1. The International Translation Day (ITD) is observed every year on September 30 to show the solidarity of the worldwide translation community in an effort to promote the translation profession among all the people and not only in one country but in the entire world. The 2016 theme is "Translation and Interpreting: Connecting worlds".
2. Riyadh Mathew, the director of Malayala Manorama, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI). He succeeded Hormusji N. Cama.
3. Shakti Sinha, the retired IAS officer, has been appointed as the new director of Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML). The post was lying vacant since 2015.
4. The noted music director and violinist, Uttam Singh has been named for 2016 Lata Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions in the field of music by the Maharashtra government. The award carries a citation, a trophy and Rs. 5 lakh in cash.
5. The telugu author and eminent scholar, Prof. Kolakaluri Enoch has been honoured with the 29th Moortidevi Award 2015 for his novel "Ananta Jeevanam". The novel portrays the struggle of a weak, downtrodden and common man from Rayalseema in the face of a cyclone.
6. Annu Rani from Merrut has broke her own national record and became the first Indian woman to cross the 60m mark by throwing javelin 60.01 m at the 56th Open National Athletics Championships in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
7. The book "All That Man Is" has been authored by David Szalay. The novel is a collection of short stories, which is a portrait of masculinity and is shortlisted for 2016 Man Booker Prize.
8. Tamil Nadu has topped the list of endemic flowering plant in India, according to the recently released publication of Botanical Survey of India (BSI) titled "Endemic Vascular Plants of India".As per the latest publication, Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of species with 410, followed by Kerala (357 species) and Maharashtra (278 species).
9. Somesh Sharma of Rashtradoot Saptahik has been elected as the new President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for 2016-17. He succeeded P V Chandran of Grehalakshmi (Mathrubhumi Group). The INS is a kind of pressure group which works to protect the interest of newspaper industry in particular and print media in general. Its headquarters are at Rafi Marg, New Delhi.
10. The Abhaneri festival has started at the Abhaneri village in Dausa district, Rajasthan from October 1, 2016 to promote rural tourism in the area. The 2-day festival will witness artistes performing Shehnai Vaadan, puppet show, Behrupia, Raavanhatha, among others at Chand Baori and Harshat Mata temple. The Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan in collaboration with the Dausa District Administration organises the annual event.
11. The United Nations' (UN) International day of Older Persons is observed every year on October 1 to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly and to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.The 2016 theme is "Take a Stand Against Ageism".
12. The very strong Typhoon Chaba is expected to hit the southern islands of Japan, with a speed of 290 km/ hr. The typhoon is likely to threaten lives and bring damage to property across the Ryukyu Islands and mainland Japan.
13. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, will be the chief guest for the 68th Republic Day celebrations of India on January 26, 2017.
14. Dr. Vinaya Manchaiah, an Indian-American associate professor at Lamar University in Texas, has been named as the 2016 class of the "Jerger Future Leaders of Audiology" by the American Academy of Audiology. The American Academy of Audiology is the world's largest professional organization of audiologists. The members look to provide hearing care services through education, research, and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders. Audiology is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance and related disorders.
15. The short film "Murga", which was directed by young filmmaker Katyayan Shivpuri from Maharashtra, has won the first prize at the Swachh Bharat Short Film Festival (SBSFF). The short film promotes the idea of clean India in which "Murga" as the metaphor depicts the victims that citizens have made of themselves and of the children by not keeping the surroundings clean. Minister of Information and Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu awarded Katyayan with a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
16. The Japanese scientist, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy, a fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components. Dr Ohsumi's work is important because it helps to explain what goes wrong in a range of illnesses, from cancer to Parkinson's. The prize was awarded by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
17. Prof. S Sivakumar, a professor at the Indian Law Institute in New Delhi, has been appointed as the full-time Member of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI). The 21st LCT was constituted by the Union Government for a period of 3 years from September 1, 2015 and will have its tenure only till August 31, 2018. The present Law Commission has not submitted any report till date. Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, the former Supreme Court (SC) judge, is the Chairman of the commission.
18. The World Vegetarian Day (WVD) is observed every year on October 1 to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.
19. The Chinese currency "Yuan" has officially become a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s basket of global reserve currencies. With this, yuan has joined the U.S. dollar, the euro, the yen and British pound in the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket, which determines currencies that countries can receive as part of IMF loans. The yuan is the first to be added to SDR since the euro in 1999. China will use this opportunity to further deepen economic reforms and open up the sector to promote global growth.
20. The book "Far and Away:Reporting From the Brink of Change" has been authored by Andrew Solomon. It is a big, sumptuous collection of those pieces of reportage and travel writing. It is inspired by love, uncertainty about home and a celebration of freedom which valuably warns that freedom must sometimes be learned.
21. Rajeev Sharma is the newly appointed Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-run Power Finance Corporation (PFC). He succeeded M K Goel who retired on September 30, 2016 on attaining the age of superannuation. Prior to this appointment, Sharma was the CMD of Rural Electrification Corporation (REC). The headquarters of PFC are at New Delhi.
22. Daniel Ricciardo has won 2016 Malaysia Grand Prix Formula One World Championship at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. He is an Australian racing driver who is currently competing in Formula One for Red Bull Racing.
23. The World Animal Day (WAD) is observed every year on October 4 to raise the status of animals in the society. It is done by encouraging individuals, animal welfare organisations, community groups, youth and children's clubs and businesses to organise events in celebration of this day.
24. Jharkhand has become the first Indian state to implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Kerosene. The scheme is being implemented in 4 identified districts of the State from October 1, 2016. These districts are Chatra, Hazaribagh, Khunti and Jamtara. Under the DBT Scheme, PDS kerosene is being sold at non-subsidised price and the subsidy is being transferred to consumers directly into their bank accounts. The purpose of the initiative is to rationalize subsidy and plugging the leakages.
25. As per World Bank's latest released report 'South Asia Economic Focus' in Washington, India's GDP growth will remain strong at 7.6 % in 2016 and 7.7 % in 2017. As per latest report, India's economic growth remained robust and is expected to support continued poverty reduction. Though, the report stated that India faces the challenge of further accelerating the responsiveness of poverty reduction to growth, promoting inclusion, and extending gains to a broader range of human development outcomes related to health, nutrition, education and gender.
26. Prajna Chowta has been conferred with the Knight in the National Order of Merit (Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite), one of the highest civilian recognitions of the French government, in recognition of a life devoted to caring for wild Asian elephants. She is the Indian film-maker, elephant researcher and the founder of Aane Mane Foundation, which for the past 16 years has been researching and conserving wild Asian elephants. As a researcher, she was also instrumental in developing an online monitoring system and one of the first GPS collars for elephants in India.
27. Kiara Nirghin (16), an Indian-origin South African teen, has won a $50,000 scholarship at the 2016 Google Science Fair held in United States for her work using orange peel to develop a cheaper super-absorbent material to help retain water in soil. She is grade 11 student at private school St Martin's. The Google Science Fair is a programme for any budding scientists between the ages of 13 to 18, who are invited to solve world's biggest challenges using science and technology.
28. The World Habitat Day (WHD) is observed every year on the first Monday of October across the world to raise awareness about need for affordable housing for all in urban areas, cities and towns. The 2016 WHD was observed on October 3 with theme "Housing at the Centre". It aims to raise awareness about need for affordable housing for all in urban areas, cities and towns.
29. The British-born scientists, David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz have been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in physics for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter. The discoveries have paved the way for designing new materials with all sorts of novel properties. All three laureates are conducting their research at universities in the United States. They will share the 8m kronor (£727,000) prize; it was announced by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden.
30. The first-ever BRICS trade fair & exhibition will be held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from October 12-14 to boost trade among the BRICS nations. The theme of the fair is "Building BRICS – Innovation for Collaboration". The trade fair will showcase about 20 key sectors viz. aerospace, agro-processing, auto, chemicals, green energy, healthcare, railways, textiles, infrastructure, IT, engineering goods, tourism, gems & jewellery and skill development. The BRICS trade fair will also focus on Start-ups and bring together young entrepreneurs from across BRICS nations on this platform.
31. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently released its 4th bi-monthly monetary policy statement for the year 2016-17. As per the monetary policy statement, the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has cut by 25 bps to 6.25 %, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 5.75 % and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.75 % and also Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) is at 20.75 %. The decision to cut interest rates is consistent with the aim of achieving a midterm inflation target of 4 % within a band of + or – 2 %. Though, the RBI has kept the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 % of Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL). It is first time that the newly constituted Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has made India's first collective interest rate decision. The next monetary policy review will be announced on December 7, 2016.
