a2z current affairs (september 2017) · a2z current affairs (september 2017) mou/agreement...

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A2Z Current Affairs (September 2017)

www.fundamakers.com

MOU/Agreement Countries

India Japan Loan deal worth $76 million with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a project to upgrade the environment management plan at Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yards in Gujarat.

India Japan For collaborative research in the field of silkworm and silk industrie

India Japan Defence production, including on dual-use technologies.

India Japan To start a postal service called ‘cool box service’, which will help Japanese people living in India to order food from Japan.

India Armenia Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management

India Morocco In the areas of drug regulation and pharmaceutical quality control and communicable diseases among others.

India Belarus Both countries released a postage stamp to mark 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two sides.

India Russia To build the Roppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, the first initiative under a Indo- Russia deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.

India Norway To extend health cooperation, especially in the areas of reproductive, maternal, new- born, child and adolescent health.

2 nd floor, 78A sector P, near Sector Q Chauraha, Aliganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226024

http://www.aspirantszone.com/

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MOU Industry/States/Others

Air India Punjab National Bank and IndusInd Bank

To secure loans to the tune of over Rs 3,000 crore for meeting working capital requirements.

NITI Aayog International Road Federation, Geneva (IRF Geneva)

They have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to cooperate in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

Punjab National Bank

BSNL They have teamed up to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states in the country. PNB’s Speedway wallet will operate like any other mobile wallet for paying bills, recharging phone besides its users will be able to deposit and withdraw money from authorised retail outlets.

Bank of Baroda Amazon India Online marketplace Amazon India has planned to provide unsecured micro-loans, as low as ₹1 lakh, at interest rates as low as 10.45-11 per cent at a short span of 3-5 days. The company has tied up with Bank of Baroda for the loans, which can go up to ₹25 lakh.

Yes Bank IIM-Lucknow They have signed a charter to help spread ‘Climate Literacy,’ aiming to achieve sustainable development through shared learning.

Paytm Payments Bank

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

to launch a RuPay-powered digital debit card.

HDFC ERGO Ebix’s ItzCash to offer general insurance products through ItzCash’s physical retail outlets

Exide Life Insurance Punjab & Maharashtra Co- operative Bank (PMC Bank)

to offer its protection and savings products to the latter’s customers

HSBC Sa-Dhan To develop digital ecosystem for India’s unbanked segment. Sa-Dhan is microfinance industry association.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

US-based networking solutions provider Coriant

to chart the path to 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) in India.

Appointments and Resignations

Cabinet Reshuffle:

Newly-appointed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is only the second woman after late Indira Gandhi to become

the Defence Minister of India, and the first one to take independent charge. She is the first full-time woman defence

minister of the country after late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had twice held charge of defence portfolio. Sitharaman

previously served as a Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs and the Minister for Commerce and Industry

with independent charge, and now succeeds Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to take charge of the defence

ministry. Now the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has two women ministers - Nirmala Sitharaman and Sushma

Swaraj.


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Piyush Goyal elected as new Railway Minister after Suresh Prabhu quit the post. Earlier he was Minister of State

for Power.

Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development Ganga Rejuvenation from

Uma Bharti.

Suresh Prabhu is new Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is new Minister of Minority Affairs.

Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore replaced Vijay Goel as the new Sports Minister. He is the first

sportsperson to take charge of Sports Ministry.

Alphons Kannanthanam is new Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism.

President Kovind appoints five new Governors for states and Lieutenant Governor for Andaman

B. D. Mishra (Retd.) as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Took over from Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.

Banwarilal Purohit as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Took over from C. Vidyasagar Rao.

Satya Pal Malik as the Governor of Bihar. Took over from Keshari Nath Tripathi.

Professor Jagdish Mukhi as the Governor of Assam. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.

Ganga Prasad as the Governor of Meghalaya. Took over from Banwarilal Purohit.

Devendra Kumar Joshi as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Took over from Jagdish Mukhi.

Name Post Institution and other Info

Nirmala Sitharaman Defence Minister India

Rajiv Mehrishi Comptroller and Auditor-

He is Former Union Home Secretary

General of India

Dr. Arvind Subramanian Chief Economic Advisor Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India Dr. Arvind Subramanian has been given a one year extension, post the completion of his current-three year tenure.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey Chairman Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). He is Aadhaar authority UIDAI Chief Executive.

Viveck Goenka Chairman Press Trust of India

Ajay Vipin Nanavati Chairman Syndicate Bank

Sankara Narayanan Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Vijaya Bank

P R Seshadri MD and CEO Karur Vysya Bank

KV Rama Moorthy MD and CEO Tamilnad Mercantile Bank

M Nagaraja Sarma Chief Managing Director

United India Insurance Co Ltd.

Shashi Shanker Chairman and Managing Director

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)

Rajiv Kumar Secretary Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance

Rajiv Kumar Vice Chairman NITI Aayog

Sanjaya Baru Secretary General Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci)

Desh Deepak Verma Secretary General Rajya Sabha


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India TV chairman and editor-in- chief Rajat Sharma

President News Broadcasters Association (NBA)

Rajni Kant Mishra Chief Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Y.C. Modi Director General National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Gopal Singh Chairman and Managing Director

Coal India Ltd (CIL)

B Sambamurthy Chairman Board of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

Balraj Joshi Chairman-cum-managing director (CMD)

NHPC Limited

Anita Karwal Chairperson Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

Royana Singh Chief Proctor First woman to hold the post at Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Akshay Kumar Ambassador Uttarakhand Swachh Bharat Mission brand ambassador

Sanjeev Kapoor Ambassador World Food India’s Food Street. Food Street, being held by Ministry of Food Processing Industry, will be hosted for the first time in India from November 3.

Parineeti Chopra first Indian woman Ambassador

for Tourism Australia

Ajay Bisaria India’s new High Commissioner to Pakistan

He succeeded Gautam Bambawale

David Harquail Chairman World Gold Council. It is headquartered in London United Kingdom

Eman Al-Ghamdi First time a Saudi woman has been named to a senior government post for the first time.

Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Chair of Ethics Commission

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Peter Thomson first special envoy for the oceans

UN has appointed him as the first special envoy for the oceans, seeking to galvanize efforts to protect the world’s seas.

Kenneth I Juster Ambassador US Ambassador to India. Juster is Successor to Richard Verma (First US Ambassador to India of Indian origin)

Halimah Yacob President First woman and 8th President of Singapore

Joao Lourenco President Angola

JY Pillay President Singapore’s acting President

Mercedes Aráoz Fernández Prime Minister Peru

Angela Merkel Chancellor Germany

Raquel Dodge Prosecutor-General For the first time in Brazil’s history, a female is named at prosecutor-general’s post,

Bilal Dar, a young boy from Srinagar has become the brand ambassador for Srinagar Municipal Corporation. Dar has been contributing to the ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’ since the age of 12.

Lalawmpuii Chawngthu has become the second woman in Mizoram to be inducted in the state’s council of ministers after a gap of 30 years. Lalhlimpui Hmar was the first woman Minister of State in Mizoram in 1987.

RESIGNATIONS


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Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp which was later acquired by Facebook, has announced that he was leaving the company to start a non-profit venture of his own. Acton had co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009 and agreed to sell it to Facebook in 2014 for approximately $19 billion USD in cash and stock.

Indian women’s boxing’s first foreign coach, Stephane Cottalorda, has ended his stint abruptly after just one month in India, alleging delay in salary and other payments. He is from Paris, France.

Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has resigned

Awards and Recognitions

Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge

2017 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Maryna Viazovska Received award for her contribution to number theory

Von Hippel Award C.N.R Rao Eminent scientist, Professor C.N.R Rao, has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research.

Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar (Region C)

Vijaya Bank

ANR National Award S S Rajamouli for his contribution to the Telugu film industry.

Shri Shakti Samman Parull Mahaajan She is Eminent Social Activist. Got Award for her phenomenal contribution in the field of Women Empowerment.

Global Diversity Award at Britain’s House of Commons

Salman Khan The Global Diversity Award is given to people of immense stature in terms of what they have done for diversity in the world.

