobile banking without using a debit card.
• Digilocker aims to eliminate the use of physical documents and enables sharing of verified electronic documents.
• The new mobile app integrates four existing apps of the bank
certificate.
Uttarakhand CM launched awareness campaign
• Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched an awareness campaign -- Urjagiri, which aims at stopping power theft and
saving.
• The campaign is a good start towards spreading awareness in the society.
• The government is committed to ending power theft.
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• He also instructed the officers of UPCL Vigilance Cell to effectively stop the power theft.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched initiative
• CM Naveen Patnaik rolled out ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme on 2 October 2019.
• The objective of ‘Mo Sarkar’ is to improve governance by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism displayed by the
Government officers.
• It has been launched in 21 district headquarters hospitals and medical colleges at Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur.
Sarbat Da Bhala Express train flagged off
• Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal flagged off 'Sarbat Da Bhala Express' train at New Delhi
railway station on 4 October 2019.
• The renamed New Delhi-Ludhiana Intercity Express will ply from New Delhi to Lohian Khas via holy city Sultanpur Lodhi.
• A 6-metre skywalk is being constructed to connect New Delhi station to airport metro and yellow line.
Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express flagged off
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath flagged off the country's first corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express on 4 October 2019.
• The train will run 6 days in a week with advance coaches which will have tea-coffee vending machines, call bell and toilet
indicator facilities.
• High-quality food and beverages will be provided to passengers.
• The commercial run of the train will start from 5 October 2019.
Portal for monitoring coal supply launched
• Power Minister RK Singh and Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi have jointly launched PRAKASH -
Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony- portal in New Delhi.
• The portal aims at bringing better coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders.
• The portal is designed to help in mapping and monitoring the entire coal supply chain for power plants.
PM Modi declared India open defecation-free
• Declaring India ‘Open Defecation-Free’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on removing single-use plastic and optimum use
of water as next steps of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• He stressed upon the need of water recharge and water recycle and pointed out that the government has earmarked 3.5 lakh
crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Digital Gandhi Gyan-Vigyan inaugurated
• Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition titled Digital Gandhi Gyan
Vigyan Exhibition.
• The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with a technology start-up under incubation by IIT, namely, M/s Vizara
Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• The Dept has also engaged IIT Gandhinagar for organising a workshop for children on 3 and 4 Oct 2019.
PM Modi Inaugurated Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019
• PM Modi inaugurated the Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 in Ahmedabad on 2 October 2019.
• He released postage stamp and silver coin to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• He also distributed the Swachh Bharat Puraskar to the winners.
• He paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram.
• He visited the Magan Niwas (Charkha Gallery) and interacted with the children there.
Rajasthan: 3rd state to ban pan masala
• Rajasthan became the third state in India after Maharashtra and Bihar to ban certain categories of pan masala containing
magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured ‘supari’.
• All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act.
• Production, storage, distribution and sale of these products will not be allowed in the state.
Nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv 2019’ kicked off
• The Paryatan Parv, 2019 kicked off on 2 October 2019 to promote tourism in the country.
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• It will continue till 13 October 2019.

• The aim is to propagate the message of Dekho Apna Desh to encourage people to visit tourist destinations of the country and
also spread the message of Tourism for All.
• The govt is developing 17 tourist sites into world-class destinations to attract more tourists.
2,600-year-old walls discovered at Keeladi
• The fifth phase of the ongoing excavation at the archaeological site in Keeladi in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu has unearthed a
total of four brick walls dating back to the Sangam age.
• The State Archeology Department unearthed four walls which are 2,600 years old at the site.
• Excavation work in Keeladi village has been conducted on behalf of the Central Archeology Department since 2015.
India's Largest 'Charkha' inaugurated
• India's largest 'charkha' made of used plastic waste was inaugurated on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in
Noida.
• The 1,650-kg spinning wheel was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani.
• The 'charkha', which symbolises Gandhi's dream of Swadeshi, measures 14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic.
Rita, India's Oldest Chimpanzee died
• India's oldest chimpanzee, Rita, which had been battling old age-related health problems and was on a liquid diet, died at the
Delhi zoo on 1 October 2019.
• Born on December 12, 1960, in Amsterdam Zoo and acquired by the Delhi zoo in 1990, Rita was the oldest chimp in India and
probably the oldest in Asia.
• On an average, a chimpanzee has a lifespan of around 50 years.
Nitin Gadkari launched cow dung soaps
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched soaps made of cow dung and bamboo water bottles manufactured by Khadi and Village
Industries Commission.
• The bamboo water bottle is priced at ₹560 and the soap variant of 125 grams costs ₹125 each.
• The ministry proposed a scheme which entails 10% equity participation by the Central government in such listed micro, small and
medium enterprises.
Union Government launched unified portal
• Union Minister G Kishan Reddy launched a single-window online system for licensing of eating and lodging houses.
• The portal is a step in the direction to achieve PM Narendra Modi's vision to establish a corruption-free economy by bringing in
welfare-oriented economic reforms.
• India has progressively improved its ease of doing business ranking.
Bongaigaon District Admin launched Campaign
• In Assam, the Bongaigaon District Administration has launched Plants for Plastic Campaign to remove the harmful plastics from
the eco-system.
• The campaign aims to encourage people to collect and remove plastic from their houses, commercial establishments and
educational institutions.
• Any person can deposit 1kg plastic in the municipality office and get a valuable sapling for free.
Global Student Solar Assembly to be organised
• To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in association with IIT
Bombay is organizing the Global Student Solar Assembly on 2nd October 2019.
• 2 Guinness world records will be attempted during this workshop, (a) sustainability lessons to the largest number of participants
at a single place (b) largest number of solar lamps lit together.
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UNESCO, DD Join Hands for TV Show

• UNESCO and Doordarshan have joined hands to telecast TV bilingual programme ‘Mahatma Lives‘ or ‘Bapu Zinda Hain’ on 1-2
October 2019.
• UNESCO and Doordarshan will telecast TV bilingual programme to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the
Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
• The objective of the programme is to celebrate his ideas and teachings.
Gandhi Film Festival to be organised in Mumbai
• Film Division in association with India Tourism will organise a Gandhi Film Festival in Mumbai from 2-6 October 2019.
• The festival as part of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary will showcase select films focussing on Swachh Bharat and non-
violence.
• Movies to be screened include ‘Gandhi’ by Richard Attenborough, ‘The Making of Mahatma’ and ‘Maine Gandhi ko Nahi Maara’.
RBI announced contests to promote innovations
• RBI has announced two contests to promote innovations and ideas in the payment and settlement systems.
• Shortlisted participants will get an opportunity to present their ideas before a jury of eminent persons while outstanding
innovators will be awarded prizes and citations.
• The contest will be organised through Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), Hyderabad.
PM Modi addressed function of Arogya Manthan
• PM Narendra Modi presided over the valedictory function of Arogya Manthan in New Delhi on 1 October 2019.
• It is a two-day event organized by the National Health Authority to mark the completion of one year of Ayushman Bharat, PM-
JAY.
• He launched a new mobile application of Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Bharat Start-Up Grand Challenge and also released a
commemorative stamp.
India now has 28 states and 9 UTs

