Daily Current Affairs : OCTOBER 31, 2017
Daily Current Affairs : OCTOBER 31, 2017
NATIONAL
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale launches Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana in Mumbai:
Union Minister for state for social justice and empowerment, Ramdas Athawale launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana in Mumbai.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana has been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an objective of making quality medicines available at affordable prices to all, particularly to the poor and underprivileged, through exclusive outlets.Jan Aushadhi Medical store is set up with an aim to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare.
Maharashtra
- Capital: Mumbai
- Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
- Governor: Vidyasagar Rao
INTERNATIONAL
India and World Bank Signed $200 Million Loan Agreement for Assam:
The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $200 million Loan Agreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
The Project will support the Government of Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agriculture productivity and market access, and enable small farm holders produce crops that are resilient to recurrent floods or droughts in the state.
India tops list of new tuberculosis cases in 2016: WHO
According to a new report by the World Health Organisation, India topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016.
The Global TB Report 2017 released by the WHO said that India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa.
List of MoU signed by Italy & India:
- Joint Declaration of Intent of Cooperation for Safety in the Railway sector between India and Italy
- MoU on 70 years of diplomatic relations between Indian Council of Cultural Relations and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Government of the Republic of Italy
- MoU on cooperation In the field of Energy between India and Italy
- Executive Protocol on Cultural Cooperation between India and Italy
- MoU between the Training Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Government of the Republic of Italy and the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of the Republic of India
- MoU for promoting mutual investments between Italian Trade Agency and Invest India.
Italy
- Currency: Euro
- Capital: Rome
BANKING & BUSINESS
Govt extends last date for filing of GSTR-2 to Nov 30:
In an effort to facilitate more businesses and taxpayers, the government extended the last date for filing the purchase return under the new Goods and Services Tax (GSTR-2) and GSTR-3 (matching of GSTR-1 and GSTR-2) for the month of July.
The Ministry of Finance in a notification said that the deadline for filing July’s GSTR-2 has been extended to November 30. And, the last date for filing of GSTR-3 for the month of July has also been extended to December 11.
YES Bank launches refurbished version of its in-house wallet app:
Yes Bank unveiled BHIM YES PAY, an upgraded version of the existing payment wallet service. The new version will support a comprehensive set of applications provided by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The wallet not only gives Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a service but also allows for easy and quick peer-to-peer (P2P) payments through money loaded in wallets, merchant payments through QR code, virtual card access and Bill payment through Bharat Bill Payment Service.
SBI extends Rs 2k crore to solar projects:
State Bank of India (SBI), extended Rs 2,317 crore to corporates towards financing grid connected rooftop solar projects with an aggregate capacity of 575 Mw. According to Rajnish Kumar, chairman of SBI, the bank has availed $625 million credit from the World Bank for on-lending to viable Grid Connected Rooftop Solar projects undertaken by PV developers/aggregators and end-users for installation of rooftop solar systems on the rooftops of commercial, institutional and industrial buildings.
This is expected to support installation of around 800 Mw of rooftop solar capacity. With the World Bank funded capacity development programme, SBI is attempting to incentivise the market for rooftop solar power by way low cost financing.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh takes charge as new FOC-in-C of ENC:
Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, AVSM has taken over the charge as the Flag Officer commanding-in -Chief of the prestigious Eastern Naval Command (ENC) from Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, PVSM, AVSM,ADC at an impressive Ceremonial Parade held at the Naval Base.
Government sets up Arun Jaitley led panel on PSU bank mergers:
The government has constituted a ministerial panel headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to oversee merger proposals of state-owned banks.
The other members of the panel include Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar said that the government is working on banking reforms and constituted an Alternative Mechanism for Public Sector Banks, PSB consolidation.
Suresh Raina appointed as brand ambassador of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation:
Suresh Raina appointed as the brand ambassador of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) at a programme at Ghaziabad.It is the only city among 16 municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh which has been declared open defecation free.
AWARDS
Anupam Kher receives Parmod Mahajan Smriti Award:
Anupam Kher received Parmod Mahajan Smriti Award in Pune.
He is the current Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India.Saira Banu, who moved Supreme Court seeking a ban on instantaneous ‘Triple Talaq’ among Muslims is the second recipient of Pramod Mahjan Smriti Award.
The awards were presented by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.
SPORTS
Mithali Raj rises to top spot in ICC batswomen ranking:
India captain Mithali Raj moved up one place to occupy the number one spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batswomen.
Ellyse Perry of Australia and Amy Satterthwaite of New Zealand also jumped one place each to be at second and third spots while Meg Lanning of Australia has dropped from first to fourth after missing the series against England due to injury.
Among women bowlers, Jhulan Goswami remained on second spot with 652 rating points, behind Marizanne Kapp (656) of South Africa.
Virat Kohli regains top spot in ICC ODI rankings:
Indian captain Virat Kohli has regained the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after logging career-high rating points, going past the iconic Sachin Tendulkar in the process. The 28-year-old batsman, who scored 263 runs in the New Zealand series, has reached 889 points, which is the best ever by an India batsman.
Rohit Sharma’s 174 runs in the series saw him reach a career-high rating of 799 points, though he remains in seventh position. Former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has risen one place to 11th in the rankings.
Federer Wins 8th Basel Title, 95th Overall:
The Swiss superstar Roger Federer won his eighth Basel title, after defeating Juan Martin del Potro, to clinch his ATP World Tour-leading seventh title of the year.
It was Federer’s first success against the Argentine in a Basel final, after the South American beat him in both 2012 and 2013. Federer moved ahead of Ivan Lendl into standalone second place on the Open Era titles list, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies. He now owns eight or more trophies at three different events: Halle (9), Wimbledon (8) and Basel (8).
Johor Cup Hockey Indian Junior Team Win Bronze Medal:
Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team beat hosts Malaysia in the Bronze medal match of the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.
Hong Kong to become first Asian host of Gay Games:
Hong Kong will host the 2022 Gay Games, fighting off bids from cities in the United States and Mexico to become the first Asian city to stage the sports and cultural event.
HISTORIC EVENT OF THE DAY
Nation observes Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on birth anniversary of Sardar Patel:
Central and state governments across India are observing 31st October as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas. The decision to observe the special day was taken by Narendra Modi government in 2014. The day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. The government is celebrating the day all over the country with a vision to foster and reinforce dedication to preserve and strengthen unity, integrity and security of the nation.
World Cities Day being celebrated:
United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day, by its resolution 68/239. The Day is expected to greatly 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.
2017 Theme: Innovative Governance, Open Cities
The general theme of World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life, while each year a different sub-theme is selected, to either promote successes of urbanization, or address specific challenges resulting from urbanization.
