October 17, 2018 Allahabad renamed to Prayagraj by the UP Cabinet After much debate and criticism, the Uttar Pradesh govt. on 16 th October approved the proposal to rename Allahabad as 'Prayagraj'. Earlier Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had announced that Allahabad would be renamed as Prayagraj ahead of the 2019 Kumbh Mela. West Bengal Govt Launches 'Khadya Sathi', Extends Food Security To 8.5 Crore People: Mamata Banerjee On the occasion of World Food Day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 16 th October said that West Bengal government has ensured food security to over 8.5 crore people of the state under the 'Khadya Sathi' scheme. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Foreign tourists can now visit Andaman & Nicobar Islands without any restrictions Foreign tourists can now visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands without any restrictions. Home Ministry sources said, the ministry has modified its earlier order which made it mandatory for Foreigners to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer within 24 hours of their arrival. The step was taken on the suggestion made by the Tourism Ministry to boost the foreign tourist arrivals. Govt hikes GPF interest rate to 8% for Oct-Dec quarter The union govt. has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4 percentage points to 8% for the October-December quarter of current financial year. The interest rate would apply on Provident Funds of central government employees, railways and defence forces. Last month, the government announced that the interest on small savings, including NSC and PPF, will be hiked by up to 0.4 percentage point for the October-December quarter. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
UAE Plus: India to set up special desk to facilitate investments from UAE India will soon set up a special UAE desk (UAE Plus) to facilitate investments and resolve any business issues between the two nations. Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu made the announcement after co-chairing the sixth meeting of UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments in Mumbai. Sri Lanka sets up Break Into India Strategy Committee to strategize for investment in India On October 16, 2018, Sri Lanka constituted a 8-10 member Break Into India Strategy Committee to formulate strategy to help Sri Lankan businesses invest more into the Indian market. It would be led by Export Development Board (EDB) Chairperson Indira Malwatte and Former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Suresh Shah. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
98 th Annual Session of ASSOCHAM held in New Delhi Inaugurating the session, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu called upon the organizations to create an environment for whistleblowers to report any wrong doing without any fear. President of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM): Sandeep Jajodia 6 th International Silk Fair begins in New Delhi Union Minister Smriti Irani on 16 th October inaugurated India International Silk Fair (IISF), a 3- day event where over 108 exhibitors of silk and blended silk displayed their produce here. India is the 2 nd largest producer of silk in the world. The country s silk industry is agriculture based and labour intensive and provides gainful employment to around eight million artisans and weavers in rural areas. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
RBI approves Sandeep Bakshi's appointment as MD, CEO of ICICI Bank for 3 years ICICI Bank on 16 th October said that the RBI has approved Sandeep Bakshi's appointment as Managing Director and CEO of the bank for three years. After resignation of Chanda Kochhar, who was facing an inquiry, earlier this month, the bank's board had elevated Chief Operating Officer Bakshi as the new managing director and CEO. Bakshi had joined the group in 1986. BankBazaar appoints former RBI Deputy Governor SS Mundra as advisor Online financial services marketplace BankBazaar said former RBI Deputy Governor (DG) S S Mundra has been appointed as an advisor to the company. In a statement BankBazaar said Mundra's expertise will help in driving 100 percent paperless and presence-less financing by the company in India. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Anna Burns wins Man Booker prize for incredibly original Milkman Anna Burns has become the first Northern Irish author to win the Man Booker prize, taking the 50,000 award for Milkman, her timely, Troubles-set novel about a young woman being sexually harassed by a powerful man. Minister Piyush Goyal bags Carnot award for reforming Power sector The University of Pennsylvania School of Design has bestowed its top prize in energy policy to Piyush Goyal, India's minister for Coal and Railways. The University's Kleinman Center for Energy Policy will award the 4 th annual Carnot Prize to Goyal on Friday, October 19. A press release from the center said that Goyal was recognized for his fast-track effort to electrify 18000 villages of remote India and bridging the country's energy divide. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Nilgiris district bags JRD Tata Memorial Award The Nilgiris district has won the JRD Tata Memorial Award for the best implementation of government programmes in hygiene, drinking water, sanitation, child health, reproductive health and women empowerment. The award comprising a citation and Rs 2 lakh cash award was handed over to district collector J Innocent Divya by Rajiv Kumar, vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: 17 October In 1992, United Nations General Assembly declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Theme for 2018 is Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal respect for human rights and dignity. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
India is world s most depressed country with most numbers of anxiety, bipolar disorder cases According to a World Health Organization report, India is the world s most depressed country, closely followed by China and the US. At least 6.5 percent of the Indian populations suffer from some form of the serious mental disorder. World Mental Health day is observed on 10 th October. Suraj Panwar wins silver in men's 5000m race walk at Youth Olympics India's Suraj Panwar clinched a silver in men's 5000m race walk event in the ongoing Youth Olympic Games to open the country's medal account in athletics. Panwar won the stage 2 competition by clocking 20 minutes and 35.87 seconds on 15 th October night but finished second overall. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 8
Festival of Fulpati celebrated in various parts of Nepal The festival of Fulpati was celebrated with traditional gaiety and religious fervour in various parts of Nepal on 16 th October. Fulpati is observed on the seventh day of Dashain festival. In Nepali, "Phool" means flower and "Pati" means leaves and plants. There is a tradition in Nepal to bring nine types of Fulpati into the home on the seventh day of Navaratri. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies at 65 Billionaire philanthropist Paul G. Allen, who cofounded Microsoft with Bill Gates, passed away after suffering from Hodgkin s lymphoma in United States. Allen was a philanthropist and also the owner of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and had a stake in Seattle's Sounders soccer team. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 9
Learn Two a Day: Vaishno Devi Temple: Jammu and Kashmir Dilwara Jain Temples: Mount Abu, Rajasthan https://examprep.talentsprint.com 10