• According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the appointed day for the two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh
was October 31, 2019.
• This is for the first time that a state is converted into two Union Territories.
• The total number of states in the country will now be 28 while the total Union Territories will go up to nine.
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Amit Shah flagged off Run For Unity
• Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Run For Unity from New Delhi's Major Dhyanchand National Stadium.
• The run started from the main gate of the Major Dhayanchand National stadium and ended at Amar Jawan Jyoti.
• Around 15,000 people participated in the event.
• To facilitate people taking part in the Run for Unity Metro services began at 4 am from terminal stations of all lines.
TN: 1st state to enact law on contract farming
• Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to enact a law on contract farming.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion
and Facilitation) Act.
• The law would safeguard interests of farmers during times of bumper harvest or fluctuating market prices.
• They would be paid at a pre-determined price.
EU Parliamentary delegation visited Srinagar
• A delegation of 23 Members of Parliament from different European countries which is on a two-day visit to Srinagar met
students, women, traders, fruit growers besides panchs & sarpanchs.
• The delegation is the first international group to visit Kashmir after scrapping of J&K’s special status.
• The delegation also visited Army’s 15 Corps Headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.
Nirmala Sitharaman releases special coin
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has released a special commemorative coin on Paramahansa Yogananda to mark his 125th
Birth Anniversary.
• Paramahansa Yogananda was a great son of India, who was recognized globally.
• His universal message was to bring harmony among mankind and making it so acceptable globally even when communications
modes were limited.
Nagaland partnered with Madhya Pradesh
• Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' programme has brought in the states of Nagaland and Madhya Pradesh as one to celebrate the
spirit of national integration.
• The Directorate of Higher Education of Government of Nagaland as the nodal department of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' has
conducted various activities undertaken in partnership with Madhya Pradesh.
Mastercard to launch solution for smartphones
• Mastercard is set to launch a solution in India where a smartphone can become a contactless acceptance device.
• If your phone has NFC, then it can become a point-of-sale (POS) device.
• A customer can tap the contactless card on the phone.
• With this innovation, a retailer doesn’t need to invest in the hardware for accepting contactless payments. The phone will be
sufficient.
‘Right to Health Conclave’ to be inaugurated
• A 2-Day Right to Health Conclave will be inaugurated on Madhya Pradesh Foundation Day, November 1, 2019.
• The Subject Experts connected to health and social works from across the country will participate in the conclave.
• They will hold deliberations on issues related to the health during various sessions during the conclave.
• The first session will be on the subject ‘Spirituality and Health’.
Thotlakonda Buddhist site to be renovated
• Thotlakonda Buddhist site will be renovated as a meditation place for Vizagites and tourists.
• It was a sacred place of Buddhists during 300 BC to 300 AD.
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• The 2,000-old Maha Stupa at Thotlakonda collapsed on one side due to heavy rains,.
• Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is situated on a hill near Bheemunipatnam about 15 kilometres from Visakhapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh.
Women in Delhi to get free rides in buses
• Women in Delhi will get free rides in public buses starting from 29 Oct 2019.
• As per the plan, conductors will distribute pink tickets having face value of 10 rupees each to women passengers for free-travel.
• The government will then reimburse the transporters based on the number of such tickets issued.
• Currently, 3,400 bus marshals are already working.
Air India depicted 'Ik Onkar' on tail
• In a unique gesture to mark 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, Air India has depicted Sikh religious symbol 'Ik
Onkar' on the tail of one of its aircraft.
• The flight is set to fly from Amritsar to Stansted in the United Kingdom on 31 Oct 2019.
• Air India will fly its aircraft thrice a week on the Mumbai-Amritsar-Stansted route.
IOB launched health care plus insurance policy
• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in association with Universal Sompo General Insurance Co Ltd. has launched upgraded health care
plus insurance policy.
• It is a co-branded insurance scheme exclusively designed for IOB customers with a sum insured starting from ₹50,000 and going
up to ₹15 lakh.
• The policy issuance will be made on a real-time basis at the IOB branches to its customers.
‘Kyarr’ will become a super cyclone
• The Meteorological Department said the situation in the Arabian Sea could become very bad in the next 24 hours following the
condition of the Kyarr cyclone turning in to a super cyclone.
• The storm could affect the coastal areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.
• According to the weather department, the center of Cyclone Kyarr is currently about 540 km from the west-southwest coast of
Mumbai.
UP CM launched new emergency helpline no. 112
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath launched an all-encompassing emergency helpline number '112' to access police, fire brigade, ambulance
and other services under the Emergency Response Support System.
• He also launched a senior citizen safety initiative 'Savera'.
• This single helpline number 112 will reduce the response time.
Lucknow school bagged Guinness World Record
• Lucknow-based school has won the Guinness World Record for becoming the 'world's largest school' in terms of strength of
students.
• City Montessori School (CMS) has won the global award for having 55,547 students in 2019-20, as stated by CMS founder, Jagdish
Gandhi.
• Currently, the CMS has 18 branches and approximately 56,000 students all over the city.
‘Maharatna’ status granted to HPCL & PGCIL
• ‘Maharatna’ status has been granted by the Government to state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Power
Grid Corporation of India Limited.
• The status also comes with greater operational and financial autonomy.
• The grant of Maharatna status to the PSUs will impart enhanced powers to their Boards to take financial decisions.
CBSE & NCERT launched ‘Tamanna’ test
• CBSE and NCERT have launched an online aptitude test called ‘Tamanna’.
• Tamanna stands for Try And Measure Aptitude And Natural Abilities.
• Tamanna is an aptitude test that aims to help students of Class 9 and 10 to make a better choice of subjects, eventually helping
them in making an informed decision while choosing subjects in Class 11 and 12.
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First kerosene-free district of Gujarat