Sarala award Banaj Devi She is Noted Odia poet and short story writer. She got Sarala award for her short story compilation “Kathapua”

“Exhibitor of the Year” Award Ajay Bijli He is Chairman and Managing Director of PVR Limited. Got the Award in Hong Kong

National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management

Hyderabad International Airport Ltd

National Tourism Awards - “Hall of Fame” award for being the Best State in Comprehensive Development of Tourism

Gujarat

National Tourism Awards - ‘Best Tourism State’

Madhya Pradesh

Balzan Prize Bina Agarwal Two U.S. scientists + India Economist BIna Agarwal

UN peace prize Zannah Mustapha He is a Nigerian lawyer who helped secure the release of more than 100 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) was awarded Container Terminal of the Year” Award for the above 0.6 million TEUs category at The Gateway Awards 2017 held at Mumbai.

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured for his pioneering work in the field of organic farming during a ceremony at Germany’s Lagau on the occasion of the One World Festival.


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RECOGNITIONS Acknowledging the role played by yoga legend Bishnu Charan Ghosh and his family members in spreading

Indian postural yoga in Japan, the Japanese postal department has released postage stamps on four of

Bengal’s famous exponents of the ancient Indian practice.

Two mountain ranges on Pluto have been named after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary respectively by the

International Astronomical Union. Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes are mountain ranges honouring Tenzing

Norgay (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the Indian/Nepali Sherpa and New Zealand

mountaineer who were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest and return safely.

Reliance Foundation Young Champs named as the No.1 grassroots academy in India by the All India Football

Federation (AIFF).

Mansour Anis, a 14-year-old Indian-origin teenager based in Sharjah, UAE has become one of the youngest

pilots to fly a single-engine aircraft

Two Indians — Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma — have made it to the rankings of most powerful women

in business outside the United States drawn up by the Fortune magazine while Indra Nooyi featured in the top

three on the US edition list. Topped by Banco Santander group executive chairman Ana Botin.

PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi came in at No. 2 on the US Most Powerful Women in Business list, led

by General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra.

In commemoration of the first anniversary of her canonisation, the Archdiocese of Calcutta is set to declare

Mother Teresa as its co-patron.

In Karantaka, former DIG D Roopa, who highlighted in a report alleged irregularities at the Central jail in

Bengaluru, including preferential treatment to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, was conferred the President’s

Medal.

Raj Kumar Vaishya, a 98-year-old man has cleared the Masters in Economics examination from Patna’s

Nalanda Open University (NOU).

Google Doodle, today, celebrates 100th birthday of Asima Chatterjee, a renowned Indian chemist, who was

the first female Doctorate of Science in India from an Indian University.

National Award-winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and veteran actress Hema Malini will be felicitated at

the 4th Indian Film Festival of Russia, for their contribution to Indian cinema.

Priyanka Chopra to be honoured at Variety’s Power of Women

World’s Most Influential People in Market Structure - Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi ranked 7th. Topped by

European Union’s Commissioner (Competition) Margrethe Vestager.

An Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, Aparna Kumar has become the first Indian

woman to scale Mount Manaslu, which is the eighth highest mountain peak in the world.

13th IDRBT Banking Technology Excellence Awards 2016-17

Best Bank Award for Use of Technology for Financial Inclusion Among Large Banks – State Bank of India

Best Bank Award for Use of Technology for Financial Inclusion Among Mid-Size Banks – Vijaya Bank

Best Bank Award for Use of Technology for Financial Inclusion Among Small Banks – Karnataka Bank Ltd.

Best Bank Award for Digital Banking among Large Banks- Axis Bank Ltd.

Best Bank Award for Digital Banking among Mid-Sized Banks – Vijaya Bank

Best Bank Award for Digital Banking among Small Banks South – Indian Bank Ltd.

Best Bank Award for Electronic Payment Systems among Large Banks – State Bank of India

Best Bank Award for Electronic Payment Systems among Mid-Sized Banks – Andhra Bank

Best Bank Award for Electronic Payment Systems among Small Banks – The Federal Bank Ltd.

Rajkummar Rao bags GQ Actor of the Year Award


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National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao has bagged the GQ Actor of the Year Award. GQ hosted the GQ Men of

the Year Awards in Mumbai. Here is the list of who won what:

Woman of the Year: Anushka Sharma

Excellence in Direction and Acting: Konkona Sen Sharma

Excellence in Acting: Sridevi Kapoor

Entertainer of the Year: Ranveer Singh

Agent of Social Change: Rahul Bose

Most Stylish: Sidharth Malhotra

Designer of the Year: Manish Malhotra

Outstanding Achievement: Irrfan Khan

Legend: Bhaichung Bhutia

Creative Maverick: Aamir Khan

Conference and Summits

Summit Place Extra Knowledge

8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit

Hyderabad, Telangana To be held in November. Theme -- Women First, Prosperity for All

14th India-EU Summit India To be held in October

9th BRICS summit (2017) Xiamen, China

10th BRICS summit Johannesburg, South Africa

to be held in 2018

World Congress on Adolescent Health

India To be held in October Theme: ‘Investing in Adolescent Health the Future is Now’

India Mobile Congress 2017 New Delhi

First BIMSTEC disaster management exercise

New Delhi, India To be conducted between October 10-13 and acronymed as BIMSTEC DMEx-2017

Global Conference on Stroke New Delhi, India

World Congress of Optometry Hyderabad, Telangana

Coastal Shipping and Inland Water Transportation Business Summit 2017

Kochi, Kerala

12th India-Japan annual summit Gandhinagar, Gujarat Japan PM Shinzo Abe came to India and met PM Modi

First ever National Conference on “Mission Mode to address Under- Nutrition”

New Delhi

Conference on “Sustainable Landscapes & Forest Ecosystems : Theory to Practice”

New Delhi In the conference, ‘Wood is Good’ campaign launched. The purpose of the campaign is to promote wood as a climate-friendly resource and substitute to materials like steel and plastic.

First National Conference on “Uniformed Women in Prison Administration”

New Delhi


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North East Calling New Delhi

Rajaswa Gyan Sangam, 2017 New Delhi

‘VASTRA’ Fair Jaipur, Rajasthan

Conference on Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices

Goa The theme for this year’s Conference is Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices.

7th ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) Seoul, South Korea Theme for this year’s meeting was

Economic Ministers’ Meeting ‘Innovative Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity’.

UN General Assembly (UNGA) session

New York, USA External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj represented India at the annual UNGA session

International Hindu Conference Kathmandu, Nepal Theme: ‘Emerging spiritualism: Renaissance of Hinduism’

For the first time, India, US and Afghanistan will hold a joint trade and investment show in Delhi, as New Delhi steps up to its role of being a bigger development partner to Afghanistan.

International News Hurricane Harvey menaces Texas, Louisiana in the USA.

Hurricane Maria ‘devastates’ island of Dominica

Mawar, the 16th typhoon of this year, has made landfall in China’s Guangdong province, bringing heavy rains and

winds,

Hurricane Irma kills 10 people in Cuba

The WHO has released its first tranche of emergency funding of $175,000 to provide lifesaving healthcare to the

“vulnerable population” in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar.

The US will provide a humanitarian aid package worth $32 million to the Rohingya Muslim minority who have fled

violence in Myanmar and crossed into neighbouring Bangladesh.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it needs to pump in over $800 million to eliminate measles from

five developing economies of South East Asia (SEA) — Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Timor Leste —

by 2020. The deadline for elimination of the highly contagious infection, killing annually an estimated 134,200

children globally, is 2020.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has told the South East Asian countries to integrate their national plans and

mobilise and utilise resources efficiently to reach the Tuberculosis elimination target of 2030.

A recent study by United Nations (UN) has claimed that after a steady decline, global hunger levels of people have

risen in more than a decade, which is affecting 815 million or 11% people of the world’s population.

According to UNCTAD’s recently released Trade and Development Report 2017, India and China at their current

levels of growth will not serve as “growth poles” in near future. World economy is expected to reach 2.6%.

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has reached the value of $1 trillion for the first time, the

Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said. This amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for

each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.

Organisations, institutions and individuals advocating non-violence are joining hands with the Indian community in

the Netherlands and the Embassy of India to launch a unique campaign titled ‘Follow the Mahatma’ on October 1

and 2.

Chabahar Port in Iran will be operational by the end of 2018. Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan

province in the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation’s southern coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed


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from India’s western coast, bypassing Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will grant gratis visa to Myanmarese citizens wanting to visit

the country.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL) , under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA

(Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, Malaysia.

