1. India and Switzerland have signed two pacts for technical cooperation in the field of Railways after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in New Delhi. The aim of pacts is to cooperate in the areas of traction rolling stock, EMU and Train sets, traction propulsion equipments, freight and passenger cars, etc. To boost bilateral ties, Swiss president, Doris Leuthard is on a 3-day visit to India. The visit is significant as Switzerland is the chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) where India has been seeking membership. The main theme of the presidential visit is the Treaty of Friendship signed between Switzerland and India in 1948, in which the two countries gave assurances of "perpetual peace" and "unalterable friendship".
2. India and Myanmar will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Myanmar on September 6-7, 2017. Began is a renowned tourist attraction of Myanmar and India's role in rebuilding damaged pagodas at Began will be an opportunity to showcase India's expertise in the restoration and conservation of monuments not only to the people of Myanmar but also tourists from other countries. This pact will further strengthen India's enduring ties with Myanmar, in culture and religion.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the annual conference – Rajaswa Gyan Sangam (RGS-2017) in New Delhi on September 1, 2017. The conference is jointly organised by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). The objective of the Conference is to enable a two-way communication between the policy-makers and the senior officers in the field offices with a view to increase revenue collection and facilitate effective implementation of law and policies in key result areas. Apart from the joint sessions, separate technical sessions of each Board will be held during the two-day Conference. Issues arising in implementation of policies and strategies to achieve targets in core functional areas will also be discussed. Crucial issues like Tax Evasion, GST, Customs Reforms and Modernisation will also come up for discussion. For the first time, senior officers of the Finance Department of the States and Union Territories will attend the event.
4. Noted economist Rajiv Kumar has take over charge as the new vice-chairman of government think tank Niti Aayog. He replaced Indian-American economist Arvind Panagariya who left the think tank to return to academia. Kumar was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in economics from Oxford and a PhD from Lucknow University. He also served as Secretary General of industry association, FICCI. He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) between 2006 and 2008. He also served as the Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and held senior positions in the Asian Development Bank, the Indian Ministry of Industries, and the Ministry of Finance.
5. Rajiv Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS). He succeeded Anjuly Chib Duggal, who superannuated. At present, Kumar is Special Secretary and Establishment Officer in the Ministry of Personnel. The DFS looks after the functioning of banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and the national pension system. Rajiv Kumar has spearheaded several reforms in Indian bureaucracy including an online system for recording of the bureaucrats annual performance appraisal reports.
6. Anita Karwal, a Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). She succeeded Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, who has been moved to the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) as Director General. At present, she is Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD).
7. The 3-day International Hindu Conference has started in Kathmandu, Nepal with the theme of 'Emerging spiritualism: Renaissance of Hinduism' on August 31, 2017. The aim of the conference is to make Kathmandu the global capital of Hinduism. Approx 500 Hindu scholars, religious leaders, Hindu activists and officials from different countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the US and the UK are are taking part in the conference. The conference will discuss papers on various contemporary issues including, scientific basis of Hinduism, climate change and global warming.
8. The state-owned NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000 crore with ICICI Bank for partially funding its capital expenditure. The loan which has a door-to-door tenure of 15 years will be utilised to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC.
9. Goa chief minister Manohar Parrrikar has launched an online Public Grievance Redressal System at the state secretariat on September 1, 2017. It is a single window online portal for citizens to register grievances towards any state government department. The system's performance in terms of glitches would be monitored and addressed gradually. In the future, a call centre facility would be added to the system. Under the online Public Grievance Redressal System, citizens will be notified about the status of their complaint through SMS and email based on a unique grievance id. There is a provision for automatically escalating unaddressed grievances to higher authorities periodically. Written complaint registration will be continued and uploaded online by the public grievances department.
10. The Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located at Ponda taluka in northeastern Goa and covers an area of 8 km2. It is a popular destination for both tourists and schoolchildren. It is home to sambar deer, Indian bison, Malabar giant squirrel, Indian peafowl and many species of snakes. Bondla zoo is known for its successful breeding of gaur. The zoo provides an excellent environment to breed and do research on animals.
