SIPVS Knowledge is Power
- India picked as guest country at World Summit of Governments
The World Government Summit announced that India is a guest country in its upcoming gathering.
- The Annual Gathering is scheduled for February 11 to 13, 2018.
- Honorary guests from India will join the notable list of speakers synonymous with the World Government Summit to showcase the country’s emerging economic growth, highlight valuable knowledge, skills, and capabilities and elaborate on the country’s unique culture, according to the Summit.
- World Teachers’ Day: 5 October
World Teachers’ Day is celebrated yearly on October 5.
- World Teachers’ Day is celebrated around the world since 1994.
- “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers” is the theme of this year’s World Teachers’ Day.
- Gujarat first state to slash VAT on fuel prices
Ahead of the state assembly elections, the state government has cut value-added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel, making it the first state to follow the Centre’s directions to do so.
- Recently, the union government cut basic excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 a litre.
- Gujarat currently levies a 28.96 per cent VAT on petrol and diesel.
- Paryatan Parv of M/O Tourism begins across the country
The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with other Central Ministries, State Governments and Stakeholders is organizing a “Paryatan Parv” across the country from the 5th to 25th October 2017.
- The programme is being organized with the objective of drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of “Tourism for All”.
- The Parv is being inaugurated at the Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Culture.
- Centre launches six-year secure Himalaya project
The Centre launched a six-year project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states in India.
- Protection of snow leopard and other endangered species and their habitats is one of the key components of the project which will also focus on securing livelihoods of the people in the region and enhancing enforcement to reduce wildlife crime.
- The project – called SECURE Himalaya – was launched by the Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the inaugural day of the Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) conference.
- Mukesh Ambani is India’s Wealthiest Man for the 10th straight year
Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani emerged as India’s wealthiest for the 10th straight year as his net worth swelled to USD 38 billion (nearly Rs 2.5 lakh crore) while the wealth of 100 richest rose by 26 per cent despite economic hiccups.
- Wipro’s Azim Premji was the distant second with a net worth of USD 19 billion, moving up two places from last year, while Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi slipped from his earlier second place to the ninth now (USD 12.1 billion) on Forbes magazine’s annual ‘India Rich List 2017’.
- UP govt launches mass marriage scheme
The Uttar Pradesh government approved the Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana, a mass marriage scheme, wherein Rs 35,000 will be spent on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items.
- Under the scheme, mass marriages will be conducted by the social welfare department.
- Programmes in this regard will be organised by urban local bodies like nagar panchayat, nagar palika and nagar nigam, kshetra panchayats, zila panchayats, government/semi-government organisations and NGOs, which will be authorised by district magistrates of respective districts.
- India signs €300 million Finance Contract with European Investment Bank
Government of India and European Investment Bank (EIB) signed the Finance Contract for lending of € 300 million for Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6.
- Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II is to be jointly financed by the European Investment Bank (€500 million) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (€300 million).
- The first tranche of Euro 300mn was signed on October 5.
- The project envisages extension of East-West & North-South lines for Bangalore Metro Rail which includes a total length of 72.095 km (13.79 km underground) and 61 stations with 12 underground stations.
- RBI forms High-level Task Force on Public Credit Registry
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a High-level Task Force on Public Credit Registry (PCR) for India.
- The task force has been constituted under the chairmanship of Yeshwant M. Deosthalee.
- It will review the current availability of information on credit, the adequacy of existing information system and identify gaps that could be filled by a PCR.
- HDFC Life launches service bot Neo
HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched Neo — a servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial intelligence for customer service.
- The insurer hopes to deploy the bot in answering policy —related queries on social media.
- This is the second bot put in operation by HDFC Life, after the launch of SPOK, which was an email bot to answer customer queries.
- Mongolia ushers in new Prime Minister
The Mongolian legislature installed a new prime minister, bringing into focus the potential implications for diplomatic relations with North Korea as well as neighboring Russia and China.
- Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, the deputy prime minister from the ruling Mongolian People’s Party, took office after a confirmation vote in the parliament.
- He succeeds Erdenebat Jargaltulga, who was ousted by the legislature last month in a no-confidence vote.
- Kazuo Ishiguro wins Nobel Prize in Literature
British author Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his novel The Remains of the Day, has won the Nobel Literature Prize on October 5.
- “In novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world,” the Academy wrote in its citation.
- Born in Nagasaki, he moved to Britain with his family when he was five years old.
- Of the 114 laureates honoured since the prize was first awarded to France’s Sully Prudhomme in 1901, only 14 are women.
- Gauri Lankesh named for Anna Politkovskaya Award
Slain journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh will be posthumously awarded the Annual Anna Politkovskaya Award, an award for women human rights defenders from war and conflict zones, for her fearless journalism, it was announced on Thursday.
- The award has been conferred by international human rights organisation Reach All Women in WAR (RAW in WAR) to Lankesh a month after she was shot dead outside her residence here on September 5.
- Lankesh, the editor of Kannada tabloid “Gauri Lankesh Patrike” is the first Indian to win the award.
- Pooja Kadian Clinches India’s Maiden Gold In Wushu Worlds
Pooja Kadian created history as she bagged India’s maiden gold medal at the World Wushu Championships.
- The three-time World Championships silver medallist struck gold in the 75 kg of the women’s sanda competition.
- She defeated Evgeniya Stepanova of Russia in the final.
- Former I&B Minister Purushottam Lal passes away
Former Union minister and socialist leader Purushottam Lal Kaushik died due to age-related ailments. He was 87.
- He had served as tourism and civil aviation minister in the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet during 1977- 1979.
- He headed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in the then Prime Minister Charan Singh’s cabinet during July 1979-January 1980.
Source:- Daily Current Affairs Capsule
