Edition– 10/2023

OCTOBER 2023 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Only Monthly Magazine Dedicated to State Civil Services Examination

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 1 October

CRPF's group of women bikers 'Yashaswini'

• To celebrate the women power of the country, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), in
collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is organizing a cross-country
bike expedition with 'Yashaswini', a group of women bikers of CRPF.
• A total of 150 women officers of CRPF, divided into three teams, will begin the cross-country rally
on October 3, 2023.
• These teams will begin their journey from the Northern (Srinagar), Eastern (Shillong), and Southern
(Kanyakumari) regions of India riding on 75 Royal Enfield (350cc) motorbikes. Finally, all those
teams will converge at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar (Kevadiya), Gujarat for the grand finale
which is going to be held on October 31, 2023.
• The rally will cover a distance of approximately 10,000 km, passing through 15 states and 2 union
territories.

Indigenous Navigation System NAVIC

• For the first time, the chipset or microchips capable of receiving and processing signals of the
indigenous navigation system NAVIC will now be designed and manufactured in India by an Indian
company.
• It is a satellite-based navigation system developed by ISRO, which enables users to determine
their precise geographical location and track their movements anywhere in India and up to 1500
kilometers from India's territorial limits.
• The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology, Government of India, are jointly collaborating with Hyderabad based company –
Manjeera Digital Systems Private Limited to facilitate the designing and commercial production of
these chips in India.

2023 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize

• Mathematician Ruixiang Zhang, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, USA,
has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious ‘2023 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize’.
• Under this award, a cash amount of US $ 10,000 is given to individuals aged 32 years and below
who have made outstanding contributions in the field of mathematics under the influence of
Srinivasa Ramanujan.
• In India, the birth anniversary of the great mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (22 December) is
celebrated every year as 'National Mathematics Day'.

India's Most Valuable Brand-2023

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 • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has topped WPP and Kantar's 'BrandZ Study' as India's most
valuable brand for the second consecutive year with a brand value of $43 billion, capitalizing on
the global demand for digital transformation.
• HDFC, Infosys and Airtel have been at second, third and fourth positions, maintaining their
positions from last year. Whereas, State Bank of India has moved up one place to join the top five.
• ICICI Bank is at 6th position in the 'Top 10 Most Valuable Indian Brands List'. Asian Paints is at
number 7, Jio is at 8th, Kotak Mahindra Bank is at 9th and HCL Tech is at 10th.

One liner current affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of his visit to Telangana, announced the formation of
'National Turmeric Board' and 'Sammakka-Sarakka Central Tribal University' in 'Mulug.
• Vice Admiral 'Tarun Sobti' takes charge as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.
• Lieutenant General Raghu Srinivasan assumed charge as the 28th Director General of the Border
Roads Organization on September 30, 2023.
• Indian Naval ships Ranvijay (guided-missile destroyer), Kavaratti (ASW corvette), submarine Sindhu
Kesari and a long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I participated in the 30th edition of the Singapore-
India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) off Singapore. SIMBEX was started in 1994.
• Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the permanent campus of
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Presently there are 7 NIPERs in India, out of which Mohali and Guwahati are fully functional and
NIPER, Gandhinagar is also going to be fully functional. Construction work of NIPER is in progress
in Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Rae Bareli.
• In another notable achievement during the ongoing ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign, the Union
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has declared all its 6650 villages in 285 blocks of 20 districts as
‘ODF Plus’ model.
• After the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district, Bihar is going to get a second tiger
reserve in Kaimur district (Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary) by the end of the year or early 2024.
• The Delhi Govt. led by CM Arvind Kejriwal announced '15-point Winter Action Plan' on 29
September 2023 to control air pollution in Delhi during winter season.
• Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal made another important announcement for the welfare of
journalists and said that the state government will now bear the insurance premium amount up to Rs
10 lakh for journalists. Till now the state government is paying only the insurance amount up to Rs 5
lakh.
• Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Marico Limited, has been appointed
the new Chairman of the 'Advertising Standards Council of India' at the board meeting of the self-
regulatory body.

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 • N. Shanta Kumar, an experienced media professional has been elected Chairman of the Board of
Directors of 'Press Trust of India' for a tenure of one year.
• Taiwan, a self-ruled island in East Asia, recently launched its first domestically built submarine,
named 'Haikun'.
• Indian golfer 'Aditi Ashok' won the silver medal in the women's golf event of the Asian Games. This
is India's first medal in women's golf.
• Nepal mens’ team created history during the Asian Games group match against Mongolia. Nepal
scored an incredible score of 314/3 in 20 overs and became the first team to cross the 300 mark in
T20 cricket.
• Military Nursing Service (MNS) celebrated its 98th Raising Day on October 1, 2023.
• ‘International Day of Older Persons’ is celebrated every year on 1 October. In 2023, the theme of the
33rd commemoration of this important day will be “Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations.”
• ‘International Translation Day’, celebrated every year on 30 September, was first established by the
International Federation of Translators (FIT) in 1991.
• Asian Paints co-founder Ashwin Suryakant Dani passed away at the age of 81.
• Michael Gambon, famous for his portrayal of Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series,
has died at the age of 82.

1 October

Nobel Prize for Medicine - 2023

• The Nobel Prize for the year 2023 in the field of Medicine or Physiology will be jointly awarded to
Hungarian-American Professor Katalin Kariko and American Professor Drew Wiseman.
• These two scientists developed technology that made it possible to manufacture M-RNA based
Covid vaccines. These vaccines prepare the body's immune system to fight viruses or bacteria.
• Professor Kariko and Professor Wiseman have been working at the University of Pennsylvania for
a long time. Both of them have been honored with many awards including the prestigious 'Laskar
Award' in the year 2021 for their research.
• M-RNA technology is different from traditional vaccines. When a virus or bacteria attacks our body,
this technology sends a message to our cells to make proteins to fight that virus. This provides the
necessary protein to our immune system. During the Covid pandemic, Moderna, Pfizer and
BioNTech vaccines were based on ‘M-RNA technology’.

Gandhi Jayanti
• Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar (Gujarat).

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 • He was a famous lawyer, politician, social activist and writer, who played an important role in India's
nationalist movement against British rule.
• He established a new method of mass movement i.e. 'Satyagraha' and successfully fought the
racist regime with it in South Africa (1893-1915) .
• Within the idea of 'Satyagraha', the need for 'power of truth' and 'pursuit of truth with non-violence'
was emphasized.
• ‘International Day of Non-Violence’ is organized all over the world on 02 October on the occasion
of Gandhi Jayanti.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti

• Every year on 2 October, along with Gandhi Jayanti, Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti is also celebrated.
• Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India and a great leader of the Indian
freedom struggle, was born on 2 October 1904 in Mughalsarai, a small railway town seven miles
from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
• The life of Lal Bahadur Shastri is an ideal example of simplicity, honesty and dutifulness.
• Before becoming Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri had also held the charge of Railway Minister,
Transport and Communications Minister, Commerce and Industry Minister and Home Minister.

One liner current affairs

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the second malaria vaccine ‘R21/Matrix-M’.
• The country's first solar roof cycling track was inaugurated in Hyderabad. This innovative track named
‘Healthway’ is the second track of its kind globally.
• Defense Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh launched several digital initiatives during the 276th Annual Day
Celebrations of the Department of Defense Accounts (DAD) held at Delhi Cantonment on 01 October
2023. The initiative includes an integrated defense finance dashboard 'Saaransh' for the Ministry of
Defense - a summary of accounts, budget and expenditure for the Ministry of Defence; Biswas –
Includes Bill Information and Work Analysis System and e-Raksha Housing.
• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has rescued 955 baby turtles living in the Ganga in Operation
'Kachhap' conducted in several cities in action against illegal wildlife trade.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari addressed the Ministerial session
focused on ‘Road Safety at the 27th World Road Congress’ in Prague, Czech Republic.
• The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition’ and Conference in UAE began at the National
Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi. The theme of the program is to reduce carbon emissions rapidly and
collectively. This program is being organized seven weeks before the 28th International Climate
Change Conference-COP-28. The United Arab Emirates is hosting this conference.
• The Ministry of External Affairs has said that Vice President of the Dominican Republic (Capital -
Santo Domingo) 'Raquel Peña Rodríguez' will visit India from October 3-5.

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 3 October

Nobel Prize in Physics - 2023

• The Nobel Prize in Physics will be jointly awarded to three scientists – Pierre Agostini, Ferenc
Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for their groundbreaking experiments.
• These scientists have been given this award for their unique experiments on attosecond pulse of
light. With this, state-of-the-art instruments can be made regarding the movement of electrons in
atoms and molecules.
• Pierre Agostini of America, Ferenc Cruz of Germany and Anne L'Huillier of Sweden have shown in
experiments how to generate extremely short waves of light.

Jewar Airport
• The under-construction Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh has recently been
awarded the unique international three-letter code 'DXN' by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
• In DXN, 'D' stands for Delhi, 'N' stands for Noida, and 'X' stands for worldwide connectivity.
• Airport codes serve as unique identifiers for airports around the world. These codes, which are
used on everything from tickets and boarding passes to various airport signs etc.
• Each airport actually has two unique codes – one assigned by IATA and the other by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a branch of the United Nations. These codes have
different purposes –
• IATA codes (three-digit codes) were introduced in the 1960s to standardize airport identification.
• ICAO codes (four-digit codes) are used by industry professionals such as pilots, air traffic
controllers and airport planners.

Football for Schools (F4S)

• It is an ambitious program run by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
• The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education has the support of All
India Football Federation and Sports Authority of India for the implementation of this program in
the country.
• A two-day capacity-building master training program was organized by FIFA as a part of F4S in
Sambalpur, Odisha on October 2, 2023.
• F4S aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of approximately 700
million children.

Pink Bollworm
• Pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) infestation in cotton fields across North India has become
a serious threat to farmers, causing extensive damage and financial losses.
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 • Pink bollworm (PBW) infestation has affected cotton fields in northern Rajasthan, Haryana and
south-western Punjab since 2021.
• It is a destructive insect which mainly affects the cotton crop.
• It is a local species of Asia, which was first seen in India in the year 1842.
• PBW larvae penetrate the developing bolls of cotton, affecting both the efficiency and quality of the
cotton crop.

Karman Line
• In the field of science, the Kármán line is the line or boundary that marks the end of the earth's
boundary and the beginning of space; at present this line remains a topic of discussion.
• The Kármán Line is an imaginary boundary located 100 km above sea level that separates the
Earth's atmosphere from space. Although not all scientists and astronauts agree on this, most
countries and space organizations recognize it as a limitation.
• It was determined in the 1960s by the record-keeping body Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
(FAI). Anyone crossing this line is considered an astronaut.

International Space Station (ISS)

• It is a unique space station in low Earth orbit, which serves as a collaborative platform for five space
agencies (NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA and CSA).
• It is not only the largest artificial object in space but also the largest satellite in low Earth orbit.
• Recently, NASA revealed its plan to retire the ISS and return it to Earth, a massive $1 billion effort.
• NASA issued an industry solicitation on September 20, seeking a platform called the US Deorbit
Vehicle (USDV) to assist in the safe return of the ISS.
• Described as a ‘space tug’, the primary purpose of the USDV is to lift the ISS from its current
position of 175 miles above Earth to an altitude of approximately 75 miles.

One liner current affairs

• The largest statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar outside Maryland is going to be unveiled in North America
on October 14. This 19 feet high statue has been named 'Statue of Equality'. It has been prepared
by well-known artist and craftsman Ram Sutar.
• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Uttarakhand, Arjun Munda inaugurated the 4th National Eklavya
Model Residential School -EMRS Cultural, Literary and Art Utsav-2023 at Maharana Pratap Sports
College, Dehradun.
• India and Bangladesh began the 11th edition of the annual joint military exercise, Sampriti, at Umroi,
Meghalaya on 03 October 2023. Beginning in Jorhat, Assam in 2009, the exercise has seen ten
successful editions by 2022.

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 • The Indian Air Force has signed two contracts with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the indigenous
Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
• Iran has successfully placed its third military satellite 'Noor 3' in orbit. This launch was carried out by
the Revolutionary Guards of Iran.
• It was launched on September 27, 2023, using a three-stage Qased rocket.
• The UK is launching an unprecedented project to create the world's most powerful laser, called
'Vulcan 20-20', with an investment of £85 million from the UK Science and Technology Facilities
Council.

4 October

Nobel Prize in Chemistry - 2023

• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the year 2023 has been awarded to three scientists for the
discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. These scientists are – French-American chemist Mongi
G. Bawendi, American Lewis E. Bruc and Russian-born Alexey Ekimov.
• Quantum dots are tiny nanoparticles whose properties are determined by their size. Their discovery
has made significant contributions to the technology of QLED televisions and LED lamps, where
these nanoparticles help in creating vibrant colors.

Toto language
• Spoken by only 1,600 individuals in West Bengal, this language is on the verge of extinction.
• To help preserve the ‘Toto language’, a trilingual dictionary (Toto-Bengali-English) named ‘Toto
Glossary’ was released in Kolkata on 7 October 2023.
• ‘Toto language’ is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by individuals of the Toto tribe in parts of West
Bengal bordering Bhutan.
• UNESCO lists it as a critically endangered language.
• The Toto language is primarily spoken orally, although Padmashree awardee Dhaniram Toto, a
prominent member of the community, developed a script in 2015, but most individuals either write
it in the Bengali script or in Bengali. .

Teesta river
• The Teesta River, which has been in the news recently due to floods, is a tributary of the
Brahmaputra (known as the Jamuna in Bangladesh), which flows through India and Bangladesh.
• It originates in the Himalayas near 'Chunthang' in Sikkim and flows south through West Bengal
before entering Bangladesh.

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 • Originally, the river flowed southwards directly into the Padma River (the main channel of the
Ganges in Bangladesh), but around 1787 the river changed its course and began flowing
eastwards and joined the Jamuna River in Assam.

