National News
1. Cabinet Approves Merger of NCVT And NSDA To Establish NCVET
i. The Union Cabinet has
approved the merger of the existing regulatory institutions in the skills space
- National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and
the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) into the National
Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).
ii. NCVET will regulate
the functioning of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both
long-term and short-term and establish minimum standards for the functioning of
such entities.
iii. The primary functions of NCVET will include -
iii. The primary functions of NCVET will include -
·
recognition
and regulation of awarding bodies, assessment bodies and skill related
information providers;
·
approval
of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils
(SSCs);
·
indirect
regulation of vocational training institutes through awarding bodies and
assessment agencies;
·
research
and information dissemination;
·
grievance
redressal.
2. IIT-Madras Signs MoU With Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency
i. IIT-Madras will collaborate
with Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to enhance
data-driven governance. Through this engagement, the Robert Bosch Centre for
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC DSAI ) at IIT-Madras
has agreed to support the State government on various data science and
ICT-related challenges.
ii. The collaboration is expected to contribute towards various aspects of governance, including (but not limited to) education, healthcare, and agriculture, says a press release from IIT-Madras.
ii. The collaboration is expected to contribute towards various aspects of governance, including (but not limited to) education, healthcare, and agriculture, says a press release from IIT-Madras.
3. Coal India signs MoU with NLC for 5000 MW Power Generation
i.
Coal India and NLC India (NLCIL), formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation, will jointly set up
5000 MW of power generation capacity of which 3000 MW would be solar
powered while the rest 2000 MW would be
coal-fuelled.
ii. Coal India has been tasked
to become a net zero emission energy company by the ministry
of coal, a move which requires it to generate 3,000 MW of solar power. The MoU
also extends for setting up of 2,000 MW of thermal power generation across
CIL’s subsidiaries.
4. Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ Hits West-Central Bay of Bengal
Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI |
i. The
Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ over the west-central Bay
of Bengal moved
northwards with a speed of about
14 kmph over Westcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.5°N
and longitude 85.8°E, about 320 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) and
270 km southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
International News
5. Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman In France On 3-Day Visit
i.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has left for Paris on a three-day visit to France. Ms
Sitharaman will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart
Florence Parly on ways to deepen strategic cooperation between the two
countries.
ii. During the
visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, the two countries
decided to expand strategic ties and deepen counter-terror cooperation.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
France President: Emmanuel Macron, Capital: Paris, Currency: euro,
CFP franc.
6. Sushma Swaraj
Participates In 17th CHG Meeting Of SCO In Tajikistan
i.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj participated in the 17th
Council of Heads of Government, CHG, meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
ii. Last year, CHG meeting was held in Sochi, Russia and was also attended by EAM. The SCO CHG meeting is a forum that enables India to engage with SCO member countries and Observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
ii. Last year, CHG meeting was held in Sochi, Russia and was also attended by EAM. The SCO CHG meeting is a forum that enables India to engage with SCO member countries and Observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
Important Days
7. International Day Of The
Girl Child: 11 October
i. Since 2012, 11
October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The
theme for International Day of the Girl Child 2018 is 'With Her: A
Skilled Girl Force'.
ii. The day aims to highlight
and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting
girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Appointments
8. Rakesh Sharma Takes
Charge As MD & CEO Of IDBI Bank
i.
State-run IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the
managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. He has
replaced B Sriram.
ii. Mr Sharma has been
appointed for the period of six months. He retired from Canara Bank as the MD
and CEO after serving for a period of three years.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for IBPS PO Mains Exam 2018-
·
IDBI
Bank was established in 1964.
·
IDBI
Bank Headquarters in Mumbai.
9.
Mahesh Reddy Takes Over As PHDCCI Secretary-General
i. PHD
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has announced that Mahesh
Y Reddy has taken over as its Secretary General with immediate
effect.
ii. He holds 28 years of
experience in national level trade, infrastructure and industry
bodies in various capacities, the chamber said in a statement.
10. Pravin Srivastava Appointed India's 3rd Chief Statistician
i. The government has
appointed 58-year-old Pravin Srivastava, a senior officer with the
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), as the
Chief Statistician of India (CSI).
ii. Srivastava’s tenure will be till August 31, 2020.
11. Tushar Mehta Appointed Solicitor General of India
ii. Srivastava’s tenure will be till August 31, 2020.