• Gandhinagar has become Gujarat’s first Kerosene-free district.
• Home Minister Amit Shah allotted 1,000 LPG connections to the people in Gandhinagar.
• Amit Shah said that rural women have been allotted LPG connections under the Ujjwala Yojana.
• It was also announced that ONGC completed this scheme with a cost of Rs. 6.13 core.
• This scheme is covering more than 75,000 rural women.
PM KISAN call centre to be set up
• The government is planning to set up a call centre to respond to farmers’ queries about the PM Kisan minimum income support
scheme.
• It plans to have a dedicated round-the-clock interactive voice response (IVR) system.
• At present there is a helpline number for farmers to register complaints and seek information, but there have been complaints
galore that farmers do not getting any response.
Delhi recorded season's worst air quality
• Delhi's air quality dropped to season's worst on 25 Oct 2019, with the decreased wind speed leading to accumulation of
pollutants and affecting dispersion.
• The city's overall air quality index (AQI) fluctuated between 315 and 284.
• Most of the places in Delhi recorded the AQI in the "very poor" category, while the situation inched towards "severe" in some
areas.
6 new medical institutes for Tamil Nadu
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave its approval to Tamil Nadu’s proposal to establish six new medical colleges.
• The institutes will come up in Tiruppur, the Nilgiris, Ramanathapuram, Namakkal, Dindigul and Virudhunagar at a cost of ₹1,950
crore and will be attached to existing hospitals in these districts.
• The Centre would sign MoU with the Tamil Nadu govt for the same.
CSIR conducted genome sequencing
• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has done genome sequencing of over one thousand persons from different parts of
India.
• The initiative called IndiGen has enabled benchmarking the scalability of genome sequencing and computational analysis at
population scale in a defined timeline.
• The outcome will be utilized towards understanding the genetic diversity on a population scale.
Indian Railways launched One Touch ATVM
• Indian Railways has launched ‘one touch ATVM’ at 42 suburban stations of Central Railway to render fast ticketing to millions of
commuters over Mumbai Suburban Network.
• Railway passenger can avail the service of this new machine at 42 suburban stations.
• This new machine will reduce the waiting time of the passengers and allow passenger to avoid standing in long queues.
Vijaya Bank Museum inaugurated in Bengaluru
• The Vijaya Bank Heritage Museum has been inaugurated at the headquarters of the Vijaya Bank i.e. Bengaluru.
• The museum has a rare collection of photos through which the growth of the bank is showcased.
• Vijaya Bank was one of the premier nationalised banks in the country.
• The erstwhile Vijaya Bank, along with the erstwhile Dena Bank, was amalgamated with Bank of Baroda on April 1, 2019.
J&K Governor announces new initiatives
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• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik announced several new initiatives to further empower the urban local bodies and
fulfil the demands of elected representatives.
• He announced delegation of financial powers to each Municipal Council/Committee to the tune of 25 lakh rupees.
• The Governor also announced life and health insurance coverage to all Safai Karmcharies.
Amit Shah on a four-day visit to Gujarat
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a four-day visit to Gujarat from 25 October 2019.
• During this visit, he will dedicate and lay foundation stones of series of development projects in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha
constituency.
• On the 1st day, he distributed financial assistance to the beneficiaries of various government schemes at a programme held at
Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
President Kovind visited Rajgir
• President Ram Nath Kovind visited Rajgir in Bihar on 25 October 2019.
• He inaugurated day long golden jubilee celebrations of Vishwa Shanti Stupa (World Peace Pagoda) in Rajgir.
• The Vishwa Shanti Stupa has completed 50 years of its establishment.
• Situated on Ratnagiri hillock, this iconic structure was constructed by Japanese Buddhist monk popularly known as Fujii Guruji in
1969.
IRDAI imposed penalty on Cholamandalam MS GIC
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has imposed penalties of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC.
• The insurer was penalised for violations observed during an inspection.
• The penalty of Rs 1 crore is for violation of Clause 15 of Schedule I of IRDA (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2013.
• The other penalty of Rs 1 lakh is for motor insurance.
Appointments
• Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and Indian badminton player PV Sindhu were named the ambassadors for Bharat Ki Laxmi
on 22 October 2019. It is an initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Ashok Malik has been appointed as the policy advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs with the rank of additional secretary. He
was press secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind for a two-year term.
First national protocol launched
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the first national protocol to enumerate the snow leopard
population in the country on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day.
• The Day is celebrated on October 23 every year to protect and conserve the snow leopards and preserve the beautiful wildlife of
the Himalayas.
• India is believed to have 400 to 700 snow leopards.
First all women-run automobile service station
• India’s first all-women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur was inaugurated by Mahindra & Mahindra recently.
• This move is part of the company’s initiative called ‘Pink Collars’ to promote the recruitment of women in core productive roles.
• The Compact Qwik workshop has women in roles including technicians, service advisors, drivers, part managers and security
guards.
2021.
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Hunar Haat to be held in November 2019