UN has said that the security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar “seems a textbook example of

ethnic cleansing”, urging the country to end the “cruel military operation” in its Rakhine state.

Nepal has begun its first-ever survey to remeasure Mount Everest to check if the world’s tallest peak’s height was

altered by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 2015.

Prince Charles, the heir to Britain’s throne, has become the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history.

United States banking regulator has shut down operations of Pakistan’s Habib Bank (HBL) in New York after almost

40 year.

The United States has announced $25 million award to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery for transformational

programmes around the world to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery – also known as human trafficking.

Sri Lanka has banned plastic bags and other disposable products after one of the country’s biggest dump collapsed

in April leading to a disposal crisis.

The world’s highest sandcastle has been created in the German city of Duisburg, standing at 16.68 metres (54.72ft)

tall.

China is gearing up to ban petrol and diesel cars, a move that would boost electric vehicles and shake up the

world´s biggest car market in a country that is plagued by pollution.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced $76 million for a BRICS economic and technology cooperation plan and

another $4 million to support the projects of the bloc’s New Development Bank at the BRICS summit in Xiamen,

China.

China has increased the maximum speed of bullet trains on the Beijing-Shanghai line to 350 kilometres (217 miles)

per hour, six years after a fatal accident led to a speed cap. Now it has started operating the world’s fastest bullet

train, Fusing, between Beijing and Shanghai, the country’s busiest route.

China hold memorial for world’s oldest captive panda named Basi who died at the age of 37 in Fuzhou. Basi was the

model for the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing’s mascot Panpan.

China has issued a commemorative stamp priced at 1.2 yuan in honour of the world’s largest radio telescope

located in Guizhou province.

Chinese real estate giant Evergrande Group’s Chairman Hui Ka Yan has become Asia’s richest man with a net worth

of $41.1 billion.

The Chinese government has banned initial coin offerings, a new fundraising phenomenon that has taken the

Internet by storm.

Nepal has signed a USD 635 million UN assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out the country’s development

strategy for the next five years.

Russia has launched the world’s largest and most powerful icebreaker ship, designed to transport cargo via the

Northern Sea Route in the Arctic Ocean.

Indonesian scientists have found the world’s smallest squirrel in the country’s Borneo rain forest. The Bormean

pigmy squirrel or exilisciurus exilis was found in Meratus mountain of South Kalimantan province.

The Tajikistan government has banned its women from wearing veils and has introduced a legislation, wherein it

has asked the women to “stick to traditional national clothes and culture”.

London has retained its crown as the world’s top financial center in a ranking that surveys industry professionals,

extending its lead over New York and Hong Kong despite ongoing uncertainty about the implications of Brexit.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has taken snow leopard off the “endangered” list,


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where it was included in 1972. In the new assessment, IUCN has placed the animal under the less-threatened

“vulnerable” category.

Saudi Arabia has invited women to a sports stadium for the first time to attend the kingdom’s 87th National Day

celebrations with their families. This marks a shift from previous celebrations in the kingdom where women are

effectively barred from sports arenas.

Saudi women will be allowed to drive in the kingdom in 2018

Saudi Arabia has voted to allow women to issue fatwas, following a vote in Saudi’s advisory council.

Taxi-hailing app Uber suffered a major blow as Transport for London (TfL) — the body responsible for issuing

licences to cab companies — said that from September-end it would lose its licence to operate in the city.

Fifty countries have signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact that the world’s nuclear powers spurned but

supporters hailed as a historic agreement nonetheless. Brazil was the first country to sign onto the ban, followed by

nations from Algeria to Venezuela.

The INTERPOL General Assembly has voted to admit the State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands as new member

countries. The membership of the world policing body now totals 192.

National News

US tech giant Google has unveiled ‘Tez’- a simple and secure mobile app for digital payments and commerce, built

with the goal of working for everyone in India, and is available now for download on Google Play (Android) and the

App Store (iOS). App is available in English and seven Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujrati, Kannada, Marathi,

Tamil, and Telugu). Tez works in partnership with four Banks – Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of

India (SBI) – to facilitate the processing of payments across over 50 UPI enabled banks.

Cabinet has approved rationalisation/merger and modernisation of 17 Government of India Presses (GIPs) into 5

GIPs at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Minto Road and Mayapuri in New Delhi, Nashik in Maharashtra and Temple Street in

Kolkata.

The Cabinet has approved signing of interbank local currency credit line agreement and cooperation memorandum

relating to credit ratings by Exim Bank with member banks under BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) on 5 September 2017 launched DIKSHA Portal

(diksha.gov.in) for providing digital platform to teachers for making their lifestyle more digital. DIKSHA will enable,

accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education.

India’s dream for high horsepower locomotive moved closer to reality with the arrival of the first bodyshell of

12000 HP loco from Alstom France at Kolkata port.

Approval for implementation of umbrella scheme of “Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF)” for years 2017-18 to

2019-20. The financial outlay for the scheme over the three year’s period is Rs.25,060 crore

Government rolled out negotiable warehousing receipts in an electronic format that farmers can use to avail of

bank credit easily.

PM Narendra Modi launched a postage stamp based on ‘Ramayana’ during his visit to historic Tulsi Manas temple

in Varanasi and said that stamps are a wonderful way to preserve history.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the Pradhan Mantri LPG

Panchayat as a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) of the Ministry of Women & Child Development has started a

monthly “Jan Sampark” program to enable the public to have interaction with its officials and staff

The government has decided to increase the retirement age of central government doctors including those working

under the AYUSH ministry and in the railways to 65 years.

Dr. Harshvardhan launched “Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana” which will experiment and

endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through

cluster approach in Uttarakhand


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Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise

women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer. Theme – ‘Nurturing the Nurturer’.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives, an injectable contraceptive MPA

under the Antara programme and a contraceptive pill, Chhaya, in the public health system to expand the basket of

contraceptive choices to meet the emerging needs of couples.

The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a nationwide hackathon

‘OpenGovDataHack’ to support and showcase potential ideas/talent from inner India. The hackathon aims to

enable participants develop their ideas into apps/infographics primarily by the use of open government data

around the themes of drinking water and sanitation, transport, education, health, and crime to a stage, after which

it can be evaluated by a jury and be selected for prizes and support/funding.

Taking the central government’s ambitious cleanliness drive to a higher trajectory, President Ram Nath Kovind

today kicked off the fortnight-long ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ (Cleanliness is Service) campaign from Uttar Pradesh.

The Centre has issued a notice, stating that all the SIM cards have to be linked to Aadhaar before February 2018 to

avoid deactivation of the phone numbers. A bench comprising of former Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice N V

Ramana said the verification of existing pre-paid mobile users, running into crores, be done within one year.

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for an increase of 1% additional Dearness Allowance (DA) to central

government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners to compensate for price rise. This additional

installment of DA represents an increase of 1% over the existing rate of 4% of basic pay/pension.

The Union Cabinet approved a “Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund” (DIDF) with an outlay of Rs

10,881 crore during the period from 2017-18 to 2028-29.

The government will undertake a ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ from next year to enrol 70-80 lakh students in the country

who are out of schools.

India and China jointly submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) calling for the elimination – by

developed countries – of the most trade-distorting form of farm subsidies, known in WTO parlance as Aggregate

Measurement of Support (AMS) or ‘Amber Box’ support as a prerequisite for consideration of other reforms in

domestic support negotiations.

India has started Operation Insaniyat to provided assistance to Bangladesh in response to the humanitarian crisis

being faced on account of the large influx of Rohingya refugees into that country from Myanmar.

INS Garhial of Indian Navy carried around 86 thousand family packs as relief material in the ongoing operation

Insaniyat launched in support of Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.

The Army has finalised a plan to induct approximately 800 women in the military police. The decision to induct

women would help in investigating allegations of gender specific crimes. The decision to induct women is taken for

the first time.

National Aluminium Company (Nalco) , Hindustan Copper (HCL)and MECL, three state-run PSUs, have signed an

MoU to form a joint venture — Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (Kabil).

Government think-tank Niti Aayog has come out with the National Nutrition Strategy, seeking to put nutrition at

the forefront of the narrative of the National Development Agenda. It aims at ensuring every child, adolescent girl

and woman attains optimal nutritional status by 2022.

Ahead of the nation’s 75th Independence anniversary in 2022, an exhibition on the freedom struggle and Quit India

Movement’s role in it that will be staged at 39 places across the country was launched in Delhi.