Armageddon reedtail
• Recently, researchers from MIT-World Peace University in the Western Ghats of Kerala have
discovered a new damselfly species, which has been named 'Armageddon Reedtail' (Protosticta
armagedonia).
• The name 'Armageddon Reedtail', which refers to the term "ecological Armageddon", was chosen
to highlight the global decline of insects as a result of habitat degradation and climate change.
• They are similar to dragonflies, but are smaller in size and have thinner bodies.

One liner current affairs

• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh launched the second phase of the Navy's updated indigenous
program - 'Swavalamban'. The first seminar of Swavalamban was held on 18-19 July 2022 in New
Delhi.
• The government has approved the formation of 'National Turmeric Board' to promote turmeric and its
products. India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world.
• 'National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and 'Japan Bank for International Cooperation have
signed an agreement to launch an India-Japan Fund of sixty million dollars. This joint initiative will
promote cooperation and investment between India and Japan in the field of climate and
environment. The Government of India will contribute 49% to this fund. The remaining 51%
contribution will be made by JBIC.
• The central government has declared the National Liberation Front of Tripura, All Tripura Tiger Force
and related groups as illegal organizations under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
• State Bank of India launched ‘Mobile Handheld Devices’. With this device, customers will get the
facility to withdraw cash, deposit cash, transfer funds and get information about outstanding amounts
sitting at home.
• Recently the Indian Army in partnership with United Service Institution of India (USI) launched a
hybrid-panel discussion as part of ‘Project Udbhav’. The discussion focused on ‘Evolution of Indian
Military Systems, Warfare and Strategic Thinking: Current Research and Future Directions’. ‘Project
Udbhav’ is an initiative launched by the Indian Army to rediscover the deep Indian heritage of
statecraft and strategic thought derived from the ancient Indian texts of statecraft, warfare, diplomacy
and grand strategy.
• Saudi Arabia, the world's second largest oil producer, has reduced the premium it charges to India
on its oil exports in response to changes in the emerging global energy dynamics. The Asian
premium, an additional charge imposed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

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 (OPEC) on Asian countries over and above the market-based selling price, has been a matter of
concern for India.
• ‘Basohli Pashmina’, the age-old traditional craft originating from the picturesque district of Kathua in
Jammu and Kashmir, has recently received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• 'Sudha Murthy', wife of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, was honored with the prestigious
'Global Indian Award' by the Canada India Foundation (CIF) at a grand Indo-Canadian ceremony in
Toronto.
• Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway. The
ambitious project, known as the “Whoosh” high-speed railway, is a key component of China's 'Belt
and Road Initiative'.
• Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appointed former Indian captain 'Ajay Jadeja' as the team mentor
for the 'ICC ODI World Cup', which is scheduled to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
• The Indian team launched the 'SAIF Under-19 Football Championship' in Nepal's capital
Kathmandu.India defeated Pakistan team 3-0.
• ‘World Space Week’ is celebrated every year from 4 to 10 October. The WSW was proclaimed by
the United Nations General Assembly on December 6, 1999. (Topic “Space and Entrepreneurship”)
• Every year in the month of October, from 1st to 31st October is celebrated as 'Breast Cancer
Awareness Month'.
• ‘World Animal Welfare Day’ is celebrated every year on 4 October, the theme of World Animal Day
2023 is ‘Big and Small, We Love Them All’.

5 October

Nobel Prize for Literature - 2023

• This year the Nobel Prize for Literature will be given to Norwegian writer John Fosse.
• Mr Fosse is one of the most popular playwrights in the world and has also made a considerable
mark in the prose genre. The main subject of Fosse's works is the human condition.
• The Nobel Prize Committee said that John Fosse presents everyday situations that can be
commonly seen in people's lives.

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

• The 46th edition of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023 was organized by the
Ministry of Tourism in ‘New Delhi’.
• This edition is being organized after a gap of three years due to the pandemic.
• ‘PATA’ was established in the year 1951, whose headquarters is in ‘Bangkok’.
• It is a renowned non-profit association recognized internationally for its role as a catalyst in the
responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.

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Badis limaakumi
• Recently researchers have identified a previously unknown fish species, Badis limaakumi, in the
Milak River of Nagaland. This new species has been named after 'Limakum', Professor of Zoology
at Fazal Ali College, Nagaland.
• Belonging to the genus Badidae or Badis, a group of freshwater fish often found in slow or
moderately flowing streams, this fish is a popular addition to culinary dishes in various regions of
India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Myanmar. It is also popularly consumed.Badis
species of fish is also known as 'chameleon fish' due to its ability to change color.

Caste survey of Bihar

• Bihar's caste survey results were released recently.
• The main findings of the Bihar Caste Survey are as follows - Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs)
are the largest social group, comprising 36.01% of the population of Bihar, totaling 4,70,80,514
persons.
• Other Backward Classes (OBCs) constitute 27.12% of the population, with a total of 3,54,63,936
members.
• Scheduled Castes (SC) constitute 19.65%, numbering 2,56,89,820.
• Scheduled Tribes (ST) are a minority with 21,99,361 members representing only 1.68%.
• The ‘unreserved’ category, often called ‘forward’ castes, comprises 15.52% of the population,
totaling 2,02,91,679 persons.
• According to the survey, the total population of Bihar is 13,07,25,310, which is more than the 2011
census figure of 10.41 crore.

One liner current affairs

• NPCI International Payments Limited, a subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India, and
Al Ittihad Payments, an indirect subsidiary of the Central Bank of UAE, entered into a historic
agreement. It aims to implement the domestic card scheme in UAE in collaboration with India's RuPay
card network.
• India and Argentina have signed an important social security agreement that aims to protect the rights
of professionals and workers in both countries with respect to social security contributions.
• An international team in its study had warned two years ago that Sikkim's glacier lake 'South Lhonak'
could burst any time in the future and could cause huge damage.
• The government has declared Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party illegal under the
Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. This organization has been involved in anti-national activities since
1998.
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities organizes a unique program to
showcase the products and craftsmanship of regularly handicapped entrepreneurs/artisans from

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 across the country. To continue these efforts, 'Divya Kala Mela' will be organized from 6 to 15 October
2023 in Secunderabad, Hyderabad.
• The 'International Cricket Council' has named legendary cricketer and Bharat Ratna Sachin
Tendulkar as the 'Global Ambassador' for the Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
• October 5 has been designated as 'National Dolphin Day' by the Union Environment Ministry and will
be celebrated annually starting from this year.

6 October

Nobel Peace Prize - 2023

• The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2023 was given to Iranian human rights activist 'Nargis
Mohammadi'.
• Nargis Mohammadi is honored for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her
promotion of human rights and freedom.
• Nargis Mohammadi is currently in jail in Iran. She was jailed in response to nationwide protests
following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

One liner current affairs

• Indian-origin Professor Dr. Joyeeta Gupta has been awarded the Netherlands' highest honor in the
field of science, 'Spinoza Prize'. He has been given this award for his remarkable work in the field of
climate change.
• Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be on a visit to India from 8th to 10th of this month.
• The Reserve Bank of India has proposed to include the beneficiaries of ‘PM Vishwakarma Yojana’
under the ‘Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme’. The Reserve Bank has also
proposed to extend the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme for a period of two years
i.e. till December 31, 2025. This scheme was launched in January 2021 for three years.
• Govt. of Madhya Pradesh has issued a notification to provide 35 percent reservation for women in all
recruitments except Forest Department. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to give 50 percent
reservation to women in Panchayat and urban body elections.
• REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power, has
launched the mobile app ‘Sugam REC’ for investors of 54EC bonds.
• ‘Indian Automotive Research Association’ has signed an MoU with ‘IIT Guwahati’ for setting up a
common engineering facility named ‘Digital Twin Center for Emerging Automotive Systems’ in hub
and spoke model. ‘Indian Automotive Research Association’ is an autonomous body under the
Ministry of Heavy Industries.

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 • Northern Region Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
Welfare, Government of India, Hisar, Haryana has signed an MoU with Mahindra & Mahindra Limited,
Mumbai, one of India's leading manufacturers of tractors and farm machinery.
• In an extraordinary action in America, Speaker of the House of Representatives 'KV McCarthy' has
been removed from the post. For the first time in the history of the US Parliament, the Speaker of the
House was removed by 216 votes against 210.
• The Union Ministry of Education has unveiled draft guidelines to address the serious issue of student
suicide in schools. These guidelines named ‘UMMEED’ (Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise,
Empower, Develop) provide a comprehensive action plan to increase awareness, sensitivity and
support mechanisms for students facing mental health challenges.
• The Government of Bihar has taken an important step by announcing 10% reservation for
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the state's judicial services and government-run law
colleges and universities.
• Recently the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has exempted all transactions and agreements related to
aircraft and their engines from the prohibition under Section 14 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code (IBC), 2016, this applies to aircraft lessors (companies that lease their fleet of aircraft). Provides
relief to airlines).
• Researchers at the Materials Research Center of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have made a
breakthrough in wastewater treatment and potential medical diagnostics. They have developed a
state-of-the-art enzyme mimetic called ‘NanoPtA’ that can effectively destroy toxic chemicals in
industrial waste water when exposed to sunlight.
• The US Federal Communications Commission has issued its first fine related to space debris rule
violations. Dish Network has been fined $150,000 for failing to properly deorbit its EchoStar-7 satellite
that has been in space for more than two decades.
• The Govt. of Assam has announced its plan to conduct a socio-economic survey of the state's five
indigenous Muslim communities (Goriya, Moriya, Deshi, Syed and Jolha). The initiative aims to
support the development and upliftment of these communities in various aspects including health
care, education, cultural identity, financial matters, skill development and women empowerment.
• Govt. of Delhi has taken an important step in the fight against air pollution by launching the ‘Green
War Room’ on October 3, 2023.
• CM of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant said that Goa is ready to create history by hosting the 37th National
Games, which will include a record 43 sports disciplines.
• ‘World Cerebral Palsy Day’ is celebrated every year on 6 October. The theme of World Cerebral
Palsy Day in 2023 is ‘Together Stronger’. Cerebral palsy is a brain disorder that mainly affects
children.

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 7 October

Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD)

• India has already completed two terms as the President of the General Conference of AIBD from
2018-2021 and 2021-2023.
• India has been re-elected as the President for the third consecutive term to lead this prestigious
international organization.
• It is a specialized regional intergovernmental organization established in the year 1977 under the
auspices of UNESCO.
• The organization currently has 92 member organizations from 44 countries, including 26
government members (countries), represented by 48 broadcasting authorities and broadcasters
and 44 associates (organizations).
• They represent 28 countries and territories from Asia, the Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Arab States
and North America.
• India is one of its founding members and India's public service broadcaster, 'Prasar Bharati' is a
representative body of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India in
AIBD.

Hangzhou Asian Games - 2023

• India secured the fourth position in the Hangzhou Asian Games in China by winning a total of 107
medals including 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze and this is its best performance till date.
• The country got a maximum of 29 medals in athletics. After this, India won 22 medals in shooting
and 9 medals in archery.
• In the men's Kabaddi final, India won the gold medal by defeating Iran, which was considered a
tough challenge. India also won the gold medal in women's Kabaddi by defeating Chinese Taipei.
• In chess, India has won silver medals in women's and men's team competition. In women's hockey,
India defeated Japan and won the bronze medal.
Medal Table -
• Team/NOC - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total Medals
• People's Republic of China - 201 - 111 - 71 - 383
• Japan - 52 - 67 - 69 - 188
• Republic of Korea - 42 - 59 - 89 - 190
• India - 28 - 38 - 41 - 107
• Uzbekistan – 22 – 18 – 31 – 71
• Chinese Taipei - 19 - 20 - 28 – 67

One liner current affairs

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 • Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Parshottam Rupala and Union Minister of State
in the ministry of fisheries Dr. L. Murugan launched the ninth phase of Sagar Parikrama at Tondi port
in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.
• India will start mechanical ferry service from Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu) to neighboring country Sri
Lanka from 10th of this month. This ferry service will reach Kankesanthurai port of Sri Lanka in 30
minutes.
• Arunachal Pradesh has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the GI Registry in
Chennai for Khamti rice, ‘Yak Churpi’ (cheese) from Tawang and Tangsa textile.
• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
inaugurated 50 bedded 'Ayurvedic Hospital' at Shriram Chapori, Majuli (Assam).
• Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan took over as the Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy on 06
October 2023.
• Tamil writer Ambai (original name C.S. Lakshmi) was honored with the prestigious Tata Literature
Live Lifetime achievement award in Coimbatore.
• Reliance Retail's JioMart has signed up India's most iconic cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its
brand ambassador.
• Aditya Puri, former managing director and CEO of HDFC Bank, joins 'Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India
LLP' as senior advisor.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Munish Kapoor as Executive Director with effect from
October 3, 2023. Kapoor will now handle the Department of Economic and Policy Research.
• The government has extended the tenure of SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara till August next year.
• Russia has successfully tested its new 'Burevestnik missile'. Burevestnik, named 'Storm Petrel', is a
ground-launched, low-flying cruise missile that is not only capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but
is also nuclear-powered.
• According to the biennial report of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the
average annual loss (AAL) to the basic infrastructure sector due to natural disasters and climate
change is currently US$ 301 to 330 billion every year.
• Telecom giant Nokia has taken an important step towards the future of wireless technology with the
establishment of its state-of-the-art 6G laboratory at the company's global R&D center in Bengaluru,
India.
• ‘World Cotton Day’ is celebrated every year on 7 October. 'World Cotton Day' was initiated in 2019,
when four cotton producers in sub-Saharan Africa – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, known as
the Cotton Four – appealed to the 'World Trade Organisation' on October 7 with the proposal of
its celebration.
• Senior CPI(M) leader and former MLA Anathalvattom Anandan, who played a key role in building the
trade union base for the party in the state, died in a hospital.