• The next 'Hunar Haat', an initiative of the Minority Affairs Ministry, will be organised from November 1-10, 2019 in Prayagraj,
Uttar Pradesh.
• More than 300 master artisans and culinary experts including a large number of women artisans will participate in it.
• All the 'Hunar Haats' to be organised in 2019 and 2020 will be based on the theme of Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat.
MeitY launched MeitY Startup Hub
• MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), a platform to connect the startup ecosystem, has been formally inaugurated by Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, at the MeitY Startup Summit 2019.
• It will work like a social media platform for all the stakeholders of the ecosystem, including incubators, accelerators, mentors,
angel funds, and venture capitalists.
that of sound.
use.
50 IFFI announced films for Open Air Screening
• The 50th International Film Festival of India announced the films in Open Air Screening section of the festival.
• The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa celebrates its Golden Jubilee Edition from 20th-28th November 2019.
• Every year IFFI organises Open Air Screenings to bring the best of Cinematic experience to the Cine enthusiasts.
• The theme would be ‘The Joy of Cinema’.
Siachen now opened for tourists: Rajnath Singh
• Siachen glacier, known for its arduous climate and difficult terrain, is now open for tourism.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 21 Oct 2019 announced that the Siachen area is now open for tourists and tourism.
• The Kumar Post is at height of more than 15,000 ft.
• Tourists will be able to travel from the base camp at Partapur at 11,000 feet to the Kumar Post.
United Nations WFP launched campaign
• The UN World Food Programme (WFP) launched a cinema advertisement campaign 'Feed Our Future' to raise awareness and
take steps against hunger and malnutrition in India.
• The campaign launch event included a panel discussion hosted by TV host Mini Mathur.
• Actor-director Nandita Das and filmmakers Neeraj Ghaywan and Anubhav Sinha shared their perspectives over cinema and social
change.
DAC approved procurement of equipments
• The Defence Acquisition Council has accorded approval for Capital Procurement for the Defence forces for indigenously designed
and developed equipment.
• The first two projects include third-generation Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and the Auxiliary Power Units for the T-72 and T-90
Tanks.
• The third project pertains to discrete Electronic Warfare systems for the mountain and High-Altitude terrain.
Multimedia exhibition organized in Frankfurt
• A multimedia exhibition as part of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was organized in the India Pavilion at the
Frankfurt International Book Fair.
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• The life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi were celebrated by performing Dandi Yatra on 19 Oct 2019.
• The Frankfurt International Book Fair is the largest and most important book fair which is held annually in the month of October.
AIR National Sangeeth Sammelan concerts began
• All India Radio National Sangeeth Sammelan concerts, a major series in the music calendar, began in 26 centres, including
Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu.
• The concerts, recorded live in front of an invited audience will be broadcast as a national programme overall stations of AIR from
November 9 to December 15, 2019.
• Some of the prominent performers include Dr N Rajam and Malladi Suri Babu.
100 more Mohalla Clinics inaugurated in Delhi
• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated 100 more Mohalla Clinics in Delhi on 19 Oct 2019.
• With these new health clinics, a total of 302 Mohalla Clinics are now functional in the city.
• These clinics are part of the city government's push to set up 1,000 neighbourhood clinics
• Facilities of diagnostic tests such as lipid profile, kidney and liver function test are available free of cost.
Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu inaugurated
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Col. Chewang Rinchen Setu which has been constructed at an altitude of 14,650
feet in the forward area of Ladakh region.
• This bridge has been built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• This Bridge is built on the strategically important road Durbuk Shyok Daulat Beg Oldie in sub sector north in eastern Ladakh.
Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated CCRT e-portal
• Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated e-portal of Centre for Cultural Resources and
Training and YouTube Channel in New Delhi on 21 Oct 2019.
• The aim is to take India to newer digital pinnacle and to promote Indian culture.
• He attended the “Digital Bharat - Digital Sanskriti” program organised by Rashtriya Centre for Cultural Resources and Training.
Miscellaneous News
• PM Narendra Modi released a book titled 'Bridgital Nation' in New Delhi. The book has been authored by Chairman, Tata Sons, N
Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushothaman.
• Mahindra & Mahindra announced the inauguration of India’s first all-women-run automobile service workshop in Jaipur. This is
part of the company’s larger initiative named ‘Pink Collars’
Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council abolished
• Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council was abolished on October 18, 2019, making the way for the bifurcation of Jammu &
Kashmir State into two Union Territories - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
• The J&K Council was dissolved under Section 57 of the J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019.
• With this, the tenure of all the Members of the Legislative Council has come to an end.
Bio methane plant inaugurated in Coimbatore
• Swiss Minister for Environment, Energy Simonetta Sommaruga inaugurated bio methane plant in Coimbatore.
• The Swiss-funded Rs.45 lakh project will generate bio methane from 1.5 ton solid waste collected from Ward 22 in West Zone,
which can generate about 150 units of power.
• The power will mainly be used for electrification of street lights in the area.
11th Nuclear Energy Conclave
• Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 11th Edition of Nuclear Energy Conclave 2019 in New Delhi.
• It was organized by India Energy Forum.
• A nuclear plant is coming up in the Gorakhpur of Haryana.
• A 'Hall of Nuclear Energy' was also opened at Pragati Maidan in Delhi.
• The theme of the Conclave: 'Economics of Nuclear Power- Innovation towards Safer & Cost-Effective Technologies'.
NIN centenary stamp released
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• A special commemorative postal stamp of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad was released by Union Minister for
Health & Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan.
• The stamp has been brought out under the Corporate My stamp scheme of India Posts.
• These stamps are of limited edition and are made to order.
• Alongside these, the NIN also opted for printing its centenary logo.
Goa Electricity dept ties up with HDFC Bank
• The Goa electricity department tied up with the HDFC Bank for online payment of electricity bills wherein consumers in Goa can
pay their bills digitally using the additional payment gateway.
• Consumers will have an option to make payments through various modes such as credit or debit card of any of the bank, net
banking by visiting the department’s website – www.goaelectricity.gov.in.
First Robotic restaurant of Odisha
• A restaurant in Bhubaneswar opened its doors to customers claiming to be the first eatery in eastern India where two
indigenously developed robots will serve customers.
• Named ‘Champa’ and ‘Chameli’, the two humanoid robots rolled on the floor of the Robo Chef restaurant and served food to the
waiting customers.
• After serving, the two robots even chimed “Apana mane khushi to” (Are you happy).
Maharashtra police ties up with AI firm
• The Maharashtra Police has tied up with Logically, an extended intelligence (artificial and human intelligence)-powered tech firm,
to detect and prevent the spread of fake news.
• The company helps detect fake news, logical fallacy, and inaccuracies.
• It has been monitoring various social media platforms since 20 days to monitor cases of violation under the Model Code of
Conduct (MCC).
Odisha's biggest trade fair to begin on Nov 12
• Baliyatra, one of the biggest trade fairs of Odisha, is scheduled to begin on November 12, 2019.
• The trade fair will continue for eight days.
• This year’s Baliyatra will be jointly organized by the Cuttack District Administration, District Cultural Council, and the Cuttack
Municipal Corporation.
• There will be separate vending zones for small traders and vendors.
Girls to be admitted in Sainik Schools
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal for admission of girl children in Sainik Schools from academic session 2021-
22 in a phased manner.
• The decision is in line with the objective of the government towards greater inclusiveness, gender equality, enabling greater
participation of women in Armed Forces and strengthening the motto of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'.
Kerala extends maternity leave benefits
• Kerala is extending maternity leave benefits to teachers and other staff of private educational institutions, including those in the
unaided sector.
• When the amendment to the Act comes into force, Kerala would become the first state in the country to provide maternity
benefits in the private educational sector.
• Employees covered under the law can avail 26 weeks’ maternity leave with salary.
India's livestock population increased
• India's livestock population has increased to over 535 million showing an increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census-2012.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying released the 20th Livestock Census -2019 on 16 Oct 2019.
• As per the livestock census, the share of cattle is around 36%, goat is over 27%, buffaloes is over 20%, sheep around 14% and pigs
around 2%.
Magnificent MP Conference inaugurated
• CM of MP Kamal Nath formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference on 17 Oct 2019 in Indore.
• He also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.
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• 223 industries are investing in Madhya Pradesh.

