WBCS Current Affairs 17/10/2015 to 30/10/2015 Part 1

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1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted permission to the Indian corporate to issue offshore rupee-denominated bonds outside India. In this regard, Union Government has considered the matter of taxation of income from such bonds under Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961. Such bonds will attract a withholding tax of 5 per cent and gains arising in case of appreciation of rupee against the foreign currency. In this case investment made would be exempted from capital gains tax. Capital gains tax would be exempted for the Capital gains arising in case of appreciation of rupee between the date of issue and the date of redemption against the foreign currency in which the investment is made. Government’s clarification on these bonds comes in the wake of companies such as NTPC, IRFC and IIFCL are planning to issue rupee-denominated bonds in markets abroad. Even foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) also had sought clarification on the tax treatment of the instruments.

2. Union Government has appointed a 5 member committee to review the research grants offered by University Grants Commission (UGC). In this regard, Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) has issued an official notification. The Review Committee will submit its report to the Ministry by December 2015. The ministry also has directed the UGC not to implement its decision to discontinue the non-NET fellowships and continue all existing fellowships. Terms of Reference of the Committee To determine the feasibility of enhancing the coverage of All India National Eligibility Test (NET) fellowships based on merit. Establish a transparent system for transfer of fellowship amounts to non-NET fellows every month without the use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mandated by the Government. Consider eligibility criteria based economic and non-economic conditions for the fellowship. Bring opportunities and benefits of the Non-NET fellowship schemes to more number of Universities including State Universities. All India National Eligibility Test (NET) is a competitive examination conducted by the UGC twice a year. It is basis for the Research Fellowships in India that enable students to pursue M.Phil and Ph.D (Doctorate) programmes. While, the Non-NET Fellowship Scheme was introduced in 2006 by the UGC. Presently, it is limited only to 50 institutions including Central Universities with Potential for Excellence.

3. The Asia Pacific region is the most disaster prone part of the world as it had suffered around 1,625 disasters in the decade through 2014. It was revealed in recently released 2015 United Nations Asia-Pacific Disaster Report. Key highlights from Report Disasters in Asia Pacific region accounted for 40 percent of the global total and claimed over half a million of lives over the decade. The region needs to spend more on adapting to climate change and preparing for more extreme weather and disaster risks. The disasters in past decade have affected around 1.4 billion people and caused over 523 billion dollars in economic damage. Around 772 million poor people from this region which tends to be worlds populous region are vulnerable to disasters. The largest losses are linked to frequent floods and earthquakes in this region. Majority of disasters are cross-border in nature including floods, cyclones, droughts and earthquake. So, regional cooperation is crucial among nations in region. UN has urged the region’s governments to invest more in adapting and preparing for disasters may worsened by its rapid economic growth and mushrooming population.

4. Nepal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China in order to import all kinds of fuel in order to ease fuel crisis in the country. It was signed by Nepal Oil Corp (NOC) and China National United Oil Corporation (PetroChina) in Beijing to supply all kind of the petroleum products for Nepal needs. This is the first time that China is commercially supplying petroleum to Nepal and already had agreed to donate 1.3 million litres of petrol to landlocked Himalayan country. End of India’s Monopoly With this Nepal may end a long-held monopoly of buying fuel from the Indian Oil Corp (IOC) as it had traditionally relied on its southern border crossings with India for trade. Annually, Nepal used to buy around 1.3 billion dollars of gasoline from IOC. Nepal had completely relied on India for its trade including fuel from southern border due to favourable geographic conditions which eased the transportation links with India compared to the mountainous terrain of the northern routes bordering China. Economic blockade Presently, Nepal is facing continued protests and economic blockade at key border trade points with India over the adaptation of new Republic Constitution. The agitating protest led by Madhesi Front is claiming that the Constitution does not guarantee enough rights and representation to the Madhesi and Tharu communities residing in Terai region of southern Nepal. The blockade has hit Nepal’s economy hard and hampered the supply of essential goods, including petroleum products and medicines in Nepal.

5. Indian and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conserve, develop and publicize written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was signed by Sreya Guha, Joint Secretary (Library) in the Union Ministry of Culture and Bruno Racine, President of the National Library of France. Key facts of MoU Entails development of digital co-operation, competency and skill-building, sharing of technical and other expertise and cultural co-operation between the two countries. It will assist a programme on digitization of old manuscripts and documents which had begun in France 7 years ago. It will also make Indian side to gain experience and high quality expertise in this field from France. Union Ministry of Culture is emphasizing on building project of National Virtual Library (NVL) in India which will store and share numerous manuscripts, archives, artworks etc. This co-operation will go a long way in efficient implementation of this project. On completion, NVL will share and link all knowledge resources lying within the possession of various government institutes and other organizations of both the countries.

6. Madhya Pradesh government has decided to provide 33 percent reservation to women in government jobs. Decision in this regard was taken by state cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. With this, the reservation to women in government jobs in the state has been increased from present 30 per cent to 33 per cent. Apart from this decision, state Cabinet also gave its approval to a proposal providing compensation to farmers i.e. they have to repay only 90 thousand rupees on a loan of one lakh rupees. State Government has forwarded these proposals to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its approval as Model Code of Conduct is in place in Jhabua-Ratlam Parliamentary Constituency and Dewas Assembly constituency where by-elections are to be held in November 2015. It was also decided to give monthly pension of 2500 rupees to the relatives of those who were killed in anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in the state.