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 8 October

Indian Air Force Day

• The Indian Air Force celebrated its 91st Raising Day on 8 October 2023 in Prayagraj, Uttar
Pradesh. On this occasion, the Air Force organized a spectacular parade at Bamrauli Air Force
Station.
• Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal V.R. Choudhary unveiled the new flag of the Air Force in a
parade.
• This year, the parade on Air Force Day was led, for the first time, by a woman officer i.e. Group
Captain Shalija Dhami. For the first time, contingents of women military personnel including
Agniveer Vayu women participated in the parade.
• During this, MiG-21 was given a formal farewell and transport aircraft C-295 was inducted into the
Air Force. Two vintage aircraft including Tigermoth and Harvard also participated in the event.
These aircraft were used in the Second World War.
• The theme of this year's Air Force Day is - Indian Air Force-Global Airpower.
• The Indian Air Force was formed on 8 October 1932 as a subsidiary of the Royal Air Force of the
United Kingdom. In the year 1933, the Indian Air Force fielded its first squadron and flew its first
mission on this date.

Pusa-44 paddy variety

• CM of Punjab Bhagwant Singh Mann has recently announced a ban on the cultivation of paddy
variety Pusa-44 in the state from next year.
• PUSA-44 was once popular among farmers of Punjab due to its high yield, covering a significant
portion of paddy cultivation.
• PUSA-44 was developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1993 and initially
gained popularity in Punjab in the late 1990s.
• Pusa-44 has a long maturity period, taking approximately 160 days to mature. This extended
cultivation period requires 5-6 additional cycles of irrigation, exacerbating the problem of
groundwater depletion in Punjab.

Fuzhou–Xiamen–Zhangzhou railway line

• China has unveiled its unprecedented high-speed rail line, marking a significant leap forward in
transport infrastructure.
• It is known as the ‘Fuzhou–Xiamen–Zhangzhou Railway’, this railway not only crosses several bays
but also traverses the picturesque coastline of Fujian province, located near the Taiwan Strait.
• It is China's first cross-sea, high-speed rail line.

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 One liner current affairs
• India and Saudi Arabia have signed an MoU in the field of electrical interconnection, green and clean
hydrogen and power supply. The agreement was signed during the Middle East and North Africa
Climate Week session in Riyadh.
• Haryana Government has launched 'Subsidy Scheme for Widows' from the year 2021-22 to make
women, especially widows, divorced and legally separated women self-reliant and improve their
economic and social condition in rural and urban areas of the state. Is of.
• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated Aadi Mahotsav – National Tribal
Festival in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. This mega event is being organized by Tribal Cooperative
Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs from 7
to 16 October 2023.
• The Eastern Command of the Indian Army is organizing an important defense event, ‘East Tech
2023’ to showcase the latest defense technologies. The event, to be held on 10th and 11th October
in Guwahati, is the first of its kind in Assam and the entire North East region.
• The Maharashtra government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Victoria
& Albert Museum in London to bring back the historical weapon named 'Wagh Nakh' to the state on
a three years loan agreement. The most famous use of the Wagh Nakh or knuckle duster that
represents a tiger's claw and is associated with the assassination of Afzal Khan by Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj.
• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has raised India's economic
growth forecast for 2023 to 6.6%, up from the earlier estimated 6%.

9 October

Nobel Prize in Economics - 2023

• The Nobel Prize in Economics for the year 2023 will be awarded to Harvard University professor
'Claudia Goldin' (American citizen).
• This award is known as the ‘Sveriges Riksbank Prize’.
• Claudia Goldin will receive the award 'for advancing our understanding of women's labor market
outcomes'.
• Only two women, Elinor Ostrom and Esther Duflo, have ever been awarded the Nobel Prize for
extraordinary contributions to economic science. Goldin will be the third woman to receive this
honor.

Annual Joint HADR Exercise 2023 – (Cyclone 2023)

• Since its first edition in 2015, the annual joint HDR exercise 'Cyclone' has transformed itself into a
multi-agency effort involving the three services, paramilitary forces as well as a number of disaster

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 response organizations, NGOs, academic institutions and the participation of international
organizations.
• This exercise has been conducted by the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force on rotation
basis since 2016. The last edition of the exercise was conducted by the Indian Air Force in Agra.
• The 2023 edition of the exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy at Goa from 09 to 11 Oct
23.

World Dyslexia Day

• World Dyslexia Day is celebrated every year on '8th October' and Dyslexia Awareness Week is
celebrated every year from 2nd to 8th October.
• Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder that primarily affects a person's ability to read, write, and
spell accurately.
• In this, the person faces difficulties in processing language-related tasks, including recognizing and
decoding written words. However dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence.
• Its theme for the year 2023 is Uniquely You.

World Post Day - 2023

• Delhi Circle of the Department of Posts is celebrating ‘World Postal Day’ on 09 October, 2023 and
‘National Postal Week – 2023’ from 09.10.2023 to 13.10.2023, which includes the following
programs –
o October 09, 2023 (Monday) - World Post Day
o October 10, 2023 (Tuesday) – Financial Empowerment Day
o October 11, 2023 (Wednesday) – Philately Collection Day
o October 12, 2023 (Thursday) – Mail and Parcel Day
o October 13, 2023 (Friday) – Antyodaya Day
• World Post Day is celebrated every year on 09 October. The program was announced by the
Universal Postal Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 1969 to mark the anniversary of the creation of the
Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the year 1874.
• The theme of World Post Day, 2023 is ‘Together for Trust: Collaborating for a safe and connected
future’.

One liner current affairs

• President Smt. Draupadi Murmu addressed an international research symposium on 'From Research
to Impact: Towards Equitable and Resilient Agro-Food Systems' organized by the Gender Impact
Platform, Advisory Group on International Agricultural Research and the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research in New Delhi on October 9, 2023 Inaugurated the conference.

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 • Assembly elections in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will be
held between 7th and 30th next month, while counting of votes in the five states will take place on
December 3.
• India and Tanzania signed six MoUs in the fields of sports, maritime industry, cultural exchange,
establishment of industrial park in Tanzania, use of digital technology as per changing market needs
and sharing of prior information on movements of merchant vessels of each other countries. Signed
memoranda.
• The Telangana government has decided to implement a cashless health insurance scheme for
government employees, their families and pensioners covered under the Employees' Health Scheme.
• The inaugural edition of 'Women Entrepreneurship Forum' - NITI Aayog's State Workshop Series on
Enabling Women-led Development through Entrepreneurship was held on 3 October 2023 at 'CSIR-
National Institute of Oceanography' Auditorium, Goa.
• After facing several technical problems during flight operations, Air India has opened a warehouse
facility in Delhi to facilitate storage of over 1,000,000 engineering spares.
• The Reserve Bank of India has increased the monetary limit of gold loan under the Bullet Repayment
Scheme for Urban Cooperative Banks from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.
• Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Day is celebrated every year on 9 October. The Government of India
established the Indian Foreign Service on October 9, 1946 for the diplomatic, consular and
commercial representation of India in foreign countries.

10 October

‘Dakar Declaration 2023’ on climate change

• Ministers from the world's 46 least developed countries (LDCs) issued a Joint Dakar Declaration
on Climate Change outlining their expectations and priorities for COP-28.
• The manifesto calls for urgent global emissions reductions to address the rapidly approaching
1.5°C global warming limit.
• Developed countries are urged to present a clear road map to at least double the adaptation fund
distributed by 2025 through public, grant-based financing.
• Dakar is the capital and major port of Senegal, a country in the African continent.

Intifada
• The recent occurrence of the Hamas–Israel conflict has raised concerns about a third intifada.
• Hamas is a militant Palestinian nationalist group that has controlled Gaza since 2006.
• Intifada means 'to shake off' in Arabic and was used to describe the Palestinian uprising against
the Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza.
• The first intifada lasted from 1987 to 1993 and the second intifada lasted from 2000 to 2005.

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 • This rebellion was led by Palestinian youth who were fed up with the behavior of Israeli settlers.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine have not decreased since the end of the second intifada.

One liner current affairs

• Tanzania's President 'Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan was awarded an honorary doctorate by Jawaharlal
Nehru University for her significant role in promoting India-Tanzania relations.
• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Defense Minister 'Guido Crosetto' in Rome on the first day
of his official visit to Italy.
• Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani launched a new 'National Community
Management Programme' in New Delhi to tackle the problem of malnutrition among children.
• The National Health Authority has created a new record by issuing more than one crore tokens to
those doing OPD registration using 'Aabha Seva'. This paperless service was launched in October
last year under the ‘Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission’.
• Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, in a meeting with Export Promotion Councils, unveiled an important
initiative of system based automated issuance of 'Status Holder' Certificates under the Foreign Trade
Policy (FTP) 2023.
• According to the ‘Children Displaced in a Changing Climate’ report released by UNICEF and the
Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), at least 43 million children have been displaced in
the last six years due to extreme weather events.
• 'Mushk Budji', an indigenous aromatic rice variety from Kashmir, is on the verge of a significant
revival, as authorities in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) unveiled plans to expand its cultivation area to
5,000 hectares within the next 3 years.
• Maharashtra Government has approved the 'Lek Ladki' i.e. Pyari Beti Scheme. This scheme will be
applicable to girls born after April 1, 2023. Under this, financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh will be provided
to girls from poor families.
• ‘Delhi High Court’ will telecast live court proceedings. It will begin with the proceedings of the division
bench headed by the Chief Justice.
• ISRO has announced the successful execution of the trajectory correction exercise for its 'Aditya L1
spacecraft'. ‘Aditya L1’ is on a 110-day journey to reach the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point 1 (L1), one
of the longest space missions undertaken by an Indian spacecraft since the Mars mission of 2013-
2014.
• Spanish aerospace company ‘PLD Space’ has achieved an important milestone by successfully
launching its recoverable ‘Miura-1 rocket’. This achievement marks Europe's first completely private
rocket launch.
• NASA is preparing for an ambitious mission called 'Psyche', where a high-tech spacecraft will set out
on a 2.2 billion mile journey to explore the asteroid named '16 Psyche'.

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 • Mont Blanc, the iconic peak of the Alps, the largest mountain range in Central Europe, has seen a
significant decline in height, falling by 2.2 meters since 2021.
• The annual occurrence of the ozone hole over Antarctica has expanded significantly this year,
reaching almost three times the size of Brazil, according to satellite data from the European Union's
Earth observation program 'Copernicus'.
• Indian Navy has institutionalized a new transformative initiative of '360 Degree Appraisal System' for
various promotion boards.
• Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya broke the men's world record by clocking just two hours 35 seconds in the
Chicago Marathon. He broke the previous record set by Eliud Kipchoge at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
• ‘World Mental Health Day’ is celebrated every year on 10 October. This year's theme is 'Mental Health
a Universal Human Right'.
• British filmmaker 'Terence Davis' has passed away at the age of 77.

11 October

Indian Ocean Rim Organization (IORA)

• The 23rd Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was held in
Colombo. On this occasion, Sri Lanka took over the chairmanship from Bangladesh.
• ‘Sri Lanka’ will preside over this association from 2023 to 2025. India has assumed the post of
Vice-President of the institution for the next two years.
• The vision of IORA came to light in the year 1995 during the visit of the then President of South
Africa, Nelson Mandela to India, where he said, "The Indian Ocean Region for socio-economic
cooperation in the light of the concept of natural inspiration of the facts of history and geography.
“Countries must strengthen themselves.”
• This led to the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in March 1995 and the Indian Ocean Rim Association
(then known as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation) in March 1997.
Currently IORA has 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners.

360 ONE Wealth Hurun India Rich List – 2023

• According to the recently released '360 ONE Wealth Hurun India Rich List' for 2023, Reliance
Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has overtaken Adani Group's Gautam Adani to become the
richest Indian.
• Managing Director and Chairman of Serum Institute of India Cyrus Poonawalla has retained his
position as India's third richest person.
• Founder and chairman HCL Technologies Shiv Nadar maintained his position as the fourth richest
Indian.

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International Girl Child Day 2023
• Recently, Shreya Dharmarajan, a 21-year-old from Chennai, got the opportunity to spend an entire
day in the role of a diplomat after winning a competition organized by the British High Commission
to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child 2023.
• ‘International Day of the Girl’, celebrated every year on 11 October, was celebrated for the first
time in the year 2012.
• The theme of International Day of the Girl Child 2023 is - "Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership,
Our Well-being."

One liner current affairs

• The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of an autonomous body named 'Mera Yuva Bharat'
(MY Bharat). It aims to act as a comprehensive enabling mechanism driven by technology for youth
development and youth led development.
• The Union Cabinet has approved amendment to the Second Schedule of the Mines and Minerals
(Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 ('MMDR Act') to fix the rate of royalty in respect of three
critical and strategic minerals Lithium, Niobium and Rare Earth Elements. The amendment, among
other things, removed six minerals including lithium and niobium from the list of nuclear minerals.
• The Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Trinidad and Tobago on cooperation in the field
of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation.
• Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the ‘Indian Jewelry Shopping
Festival 2023’ in New Delhi.
• The Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and France on cooperation in the field of digital
technology.
• Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur ‘Krish, Trish and Baltiboy (KTB) – Bharat Hain Hum’, a two-season
animated series produced by Central Bureau of Communications, Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting and Graffiti Studio. The series consists of 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, covering
stories of the Indian freedom struggle from the year 1500 to 1947.
• ISRO in collaboration with Vigyan Bharati is organizing an exhibition named 'Space on Wheels' in
East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Its objective is to provide information about satellites,
launch vehicles and communication systems to the students and curious people of the region at their
doorstep.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under Government of India launched A-HELP
(Accredited Agent for Extension of Health and Livestock Production) program in Jharkhand.
• An important dredging work has been undertaken by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
on ‘National Waterway 44’ which includes Ichamati River in West Bengal. The Ichamati river flows
through both India and Bangladesh, acting as a natural border between the two countries for a
significant portion of its flow.

