Current Affairs Today 18th & 19th October 2019-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 18th & 19th October 2019

FINANCE AND ECONOMY

RIL became the 1st Indian company to cross the Rs.9 lakh crore of mcap

• Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross the Rs.9 lakh crore of market capitalization (m-cap).
• It is followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

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Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Reliance owns businesses across India engaged in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail, and telecommunications.

• Owner: Mukesh Ambani
• Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani
• CEO: Mukesh Ambani

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Commemorative stamp on centenary of NIN released

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan released a postal stamp to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the city-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) at a function held at Indian Council of Medical Research in New Delhi.
• The postal stamp has been brought out under the ‘Corporate My Stamp’ scheme of India Posts.
• About 5,000 stamps with a face value of Rs 5 each have been printed.

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ICMR: The Indian Council of Medical Research, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world.

• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Founder: Government of India
• Founded: 1911
• Leader: Balram Bhargava
• Director: Balram Bhragava

NIN: The National Institute of Nutrition is an Indian Public health, Nutrition and Translational research center located in Hyderabad, India. The institute is one of the oldest research centers in India, and the largest center, under the Indian Council of Medical Research, located in the vicinity of Osmania University.

• Founder: Robert McCarrison
• Director: R. Hemaltha

NCERT to revise 14-year-old curriculum framework

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is planning to review the 14-year-old National Curriculum Framework (NCF) in accordance with new national education policy (NEP) and set up a committee for the purpose.
• The NCF has been revised four times so far – in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005.
• A panel led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan had submitted the draft of the new national education policy to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
• The new proposed revision will be a 5th of the framework.

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NCERT: The National Council of Educational Research and Training is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India which was established in 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies’ Registration Act.

• Director of NCERT (ex-officio) Chairperson: Prof. Hrushikesh Senapaty.
• Headquarters of NCERT: New Delhi
• Founded: 1961

NH No. 703AA in Punjab named as Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg

• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the naming of new National Highway No. 703AA as “Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg.”
• The road starting from Kapurthala connecting Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in Punjab.
• The naming would be effective from next month.
• The decision has been taken to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev.

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Punjab:

• Capital: Chandighar
• Chief Minister: Amarinder Singh
• Governor: VP Singh Badnore

INTERNATIONAL

The United Nation General Assembly has elected 14 States to the 47 member body of UN Human Rights Council(UNHRC)

• The UNHRC is responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.
• The Assembly elected Armenia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Namibia, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sudan and Venezuela.
• All 14 members will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2020.
• The newly-elected States are replacing the following outgoing members: China, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom.

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UNHRC: The United Nations Human Rights Council is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The UNHRC has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva, Switzerland.

• Headquarters location: Geneva, Switzerland
• Founded: 15 March 2006

Italy set to introduce web tax on digital giants from 2020

• Italy approved a new tax on digital companies, including U.S. tech giants, as part of its 2020 draft budget on October 16.
• The levy, due to be introduced from next year, will oblige companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, to pay a 3% levy on internet transactions, according to a text of the draft budget.
• The Italian scheme is expected to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) a year.

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Italy (Capital/Currency): Rome/Euro

• Prime Minister: Giuseppe Conte

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

CM Kamal Nath inaugurates “Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference”

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference started.
• Many well-known industrialists are attending this conference held in Indore.
• The event showcasing various opportunities that exist in the state in variegated sectors, including food processing, pharmaceuticals, textile and garment, warehousing and logistics, IT &ESDM, urban development and renewable energy.
• Chief Minister Kamal Nath also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.