• Foreign investment proposals worth 4,385 crore rupees are in the process of consideration.
Miscellaneous News
• The road starting from Kapurthala connecting Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in Punjab has been declared as
new National Highway - 703 A A and named as Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg.
• A two-day international conference on biosciences, BIOSUMMIT’19, was inaugurated at Vellore Institute of Technology.
Digital museum inaugurated
• Lok Sabha MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary inaugurated a three-day spiritual fest in form of a digital museum to showcase the life
and philosophy of Guru Nanak via ultra-modern technology at Lyallpur Khalsa College.
• It was a humble effort of the Punjab government to commemorate the 550th Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak.
• The museum had brought together various technologies such as LFD screens and RFID.
Colour themed Kalam library inaugurated
• Colour themed Dr Kalam Library was inaugurated by The Arc Foundation India and Rotary Club of Coimbatore Heritage as a mark
of love and tribute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary at the Government High School, Koundampalayam.
• The Joint Managing Trustee of The Arc Foundation India, M.A. Aparna addressed the children on the purpose of inaugurating
such a library.
Textiles Secretary inaugurated IHGF-Delhi Fair
• Textiles Secretary, Ravi Capoor, inaugurated the 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (IHGF) at the India Expo
Centre & Mart at Greater Noida on 16 October 2019.
• The Fair is being held from on 16-20 October 2019.
• The IHGF-Delhi Fair 2019 will have knowledge seminars on various topics by expert faculties, fashion shows and ramp walks by
models.
Assam govt to host two-day stakeholders' meet
• The Assam government will be hosting a 2-day stakeholders' meeting between India and Bangladesh from 22 October 2019 in
Guwahati.
• A 70-member delegation from Bangladesh, including two Central ministers will be participating in the meet.
• The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the centre point of India’s trade expansion with ASEAN and Bangladesh, Bhutan and
Nepal or BBN countries.
UP Culture Dept to organise programme
• The Culture Department of UP government is going to organise the country’s first training and performance programme of world-
famous KHON Ramlila, a masked form of Ramlila art of Thailand in collaboration with the Thai government.
• KHON Ramlila of Thailand is included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritage and it’s a form of masked dance
depicting the scenes of Ramlila.
41st DRDO Directors Conference inaugurated
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 41st DRDO Directors Conference in New Delhi.
• Chiefs of the three forces & DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy were also present on the occasion.
• The discussion included efforts taken by DRDO to ensure technological advancement of the Indian forces to safeguard the
country.
9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains flagged off
• Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains.
• These trains will connect small towns to major cities.
• The Vadnagar-Mehsana train was gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The trains are – Delhi-Shamli, Bhubaneswar-Nayagarh town, Murkongselek-Dibrugarh, Coimbatore-Palani, Coimbatore-Pollachi,
Vadnagar-Mehsana, Asarya-Himmatnagar, Karur-Salem, Yesvantpur-Tumkur.
Mastercard and MS Dhoni partnered
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• Mastercard, along with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, launched a nationwide initiative ‘Team Cashless India’ to accelerate the
acceptance and adoption of digital payments.
• The initiative brings consumers and merchants to the forefront of the digital payments dialogue.
• The campaign encourages all Indians to nominate one or more merchants who currently do not accept digital payments.
Miscellaneous News
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a 2-day international seminar at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi.
• Chenani- Nashri Tunnel on NH 44, in Jammu and Kashmir will be named after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. It is the humble
homage to Mukherjee whose battle for Kashmir, One Nation One Flag has immensely contributed in national integration.
Mylan along with DCGI to launch new TB drug
• Multinational pharmaceutical company Mylan is working with Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch pretomanid, a
medicine used to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB),
• Non-profit drug developer TB Alliance and Mylan NV had in April 2019 announced a global collaboration to make the
experimental drug pretomanid for the cure of pulmonary tuberculosis.
MoS Organized the 17th Meeting of MSDC
• The Ministry of Shipping is working on a plan to develop a national port grid based on the synergy between major and minor
ports in the country.
• The 17th Meeting of Maritime States Development Council (MSDC) was held on 15 October 2019.
• The government is looking at developing synergy between the major and minor ports so that together they can bring port-led
development in the country.
DPIIT launches website, mobile app for IPR
• Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra launched the website and
mobile application L2Pro India (Learn to Protect, Secure and Maximize Your Innovation) on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
• The website and app will be very useful to the startup community which holds great promise for India and its economy.
2nd phase of LOTUS-HR launched in New Delhi
• The 2nd phase of an Indo-Dutch project called Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse, or LOTUS-HR was
launched at Barapullah drain in New Delhi.
• This project was launched by Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan and the Dutch Royal couple, Netherlands King
Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
• The (LOTUS-HR) project was set up in 2017 at the Sun Dial Park.
Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot
• Air India became the first airline in the world to use a TaxiBot on an Airbus A320 aircraft operating a commercial flight with
passengers onboard.
• A TaxiBot or a Taxiing Robot is a pilot-controlled semi-robotic towbar-less aircraft tractor used as an alternate taxiing equipment.
• It is used for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice versa.
Bengaluru to have dedicated ATS from Nov 1
• Bengaluru will have a dedicated Anti-Terror Squad from November 1, 2019.
• The decision was taken after National Investigation Agency warned that at least 20 sleeping cells of terrorist groups exist in
Bengaluru.
• Anti Terror Squad will work in coordination with NIA, cybersecurity cell and Psychotropic drug control cells.
CBIC launched programme
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has launched a programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in
India.
• This would be done under the bond scheme, of Customs Act, 1962.
• The Section enables conduct of manufacture and other operations in a customs bonded warehouse.
• The scheme has been modernized with clear and transparent procedures.
UP govt makes women as nodal officers
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• UP government has made women officers as nodal officers and directed them to go to their respective districts and review the
implementation of welfare schemes for women.
• 3-member teams of women officers will visit their allocated districts on October 18, 19 and 20, 2019.
• They will make women aware about the various government schemes such as Ujjwala Yojna, Mission Indradhanush.
14 skills training centres to be set up
• 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centres will be set up across 9 cities for media and entertainment sector.
• These cities are Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Trivandrum.
• The institutes will be set up for advanced skill training of candidates in media and entertainment sector and to further develop
skilling eco-system for training candidates.
India’s first 5G powered ‘connected music’
• Ericsson and Airtel enabled a 5G powered Connected Music performance during the inauguration of the India Mobile Congress
(IMC) 2019.
• A first for India, the show involved connecting two parts of a musical performance using a live 5G network and presenting it as
one, for live audiences at both locations.
• The ultra-low latency of the 5G network powered the connected music showcase at the IMC.
Andhra Pradesh launched water grid project
• The Andhra Pradesh government has launched an ambitious project to provide a drinking water connection to every household
in the state by 2022.
• The statewide water grid project would ensure supply of clean drinking water to every household from 2022 for at least the next
30 years.
• Groundwater levels in the state have fallen to below 1,100 feet in districts like Anantapur and Chittoor.
ICICI Bank launches new FD scheme FD health
• ICICI Bank launched a fixed deposit scheme called FD Health, that comes with an in-built critical insurance policy.
• The FD Health – Critical illness Cover will be provided to only the primary holder of the FD account.
• Anyone between of 18-50 years, will get complimentary insurance cover for a year on 33 critical illnesses.
• Free of cost insurance cover will be provided for 1st year.
Nitin Gadkari to inaugurated a Conference
• Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and MSME inaugurated a conference on One Nation One FASTag in
New Delhi.
• The conference saw the signing of MoUs with state departments / other agencies for bringing in a unified electronic tolling
solution across the country.
• Another MoU between the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. and GSTN was also signed.
‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’ to be launched
• Life Insurance Council has decided to launch the Indian life insurance industry’s first joint mass media campaign with the slogan
‘Sabse Pehle Life Insurance’.
• The slogan will encourage Indian households to opt for adequate life insurance cover as the fundamental necessity in their lives.
• The campaign represents joint efforts of all 24 Indian life insurance companies.
National Cultural Festival to be held in MP
• In MP, the 10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival is being organized by the Union Ministry of
Culture from 14-21 October 2019 under the 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' campaign.
• The National Cultural festival will display diverse forms of folk, art and culture of 22 states.
• Its concept was conceived in the year 2015.
Tripura gets its first-ever SEZ
• The government of India has given in-principle approval for setting up of Tripura's first-ever SEZ at Sabroom.
• The estimated investment in the project will be around Rs 1550 Crore.
• Rubber based Industries – Tyres, Threads etc, Textile and Apparel Industries, Bamboo Industries and Agri-Food Processing
Industries are the industries which will be set up at the SEZ.
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WHO India Cooperation Strategy launched