7. Bidhya Devi Bhandari of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist)-CPN-UML has been elected as first female President of Nepal. With this, she also became first President under newly promulgated Constitution of Nepal and second President since the Himalayan nation became a republic after abolishing the centuries-old monarchy. Background In the Presidential election, Bidhya Devi Bhandari defeated her opponent Kul Bahadur Gurung of the Nepali Congress by securing 327 to 214 votes out of total 549 votes. Under the country’s new Constitution promulgated on 20 September 2015 it was mandatory for Parliament to elect new President and Vice-President, Prime Minister and parliament Speaker and Deputy speaker. About Bidhya Devi Bhandari Born: in June 1961 in Bhojpur, Nepal. Presently she is deputy leader of the CPN-UML party led by incumbent Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli. Earlier she had served as Defence Minister of the country and has been an active campaigner for women’s rights. Ram Baran Yadav was first elected President of Republic Nepal. He was elected in 2008 and was in office for 7 years till the drafting and adoption of Republican Federal Constitution. President of Nepal is ceremonial head of state, under the new Republican Federal Constitution of Nepal.

8. Union Finance Ministry has launched an e-Sahyog pilot project of Income-Tax Department to facilitate taxpayers to reduce their need to physically appear before tax authorities. It was launched by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at a function in New Delhi in line with Union Government flagship Digital India initiative. Key facts about e-Sahyog project Aims to reduce compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers and provide an online mechanism to resolve mismatches in Income-tax returns. As part of the digital initiative, IT Department will provide an end to end e-service using SMS, e-mails to inform the tax assesses of the mismatch. Henceforth, by using this service taxpayers will simply need to visit the e-filing portal and log in with their user-ID and password. It will help them to view mismatch related information and submit online response on the issue without physically appearing before tax authorities. Apart from it, Union Finance Minister also launched a campaign to provide public service at peoples’ door step by holding special PAN camps in remote areas. Under the campaign, special camps will be held over for two days at 43 remote, semi urban and rural locations across the country. It is the first instance IT Department facilitating in such areas for obtaining of PAN card by persons residing.

9. US Senate has passed Cyber Security Legislation to facilitating sharing of cyber-attack threats. It was passed by 74 votes in favour of it and 21 votes against it. The passage of legislation is being considered a critical step to address cyber threats and ensure tools are in place in to deter future cyber-attacks. Key facts The bill reconciles with the earlier-passed House Cyber Security Bill. Seeks to help in preventing future cyber-attacks by facilitating a common awareness in the cyber realm. Encourages private companies to voluntarily share information related to cyber threat with the government and one another. Provides private companies immunity for sharing the information from lawsuits by consumers and shareholders. Background United States Government was under pressure to act in the wake of recent high-profile cyber-attacks against multiples private companies including Sony Pictures and others. The passage of legislation comes just after US Congress had voted to rein in the powers of the National Security Agency (NSA) following revelations of vast surveillance programmes in leaked documents by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

10. Lord Gulam Kaderbhoy Noon, one of Britain’s most prominent Indian-origin peers and Curry King passed away in London. He was 79. He was pioneer in introducing mildly spiced Indian curry cuisine to the high streets of United Kingdom through his entrepreneurial ventures. About Lord Gulam Noon He was born on 24 January 1936 in Mumbai, India. In 1972, he had permanently immigrated to United Kingdom and successfully established Noon Products Business comprising number of food product companies in Southall, London. His companies manufactured over 500 different chilled and frozen ready meals and gave UK the taste for mildly spiced Indian food. He was a long-time supporter and donor of the Labour Party of UK. He had served as Chancellor of the University of East London in 2013. Awards and Honours: He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1996 for his service to food industry. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Britain’s Opposition party (2015).

11. Union Government has constituted a committee to simplify the provisions of the Income Tax Act (IT), 1961 under the Chairmanship of former Delhi High Court Judge, Justice R.V. Easwar. Other 9 Members: V.K. Bhasin, Vinod Jain, Rajiv Memani, Ravi Gupta, Mukesh Patel, Ajay Bahl, Pradip P. Shah, Arvind Modi, Dr. Vinay Kumar Singh. Term of the Committee: It shall be for a period of one year from the date of its constitution. Terms of Reference of the Committee To study and identify: Provisions in the IT Act, 1961 which are leading to litigation due to different interpretations. The areas and provisions of the Act which needs simplification in the light of the existing jurisprudence. Provisions which are impacting the ease of doing business. Suggest: modifications and alternatives to the existing provisions and identified areas in order to bring predictability and certainty in tax laws without substantial impact on the revenue collection and tax base. Recommendations: The Committee will set up its own procedures for regulating its work and will put its draft recommendations in the public domain in batches after consulting stakeholders. The First Batch shall be submitted by 31st January, 2016 and shall contain as many recommendations as possible. Background Union Government’s this announcement comes after it had scrapped the earlier proposal of replacing the IT Act, 1961 with a simplified Direct Taxes Code (DTC) which was floated by then UPA government earlier.