32. The World Space Week (WSW) is an annual event i.e. observed from 4-10 October every year in various parts of the world including Europe and Asia. It is officially defined as an international celebration of science and technology and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. The 2016 theme is "Remote Sensing: Enabling our Future", which celebrates Earth observation from space for the betterment of the human race.
33. Dr. K J Yesudas, the veteran Carnatic vocalist and playback singer, has become brand ambassador of Haritha Keralam (Green Kerala) project of the Kerala government. The project is a massive initiative envisaged for a garbage-free and clean state.
34. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has recently launched the Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) in New Delhi to ensure proper and timely upkeep of bridges. IBMS is developed to create an inventory of all bridges in the country and rate their structural condition so that timely repair and rehabilitation work can be carried out based on the criticality of the structure. IBMS is the largest platform in the world owned by a single owner, with database that could exceed 1,50,000 bridge structures.
35. Kersti Kaljulaid, a former member of the European Court of Auditors, has been elected as the President of Estonia by the parliament. With this, she will be the first female president of the Baltic country Estonia. She will succeed the current President Toomas Hendrik Ilves who is stepping down next week after two five-year terms in the ceremonial post.
36. The State Bank of India (SBI) has become the first domestic bank of India to open a branch in the capital city of Yangon, Myanmar. Ghanshyam Srivastava has been appointed as the chief executive of SBI Yangon branch. The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign branch of SBI, which has extended the global presence of SBI in 37 countries through 198 offices.
37. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has constituted a 3-member committee headed by IIT-Kharagpur Director Partha Pratim Chakraborty to suggest ways to reduce the number of seats falling vacant at IITs and NITs every year. The move comes in the wake of almost 3,000 seats falling vacant in 2016 despite six rounds of joint counselling for the IITs, NITs and centrally funded technical institutions.The committee has been asked to consider a number of options, including looking at whether scrapping of fee refund in case a candidate does not join the institute, would help improve the situation. It will submit its report within 3 weeks.
38. Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri has been awarded the 2016 John F. Richards Prize for her book "Ashoka in Ancient India". The book has been critically acclaimed for its riveting account of charismatic emperor Ashoka who spoke to his people through his edicts, his victories and loss that left a legacy that surpassed him. Lahiri is a professor of History at the Ashoka University in Haryana. The John F. Richards Prize is awarded annually by the American Historical Association (AHA) to the best book in South Asian history published in English. The prize will be awarded at the Association's 131st Annual Meeting in January, 2017.
39. The book "Modi's Midas Touch in Foreign Policy" has been authored by former Ambassador Surendra Kumar. The book has recently launched by M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, in New Delhi. The book outlines the progress and the fast imprint on the conduct of India's Foreign Policy by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last two and a half years. It maps the different policy initiatives focusing on the vision of developing India into a strong economically developed nation.
40. The World Teachers' Day (WTD) is observed every year on October 5 to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers. The 2016 theme is "Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status".
41. Jean-Pierre Sauvage (from France), Sir J. Fraser Stoddart (from Scotland) and Bernard L. Feringa (from the Netherlands) have been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the design and synthesis of molecular machines- the world's smallest machines. The prize recognizes their success in linking molecules together to design everything from motors to a car and muscles on a tiny scale. They will share the 8m kronor (£727,000) prize; it was announced by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden.
42. As per latest revised edition of World Economic Outlook (WEO) report of International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's GDP growth forecast has been raised by 0.2 % to 7.6 % for FY17 (2016-17 ) and FY18 (2017-18). According to report, India's economy continued to recover strongly, benefiting from a large improvement in the terms of trade, effective policy actions and stronger external buffers, which have helped boost sentiment. Beside this, the report has also higlighted that the Indian government must have to continue to reform its tax system and eliminate subsidies to provide more resources for investments in infrastructure, education and healthcare.
43. The Union Finance Ministry has set up a Public Debt Management Cell (PDMC) to streamline government borrowings and better cash management with the overall objective of deepening bond markets. The PDMC, to be housed at RBI's Delhi office, is an interim arrangement and will be upgraded to a statutory Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) in about 2 years. The PDMC will have only advisory functions to avoid any conflict with the statutory functions of RBI. PDMC has been tasked to plan government borrowings, including market borrowings and other borrowings, like Sovereign Gold Bond issuance. It will also advise government on matters related to investment, capital market operations, administration of interest rates on small savings among others.
44. Yusuf Arakkal (71), who recently passed away in Bengaluru, was a Malayali painter and was known for his contribution to the world of abstract and contemporary art. He was also known for his works depicting social issues. He recently released a book title "Faces of Creativity", which is a comprehensive collection of portraits of fellow artists. It is first of its kind that an Indian artist had done portraits of other artists.
45. The 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) India Economic Summit has been inaugurated by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on October 6, 2016. The theme of the summit is "Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation'. The 2-day summit will focus on issues like digital transformation and regional economic integration. At least 600 participants from a little over 30 countries will take part.
46. Arjun Vajpai (23), the professional Indian mountaineer, has recently scaled the world's 6th highest mountain Cho Oyu (approx 8,188 metres), which is wedged between the China-Tibet border. It stands 20 km west of Mount Everest. With this, he became the youngest in the world to scale the Mount Cho Oyu among others. With the Cho Oyu summit, Arjun has climbed five of the 14 highest mountains in the world that tower over 8000 metres and holds world records as the youngest summiteer on Mount Lhotse, Mount Manaslu and Mount Makalu.
47. Antonio Guterres, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, will become the 9th new Secretary General of the United Nations after the UN Security Council declared him to be the unanimous choice in the 6th straw poll. Guterres, who led the UN refugee agency for 10 years, will succeed Ban Ki-moon in 2017.
48. Sushil Chandra, a 1980 batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre), has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body for the Income Tax department. He will replace Rani Singh Nair, who retires on October 31, 2016. Currently, Chandra is the member (Investigation) of the CBDT.
49. The first edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2016 has been inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on October 5 in New Delhi. The 4-day summit is organized by The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) with theme "Beyond 2015: People, Planet and Progress". It will be one of the first international platforms to discuss the new agenda post the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the signing of the Paris Agreement. The attempt will be to initiate discussions on methodologies to be adopted to chalk a path to realize the goals beyond 2015. The summit would emphasis on the need to limit the rise of climate change.
50. The book "Night of Fire" has been authored by Colin Thubron. The novel is a fictive masterpiece of exquisite beauty and lingering mystery.
51. Jitu Rai, an ace Indian shooter, has clinched a silver medal in the 50 metre pistol category of the ISSF World Cup 2016 in the final at Bologna, Italy. In this event, Wei Pang of China has won gold and Giuseppe Giordano of Italy has won bronze medal.
52. The book "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" has been authored by Arundhati Roy, which will release in June 2017. It is fiction-based novel and will be published by Hamish Hamilton UK and Penguin India.
53. Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian President, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to 6 million people. The award should also be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people who, despite great hardships and abuses, have not given up hope of a just peace and to all the parties who have contributed to the peace process.
54. Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, has chaired the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Meeting at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington DC, United States. During the meeting, two important issues- the "Economics of Climate Change and Financing Climate Adaptation and Mitigation" and "International Taxation-a Commonwealth Conversation around the Panama Papers" were discussed and deliberated. Apart from this, Jaitley also chaired the Governing Council meeting of the BRICS'Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA). The CRA is a framework for the provision of support through liquidity and precautionary instruments in response to actual orpotential short-term balance of payments pressures.
55. Pawan Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, has been honoured with the prestigious 2016 Sustainable Development Leadership Award (SDLA) of the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in recognition of his vision and leadership in environment and sustainable development leading to the establishment of Sikkim as the first and only organic state in India. Chamling was presented with the award by President Pranab Mukherjee during World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
56. Recently, the Union Government has approved HLL Lifecare (mini ratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) ) to sub-lease 330.10 acres of land to set up India's first medical technology manufacturing park (Medipark) at Chengalpattu in Chennai,Tamil Nadu. The Medipark project will boost local manufacturing of hi-end products at a significantly lower cost, resulting in affordable healthcare delivery, particular in diagnostic services to a large section of people. It is expected to be completed over 7 years.
57. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has collaborated with Facebook to register young voters in 5 states, which are going to polls in 2017. The purpose of a voter registration drive is to encourage youth to participate in the democratic exercise. From October 6 to 9, Facebook users in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand who are 18 years and above will receive a reminder in their News Feed to register to vote. By clicking on the 'Register Now' button, people will be directed to the National Voters' Services Portal which will guide them through the registration process.