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Madhya Pradesh:

• Capital: Bhopal
• Chief Minister: Kamal Nath
• Governor: Lalji Tandon
• National Park: Bandhavgarh NP, Fossil NP, Kanha NP, Madhav NP, Panna NP, Pench NP, Sanjay NP, Satpura NP

Odisha’s first Robot Restaurant opens in Bhubaneswar

• Odisha’s smart city Bhubaneswar gets it 1st Robo Chef Restaurant in Odisha.
• The Robot Restaurant opened at the Infocity DLF tower of Bhubaneswar claims to be the first restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously developed robots, ‘Champa’ and ‘Chameli’ are engaged.
• The robots are developed at a Jaipur-based startup using SLAM technology, and It automatically navigates like humans, follows the routes and instructions.
• Not only this, after serving the food, the robots will also ask you for feedback in Odia that ‘Are you happy’.
• Earlier Chennai and Bengaluru had introduced smart restaurants with robots machines imported from China.

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Odisha:

• Capital: Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
• Governor: Ganeshi Lal
• National Park: Bhitarkanika NP, Simlipal NP

Satya Pal Malik inaugurates J & K Bazar

• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has inaugurated J&K Bazar.
• J&K Bazar is a retail showroom of authentic Jammu Kashmir Handicrafts, Handlooms, Silk, Agro-based products and Restaurant serving Authentic Kashmiri Cuisine at J&K House in New Delhi.
• The newly constructed state-of-the-art showroom is for promoting J&K specific products of handicrafts and authentic cuisine.

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Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Governor- Satya Pal Malik.
• National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc

Tamil Nadu constitutes two panels over water disputes with Kerala

• The Tamil Nadu government constituted two committees to deal over water disputes with Kerala relating to the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) and the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project.
• Secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department (PWD) K. Manivasan would lead both the committees constituted by the State government.
• Cauvery Technical Committee chairperson R. Subramanian is also part of both the panels.

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Tamilnadu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
• National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,    Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

Maharashtra police ties up with AI firm to prevent spread of fake news

• Maharashtra State Assembly Elections board extended intelligence (artificial and human intelligence)-powered tech firm, to detect and prevent the spread of fake news.
• The company helps detects fake news, logical fallacy, and inaccuracies.
• It has been monitoring various social media platforms for 20 days to monitor cases of violation under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

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Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,
• Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

Dr Jitendra Singh Chairs the Asia Health 2019 Conference

• Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh organized Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana a successful health insurance scheme launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018.
• Around 50 lakh people have benefited from this scheme.
• The spectrum of healthcare and disease.
• The qualitative and quantitative changes in the health care sector, we should always keep in mind the disease spectrum in India.

Shri G Kishan Reddy inaugurates 20th All India Conference

• Shri G. Kishan Reddy inaugurated the 20th All India Conference of Directors of Fingerprint Bureaus.
• The conference attended through organizations/ States/UTs.
• Around 80 Fingerprint experts/delegates from across the country attended the inaugural function.
• The importance of fingerprints in crime investigation in the efforts of NCRB in rolling out the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).

India to host Interpol General Assembly in 2022

• India will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 after a proposal received the overwhelming support of member countries at this year’s congregation at Santinago in Chile.
• The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) had hosted the general assembly, where representatives of all member countries converge, in India in 1997.

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INTERPOL: The International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as INTERPOL, is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control.

• Headquarters: Lyon, France
• Governing body: INTERPOL General Assembly
• Abbreviation: ICPO-INTERPOL
• Founder: Johannes Schober

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave

• The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 11th Edition of Nuclear Energy Conclave 2019 in New Delhi.
• The theme of the Conclave: “Economics of Nuclear Power- Innovation towards Safer & Cost-Effective Technologies”.
• It was organized by India Energy Forum (IEF).
• Government is setting up the nuclear plants in other parts of the country.
• A nuclear plant is coming up in the Gorakhpur of Haryana.
• A “Hall of Nuclear Energy” was opened to educate the students and the general public about the applications of nuclear energy, in Pragati Maidan in Delhi.

Dilli Series Seapower Seminar 2019 was held at INA New Delhi

• The 6th edition of the annual Dilli seminar was held at the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in New Delhi.
• The seminar on ‘Role of Seapower in Shaping of Nations’ was held from 17 October to 18 October 2019.

