NATIONAL NEWS
Sushma Swaraj Participates In 17th CHG Meeting Of SCO In Tajikistan
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be participating in the 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 11th to 12th of this month.
- This will be the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of SCO in June 2017.
- The leaders will be discussing prospects for further development of SCO and will exchange in-depth views on current international and regional issues.
- Extra info.:
Tajikistan Capital: Dushanbe
Currency: Tajikistani somoni
SCO Headquarters: Beijing, China
17th edition of Old World Theatre festival to focus on next generation of Indian theatre
The 17th edition of Old World Theatre festival will bring to stage productions that mirror the continuities in Indian theatre from the earliest to the most contemporary with a special focus on the next generation of theatre artistes and directors.
- Organised by India Habitat Centre, the annual theatre festival will witness 15 plays starting from October 20 in New Delhi. The festival will come to a close on October 28.
- Touted as one of the "oldest and most prestigious theatre festivals", the nine-day event will create theatrical experiences through a pan-Indian constellation of original scripts from Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Kerala.
- The theatre festival will open with "Kutiyattam", one of the most stylised and earliest forms of Sanskrit theatre and has been recognised by UNESCO as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".
Cabinet approves PLB for Railway employees
The Union Cabinet has approved the payment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days' wages for the financial year 2017-18 for all eligible non-gazetted Railway employees.
- Nearly 12 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees are likely to benefit from the decision.The Productivity Linked Bonus on Railway covers all non-gazetted railway employees, excluding RPF/RPSF personnel who are spread over the entire country.
Centre exempts Sikh women from wearing helmet in Chandigarh
The Central government has sent an advisory to the Chandigarh Administration to follow the notification issued by the Delhi Government giving exemption to Sikh women from wearing protective headgear (helmet) while riding two-wheelers in the city.
- This is in response to the representation received by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh from representatives of Sikh bodies.
India ranked 147th in Oxfam world inequality index
India has been ranked among the bottom 10 countries in a new worldwide index released on the commitment of different nations to reduce inequalities in their populations.
- UK-based charity Oxfam International’s ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index’ ranks India 147th among 157 countries analysed, describing the country’s commitment to reducing inequality as a “a very worrying situation” given that it is home to 1.3 billion people, many of whom live in extreme poverty.
- The index is topped by Denmark, based on its high and progressive taxation, high social spending and good protection of workers.
National Postal Week 9-15 October, 2018 to be celebrated in Maharashtra
Marking the World Post Day, Department of Posts is celebrating National Postal Week from 9-15 October, 2018 in Maharashtra.
- Maharashtra Postal Circle is organising celebrations during the National Postal Week 2018 in each of its six regions at Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa.
Sneha Rajani, Ekta Kapoor in committee to tackle sexual harassment issues
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the Producers Guild of India announced the formation of a special committee to look into matters of sexual harassment at the workplace within the industry. The committee with filmmakers Kiran Rao and Ekta Kapoor among others as its members held its first meeting.
- Committee is headed by Sneha Rajani while Apoorva Mehta, Ekta Kapoor, Fazila Allana, Jyoti Deshpande, Kiran Rao, Kulmeet Makkar, Madhu Bhojwani, Priti Shahani, Rohan Sippy, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Vijay Singh are the other members of the committee.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
MobiKwik acquires wealth management start-up Clearfunds
Domestic mobile wallet player, MobiKwik announced its foray into India's wealth management market with the acquisition of Clearfunds, an online mutual fund investment platform based out of Mumbai, for an undisclosed amount.
- "MobiKwik users will now be able to start their investing journey with as little as Rs 100," says Upasana Taku, Co-Founder and Director, MobiKwik.
- Clearfunds Founder and CEO Kunal Bajaj will lead MobiKwik's wealth management business.
Govt. hikes interest for gratuity funds to 8%
The Centre has notified a higher interest rate of 8% for the non-government provident, superannuation, and gratuity funds, effective from October 1.
- The interest rate on these funds has been raised from 7.6%. The move comes on the back of a hike in small savings rates — by up to 40 basis points for some schemes — that was also made effective from October 1.
SPORTS
Youth Olympic Games: Saurabh Chaudhary bags Gold in 10-m air pistol
Pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has bagged the Gold Medal in the 10-metre air pistol event in the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.
Manu Bhaker becomes first Indian shooter to win gold at Youth Olympics
Manu Bhaker became the first shooter from India to claim a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a spectacular performance in what is being seen as a comeback after a disappointing Asian Games.
APPOINTMENTS
Pravin Srivastava appointed as India's third Chief Statistician
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Pravin Srivastava, Additional Director General, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, as Chief Statistician of India(CSI), and Secretary of the Statistics Ministry.
- Srivastava’s tenure will be till August 31, 2020.
AWARDS
Indus Towers Wins Deming Prize for 2018
Indus Towers, world's largest telecom tower company (outside China), won the Deming Prize for 2018, being the first Indian company in the service sector and the fifth in the world to achieve this.
- Being a globally renowned award, the Deming Prize is the oldest and most widely recognized, given to companies that have established customer-oriented business objectives and strategies.
- Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award, with other notable names including Tata Steel, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra, and NBC Bearings, etc.
OBITUARIES
Noted Malayalam poet Paloor passes away
Well-known Malayalam poet M N Paloor passed away in Kozhikode.
- Paloor, one of the early poets to have modern views, is the author of some of the finest Malayalam poems of the latter half of the 20th century.
- He also received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography ‘Kathayillathavante Katha’ in 2013.
Environmentalist GD Agarwal passes away
Environmentalist G.D. Agarwal, who was on a fast for the last 111 days demanding a clean Ganga, passed away after a heart attack in Rishikesh.
- The 86-year old former IIT-Kanpur professor, Agarwal had been on hunger strike since June 22 for a pollution-free and uninterrupted flow in the Ganga.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day of the Girl Child 2018
International Day of Girls is an international observance day declared by the United Nations; it is also called the Day of Girls and the International Day of Girls. The observation supports more opportunity for Girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by Girls worldwide based upon their gender.
- Each year's Day of Girls has a theme. For 2018 it is “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force”.
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