58. The 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) will be hosted by the Government of India (GoI) in New Delhi on November 2-3, 2016. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference that will be held in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The purpose of the conference is to transform the commitments of governments and stakeholders during the Sendai Conference into national and local action.
59. The Union Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has constituted a high-level technical team to visit the river Cauvery basin area in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to assess the ground situation. GS Jha, the Chairman of Central Water Commission (CWC), will head the Cauvery supervisory committee and will submit its report to the Supreme Court by October 17, 2016.
60. The 6th BRICS Science & Technology Senior Official Meeting (SOM) has held at Jaipur, Rajasthan on October 7, 2016 to provide an overarching vision and to set priorities for cooperation & joint action amongst BRICS countries in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation.
61. Heisnam Kanhailal (75), the Manipur-based theatre legend, has recently passed away Imphal, Manipur. Kanhailal was the founder-director of Kalakshetra Manipur, a theatre laboratory that explores a new vocabulary in the existing language of theatre. He had contributed to the field of experimental theatre for more than 40 years and given it his own local perspective.
62. The Bathukamma festival is a floral festival, which is celebrated every year by the Hindu women of Telangana. The 9-day festival indicates the beginning of Sharath Ruthu.This year, Telangana women have established a new world record with the largest participation ever in the traditional Batukamma festival. A record 9,292 women performed the customary dance around the 20-foot Batukamma flower arrangement set in the centre of the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad, seeking blessings and benevolence of the deity for the happiness and prosperity of the State. The spectacular performance garnered the State a place in the prestigious Guinness Book of Records. With this, Telangana women have broken the earlier record set by 5,211 Kerala women for the largest Onam congregation.
63. The Indian Air Force (IAF) Day is celebrated every year on October 8. Recently, the 84th anniversary of the IAF has been celebrated with traditional pomp and gaiety at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla near Pune on October 8, 2016 .The IAF is the world's 4th largest air force with a primary responsibility to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict. It was officially established on October 8, 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire and the prefix Royal was added in 1945 in recognition of its services during World War II. After India became independent from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1947, the Royal Indian Air Force served the Dominion of India, with the prefix being dropped when India became a republic in 1950.
64. India's first-ever international arbitration centre has set up in Mumbai, Maharashtra on October 8, 2016. The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) has been launched by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which will help in resolving disputes worldwide between different companies or individuals. The world-class facility will bring greater transparency, accountability and credibility to the process of resolving overseas arbitration. Till now, the closest arbitration centre for India was in Singapore.
65. India has been ranked 19th out of 28 nations in the Biopharmaceutical Competitiveness & Investment (BCI) Survey, with an overall score of 59 out of 100. India scores low on almost all metrics except for partial step-ups on two counts: scientific capabilities and infrastructure, and clinical research conditions and framework. The list has topped by United States, followed by UK and Switzerland. The ranking is part of the 3rd edition of the BCI commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and executed by the Pugatch Consilium. It looks at biomedical innovation and its influencers, like intellectual property protection for investments in the sector.
66. Integration and Inclusion The World Post Day (WPD) is observed each year on October 9 to commemorate the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland. The 2016 theme is "Innovation, Integration and Inclusion".
67. Doordarshan has recently signed an agreement with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) regarding the transmission of 4 Gyan Darshan Educational channels. The Gyan Darshan Bouquet of Educational TV Channels is an educational media initiative of MHRD in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Prasar Bharati & ISRO with IGNOU as the nodal agency. Now, IGNOU needs to apply for a fresh license to start the up-linking of its channels for GSAT-10 satellite, as under the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines of the I &B Ministry, it is not eligible for the grant of a license.
68. Nico Rosberg, a German Formula One driver for Mercedes Formula One team, has won the 2016 Formula 1 Emirates Japanese Grand Prix at Mie Prefecture, Japan.
69. Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh is an Indian field hockey player and plays as a goalkeeper in the Indian national team. He will lead an 18-member Indian men's hockey team in the 4th Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) to be held in Kuantan, Malaysia from October 20 to 30, 2016.
70. Thich Nhat Hanh The book "Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha" has been authored by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is the beautiful classic recounting of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. The book traces the Buddha's life slowly and gently over the course of 80 years, partly through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy, and partly through the eyes of the Buddha himself.
71. The World Mental Health Day is observed every year on October 10 to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The 2016 theme is "Psychological First Aid". The day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for the people.
72. The Madhya Pradesh government will launch a scheme "Lalima Abhiyan" to make state free from anaemia, which will be effective from November 1, 2016. Under the campaign, free iron folic acid tablets will be provided in aaganwadis, academic institutions and hospitals.
73. The 2016 International Gita festival will be held at Kurukshetra in Haryana on December 6 to take the eternal message of the holy book to the international stage. The 5-day festival will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee. A number of cultural performances, art shows, literary events and festivities will mark the celebrations up to December 10. Approx 18,000 students from all over Haryana will recite the shlokas of the Gita at the sacred Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra.
74. The Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed Luo Zhaohui as China's new Ambassador to India. Prior to this appointment, Luo was China's Ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2016. He succeeded Le Yucheng, who left New Delhi in April 2016.
75. The book "Half Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India" has been authored by Vinay Sitapati. It is a well-researched, well written book that traces the life journey of P.V. Narasimha Rao, about whom not much has been in the public domain so far. The book fills a gap in the evolution of India's polity and the office of the Prime Minister.
76. Agnieszka Radwanska, a German professional tennis player, has won the 2016 China Open Women's Singles Tennis tournament by defeating Johanna Konta in the final by 6–4, 6–2 in Beijing, China.
77. UK-born Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom of Finland have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics for their contributions to contract theory. Their theories are valuable to the understanding of real-life contracts and institutions, as well as potential pitfalls in contract design. They will share the 8m kronor ($924,000) prize; it was announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden.
78. Harika Dronavalli, an Indian chess grandmaster, has recently defeated World No. 1 Hou Yifan of China to be at joint 4th position in the 2016 Isle of Man (IoM) International Chess Tournament.
79. Nanda, an Indian ace sprinter, has won the 24th Ekalabya Award for the year 2016 in recognition of her sporting excellence. Among her recent achievements, she won gold in 200m, silver in 100m and 4x100m relay in 12th South Asian Games held in Guwahati in February 2016. The Ekalabya award is instituted by Odisha-based Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT). It is the annual sports award for outstanding young sportsperson of Odisha which carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh.
80. Andy Murray, a Scottish professional tennis player, has won his first China Open Men's Singles Tennis tournament and the 40th of his career by defeating Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the final by 6-4, 7-6 in Beijing, China.
81. The International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) is celebrated annually on October 11 to recognize girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The 2016 theme is "Girls' Progress = Goals' Progress: What Counts for Girls".
82. The International Energy Agency (IAE) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, which works to accelerate the global energy transition, providing research, statistics, in–depth analysis & policy recommendations. It was established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. Recently, tt is in news because IAE will tie-up with India to implement its Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) initiative globally for energy savings. The UJALA scheme is executed by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Ministry of Power.
83. Abdelilah Bekirane has been re-appointed as the Morocco's Prime minister for another term. It is officially announced by Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco, after Benkirane's PJD party emerged with the most number of seats in the 395-seat lower house of parliament. Benkirane, who is the leader of Islamic Justice and Development Party, has been serving as Prime Minister in a coalition government since 2011.
84. The Government of India (GoI) has donated Rs. 9.3 million (ZAR 2 million) to the Nelson Mandela Foundation to help it in its welfare work for the people of South Africa. The Nelson Mandela Foundation was established in 1999 after the then President Nelson Mandela stepped down as the President of South Africa.
85. The Goa Tourism department has launched the vessels popularly known as 'Duck Boats' to boost tourist footfall. It is a first of its kind facility used for civilian purpose (joy rides) in India. The full-fledged operations of the joy rides will begin in November 2016. The vessels have been assembled in collaboration with Advanced Amphibious Design Inc Honolulu USA using a methodology and design which is cost effective, safe, durable and enjoyable.The maximum capacity for each vehicle is 32 seats. The circuit tours will operate from Panjim to Old Goa and Dr. Salim Ali bird sanctuary to showcase the natural and cultural treasures of Goa.