12. India has been placed at 130th position among the 189 countries in the recently released World Bank’s 2016 rankings of Ease of Doing Business Report. In this edition of list, India has moved up by four spots in the global rankings compared to earlier 134th rank in recalculated 2015 rankings. Key highlights of report India is one of the countries that have made the most improvement, capturing the initiative of the government in a separate section. It has made the biggest improvement among the South-Asian countries in business regulations. India has made large improvements in two indicators, starting a business (155th rank) and getting electricity (70th rank). Top 10 Countries: Singapore (1st), New Zealand (2nd), Denmark (3rd), South Korea (4th), Hong Kong (5th), United Kingdom (6th), United States (7th), Sweden (8th), Norway (9th) and Finland (10th). BIRCS Nations: India ranks lowest in Doing Business among the BRICS nations. Russia (51), South Africa (73), China (84), Brazil (116) and India (130). India’s Neighbours: Bhutan (71), China (84), Nepal (99), Sri Lanka (107), Maldives (128), Pakistan (138), Bangladesh (174). About the Ease of Doing Business ranking It is annually released by World Bank in its Doing Business Report. Ranking of country in this list is based on index averages the country’s percentile rankings on 10 indicators each having equal weightage. A higher ranking of country in this list means that its regulatory environment is more conducive and favourable for the starting and operation of firms. 10 indicators are: business, getting electricity, dealing with construction permits, registering property, protecting investors, getting credit, employing workers, trading across borders, paying taxes, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.

13. Samiran Chakraborty has been appointed as Chief Economist of global banking major Citibank for India. Prior to this appointment, he was Managing Director (MD) and head at Standard Chartered Bank for macro research in South Asia. Chakraborty has more than a decade of rich experience in conducting macro research and covering various asset classes including currency, credit markets and interest rates. Earlier, he had worked with India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI as chief economist and also as faculty for mathematical economics and open-economy macro-economics at Delhi School of Economics. About Citibank India Citibank India is an Indian private sector bank and subsidiary of US based Citigroup, a multinational financial services corporation. Established in 1902 in Kolkata. Presently, its headquarters are in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It operates in 44 full-service branches in 31 cities and has network of over 700 ATMs across the country. It employs around 7,500 people.

14. Luxembourg envoy to the United Nations (UN) Sylvie Lucas has been appointed as the next chair of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) of UN Security Council Reforms. She was appointed by 70th UN General Assembly session President Morgens Lykketoft and replaced Jamaican Ambassador to UN Courtenay Rattray. Her appointment comes ahead of the next round of negotiations UNSC Reforms to be held in UNGA after negotiating text was tabled in UNGA. Background The 69th session of UNGA (President Sam Kutesa) had achieved a breakthrough in the UNSC reform process by adopting a negotiating text in September 2015. The text contained: Proposals and positions of various UN members on expansion of the council. Positions of various UN members on the distribution and expansion of permanent and non-permanent seats of the UNSC along with their proposals for use of the veto power. Luxembourg had served as a non-permanent member of the 15 nation UNSC for year 2013-14. It is also part of the BENELUX countries comprising Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg which are supporting UNSC reforms.

15. The Eighth edition of National Seed Congress (NSC) has begun in Hyderabad to deliberate on advanced seed development technologies and regulatory measures. The event was formally inaugurated by the Telangana state Agriculture Minister Shrinivasa Reddy and has been organized by Union Agriculture Ministry. The three day congress aims to provide common platform to all stakeholders to discuss a variety of issues including advances in seed development technologies and various seed policies with respect to the seed industry. In this edition of Seed Congress, over 600 delegates are taking part from national and international research and development agencies such as ICRISAT. Over dozen breakout sessions are being organised along with a special session dedicated for seed development to promote Telangana as the seed bowl of the country. About 80 progressive farmers involved in the seed development are also going to take part in the congress. About National Seed Congress It is an annual event organised by Union Agriculture Minister organised in different states. Aim: To address farmers issues for accessing quality seeds of new varieties through an innovative seed supply system. This system seeks to facilitate the development of new plant varieties and the delivery of high quality seed varieties to farmers to further increase crop productivity, food Security and economic development.

15.The fourth edition of Sri Lanka-India bilateral naval exercise SLINEX 2015 began off Trincomalee coast, Sri Lanka. The six days exercise seeks to reinforce the strong neighbourly ties underscored by extensive maritime interaction and improved understanding between neighbouring both countries. Key facts SLINEX 15 seeks to enhance the capability of both navies to work together at sea and contribute towards maritime security in the region. It commenced with a Harbour Phase in which both participant navies were engaged in professional, cultural and social interactions. It will be followed by the Sea Phase in which complex operations including anti-piracy exercises, cross-deck helicopter operations, gun firings and anti-surface exercises will be undertaken. Indian Navy is represented by 2 missile corvettes viz. INS Kora, INS Kirpan and 1 offshore patrol vessel INS Savitri along with ship-borne integral helicopters. In addition, an Indian Naval maritime reconnaissance aircraft will also take part in the exercise. Sri Lankan Navy is represented by ships like Sayura, Sagara, Samudra, 6 Fast Attack Crafts, 1 Fast Missile Vessel and 2 Fast Gun Boats. SLINEX series of bilateral maritime exercises between India and Sri Lanka was initiated in 2005. Since then three successful naval engagements have been conducted.

16. Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has been conferred with prestigious 2015 Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award in Mumbai. He was presented with fifth edition of award by Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai for his contribution to the Indian music on the occasion of 78th birthday of Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar. About AR Rahman R. Rahman (full name Allah-Rakha Rahman) is one of the most globally popular Indian music icons. His work is well known and renowned for inter mixing Eastern classical music with electronic music and traditional orchestral arrangements. He has won multiple international awards including 2 Academy Awards (famously known as Oscars), 2 Grammy Awards, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award. About Hridaynath Mangeskar Award Established in 2011 by Mumbai- based socio-cultural organisation Hridayesh Art in the honour of music composer and singer Hridaynath Mangeskar. Hridaynath is the son of renowned musician Deenanath Mangeshkar and is younger brother of Indian music legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

17. A powerful earthquake of magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale has hit the Hindukush region of north-eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan. The focus of earthquake was centred 196 km deep beneath the Hindu Kush Mountains. It was centred 82 km southeast of Feyzabad district in Afghanistan’s sparsely populated Badakhshan province bordering with Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. Tremors from this earthquake were felt in northern India and Tajikistan. Tectonic activity in Western Himalayan region Western Himalayan region is one of the most dangerous seismic zones in the world. In this region, Indian tectonic plate under the Himalayas is getting subducted under the Eurasian tectonic plate at Pamir Mountains with a rate of 4-5cm per year. Usually earthquakes in this region originate at depths greater than 100 km and faultlines along this convergence point releases huge energy making it more destructive. Earlier in 2005, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on Richter scale had hit the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) region and killed more than 75,000 people dead.