• The Union Health Ministry has launched the ‘World Health Organisation (WHO) India Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2019–
2023: A Time of Transition on 9 October 2019.
• The strategy will provide a strategic roadmap for the WHO to work with the Indian government towards achieving its health
sector goals.
• It will help in improving the health of its population of India.
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, laid the foundation stone for the campus of JSS Academy of Higher Education and
Research at Varuna Village, Mysuru.
• The Global Campus of JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research at Varuna Village is a tribute to Sri Shivarathri Rajendra
Mahaswamiji whose 104th Jayanti is being celebrated this year.
Delhi's second airport begins operations
• The first commercial flight from the Hindon civil airport started from 11th October.
• A private aircraft with nine passengers on board took off from Pithoragarh's Naini-Saini airport at 11.30 am.
• The Hindon airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8.
• Hindon Airport will serve as the ‘second’ airport.
• The air force station is located close to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Government to introduce POSHAN atlas
• The government is to introduce POSHAN atlas under POSHAN Abhiyan.
• The announcement was made by Union Minister of WCD Smriti Irani at the 5th National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges.
• POSHAN atlas is developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and Deendayal Research Institute.
• The atlas aims to tackle malnutrition.
any organism.
National Postal Week is being celebrated
• The Maharashtra and Goa Circle of the India Post is celebrating National Postal Week which will end on 15 October.
• The week is being celebrated to spread awareness about services provided by the department and efforts made to meet
changing requirements of customers.
• The week also commemorates the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss capital Berne.
SARAS Aajeevika Mela being held
• The Ministry of Rural Development is organising SARAS Aajeevika Mela at India Gate Lawns from 10-23 October 2019.
• SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an initiative by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• Its objective is to bring the rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under one platform to showcase their skills and sell their
products.
GEMINI system to aid fishermen
• GEMINI, a new system, is launched to aid fishermen.
• It is a portable receiver developed to avoid communication blackouts.
• It linked to ISRO-satellites and is fail-proof and warn fishermen of danger.
• GEMINI is an India-made global positioning system.
RBI approves merger of DCBs
• The RBI has given approval to the Kerala government to amalgamate 13 district cooperative banks (DCBs) with the Kerala State
Cooperative Bank to form Kerala Bank.
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• Except the Malappuram District Cooperative Bank, all district banks had approved the scheme of amalgamation proposed by the
State government at their respective general body meetings.
38th India Carpet Expo began in Varanasi
• The 38th India Carpet Expo is being held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• The expo is organized by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC).
• It aims to promote the cultural heritage and weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings for the visiting
overseas carpet buyers.
• It is being held from 11-15 October 2019.
1st National Hindi Science writers conference
• In Uttar Pradesh, the first 2-day long National Hindi Science writers conference started on 11 October in Lucknow.
• Its aim is to release science writing from the clutches of English and to promote use of Hindi and other Vernacular languages.
• More than one thousand science writers from across the country are expected to take part in this conference.
Govt launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan
• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan, SUMAN initiative in
New Delhi.
• It was launched during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare.
• The initiative aims at assuring dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for
every woman and newborn.
HRD Minister inaugurated programme ‘DHRUV’
• Union Minister for Human Resources Development Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank launched DHRUV programme in the headquarter
of ISRO in Bengaluru on 10 October 2019.
• DHRUV is a unique programme to identify talented students and mentor them in the centre of excellence for 14 days so that they
can reach their full potential and work for the society.
BSE joins hands with FICCI
• BSE and FICCI organised a brainstorming session to identify gaps in the existing policies and make suggestions for robust policies.
• Besides, the session was organised to promote Udyam Saathi and Udyam Sakhi initiatives to foster the MSMEs sector.
• The MSMEs were invited to present their summary of ideas and suggestions as well as discuss their main issues of concern to the
ministry.
1st Day Care Recreation Centre in Leh
• A day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated in Leh.
• The first Government-sponsored and operated day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens was inaugurated by Supreme
Court judge, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer.
• It will also be equipped with computer learning and a library and the aged citizens can entertain themselves with recreational
activities.
Reliance MF renamed: Nippon India Mutual Fund
• Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund.
• The organization was renamed following the purchase of 75% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management by Nippon Life
Insurance.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund has become the largest foreign-owned Asset Management Company in India.
• Sundeep Sikka will continue to lead the company as the CEO.
Infosys bagged digital transformation deal
• Infosys has been selected as the main supplier to deliver Volvo Cars’ digital transformation services for its enterprise digital
commercial operations applications and products.
• Infosys will offer next generation application services leveraging its global delivery model (GDM), agile delivery, automation and
other service optimisation levers to deliver effective service operations.
‘Garbage Cafe' in Chhattisgarh commenced
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October 2019
• The first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe' commenced in Ambikapur city of Chhattisgarh.