The exhibition-cum-seminar, titled “Naya Bharat – Karke Rahenge” will narrate the journey of India’s freedom

struggle from the 1857 Revolt till India got indepedence in 1947, and will include the Champaran struggle, Dandi

Yatra, and Non-Cooperation Movement.

The government issued an alert on spread of new malware ‘Locky Ransomware’ that can lock computers and

demand ransom for unlocking them.

The Department of Biotechnology announced 3 missions focussing on the northeast India, including the B4, which


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is centred on the Brahmaputra’s biodiversity and biology. This new project aims at starting a ‘lab on boat’ on

Bramhaputra river for biological analysis of the river system. The first laboratory under the Bramhaputra

Biodiversity Biology Boat (B4) initiative will cover Pasighat, Dibrugarh, Neemati, Tejpur and Guwahati in Assam.

The Cell for IPR Promotions and Management (CIPAM) has launched a social media campaign to promote Indian

Geographical Indications (GIs) with “#LetsTalkIP”. A Geographical Indication, or a GI, is a sign used on products that

have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Beta version of ‘Divyang

Sarathi’—The accessible and comprehensive mobile application for easy dissemination of information to

‘Divyangjans’.

Portal PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) — an electronic platform for no child labour

in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry. Launched for effective implementation of the National

Child Labour Project (NCLP).

On the eve of Antyodaya Diwas 2017, the government has celebrated the “Bharat Ke Kaushalzaade” occasion on

24th September this year. Antyodaya Diwas has completed 3 years this year on 25th September.

To bring in transparency in food safety inspection and sampling, food regulator FSSAI has put in place a nationwide

online platform ‘FoSCoRIS’ and asked states to adopt this system as it would help eliminate discrepancy and make

food safety officers accountable.

India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the world’s most expensive

coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka. The Civet coffee is also

called as Luwark coffee.

State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) is all set to become a Maharatna company. The oil marketing

company is at present a Navratna firm. At present, there are seven Maharatna companies — Bharat Heavy

Electricals, Coal India, GAIL (India), Indian Oil Corporation, NTPC, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Steel

Authority of India.

President of Belarus AG Lukashenko arrived in New Delhi on a two day visit to India.

The Frank Islam Foundation in Washington has joined hands with IANS, India’s largest independent newswire, for a

media project that aims to tell some remarkable stories from across India.

GOI inaugurated the first Pension Adalat and a pension app for Central Government employees in New Delhi. The

Adalat aims to quick resolve long pending pension cases.

E-commerce major Flipkart has developed India’s first “anti-theft” packaging to secure goods from in-transit theft

and tampering.

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched -Mission 24 for Mumbai’s M east ward which is known to have

one of highest slum population’s in the city.

India’s first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the NALSAR University of Law At Hyderabad, Telangana.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has launched a wheelchair lift or verti-lift for the benefit of

people who had trouble before, while travelling through the airlines. With this it has become first in the country to

do so.

Suzuki Motor will invest more than Rs 1,150 crore along with Japanese partners Toshiba and Denso to set up India’s

first lithium ion battery facility in Gujarat.

After remaining non-functional for the last three years the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway line connecting Nepal and

India is expected to become functional by 2018.

India and Sri Lanka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to upgrade Thondaman Vocational Training

Centre at Hatton located in Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka.

Recently-released black comedy film ‘Newton’, starring Rajkummar Rao, is India’s official entry to the 90th

Academy Awards ceremony.

The Kandla Port Trust in Gujarat has been renamed Deendayal Port Trust.

India’s top Internet companies led by Flipkart have created a lobby group called Indiatech.org that will represent


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the interests of Indian Internet start-ups to fight their international rivals.

State News

Andhra Pradesh

Archaeologists in Andhra Pradesh have discovered an ancient Buddhist site that dates back to the 1st century AD.

Andhra Pradesh has announced a new programme to offer prayers to water bodies and to create awareness among

the public regarding water preservation. Named ‘Jala Siriki Haarati’, the programme is aimed at praying at all the

rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, irrigation projects, water reservoirs, check dams and all kinds of water bodies.

The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an MoU with the US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to

build India’s first Hyperloop system. The planned project is aimed at connecting cities Amaravati and Vijayawada in

Andhra Pradesh, supposedly covering the distance of over 35 km in just five minutes.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Nara Lokesh

introduced the ‘Seven Star Formula’ for development of smart villages.

Andhra Pradesh has released ‘People First’ mobile application for grievance redressal at the Collectors’ conference

in Vijayawada. Under this application, people of Andhra Pradesh can dial 1100 to register complaints about

government services and schemes.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared that the year of 2017 as e-pragati year.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh’s biggest festival ‘Solung’ of the Adi Tribe was celebrated with traditional fervor and in a grand

way at Boleng in Siang District on September 3.

Assam

In a bid to take Internet connectivity to the remotest part of the state, Assam government has signed a

memorandum of Understanding with Google India.

Assam has become first state to pass a legislation which states that Assam government employees who dump

parents will lose part salary. The Assam Assembly passed The Assam Employees Parental Responsibility And Norms

for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill that makes it mandatory for state government employees to take

care of their parents and needy siblings or face a cut in their income.

Singapore will set up a Skill Center at Guwahati which will cater to the entire North-Eastern region.

A 100-ft tall bamboo idol of Goddess in Assam is all set to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest

bamboo sculpture ever made in the world

A program called SATH- Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital, a joint initiative of Government of

Assam and NITI Aayog, which aims to provide structured support to Assam in identifying key health priorities and

implement the solutions towards transforming the health and improving the well-being of people of Assam has

been launched in Assam.

Bihar

In a unique initiative, Gender Alliance Bihar, a collective effort of over 270 civil society organisations backed by the

UN Population Fund, has come up with a mobile application “Bandhan Tod” to fight the rampant social evil of child

marriage in the state.

Delhi

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal gave his nod to the proposal to set up Mohalla Clinics (community clinics) in

Delhi.


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Gujarat

Ahmedabad in Gujarat has been formally accorded the status of India’s first World Heritage City. The honour makes the walled city of Ahmedabad the first city in India, and the third in Asia after Bhaktapur (Nepal) and Galle (Sri Lanka).

Making steps towards digital revolution in the schools of Gujarat, state govt. launched state-wide ‘Gyankunj

Project’ on Teachers’ Day. The objective of the project is to produce world-class students.

Gujarat government has launched Shramik Annapoorna Yojana (Construction Workers’ Meal Scheme), under which

each registered worker is provided a plateful of food for a mere Rs 10 with the Gujarat government providing a

hefty subsidy of Rs 19 per meal.

Gujarat government has signed an MoU with Google India towards actualizing the ‘Digital Gujarat’ movement

under ‘Digital India’.

The ₹600-crore high-speed rail training centre for the first bullet train project will be set up in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Haryana

President Ram Nath Kovind has accorded approval to the proposal for setting up the world’s first AYUSH University

at Haryana’s Kurukshetra.

The ‘White Revolution’ in Haryana is set to get an Israeli boost.

Himachal Pradesh

After two years of trial runs on the challenging Manali-Rohtang highway, Himachal Roads Transport Corporation

(HRTC) has finally launched its electric bus service on the route on a regular basis. With this, Himachal Pradesh has

become the first hill state in the country to run electric buses.

Jammu & Kashmir Pratham-Shyok bridge that will link Leh to Karakoram, providing connectivity on the strategically important Darbuk-

Shyok-Daulat Beg Olde axis for military transport.

Jharkhand

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for Ranchi Smart City coming up on the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) land. This would be the country’s first ‘green-field’ smart city.

Jharkhand Government launched the ‘Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana’ during a programme at Ulihatu in Khunti district of Jharkhand. Ulihatu is the birthplace of Jharkhand’s tribal icon Birsa Munda. Under the scheme, villages of many tribal freedom fighters will be developed and their habitants will be provided with basic amenities.

Karnataka

Karnataka government, from next academic year, has decided to provide free education to girls from class one to

graduation level in all public and aided private schools and colleges.

Karnataka has become the first Indian state to have an electric vehicle policy after the state Cabinet approved the

Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy.

The Karnataka government has launched ‘Vision-2025’ project aimed at evolving a draft policy for development of

the state in next seven years by seeking the opinion of the public.

