NATIONAL NEWS
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrives in Delhi on 4-day visit
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in New Delhi on his maiden visit to India as the head of the world body that coincides with the commencement of events marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The UN chief will meet the top leadership of the country including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is likely to discuss key global issues such as climate change and terrorism during his three-day visit.
- On October 3, Guterres will attend the 'Champions of Earth' ceremony in New Delhi.
Sushil Modi-led GoM to examine modalities for 'calamity tax' under GST
The Government constituted a seven-member ministerial panel headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi to examine modalities for revenue mobilisation in case of natural calamities and disasters.
- The panel would submit its report to the GST Council by October 31.
Govt to convert 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centers into Wellness Centers
Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said that 1.5 lakh Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres will be converted into wellness centers by 2022.
- These centres will facilitate screening of every individual aged 30 for blood pressure, diabetes, tuberculosis, breast cancer and leprosy among others.
Uttarakhand House nod to declare cow 'Rashtra Mata'
The Uttarakhand Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to declare cow the ‘Rashtra Mata’ or the mother of the nation.
- State Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya, who moved the resolution in the Assembly, said that considering it a request from Uttarakhand Assembly, the Centre must grant the status of mother of nation to the cow.
CM Naveen inaugurates 'Kalahandi Dialogue' conclave
Inaugurating the three-day conclave Kalahandi Dialogue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the Regional Research & Technology Transfer Station (RRTTS), Bhawanipatna, will henceforth be the Centre of Excellence for cotton, tropical fruit, crops and aromatic rice.
- He also announced opening of five PG departments on Agronomy, Soil Science & Agriculture, Chemistry, Entomology, Plant Physiology and Plant Pathology in the College of Agriculture.
BANKING & FINANCE
RBI to inject Rs. 36,000 cr into system through purchase of govt bonds
The Reserve Bank of India announced that it will inject Rs 36,000 crore liquidity into the system through purchase of government bonds in October to meet the festival season demand for funds.
- The auctions to purchase government bonds as part of the Open Market Operations (OMO) to manage liquidity in the system will be conducted in the second, third and fourth week of October.
India, Uzbekistan set $1-bn bilateral trade target
India and Uzbekistan set an annual bilateral trade target of $1 billion to be achieved within two years and agreed to boost connectivity as the two sides signed 17 agreements across a range of sectors following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in New delhi.
- 17 agreements were signed between the two sides, including in the areas of tourism, military training, law and justice, agriculture, science and innovation, health, and pharmaceuticals.
- Extra info.:
Uzbekistan President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Capital: Tashkent
Currency: Uzbekistani som
ECONOMY
India's external debt declines 2.8 per cent $514.4 billion at end-June: RBI
India's external debt declined 2.8 per cent to USD 514.4 billion at June-end over the previous quarter on account of a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits.
- At end-June 2018, the external debt was placed at USD 514.4 billion, recording a decrease of USD 14.9 billion over its level at end-March 2018.
Paytm tops UPI payments with over 33% market share
Alibaba and SoftBank-backed Paytm said it registered over 137 million UPI transactions in September, becoming the leading contributor to Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments with over 33 per cent of the overall market share.
- The company also announced the launch of its Spam-proof "SMS Inbox" as part of its "Paytm Inbox".
The "Spam-proof SMS Inbox" uses Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to classify SMS into personal, transactional and promotional categories. - Extra info.:
Paytm CEO: Renu Satti
Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Parent organization: One97 Communication
APPOINTMENTS
Ravi Venkatesan appointed UNICEF'S special representative of young people
The UNICEF has appointed Ravi Venkatesan has its special representative of young people.
- His new role will provide strategic guidance and support UNICEF globally with high-level outreach, partnerships and scaling innovations.
India-born Harvard professor becomes chief economist of IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Gita Gopinath as its chief economist.
- India-born Gopinath will succeed Maurice Obstfeld, who announced in July that he would retire at the end of 2018, as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department.
Jayant Mammen Mathew elected president of Indian Newspaper Society
Jayant Mammen Mathew, Executive Editor of Malayala Manorama, was elected as the president of the prestigious Indian Newspaper Society.
- Indian Newspaper Society acts as a central organisation of the print media industry in India.
Rangachari Sridharan named chief of National Financial Reporting Authority
Rangachari Sridharan was appointed as first chief of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).
- Besides him, Prasenjit Mukherjee has been appointed as full-time member of the authority.
AWARDS
Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to cancer researchers from US, Japan
James P. Allison of the US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work in the fight against cancer.
- The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute recognised the pair "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day for Older Persons 2018
The International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 each year to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.
- The theme this year is, 'Celebrating Older Human Rights champions'.
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