Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs Today 31st October 2019. These are important for the upcoming Exams. Candidates those who were preparing for the examination can use these current affairs and also you can download the same as PDF.
Current Affairs Today – 31st October 2019
IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES
India celebrates “National Unity Day” on 31st October
- India is celebrating the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel as National Unity Day.
- The birth anniversary of Sardar Patel i.e. 31st October is observed as the National Unity Day every year.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sardar Patel at the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Kevadiya, Gujarat and also witnessed the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade‘ by personnel of Gujarat Police and central armed forces.
- Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is also known as the Iron Man of India.
World Cities Day observed on 31 October
- The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st October as World Cities Day.
- AIM: to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world.
- THEME: “Changing the world: innovations and better life for future generations”
Extra Shots:
United Nations: It is an International Organization. Its Objective of UN is to not only maintain International Peace and Security but also to develop Friendly relations among nations.
- Founded – 24th October, 1945
- Headquarter- New York,United States
- Secretary General- Antonio Guterres (9th SG OF UN)
- He is from PORTUGAL
- Portugal (Capital/Currency) – Lisbon/ Euro
- United States (Capital/Currency) – Washington, D.C/ US Dollar
FINANCE AND ECONOMY
RIL becomes the world’s sixth largest energy entity with high m- cap
- Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity with high market capitalization.
- RIL overtook British oil major BP Plc in terms of market capitalization to become the world’s sixth-largest energy entity.
- RIL hit a market cap (m-cap) of $130.76 billion on 30 October compared with BP Plc’s $128 billion. The shares of RIL traded at Rs.1,466 on the BSE.
Extra Shots:
RIL: 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.
- CEO: Mukesh Ambani
- Owner: Mukesh Ambani
- Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani
NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
National Workshops on Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan scheme began
- The National Workshop on Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) began on 30 October. The workshop will be held on 30-31 October.
- The workshop was addressed by Shri Pravin Krishna, MD, TRIFED.
- The workshop was organized with an aim to take stock of all the activities under the program and to plan future steps.
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VDVK Proposals:
TRIFED is working to develop an IT-platform and mobile application for PMVDY. TRIFED has so far sanctioned 555 Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram (VDVK) proposals from the 15 states.
Santosh Kumar Gangwar inaugurated ESIC hospital at Rudrapur
- Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment inaugurated the 100 bedded ESIC hospital at Rudrapur, Uttarakhand.
- The hospital has been constructed in a plot area of 5 acres along with 32 staff quarters.
- The cost used for the hospital was approximately Rs.97.72 crore.
Extra Shots:
Uttarakhand:
- Capital: Dehradun
- Chief Minster: Trivendra Singh Rawat
- Governor: Baby Rani Maurya
- National Park: Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Govind NP, Nanda Devi, Rajaji NP, Valley of Flowers NP.
India to open 100 additional airports in the next five years
- The government of India is planning to open 100 additional airports by 2024.
- The decision was made at a meeting that was held to review the infrastructure that is needed by 2025.
- The aim is to revive economic growth in Asia’s third-largest economy.
- The proposal included starting 1,000 new routes connecting smaller towns and villages.
INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS
Saad Hariri resigns as Prime Minister of Lebanon
- Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri has resigned from the portfolio amid anti-government protests.
- He resigned bowing to one of the central demands of anti-government demonstrators shortly after baton-wielding Hezbollah supporters rampaged through the main protest camp in Beirut.
Extra Shots:
Lebanon (Capital/Currency): Beirut/ Lebanese pound
- Prime Minister: Saad Hariri
Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Sharjah International Book Fair 2019
- The 38th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2019 was inaugurated by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, UAE.
- THEME: ‘Open Books Open Minds’
- AIM: to promote books and reading across age groups and communities.
- The fair will showcase 987 activities presenting scientific, knowledge and literary themes.
- The Republic of Mexico has been declared as the Guest of Honour at the 38th edition of SIBF.
Extra Shots:
UAE(Capital/Currency): Abu Dhabi/ Dirham
- Prime Minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Alberto Fernandez won the Argentina’s presidential elections
- Alberto Fernandez and his running mate, former president Cristina Kirchner, won Argentina’s presidential elections 2019.
- They defeated President Mauricio Macri.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Alberto Fernandez on his victory in Argentina’s presidential elections.
Extra Shots:
Argentina (Capital/Currency): Buenos Aires/ Argentine peso
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES
The 5th International Conference on ROADTECH was held in New Delhi
- The 5th International Conference on ROADTECH was held in New Delhi on 30 October. Union Minister of State for Road Transport V.K. Singh addressed the meeting.
- ROADTECH stands for Sustainable Roads and Highways-Smart Use of Available Resources for Green and Sustainable Roads.
MNRE hosts 2nd Assembly of ISA in New Delhi
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is hosting the second Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 30 October and 31 October 2019 in New Delhi.
- 2nd Assembly of ISA: The Assembly is the apex decision making body of the ISA. It directs ISA on various administrative, financial and programme related issues.
Extra Shots:
ISA:
ISA is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 in Paris, France. The objective of the ISA is to address the challenges that scale up solar energy in ISA member countries. ISA undertakes efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize investments needed for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs.