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, today inaugurated the Swachhta Hi Seva” and Shouchalayakkagi

Samara” (A Crusade For Toilets) Programme in Karnataka in an ocassion.

Kerala

Onam, the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala, celebrated in the state.

Kerala is going to open India’s first transgender-exclusive clinics at government medical colleges across the state.

Lakshadweep Island

According to a study, Parali I island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, part of Bangaram atoll, which had an

area of 0.032 sq.km in 1968 has been completely eroded, resulting in its inundation.


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Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Government and Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of National Dairy

Development Board (NDDB), announced signing of a lease agreement to set up a state-of-the-art milk and milk

products processing plant.

Maharashtra government has announced plans to launch 112 as a single integrated helpline number for police, fire

brigade, and ambulance services.

The Maharashtra government is planning to ban plastic carry bags after the Gudi Padwa (Maharashtrian New Year)

next year. Gudi Padwa falls in March-April period.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the ‘Maharashtra Mission 1 Million’ initiative under

which over 10 lakh students across the state will play football.

Manipur

Heikru Hidongba, the traditional boat race festival of Manipur, was celebrated at the Thangapat (moat) of Shri Bijoy

Govindajee, Sagolband, Imphal on September 3.

Odisha The Odisha government would provide Rs 1,000 as transportation cost to pregnant women from inaccessible areas

to facilitate their institutional delivery.

Puducherry

The Puducherry government has decided to ban manufacture and use of plastic packaging materials of less than 51 microns as these were found to be injurious to health and a source of menace during monsoon in the Union Territory.

Tripura

Tripura has become the first state in the country to set up family welfare district committees to deal with the issue

of fake and biased complaints by women against their husbands, in-laws and husband’s relatives, as per an apex

court directive.

Telangana

Amazon opened its largest fulfilment centre in India on the outskirts of Hyderabad, near the Rajiv Gandhi

International Airport, Shamshabad.

Regional Vocational Training Institute, Hyderabad, the first of its kind in Telangana inaugurated.

Uttarakhand A solar power plant commissioned by a French firm with an outlay of 4 million euros was inaugurated by French

Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler in Maheshwari village in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand.

West Bengal

An eight feet bronze statue of Indian freedom struggle leader Subhas Chandra Bose was unveiled at the naval base

INS Netaji Subhas in Kolkata, named after the iconic leader.

India’s first State of art virology laboratory inaugurated at Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for

Homoeopathy in Kolkata.

The West Bengal Transport department has introduced ‘Yatrik’ mobile phone app to help in the easy booking of

traditional meter taxis in Kolkata.

Finance and Banking News

Foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of the permanent headquarters building of the BRICS New


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Development Bank (NDB) held in Shanghai, China. The building is expected to become a landmark building along

Huangpu River.

RBI has announced it has added private lender HDFC Bank to its list of “domestic systemically important banks” (D-

SIBs) considered too big to fail. With HDFC Bank’s inclusion, there are now three banks that are described as too big

to fail, including state-run State Bank of India and private lender ICICI Bank.

According to a government of India notification, all the peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platforms will be treated as non-

banking financial companies (NBFCs) and will be brought under the ambit of the banking regulator.

IT major Infosys announced partnership with software services provider ToneTag to offer sound-based payment

solution to bank customers using its financial product Finacle. The solution will be available on all mobile devices,

including feature phones connected through Finacle mobile banking and Finacle digital wallet.

Regulator Irdai has permitted usage of OTP or one time password for opening e-insurance account (eIA) as an

alternative to electronic signature.

Indian insurance sector regulator IRDAI has given the final nod to online non-life insurer Acko General Insurance

Ltd.

The State Bank of India (SBI) announced SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA) — a chat assistant aimed to address customer

enquiries like a “bank representative” does. Developed by Payjo, an artificial intelligence (AI) banking platform,

“SIA” is equipped to handle nearly 10,000 enquiries per second or 864 million in a day — which is nearly 25 per

cent of the queries processed by Google each day.

State Bank of India and FTSE Russell, a global index and data provider have announced the launch of FTSE SBI Bond

Index Series at the London Stock Exchange, providing the global investor community and other market participants

the tools they need to analyse India’s bond market.

SBI Card, the second largest credit card selling company after HDFC Bank is all set to offer pre-approved cards to

customers of its parent State Bank of India. It has entered into a tripartite agreement with SBI and India’s first

credit bureau TransUnion Cibil

Public sector lender IDBI Bank has initiated a turnaround plan – ‘Project Nishchay’ in consultation with The Boston

Consulting Group (BCG). The project aims to accelerate the struggling lender’s turnaround programme and improve

financial performance.

India’s largest private sector lender by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank has announced a new home loan scheme

that offers borrowers the benefit of 1% cashback on every EMI, for the entire tenure of the loan. The offer will be

valid for home loans with a minimum tenure of 15 years and maximum tenure of 30 years.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank said that it will bring down its cost of funds by up to 150 basis points during the current

financial year by replacing 75% of its bank loans with borrowings using money market instruments including

certificate of deposits.

Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments bank in India to integrate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

on its digital platform.

In a bid to help develop the fintech ecosystem in India, Fino Payments Bank has launched its mobile banking app

called BPay.

Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) on Sep 1 2017 has kick-started its banking

operations. Fincare CEO - Rajeev Yadav. It has its Registered Office at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Corporate Office at

Bangalore, Karnataka.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot ‘Eva’ — built for HDFC Bank by Bengaluru-based Senseforth AI Research —

has successfully addressed over 2.7 million customer queries in six months to become the country’s largest banking

chatbot.

Singapore’s biggest lender DBS Group Holdings has won the Reserve Bank of India’s approval to provide banking

services in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary.

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has invested $10 million as equity in

e-commerce firm Power2SME that helps small and medium companies buy raw materials at bulk prices and get

working capital without collateral.


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Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (BFIL), formerly SKS Microfinance, has signed an exclusivity agreement for a

potential merger with IndusInd Bank.

Business News World Bank President Jim Kim has said India has been growing pretty robustly. Speaking at the Bloomberg Global

Business Forum meeting in New York, Kim said Japan, Europe and the US along with India were growing and there

was a levelling-out in developing countries.

In accord with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of ‘Banking for Everyone and Financial Inclusion’, Aksh

Optifibre plans to setup 5,000 banking kiosks through its flagship services arm “1 STOP AKSH” as the national level

bank correspondent for Bank of Baroda.

Google has announced to acquire part of the Taiwan-based HTC Corporation’s mobile division team for $1.1 billion.

Google has acquired Bitium, a company that provides enterprise customers with identity and access management

solutions, including single sign-on (SS) and provisioning for Cloud applications.

HCL Technologies has announced the acquisition of automation-driven data management platform Datawave.

Datawave is a leading provider of data migration and integration solutions, focused on automation and digital

transformation around Informatica and other similar enterprise data management stacks.

To enable small businesses and start-ups to file their Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns smoothly, Airtel

Business has launched Airtel GST Advantage.

Thyssenkrupp AG and Tata Steel Ltd. reached a tentative deal to merge their European steel businesses in a bid to

create the region’s second-largest producer and tackle overcapacity in the industry.

E-commerce major Flipkart has acquired mobiles and IT products repair services company, F1 Info Solutions for an

undisclosed amount.

State-owned IDBI Bank has sold 9 per cent stake in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) for an

undisclosed amount in a bid to mobilise funds by exiting non-core business. Earlier in September, the bank sold 1%

stake in Sidbi.

E-commerce major Amazon India has launched a new marketplace Amazon Business to cater to the requirements

of the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country.

Economy News For the first time ever, forex exchange reserves crossed the $400-billion mark as on September 8 to reach $400.727

billion, data from the Reserve Bank of India show. The central bank took almost a decade to shore up its forex kitty

by $100 billion to cross $400 billion from $300 billion.

India has registered a significant decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). According to the just released SRS bulletin,

IMR of India has declined by three points (8% decline), from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 34 per 1000 live

births in 2016, compared to two points decline last year.

According to a new series of gross State domestic product data with 2011-12 as the base year published by the

Central Statistics Office, Arunachal Pradesh was the fastest expanding State economies in 2015-16 followed by

Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra topped the list.

The government has notified the electronic way (e-way) bill, exempting certain items of mass consumption,

including fruits, vegetables, food grains, meat, bread, curd, books, and jewellery.