86. The International Dussehra festival has started at in the popular Dhalpur maidan in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The 7-day festival will begin with Rath Yatra, followed by Nati dance, food, music, rituals, folk flavour of the festivity, etc. According to legend, in the 17th century, Raja Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath on his throne as a mark of penance. After this, god Raghunath was declared as the ruling deity of the Valley. This deity is taken in a Ratha to the Dussehra.
87. The World's first-ever Cybathlon championship for disabled athletes has started at Zurich in Switzerland. The championship is popularly known as 'Bionic Olympics', it differs from the Paralympics as it sees participants compete against each other using the latest assistive technologies such as robotic prostheses, brain-computer interfaces and powered exoskeletons. It is organized by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich.
88. Aaron Pryor (60), an American boxer, has recently passed away in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was known as "the Hawk" and was a crowd favorite who fought with a frenetic style.
89. Indian shuttler Ruthvika Shivani Gadde has recently won the 2016 women's singles Russian Open Badminton Grand Prix title after defeating Russia's Evgeniya Kosetskaya in the final by 21-10, 21-13 at Vladivostok, Russia.
90. The book "The Greatest Bengali Stories Ever Told" has been authored by Arunava Sinha. The author has taken the works of prominent Bengali authors and done a very meaningful translation of the book.
91. The first BRICS Trade Fair and Exhibition has started at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from October 12, 2016 to boost trade among the BRICS nations. The fair is a platform for BRICS countries viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to exhibit state-of-the-art technologies and advances made in industrial development. The theme of the trade fair is "Building BRICS – Innovation for Collaboration". The focus of the 3-day fair is to showcase some of the best technologies available across BRICS nations to address BRICS countries main development challenges. It will also focus on Start-ups, to bring together young entrepreneurs from across BRICS nations on this platform. There is no entry fee for the general public.
92. The second Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)-2016 will be held from October 15 to 23 in the premises of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi. It will showcase the rich cultural heritage of India in all its rich and varied dimensions, viz Handicrafts, Cuisine, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Documentation and Performing Arts-Folk, Tribal, Classical and Contemporary- all in one place.
93. The book "The Story of a New Name" has been authored by Elena Ferrante. It is about the women's fraught relationship and shifting fortunes are the life forces.
94. The first-ever World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) will be observed on November 5, 2016 to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami and shall stress on the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the often devastating natural hazard. It also aims at reviving traditional knowledge about tsunamis.
95. The 3rd edition of the SAARC Sufi festival will be held at the Diggi palace in Jaipur from October 14-16, 2016. The event is being organized by SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL). In it, SAARC Sufi scholars, poets, Sufi musicians, singers and dancers and performers will participate excluding Pakistan. The festival would be a melange of Sufi dance and music performances, poetry, book readings, book launches and interactive sessions. The topics like Sufism and its inter religious links, Sufi-Bhakti harmony, promoting sufi tenets for world peace, teachings of Sufism and application in today's life, women in Sufism, etc will be discussed.
96. India's remote and high altitude research station "Himansh" has recently opened at a remote region in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh above 13,500 ft (> 4000 m). It is established by National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences to better study and quantifies the Himalayan glacier responses towards the climate change. The research station will provide the much needed fillip to the scientific research on Himalayan glaciers and its hydrological contribution.
97. India has been ranked 97th out of 118 countries in the 2016 Global Hunger Index (GHI). The focus of the 2016 GHI is to present a multidimensional measure of national, regional, and global hunger, focusing on how the world can get to Zero Hunger by 2030.The GHI is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries' hunger situation. It describes India's hunger situation as "serious". The Index is released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
98. Recently, the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup (KWC) has started on October 7 at the Arena By TransStadia in Ahmedabad, which is India's first-ever convertible stadium. The Arena by TransStadia uses a globally patented technology, which converts an outdoor stadium into an indoor arena within 6 minutes at a touch of a button. The facility has a seating capacity of 20,000 and can house 14 sports, excluding cricket.
99. The book "The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad" has been authored by Twinkle Khanna, which will be launch on November 2016.
100. Andrzej Wajda (90) was a renowned Polish film and theatre director, who passed away recently in Warsaw, Poland. He was an Academy Award-wining director and was known for the movies such as "The Promised Land", "Man of Iron" and "Katyn".
101. The 2016 BRICS trade ministers has started in New Delhi to discuss ways to further enhance economic cooperation. During the meeting, leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will adopt the framework for co-operation dealing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), services, intellectual property rights, trade promotion, non-tariff measures resolution and standardization.
102. The World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness held on the 2nd Thursday of October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. The 2016 WSD is on October 13 with theme is "Stronger Together". On this day, Government of India (GoI) has set up free eye check up and treatments facilities in the designated primary health centres, community health centres, medical colleges, regional institutes of ophthalmology and selected NGOs all over the country.
103. The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is observed every year on October 13 to encourage every individual, community and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations. It is a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. The 2016 theme is "Live to Tell: Raising Awareness, Reducing Mortality", which targets to reduce mortality globally.
104. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is part of the UN Secretariat and its functions span the social, economic, environmental and humanitarian fields. Its headquarters is at Geneva, Switzerland. It is in news recently because on 2016 International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), UNISDR has launched the new "Sendai Seven campaign- 7 Targets, 7 Years", an advocacy initiative to encourage implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with the goal of saving lives, reducing disaster losses and improving management of disaster risk.
105. Indian Railways has recently signed pact with Germany for running high-speed trains in India. The pact will deepen the collaboration and strengthen ties between the two countries for bilateral cooperation in the rail sector.
106. Dario Fo (90), the Nobel prize winning Italian playwright and actor, has recently passed away at Milan, Italy. He was best known for his cutting political satire in plays such as "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" and "Can't Pay, Won't Pay".
107. The book "Jihad in My Saffron Garden" has been authored by Dr. Roxy Arora. It is the story of a fearless woman who crusades to restore Kashmiriyat in a region which has been described as paradise on earth. At the same time the tale contains the message of world peace and religious tolerance.
108. The 2016 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to US musician and poet Bob Dylan for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition. Dylan is the first American to receive the award since 1993. The prize of 8 million Swedish kronor will be awarded to him. The literature prize is given for a lifetime of writing rather than for a single work.
109. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as new Director General of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Presently, he is the Additional Secretary in Commerce Ministry. He will succeed Anup Wadhawan, who has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry. The DGFT organisation is an attached office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with headquarters at New Delhi. It is entrusted with responsibilities for formulating and implementing the foreign trade policy with the main objective of promoting India's exports.
110. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (88) of Thailand has recently passed away in Bangkok. He was the world's longest-reigning monarch and was seen as a stabilizing figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the new monarch.
111. Portugal's ex-Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres has been officially appointed as the 9th UN secretary-general by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). For this, the 193 member states of the UNGA adopted a resolution by acclamation to appoint Guterres. He will become the world's top diplomat on 1st January 2017 when Ban Ki-moon's second five-year term ends on December 31, 2016.
112. Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, has launched the 2016 Women of India Festival at Dilli Haat in New Delhi. The 10-day festival will offer the biggest selection of organic products prepared by women. The festival promotes women entrepreneurs from across India, which is organized and sponsored by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. This year's festival will have 230 stalls and about 372 participants. The list includes producers from Delhi, NCR and 23 states and Union Territories.
113. The World Standards Day (WSD) is observed every year on October 14 to pay tribute to the collaborative efforts of the thousands of experts worldwide that develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards. The 2016 theme is "Standards Build Trust".
114. The National Seismic Programme (NSP) has been launched by Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in Odisha to trace hydrocarbon resources like oil and natural gas in Mahanadi basin.The purpose of NSP is to undertake a fresh appraisal in all sedimentary basins across India, especially where no or scanty data is available, for a better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential.The programme was launched at Taranga village under Soro block in Balasore district. Under this programme, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) have been entrusted to conduct 2D seismic Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation (API) across India. The survey project will be completed by March 2019.
115. Shahlyla Ahmadzai Baluch (21), one of the finest strikers for Pakistan women's football team, has recently died in a car accident in Karachi. Ahmadzai represented Pakistan at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women Football Championship 2014 in Islamabad, which was the last international event that Pakistan women's team competed in. She also had the honour of being the first Pakistani woman footballer to get a hat-trick abroad when she played for a club in Maldives in 2015.
116. Former Minister Veeranna has been selected for the Sri Maharshi Valimiki Jayanti Award for the year 2016-17, which is instituted by the Karnataka government. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a citation, which will be presented to Veeranna by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha on October 15, 2016. Veeranna hails from Koratagere in Tumakuru district and served as the Minister in the Janata Party government headed by late Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde. Due to his efforts, many communities such as Nayak, Nayaka, Beda, Bedar and Valmiki have been included in the Scheduled Tribe community.