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The Indian Naval Academy is the initial officer training establishment of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, located in Ezhimala, near Payyanur, Kannur district, Kerala.

• Motto: “Vidyayaa Amrutam Ashnute” “विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते” (Sanskrit, “Shaping future Naval Leadership…”, …)
• Founded: 8 January 2009

CII organizes the first edition of ASIA HEALTH

• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organizing the first edition of ASIA HEALTH 2019 from 16 October to 19 October 2019 in New Delhi.
• The conference included all the events and initiatives of the Healthcare Department.
• ASIA HEALTH 2019, the mega healthcare platform, aims to bring multiple stakeholders together to deliberate or discuss the future of Health.
• It aims to boost the healthcare sector both in India and globally.

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Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):

• Formed on: 1895
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• President: Vikram Kirloskar
• Vice President: T. V. Narendran
• Director-General: Chandrajit Banerjee

RANKS AND INDICES

NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019

• NITI Aayog with Institute for Competitiveness as the knowledge partner released the India Innovation Index (III) 2019.
• The study examines the innovation ecosystem of Indian states and union territories.
• Karnataka is the most innovative major state in India.
• Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten major states respectively.
• Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the northeastern & hill states, and union territories/city-states/small states respectively.
• Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.

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NITI Aayog: The NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India, established with the aim to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

• Formed: 1 January 2015
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• CEO: Amitabh Kant
• Chairman: PM Narendra Modi
• Vice-Chairman: Rajiv Kumar

AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED

Home Credit India join hand with Karur Vysya Bank for joint lending

• Home Credit India (HCIN), a local arm of the international consumer finance provider, has tied-up with Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for joint lending using end-to-end automated processing which will help the customer get real-time approval and disbursement.
• Under the agreement, HCIN and KVB will disburse loans in a single amount to customers.

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Karur Vysya Bank: Karur Vysya Bank is an Indian 100 years completed bank and is one of the leading banks in India.

• Founded: 1916.
• Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu
• Managing Director and CEO: PR Seshadri
• Tagline: Smart Way to Bank.

APPOINTMENT

World Steel Association elected Sajjan Jindal as vice Chairman

• The World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has elected Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Steel, as Vice-Chairman of the association for one year.
• The association has also appointed Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran and Arcelor Mittal Chief L N Mittal as its members.
• The board also elected a 14-member Executive Committee.

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World Steel Association, often abbreviated as worldsteel, is the international trade body for the iron and steel industry.

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
• Founded: 10 July 1967

Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG

• A senior 1985-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG).
• The appointment of Mr Singh as the DG of the ‘black cats commando’ force was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The appointment will be from the date of joining the post and up to September 30, 2020.
• The NSG was raised as the federal contingency force to counter-terrorists.

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NSG: The National Security Guard (NSG) is a counter terrorism unit under the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It was raised in 15th October1984, following Operation Blue Star, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, “for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances”

• Founded: 1984
• Motto: सर्वत्र सर्वोत्तम सुरक्षा (Sanskrit)
• Headquarters: New Delhi

Additional charge, Director General of NSG :S.S.Deshwal

Sudhaker Shukla appointed as whole-time member of IBBI

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Sudhaker Shukla as Whole-Time Member, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
• He is a 1985 Indian Economic Service officer.
• His period of service for 05 years or up to the age of 65 years.

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IBBI: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India is the regulator for overseeing insolvency proceedings and entities like Insolvency Professional Agencies, Insolvency Professionals and Information Utilities in India.

• Founder: Parliament of India
• Founded: 1 October 2016
• Headquarters: Connaught Place, Delhi, New Delhi

Former IMF chief Christine Lagarde appointed head of European Central Bank

• European Union leaders confirmed the appointment of Christine Lagarde as the new chief of the European Central Bank.
• She will be replacing Mario Draghi (Italy) from November 1.
• Lagarde’s confirmation for a non-renewable term of 8-years.
• She served 8-years as the head of IMF since 2011.