11. Nirmala Sitharaman, the former minister of state for the commerce and industry ministry, has become the new Defence Minister of India on September 3, 2017 after latest Union cabinet reshuffle. She succeeded Arun Jaitley. With this, she has become the India's first woman Defence Minister after Indira Gandhi. Currently, she is Member of Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha representing the state of Karnataka. Now, Suresh Prabhu has become the new Union Minister of Commerce and Industry.
12. The 9th edition of BRICS summit-2017 has started at Xiamen in the Fujian Province of east China on September 3, 2017 with theme "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future". For this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a two nation tour of China and Myanmar. On the first leg of his visit, Mr. Modi will attend the 2017 BRICS Summit. In the 3-day summit, at least four documents, BRICS Action Agenda on Economic and Trade Development, BRICS Action Agenda on the Innovation Cooperation, BRICS Customs Cooperation and an MoU between BRICS Business Council and New Development Bank are expected to be signed. On the second leg of the visit, Prime Minister Modi will pay a State visit to Myanmar from September 5th to 7th. This will be Prime Minister Modi's first bilateral State visit to Myanmar. During the visit, Prime Minister will hold discussions with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on matters of mutual interest and also call on President U Htin Kyaw. Apart from his engagements in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw, Mr Modi will visit Yangon and Bagan.
13. Divya Deshmukh (11) has won gold in the girls' Under-12 category at the World Cadets Chess Championship at Pocos de Caldas, Brazil. She scored a total of 9.5 points to give India its only medal in the championship this year. It is Divya's second world title after her victory in the under-10 World Youth Chess Championship-2014 in Durban.
14. The Karnataka government has recently decided to provide free education for girls across the state from Class 1 up to graduation in all public and aided private schools and colleges, excluding professional institutions. The scheme will be able to avail free education without paying a penny from the next academic year. According to officials, the government would reimburse all fees except examination fees of girl students of Class 1 to graduation level, irrespective of their family's annual income. The students will have to pay the fees first and the same would be reimbursed by the government. The entire tuition fee will be reimbursed, according to the minister. The purpose of the scheme is to help underprivileged and lower middle-class sections of the state. Currently, the girls are given free education in government schools and colleges up to undergraduate level in the state. Karnataka is not the only state in India to start this grand scheme. Telangana and Punjab have also launched similar schemes. Telangana has announced free education for girls from kindergarten to post-graduation, and Punjab has extended the scheme until PhD.
15. The world's highest sandcastle 54.72 feet (16.68 metres) tall has recently built in the German city of Duisburg. It was constructed in over 3 weeks and is supposed to stand until at least September 24, 2017. The representative of Guinness World Records (GWR) has certified the record. It takes the title from a 14.84-meter (48.69-foot) sandcastle built early this year in India. The new sandcastle is decorated with sand models of tourist attractions such as Athens' Acropolis, Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
16. J Y Pillay, an Indian-origin veteran civil servant, has been appointed as the acting president of Singapore. He succeeded Tony Tan Keng Yam, who completed a six-year term. He will act as the president until after polling day on Septemeber 23 – or after nomination day on September 13, if a candidate is elected unopposed. According to the report, this is the first time the office has fallen vacant since the elected presidency was introduced in 1991.
17. Shirish Pai (88), the renowned Marathi poet and activist, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on September 2, 2017. She was credited with introducing 'Haiku' to the Marathi speaking world. Pai was the daughter of noted writer-journalist 'Acharya' Pralhad Keshav Atre. She started writing 'Haiku' in 1975. She studied Japanese 'Haiku', its origin and nature and published five Marathi 'Haiku' books. Ms. Pai also translated some Japanese 'Haiku' from English to Marathi. She also worked as a journalist in the Maratha newspaper and participated in the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' (United Maharashtra) movement.
18. Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat, has been formally accorded the status of India's first World Heritage City (WHC) by UNESCO. Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO, has handed over the certificate declaring Ahmedabad as a 'World Heritage City' to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar on September 1, 2017. The 606-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah on the eastern bank of the Sabarmati River, presents a rich architectural heritage. It has 28 Archaeological Survey of India's centrally protected monuments. The city was also the center for India's non-violent freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. In July 2017, the UN agency had inscribed Ahmedabad as India's first World Heritage City (WHC) at the 41st session of UNESCO's world heritage committee at Krakow in Poland.
19. Piyush Goyal has been appointed as the new Union Minister of Railways after latest Union cabinet reshuffle on September 3, 2017. He succeeded Suresh Prabhu, who has become the new Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. Prabhu resigned from the post after a series of train accidents in August 2017. Apart from Railways, Piyush Goyal retains the Ministry of coal. Along with Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi were promoted to the cabinet rank.
20. The Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) is located at Kohima District of Nagaland and covers an area of 923 hectares.The sanctuary is a natural habitat for Blyth's Tragopan (or Grey-bellied Tragopan).
21. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been promoted as Cabinet Minister and got additional charge of Union Ministry of Skill Development after latest Union cabinet reshuffle on September 3, 2017. In the latest reshuffle, four Union ministers were promoted to Cabinet rank and nine new Ministers of state were inducted in the Union Council of Ministers. Excerpts are as follows: Nirmala Sitharaman has been appointed as new Union Defence Minister while Piyush Goyal is the new Rail Minister in addition to Coal. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been elevated to the Cabinet rank. Suresh Prabhu is now new Commerce Minister, while Nitin Gadkari has been given additional charge of Water resources.
22. Satish Kumar, the decorated West Bengal wrestler, has been awarded Rs 25 lakh as compensation by the Delhi court for being wrongly restrained from taking part in the 14th Asian Games-2002 at Busan in South Korea under the mistaken impression that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs. The court also directed the government to ensure that such incidents are never repeated and no other sportsperson goes through the humiliation which Satish Kumar has undergone. Kumar was selected by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the 14th Asian Games, but was wrongly stopped from boarding the flight with other athletes as he was confused with another wrestler of same name who hailed from West Bengal. He was then banned for two years after testing positive in the dope test.
23. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former India captain, has become the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals (ODI). He surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had 99 stumpings in 404 matches. Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in Colombo on September 3, 2017 when he whipped off the bails to remove Sri Lankan batsman Akila Dananjaya off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling. Till date, Dhoni has also taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. He played 90 Tests and 77 T20 Internationals as well. In 90 Tests, Dhoni has taken 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings. In T20 Internationals, Dhoni has taken 43 catches and affected 23 stumpings. Recently, Dhoni has become the 6th Indian player to play 300 matches in the 50-over format. With this, he joined the elite club comprising of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.
24. Nepal has recently signed a $635 million United Nations (UN) assistance package for 2018-2022 to lay out the country's development strategy for the next five years. The package involving 26 individual UN agencies, spans interventions aimed at assisting in four broad areas: inclusive economic growth, social development, resilience, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and governance, rule of law and human rights. The National Planning Commission, apex advisory body of the Government of Nepal, and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Nepal signed the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The UNDAF will lay out the development strategy for the UN Country Team for the next five years.
25. The Indian pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg bagged the mixed doubles title at the Hellas Open International badminton series after registering a straight-game victory in Livadia on September 3, 2017. The top-seeded Indian combination of Garg and Kapoor defeated compatriots Karishma Wadkar and Utkarsh Arora by 21-19 21-19 in the final.
26. Lt. Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Olympic silver medallist and a former professional shooter, has been appointed as a Cabinet minister with independent charge for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on September 3, 2017 in the latest cabinet reshuffle of the Narendra Modi government. He replaced Vijay Goel. Rathore is also holding the portfolio of Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B). He is Member of Parliament (MP) from Jaipur Rural Lok Sabha constituency.
27. Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula Onefor the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2017 Italian Formula One Grand Prix tournament on September 3, 2017 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy.