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 • India and Switzerland recently celebrated 75 years of their friendship in a beautiful Kumaon village
in the Uttarakhand region of India. The three-day program named ‘Swiss Himalayan Bounty’ started
at a charming homestay in Satoli village near Mukteshwar in Nainital district.
• Outlook Group, in association with IDFC First Bank, is launching its much-awaited retirement
planning programme namely ‘40 After 40’.
• YES Bank, a leading financial institution in India, has taken a significant step forward in the digital
commerce space by introducing ‘Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) Network Gift Card’.
The move makes Yes Bank the first bank in the country to issue such a card.
• Army's Manikant created a national record in men's 100m race on the first day of the 'National Open
Athletics Championships' in Bengaluru. Manikant is a 21-year-old qualified for the final by topping the
third heat with a timing of 10.23 seconds.
• The famous Indian Men's Kabaddi team captain 'Pawan Sehrawat' has been bought at the most
expensive price in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction. Pawan Kumar Seharwat was bought by
'Telugu Titans' for Rs 2.60 crore. Iran's Mohammadreza Shadlui Chayaneh became the most
expensive foreign player in the auction and was bought by Puneri Paltan for Rs 2.35 crore.

12 October

SHRESHTHA SCHEME
• In an important step to enhance the quality of education for school students in India, the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the ‘Scheme for Residential Education for
Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas’ (SHRESHTA).
• This program is designed to provide high quality education to Scheduled Caste (SC) students and
expand the reach of development initiatives in SC-dominant areas in the education sector.
• The ‘Shreshtha Programme’ will be operated in two different ways –
o Schooling under private residential schools affiliated to CBSE/State Board
o Admission in NGO run schools

INS Sagardhwani
• INS Sagardhwani, an oceanographic research vessel of DRDO's Naval Physical and
Oceanographic Laboratory, departed from South Jetty, Southern Naval Command, Kochi on a two-
month long Sagar Maitri (SM) Mission-4.
• ‘Sagar Maitri’ is a unique initiative of DRDO, which supports the broader objective of ‘Security and
Growth for All in the Region’ in marine research among the ‘Indian Ocean Rim Countries’.
• Under the aegis of this policy, DRDO has launched a scientific component named 'MAITRI (Ocean
and Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative)', which focuses on establishing long-
term collaboration with IOR countries in the field of 'Ocean Research and Development'.

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 • In the first Sagar Maitri Mission, the delegation visited Yangon (Myanmar) in April 2019, followed
by the second mission (SM-2) to Klang (Malaysia) in August 2019 and Singapore in September
2019 and a visit to these three countries. A one-day scientific seminar was also organized.
• INS Sagardhwani is a marine acoustic research ship, designed and developed by NPOL, Kochi. It
is indigenously manufactured by GRSE Limited. It was launched in July 1994.

Forbes World's Best Employers List - 2023

• In the year 2023, Forbes released the 7th list of the world's best employers. A total of 700
companies from the world have been included in this.
• The only Indian company has been included in this list. This company is National Thermal Power
Corporation Limited (NTPC). Its global employer ranking is 261st.
• The electronic goods manufacturer company 'Samsung' is at the top position in the list. ‘Microsoft’
is in second place and ‘Alphabet’ is in third place. ‘Apple’ is in fourth place and ‘Ferrari’ is in fifth
place.

Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Jayanti

• Recently the Prime Minister of India has paid tribute to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan on his
birth anniversary.
• Born on 11 October 1902 in Sitabdiara, Bihar, Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as J.P. or
Loknayak (People's Leader), was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and politician.
• He was influenced by both American Marxist ideas and Gandhian ideology. In the year 1929, he
joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement
and Quit India Movement.
• Taking inspiration from Vinoba Bhave, he dedicated his life to the Bhoodan Yagya movement,
advocating land redistribution to the landless. He led the movement against the Indira Gandhi
regime in response to electoral law violations, putting forward the program of 'Total Revolution' in
1974.
• Jayaprakash Narayan was posthumously awarded 'Bharat Ratna' in the year 1999. He died on
October 8, 1979.

One liner current affairs

• Before the 'P-20' conference of parliamentary chairpersons of G-20 countries, the Parliamentary
Forum 'LIFE' (Lifestyle for Environment) conference started in New Delhi.
• The first flight under 'Operation Ajay', the campaign to bring back Indian citizens from war-torn Israel,
reached Delhi Airport.
• The Center has approved seven bridge projects worth Rs 118 crore 50 lakh in Arunachal Pradesh
under the ‘Setu Bandhan Yojana’.

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 • Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 108th
Plenary Meeting of the Development Committee in Marrakesh, Morocco as the Governor of the World
Bank. The agenda of this meeting was ‘Eliminating poverty on a habitable planet – Report to the
Governors on Development of the World Bank’.
• National Company Law Appellate Tribunal Chairman Justice Ashok Bhushan inaugurated the '8th
BRICS International Competitiveness Conference 2023' in New Delhi. The Competition Commission
of India is organizing this conference from October 11 to 13, 2023. The theme of the conference is –
New Issues in Competition Law and Policy – Dimensions, Perspectives, Challenges.
• Ahead of the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, significant progress has been made in recognizing
housing rights, especially for particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in the state. Baiga has
become the second group after Kamar to get housing rights.
• Reserve Bank of India has imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore 39 lakh on Paytm Payments Bank Limited
for violation of Know Your Customer – KYC and other rules.
• Haryana Government has approved increasing the 'Term Insurance Coverage' for accredited media
persons in the state from the existing Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
• The Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad, a minority organization in Bangladesh, has demanded
special security measures for them before and after the upcoming national elections.
• Asian Development Bank for production of vaccines for many diseases
• It will provide assistance of 338 million dollars to Bangladesh.
• India will host the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting. The 141st IOC session will
be held in Mumbai from 15 to 17 October.
• Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education
to mark the achievement of one million certifications by UNICEF under its 'Passport to Earning' (P2E)
program on the occasion of United Nations International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October 2023
Participated in an online program organized.
• The second edition of the National Cyber Security Exercise, known as 'India NCX 2023', has begun
as a hybrid exercise over a period of 12 days from October 9. This important program is run by the
National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
• The Assam government has given the green signal to the construction of a 1000-km 'High-Speed
Economic Corridor' road, a major infrastructure project. The proposed corridor will be an integral part
of the ‘Asom Mala’ project.
• NASA's Parker Solar Probe has become the fastest man-made object in history. During its 17th orbit
around the Sun, it reached an astonishing speed of 635,266 kilometers (394,736 miles) per hour,
surpassing its own record set in 2021.
• ‘World Sight Day’ is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of October. This year was
celebrated on 12th October with the theme – Love your eyes while at work.

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 13 October

White phosphorus
• Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, serious allegations have emerged
on social media that the Israel Defense Forces are deploying banned 'white phosphorus bombs' in
the densely populated area.
• White phosphorus is a waxy, yellow chemical with a pungent odor. It is highly flammable, burning
rapidly and brightly when exposed to air.
• Militaries around the world, including the US, use white phosphorus in incendiary weapons for a
variety of purposes.
• In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution classifying incendiary weapons
as weapons of “horrible sight.”

Nana ji Deshmukh
• Recently the Prime Minister of India has paid tribute to Nanaji Deshmukh on his birth anniversary.
• Born on October 11, 1916 in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, Nanaji Deshmukh was a prominent
social activist, politician and a prominent figure in the political landscape of India.
• He actively participated in the Bhoodan movement of Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
• He founded Chitrakoot Gramodaya University, India's first rural university, in Chitrakoot and served
as its Chancellor.
• In the year 1999, he was nominated to Rajya Sabha.
• Was awarded Padma Vibhushan in the year 1999 and was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously
by the President of India in the year 2019 (Death: 27 February, 2010).

One liner current affairs

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 9th G-20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit (P-20)
at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi. In line with the theme of India's G-20 Chairmanship, the theme of the
9th P-20 Summit is 'Parliament for One Earth, One Family, One Future'.
• Minister of State under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Shri B.L. Verma
launched ‘MDONER Data Analytics Dashboard’ and ‘North East Sampark Setu’ portal virtually at
Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. This dashboard contains data of 112 schemes of 55 departments and
ministries.
• The prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to renowned Hollywood
actor and producer 'Michael Douglas' at the 54th International Film Festival of India.
• The state government of Uttarakhand inaugurated ‘Yuva Uttarakhand Mobile Application’ and
‘Prayag Portal’. ‘Prayag Portal’ is dedicated to providing job information.
• Uttar Pradesh has declared 'Ganga Dolphin' as the 'State Aquatic Animal'.

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 • Army Chief General Manoj Pandey awarded the prestigious 'President's Collars' to the 3rd Battalion
of the Naga Regiment during a spectacular Collar Presentation Parade held at the Kumaon
Regimental Center in Ranikhet (Uttarakhand) on October 13, 2023.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Agricultural Research
Institute and the Start-up Incubation and Innovation Center of IIT Kanpur. Through this MoU, both
sides will provide vital support to incubators and start-ups.
• A two-day 'Zanskar Mahotsav' will be organized at Padum in Zanskar in Ladakh.
• Renowned Malayalam film producer and Mathrubhumi Publications Group director PV Gangadharan
passed away in Kozhikode on the morning of October 13.
• The fourth meeting of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Presidents is being held in
Marrakesh, Morocco under the chairmanship of India. A joint declaration was agreed upon in this
meeting.
• The female labor force participation rate in the country has increased by 4.2 percentage points to 37
percent this year. The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation has given this information
in the data released for its periodic ‘Labour Force Survey Report 2022-23’.
• The Ministry of Railways has initiated the construction of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
connecting Ludhiana (Punjab) to Son Nagar (West Bengal) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor
connecting Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal to Dadri.
• IRCON International Limited and RITES Limited (RITES), both Central Public Sector Enterprises
under the Ministry of Railways, have been declared as the 15th and 16th Navratna respectively
among the Central Public Sector Undertakings. He has been given this status by the Finance Ministry.
• Bharti Group has signed an agreement to buy 49 percent stake of French company AXA in its joint
venture Bharti AXA Life Insurance.
• Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, launched Special
Campaign 3.0 in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) on 29
September 2023 under the theme ‘Digital DARPG’.
• Director Vivek Agnihotri has launched his latest book, 'The Book of Life: My Dance with Buddha for
Success' in Lucknow.
• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina marked a historic moment in the country's infrastructure
development by inaugurating the 82 km long 'Padma Bridge Rail Link' (executed under China's Belt
and Road Initiative).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred public sector Bank of Baroda (BOB) from adding new
customers on its mobile app 'BOB world' with immediate effect.
• World Athletics has nominated Neeraj Chopra for the ‘Male Athlete of the Year Award’ for the year
2023.
• The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee has approved the inclusion of five
additional sports [squash, baseball/softball, flag football], including cricket, from the Los Angeles 2028

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 Olympic Games Organizing Committee.The proposal to include baseball and lacrosse (six-a-side)]
has been accepted.
• International Olympic Committee has joined hands with Reliance Foundation for the success of the
Olympic Values Education Program in India.
• The 11th edition of the ‘Sultan of Johor Cup’ (hockey) is scheduled to be held in Johor, Malaysia in
2023. This prestigious tournament is scheduled to take place from 27th October to 4th November.
• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed annually on 13 October. Its theme for the
year 2023 is ‘Fighting inequality for a resilient future’.

14 October

Green Credit Program (GCP) and Ecomark Scheme

• To take forward the ‘LIFE’ – ‘Environment Friendly Lifestyle’ campaign announced by the
Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the year 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change has launched two pioneering initiatives.
• These initiatives, the Green Credit Program (GCP) and the Ecomark Scheme, seek to encourage
eco-friendly practices rooted in tradition and conservation.
• Green Credit Program (GCP) – Providing incentives to environmental activities
• Ecomark Scheme: To provide incentives to eco-friendly products.

One liner current affairs

• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has joined the Pharmacopoeia Discussion Group (PDG),
an important step towards promoting global pharmaceutical standards, regulatory compliance and
international recognition of Indian pharmaceutical products.
• Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal released the ‘Compendium of PM Gatishakti’ in New Delhi
yesterday on the occasion of completion of two years of ‘PM Gatishakti’.
• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the first medical college ‘Nagaland Institute
of Medical Sciences and Research’ at Freebagi, Kohima in Nagaland.
• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the fourth phase of 'Mission Shakti'.
Under this mission, special programs related to women's safety, self-respect and empowerment will
be organized in 18 districts till 23 October.
• Cashew from Goa, known for its long and cherished heritage, has been awarded the Geographical
Indication (GI) tag. Cashew was brought to Goa by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
• Assam has launched an upgraded version of its poverty alleviation scheme ‘Orunodoi 2.0’.
• Union Minister Parshottam Rupala launched the 10th phase of Sagar Parikrama in Chennai.

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 • Indian Navy conducted a two-day massive coastal security exercise – Sagar Kavach 02/23 involving
all maritime security agencies in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry.
• In view of the attack on Israel by Hamas, the US has launched USS Gerald R. Ford demonstrated its
support for Israel by deploying an aircraft carrier strike group. ‘USS Gerald R. Ford' has the title of
being the largest warship ever built.
• Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited has once again won the prestigious ‘Best Innovation
in Refinery’ award for the year 2022-23, given by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
at the 26th Energy Technology Meet 2023.
• India's Grandmaster 'Raunak Sadhwani', 17-year-old became the Under-20 World Junior Rapid
Chess Champion after a strong performance in Italy.

15 October

32nd Saraswati Samman 2022

• Tamil writer 'Sivashankari' was honored with 'Saraswati Samman 2022' for her memoir (biography)
'Surya Vamsam'.
• This award is given every year for literary works published in the last 10 years by Indian writers of
22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• This award was awarded by the K.K. Birla Foundation (since 1991), it carries a sum of Rs 15 lakh
along with a plaque and a citation.
• Apart from Saraswati Samman, Vyas Samman and Bihari Award are other literary awards instituted
by the Birla Foundation.
• Senior Hindi poet and writer Prof. Ramdarsh Mishra has been honored with the ‘31st Saraswati
Samman 2021’.
• The first Saraswati Samman was given to 'Harivanshrai Bachchan'. The first woman winner of
Saraswati Samman was 'Balamani Amma'.