Distinguished scientist and Director General of BrahMos missile system division of the DRDO, Dr Sudhir Mishra, said

that the country would require various military equipment worth $150 billion in the next 10 years.

The Reserve Bank of India has removed masala bonds, or rupee-denominated debt securities sold abroad, from the

corporate bond investment limit that remains almost full amid strong overseas investor interest.

State Bank of India (SBI) is India’s most trusted and most popular bank according to a survey conducted by Brand


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Finance, a business valuation and strategic consultancy headquartered in London.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said that the developing Asia is on track to grow faster this year and next.

Developing Asia is expected to grow by 5.9 and 5.8 percent in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered India’s growth forecast to 7% for 2017-18 its Asian Development

Outlook (ADO) 2017. Also the outlook for 2018-19 is now at 7.4 per cent.

According to an SBI Research report, the outlook for India’s economic growth, which plunged below 6 per cent in

the first quarter of the current financial year, looks muted with the possibility of GDP going below 6.5 per cent in

2017-18.

According to RBI, Gross value added (GVA) would grow by a higher rate of 7.3 per cent in the current financial

year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said, India’s current account deficit (CAD) rose sharply to $14.3 billion in the first

quarter (April-June) of 2017-18 from $0.4 billion reported for the like period of 2016-17.

According to a DBS report, India’s GDP growth might slip below 7 per cent mark to a three-year low this financial

year.

According to India Ratings, India’s GDP growth estimate for the ongoing financial year 2017-18 is likely to come

down to 6.7 per cent from 7.4 per cent earlier

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said India’s economy will likely grow 6.7% in

FY18, lower than its estimate of 7.3% in June.

Crisil Ratings said the 9.5 per cent NPA figure for March 2017 recognized by banks includes only two-thirds of the

overall stressed assets or non-performing assets, and estimated the bad loan ratio to rise by 1 percentage point to

10.5 per cent by March 2018.

According to Dun and Bradstreet report titled ‘India’s Top Banks 2017’, the credit growth of all scheduled

commercial banks slowed down from 10.9 per cent in 2015-16 to 8.1 per cent in 2016-17.

According to Japanese financial services major Nomura, India’s current account deficit is expected to widen to 1.5

per cent of GDP in 2017

‘Project Insight’, likely to be launched in October 2017, will use big data analytics to match information from social

media sites to deduce mismatches between spending pattern and income declaration. So next time a photo of your

shiny new luxury car on Instagram or a costly watch on Facebook may lead the taxman to your door as the tax

department from next month will begin amassing virtual information to trace black money.

India’s first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is likely to be completed by 2022, the year marking 75

years of India’s Independence.

According to Fitch Ratings, Indian Banks will require about USD 65 billion in additional capital, to meet the new

Basel-III capital standards by March 2019 (financial year 2018-19) and push loan growth.

The Reserve Bank of India, RBI will introduce 100 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of AIADMK founder Late

Dr M G Ramachandran. It will also issue 5 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of Dr M G Ramachandran.

The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released a Commemorative Coin on Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S.

Subbulakshmi and inaugurated an exhibition entitled “Kurai Onrum Illai-MS: Life in Music” on the occasion of Birth

Centenary Commemoration of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (also known as

M.S.) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the

Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay

award, often considered Asia’s Nobel Prize.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has upped the age limit for joining the National

Pension Scheme (NPS) to 65 years from the current 60. NPS is currently open for people between 18 and 60, and

the Board has approved raising the age limit for joining to 65. The scheme anyway has the option of continuing and

making contributions up to the age of 70.

According to revised estimates published by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), global merchandise trade is

expected to grow at a higher 3.6 per cent in 2017, compared with 1.6 per cent increase last year. The WTO had


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earlier projected the world trade to grow at 2.4 per cent in 2017.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) registered National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) as an

Information Utility (IU) under the IBBI (Information Utilities) Regulations, 2017. With this NeSL has become the first

IU registered by the IBBI and the registration is valid for five years from the date of registration.

Govt keeps interest rate unchanged on small savings schemes for Q3. Public provident fund (PPF) scheme – 7.8 per

cent. Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) – 7.5 per cent and mature in 115 months. Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme – 8.3

per cent. 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme – 8.3 per cent

Science & Technology

India’s rendezvous with the red planet continues as its celebrated Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) completes three

years in orbit. The country had on 24 September 2014 successfully placed the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft in

the orbit around the red planet, in its very first attempt, thus breaking into an elite club.

Europe unveiled world’s most powerful X-ray laser near Hamburg where scientists will attempt to recreate the

conditions deep inside the sun and produce film-like sequences of viruses and cells. Machine is called the European

X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL).

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the world’s most experienced spacewoman, has returned to Earth after clocking

cumulative 665 days in space. The 57-year-old landed after completing 288 days and 4,623 orbits around Earth

during her third ISS mission.

According to an international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the Earth-sized

planets orbiting the ultracool TRAPPIST-1 dwarf star 40 light-years away may have substantial amounts of water

and could be habitable.

Researchers at Cardiff University, UK have created methanol from methane using oxygen from the air, in an

‘outstanding’ breakthrough.

Scientists from Brown University in the US have created the first map of water trapped in the uppermost layer of

the Moon’s soil using data from an instrument aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. As per a study says that

this may prove useful to future lunar explorers.

In a bid to boost the health sector, scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world’s first

molecular robot which can be used to build molecules and also help discover novel drugs.

Defence News

The joint military exercise – Surya Kiran between India and Nepal held in in Rupandehi district, Nepal.

Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy on 7 September 2017 began the 2017 Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) at

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The Indian Coast Guard has handed over offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varuna to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. India

has earlier handed over two offshore patrol vessels of the Indian Coast Guard — Varaha in April 2006 and Vigraha

in August 2008. ICGS Varuna, named after sea god Varuna, was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard in

February 1988.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) twice successfully flight tested Indias indigenously

developed third generation Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) ‘Nag’ in Rajasthan.

Swedish defence giant Saab and Indian conglomerate Adani group have announced a collaboration in defence

manufacturing entailing billions of dollars of investment, mainly eyeing a contract for single-engine fighter jets for

the Indian Air Force.

An indigenous artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), being jointly developed by the Defence

Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private sector, during trial firings at Pokhran ranges has

set a new world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km.


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Astra, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile, is all set for production and later induction into the armed forces.

A multi agency exercise was conducted on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake as the final event of Pralay Sahayam in

Hyderabad.

A new interceptor boat V-409 built by Bharati Defence and infrastructure limited was launched at Mangalore. The

objective of the boat is to provide coastal security.

The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two high-speed interceptor boats –C-433 and C-434 (built by L&T

Shipbuilding) — fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun at the Dighi Port in Mumbai, in a move that will boost security

along the Maharashtra coastline.

For the first time in 22 years, India’s first ingenuously built INS Kalavari submarine has been handed over to the

Indian Navy.

INS Tarasa, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft intended for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrolling, has

been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

China has announced commissioning its first radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, giving its air

force an edge in the region. The Chengdu J-20 is China’s fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet

Sports News

Tournament Winner Other Info

Korea Open (Badminton) PV Sindhu She defeated World Championships gold winner, Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara

2nd South Asian Basketball, SABA, Under – 16 Championship

India Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal third.

Kalpathi AGS – Buchi Babu All-India Invitation cricket tournament

Hyderabad

National kickboxing championship Maharashtra Held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Men’s singles in the tennis event of Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

Sumit Nagal Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Malaysian Squash Tour X event Harinder Pal Sandhu

8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures Men’s tennis championship

Sumit Nagal

57th National Open Athletics Championships (Men’s 500-meter race)

Govindan Lakshmanan

Commonwealth Youth weightlifting Championship

Konsam Ormila Devi She bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category. C’ship held at Gold Coast, Australia

World Cadet Chess Championship in the under- 12 category

Divya Deshmukh

Cadet World Wrestling Championship Sonam Malik She won a gold medal by defeating Japanese Wrestler Sena Nagamoto

Belgian Junior Open (Badminton) Vaishnavi Reddy

Calcutta Football League (CFL) title East Bengal

2017 US Open (tennis) – Men’s singles Rafael Nadal (Spain)

2017 US Open (tennis) – Women’s singles Sloane Stephens (American)

With she won her 1st Grand Slam.