28. Kenneth I. Juster, the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council at the White House, has been nominated as the next U.S ambassador to India. The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him. The post is vacant since January 20, 2017. Juster has been a strong supporter of India-U.S ties and played a key role in the civil nuclear deal and in the advancement of defence ties between the two countries when he was under secretary of Commerce under former president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the co-chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group set up during the George W. Bush presidency, and was instrumental in the formation of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership, a diplomatic initiative between the United States and India on cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear, space and military, in 2004.
29. Sultan Ahmed (64), the Trinamool Congress MP and former Union Central Minister passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on September 4, 2017. He was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Uluberia (Lok Sabha constituency) on a Trinamool Congress ticket in 2014. Previously, he was a two-time MLA from Entally. Ahmad also served as a Minister of State for Tourism in Manmohan Singh government.
30. The Jaldapara National Park (JNP) is located at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal and on the banks of the Torsa River. It is home to Indian leopard, Indian elephants, sambar, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, wild boars, gaur, etc. Jaldapara is a paradise for bird watchers. It is one of the very few places in India, where the Bengal florican is sighted. The other birds to be found here are the crested eagle, Pallas's fish eagle, shikra, Finn's weaver, jungle fowl, peafowl (peacock), partridge, and lesser pied hornbill. Pythons, monitor lizards, kraits, cobras, geckos, and about eight species of fresh water turtles can also be found here.
31. Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Minister Jomde Kena (52) has passed away in Guwahati, Assam on September 4, 2017. Since 2014, Kena, who represented Likabali seat from Lower Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2004. He was re-elected to the House from the same constituency in 2009 and 2014.
32. Star India acquired digital as well as media rights for Indian Premier League for a term of five years 2018-2023 with a whooping bid of Rs. 16,347.50 crore on September 4, 2017. The staggering deal has turned out to be a financial windfall for the BCCI despite the administrative crisis it is facing at the moment. The testimony to IPL's growth as the premier sporting property of the country is reflected by the fact that the previous 10-year bid for TV rights only was bought by Sony at Rs. 8200 crore in 2008. Now, the BCCI stands to earn nearly double that amount in half the duration of five years, with earnings of Rs 3270 crore from IPL media rights per year. The BCCI will now earn Rs 55 crore approximately from an IPL match compared to Rs 43 crore, ironically, for each international match that India play. The media rights include broadcast (TV) and digital (mobile and internet) for various segments namely India, Middle East, Africa, Europe and America.
33. Konsam Ormila Devi from India bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category at the Commonwealth Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championships at Gold Coast, Australia on September 4, 2017. Ormila lifted 57kg in snatch and 76kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 133kg, to finish on the top of the podium. With this effort, Ormila has registered her best lift so far.
34. The biennial Joint Indo-Lanka Maritime Fleet Exercise – SLINEX 2017 is scheduled to be conducted from September 7-to-14. The focus of SLINEX 2017 will be on fleet work, seamanship, communication, replenishment at sea as well as helicopter operations. Approx, a complement of 368 Sri Lanka Navy personnel comprising 43 naval officers and 60 mid-shipmen are taking part in the exercise. Sri Lanka Navy's offshore patrol vessels, SLNS Sayura and Sagara will arrive at Port of Visakhapatnam soon to participate in the joint maritime naval exercise with the Indian Navy. The joint naval operations enable both Navies to rehearse and improve own capabilities and enhance operational effectiveness required to maintain maritime security in the region.
35. The Union Environment Ministry has launched an environment awareness initiative on September 5 on the occasion of Teachers' Day. Under the initiative, an online environmental quiz competition named "Prakriti Khoj" will be conducted at the national level. The objective of the quiz is to generate interest among school children about the science related to environment. This will help in sensitizing the children on the issues related to environment and development. The initiative is to motivate children towards environment conservation-oriented lifestyles. It will also trigger their sensitivity towards nature appreciation and conservation, leading to positive environmental actions at different levels.
36. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has bagged the National Award for 'Excellence' in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The conference was focused on recognising companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives by adopting best practices and technological advancement in their daily operations in turn displaying commitment towards energy conservation. The airport is operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd GHIAL, a public–private venture.
37. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched Gyankunj e-class project on the occasion of Teachers day on September 5, 2017. The project has been launched at Shahpur primary school in Gandhinagar in presence of state Chief Secretary. The entire project will work on pilot basis with Interactive e-class room and smart boards have been provided under this initiative. According to official sources, 1609 government primary schools have been provided laptop, projector, infrared camera, smart board, speaker and wifi router facilities for 3,173 class rooms of standard 7 and 8. About 10,000 tablets are to be given to standard 7 and 8 students across 100 more schools on free of cost. Education for all courses in standard 5 to 8 will be given through e-content and internet.
38. Raj Kumar Singh has recently take charge as new Union Minister of State (IC) in Ministries of Power & New & Renewable Energy after latest reshuffle in the Union Cabinet on September 3, 2017. He succeeded Piyush Goyal, who is now Cabinet Minister for Railways. Singh is the Member of Parliament (MP) from Arrah Lok Sabha constituency. Singh is also the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
39. Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and Mumbai-born scientist Veena Sahajwalla have been conferred the PLuS Alliance Prize – a prestigious honour that recognises Research Innovation, Education Innovation, Global Leadership and Global Innovation. The Prize of $ 50,000 was awarded in two categories; Education Innovation and Research Innovation. Both winners were recognised for the development and implementation of innovative solutions to significant global issues. Murthy was presented the PLuS Alliance Prize for Global Leadership while Professor Sahajwalla was awarded the PLuS Alliance Prize for Research Innovation for her project 'The new science of green manufacturing'. The awards were presented to Murthy, Sahajwalla and the other winners by Professor Sir Malcolm Grant, Chairman of NHS England and Chair of the PLuS Alliance Advisory Board, at a ceremony at the T-H-E World Academic Summit in London on September 3, 2017. The PLuS Alliance is an international collaboration between Arizona State University, King's College London, and UNSW Sydney.
40. The Shirui National Park (SNP) is located in the state of Manipur. It has dense tropical forests all over and temperate forest in the hilltops. The park is famous for shirui lily (Lilium maclineae) that grows naturally. The main peak of Shirui abounds with flowers during the monsoon and it is a veritable paradise. It is home to tragopan, the tiger, leopard, etc.
41. NITI Aayog has recently launched the National Nutrition Strategy in New Delhi with an aimed at Kuposhan Mukt Bharat. It was launched by Leader of the Green Revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Dr Rajiv Kumar on September 5, 2017. The Nutrition Strategy intends to bring nutrition to the centre-stage of the National Development Agenda. It lays the roadmap for targeted action to address India's nutritional needs. The Nutrition Strategy framework envisages a Kuposhan Mukt Bharat – linked to Swachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat. It enables states to make strategic choices, through decentralized planning and local innovation, with accountability for nutrition outcomes.
42. The Assam government has recently set up a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Cell for implementation of DBT across schemes in the Country and to coordinate efforts at the State Level in taking the DBT initiative forward with immediate effect. The Chief Secretary will be the chairman of the cell and the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary, Finance Department will be the convenor. The Cell will Coordinate with Central Ministries & disseminate the directives to the respective Departments in States. It will closely monitor & evaluate the progress of various Departments on DBT related indicators and in addition, the Cell will also function as the research unit to explore possibility of using information technology for better service delivery across range of Govt. Services in the State.
43. Till date, India has bagged a Gold and two Silver medals in the Men's Double trap event at the 2017 ISSF World Shotgun Championship in Moscow. India won the Gold in the Junior team section of the event with a combined score of 401. Ankur Mittal won the Silver in the senior event, while 17-year-old Ahvar Rizvi finished second in the junior section. India is now fourth in the medals table with one Gold and two Silver medals. Italy is at the top with 11 medals, including 6 Gold. Australia is second, while Russia is third.
44. Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra has become the first Indian woman ambassador for Tourism Australia to encourage Indians to visit the country. She was presented the Friend of Australia (FOA) recognition by Australian Consul General Tony Huber for her contribution to promote Australia recently. Prior to Chopra, famous chef Sanjeev Kapoor and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle have been great advocates for Australia, encouraging Indians to visit Australia.
45. India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting Championships. It was decided by the Executive Board of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation to allot the 2019 edition of the competitions to India at Gold Coast, Australia. The 2018 edition of the tournament is being held at the Gold Coast.
46. Gauri Lankesh, the noted journalist and activists, was shot dead at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar's residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka on September 5, 2017. She was the editor of popular Kannada tabloid Lankesh Patrike founded by her father and well-known writer P Lankesh. Lankesh was also part of a panel formed by State government to help surrender Naxals to reform. She was known to be a notable social and political commentator and acclaimed for her lifelong support for free speech and strong journalistic ethics, her works were popular in all quarters, her critics alike. The state government has formed a three team comprising of senior police officer to investigate the crime. AIR correspondent reports that killing of senior journalist known for her out spoken views, is being compared with the murder of rationalist, liberal thinkers, M M Kulburgi, Pansare and Dabholkar in recent years. Several associations of writers and journalists are holding protest in the state demanding immediate arrest of the perpetrators of crime.
47. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and K Sanjita Chanu has recently qualified for 2018 Commonwealth Games after winning a gold each in their respective weight categories (48kg & 53kg) at the Commonwealth Senior (men & women) weightlifting championships at Gold Coast in Australia. Mirabai lifted 85kg in snatch and 104kg in clean & jerk for an overall total of 189kg to finish on top of the podium in women's 48kg weight division. She broke Commonwealth record in snatch event with a lift of 85kg, bettering her own record by one kilogram. Meanwhile, Sanjita also bagged the yellow metal in women's 53kg with a total effort of 195kg and qualified for the Commonwealth Games which would be held at the same venue next year.
48. The 2-day event 'North East Calling' will be organized by the Union government under its Destination North East series at India Gate lawns in New Delhi on September 9, 2017. The purpose of the event is to promote the art, culture, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and the entry for the general public is free. The event will include music festival for bands of North-East, Cultural night for dances of North-East and Handloom Demo Show presenting the clothes of North-East.
49. The researchers at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Chemical Laboratory in Pune have developed an artificial leaf that absorbs sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from water, an advance that may provide clean energy for powering eco-friendly cars in the future. The device consists of semiconductors stacked in a manner to simulate the natural leaf system. When visible light strikes the semiconductors, electrons move in one direction, producing electric current. The current almost instantaneously splits water into hydrogen – which researchers believe is one of the cleanest forms of fuel as its main byproduct is water.
50. The Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park (PBMNP) is located in the state of Mizoram and covers an area of 50 square kilometers. It is the natural home of a wonderful range of birdlife including the rare Blyth's tragopan, falcon, sunbirds, dark-rumped swift, and Mrs. Hume's pheasant, which is the Mizoram state bird, and also rare animals like the mountain goat, slow loris, tiger, leopard, leopard cat, serow, goral, Asiatic black bear, stump-tailed macaque and capped langur.
51. The Union Government has recently told Supreme Court that an expert committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of former apex court judge Justice BN Srikrishna to identify key data protection issues in India and recommend methods to address them. The government told the apex court that after the committee's report is submitted, there is a possibility that the law shall be passed regulating data protection. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, state that the committee will study various issues and make specific suggestions for consideration of the government on the principles to be considered for data protection. The apex court has fixed the matter for further hearing on November 20, 2017.
52. 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. The panel will give recommendations on sector-specific policy interventions in key employment sectors and measures to enhance trade in services with high employment potential. It will also propose a comprehensive plan of action to generate employment and alleviate under-employment in both goods and services sectors and low wages by boosting India's exports in key labour-intensive industries. Members of the Task force include CEO, NITI Aayog, Secretaries of Departments of Commerce, Industrial Policy and Promotion, Economic Affairs and Textiles. Leading economists and industry experts are also members of the Task Force, which will submit its report by November 2017.