11. Tushar Mehta Appointed Solicitor General of India
i.
Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has been appointed as the new
Solicitor General of India. The senior lawyer will assume the office
of the Solicitor General till June 30, 2020.
ii. The post had been lying vacant since October 2017 when the then Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar had resigned. Solicitor General is the second highest ranking law officer of the government after the Attorney General.
ii. The post had been lying vacant since October 2017 when the then Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar had resigned. Solicitor General is the second highest ranking law officer of the government after the Attorney General.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
KK Venugopal is the present Attorney General of India.
Ranks and Reports
12. Oxfam World Inequality
Index 2018: India Ranks 147th, Denmark Tops
i. UK-based charity ‘Oxfam
International’s report named ‘Commitment to Reducing
Inequality (CRI) Index was released in which India ranked 147th among
157 countries analysed and was labeled as “a very worrying
situation” with respect to the rising inequality in the country.
ii. Out of 157 countries
measured, Denmark topped the list based on its high and
progressive taxation, high social spending and good protection of workers.
Ranking at 11th, Japan became the topper among the Asian countries. Among
the BRICS nations, China was ranked 81st on the list, Brazil 39th and Russia
50th.
Awards
13. Veena Sendre Crowned
India's 1st Miss Trans Queen
i.
Veena Sendre from Chhattisgarh has been chosen as India's first 'Miss Trans Queen'.
ii. Veena defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest organised in Mumbai. Sendre, a former Miss Chhattisgarh, belongs to Mandir Hasaud village in Raipur.
14. Indus Towers Wins Deming Prize For 2018
ii. Veena defeated Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu to claim the title at the national-level beauty contest organised in Mumbai. Sendre, a former Miss Chhattisgarh, belongs to Mandir Hasaud village in Raipur.
14. Indus Towers Wins Deming Prize For 2018
i.
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.
ii. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award.
ii. The Deming Prize was bestowed on Indus Towers for distinctive performance improvements through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. Indus Towers is only the 29th Indian company to win this coveted award.
Static/Current Takeaways Important
for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
The
Deming Prize for 2018 was announced by JUSE - Union of Japanese Scientists and
Engineers.
·
It was
established in 1951 and was originally designed to reward Japanese companies
for their major advancements in quality improvement.
Sports News
15. Youth
Olympic Games 2018: Saurabh Chaudhary bags Gold in 10-m air pistol
i.
Pistol shooter Saurabh Chaudhary has bagged the Gold Medal in the 10-meter air pistol event
in the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.
ii. In Buenos Aires, the 16-year old blew the field away in the final as he finished a massive Seven and a half points ahead of his closest rival. It is India’s third gold medal in the history of Youth Olympic Games.
ii. In Buenos Aires, the 16-year old blew the field away in the final as he finished a massive Seven and a half points ahead of his closest rival. It is India’s third gold medal in the history of Youth Olympic Games.
16. Asian
Para-Games 2018 : Archer Harvinder Singh Clinches Seventh Gold For India
i. Archer Harvinder Singh notched up the men’s individual recurve gold, while
track-and-field athletes added a silver and a bronze to India’s tally in
the Asian Para-Games in Jakarta.
ii. Harvinder
defeated China’s Zhao Lixuebn in the W2/ST category final to claim the
top honors and take India’s gold tally to seven.
17. IOC Picks
Senegal As 1st African Host For Youth Olympics
i. The
International Olympics Committee (IOC) has picked its first African
host of any Olympics, formally awarding the 2022 Youth Games
to Senegal.
ii. Senegal President Macky
Sall was
present to see IOC members confirm the executive board's preference from four
candidates. Senegal will host the youth games in three places: Dakar; a new
city of Diamniadio, close to the capital; and the coastal resort of Saly.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Senegal Capital: Dakar, Currency: West African CFA franc.
Obituaries
18. Noted
Malayalam Poet MN Paloor Passes Away
i.
Well-known Malayalam poet M N Paloor passed away at the age of 86-year due
to age-related ailments.
ii. Paloor won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, the state's highest literary honour, in 1983 for his collection 'Kalikalam'. He also received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography 'Kathayillathavante Katha' in 2013.
ii. Paloor won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, the state's highest literary honour, in 1983 for his collection 'Kalikalam'. He also received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography 'Kathayillathavante Katha' in 2013.