One liner current affairs

• The Army Commanders' Conference will be held in 'New Delhi' from 16th to 20th of this month. Policy
decisions related to the Indian Army are discussed in this top level biennial conference.
• Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated 'Samau Martyrdom
Memorial' and Library in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reached Hanoi on a six-day visit to Vietnam
and Singapore. After reaching Vietnam, the Foreign Minister visited the historical 'Tran Quoc
Pagoda'.

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 • First cargo ship docks at Vizhinjam International Port in Kerala Vizhinjam International Transshipment
Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project undertaken by the Government of Kerala.
• A new high throughput quantum supported green hydrogen production technology has recently been
developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU which can promote green hydrogen
production in large quantities.
• NASA has confirmed the presence of clay minerals with high carbon content and water retention in
samples collected from asteroid Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36). Bennu is a 4.5 billion-year-old small-
Earth asteroid that passes near Earth every six years.
• Uttar Pradesh was awarded the third prize for its outstanding efforts in operationalizing tele-
technology-based mental health and counseling service, ‘Tele MANAS’. The award was presented
by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and was received by Dr. Pinky
Joval, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin recently reached Kyrgyzstan. This was the Russian President's first
trip abroad after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him in March.
• Neeraj Chopra has been honored as the 'Laureus Ambassador', pledging his support to the Laureus
Sport for good initiative.
• In a lively ceremony at Project Bhawan in Dhurwa, Ranchi, Jharkhand, Honorable Chief Minister of
Jharkhand Hemant Soren unveiled the mascot of the upcoming ‘Women's Asian Champions Trophy
2023'. The mascot ‘Juhi’ takes inspiration from the lovable elephant in Betla National Park.
• Former England captain Alastair Cook announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on October
13, 2023.
• World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2023 is a global event observed twice a year. This year, 13 May
and 14 October were celebrated as World Migratory Bird Day. This year the theme is “Water:
Sustaining Bird Life.”
• The birth anniversary of the country's 11th President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was celebrated as 'World
Students Day'. Dr. Kalam was born on October 15, 1931 in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. He served
as the country's 11th President from 2002 to 2007.

16 October

Global hunger index 2023

• India has been ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023.
• This ranking has been challenged by the Government of India, which has called it 'incorrect' and
motivated by 'malicious intentions'. In 2022, India was ranked 107th out of 121 countries in the
GHI.

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 • With a score of 28.7, India's hunger situation is placed in the severe category. Nearby countries
like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka are ranked 102nd, 81st, 69th and 60th
respectively.
• Data from the government's nutrition tracker shows that the wasting rate among children is less
than 7.2%, in contrast to the GHI reported figure of 18.7%.

Intensive Mission Indradhanush 5.0 campaign

• Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI 5.0) is the priority vaccination initiative of the Union Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare.
• This program targets children and pregnant women who have not been vaccinated, ensuring that
they receive the necessary vaccinations.
• For the first time, IMI 5.0 has been extended to every district in the country. Additionally, it now
includes children up to 5 years of age, whereas the previous campaigns included only children up
to 2 years of age.
• IMI 5.0 aims to increase the coverage of all vaccines listed under the Universal Immunization
Program (UIP) following the National Immunization Schedule (NIS).

Ken-Betwa River Link Project

• As a result of the efforts of the government, the Ken-Betwa River Link Project (KBLP) has recently
received the final forest clearance.
• KBLP is the first project under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for interlinking of rivers, it aims
to transfer surplus water from one river basin to another with the aim of addressing water scarcity
and increasing irrigation.
• The KBLP involves water transfer from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in
Uttar Pradesh, both of which are tributaries of the Yamuna.

Five new sports included in Olympics

• Recently the International Olympic Committee (IOC session held in Mumbai) has accepted the
proposal to add five new sports to the Olympic Games proposed by the Organizing Committee of
the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28).
• The LA28 program will include cricket (T20), baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash.
• The ‘Olympic Games’ are organized under the patronage of the IOC. The IOC was established in
June 1894 and is an independent, non-profit international organization.
• The committee, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic capital, is entirely privately financed.

World Food Day 2023

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 • World Food Day is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the United Nations, Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) on October 16, 1945.
• The theme of World Food Day for the year 2023 is – “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one
behind (Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind)”.
• It emphasizes on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) i.e. 'Zero Hunger'.

One liner current affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated New Zealand's elected Prime Minister 'Christopher
Luxon' for his party's victory in the general elections.
• The tallest statue outside the country of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian
Constitution, was unveiled. The 19 feet high statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in Maryland, a suburb
of Washington DC, America, has been named 'Statue of Equality'.
• Minister for External Affairs Dr Subramaniam Jaishankar co-chaired the 18th India-Vietnam Joint
Commission meeting in Hanoi with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son.
• The Ministry of Defense has signed an agreement with Cochin Shipyard Limited for the modernization
and empowerment of INS Beas. This is the first Brahmaputra class warship whose engine will be
changed from steam to diesel propulsion.
• Recently the India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defense Dialogue was held in New Delhi.
• A division bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice has rejected the plea of a woman
seeking permission to terminate her 26-week pregnancy. Under the Medical Abortion Act, the upper
limit for termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks.
• Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, R.K. Singh launched ‘EV-Ready India
Dashboard eveready india.org’ in New Delhi. This dashboard is a ‘free digital platform’.
• ‘INS Sumedha’ made a port call at Lagos, Nigeria on 13 October 2023 as a part of her deployment
to the Gulf of Guinea. It was also involved in the recently conducted ‘Operation Kaveri’ to evacuate
Indian migrants from war-hit Sudan on April 23.
• Dr. Bijay Kumar Mohanty officially assumes the role of Director (Finance) at Indian Renewable
Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA).
• Recently, Microsoft successfully completed its $69 billion acquisition of video game company
Activision Blizzard.
• After extensive research, the IndiaAI program has prepared its inaugural report, which outlines a
comprehensive roadmap for the development of India's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Seven
working groups of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) collaborated to
prepare the report.
• Central Electricity Authority, the organization under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, which
provides technical and policy support to the Government and all other stakeholders in the power
sector, celebrated its 50th Foundation Day on October 15, 2023.

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 • ‘International Day for Women’ is celebrated every year on 15 October. According to the United
Nations report, 40% of the total agricultural labor force in developing countries is women. In South
American countries, 20% of the labor force is women while in Asia and Africa about 50% of the
agricultural labor force is women.
• ‘Global Handwashing Day’ was celebrated across the world on 15 October.
• International E-waste Day is celebrated on 14 October. This day has been celebrated by Waste
Electrical and Electronic Forum (WEEF) since 2018.
• Recently Dr. MS Gill passed away, he was the 11th Chief Election Commissioner of India.

17 October

69th National Film Awards

• President Draupadi Murmu presented the '69th National Film Awards' in New Delhi.
• President Murmu honored eminent actress Waheeda Rehman with 'Dada Saheb Phalke Award'.
• Nikhil Mahajan was given the National Award for Best Director for the Marathi film Godavari. Allu
Arjun was given the Best Actor Award for the film Pushpa.
• Alia Bhatt was jointly awarded the Best Actress award for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon
for Mimi.
• R. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, directed by Madhavan, was awarded the Best Feature Film.
• Pallavi Joshi was awarded the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Kashmir Files
and Pankaj Tripathi was awarded the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for Mimi.
• The film R.R.R was given the Best Popular Film Overall Entertainment and The Kashmir Files
directed by Vivek Agnihotri was given the Nargis Dutt Award for the Best Film on National
Integration.
• Ek Tha Gaon, directed by Srishti Lakhera, was awarded the Best Non-Feature Film.
• Shreya Goshal received the Best Female Playback Singer award for the song Mayava-Chaiva from
the film Iravan Nizhal and Kaal Bhairav received the Best Male Playback Singer award for the song
Komaram Bheemdu from the film R.R.R.

One liner current affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the third edition of ‘Global Maritime India Summit 2023’
through video conferencing. This summit will continue till October 19 in Mumbai. This program has
been organized by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• The Prime Minister has directed that India should now set new and ambitious targets including setting
up an Indian space station by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
• Garba song 'Maadi' written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been released on the first day of
Navratri. Divya Kumar has given his voice to this song. Whereas, Meet Brothers have composed this

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 song. This song is in Gujarati language. ‘Maadi’ is the second song that PM Modi has written for
Navratri this year. Recently he revealed that he has written another song named 'Garbo'.
• A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has refused to amend the Special
Marriage Act to legalize same-sex marriage.
• Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
launched ‘IndiaSkills 2023-24’ and felicitated the WorldSkills 2022 winners at an event held at
Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. India has secured 11th position in this global competition, which is its
best ranking till date.
• Recently, the United Nations Security Council has approved a Kenya-led Multinational Security
Mission to establish security in Haiti, protect critical infrastructure and control the increasing violence.
A group of gangs known as 'G9 and Family' have disrupted the main fuel port and capital city of Port-
au-Prince, sparking a nationwide crisis.
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Ho Chi Minh
city of Vietnam. Also unveiled the statue of Rabindranath Tagore in Bac Ninh, Vietnam.
• Union Minister of Fisheries Parshottam Rupala has mentioned at the International Food and
Agriculture Organization conference in Mahabalipuram near Chennai that India has become the
second largest fish producing country in the world.
• The Department of Land Resources and National Remote Sensing Center signed a MoU in New
Delhi for monitoring the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana – Watershed
Development Component.
• The Defense Ministry signed a contract for construction of a training ship for the Indian Coast Guard
(ICG) with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai at a cost of Rs 310 crore under the
Procurement (Indian-IDDM) category on October 17, 2023 in New Delhi.
• Union Minister of Education & Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
today launched the web portal 'Apna Chandrayaan' in New Delhi which provides activity-based
support materials such as quizzes, puzzles etc. for school students on Mission Chandrayaan-3.
• Secretary under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Shri S. Krishnan inaugurated
the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Lab at NIELIT, Gorakhpur during the 26th All India Directors
Meeting of NIELIT on 16 October 2023. This is the first laboratory of its kind in Uttar Pradesh under
the Future Skill Prime project.
• The Justice Department is implementing a centrally sponsored scheme to set up 1023 fast track
special courts, including 389 special POCSO courts, across the country for speedy trial of cases
related to rape and POCSO Act.
• The Asian Development Bank has green flagged a $181 million loan to enhance the quality of life in
suburban areas around Ahmedabad, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat.
• The state's first '3D-printed building' was inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

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 • ‘Jharkhand’ will be the first state in the country where employees work on contract or commission.
Preparations are being made to bring it under the ambit of minimum wage.
• The Ministry of Law and Justice issued notification of the appointment of Delhi High Court judge
Justice Siddharth Mridul as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved the list of 303 athletes across 17 sports
disciplines to participate in the upcoming Asian Para Games in China.
• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced cash awards to armed forces personnel for winning
medals in the 19th Asian Games. He said that gold medal winners will be given Rs 25 lakh and silver
medal winners will be given Rs 15 lakh. The bronze medal winners will be given a prize of Rs 10 lakh.
• Every year on October 16, World Spine Day (WSD) raises awareness about spine health. The theme
for the year 2023 is: "Move Your Spine".
• ‘World White Cane Day’ is observed globally on 15 October to promote accessibility and inclusion for
persons with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments.
• ‘International Day for the Eradication of Poverty’ is celebrated every year on ‘17 October’. (Theme –
Decent work and social protection: putting dignity into practice for all)
• The Central Government has announced to celebrate August 23 as 'National Space Day'. This
decision has been taken to celebrate the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission with the landing of
Vikram lander on the south pole of the Moon and deployment of Pragyan rover.
• Former President of Finland and Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari, who was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 2008 for his contribution in resolving international conflicts, died on 16 October 2023.

18 October

Kati Bihu
• Bihu festival is considered very important in Assam. Kati Bihu festival was celebrated here on 18
October 2023.
• According to the Assamese calendar, this festival is celebrated in the month of Kati. This festival
is also known as Kangoli Bihu.
• Bihu festival is celebrated three times in Assam. Bhogali or Magh Bihu which is celebrated in the
month of January. After this Rongali or Bohag Bihu is celebrated in the month of April and finally
Kongali or Kati Bihu is celebrated in the month of October.

One liner current affairs

• President Draupadi Murmu launched the fourth 'Agriculture Road Map: 2023-2028' of Bihar in Patna.
In this road map, an action plan has been made for the development of agriculture in the state in the
next five years.

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 • According to the release of Rashtrapati Bhavan, 'Indrasena Reddy Nallu' has been made the
Governor of Tripura. He will replace Satyadev Narayan Arya. Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand
'Raghuvar Das' will be the new Governor of Odisha. Mr. Das has been appointed in place of outgoing
Governor Professor Ganeshi Lal.
• The ‘World Health Summit’ in 2023 was held in Berlin, Germany, and online participation took place
from 15 October to 17 October under the theme ‘A Defining Year for Global Health Action’.
• The National Handicraft Exhibition ‘Gandhi Weavers Fair’ started in Kolkata under the initiative of the
Union Ministry of Textiles. This fair will continue till 31st October.
• The government has increased the dearness allowance for central employees by 4 percent to 46
percent.
• The Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Inter-State Transmission System, Green
Energy Corridor Phase-2 project for 13 GigaWatt Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has started a special cleanliness drive in temples and surrounding
areas in view of the upcoming festivals. For this, the Yogi government is running a 'Clean Festival,
Healthy Festival' campaign.
• Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan discussed cooperation and opportunities in
various fields with Oman's Economy Minister Said Al Sakri to further strengthen relations between
the two countries.
• The nine-day annual festival of flowers ‘Bathukamma’ is being celebrated with great enthusiasm
across Telangana. It is a colorful floral festival traditionally celebrated by the women of the state with
beautiful local flowers. This festival is celebrated with the onset of monsoon (in southern India).
• National Skill Development Corporation has joined hands with Coca-Cola India to launch the ‘Super
Power Retailer Programme’. This collaborative initiative aims to strengthen the retail sector in the
states of Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
• The Indian Army is going to set up a platform for important discussions on security matters with the
launch of ‘Chanakya Raksha Samvad’.
• 'Looking for Challan', a heart-touching film produced by Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts
and directed by Bappa Ray, has been awarded the prestigious National Award under the 'Best
Investigative Film' category.
• The formation of 5th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil completed in
Ladakh with the election of Councillor of Thasgam, Dr Jaffar Akhone as the Chairman/Chief Executive
Councillor during the 1st meeting of the LAHDC Kargil after the completion of the election process
unopposed.
• Israel tests its new laser-based 'Iron Beam' missile defense system. The system is designed to
destroy short-range rockets, artillery and mortar bombs. Its range is up to 7 kilometers.
• Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport has been ranked as the world's most punctual airport
for the last three months consecutively in aviation analytics firm Cirium's on-time performance report.