18. Union Law Ministry has notified Delhi High Court Amendment Act, 2015 which was passed by Parliament in August, 2015. The Amendment Acts amends the Delhi High Court Act, 1966 in order to reduce the workload of the Delhi High Court. Key provisions Provides for enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction of the District Courts of Delhi from 20 lakh to 2 crore rupees. Empowers the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Delhi High Court to transfer any pending suit to a relevant subordinate court. Implications: This amendment act reduces the burden of Delhi High Court and seeks to substantively improve disposal of cases in subordinate Courts. It will also facilitate access of the general public to District Courts ensuring speedy justice to litigants at their door steps. This is second amendment to the parent act and the last revision of pecuniary jurisdiction was done in 2003 to raise it from five lakh to 20 lakh rupees.

19. The third India-Africa forum summit (IAFS) began in New Delhi on 26 October 2015. The four day summit (from 26 October to 30 October 2015) is one of the largest gatherings of African countries outside Africa as all 54 nations of the continent have participated. Key facts It will address the key challenges faced by African nations which include food, health and environmental security etc. Provides India an opportunity to forge a constructive and deeper alliance with the resource-rich continent. India hopes to create favourable conditions through this summit to stimulate trade and investment flows between India and African countries. Both sides are expecting to reinforce their partnership on the global platform and deepen security cooperation including on countering terrorism and maritime security. The summit is considered as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA Government’s biggest diplomatic outreach involving delegates from all African nations. Logo of Third IAFS It depicts a Lion with one half of an Indian lion and another half of African lion. In the background of logo, an African map is overlapped with Indian map as a reference to ancient Gondwanaland depicting Indian subcontinent was part of today’s Africa’s continental landmass. Officially the logo means “Proud, Courageous, Bold and on the Prowl, ready to take on the future and seize every opportunity“. About India–Africa Forum Summit IAFS is an official platform for the African-Indian relations. It is held every 3 years and the venue is selected on rotational basis from both sides. Agenda of the summit: It covers various fields including agricultural sector, trade, industry and investment, peace and security, promotion of good governance and civil society, information and communication technology (ICT) etc. First Summit: It was held in 2008 in New Delhi and was represented by 14 countries of Africa chosen by the African Union. Second Summit: It was held at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 15 African countries had participated in it. Third Summit: Present summit was earlier scheduled in December 2014 in New Delhi, but it was postponed to October 2015 due to deadly Ebola outbreak in few western African countries.

20. Conservative Right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) Party and Eurosceptic led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski has won the 2015 Parliamentary elections of Poland. In this election, PiS Party won absolute majority by winning 235 of total 460 seats and securing 39.1 per cent of the votes. The governing Civic Platform Party led by Ewa Kopacz emerged as largest opposition party by securing 23.4 per cent of the votes. With this victory, the deputy leader of PiS Party Beata Szydło is set to become the next Prime Minister of Poland, succeeding Ewa Kopacz. Three other parties also won enough votes to get seats in parliament. They are newly formed right-wing Kukiz’15 Party led by Pawel Kukiz (8.8 percent votes), newly formed pro-business Modern Poland Party (7.6 percent votes) and agrarian Polish People’s Party (5.1 percent votes).

21. China has successfully launched Tianhui-1C, a third mapping satellite of the Tianhui-1 series into its designated orbit. The mapping satellite was launched by Long March 2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan launching base located in the country’s northwestern Gansu province. It was overall Long March rockets series 215th successful launch. The satellite was developed and produced under the auspices of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASTC) which is China’s primary launch vehicle and satellite contractor. Applications: Tianhui-1C satellite will enhance the China’s ability to carry out scientific research, mapping and disaster relief. It will be also used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, mapping, crop yield estimation and disaster relief. The first Tianhui 1 mapping satellite of the series was launched in August 2010.

22. A newly-installed Tsunami Early Warning System Siren was successfully tested near INS Angre, off Reserve Bank of India (RBI) head office in south Mumbai. It was tested nearly 11 years after the Boxing Day tsunami which had hit the east coast of India and had killed more than 10,000 people. Key facts The siren system has been installed at the Meteorology Office of Western Naval Command by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). It has a digital electronic board fitted in the system which gives out data about the approaching tsunami. The system has a radical range of 3 kms in all directions and gives continuous hoot for 60 seconds during emergency. The siren will be remotely controlled by Hyderabad based INCOIS and will operate in case of a possible Tsunami threat in the local region. 7 tsunami buoys with sensors will record the speed and height of waves. It will further alert the monitoring centre in Hyderabad. The warning siren will provide precise tsunami alert to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), disaster management authorities and Indian Navy to prevent the possible damage. In 2005, Indian Government had started its own interim tsunami warning centre after the devastating tsunami which had hit the Indian Ocean countries on December 26, 2004.