53. The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) has started at Russky Island, which is part of Russia's city of Vladivostok, on September 6-7, 2017. The delegates from at least 24 countries including the US, Japan, China, Australia, Canada, Britain and Germany are attending the gathering. From India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is attending the forum. The EEF is considered as the biggest international communication platform for cooperation between businesses leaders and senior government representatives from Russia, the Pacific Region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
54. Amritpal Singh, the captain of the Indian basketball team, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian-born player to be picked up by an Australian National Basketball League (NBL) team. He will be a part of the Kings side as they begin their pre-season tour where they will also take on popular NBA side Utah Jazz, which will be an incredible achievement for Indian basketball. With this, Amritpal has become the first Indian player to play for an Aussie team in the NBL.
55. Dr Inder Jit Singh, the 1985 batch IAS officer, has been given additional charge of the post of Chairperson of National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) with immediate effect. He is an Additional Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat. According to a release issued by Ministry of Personnel stated that the Mr Singh will hold this additional charge until further orders. The NACWC has been established under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000 for implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Its' headquarters is located at Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi.
56. N Baijendra Kumar, an IAS officer of 1985 batch of Chhattisgarh cadre, has recently taken charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC). Prior to this post, he was holding the post of Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh, as well as Commerce & Industries and Energy Departments in the Chhattisgarh government. The NMDC is under administrative control of the Ministry of Steel and its headquarters is located at Hyderabad. It is involved in the exploration of iron ore, copper, rock phosphate, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, bentonite, magnesite, diamond, tin, tungsten, graphite etc.
57. The 13th edition of the joint military training exercise "Yudh Abhyas – 2017" will be conducted at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, USA from September 14 to 27. The exercise is one of the largest joint running military training and defence corporation endeavors between India and USA. The exercise Yudh Abhyas will provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at Battalion level with joint planning at Brigade level. It is also an ideal platform to learn from each-other's experiences of planning and execution of operations. Both armies will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed operations for neutralization of threats of varied nature.
58. The Gujarat Government and Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation-Amul have recently signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to save the children of anganwadi from malnutrition. According to the MOU, under the 'Take Home Ration', district dairies in cooperation with the Gujarat milk marketing federation will provide nutritive foods to more than 42-lakh children of more than 53 thousand anaganwadis, pregnant-mothers, lactating mothers and young girls. Apart from this, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has flagged off statewide 'Narmada Mahotsav Yatra' from Surendranagar district to create awareness about the importance of increased water supply from Narmada canal-based projects in different parts of the state. The 10 days long Narmada Mahotsav Yatra will end at Dabhoi- in Narmada district in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on 17th September.
59. The book "How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st Century" has been authored by former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, which is launched by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on September 6, 2017. The book records the crucial meeting of the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) on the eve of India-Pakistan Defence Secretary-level talks in May 2006.
60. The Kalesar National Park (KNP) is a protected area in Yamunanagar district of Haryana and covers 13,000 acres. It is a popular destination for Leopard and home to red jungle fowl among other birds. Other animals recorded were leopard cat, rusty-spotted cat, jungle cat, Indian jackal, Asiatic elephant, chital, sambar, barking deer, etc.
61. Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State for Home, has launched BSF Half Marathon online registration portal "www.marathon.bsf.gov.in" at a function in New Delhi on September 7, 2017. The marathon will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on October 22 and will be dedicated to martyrs and BSF will facilitate their family members on the occasion.
62. India's first Hyperloop project will come up in Andhra Pradesh, which will connect the city centres of Vijayawada and Amaravati. It will supposedly cover the distance of over 35 km only in five minutes. The Andhra Pradesh – Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) for developing the project. The Hyperloop Technology is a brainchild idea of Tesla founder Elon Musk, who dubs it as the 5th mode of transportation. It is a system of magnetically levitating capsules (pods) that are sent at high speeds through low-pressure tubes.