117. Gurumoorthy Mahalingam has been appointed as Whole-Time Member (WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of 5 years or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. Apart from the Chairman, the SEBI can have 3 WTMs. He succeeded Prashant Saran, who retired as WTM in 2016. Mahalingam is Executive Director and former regional director of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
118. Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the former Uttarakhand chief minister, has been conferred with the prestigious award by the Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda for promoting human values through his literature. Currently, Nishank is the Member of Parliament (BJP) in 16th Lok Sabha from Haridwar Constituency of Uttarakhand.
119. Satish Pathak, a Pune-based innovator, has been awarded for 'Excellence in Technical Innovation' by the International Society of Automation (ISA). He got the award for his innovation "Digital Controlled Valve for Precise Liquid Dispensing by Gravity flow", which has the capacity of saving for the industry and is a step change technology in industrial valves. ISA is a non-profit technical society for engineers, technicians, business people, educators and students.
120. India is hosting the 8th BRICS Summit, followed by first-ever BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa on October 15, 2016. India is facilitating an outreach Summit with BIMSTEC leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, which will strengthen India's bilateral relations with its partners.
121. The expert committee headed by Prof. KS Valdiya has submitted its report on existence of Saraswati River to the Union government. As per the study, Saraswati River was not mythical and it existed. The report is an assertion of the assumption that River Saraswati originated from Adibadri in Himalaya to culminate in the Arabian Sea through the Runn of Kutch.
122. Brazil has won the first-ever BRICS U-17 football tournament by defeating South Africa in the final by 5-1 demolition of in the title clash in Margao, Goa.
123. Indian Boxer Neeraj Goyat has recently won the 2016 WBC Asia welterweight title by defeating Australian Ben Kite in New Delhi. It is his 2nd pro title. Earlier, he won the belt in 2015 by defeating Filipino Nelson Gulpe. With this win, Neeraj has become the first Indian boxer to defend a pro title. The fight was organized by the Professional Boxing Organization of India.
124. The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Rural Women is observed every year on October 15 to recognize rural women's importance in increasing agricultural and rural development worldwide. The 2016 theme is "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too", which tries to bring focus on farmers, fishers and pastoralists who are standing on the frontlines of food insecurity as temperatures rise, weather patterns become less predictable and climate-related disasters become more frequent.
125. The World Students' Day is observed every year on October 15 to mark the importance of India's former President and great scientist Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It is a celebration of multiculturalism, diversity and cooperation among students across the globe.
126. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated "Shaurya Smarak" a war memorial in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, which is dedicated to the soldiers of India. The Shourya Smarak is built on an area of about 8,000 square metre and the tales of their bravery are on display at this memorial. It has been envisaged as a journey through the various experiences of life, war, death and liberation of spirit (victory over death), all exhibited through an extremely non-archetypal design.
127. The 2nd edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)-2016 has started at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi on October 15th to 23rd, 2016. It will showcase the rich cultural heritage of India in all its rich and varied dimensions viz. handicrafts, cuisine, painting, sculpture, photography, documentation and performing arts-folk, tribal, classical and contemporary- all in one place.
128. The 43rd edition of India International Knit Fair 2016 will be held at India Knit Fair Complex in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu on October 19-21. The 3-day expo will showcase Autumn/Winter and Mid Summer collection 2017, with a complete display of latest fashion wear. The buyers from South America, Israel, Australia, Dubai, Brazil, Spain, Italy, UAE, Japan, Kong Kong, UK, South Africa, Slovakia and Singapore will visit the fair.
129. Kirtiraj Kundlik Gaikwad, an Indian-origin scientist, has won the International Association Of Food Protection (IAFP) Young scientist scholarship award at St. Louise, USA for his research work on development of novel oxygen absorbing package in the field of active packaging for oxygen sensitive food products. The award carries a $2000 and plaque.The purpose of IAFP is to encourage young outstanding food safety scientist from all over the world.
130. The book "Half of What I Say" has been authored by Anil Menon. It is a story about the place of fiction and truth in the midst of personal, political and social upheaval.
131. Indian shuttler Sourbah Verma has clinched the 2016 Men's singles Chinese Taipei Masters Badminton Grand Prix tournament in by defeating Malaysia's Daren Liew in the final by 12–10, 12–10, 3–3 at Taipei, China.
132. The World Food Day (WFD) is observed every year on October 16 to mark the foundation of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The global message for WFD 2016 is "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too".
133. Kigeli V Ndahindurwa (80), the last king of Rwanda, has recently passed away in United States. He ruled the east African nation for less than a year in 1959 before being forced into exile after clashing with the Belgian colonial power. In 1961, the monarchy was abolished. The king began a life of exile in east Africa, including Kenya and Uganda, before leaving for America, where he settled in the suburbs of Washington in 1992.
134. China has successfully launched its longest-ever manned space mission "Shenzhou-11" spacecraft into space by a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre near the Gobi Desert, China. The two astronauts will stay in space for 30 days to test complex's ability to support human life. They will also conduct medical and scientific experiments. The purpose of the mission is to dock with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and gain experience from a 30-day residence and to test its life-support systems.
135. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on 17 October for eradication of poverty throughout the world. The 2016 theme is "Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms".
136. Bollywood Actress Sonam Kapoor has been bestowed with the 2016 ET Panache Trendsetter Award in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Beside her, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia, Dipa Karmakar, Devendra Jhajharia, Ananya Birla, etc., has been honoured with the award. The award recognizes the efforts of entrepreneurs, innovators, newsmakers and athletes whose stories inspire millions and whose services transform lives. The winners of each are harbingers of change, driven by professional passion, personal elan and a commitment to quality.
137. The 104th edition of Indian Science Congress (ISC) 2017 will be held at the Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh from January 3 to 7, 2017. In the 2017 ISC, 9 Nobel Laureates from the United States, Japan, France, Israel and Bangladesh would attend the event and share their experiences. In addition to this, a huge contingent of 200 scientists from foreign nations, 10,000 scientists representing various national laboratories, faculty and research scholars from Indian universities and several others will take part in the event to exchange their views on a range of scientific issues, both on national and international level.
138. The 5th edition India International Silk Fair (IISF) 2016 has been inaugurated by the Union Textiles Minister SmritiI rani at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on October 15, 2016. It is the only fair in the world professionally organized to facilitate International buyers to source exclusive pure silk and silk blended fabrics, garments, made-ups, interior furnishing, fashion accessories, shawls, scarves and floor coverings and will be showcasing the latest products of nearly 150 premier Export Houses of India.
139. The Haryana government has recently started a 'Farm Tourism' scheme to boost tourism sector in the state. In it, registered farm owners can host tourists as part of holiday packages. This scheme has been started to attract people to villages. Holiday packages will be offered to tourists at registered farms near Delhi. The state government is also focusing on developing ancient cultural heritage, historical and famous pilgrimage sites as tourism spots to aware people about the history and culture of Haryana. It has also given the industry status to the tourism sector.
140. R. A. Mashelkar, the former Director-General of CSIR, has been conferred with the V Krishnamurthy Award for excellence by the Hyderabad-based Centre for Organisation Development. The award was instituted in 2000 to recognize excellence in management.
141. The World Bank will provide US $1 billion aid to Bangladesh over the next three years to fight child malnutrition. The fund will support programmes to ensure sufficient child nutrition and include a conditional cash transfer scheme targeted at six lakh poor families in 43 sub-districts.
142. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been appointed as a member of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Athletes' Commission. The Athletes' Commission is chaired by Angela Ruggiero and it comprises nine vice presidents and 10 other members. Saina's appointment to the prestigious panel has come just when she is set to resume practice after recovering from a knee injury.
143. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the national SC/ST hub and zero effect on environment scheme for MSME sector in Ludhiana, Punjab on October 18, 2016. This hub has been set up under Prime Minister's Employment Generation scheme to provide support to entrepreneurs from the SC/ST community. He will also present national MSME awards to 225 industrialists and will also distribute 150 spinning wheels to the women of weaker sections to make them able to earn their livelihood.
144. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch first National Tribal Carnival in Delhi on October 25, 2016. The main purpose of this carnival is to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst the tribals. The carnival will showcase and promote various facets of tribal culture on a large scale. Approx 1600 tribal artists and around 15000 tribal delegates from across the country are expected to take part in the carnival.