AGREEMENTS AND MOU SIGNED
Ministry of Railways signed MoU with ISB
- Ministry of Railways signed an MoU with the Indian School of Business (ISB) for a strategic partnership.
- The MoU was signed by Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board, and Professor Rajendra Srivastava, Dean, ISB.
- The MoU includes executive education programs, developing research opportunities, developing case studies, and pedagogical materials.
- It aims to make the Railways an innovation and technology-driven future-ready organization.
Extra Shots:
ISB:ISB is a global business school. It offers world-class management education across its two campuses at Hyderabad and Mohali. So far, the ISB has been training the Indian Railway officers for their mid-career training requirements.
APPOINTMENT
Radha Krishna Mathur appointed as the first Lt. Governor of Ladakh
- Ex-IAS Officer Radha Krishna Mathur took oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.
- The UT of Ladakh came into being on 30 October after the centre’s decision to end special status to J&K and split it into two union territories.
- Radha Krishna Mathur is a retired 1977-batch IAS officer, from the Tripura cadre.
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS
Shiva Thapa, Pooja Rani clinch gold in Olympic Test event for Boxing
- Indian boxer Shiva Thapa and Pooja Rani clinched gold medals in Olympic Test Event for Boxing in Tokyo, Japan.
- While Ashish settled for a silver, ending India’s brilliant campaign at the Olympic Test Event.
Extra Shots:
Japan (Capital/Currency): Tokyo/Yen
- Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe
DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS
Indo-French joint exercise ‘Shakti-2019’
- The bilateral ‘Exercise SHAKTI’ between the armies of India and France will be conducted from 31st October to 13th November 2019 at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
- The joint exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain.
- The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.
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Rajasthan:
- Capitl: Jaipur
- Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
- Governor: Kalraj Mishra
- National Parks: Mukundra Hills (Darrah) NP, Desert NP, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Ranthambhore NP, Sariska NP
AWARDS
Leeladhar Jagoori received 2018 Vyas Samman
- Hindi poet Leeladhar Jagoori received the KK Birla Foundation’s 2018 Vyas Samman on 30 October.
- He was awarded for his collection of poems, Jitne Log Utne Prem, his 12th anthology of poetry. The 28th Vyas Samman was presented to Jagoori by the renowned author Govind Mishra.
- Jagoori is a journalist, teacher, and poet of Hindi literature.
- He has written books, including Natak Jari Hai, Shankha Mukhi Shikharon Par, and Anubhav Ke Aakash Mein Chand. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award.
- In 2004, he was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, for his contributions to Hindi literature.
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Vyas Samman:
- The Vyas Samman was initiated in 1991 by KK Birla Foundation for an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen published during the last ten years. The award carries award money of Rs.4 lakh along with a citation and plaque.
Note: KK Birla Foundation confers other awards like the Saraswati Samman and Bihari Puraskar for literature in Indian languages.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
IIIT Hyderabad create first ever Indian Brain Atlas
- Researchers from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H), Telangana have created the first-ever ‘Indian brain atlas’(IBA).
- The Indian brain atlas was constructed in collaboration with the Department of Imaging Sciences and Interventional Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
- The study has revealed that the Indian brain, on an average, is smaller in height, width and volume when compared to Western and other Eastern populations.
- This will help in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other brain-related ailments.
Extra Shots:
IIT Hyderabad: The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad is a public engineering and research institution located in Sangareddy district, Telangana, India. IITH is known for its academic strength, research, publications and proximity to IT and industrial hubs.
OBITUARIES
Former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Venkatachala passes away
- N. Venkatachala, former judge of the Supreme Court and former Lokayukta of Karnataka passed away.
- Venkatachala was known for bringing to light the existence of Karnataka’s autonomous anti-corruption wing as the Lokayukta by conducting raids on public servants and disclosing their names and particulars of seized assets.
Extra Shots:
Karnataka:
- Capital: Bengaluru
- Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
- Governor: Vajubhai Vala
- National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.
Actor and comedian John Witherspoon passes away
- Actor and comedian John Witherspoon passed away recently.
- He was best known best known for the hit Friday franchise and The Wayan Brothers.
- He made his feature debut in the film The Jazz Singer (1980) and entered showbiz through stand-up comedy and started acting in the late 1970s with guest-starring TV roles.
First female UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata passes away
- First female UN refugee chief Sadako Ogata passed away.
- She served as the Chief of the UN refugees from 1991-2000.
- She had also served as the head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2003- 2012 and also as the chairman of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 1978-1979.
Extra Shots:
United Nations: It is an International Organization. Its Objective of UN is to not only maintain International Peace and Security but also to develop Friendly relations among nations.
- Founded – 24th October, 1945
- Headquarter- New York,United States
- Secretary General- Antonio Guterres (9th SG OF UN)
- He is from PORTUGAL
- Portugal (Capital/Currency) – Lisbon/ Euro
- United States (Capital/Currency) – Washington, D.C/ US Dollar
UNICEF: The United Nations Children’s Fund, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.
- Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
- Head: Henrietta H. Fore
- Founded: 11 December 1946, New York, New York, United States
- Founders: United Nations General Assembly, Ludwik Rajchman