• The café is being run by the Ambikapur municipal corporation.
• In this unique Cafe, poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of plastic, while breakfast will be
provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe.
India to get BS-VI fuel from next April
• Bharat Stage (BS)-VI fuel will be available in several big cities of the country, including Jaipur, from April 1, 2020 and the initiative
will reduce vehicular pollution by 80-90%
• An investment of Rs 60,000 crore has been made for this.
• The government has prepared a national clean air programme for 122 cities of the country under which schemes for reducing
pollution will be made.
India International Cooperative Trade Fair
• A 3-day India International Cooperative Trade Fair will be held in New Delhi from 11 October 2019.
• The fair is aimed at promoting cooperative to cooperative trade within India and abroad leading to enhanced rural and farm
prosperity.
• This will be India's first and the largest international cooperatives trade fair promising to usher in a new era of cooperative
excellence.
eDantseva website and mobile app launched
• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the eDantseva website and mobile application.
• It is the first ever national digital platform on oral health information and knowledge dissemination.
• This marks an important milestone as e-DantSeva will reach out to more than one billion people with one click in the form of a
dedicated website and mobile application.
National e-Assessment Centre of IT Department
• Revenue Secretary Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National e-Assessment Scheme (NeAC) on 7 October 2019.
• In the first phase, the Income Tax Department has selected 58,322 cases for scrutiny under the faceless e-Assessment Scheme
2019 and the e-notices have been served before 30th of September 2019 for the cases of Assessment Year 2018-19.
Nagpur to host 5th international conference
• The fifth international conference on sleep disorders is being hosted in Nagpur from 12 October to 13 October 2019.
• The conference is held under the aegis of the Southeast Asian Academy of Sleep Medicine(SEAASM).
• It is conducted by the Department of Respiratory, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology at Getwell Hospital
& Research Centre at Chitnavis Centre in Nagpur.
AIM NITI Aayog & UNDP launched Youth Co:Lab
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India jointly launched Youth
Co:Lab.
• The lab aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship and innovation in young India and to recognize young people as critical
drivers of sustainable development.
• During the launch, a Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed between AIM, NITI Aayog and UNDP India.
63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din celebrated
• In Maharashtra, 63rd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din was celebrated at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur on 8 October 2019.
• Buddhist followers from the different parts of the country and abroad reached at the venue to pay homage to Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar.
• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti along with District Administration and Nagpur Municipal Corporation are organizing this
mega event.
Stone laid for IIM campus in Amritsar
• Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank laid the foundation stone of the campus of the IIM in
Amritsar's Manawala.
• The IIM campus would come upon 60,000 square metres and have state-of-the-art facilities in the library, academic block and
hostels.
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October 2019
• The allocation of 350 crore rupees has been sanctioned for the first phase of the construction.
Government launched Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan
• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched a unique initiative called 'Ganga Amantran' to connect with the
stakeholders of the river.
• It is a pioneering exploratory open- water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river to begin on 10 October till 11
November 2019.
• The expedition will start at Devaprayag and culminate at Ganga Sagar.
50th IFFI, 2019 to witness over 200 best films
• The 50th International Film Festival of India, 2019 will witness over 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non
feature films in Indian panorama section.
• This was announced by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar.
• 12 prominent films in different languages that have completed 50 years in 2019 ,will also be showcased from 20th to 28th
November.
GoI launches eco-friendly crackers
• Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan launched eco-friendly green firecrackers which have been manufactured in India.
• Environment-friendly fireworks have been developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs and
manufactured by licensee-manufacturers.
• A green logo as well as a Quick Response (QR) coding system has been developed for their differentiation.
India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up
• The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have joined hands to set up the
country’s first e-waste clinic.
• It would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units.
• The electronic waste will be collected door-to-door or can be deposited directly at the clinic in exchange for a fee.
Health Minister launched trans-fat free logo
• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the Trans Fat Free logo of Food Safety & Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI), at the 8th International Chefs’ Conference (ICC VII).
• This marked an important milestone in the movement against Trans-Fats and also provided a momentum to accelerate the ‘Eat
Right India’ movement of FSSAI.
Finance Minister inaugurated NeAC
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) for better taxpayer service and
promotion of ease of doing business in New Delhi.
• Income Tax Department's NeAC, will avoid face-to-face interaction between taxpayers and tax officials.
• Setting up of NeAC is a step to reduce taxpayer grievances in line with the prime minister's vision of 'Digital India'.
CBDT launches document identification number
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) implemented a computer-generated Document Identification Number (DIN) which will
ensure greater transparency and accountability in tax administration.
• The DIN system, which becomes operative from 1 October 2019, will apply to all kind of communications from the income tax
department.
• This will also help taxpayers detect fake notices and letters.
App to register consumer grievances launched
• The government of India launched the 'Consumer App' that would help consumers register their grievances online as well as give
suggestions on consumer-related issues.
• This will serve as a one-stop solution for consumer grievance redressal and complaints filed on the app can be tracked by
consumers to know the progress.
• The App is available in both English and Hindi.
Rajasthan to create pneumoconiosis fund
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October 2019
• Rajasthan has announced the creation of a Pneumoconiosis Fund, which will be majorly financed by money from the District
Mineral Foundation (DMF).
• This Fund will be used to finance a comprehensive policy on the disease released by the Rajasthan government on 3 October
2019.
• Pneumoconiosis, a lung disease, mostly affects workers who work in the mining and construction sectors.
NHSRC to be WHO collaborating centre
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced the re-designation of the National Health Systems Resource Centre
(NHSRC) as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy.
• NHSRC as a collaborating centre has supported WHO in formulating technical specifications for medical devices such as oxygen
concentrators and resuscitation devices.
Village Secretariat system launched in Andhra
• The Andhra Pradesh government launched 'Village Secretariat programme' on 2 October 2019.
• Under the new system, one Village Secretariat has been set up for every population of 2,000, with each one comprising close to
a dozen village officials.
• The idea behind it, according to the state government, is to ensure that its services reach people on the ground
Interest on house building advance reduced
• The Centre has reduced the interest on House Building Advance from 8.5% to 7.9% for its employees
• According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the new interest rate has come into force from October 1.
• The House Building Advance is admissible to permanent employees and all those temporary employees who have rendered five
years of continuous service.
Portability of Ration cards started
• An inter-State portability for ration cards has been launched for Rajasthan and Haryana to facilitate the distribution of foodgrains
to beneficiaries of the National Food Security scheme.
• Labourers in the unorganised sector, migrating from one State to the other state, will mainly benefit from the scheme.
• The Centre would implement the portability of ration card all over the country soon.
India's 1st plastic to diesel conversion plant
• Mathura MP Hema Malini inaugurated the country's first plastic to diesel conversion plant in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• Notably, a model of this plant had been placed for a demonstration before PM Modi when he had arrived in Mathura some time
back as a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• This model is now working on a full scale at the Mathura Municipal Corporation's (MMC) trenching grounds.
CM of HP launched Pragati Rath of HDFC bank
• CM of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur launched Pragati Rath of the HDFC bank.
• It is a month-long initiative where the van would move to different parts of Himachal to provide financial and digital literacy to
the people.
• The bank announced adopting of 15 villages of the State under Holistic Rural Development Programme and also launch of
Sustainable Livelihood Initiative in the State.
Tourism Ministry launches App for 12 sites
• Tourism Ministry launched the Audio Guide facility Audio Odigos for 12 sites of India on the occasion of Paryatan Parv 2019.
• An MoU for Gol Gumbad, Delhi with Government of Delhi and Resbird Technologies was also exchanged for the development of
Tourism Amenities.
• Audio guide odigo offers Government of India verified content, with visuals & voice over support.
UCO Bank launched UCash, Digilocker and an App
• UCO Bank launched three new digital products called, UCash, Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• UCash enables customers to withdraw money from ATMs through mobile banking without using a debit card.
• Digilocker aims to eliminate the use of physical documents and enables sharing of verified electronic documents.
• The new mobile app integrates four existing apps of the bank
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October 2019