23. India’s ace women archer Deepika Kumari has won the Silver medal in recurve event at the 2015 Archery World Cup Final held in Mexico City. In the final match, South Korea’s Choi Misun defeated Deepika Kumari and won the gold medal by 6-2 score. This was Deepika’s fourth World Cup Final silver medal. Earlier she had won it after being runner-up at Istanbul (2011), Tokyo (2012) and Paris (2013) Archery World Cup Final. In this edition of World Cup, India won two silver medals with Abhishek Verma opening the account for the country in the compound section.

24. For the first time, a team of scientists have discovered two complex organic molecules viz. Ethyl alcohol and a simple sugar known as glycolaldehyde on a comet. These molecules were discovered on Comet Lovejoy from gas emitted by a comet by scientists from NASA, the Paris Observatory and other organizations. Significance of this discovery: These two complex organic molecules are considered as building blocks of life. This discovery on a comet may shed light on the cosmic origins of earth i.e. provide important clues to the hypothesis that a falling comet collided with earth, leading to the origins of life. Key facts The research was done using a 30-metre long telescope at the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique locaed in Sierra Nevada in Spain. It was conducted in January 2015 when the Comet Lovejoy was closest to the Sun and was brightest and most productive. The scientists found that Comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in five hundred bottles of wine every second during its peak activity. They also had detected 21 different organic molecules in gas released from the comet along with the ethyl alcohol and simple sugar.

25.National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has partnered with about 30 Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to jointly tackle and mitigate man-made or natural disasters or emergencies. In this regard, a coordination meeting was held between NDRF and prominent PSUs like ONGC, Air India, GAIL and others involved in the mining and shipping and heavy industries sector. The maiden meeting was attended by over 40 senior officials from these PSUs for enhancing each other others capabilities for disasters or emergencies. Key facts The first of its kind initiative aimed to ensure efforts for building a good synergy between the government organisations. It will also ensure that two sides can act as one strong unit in case of any king emergency or disasters in case of small or mid-level exigencies. NDRF has proposed to train personnel of these PSUs by extending its skill modules like on tackling nuclear, biological and chemical disasters. About National Disaster Response Force NDRF is India’s elite disaster mitigation combat force established under The Disaster Management Act, 2005. Established: 2006. Headquarters: New Delhi. Function: To undertake relief and rescue operations in the case of an event of any disaster (natural or man-made), accident or emergency. Functions under the aegis of Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The force is assisted by 11 battalions positioned in various states of the country. Of the 11 battalions, 3 are of BSF and CRPF each, 2 are of CISF, ITBP each and one of Sashastra Seema Bal. Incumbent Director-General of NDRF is Om Prakash Singh.

26.Bengali film, television and stage actor Pijush Ganguly passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was 50. Ganguly died because of multiple organ failure after he was critically injured in a road accident on 20 October 2015 at Santragachi in Howrah district. About Pijush Ganguly Ganguly was born on 2 January 1965 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He had started his career as an employee of NABARD and later shifted to acting career. His acting career began as a stage actor and later worked in television and films. He had started his television career with TV series Abar Jakher Dhan. He had acted in acclaimed films like Goynar Baksha, Byomkesh Phire Elo,Laptop, Iti Srikanta and Mahulbanir Sereng. Awards: Pramathesh Barua Award (1991), Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Award for Best Actor (2005), Government of West Bengal (Information and Cultural Affairs) Tele Academy Award (2014) etc.

27. Renowned Irish-American actress and singer Maureen O’Hara passed away in Boise, US. She was 95. She was one of the last living stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s. She was known for playing fiercely passionate but sensible heroines roles. About Maureen O’Hara O’Hara was born in 1920 in Dublin in then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (present Ireland). Acting career: She started her career in 1939 after she was brought to Hollywood by legendary actor Charles Laughton. Her first film was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). Since then she had she had starred in more than 60 films. She also had acted in How Green Was My Valley (1941) which had won five Oscars including best picture and best director for John Ford. She was famously known as the queen of Technicolor in the film industry due to her red hair and green eyes. Airline Business: After retiring from acting career in 1970s, she successfully ran an airline business with her aviator husband Charles Blair. After her husband’s death she became first woman in US history to head a scheduled commercial airline. Autobiography: Tis Herself (published in 2004). Awards: Though she was never nominated for a competitive Academy Award, but in 2014 she was presented with an Honorary Academy (an honorary Oscar). She is only the second actress to receive an Academy Award for acting without having been nominated previously after Myrna Loy.

28. Union Government has approved induction of women into the Fighter branch of Indian Air Force (IAF). Henceforth, women are eligible to get inducted in all branches and streams of the Air Force. Union Defence Ministry has taken this decision keeping in view the aspirations of Indian women and in line with contemporary trends in Armed Forces of developed nations. Under the new rules, the first women fighter pilots would be selected from the batch which is presently undergoing flying training at Air Force Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana. These women pilots will be commissioned into the fighter stream in June 2016 after successful completion of initial training. Thereafter, they would undergo advanced training for 1 year and would enter a fighter cockpit by June 2017. Presently, there are around 1,500 women in the IAF including 94 pilots and 14 navigators. IAF is also inducting women in Transport and Helicopter streams.

29. Hurricane Patricia has struck Mexico’s Pacific coast with destructive winds that forced thousands of people to flee homes and beach front resorts. The hurricane’s centre (eye) made its landfall in sparsely populated Puerto Vallarta coastline of Mexico’s west Pacific coast bringing lashing rains, surging seas and cyclonic winds along with it. Key facts Patricia has been recorded as the most powerful hurricane in the Western Hemisphere in terms of barometric pressure. It was having central pressure of 880 millibars and maximum sustained winds of 325 kph. US National Hurricane Center (USNHC) has categorized the hurricane as a Category Five storm which is the highest classification. Patricia originated near the Gulf of Tehuantepec as a tropical storm and later strengthened to a hurricane of category 5 storm.