145. Amandeep Singh Gill, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch, has been appointed as the Ambassador/PR of India to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Switzerland.
146. Ashok Leyland Ltd has launched India's first made-in-India electric bus "Circuit" in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Circuit series vehicles are all exclusively engineered on India-specific platforms that can tackle varied topography, gradients and usage conditions. The bus is a zero-emission, non-polluting vehicle, created specifically for Indian road and passenger conditions. It is built on a simple, mass-market platform that will enable the operator to cater to customers in city centres with minimal operational and maintenance costs. These vehicles are integrated with a fire detection and suppression system (FDSS) and can travel 120 kilometers on a single charge.
147. C Radhakrishnan, the well-known writer, has been selected for the Mathrubhumi Literary Award in recognition of his contribution to the field of literature.The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a citation and a statuette.
148. ICICI Bank has become the first Indian lender to complete a banking transaction using blockchain technology. This remittance transaction has been completed in partnership with Emirates NBD, a lender from the West Asia. Blockchain is a digital ledger which keeps real-time record of each and every transaction and is shared among a distributed network of computers, more like a shared spreadsheet.
149. The book "Jinnah Often Came To Our House" has been authored by Kiran Doshi and is shortlisted for The Hindu Prize 2016. It provides a glimpse on the personal life of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
150. The 2-day National Summit on Fortification of Food has been held in New Delhi to address the issue of micronutrient malnutrition. The summit was launched by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, and was conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
151. The first-ever International Conference on Voter Education has started in New Delhi from October 20, 2016 and is organised by The Election Commission of India (ECI). The topic of the Conference is Voter Education for Inclusive, Informed and Ethical Participation. The 3-day Conference was inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner Dr.Nasim Zaidi. The purpose of the conference is to share best practices, policies and initiatives of voter education by election management bodies. The 27 countries and 5 international organizations are participating in the event. The Conference also aims to achieve a resolution to strengthen inclusive, informed and ethical electoral participation among member countries with the help of voter education and outreach.
152. Mewa Ramgobin (83), the South African struggle stalwart and former African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament, has recently passed away in Cape Town, South Africa. He was the husband of Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter Ela Gandhi, a human rights activist. Ramgobin was the founder of Centre for Learning of Ubuntu and Chairperson of Phoenix Settlement Trust‚ founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1904.
153. The book "The Adivasi Will Not Dance" has been authored by Hansda Sowendra Shekhar, which is shortlist for The Hindu Prize 2016. It is about a visit to Jharkhand by the President of India to inaugurate a thermal power station that is coming up on land from which Santhals have been evicted.
154. The 315-tonne INS Tahiyu has been commissioned into the Indian Navy and is allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the Navy. INS Tahiyu is the 6th Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) Car Nicobar Class vessel, which is built by Kolkata-based shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). It is an improved version of the earlier vessels and it can achieve a top operating speed of 35 knots/ hour. The ship will be commanded by Commander Ajay Kashov and will have four officers and 41 crew members.
155. The 28th edition of Accountants General Conference has inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee started in New Delhi. In the 2-day conference, accountants general from various places of India will participate and will review the international best practices prevalent in audit and accounting. The conference is organized by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
156. The 2nd joint tactical exercise "Sino-India Cooperation 2016" has been held between India and China in the area of Border Personnel Meeting Hut at Chushul Garrison of Eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). During the day long exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) a fictitious situation of earthquake striking an Indian Border village was painted. Afterwards, joint teams carried out rescue operations, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance. The Indian team for the exercise was led by Brigadier R S Raman and that of the Chinese was led by Sr Col Fan Jun.
157. London has topped the 2016 Global Power City Index, as per 2016 GPCI report, which was recently released by the Japan-based Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies. The report ranks 42 major cities of the world across six key measures of economy, research and development, culture, accessibility, environment and livability. Mumbai, the only Indian city, ranked 39th on the list of the world's leading global cities for business, innovation and culture.
158. Kochi has become the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. A 23-member high-level delegation consists of FIFA experts' ratified Kochi as venue after visiting Jawarharlal Nehru International Stadium. This will be the first time India will host an international football competition at worldwide level.
159. The book "Driven: The Virat Kohli story" has been written by well-known journalist Vijay Lokapally, which is recently launch in New Delhi. It is on the life of the Indian Test captain Virat Kohli.
160. Sir David Cox has been awarded with the first International Prize in Statistics, which will be presented to him in July 2017 at the World Statistics Congress in Marrakech. The award carries $75,000 and is considered the highest honor in its field. It recognizes an individual or team for major achievements using statistics to advance science, technology and human welfare. It also helps to raise media and public awareness of the growing importance of statistics to modern life and promotes understanding of the myriad and diverse ways statistics affects the lives of every person alive today.
161. The first-ever global conference to strengthen Arbitration and Enforcement in India has started in New Delhi. The 3-day conference titled "National Initiative on Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement" is going on to change the face of dispute resolution in India. The conference has inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee, which will provide impetus to commercial arbitration in the country.
162. The Police Commemoration Day is celebrated every year on October 21 in all Police Lines throughout India to commemorate the sacrifices of ten policemen while defending the borders with China in 1959. On 21st October 1959, Chinese Army personnel opened fire and threw grenades at the police party of 20 personnel. Ten of them died, seven were taken prisoners by the Chinese and the remaining managed to escape. Since 1961, more than 33,000 police personnel have sacrificed their lives for security of the nation and service to the society.
163. The very strong Typhoon Haima has recently hit the Philippines that cause widespread destruction. The houses are destroyed as communities take shelter from sustained winds of more than 225km/h. After Philippines, Haima made landfall over Haifeng County, Shanwei in the Guangdong province of China.
164. The Ministry of Urban Development has signed MoU with the Ministry of Railways to develop smart railway stations. As per the MoU, the railway stations and surrounding areas will be redeveloped on smart city lines for better passenger amenities, easy access to stations, enabling optimal utilization of land at railway stations. This means that the station and an adjoining area of around 300 to 800 acres in each smart city and AMRUT city will be redeveloped. The validity of the MoU is 5 years and can be extended with the consent of both the Ministries.
165. The Maharashtra government has launched 'Kaushalya SETU (Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation)', a skill development programme for students. Under the Kaushalya Setu initiative, students of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education, who fail to clear Class X or SSC exam, would be accommodated in the skill development courses, so that they do not lose a year.
166. The book "The Sleepwalker's Dream" has been authored by Dhrubajyoti Borah, a Guwahati-based Assamese writer and novelist. It narrates the journey of a group of militants towards an elusive freedom and an uncertain future.
167. Morinari Watanabe from Japan has been elected as the new President of the International Gymnastics Federation (IFG) at the world governing body's congress in Tokyo, Japan. He will succeed Bruno Grandi, who is stepping down as FIG president in December 2016 after 20 years in charge.With this, Watanabe has become the first Asian to head IFG and is the first Japanese President of an Olympic international federation since Ichiro Ogimura was President of the International Table Tennis Federation from 1987 to 1994. The headquarters of IFG is at Lausanne, Switzerland.
168. Lamberto Bertole has honoured the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader with the Milan Honorary Citizenship award at a ceremony held at the Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan, Italy. Bertole is the Chairman of the Council of Milan.
169. Indian Railways have won the World Railway Shooting Championship Cup at Saint Mandrier, France. This is the first time that Railways have won this competition. Indian Railways team won a total 10 medals – 5 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze to bag the Overall Championship at the 15th USIC- the International Shooting World Championship. The USIC is the International railway sports association, whose purpose is to encourage the practice of amateur sport among railway employees all over the world.
170. Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, has launched the Regional air Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in New Delhi that seeks to get more people to fly in the smaller towns. The RCS schemes is also called as "Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) (Let the common man of the country fly)". Under the RCS scheme, airlines will have complete freedom to enter into code sharing with larger airlines for connectivity and they will be exempted from various airport charges. Airlines will get exclusive rights for 3 years to fly on a particular regional route. Airfares will be capped at 2,500 rupees for an hour's flight for regional flights. The scheme is expected to be rolled out by January 2017.
171. The Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is located in Andhra Pradesh. It is in news because Lutrogale perspicillata (smooth-coated otter) has been sighted for the first time in the mangrove forest adjacent to the KWS in Krishna district. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), conservation status of the Smooth-coasted Otter is at vulnerable list.