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 • Railways middle-order batsman Ashutosh Sharma has broken Yuvraj Singh's record of the fastest
half-century by an Indian. Ashutosh scored a half-century in just 11 balls against Arunachal Pradesh
in Ranchi in the Group C match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

19 October

Rafah Crossing
• The Rafah crossing in southern Gaza has attracted global attention as Palestinians attempt to
leave Gaza due to the Israel-Palestine conflict due to fears of a possible Israeli attack.
• The Rafah Crossing is the southernmost exit point from the Gaza Strip and shares borders with
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Egypt has control over this crossing. This is the only exit that does not
lead to Israeli territory.
• There are only two other border crossings into and out of Gaza. ‘Erez’ is located in the north and
is used by the people of Israel. Kerem Shalom, located in the south, is particularly famous for
commercial goods.

Global Remote Work Index (GRWI) – 2023

• According to the latest research released by cyber security company ‘NordLayer’ on 18 October
2023, India has been ranked 64th out of 108 countries in the ‘Global Remote Work Index’. This
marks a huge drop of 15 places compared to the previous year.
• India's performance remains moderate with rankings of 56 and 55 respectively in the areas of cyber
security and economic security, while it is ranked 13th in cyber infrastructure and 19th in good
response capacity.
• The top countries scoring highest in this index are Denmark, Netherlands, Germany.

Angel tax
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued a direction aimed at ensuring that start-ups
recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) are exempted
from unnecessary tax under the amended 'Angel Tax' provisions in the Finance Act, 2023. There
should be no burden of investigation.
• ‘Angel Tax’ is an income tax levied at the rate of 30.6% when an unlisted company issues shares
to an investor at a price higher than its fair market value.
• Fair market value (FMV) is the price of an asset when buyers and sellers have information about it
and are ready to trade without pressure.

One liner current affairs

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 • The Prime Minister launched 511 ‘Pramod Mahajan Rural Skill Development Centres’ in Maharashtra
through video conference. These centers will conduct skill development training programs in various
sectors to provide employment opportunities to rural youth.
• CBSE has developed Vidya Samiksha Software – ‘Sagar Se Saransh’ as part of Vidya Samiksha
Kendra to enhance data-based decision making. This software is in line with the ‘National Digital
Education Architecture’ which was launched in the year 2021.
• International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has announced the signing of three MoUs with
entities associated with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to promote innovation
in the field of AI, semiconductor technology and quantum technology in India.
• The Union Ministry of Education has recently advised all states to implement Automated Permanent
Academic Account Registry (APAAR), also known as ‘One Nation, One Student ID’.
• CBI conducted raids at 76 places in different states in five different cases under Operation Chakra-
2. The objective of this campaign is to eliminate cyber-related organized financial crime in the country.
• Mahila Thana of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has become the first women-centric police station in the
country to be certified by ISO (International Organization for Standardization).
• Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was appointed India's Permanent
Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.
• The state-of-the-art Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) of the Indian Navy reached Katunayake Base
of Sri Lanka Air Force. This helicopter will be used to train Sri Lanka Air Force pilots in deck-landing
on naval ships.
• A project named ‘Heartland Tripura’ was launched in partnership with ‘Deloitte India’ and National
Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Agartala to enhance the employability
and skills of the youth of Tripura.
• REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Power, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Peacock Award conferred by the
Institute of Directors for its exceptional performance in disaster management.
• The Government of India has announced its plan to sell 7% equity in Housing and Urban
Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) through an offer for sale scheduled for October 18-19.
• ‘Karthikeyan Murali’ has defeated world number one player Magnus Carlsen in the ‘Qatar Masters
Chess Classical Tournament’. 24-year-old Karthikeyan Murali has become the third Indian player to
defeat Magnus Carlsen, before which Harikrishna and Vishwanathan Anand have also defeated
Carlsen.

20 October

‘Roaring Revival’ exhibition

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 • Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated an exhibition titled ‘Roaring Revival: Tigers of
India – An Exhibition of Charcoal Sketches and WaterColor Florals’ at the All India Fine Arts and
Crafts Society in New Delhi. This is the fifth such exhibition by renowned artist Ms. Charumathi
Nirvana, which aims to spread awareness about wildlife conservation.
• The ‘Roaring Revival’ exhibition celebrates 50 years of success of Project Tiger.
• Project Tiger was launched in 1973. It started with 9 tiger reserves and now under 54 tiger reserves,
the tiger habitat has expanded to 75000 square kilometers, which is 2.3 percent of the total land
area of India.

Guided missile destroyer warship 'Imphal'

• Guided missile destroyer warship 'Imphal' was handed over to the Indian Navy.
• This third stealth destroyer of the Project 15B class is the largest destroyer warship ever built in
the country.
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders handed it over to the Navy in Mumbai four months ahead of schedule.
It has been manufactured from indigenous steel DMR-249A.
• Its length is 164 meters and weight is more than 7 thousand five hundred tons.

Global Pension Index 2023

• The 15th annual ‘Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index’ recently released the ranking of
retirement income systems in different countries.
• In this, the Netherlands took the top position, followed by Iceland and Denmark.
• India's ranking saw an improvement to 45th position out of 47 systems analyzed.

One liner current affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the country's first regional train - Rapidex from Sahibabad,
Uttar Pradesh. Mr Modi also boarded the Rapidex train, which has been named 'Namo Bharat'.
• ‘United Nations World Tourism Organization has included Dhordo village in Kutch district in Gujarat
in the list of 54 best tourist villages. This is the only village in India in this list. The maximum number
of villages in this year's list, 4 each, are from Japan, China, Portugal and Peru.
• The country's tallest national tricolor has been installed at Attari check-post of India-Pakistan border
in Amritsar district. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari dedicated the
national tricolor to the nation on a 418 feet high pole.
• Arunachal Pradesh has approved the formation of 'Special Tiger Protection Force'. This special force
will be responsible for the protection of three tiger reserves in the state namely Namdapha, Pakke
and Kamlang.

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 • Only electric, CNG and BS-VI diesel buses will run between Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar
Pradesh from November 1. It aims to promote clean and sustainable public transport services in the
National Capital Region.
• The two-day Anthurium Festival began with much enthusiasm and gaiety in Mizoram's Mamit district.
This festival has been organized by the Tourism Department of Mizoram.
• Justice Siddharth Mridul has been sworn in as the 7th Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.
• Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha and Union Railway Minister Ashwini
Vaishnav launched the much-awaited Vistadome train service in Kashmir. Later, the Lieutenant
Governor flagged off the first Vistadome coach train from Banihal to Srinagar.
• The exhibition of attractive contemporary Indian paintings, which started in Oman this week, is
becoming the favorite of the visitors in the huge hall of the National Museum there. This exhibition
‘India on Canvas: Masterpieces of Modern Indian Painting’ has been displayed with 20 collections of
art from the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri released a book named 'Reverse Swing'.
The book ‘The Reverse Swing Colonialism to Cooperation’ has been written by Ashok Tandon.
• Meenesh Shah, Chairman and Managing Director of the National Dairy Development Board, has
been included in the Board of Directors of the International Dairy Federation.
• As an important step to promote financial inclusion and support in the fisheries sector, an important
meeting focused on the ‘Ghar-Ghar KCC Campaign’ was organized under the chairmanship of Dr.
Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries.
• The ‘Mid Planning Conference’ of ‘MILAN 24’ (Multilateral Naval Exercise – 2024) organized by the
Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam from 19 to 27 February 2024 was conducted by the Eastern Naval
Command on 17 October 23 through video conference.
• Chip designer Qualcomm said it is partnering with Alphabet's Google to make wearable devices like
smartwatches using chips based on 'RISC-V' technology.
• The Federal Bank inaugurated the 'Mookkannoor Mission', an initiative under the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan, on the 106th birth anniversary of its Founder KP Hormis. Mookannoor, a village in
Ernakulam district, is the birthplace of the Founder.
• ‘World Osteoporosis Day’ is celebrated every year on 20 October. The theme of World Osteoporosis
Day 2023 is, “Step Up for Bone Health-Build Better Bones.”
• ‘World Statistics Day’ is celebrated on 20 October. Whereas India's 'National Statistics Day' is
celebrated on 29 June. The theme of World Statistics Day this year is ‘Aligning State Indicator
Framework with National Indicator Framework for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals’.

21 October

Torres Strait Islander community

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 • Recently in Australia, supporters of constitutional change and the creation of an Origins Committee
were defeated in a referendum, which was intended to be an independent voice in Parliament.
• Passing the referendum required a majority in at least four of the six Australian states, as well as
a national majority.
• The proposed referendum sought to amend the Constitution of Australia to provide official
recognition to Australia's first settlers, including both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities.
• The original inhabitants of Australia are the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, who are descendants of groups that existed in Australia and surrounding islands before
European colonization. These communities constitute only 3.8 percent of the Australian population.

Jericho Missile: A 'Doomsday' Weapon

• Recently, Israeli lawmaker Tali Gottlieb, a member of the Knesset representing Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, sparked a global debate with her provocative comments about
the use of Doomsday Weapons against Hamas and Palestine.
• The Jericho missile program is an integral part of Israel's military capabilities, dating back to the
1960s.
• Initially launched in collaboration with French aerospace company Dassault, the program was
named after the Biblical city located in the West Bank.
• It began as a joint effort when France withdrew its support in 1969, but Israel continued its
independent development. Jericho-1 was the first prototype to emerge from this program.

International Chef Day

• ‘International Chefs Day’ is celebrated every year on 20 October.
• The theme for International Chefs Day 2023 has been kept as ‘Growing Great Chefs’.
• In the year 2004, famous chef and former president of the World Association of Chef Society, Dr.
Bill Gallagher started celebrating International Chefs Day.

One liner current affairs

• In preparation for sending a manned space mission in the year 2025, ISRO tested the Abort Mission-
1 (TV-D1) mission. Its main objective was to ensure safe landing, safe rescue of astronauts and
testing of crew-models.
• Defense Minister Rajnath Singh launched the first Indian Military 'Heritage Utsav' in New Delhi. The
two-day event aims to draw attention to India's rich military culture and heritage through dialogue,
art, dance, drama, storytelling and exhibitions.

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 • Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched 'Project UDBHAV' during the inauguration of the Indian
Military Heritage Festival. The project aims to combine ancient knowledge with contemporary military
practices, creating a unique and holistic approach to address modern security challenges.
• 3/5 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army has won the gold medal in the ‘2023 Cambrian Patrol
Competition’, also known as the ‘Olympics of Military Patrolling’, held in Wales, UK.
• India has given permission to export 13 lakh 40 thousand tonnes of non-Basmati rice to seven
countries. According to the notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, rice will
be exported to Nepal, Cameroon, Cote-de-Va, Republic of Guinea, Malaysia, Philippines and
Seychelles.
• Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Shri S. Krishnan witnessed the launch
of indigenous technology of 2 kW DC portable charger developed by the Center of Excellence at IIT
Madras Research Park to help promote electric vehicle adoption at IIT Madras.
• Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran in 2022, has
been honored with the European Union's top human rights award. The European Union Prize, named
after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who
defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• The government has come up with a standard and star labeling program for solar panels. This
scheme is for the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. For this period, there will also
be no labeling fee.
• Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution
Shri Piyush Goyal launched the website of Kasturi Cotton India https://kasturicotton.texprocil.org.
• The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning regarding a possible cyclonic storm
forming in the Arabian Sea. This impending weather event can be named ‘Cyclone Tej’.
• Hindustani classical singer and composer 'Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty' has been honored with the
prestigious 'Durga Bharat Samman' by West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose.
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) received the prestigious United Nations award
for its top-ranked sustainability initiatives including the Sustainability Reporting Standards Board.
UNCTAD honored ICAI during the 8th World Investment Forum for its contribution to sustainability
reporting.
• The US has banned three Chinese companies from supplying materials and technology to Pakistan's
ballistic missile programme. These restrictions are being imposed under the global nuclear non-
proliferation regime.

22 October

Prime Minister ANUSUCHIT JAATI ABHUDAYA YOJANA (PM-AJAY)

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 • ‘PM-AJAY’ covers 03 centrally sponsored schemes namely Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana,
Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub-Scheme and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatravas
Yojana.
• This scheme will be implemented from the year 2021-22 to reduce poverty of Scheduled Caste
communities by creating additional employment opportunities through skill development, income
generation schemes and other initiatives and to improve social- It has been implemented with the
aim of improving economic development indicators.