30. US President Barack Obama has appointed veteran Iraq expert Brett McGurk as Special Envoy to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS). Brett McGurk is a long-time and most trusted White House adviser on Iraq. He will succeed the retiring General John Allen who had led the global coalition’s campaign against IS militants in Iraq since its inception in 2014. Comment US-led coalition’s task of toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led government has become more complex since intervention of Russia and Iran. Since then the US policy on Syria as floundered faced several setbacks, policy reversals and increased regional chaos. President Barack Obama also scrapped a 600 million dollar mission to train Syrian opposition fighters to take on IS.

31. World Polio Day is observed annually across the world on 24 October. The day seeks to create awareness about the hazards of the crippling Polio disease. To mark this day, Rotary International has organised numerous events across different countries. It is also planning to make world Polio free by 2019 by stepping up its vaccination campaigns. Global Campaign Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) which was launched in 1988 has played pivotal role in eradication of wild poliovirus. When the initiative was launched the wild poliovirus existed in 125 countries. Now, it exists in two countries Pakistan and Afghanistan. Till 2012, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country was the reservoir of more than half of the Polio cases in the world. But in 2015, World Health Organization (WHO) has removed Nigeria from the list of Polio endemic countries. Background World Polio Day has been established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk who had led the first team of researchers which had developed a vaccine against poliomyelitis. This development had led to widespread use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequently use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin. It had led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 which has helped to reduce polio worldwide by 99%. About Poliovirus Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children below age of 5. Transmission: The virus is transmitted from person-to-person. It mainly spreads through the faecal-oral route (e.g. contaminated water or food). After entering body, it multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Symptoms: Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In some cases, it causes permanent paralysis. Treatment: There is no cure for polio, however it can only be prevented by immunization.

32. Retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua has been appointed as the new National Security Advisor (NSA) of Pakistan. He will take the charge from Sartaj Aziz who was earlier holding dual offices of NSA and Adviser on Foreign Affairs with status of a federal minister. Now Mr. Aziz will only concentrate on foreign affairs. Janjua’s immediate task will be to concentrate on security ties with Afghanistan in the west and India in the east. Earlier in October 2015, Janjua had retired as chief of Southern Command which is based at Quetta in Balochistan province. He also had served as the President of the National Defence University and has worked on military preparedness exercise ‘Azm-e-Nau’, which manily focuses on India. Comment Nasser Khan Janjua’s appointment as NSA signals out Pakistan army’s increasing grip over Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government and its security affairs and dealings with India. His appointment will also increase Pakistani army’s hold on the security affairs of the country.

33. The Union Finance Ministry has imposed anti-dumping duties on imported Chinese auto parts used in commercial vehicles for a period of five years. Decision in this regard was taken following recommendations of the Directorate-General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD). Chinese items like Front-axle beam and steering knuckles meant for heavy and medium commercial vehicles were imported into India at prices less than even cost of production in domestic market. Anti-dumping duties was also imposed on Fully-drawn/oriented yarn, spin-drawn yarn and flat yarn of polyester (non-textured) imported from China and Thailand for 5 years. Plain medium density fibre board of thickness six mm and above imported from Malaysia, China, Thailand and Sri Lanka for a period of 5 years. Hexamine used in making of phenolic resins imported from China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 5 years. Anti-dumping duties: It is counter import measure used by a country under the multilateral World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime to protect its domestic producers and market from below-cost/cheap imports. It varies from product to product and from country to country.

34. Japan has offered soft loan of 15 billion dollars (Rs 90,000 crore) at an interest rate of less than 1 per cent to India’s ambitious first bullet train project viz. Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor along with technology. In this regard, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has submitted its report to the Union Railway Ministry. In its report JICA has envisaged a reduction in the travel time on the 505-km long corridor between the two western cities to 2 hours from the existing period of over 7 hours. The report also has mentioned that the bullet train is expected to run at speeds of around 300-350 km/hour. Comment Japan’s announcement comes in a bid to surpass competition from China and other countries. It also seeks to overcome Japan’s broader push back against China’s involvement in infrastructure development in South Asia over the past several years. Thus with this soft loan offer, it can be said that Japan is offering both technology and funding together as there are many countries offering the high-speed technology for the bullet train project but not the funding.

35. India’s first Paragliding World Cup has begun at Bir Billing near Baijnath town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Snow leopard is the official mascot of this World Cup. It is for the first time that Paragliding World Cup is being organised in a South Asian country. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju flagged off the event. In this one week competition, more than 130 registered pilots including 14 women pilots from 35 countries would take part. Indian side is represented by 8 flyers and 6 among them are from the Himachal Pradesh. The Paragliding World Cup will have different categories of competition including Paragliding, Hot air ballooning, Hand gliding and Acrobatic shows. Himachal Pradesh government and Kangra District Administration have made elaborate arrangements for the purpose of World Cup. Helicopters and Air ambulance along with forty rescue teams equipped with latest equipment gave been deployed at various strategic locations to meet any emergency situation.