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IMF: The International Monetary Fund (IMF), also known as the Fund, is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world while periodically depending on World Bank for its resources.

• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Managing Director (MD): Kristalina Georgieva Bulgaria
• Chief Economist: Gita Gopinath India
• Membership: 189 countries

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn announces retirement from international cricket

• England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn has announced her retirement from international cricket.
• Gunn, who is England’s most capped player in T20Is, made 259 appearances for her country, winning 3 World Cups and five Ashes series.
• She was a member of the England side that won the inaugural Women’s World T20 in 2009, and also featured in her country’s Women’s World Cup-winning campaign that same year.

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

India, Japan joint Air Force exercise ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ 2019 began in West Bengal

• Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) carrying out a joint military air force exercise named ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ began from October 17 to 23, at the air force station, Arjan Singh in Panagarh town in West Bengal.
• C-130 J aircraft of the Special Operations Squadron of IAF and C-130 H of Tactical Airlift Squadron of JASDF will participate in the exercise.
• The focus of the exercise will be to undertake Joint Mobility and Tactical interoperability among the two forces.

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Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/Yen

• Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe

West Bengal:

• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• National Park: Buxa NP, Gorumara NP, Neora Valley NP, Singalila NP, Sunderban NP, JaldaparaNP

India-Oman begin joint training exercise ‘EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V’

• Indian Air Force (IAF) kickstarted its bilateral joint exercise with Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO), named ‘EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V’ at Air Force Base Masirah, Oman.
• The exercise will be held till October 26. The IAF contingent comprises of MiG-29 and C-17 aircraft. MiG-29 will be exercising with Royal Air Force Oman’s Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk.
• For the first time, MiG-29 fighter aircraft will be participating in an international exercise outside India.
• The exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two Air Forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices.
• Last time, the bilateral exercise was held in 2017 at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

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Oman (Capital/Currency): Muscat/ Omani rial

Defence of Andaman and Nicobar Islands exercise 2019 (Danx-19)

• Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted the 2nd edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 (DANX-19).
• The components of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and field manoeuvres to validate defensive plans of Headquarters ANC towards pursuance of the Command’s responsibility, namely ensuring the territorial integrity of the A&N Islands.

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Andaman & Nicobar:

• Capital: Port Blair
• Lt Governor: Devendra Kumar Joshi

BOOKS & AUTHORS

A new book titled “India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate Change and Development” set to release

• A new book titled “India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development” is set to release on November 2019.
• This book is featuring a collection of articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr Friederike Otto & Shibani Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash. It is published by Oxford University Press(OUP).
• This book aims to bring together the many and growing, voices that seek to find the language and ideas with which to engage climate change and to do so from a perspective that resonates with broader Indian development policy discourses.

A book titled “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life” penned by Viswanathan Anand

• Indian Chess player, Viswanathan Anand has penned a book titled “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s Life”.
• The book, published by Hachette India, is releasing on December 11.
• The book is based on the experience he had in the game of Chess.

AWARDS

Hong Kong’s orchestra wins “Orchestra of the year award 2019” at Gramophone Awards

• Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has been named orchestra of the year at the 2019 Gramophone Awards.
• The group is the first Asian orchestra to win the award, a fact noted by its Dutch-born conductor Van Zweden, who has been its Music Director since 2012.
• The category is the only one of the classical music magazine’s awards open to the public vote. This award is often likened to the Oscars for the classical music world.

OBITUARIES

Legendary Cuba ballet dancer Alicia Alonso passes away

• Cuban ballet dancer Alicia Alonso passed away at 98.
• She is considered one of the greatest 20th Century ballerinas.
• In 1948, she founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company in Cuba’s capital.
• She formed the National Ballet of Cuba after the revolution.

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