One liner current affairs

• The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh launched 'Mission Mahila Sarathi' and flagged off '51 BS-6 model
buses' under it.
• Google has launched the ‘DigiKavach’ program to fight online financial fraud in India.
• Puma India has included bowler 'Mohammed Shami' in the list of its brand ambassadors.
• Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sharma inaugurated the 'Shradhanjali Flyover', Assam's
second longest, in Guwahati on October 19, 2023.
• Hewlett-Packard (HP) has announced a significant leadership change with the appointment of 'Ipsita
Dasgupta' as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for its Indian market.
• The Japanese Marine Force has become the first to launch a medium-caliber maritime
electromagnetic railgun from an offshore platform.
• The Reserve Bank of India has set up a sub-office in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, strengthening its
commitment towards financial inclusion and development in the region.
• The Para Asian Games have started in Hangzhou, China. 313 athletes from India will participate in
this. This team will be led by Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist Avani Lekhara and javelin thrower
Sumit Antil.
• Indian badminton player Unnati Hooda has won the women's singles title by defeating Samia Imad
Farooqui in 'Abu Dhabi Masters: 2023'. In the women's doubles final, the pair of Ashwini Ponnappa
and Tanisha Crasto won the title by defeating Denmark's Julie Finne-Ipsen and Mai Suro.
• The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Formula E have officially confirmed the
return of the Hyderabad ePrix for the second edition to be held on February 10, 2024.
• ‘Police Commemoration Day’ is celebrated every year on 21 October in India. The day
commemorates the day in the year 1959, when twenty Indian soldiers were attacked by Chinese
troops in the Hot Spring area of Ladakh, in which ten Indian policemen lost their lives and seven were
captured.
• International Stuttering Awareness Day is celebrated every year on 22 October. Its theme is – “One
Size Does NOT Fit All.”

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 23 October

Anubhav Awards 2023

• Union Minister of State for Science and technology (indep. charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh launched an
integrated pensioner portal with Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda for the nationwide
‘Digital life certificate Campaign 2.0’. He also presented ‘Anubhav Award 2023’ to 13 award winners
for their articles.
• He said that ‘Anubhav Portal’ has been very successful. The campaign has resulted in the
publication of 1,901 experience articles, the highest number since its inception in March 2015.
• The Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare announced 'Anubhav Awards' for the year
2023.

One liner current affairs

• Air Marshal 'Sadhana S. Nair' assumed charge of the post of Director General, Medical Hospital
Services (Armed Forces) in the office of DGAFMS on October 23, 2023. After being promoted to the
rank of Air Marshal, she has become the first woman officer to hold this assignment.
• Joint bilateral training exercise ‘Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023’ between Indian and Malaysian armies
began at Umroi Cantonment in Meghalaya.
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the 'National Seminar
on Cooperative Exports' organized by National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) in New Delhi.
• Recently China, the world's top graphite producer (about 65%) and exporter, has decided to ban
exports of the key battery material.
• Sanjay Kumar Jain has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC.
• The EU Tax Observatory's 'Global Tax Evasion Report 2024' calls for a 2% global wealth tax on
billionaires to tackle tax evasion.
• Shubman Gill became the fastest batsman to score 2000 runs (40 innings) in ODIs.
• President Draupadi Murmu has expressed grief over the demise of renowned cricket player Bishan
Singh Bedi.

24 October

78th anniversary of the United Nations

• The world celebrated the 78th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) on October 24, 2023.
• ‘United Nations Day’ (24 October) is an annual event celebrating the anniversary of the coming
into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945.

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 • The United Nations has 6 constituents which were established in the year 1945 such as the General
Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International
Court of Justice, United Nations Secretariat.

One liner current affairs

• The Center has constituted an 'Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal' in Jammu and Kashmir. It will
take a decision on declaring Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party as illegal.
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the Nano
DAP (Liquid) Plant of 'IFFCO' at Kalol in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat.
• Cyclonic storm 'Hamun' has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal.
• India National Cyber Security Exercise (NCX), 2023 was held in New Delhi from 9 October to 20
October 2023. This is another version of this exercise. The exercise was jointly conducted by the
National Security Council Secretariat and the National Defense University.
• National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL), established as a premier organization for exports in the
cooperative sector, has achieved great success by securing orders worth Rs 7,000 crore. NCEL,
registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, acts as an umbrella organization
for exports from the cooperative sector.
• Lan Phan, a technocrat in China with little central government experience, has been appointed as
finance minister.
• The Prime Minister has congratulated the ITBP personnel on the occasion of the foundation day of
'Indo-Tibetan Border Police'. ITBP was established on 24 October 1962. The soldiers of this security
force are deployed to guard the approximately 3,488 km India-China border from Karakoram Pass in
Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh.
• ‘International Snow Leopard Day’ is celebrated every year on 23 October. The first International Snow
Leopard Day was celebrated in the year 2014.

25 October

Jamrani Dam Multipurpose Project

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the inclusion of 'Jamrani Dam
Multipurpose Project' of Uttarakhand under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana-Accelerated
Irrigation Benefit Programme. This project will be completed in March 2028.
• The objective of this project is to construct a dam on 'Gola', a tributary of Ramganga, near Jamrani
village in Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
• With this, additional irrigation will be provided on 57 thousand 65 hectares of land in Nainital and
Udham Singh districts of Uttarakhand and Rampur and Bareilly districts of Uttar Pradesh.

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Article 142
• In a recent landmark decision, the Supreme Court has rectified a 30-year-old injustice in public
employment.
• Using its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the court ordered the concerned department
to appoint a person on probationary post for 10 years.
• Article 142 of the Constitution provides the Supreme Court with the exclusive power to deliver
"complete justice" in situations where law or legislation cannot provide any remedy.
• The Supreme Court held that a public employer, which falls under the category of 'State' as per
Article 12 of the Constitution, cannot dismiss a candidate from the job without a valid and
reasonable cause.

International Migration Outlook – 2023

• Recently, a report titled ‘International Migration Outlook, 2023’ on international migration patterns
was released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to analyze
migration trends across the world.
• India overtook China to become the primary source of migration among OECD countries in 2021
and 2022. India consistently topped the list with 0.41 million new immigrants in both years, while
China had 0.23 million new immigrants, followed by Romania with nearly 200,000 new immigrants.
• All of the top four destination countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain)
recorded large international migration increases of between 21% and 35% year-on-year. In the fifth
destination country, Canada, this growth rate was lower (8%).
• OECD was established in 1961 with its headquarters established in Paris, France.

One liner current affairs

• The Union Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Cooperation between India and Japan on Japan-
India Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership.
• In a historic step to improve the training infrastructure of Special Forces and to equip them with high
altitude air jumps, the 'Special Forces Training School' at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh has been
commissioned to conduct Indian Army's first Vertical Wind Tunnel (VWT). )
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratories and smart classrooms will be started
for PM Shri schools in Haryana to adopt modern technology in the classrooms.
• India's textile industry, in partnership with industry bodies, is getting ready to host 'Bharat Tex 2024'.
(From February 26 to February 29, 2024 in New Delhi)
• Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh launched Skyroot's Vikram-1 orbital
rocket in Hyderabad on October 24.
• Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin has launched an initiative called 'Project Nilgiri Tahr', which
aims to conserve and protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr species.

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 • Many 'Amrit Kalash special trains' are being run from across the country for the representatives
associated with the 'Meri Maati-Mere Desh' campaign to reach New Delhi.
• Under the second phase of 'Sansad Bharat Darshan', the popular initiative of Union Minister for
Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, Sansad Bharat Darshan Yatra is being
organized till 1st November. Under this, 21 boys will be given a tour of Delhi and especially Gujarat.
• Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reached Bishkek on a two-day visit to the
Kyrgyz Republic. He will lead the Indian delegation to the 22nd meeting of the Heads of Government
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council to be chaired by the Kyrgyz Republic.
• Sri Lanka has decided to issue free visas to citizens of seven countries including India as part of a
pilot project. The Sri Lanka Cabinet has approved the proposal to waive visa fees for tourists from
India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand.
• Two American scientists of Indian origin were welcomed at the White House by President Joe Biden.
Biden was awarded the Medal of America for contributions to the field of technology and innovation.
Scientists – Ashok Gadgil and Shubra Suresh were awarded the National Medal in Technology and
Innovation and National Medal of Science.
• Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu today announced that government schools
established before independence in the state will be given the status of heritage schools.
• 'Lays' has again roped in cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its new brand ambassador. PepsiCo
India, the company that owns the Lays brand, made this announcement.
• ‘Global Media and Information Literacy Week’ is celebrated every year from 24 to 31 October. The
theme of 2023 is ‘Media and Information Literacy in Digital Spaces: A Collective Global Agenda’.
• Richard Roundtree, renowned for his groundbreaking portrayal of Detective John Shaft in the 1970s
action thriller "Shaft" has died at the age of 81.

26 October

India's first indigenous 'Reference fuel'

• Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched India's first indigenous reference
fuel in New Delhi.
• Indian Oil has successfully started production of reference gasoline and diesel fuel for the first time
in India.
• Earlier, India used to import this fuel exclusively from other countries.
• Reference fuel is a very high quality fuel, which is much better than regular or premium petrol or
diesel.

Regional Connectivity Scheme

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 • Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a government-backed
initiative to improve infrastructure and connectivity in India, especially in remote and underserved
areas, has completed six successful years.
• It is an important component of India's 'National Civil Aviation Policy 2016', which was launched by
the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 21 October 2016 with a 10-year vision.
• The Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN connecting Shimla to Delhi was inaugurated by the
Honorable Prime Minister on 27th April, 2017.

Various versions of the UDAN scheme were launched over a period of last 6 years, as follows –
• UDAN 1.0 – 128 flight routes to 70 airports (including 36 newly created operational airports)
awarded to 5 airline companies.
• UDAN 2.0 – 73 underserved and unserved airports were announced and helipads were added for
the first time.
• UDAN 3.0 – Tourism routes included in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism. Apart from
seaplanes to connect water aerodromes, several routes in the north-eastern region were included
within the scope of this scheme.
• Udan 4.0 – Incentive given to north-eastern regions, hill states and islands. Operation of helicopters
and seaplanes was included.
• Udan Version 5 – 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2

One liner current affairs:

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the '37th National Games' at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
in Margao, Goa. The mascot of the 37th National Games is 'Moga'. ‘Moga’ is a bison that represents
the unique identity of Goa.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is organizing the ‘Country Led Initiative’
program as a part of the ‘United Nations Forum on Forests’ at the ‘Forest Research Institute,
Dehradun’ from 26 to 28 October, 2023.
• The Central Government is going to launch a nationwide public relations and awareness campaign
'Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra' from 15th November. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch it from
Khunti district of Jharkhand on the occasion of ‘Birsa Munda Jayanti: Tribal Pride Day’.
• Film actor 'Rajkumar Rao' has been made the national icon of the Election Commission.
• The Civil Aviation Ministry has said that it has notified the Certification Scheme for Unmanned Aircraft
Systems in the Official Gazette on January 26 this year and all manufacturers are required to comply
with the standards under the scheme.
• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has launched 'Dark Pattern Buster Hackathon: 2023' in New Delhi
to prevent unfair practices adopted by e-commerce platforms and to provide simple solutions to the
consumers.

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 • Delhi Government launched 'Red Light on Gaadi Off' campaign in the capital to control pollution.
• RBI has asked private banks and wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign banks to ensure at least two
whole-time directors, including the managing director and chief executive officer, on their boards to
facilitate succession planning.
• Union Minister of Education & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
along with Haryana Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar dedicated 124 PM-Shri Schools to
Haryana. Apart from these, the ministers also launched the school app and mobile application
NIPUN.
• The Prime Minister's Mann Ki Baat program inspired 'Ram Singh Boudh', a resident of Gajraula,
Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, so much that he created a wonderful museum of radio. It was inaugurated
in 2014, the museum now boasts an impressive collection of over 1400 radio sets.
• Hurricane Otis in Mexico, hit the tourist center of Acapulco in the southern province of Guerrero.
Electricity supply has been stopped in the area till further orders.
• Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah addressed the 'National Symposium on
Improved and Traditional Seed Production in Cooperative Sector' organized by Bharatiya Seed
Cooperative Society Limited (BBSSL) in New Delhi.
• Edtech startup ‘Henry Harwin Education’ has recently announced acclaimed author and speaker
Chetan Bhagat as its brand ambassador.

27 October

India Mobile Congress 2023

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the 7th edition of ‘India Mobile Congress 2023’ at Bharat
Mandapam in New Delhi.
• ‘India Mobile Congress’, to be organized from 27 to 29 October 2023 with the theme ‘Global Digital
Innovation’, is Asia’s largest telecom, media and technology platform.
• During the program, the Prime Minister gifted 100 no. of '5G use case Labs initiative' to educational
institutions across the country.
• This initiative is also an important step towards building a 6G-enabled educational and start-up
ecosystem in the country.

First joint naval exercise of EU and India

• The EU and India conducted their first joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea.
• The exercise was conducted on the heels of the 3rd meeting of the EU-India Maritime Security
Dialogue held in Brussels on October 5, 2023.

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 • During the exercise, the Indian Navy was joined by INS Sumedha, an offshore patrol ship, ships of
three EU member states in the Gulf of Guinea - Italian Naval Ship ITS Foscari, French Naval Ship
FS Ventose, and Spanish Naval Ship Tornado.
• The Gulf of Guinea is located in Guinea, on the southern side of the African continent in the Atlantic
Ocean.

One liner current affairs

• Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center
(I4C) have launched 'Vimarsh-2023' with the goal of identifying innovative tools to ensure safe use of
5G technology by law enforcement agencies during sensitive operations. A national level hackathon
named 'Hackathon' has been unveiled.
• NASA is preparing to embark on a remarkable journey into the depths of our galaxy using the 'Nancy
Grace Roman Space Telescope'.
• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently approved a new AC and DC combined charging
connector standard named ‘ISI7017 (Part 2/Section 7): 2023’ for light electric vehicles like scooters,
bikes and rickshaws.
• Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old ninth grader from Annandale, Virginia, has won the prestigious
‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ award presented by 3M and Discovery Education.
• Robert Fico has been appointed Prime Minister of Slovakia (Capital – Bratislava) for the fourth time.
• The royal families of Malaysia have elected 'Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Sikandar' as the new king of the
country. He will succeed the current monarch, Al-Sultan Abdullah, on January 31 next year.
• Republican MP Mike Johnson, close to former President Donald Trump, was elected speaker of the
US Parliament.
• ‘Airbus’ has tied up with ‘IIT Kanpur’ to promote aerospace education and innovation in India.
• A ‘Green Tourism Conclave’ was organized in Shillong with special focus on the North Eastern region
and Odisha with the central goal of promoting environmentally responsible tourism in India.
• Brazilian scientists have developed a groundbreaking treatment for cocaine and crack addiction in
the form of a vaccine called 'Calixcoca'.
• According to ‘2023 State of the Climate Report: Entering Uncharted Territory’ published in the journal
Bioscience, the year 2023 has seen 38 days of global average temperature above this critical limit.
• A recent report published by the United Nations University — Institute for Environment and Human
Security (UNU-EHS) has expressed concern over India's depleting groundwater levels. The
‘Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023’ focuses on six environmental tipping points, including
groundwater depletion.
• BCCI has appointed former cricketer 'Amol Majumdar' as the head coach of 'Indian women's cricket
team'.