2017 US Open (tennis) – Men’s Doubles Henri Kontinen (Finland), John Peers (Australia)


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2017 US Open (tennis) – Women’s Doubles Ekaterina Makarova (Russia), Elena Vesnina (Russia)

2017 US Open (tennis) – Mixed Doubles Martina Hingis (Switzerland) and Jamie Murray (British)

Italian Grand Prix Mercedes Lewis Hamilton

Beat Max Verstappen

Singapore Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Beat Daniel Ricciardo

Laver Cup 2017 – Men’s Singles Roger Federer

Laver Cup 2017 – Men’s Doubles Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Spain’s Ana Carrasco became the first woman to win an individual World Championship motorbike race.

Mark Beaumont, a British cyclist has broken the world record for cycling around the world in 79 days – 44 days shorter than the previous record.

Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has become the first Indian spinner and 3rd Indian after Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev to take a hat-trick in ODI cricket.

Sports The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the revamped Khelo India

programme at a cost of Rs.1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has formally awarded to Goa the rights to host the 36th National Games

which is going to take place in 2018.

India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting Championships.

Birmingham has been named as the British government’s choice to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

India becomes 1st visiting country to inflict 5-0 whitewash on Sri Lanka

India beat Australia by 5 wickets in the third ODI played between the two sides at Indore. The victory helped

them to pip South Africa to claim the no. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings. This now means that India is now at

the top of both the Test and ODI rankings.

The World Senior Badminton Championship began at Kochi. It is for the first time that India is hosting the

Championship.

Asia Road Racing Championship started from 22nd September in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

South Asian Championship to be held in Guwahati from December 6-10.

For the first time, Five Indians are in the top-20 of the BWF men’s singles rankings with H S Prannoy being the

biggest gainer after his quarterfinal showing at the Japan Open. Prannoy has jumped four places to be world

no.15. The 5 Indian Shuttlers in the top 20 BWF men’s singles rankings are – Kidambi Srikanth (8th), HS

Prannoy (15th), B Sai Praneeth (17th), Sameer Verma (19th), Ajay Jayaram (20th)

Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom has become the first Indian to be

picked as International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes Forum, scheduled in

November.

MS Dhoni has became the first wicketkeeper to have 100 stumpings to his names in one-day international.

Dhoni surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had 99 stumpings in 404 matches.

Indian captain Virat Kohli became the fastest player to score 15,000 runs in international cricket during the

one-off T20I against Sri Lanka.

The renowned Indian Badminton legend Prakash Padukone has been selected for the first life time award by

Badminton Association of India. He has been selected for the award for his contributions to Badminton.


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The captain of the Indian basketball team, Amritpal Singh scripted history by becoming the first Indian-born

player to be picked up by an Australian NBL team.

Windies’ cricketer Chris Gayle became the first batsman to hit 100 sixes in T20I cricket. Gayle achieved the feat

in his 49th T20I innings during the one-off T20I against England at Chester-le-Street.

Asian Games gold medallist Priyanka Panwar has been handed over a ban of eight years by National Anti-

Doping Agency (NADA) after she tested positive for a banned performance enhancing drug for the second

time.

The present Chief Coach of India senior women Hockey Team, Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne is

appointed as the Chief Coach of Indian Senior Men Hockey Team. Also, Shri Harendra Singh, Dronacharya

Awardee, Hockey Coach as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team.

FIFA U-17 World Cup song officially launched - Called “Kar Ke Dikhla De Goal”, the song has been written by

lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Pritam.

India has bagged a Gold and two Silver medals in the Men’s Double trap event at the ISSF World Shotgun

Championship in Moscow. India won the Gold in the Junior team section of the event with a combined score

of 401.

Acting on the recommendations of the Olympic Task Force on preparations for Olympics 2020-2028, the Sports

Ministry has announced the setting up of an Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) to look into the same. The task

force with members such as Abhinav Bindra and P Gopichand had submitted its interim report focussing on short-

term preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games on May 22.

Hockey India has sacked national coach Roelant Oltmans after a string of unimpressive outings at the

international level.

England’s top tier football club Tottenham Hotspur has unveiled the world’s first-ever dividing retractable

pitch at its new stadium. The retractable grass football pitch will sit on top of an artificial pitch which will be

used by American football league NFL

Official Slogan and Emblem of FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. - The slogan of the tournament “Dare To

Shine” reflects the development of football, especially women’s football.

Committees

Head of Committee

Purpose

Dr. Rajiv Kumar NITI Aayog has constituted an Expert Task Force to provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing India’s exports. It will be headed by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar.

Bhupender Yadav The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee of both the Houses, under the Chairpersonship of Shri Bhupender Yadav, M.P for examination and presenting a Report to the Parliament.

Sushil Kumar Modi (Bihar Deputy Chief Minister)

The Union Finance Ministry has constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) to monitor and resolve IT challenges faced in implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Dilip C Chakraborty The RBC (risk-based capital) committee headed by Dilip C Chakraborty in its report to Irdai suggested that the industry should move ahead with RBC to ensure that capital held by a company will take into account its overall risk profile.

Bibek Debroy The Economic Advisory Council headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy will be an independent body for giving advice on economic and related issues to the government, especially to the Prime minister.


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T.K. Viswanathan The Home Ministry is examining a report submitted by a high-level committee formed to propose new laws or amendments to deal with hate speech on the internet. The committee, headed by T.K. Viswanathan submitted its report to the Union Home Ministry recently.

Rankings

Index India’s Rank Other Information

World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Human Capital Index

103 Topped by Norway

World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index

40 Topped by Switzerland

Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index (QNI)

101 Topped by Germany

Nuclear Power Installations 3rd (number of nuclear reactors being installed is 6)

Topped by China (number of nuclear reactors being installed is 20)

Global Retail Development Index

1 India replaced China at numero uno position

India leapt up the global rankings by 12 places to take the 14th spot in terms of best country for expats to live and work in, says a HSBC survey. Topped by Singapore.

India is the most corrupt Asian country with 69 per cent bribery rates, according to a report by Transparency International.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that India ranked third among the countries that have faced the most natural disasters in the last half century. The United States experienced the most disasters

Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

IndusInd Bank

USD 200 million (about Rs 1,282 crore)

The seven-year senior loan will go toward IndusInd Bank’s microfinance activities. The loan specially will be used to serve low income women borrowers in rural areas

ADB West Bengal

$300 million To continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to bring about more accessible, affordable, and high quality public services

ADB India $4 billion ADB has extended the lending to support the country to accelerate inclusive economic transformation

ADB Himachal Pradesh

USD 80 million (about Rs 524 crore)

For modernisation of Himachal Pradesh’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institution

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard)

Haryana Rs 119 crore To construct seven bridges and improvement of one rural road project in five districts of Haryana.


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So far, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) mega-project was being developed only with the Indian government’s financial assistance. Now a $4.5 billion soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency will be used to boost $100 bn Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.

Deadlines/ Important Dates

What for Deadline/Date

Deadline for banks to set up enrollment centres within their premises. If the banks fail to do so,UIDAI will impose Rs 20,000 as fine per uncovered branch after September 30

September 30, 2017

Deadline for sale of pre-GST goods with stickers of revised rates. Earlier it was September 30.

December 31, 2017

To meet affordable housing targets, the Centre has extended the benefits of the interest subsidy scheme on home loans under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or PMAY (Urban). Earlier it was till December 2017

March 2019

Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)

According to research agency Kantar Millward Brown, HDFC Bank retained its No 1 position in the BrandZ India

top 50, doubling its brand value since 2014 with a sustained focus on improving services.

Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has been

recognised in Fortune’s annual list of the Top 50 companies that are changing the world. mKrishi developed by

TCS got 30th rank. JPMorgan Chase topped the list.

In the World University Rankings 2018, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was the highest ranked institute

from the country, but it slipped from the 201-250 band to the 251-300 one.

New Delhi’s Connaught Place has been ranked as the tenth most expensive office market in the world, as

revealed by the CBRE South Asia’s Global Prime Office Rents survey. Hong Kong’s Central Markettopped the

survey ranking.

Apple topped the list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group

Interbrand. Apple is followed by Google.