36. First World Indigenous Games has kicked off in the northern Brazilian city of Palmas. The lavish opening ceremony of the multi-sport event was attended by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. The first of its kind international multi-sport event will involve around 2000 indigenous athletes belonging to different indigenous ethnic groups from 30 countries. Participants from countries like Ethiopia, Brazil, Mongolia, Australia, Philippines, Russia, Ethiopia and New Zealand are participating. The first World Indigenous Games will host sporting events like archery, canoeing, spear tossing and a race through the forest. Besides, non-competitive events will be also hosted to showcase different traditions of indigenous ethnic groups.

37. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been awarded 2015 Confucius Peace Prize by China. The Prize is dubbed as Chinese equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been chosen for this edition of prize for his inspirational leadership and service to pan-Africanism and African independence. The prize also has recognised his efforts to overcome difficulties of all kinds and his commitments for constructing his nation’s political and economic order. About Robert Mugabe Mugabe is the founding leader of Zimbabwe and has ruled the country since it gained independence in 1980 from United Kingdom. He was elected as Prime Minister in 1980 and served in that office till 1987. He became Zimbabwe’s first President in December 1987 and since then he is in office for past 28 years. In January 2015, he was appointed as Chairman of African Union (AU). About Confucius Peace Prize The prize was established in 2010 by China’s Communist Government after it was angered by Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. It is bestowed for promotion of world peace from the 21st-century interpretation of Confucianism i.e. universal harmony in the world. The award carries monetary prize of 500,000 Renminbi (nearly 80,000 dollars). Previous Recipients: Vladimir Putin (2011), Kofi Annan and Yuan Longping (2012) and Fidel Castro (2014).

38. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed banks to fix their own interest rates on gold deposits under the Gold Monetisation Scheme. In this regard RBI has issued guidelines mentioning Banks are free to set interest rate such as principal and interest on the deposit denominated in gold. Designated banks will accept gold deposits under the Short Term Bank Deposit (1-3 years), Medium (5-7 years) and Long term (12-15 years) Government Deposit Schemes. The interest on the gold deposits will be credited in the accounts on the respective due dates and will be periodically withdrawable i.e. at maturity of the deposits. Short term bank deposits will be applicable cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR). There is no bar for maximum gold deposit but the minimum deposit at one time should be raw gold equivalent to 30 grams of 995 fineness standard. The raw gold should be in the form of coins, bars, jewellery excluding stones and other metals Individual banks will determine the provision for premature withdrawal subject to a minimum lock-in period and along with the penalty. The designated banks may sell or lend the gold accepted under the deposit to Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) of India for minting India Gold Coins (IGC) and to jewellers or sell it to other designated banks. Earlier, Union Government had given its approval to Gold Deposit and Monetisation Scheme in order to mobilize a part of an estimated 20,000 tonnes of precious metal lying idle with households and institutions into the banking system.

39. India-China Joint Military Training Exercise Hand in Hand 2015 concluded at Kunming Military Academy in Yunnan province of China. It was fifth edition of the exercise between the two countries which had started on 12 October 2015. The 12 day exercise concluded with a Joint Field Exercise between armies of both countries followed by a closing ceremony. Key Facts Participating troops from both sides learned and trained together from each other in mixed groups on Basic Individual Skills and Comprehensive Combat Skills. The joint exercise also met its stated objectives by exchanging experience on counter-terrorist training and conducting counter-terrorist operations. It also enhanced mutual trust and understanding and promoted healthy military relations between the two armies This edition of exercise also gave emphasis on joint handling of counter terrorism, insurgency at sub-unit level and related issues. It also covered aspect of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at formation headquarters level. It should be noted that the Hand-in-Hand series of joint military exercise between armies of India and China was started in 2007.

40. Union Government has cleared the first batch of projects under the flagship scheme of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 89 cities from 3 states. It was cleared by Union Urban Development Ministry by allocating 2,786 crore rupees to facilitate development projects without any financial delays. Key facts It is for the first time in India’s urban governance, Union Urban Development Ministry has approved State level development plans unlike the past practice of appraising and approving individual projects. The States that are getting benefited from these funds are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. These 3 states had submitted around 143 projects which have been approved after a reviewing of Union Urban Development Ministry. About AMRUT Scheme It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 for urban transformation. The focus of the urban renewal projects is to establish infrastructure that could ensure adequate robust sewerage networks and water supply. Under this scheme: Union Government provides an assistance of 50 per cent of project cost for cities with a population of up to 10 lakhs each. It provides one third of project cost for cities with a population of above 10 lakhs each. Rest of the project cost has to be borne by the states and urban local bodies.

41. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Shri Venkateswara Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing Hub in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is country’s first dedicated mobile manufacturing electronics cluster to be established in lines with Union Government’s flagship Make in India initiative. In this hub, Foxconn which is world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics already has started its operations for manufacturing brands such as Xiomi and Gionee. Other important mobile brands like Micromax, UTL (Karbonn) and Celkon are also planning to start their manufacturing operations in this hub. The first of its king hub is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs within a year. By the year 2019, it will contribute at least 5 per cent of the all-India target of 15 lakh jobs. Andhra Pradesh government is also working to set up design and incubation centres to make state a truly global scale mobile handset manufacturing hub. It should be noted that Union Government has established Fast Track Task Force (FTTF) to promote mobile handset manufacturing eco-system in India.

42. Union Ministry of Defence has divided erstwhile Maharashtra and Gujarat (MnG) Naval Area into two separate headquarters in order to enhance operational and administrative organizational structure. They have been divided under Flag Officer Maharashtra Area and Flag Officer Gujarat Naval Area. The division will help For better vigilance on the sea border with Pakistan In better communication and coordination with the respective state governments, local authorities and fishermen. The charge of Flag Officer Maharashtra Area was assumed by Rear Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade. While, Rear Admiral Murlidhar Pawar will assume as Flag Officer of Gujarat Naval Area. Background The idea of dividing the existing Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area into two parts was mooted after considering breach in naval security from Pakistan’s side on at least on two occasions i.e. 26/11 terrorist attack in 2008 and destroying of ship carrying ammunition by Indian Navy in 2014.