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 • India’s reigning Paralympic champion 'Sumit Antil' has won the gold medal in the F64 javelin throw
event at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
• ‘World Polio Day’ is celebrated every year on 24 October.

28 October

4th Asian Para Games 2023

• India gave a historic performance in the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China and finished
fifth with a total of 111 medals. India won 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze medals.
• Earlier, India had given its best performance in the 3rd Para Asian Games in Indonesia in the year
2018 by winning 72 medals.
• India won a maximum of 55 medals out of 111 in athletics. Badminton players made the second
largest contribution with 21 medals, including four gold. Eight medals were won in chess and seven
in archery, while shooting won six medals.
• Host China topped the medal table by winning a total of 521 medals including 214 gold, 167 silver
and 140 bronze medals. Iran secured second place. It won 44 gold, 46 silver and 41 bronze medals
for a total of 131 medals.
• Japan won a total of 150 medals including 42 gold and finished third. South Korea stood forth by
winning a total of 103 medals including 30 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals.

One liner current affairs

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles
Shri Piyush Goyal participated in the ‘G7 Trade Ministers Meeting’ in Osaka, Japan.
• Recently the popular ‘Saras Mela’ showcasing the best crafts by rural SHG women was inaugurated
in Gurugram. It is an important initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development and National Institute
of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
• Kerala announced the setting up of a graphene production facility with an estimated investment of
Rs 237 crore which will function on a public-private partnership model.
• Professor Sarang Dev has been appointed by the World Health Organization as a member of the
Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) for Tuberculosis.
• Eminent technology experts from India have been named to the new AI advisory body announced by
the UN Secretary General. The advisory body includes India's tech experts Amandeep Singh Gill, co-
founder of iSPIRT Foundation, Sharad Sharma and Nazneen Rajni, principal researcher at Hugging
Face, India, as members.
• Delhi Government is inviting applications from eligible students of SC/ST/OBC/EWS categories for
free coaching under ‘Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana’.

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 • The Government of Rajasthan launched ‘iStart Talent Connect Portal’ under iStart Rajasthan, a
flagship initiative of the Government of Rajasthan in collaboration with Jaipur based startup HairFox.
• Asian Development Bank has approved a loan of US$ 175 million for 'Enhancing Connectivity and
Resilience of India: Madhya Pradesh Road Network Project'. The project aims to upgrade
approximately 500 km of state highways and major district roads in Madhya Pradesh (MP) to standard
two-lane facility.
• The Urban Development Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh has set up an Urban Road
Infrastructure Development Agency (URIDA), which will be responsible for implementing the Chief
Minister Green Road Infrastructure Development Scheme (Urban) (CM Grids Scheme) on the
ground.
• According to global research firm 'Statista', India has ranked third worldwide in the number of financial
technology (Fintech) unicorns (17 Fintech unicorns). The United States is at the top with 134 fintech
unicorns, and the United Kingdom is at second place with 27 fintech unicorns.
• The Election Commission has provided the facility to senior citizens aged 80 years and above and
people with 40 percent disability to vote from home or through postal ballot.
• Swiss watch manufacturer Rado has appointed Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif as its global brand
ambassador. ‘Rado’ is a famous watch company in Switzerland.
• RBI has informed lenders, financial institutions and credit bureaus that they will have to resolve
complaints lodged by customers within 30 days or face a fine of ₹100 per day.
• World Audiovisual Heritage Day is celebrated every year on 27 October.
• Geeta Press Gorakhpur trustee Baijnath Aggarwal passed away. He was 90 years old. Geeta Press
Gorakhpur was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021.
• China's former Prime Minister Li Keqiang has died of a heart attack, less than a year after retiring as
the country's second-highest ranking official.

29 October

25T Bollard Pull Tug ‘Mahabali’

• The 25t bollard pull (BP) tug, ‘Mahabali’ was launched on 28 October 2023 at M/s Shaft Shipyard
Pvt Ltd, Bharuch, Gujarat.
• This tug is the proud flag bearer of the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Ministry of Defence.
• In line with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative of the Government of India, the contract was
concluded with M/s Shaft Shipyard Pvt. Ltd. for the construction and delivery of three ‘25T BP Tugs’
by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

One liner current affairs

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 • Indian Council of Agricultural Research in collaboration with 'Thunen Institute', Germany is organizing
an International Workshop on 'Food Loss and Waste Prevention in the South Asian Region' from
October 30 to November 1, 2023 at National Agricultural Science Center Complex, New Delhi .
• Exercise KAZIND 2023 between the Army and Air Forces of India and Kazakhstan is starting in Ottar,
Kazakhstan.
• As a part of Special Campaign 3.0, the Ministry of Culture organized the exhibition 'Art from Waste' -
'Sculpture from Scrap' at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
• The ‘16th Urban Mobility India Conference’ was organized under the ‘Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs’ in New Delhi in collaboration with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited. The theme of this
conference is ‘Coordinated and Efficient Urban Transport System’.
• The report of the Economic Research Department of SBI states that 43% of the beneficiaries of 'PM
SVANidhi Yojana' are women street vendors. The PM Street Vendors' Self-Reliant Fund (PM
SVANidhi) scheme, launched on June 1, 2020, has proven to be a game-changer for India's urban
street vendors.
• ‘Deep Narayan Nayak’, a dedicated teacher from West Bengal has secured a place as one of the top
10 finalists for the prestigious ‘Global Teacher Award 2023’. This prestigious award is organized
annually by the UK-based Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO and Dubai Cares.
• ‘Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’ and French aero engine design, development and manufacturing
company ‘Safran Aircraft’ have signed an MoU.
• Reliance Jio has partnered with 'Plume', a California-based company specializing in cloud-based AI-
powered services, with an aim to enrich the digital experiences of its customers.
• Zomato has launched maternity insurance for its female delivery partners, which will provide financial
assistance for pregnancy-related expenses.
• Reliance Jio has introduced ‘Jio SpaceFibre’, India’s first satellite-based gigabit broadband service
to extend high-speed internet access to remote areas of India for nationwide coverage.
• China is building the world's largest neutrino-detecting telescope called "Trident" in the western
Pacific Ocean to detect elusive particles called 'ghost particles' or neutrinos. Currently, the most
extensive neutrino-detecting telescope is 'IceCube' at the University of Madison-Wisconsin, located
deep in the Antarctic.
• ‘Vigilance Awareness Week 2023’ will be celebrated from 30 October to 5 November. This year's
theme is - Say No to Corruption, Commit to the Nation. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary
is celebrated on 31 October. Vigilance Awareness Week is observed every year in his memory.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has established the International Day of Care and
Assistance. This day is celebrated on 29 October.

30 October

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South Eastern Coalfields Limited
• South Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India, has achieved the coal dispatch target
of 100 million tonnes (MT) for the financial year 2023-24.
• The Chhattisgarh based company has achieved the target of dispatching 100 metric tonnes of coal
for the first time since its establishment (1985).
• The country's largest coal mine Gevra' has contributed 30.3 million tonnes of coal while Deepka
and Kusmunda have contributed 19.1 million tonnes and 25.1 million tonnes of coal respectively.

Dr. Homi Jahangir Baba

• Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, born on October 30, 1909, was a renowned nuclear physicist and a
key figure in shaping the scientific future of India.
• He established the Cosmic Ray Research Unit and was instrumental in establishing the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
• In the year 1944 he started research on nuclear weapons and established the Atomic Energy
Commission. In 1942, he was awarded the Adams Prize by the University of Cambridge.
• The Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan in 1954. He chaired the United
Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955.
• Dr. Bhabha served as the President of the ‘International Union of Pure and Applied Physics’ from
1960 to 1963. Dr. Bhabha died in a mysterious air crash near Mount Blanc on 24 January 1996.

One liner current affairs

• ‘Competition Commission of India’ has become a part of the prestigious 18-member steering
committee of ‘International Competition Network’. The ICN, comprising 140 competition agencies
around the world, is a global body dedicated exclusively to competition law enforcement.
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recently removed several countries from its 'grey list',
including the Cayman Islands, Panama, Jordan and Albania, while adding Bulgaria to the list. The
FATF is an inter-governmental body responsible for setting international standards to combat money
laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has introduced mandatory 'Penny
Drop' verification for National Pension System (NPS) subscribers to ensure timely fund transfer during
withdrawals. In the ‘Penny Drop Verification Process’ the central record keeping agencies verify the
active status of the savings bank account and cross-reference the name in the account with the
customers' Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) or the documents submitted.
• Jharkhand Cabinet has recently approved ‘Abua Awas Yojana’, a housing scheme designed to
provide eight lakh pucca houses to homeless persons in the state.

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 • The Reserve Bank of India has reviewed the bulk deposit limits for financial institutions, particularly
with a focus on regional rural banks. As a result, the bulk deposit limit for RRBs has been increased
from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
• State Bank of India, the country's largest public sector lender, has appointed former cricketer
Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador.
• ‘World Occupational Therapy Day’ is celebrated every year on 27 October. This year's theme is -
"Unity through Community"
• ‘World Stroke Day’ is celebrated every year on 29 October. The theme of World Stroke Day this year
is ‘Together We Are # Greater Than Stroke’.
• The Republic of Turkey celebrates its 100th anniversary, marking the centenary of its founding as a
secular state. It was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as a modern, secular republic,
replacing the Ottoman Empire.
• Famous American-Canadian actor 'Matthew Perry' passed away at the age of 54.

31 October

Amrit Vatika and Amrit Mahotsav Memorial

• The Prime Minister participated in the concluding program of Amrit Kalash Yatra of Meri Mati Mere
Desh Abhiyan on the occasion of 'National Unity Day' on the duty path in New Delhi.
• The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Amrit Vatika and 'Amrit Mahotsav Memorial'
developed from soil collected from every part of the country. With this program ‘Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav’ also concluded.
• The Prime Minister also launched the 'Mera Yuva Bharat' platform. This platform is an autonomous
body. Its aim is to create a whole-of-government platform keeping in mind youth development.
• ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh Abhiyan’ is a tribute to those brave men and women who made supreme
sacrifice for the country.
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav began on 12 March 2021 to celebrate 75 years of India's independence.
Since then more than two lakh events have been organized across the country with enthusiastic
public participation.

National Unity Day

• This day is celebrated every year on 31 October to commemorate the birth anniversary of India's
first Home Minister 'Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel'.
• This year will be the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the 'Iron
Man of India'.
• ‘National Unity Day’ was introduced by the Government of India in 2014 to pay tribute to Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary for his extraordinary work in keeping India united.

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 • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31 October 1875 in Nadiad, Gujarat. He was the first Home
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of independent India.
• The women of Bardoli gave Vallabhbhai Patel the title of ‘Sardar’, which means ‘a chief or a leader’.

One liner current affairs

• The Indian Air Force has deployed three S-400 air defense missile squadrons along the borders with
China and Pakistan. In 2018-19, India signed a significant defense agreement with Russia to procure
S-400 missiles worth ₹35,000 crore, with the aim of acquiring a total of five squadrons of these
advanced air defense systems.
• Kerala has become the first state in India to have hallmarking centers in all its 14 districts.
• Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Andhra Pradesh signs first of its kind Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with National Cadet Corps (NCC) to enroll NCC students as Youth Red Cross
(YRC) volunteers in Andhra Pradesh.
• This year's 'Home Minister Special Campaign Award' is being given to four special campaigns.
According to the Home Ministry, this award will be given for special operations in areas like anti-
terrorist operations, border operations, arms control, drug trafficking prevention and rescue
operations. This award was started in 2018.
• Norway has launched an important initiative to support India's 'Hunger Project' in Uttarakhand. With
a budget of ₹44.7 million and a three-year period till September 2026, the effort holds great promise
for marginalized families in the state.
• Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajiv Chandrashekhar will attend the two-day
'AI Safety Summit' 2023 in Britain.
• Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh attended this year's 'Mera Hou Chongba Celebrations' in Imphal
on October 28, 2023. This festival symbolizes unity among the different ethnic communities living in
the region.
• The Indian Navy launched the second ship of the Diving Support Craft (DSC) project ‘DSC A 21’ on
October 30, 2023. This effort is a collaboration with M/s Titagarh Rail Systems Limited,
headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Recently the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI)
revealed a newly identified species of mushroom ‘Candolemyces albosquamosus’ found within the
Western Ghats in Kerala.
• The Indian government has appointed Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global consulting firm, to
help prepare the Vision 2047 document, which outlines India's medium-term objectives to become a
developed economy over the next 25 years.
• At the 37th National Games, Indian track and field athletes, Hangzhou Asian Games silver medalists
Jyoti Yaraji and Tejas Shirse broke their own records in the 100m and 110m hurdles respectively.

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 • Sriyanka Sadangi secured another quota for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics by finishing fourth in
the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the Asian Shooting Championships.
• The Army Aviation Corps is celebrating its 38th Raising Day on 1 November. As the youngest corps
of the Indian Army, it was established as a separate branch on 1 November 1986.
• ‘World Cities Day’ is celebrated globally on 31 October every year. The theme of the year 2023 is
‘Financing a sustainable urban future for all’.
• Famous climate science expert 'Salimul Haque' passed away in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
He was born on October 2, 1952 in Karachi, Pakistan. In the year 2022, he was awarded the 'Order
of the British Empire', the highest honor of the British Empire.

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