According to a study by Zipjet, a UK-based start-up, German city Stuttgart is the least stressed out city in the

world. Out of the 150 cities, Bengaluru stands at 130, Kolkata at 131 and Mumbai at 138 and Delhi is ranked

142. The most stressed city in the world is Baghdad.

Reliance Industries Ltd has jumped five places to rank as the world’s third-biggest energy company behind

Russian gas firm Gazrpom and German utility E.ON, according to Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company

Rankings.

Three Indian entrepreneurial legends, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Mittal and Vinod Khosla have been included in

Forbes’s special list of the world’s ‘100 Greatest Living Business Minds ’.

Patanjali Ayurved CEO Acharya Balkrishna has been named among India’s top 10 richest people for the first

time in Hurun Rich List 2017, with a wealth of ₹70,000 crore. Mukesh Ambani retains the richest Indian title for

the sixth year.

Forbes – Priyanka Chopra is eighth highest paid TV actress, Sofia Vergara tops the list

Google, Bharat Heavy Electricals and State Bank of India have been named as the top three best places to work

in India by leading global job site Indeed.

Bengaluru is the world’s most affordable technology hub, according to a study conducted by a realty

consultancy firm.


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Books

Book Author Other Info

How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st Century

Shyam Saran He is Former Foreign Secretary

100 things every professional cricketer must know

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued players handbook that covers several issues from money managing to managing emotions. The book is also in line with Lodha recommendations.

Hit Refresh Satya Nadella He is India-born Microsoft CEO

Unstoppable: My Life So Far Maria Sharapova She is Russian tennis player

A to Z of Financial Management in Autonomous Institutions

Dr. Rajat Bhargava and Deenanath Pathak

The book is book on financial management.

Obituaries

Name Profession Other Info

KS Chugh Doctor He is known as the father of nephrology in India. He was a recipient of several national and international awards, including the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2000.

P.P. Antony Former national women’s hockey coach

Shirish Pai Poet Marathi poet and activist

Arun Sadhu Journalist journalist and Renowned Marathi writer

Shakila Actress Bollywood actress

Tom Alter Actor Padma Shri awardee and veteran film, television and theatre actor, director and writer

R N Sudarshan Actor South Indian

Dwijen Bandyopadhyay

Actor Bengali

Abdul Majid Actor An icon of the Assamese film industry, an eminent actor, Director and writer

P P Rao Senior Advocate He was a constitutional law expert

Gauri Lankesh Journalist

Sultan Ahmed Politician Former Union minister and sitting Trinamool Congress MP

Jomde Kena Politician Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Minister

Syed Mustafiz Politician Former Odisha health minister

M L Fotedar Politician He was a veteran Congress leader who was a close confidante of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandh

Kiyanilie Peseyie Politician Former Speaker of the Nagaland Assembly and sitting MLA


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Alwar Mahant Chandnath

Politician He was Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Rajasthan’s Alwar

K.R Aravindakshan Politician He was Communist Party Marxist State General Secretary

Niharendu Mallick Player Indian shuttler

Violet Mosse–Brown World’s oldest person. Dies aged 117 years

She was from Jamaica. Following her death, 117-year-old Japanese woman Nabi Tajima, born on August 4, 1900, has become the world’s oldest person.

Harry Dean Stanton Actor American

Frank Vincent Actor American

Richard Anderson Actor American

Walter Becker Guitarist He was America’s legendary guitarist, bassist and co-writer for the sophisticated, dark- humored band Steely Dan

Charles Bradley Singer American

John Ashbery Poet American

Arjan Singh, pride Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and India’s oldest, five-star ranked air force officer has passed away. Arjan Singh was the only officer of the IAF to be given a distinction equal to that of a Field Marshal. In 2016, the IAF named its Panagarh (West Bengal) air base after Arjan Singh on the occasion of his 97th birth anniversary. The Panagarh base would be called Air Force Station Arjan Singh. He was the only living officer to have a base named after him.

Important Days

Date Day Extra Info

02 September World Coconut Day In India, main function held at Vijayawada, with theme – Coconut for Family Nutrition, Health and Wellness

05 September National Teachers Day

05 September International Day of Charity

08 September International Literacy Day Theme – Literacy in a digital world

10 September World Suicide Prevention Day Theme – Take a minute, change a life

12 September United Nations Day for South- South Cooperation

14 September Hindi Day

15 September International Day of Democracy Theme – Democracy and Conflict prevention

15 September Engineers Day Theme – Role of Engineers in a developing India

16 September International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

Theme – Caring for all life under Sun

21 September International Day of Peace Theme – Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All

25 September Government celebrated ‘Bharat ke Kaushalzaade’ on Antyodaya Diwas

In 2014, the Government of India decided to observe 25th September as Antyodaya Diwas in memory of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

27 September World Tourism Day Theme – Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development


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28 September World Rabies Day Theme – Rabies: Zero by 30

28 September World Maritime Day Theme – Connecting Ships, Ports and People

29 September World Heart Day

30 September International Translation Day Theme – Translation and Diversity

Month Special

Modi, Abe kick off India’s first bullet train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the proposed

Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail Network, commonly known as the bullet train, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Around Rs 1.10 lakh crore will be spent on the Mumbai to Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project that is

being partially funded by Japan. Out of the Rs 1,10,000 crore, Japan is giving a loan of Rs 88,000 crore.

The interest on this loan is minimal at 0.1 per cent and it is to be repaid in 50 years, with a grace period of 15 years.

On the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route, total 12 stations have been proposed.

It is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities from seven to three hours.

With this, India has become the first to import the iconic ‘Shinkansen’ bullet-train technology after Taiwan.

56 years in the making: PM Modi inaugurates the Sardar Sarovar Dam, dedicates to nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who celebrated his 67th birthday today (17th September), inaugurated and dedicated

to the nation the India’s biggest and the world’s second-biggest dam Sardar Sarovar Dam, in Kevadia, Gujarat, nearly

six decades after its foundation stone was laid.

Electricity from the dam will majorly benefit Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

The foundation stone of the dam was laid on April 5, 1961 by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Lal

Nehru. However, it took 56 years to complete its construction.

The inaugural event also sees the culmination of the fortnight-long Narmada Mahotsav – launched by the Gujarat

government to celebrate the completion of the work.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing ‘Sewa Diwas’ to mark the occasion.

World’s biggest dam is Grand Coulee Dam in the United States.

Government launches Saubhagya scheme for household electrification

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ‘Saubhagya’ electricity scheme to provide

24×7 power to all families across India at the BJP’s National Executive meet and on the occasion of birth anniversary of

RSS ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya in New Delhi.

The scheme will cover all rural families after electrification of all villages by December end, this year.

The States and Union Territories are required to complete the works of household electrification by the 31st of

December 2018.

The total outlay of the project is Rs. 16, 320 crore while the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) is Rs. 12,320 crore.

The rural household outlay is estimated to be Rs 14025cr, with Rs 2295cr being for urban households.

The government will electrify all villages by December 2017, and all households by December 2018. Singh said the

next target will be 24×7, reliable quality supply, with no load shedding.

74th Venice Film Festival Awards 2017

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ was awarded the Golden Lion at the 74th Venice Film Festival. The film, a

romantic monster movie starring Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon, premiered on the Lido on August 31, declared as

the best movie.


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List of Awards are as follows-

Golden Lion – Best Movie — The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del Toro

Grand Jury Prize — Foxtrot, directed by Samuel Maoz

Silver Lion – Best Director — Xavier Legrand (for Jusqu’à la Garde)

Volpi Cup – Best Actress — Charlotte Rampling (for Hannah)

Volpi Cup – Best Actor — Kamel El Basha (for The Insult)

69th Emmy Awards: Complete List of Winners

The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced at the Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, U.S. The

Handmaid’s Tale became the first web television series to win the award for Outstanding Drama Series. Awards are as:

Outstanding Comedy Series — Veep

Outstanding Drama Series — The Handmaid’s Tale

Outstanding Variety Talk Series — Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series — Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Limited Series — Big Little Lies

Outstanding Television Movie — Black Mirror: “San Junipero”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Donald Glover as Earnest “Earn” Marks on Atlanta

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson on This Is Us

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne / Offred on The Handmaid’s Tale

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series — Atlanta (Episode: “B.A.N.”), Directed by Donald Glover

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — The Handmaid’s Tale (Episode: “Offred”), Directed by Reed Morano

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series — Master of None (Episode: “Thanksgiving”), Written by Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe.


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