43. Senior IAS officer Alok Rawat became first male person to be appointed as member of National Commission for Women (NCW). His appointment fills the fourth seat in the five-member body that seeks to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women. Alok Rawat is 1977 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre. Prior to this appointment, he had served at various senior level posts at different Union Ministries. He had served as Director (joint secretary) in Union Ministry of Defence and Union Ministry of Road transport and Highways. He also had served as secretary (UPSC) and secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Union Cabinet Secretariat and secretary in Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga rejuvenation. About National Commission for Women NCW is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. It was established in January 1992 to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women. It recommends remedial legislative measures, advise Government on all policy matters affecting women and facilitate redressal of grievances related to women.

44. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone Amaravati, a new capital city of Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashmi. The foundation stone of new futuristic capital city of the state was laid at a grand ceremony held in Guntur district. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu along with other guests participated in the rituals to mark laying the foundation. Key facts The name Amaravathi was chosen in view of the historical, spiritual and mythological significance as it was ancient seat of Satavahana kingdom. Located between Vijayawada and Guntur region of state on the banks of Krishna River. It is only place where river flows north direction instead of east or south. State government had inked MoU with Singapore government agencies for preparing the master plan for Amaravati. It was submitted in July 2015. The capital city will house state Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, High Court, Secretariat, Raj Bhavan etc. in area covering 16.7 sq km.

45. Britain has signed a landmark nuclear deal with China to build the United Kingdom’s first nuclear power plant since the 1980s. The landmark deal was signed in London during the official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The agreement is considered as the first major Chinese investment in Western nuclear facility. Key facts The agreement was signed between French state owned EDF Energy and General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) of China. Under this deal, nuclear power plant will be built at Hinkley Point, Somerset near London with total planned investment of 18 billion pound. CGN will contribute 6 billion pounds i.e. one-third of the total planned investment. CGN will have two-thirds stake and Areva will have one-fifth stake. The plant will be become operational by 2025 providing affordable power to Britain. Apart from this landmark deal, both countries also signed deals worth more than 30 billion pounds.

46. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Indian Police Foundation (IPF) and Indian Police Institute (IPI) in New Delhi. Both agencies aim at embarking a culture of research and evidence-based policing in India. It also seeks to subjectivity avoid personal errors and biases in decision-making. They have been set up and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 as an All India Society. Indian Police Foundation: It will be a think tank for suggesting reforms in the Indian Police. It will bring together the police professionals, academia and other stake holders and provide a platform to research, ideate, discuss and seek the answers. Indian Police Institute: It will be a research and training institute for police officers in the Indian Police for the pursuit of professional excellence. It has been set up in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a SMART, people-centric and professionally competent police.

47. Autobiography of Sam Pitroda named Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India has been released. It is written with the help of an American author David Chanoff. The autobiography describes the journey of Satanarayan Gangaram Pitroda (famously known as Sam Pitroda), who is known as father of Indian telecommunication revolution. The book embarks a life long journey of Sam Pitroda starting from his birth in 1964 in Titilagarh in Odisha to his revolutionary career in United States and India. Further, the book also tells his success in the telecommunication revolution of India and important role played by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in achieving the revolution. It also highlights important incidents in his life after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

48. Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM) has announced to takeover global giant Goldman Sachs’ mutual fund business in India. It is first ever acquisition RCAM and will be acquired for 243 crore rupees in an all-cash deal. Under this deal, RCAM will acquire all 12 onshore mutual fund schemes of Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) India with total asset under management of 7132 crore rupees. This acquisition will make RCAM a sole exclusive fund manager of Union Government’s ambitious Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) Exchange Traded Fund. RCAM’s is subsidiary of Reliance Capital which in turn is financial services arm of business conglomerate Reliance Group. It is also present in insurance, brokerage and wealth management among other areas. US based Goldman Sachs had entered the Indian mutual fund industry in 2011 with acquisition of Benchmark Mutual Fund for 120 crore rupees. It should be noted in past few years, number of global players have exited the Indian mutual fund business which is estimated to be around 13 lakh crore rupees.

49. First Car-Free Day was observed in Delhi on 22 October 2015 to encourage the people to use public transport instead of using their cars. It was observed from 7 AM till 12 noon on the stretch connecting Red Fort to India Gate via Delhi Gate and ITO. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took part to observe this day by taking part in a cycle rally. DTC also had deployed additional buses with frequency of one or two minutes on this route for better facilitation of commuters. Delhi government has decided to observe ‘Car-Free Day’ on different road stretches on the 22nd of every month. This initiative seeks to reduce pollution and traffic congestion in Delhi by encouraging residents to use public transport.

50. Samardeep Subandh has been appointed as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart. In his role as CMO, Subandh will be the primary custodian of Flipkart brand. He will focus on gaining deeper customer insights, driving high level of creativity, raising the level of customer centricity and quality in all communication. He will directly report to Mukesh Bansal, Head of the e-commerce platform of the company and also will be leading the social media communication charter for the company. Samar has rich experience of over 17 years in the consumer goods industry and has spent 15 years with Hindustan Unilever across various sales, marketing and business assignments. He was instrumental in kicking off the go-to-market (GTM) transformation journey in India in his last assignment as Chief Sales officer of Marico.