certificate.
Uttarakhand CM launched awareness campaign
• Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched an awareness campaign -- Urjagiri, which aims at stopping power theft and
saving.
• The campaign is a good start towards spreading awareness in the society.
• The government is committed to ending power theft.
• He also instructed the officers of UPCL Vigilance Cell to effectively stop the power theft.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched initiative
• CM Naveen Patnaik rolled out ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme on 2 October 2019.
• The objective of ‘Mo Sarkar’ is to improve governance by collecting feedback on behaviour and professionalism displayed by the
Government officers.
• It has been launched in 21 district headquarters hospitals and medical colleges at Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur.
Sarbat Da Bhala Express train flagged off
• Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Harsh Vardhan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal flagged off 'Sarbat Da Bhala Express' train at New Delhi
railway station on 4 October 2019.
• The renamed New Delhi-Ludhiana Intercity Express will ply from New Delhi to Lohian Khas via holy city Sultanpur Lodhi.
• A 6-metre skywalk is being constructed to connect New Delhi station to airport metro and yellow line.
Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express flagged off
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath flagged off the country's first corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express on 4 October 2019.
• The train will run 6 days in a week with advance coaches which will have tea-coffee vending machines, call bell and toilet
indicator facilities.
• High-quality food and beverages will be provided to passengers.
• The commercial run of the train will start from 5 October 2019.
Portal for monitoring coal supply launched
• Power Minister RK Singh and Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi have jointly launched PRAKASH -
Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony- portal in New Delhi.
• The portal aims at bringing better coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders.
• The portal is designed to help in mapping and monitoring the entire coal supply chain for power plants.
PM Modi declared India open defecation-free
• Declaring India ‘Open Defecation-Free’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on removing single-use plastic and optimum use
of water as next steps of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• He stressed upon the need of water recharge and water recycle and pointed out that the government has earmarked 3.5 lakh
crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Digital Gandhi Gyan-Vigyan inaugurated
• Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma inaugurated an exhibition titled Digital Gandhi Gyan
Vigyan Exhibition.
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October 2019
• The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with a technology start-up under incubation by IIT, namely, M/s Vizara
Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• The Dept has also engaged IIT Gandhinagar for organising a workshop for children on 3 and 4 Oct 2019.
PM Modi Inaugurated Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019
• PM Modi inaugurated the Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 in Ahmedabad on 2 October 2019.
• He released postage stamp and silver coin to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• He also distributed the Swachh Bharat Puraskar to the winners.
• He paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram.
• He visited the Magan Niwas (Charkha Gallery) and interacted with the children there.
Rajasthan: 3rd state to ban pan masala
• Rajasthan became the third state in India after Maharashtra and Bihar to ban certain categories of pan masala containing
magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured ‘supari’.
• All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act.
• Production, storage, distribution and sale of these products will not be allowed in the state.
Nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv 2019’ kicked off
• The Paryatan Parv, 2019 kicked off on 2 October 2019 to promote tourism in the country.
• It will continue till 13 October 2019.
• The aim is to propagate the message of Dekho Apna Desh to encourage people to visit tourist destinations of the country and
also spread the message of Tourism for All.
• The govt is developing 17 tourist sites into world-class destinations to attract more tourists.
2,600-year-old walls discovered at Keeladi
• The fifth phase of the ongoing excavation at the archaeological site in Keeladi in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu has unearthed a
total of four brick walls dating back to the Sangam age.
• The State Archeology Department unearthed four walls which are 2,600 years old at the site.
• Excavation work in Keeladi village has been conducted on behalf of the Central Archeology Department since 2015.
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October 2019
India's Largest 'Charkha' inaugurated

• India's largest 'charkha' made of used plastic waste was inaugurated on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in
Noida.
• The 1,650-kg spinning wheel was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani.
• The 'charkha', which symbolises Gandhi's dream of Swadeshi, measures 14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic.
Rita, India's Oldest Chimpanzee died
• India's oldest chimpanzee, Rita, which had been battling old age-related health problems and was on a liquid diet, died at the
Delhi zoo on 1 October 2019.
• Born on December 12, 1960, in Amsterdam Zoo and acquired by the Delhi zoo in 1990, Rita was the oldest chimp in India and
probably the oldest in Asia.
• On an average, a chimpanzee has a lifespan of around 50 years.
Nitin Gadkari launched cow dung soaps
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched soaps made of cow dung and bamboo water bottles manufactured by Khadi and Village
Industries Commission.
• The bamboo water bottle is priced at ₹560 and the soap variant of 125 grams costs ₹125 each.
• The ministry proposed a scheme which entails 10% equity participation by the Central government in such listed micro, small and
medium enterprises.
Union Government launched unified portal
• Union Minister G Kishan Reddy launched a single-window online system for licensing of eating and lodging houses.
• The portal is a step in the direction to achieve PM Narendra Modi's vision to establish a corruption-free economy by bringing in
welfare-oriented economic reforms.
• India has progressively improved its ease of doing business ranking.
Bongaigaon District Admin launched Campaign
• In Assam, the Bongaigaon District Administration has launched Plants for Plastic Campaign to remove the harmful plastics from
the eco-system.
• The campaign aims to encourage people to collect and remove plastic from their houses, commercial establishments and
educational institutions.
• Any person can deposit 1kg plastic in the municipality office and get a valuable sapling for free.
Global Student Solar Assembly to be organised
• To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in association with IIT
Bombay is organizing the Global Student Solar Assembly on 2nd October 2019.
• 2 Guinness world records will be attempted during this workshop, (a) sustainability lessons to the largest number of participants
at a single place (b) largest number of solar lamps lit together.
UNESCO, DD Join Hands for TV Show
• UNESCO and Doordarshan have joined hands to telecast TV bilingual programme ‘Mahatma Lives‘ or ‘Bapu Zinda Hain’ on 1-2
October 2019.
• UNESCO and Doordarshan will telecast TV bilingual programme to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the
Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
• The objective of the programme is to celebrate his ideas and teachings.
Gandhi Film Festival to be organised in Mumbai
• Film Division in association with India Tourism will organise a Gandhi Film Festival in Mumbai from 2-6 October 2019.
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October 2019
• The festival as part of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary will showcase select films focussing on Swachh Bharat and non-
violence.
• Movies to be screened include ‘Gandhi’ by Richard Attenborough, ‘The Making of Mahatma’ and ‘Maine Gandhi ko Nahi Maara’.
RBI announced contests to promote innovations
• RBI has announced two contests to promote innovations and ideas in the payment and settlement systems.
• Shortlisted participants will get an opportunity to present their ideas before a jury of eminent persons while outstanding
innovators will be awarded prizes and citations.
• The contest will be organised through Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), Hyderabad.
PM Modi addressed function of Arogya Manthan
• PM Narendra Modi presided over the valedictory function of Arogya Manthan in New Delhi on 1 October 2019.
• It is a two-day event organized by the National Health Authority to mark the completion of one year of Ayushman Bharat, PM-
JAY.
• He launched a new mobile application of Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Bharat Start-Up Grand Challenge and also released a
commemorative stamp.
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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule October 2019 D2b3e1f2

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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I

Awards &Honours ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Homen Borgohain awarded Lifetime Achievement

• Andaman Tourism Award was organised at Port Blair.

The US to award Pepsico India

Days & Events

• The day was instituted by the United Nations in 2010.

• The UN observes 1 October every year as International Day of Older Persons.

Muslim Man of the Year- Imran Khan

Government Policies & Schemes

Scientists discovered the worlds fastest ant

Credit Saison India gets NBFC licence

Karnataka crowned Vijay Hazare Trophy champs

Virat Kohli creates history

IAF began Joint Exercise with Oman

ICICI Bank sold entire stake in GST Network

• The Vishwa Shanti Stupa has completed 50 years of its establishment.

Andhra Pradesh launched water grid project

Interest on house building advance reduced

• It will continue till 13 October 2019.

UNESCO, DD Join Hands for TV Show

India now has 28 states and 9 UTs

National Unity Day: 31 October

First kerosene-free district of Gujarat

Hunar Haat to be held in November 2019

• 223 industries are investing in Madhya Pradesh.

WHO India Cooperation Strategy launched

• The first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe' commenced in Ambikapur city of Chhattisgarh.

CM of Andhra Pradesh launched YSR Vahana Mitra

India's Largest 'Charkha' inaugurated

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