172. The Government of India (GoI) has signed $650 million loan agreement with the World Bank (WB) for construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)-III project. The EDFC-III will build the 401 km Ludhiana-Khurja section which goes through Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The purpose of the EDFC project is to augment railway freight carrying capacity along the Railway Corridor between Ludhiana and Kolkata. The EDFC is a freight-only rail line that will help faster and more efficient movement of raw materials and finished goods between the north and eastern parts of India.
173. The World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) is observed every year on October 20 to raise global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. The 2016 theme is "Love Your Bones – Protect your Future".
174. The book "Andhere se ujale ki aur" has been authored by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, which recently launched at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. The book is a compilation of blogs and articles by Jaitley that have appeared at various times.
175. The Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) is a statutory apex body under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Department of AYUSH. It is in news because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently arrested Dr. Ramjee Singh, the President of the CCH, and a private person on charges of accepting Rs.20 lakh in bribe to give a favourable inspection report for setting up of a homeopathy college. The headquarters of CCH is at New Delhi.
176. The Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River at the Bagalkot district in North Karnataka. It is in news because the dam has been chosen for the World Bank's Award of Excellence for best utilization of funds (Rs. 72 crore) for renovation to increase the strength of the dam.The project was taken up under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) for strengthening the reservoir, one of the largest reservoirs in Karnataka. The World Bank (WB) had granted Rs.72 crore to the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited to prevent seepage which could damage the dam.
177. India has won the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup by defeating Iran in a final by 38-29 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This was India's 3rd World Cup in the Standard Style version of Kabaddi.
178. North Korea has won the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World cup by defeating Japan in the final by 5-4 on penalty shootout in Jordan. With this, North Korea has become the first team to win the tournament twice.
179. Mehar Mittal (82), the legendary Punjabi actor, has recently passed away in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. He was best known for playing comic roles in Punjwood films and his notable works were "Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun", "Putt Jattan De", "Babul Da Vehra", "Bhulekha", "Long Da Lishkara", "Peengan Pyar Deeyan" and "Jeeja Sali".
180. India's first railway university will be set up in Vadodara, Gujarat, which will help in carrying out innovation and modernization for the Indian Railways. Initially, the present campus for National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR), Vadodara, will be used to start the railway university. After land acquisition, a full-fledged university will be started.
181. The United Nations Day is observed every year on October 24 to mark the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being. The 2016 theme is "Freedom First". This year's UN Day will be used to highlight concrete actions people can take to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
182. India's first startup magazine "Cofounder" has been launched by Adhish Verma and Arunraj Rajendran. The magazine will talk about real stories behind the early stage startups and entrepreneurs. It would emerge as the new data storage and communications medium and through its first launch of magazine are essential to inform Indian CEOs and CIOs of the different startups to aware the startup life, the struggles and the journey.
183. The Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has celebrated its 55th raising day on 24th October 2016. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, raised on 24th October in 1962, under the CRPF Act, in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962The ITBP is deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 kilometer of India-China Border manning Border Outposts on altitudes raging from 9000 feet to 18700 feet in the Western, Middle and Eastern Sector of the Border.
184. The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. It is a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The official mascot for the World Cup is "Zabivaka". In Russian language Zabivaka means "the one who scores", a wolf who radiates fun, charm and confidence. The wolf will not only promote the event and entertain crowds at the stadiums, but also become an ambassador for Russia and a worldwide celebrity.
185. The first National Tribal Carnival will be launched in New Delhi to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst the tribals. The carnival will showcase and promote various facets of tribal culture on a large scale. The underlying idea is to preserve and promote various facets of the tribal life relating to culture, tradition, customs and their skills and to expose it to the general public with a view to utilizing the potential for overall holistic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
186. G. Balakrishna from India has been crowned as the Mr. Asia 2016 at the recently held 5th Phil-Asia bodybuilding championships in the Philippines. He is a resident of Ramagondanahalli near Varthur in Bangalore, Karnataka.
187. India has been ranked 38th among the 51 developing countries in female literacy as per New York-based International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity. The data from new research on female literacy show that India's school education system is under-performing in terms of quality when compared to its neighbours viz. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
188. The United Nations' (UN) World Development Information Day is observed every year on October 24 to draw the attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.
189. The book "Dogs at the Perimeter" has been authored by Madeleine Thien. It's story is about the Cambodian genocide, which is as powerful as history, as magical as myth and a light shining on one of the darkest chapters of modern history.
190. C. Vidyasagar Rao, the Governor of Maharashtra, has inaugurated the 19th World Congress of International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) on October 24 in Nashik, Maharashtra with the theme "Peace Education for Good Governance and Nonviolence". The 3-day conference has been organized by International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP), an NGO of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in collaboration with city-based Gokhale Education Society (GES).
191. The World Polio Day is observed every year by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its allied agencies on October 24 to commemorate the fight against poliomyelitis. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate progress towards a polio-free world and the tireless efforts of many towards the goal.
192. The 4th edition of the India-Sri Lanka joint military exercise "MITRA SHAKTI 2016" has started at Sinha Regimental Centre in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka from October 24 and will be continued till November 6, 2016. The main focus of this edition of the joint exercise is to enhance inter-operability while carrying out Counter Insurgency (CI)/Counter Terrorism (CT) operations under the United Nations Mandate.
193. The Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, D.V. Sadananda Gowda has launched the International Household Survey Network (IHSN) Toolkit and also launched the new Website of the Ministry in New Delhi. The IHSN is a standard bench mark which can be used as an active management tool for better integration of administrative structures and statistical access for policy making. It is about the latest trends & developments of data archives, storage and dissemination technology tools available to user and is designed to address the technical issues facing data producers.
194. Varun Singh Bhati, a Para high jumper from India, has won bronze at 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Recently, he got cash reward Rs. 30 Lakhs by Vijay Goel, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports, at a function in New Delhi under the Government of India (GoI)'s scheme of special awards to medal winners in international sports events.
195. The book "Born to Fly: Fighter pilot MP Anil Kumar teaches us there is no battle mind cannot win" has been authored by Nitin Sathe, an air commander. It is about the life of fighter pilot MP Anil Kumar, who became an icon of armed forces through his prolific writings despite having been paralyzed after an accident. It was recently released by the Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar.
196. Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) has the highest life expectancy in India for all ages, barring life expectancy at birth, as per recently data released by the Registrar General of India (RGI). The RGI publishes state level life expectancy-defined as the estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live – data for different ages: 0 (at birth), 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70. Though, Kerala has the highest overall life expectancy at birth, followed by Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.
197. The National Solidarity Day is observed every year on October 20 in India. It is the date on which China attacked India in 1962.
198. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently laid the foundation stone of Urja Ganga gas pipeline project of Rs. 51,000-crore in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The purpose of the project is to provide piped cooking gas to residents of Varanasi within two years and then to cater millions of people in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The 800-km pipeline will be laid and 50,000 households and 20,000 vehicles will get PNG and CNG gas respectively.
199. Lewis Hamilton, a British Formula One racing driver from England and racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas, has won the 2016 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States.
200. Tom Hayden (76), an American social and political activist, has recently died in Santa Monica, California. He was best known for his major role as an anti-Vietnam war, civil rights and radical intellectual counterculture activist.
201. Paul Beatty has won the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his racial satire, 'The Sellout' at a ceremony in London's Guildhall. With this, he becomes the first American writer to win the Man Booker Prize. The novel tells the story of a young black man who tries to reinstate slavery and racial segregation in a suburb of Los Angeles. It is a satire on United States constitution, urban life, the civil rights movement, the father-son relationship and the holy grail of racial equality. The Booker Prize is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language and published in the UK.
202. The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a FinTech Cooperation agreement with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to promote innovation financial services. Under the agreement, MAS and the state government will explore joint innovation projects on technologies such as digital payments and blockchain and collaborate on the development of education programmes on FinTech. They also agreed to discuss emerging FinTech trends and exchange views on regulatory issues related to innovations in financial services.
203. India has been ranked 87th out of 144 countries on the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index for 2016, improving from its 108 position in 2015. The list is topped by Iceland, followed by Finland, Norway, Sweden and Rwanda. The Global Gender Gap report is an annual benchmarking exercise that measures progress towards parity between men and women in four areas: educational attainment, health and survival, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
204. The book "The Bangle Seller" has been authored by Maya Kalyanpur. It is a layered story that captures an India in transition, in-between ancient tradition and development in a globalised world. In simple words, it is a story of richly-woven tapestry of travel, romance, tradition and culture of India.
205. Junko Tabei (77), who was the first woman to climb the world's highest peak "Mount Everest", has recently passed away in Tokyo, Japan. She reached the summit of Mt.Everest in 1975. In 1992, she also became the first woman to scale the "Seven Summits", or the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents.
206. Microsoft India has launched its first full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement Center (CSEC) in Delhi, which is first-of-its-kind centre in India. This is Microsoft's 7th Cybersecurity Centre in the world and will function as a satellite to the company's Redmond Digital Crimes Unit. The CSEC will bring together Microsoft capabilities to foster deeper Cybersecurity collaborations with public and private sector organisations. The centre will also build a trusted and secure computing environment, a critical enabler for India's digital transformation.
207. Renato Sanches, a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team, has won the 2016 European Golden Boy award. The Golden Boy is an award that is given by sports journalists to a young football player playing in Europe perceived to have been the most impressive during a calendar year.
208. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Science and Technology Minister, has launched a new initiatives Biotech-KISAN (Krishi Innovation Science Application Network) scheme in New Delhi to empower farmers, especially women. Under the scheme, fellowship will be given to women farmers for training and education in the farm practice. The purpose of the initiative is to connect farmers, scientist and science institution across the country. The scheme also aims to address individual problem of the smallholding farmers by providing solution. The scheme will be implemented in 15 agro-climatic zones of India in phased manner with the objective of linking new technology to the farm by understanding the problem of the local farmer.
209. Carlos Alberto (72), former Brazilian World Cup-winning football captain, has recently passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He scored one of the greatest goals in FIFA World Cup history while captaining Brazil to glory in the 1970 final against Italy in Mexico. He was a classy defender who played for Fluminense, Santos, Flamengo and the Cosmos and earned the nickname 'The Captain' for his leadership qualities.
210. India has been ranked 130th out of 190 countries in the World Bank's Ease of doing business index for 2017. The list is topped by New Zealand, followed by Singapore, Denmark, Hong Kong, South Korea, Norway, the UK, the US, Sweden and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The latest edition of 'Doing Business' 2017 report examines regulations that enhance or constrain business activity of countries and ranks them according to the impacts of their regulatory environment on business. The rankings are based on ten parameters – starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.
211. The one-man judicial committee on One Rank One Pension (OROP) has submitted its report to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Centre had appointed the committee, under the Chairmanship of retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court L Narasimha Reddy, to look into the anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.
212. Karnal Singh, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Union territories cadre, has been appointed as the Director of Enforcement Directorate (ED). He will be in office till August 31, 2017. Prior to this appointment, he was holding additional charge as Director of ED for over a year. The post had fallen vacant after the government had in August last year curtailed the tenure of Rajan S Katoch, the previous Director of ED. The Directorate General of Economic Enforcement is an economic intelligence and law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India.
213. Sunil Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been appointed as the chairman of global telecom body Global System Mobile Association (GSMA) for a two-year term, starting from January 2017. He will succeed current GSMA Chairman Jon Fredrik Baksaas. Mittal is the first Indian to be elected as the Chairman of GSMA , who will oversee the strategic direction of GSMA, which represents nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators and more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.
214. The World Day for Audio Visual Heritage is observed every year on October 27 to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity. The 2016 theme is "It's your story – don't lose it". The purpose of the day is to highlight the importance of audiovisual documents such as films, radio and television programmes.
215. The Union Agriculture Ministry has constituted Dr. Munialappa committee to monitor bird flu situation and help the state governments in taking steps to contain the spread of avian influenza (H5N8). Dr. Munialappa is the Joint Commissioner in the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries (DADF). The committee will have representatives from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Department of Agriculture Research and Extension (DARE) and the Delhi government. Apart from this, the ministry has established a control room with telephone numbers — 011-23384190 and 09448324121.
216. Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar have been honoured with the 2016 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the won the European Union's prestigious human rights award. Both are survivors of sexual enslavement by Islamic State (IS) and have become spokespersons for women afflicted by the terrorist group's campaign of sexual violence. They are also public advocates for the Yazidi community in Iraq, a religious minority that has been the subject of a genocidal campaign by IS militants. The Sakharov award will be presented to them in a ceremony that will be held in Strasbourg, France on December 14, 2016. The annual Sakharov prize for freedom of thought, established in 1988, is named after the Soviet physicist and outspoken dissident Andrei Sakharov and is awarded to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe.
217. The first National Ayurveda Day is celebrated on October 28 with the theme "Ayurveda for Prevention and Control of Diabetes" to create awareness on people's health. The Ministry of AYUSH has also launch "Mission Madhumeha through Ayurveda", which will be a protocol for treating diabetes through Ayurveda and will be implemented throughout India. The Government of India (GoI) has declared that the National Ayurveda Day will be celebrated every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti, popularly known as Dhanteras.
218. Antartica's Ross Sea has been declared as world's largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) after the landmark international agreement among 24 countries and the European Union in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart, Australia. The Ross Sea is one of the last intact marine ecosystems in the world, which covers 1.6 million square kilometers. It is home to penguins, seals, Antarctic toothfish and whales.
219. Legendary Kashmiri singer and Padma Shri awardee, Raj Begum (89) has recently passed away in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. She was also called the "Nightingale of Kashmir", whose captivating voice has ruled generations of Kashmiri music lovers. She was one of the most recognized female singers in the Kashmir Valley, who rendered thousands of songs from Radio Kashmir in Srinagar and in live concerts at other places in India and abroad.
220. The book "Family Life" has been authored by Akhil Sharma, an Indian born-American author. The novel is the autobiography of the author, which mirrors the author's own experience of emigrating from India to America as a child. The 2016 International Dublin Literary Award has been awarded to him for his novel "Family Life".
221. Kristalina Georgieva, a former head of EU humanitarian affairs, has been appointed chief executive of the World Bank.She will succeed Sri Mulyani Indrawati on January 2017. Georgieva is a Bulgarian economist and administrator and currently serving as European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resource.
222. The Odisha government has launched new scheme "Madhubabu Aain Sahayata Sibir' (MASS)" to provide legal assistance to the deprived sections of the society at the grassroots level in all its 6,812 gram panchayats across the state. The scheme was named after great Odia lawyer Madhu Babu, who is considered as the first lawyer of Odisha. The legal assistance will be given in the shape of free legal aid to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen for economic and other reasons. The legal assistance lawyer, who would receive Rs 500 per sitting as remuneration, would help people especially the women, children, senior citizens, SC, ST and socially and educationally backward to resolve long pending litigations.
223. India has been ranked 133rd out of 183 countries in the 2016 Global Youth Development Index (YDI), which is compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat on the countries' prospects for young people in employment, education, health, civic and political spheres. The list is topped by Germany, followed by Denmark, Australia, Switzerland and United Kingdom(UK).
224. India's first "Design Yatra" has started in Kozhikode, Kerala on October 29 to spread awareness and take designs to the masses. The yatra will travel to 29 cities across the country by February 2017, covering 15,000 kms in three cars. It is launched by the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID). The purpose of the yatra is to inspire people to design houses, schools, hospitals and public places in such a way that they present local culture, consider convenience of people and save the environment.
225. India has won the gold medal at the 2016 Asian Men's Hockey Champions trophy by defeating arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan by 3-2 in the final at Kuantan, Malaysia. This is the second time India have won the title of this tournament.
226. Mariano Rajoy Brey , the leader of conservative Popular Party (PP), is the newly re-elected Prime Minister of Spain, after winning a parliamentary vote. Till date, he was the acting Prime minister of Spain.
227. Himachal Pradesh has been declared India's second "Open Defecation Free (ODF)" state after Sikkim.The state has successfully achieved 100% coverage and total rural sanitation coverage in the state, with all 12 districts in the state achieving both these feats. With this newly acquired status, Himachal Pradesh will entitle to receive World Bank funding under Rs 9,000 crore projects to sustain sanitation campaign.
228. The National Unity Day (or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) is observed every year in India on October 31 to mark the occasion of the birth anniversary of Independent India's first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel. The 2016 theme is "Integration of India". The day would provide an opportunity to re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our country.
229. India has won its first-ever medal in an international team roller skating racing event at the Asian Championships in Lishui, China.The trio of Dhanush Babu, Vikram Ingale and Nikhilesh Tabhane have won the bronze in the 3,000-metre team relay event.
230. Shashikala Kakodkar (81), who passed away recently at Panaji, was the first woman chief minister of Goa. She was the daughter of the former Goa chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar. Kakodkar was active in social and cultural fields and had headed the Bhartiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM), a front demanding mother tongue be made medium of instruction in elementary education.