63. The Union government has set up an online service facility that can be used by importers and exporters to resolve all foreign trade-related issues. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which comes under Ministry of Commerce, has asked all exporters and importers to use the system –Contact@DGFT – for resolution of their matters. Traders can raise all matters related to the directorate or other agencies of the Centre and States through this facility activated at the DGFT website. Contact@DGFT system has been activated as a single point contact for resolving all foreign trade-related issues. The DGFT notice to all regional authorities, export promotion councils, commodity boards and members of trade and industry has stated that the best efforts will be made for expeditious resolution.
64. Indian weightlifters Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Ragala Venkat Rahul have qualified for 2018 Commonwealth Games after winning a gold medal each in their respective weight divisions at the 2017 Commonwealth Senior (men & women) Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. Two Indian women weightlifters- S.Nirupama Devi and Nikeeta Kale- also claimed gold medals in 69 kilogram weight division of junior section in the Championships.
65. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) will undertake major research works on agriculture this year (in 2017) with the World Bank (WB) fund of Rs 1100 crore. It is announced by the Deputy Director General of the national apex agricultural research body Narendra Singh Rathore in the convocation function at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Chennai yesterday. The funds will be allocated to ten each of the premier agricultural and veterinary universities in the country. It must be noted that though India ranks first in milk production in the world, the milk yield per animal is very low as compared to international standards. The headquarters of ICAR is locaed in New Delhi.
66. The International Literacy Day (ILD) is observed every year on September 8 to emphasize the importance of literacy to individuals, society and communities. The 2017 theme is 'Literacy in a Digital World'. The special 2-day event will be organized at UNESCO's Headquarters in Paris today, with an overall aim to look at what kind of literacy skills people need to navigate increasingly in the digitally-mediated societies. The 2017 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes awards ceremony will also take place to recognize and reward excellent literacy practices from around the world in connection with 2017 theme.
67. The Across Barriers-International Business Women's Summit (ABIBWS) will be organized by the South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) at Kathmandu in Nepal from September 11. The basic objective of 2-day summit is to bring together women entrepreneurs from the SAARC, ASEAN, China and some other countries. The summit will be a regional hub for connecting women SMEs (small and medium enterprises) with public and private sector for exploring opportunities to identify joint business ventures. The summit will also offer a unique opportunity for business meetings with the members of the visiting international business delegates and Nepalese women entrepreneurs. According to organisers around 75 delegates from 18 countries including India will participate in the summit.
68. Harendra Singh, the hockey coach and Dronacharya Awardee, has been appointed as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team (ISWHT). The decision was recently taken jointly by SAI and Hockey India on the basis of his recent and past performance. Under his coaching, the junior men team won the Junior Men World Cup in 2016 at Lucknow. He was also the Chief Coach of the Senior Men Hockey team from 2008 to 2009 and National coach from 2009 to 2010. He is a Level III certified Coach. Harendra Singh will take over the new responsibility shortly. It has also been decided that the present Chief Coach of India senior women Hockey Team, Mr. Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne will take over as Chief Coach of Indian Senior Men Hockey Team on his return from the on-going Europe tour. Marijne has accepted the offer of Chief Coach of the senior Indian Men Hockey Team.
69. Viveck Goenka, the CMD of Express Group, has been elected as the new Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI). He succeeded Riyad Mathew, who is Senior Assistant Editor and a member of the Manorama management. N. Ravi, the former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, has been unanimously elected as new Vice Chairman of PTI.
70. The Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is a protected area in Jhajjar district of Haryana and covers an area of 411.55 hectares. The major wildlife supported here are neelgai, geedar, langur and Bandar, blue peafowl, rufous treepie, greater coucal, Indian grey hornbill, coppersmith barbet, etc.
71. The traditional Bonderam festival has started in Divar Island of Goa on September 9, 2017 . The word "Bonderam" originated from the involvement of flags. It is stated that during the Portuguese rule in Goa there were frequent disputes between two sections of the Divar village over property issues. These often led to violence and fights in the village. To find a solution to this problem, the Portuguese introduced a system of demarcation of boundaries with flags. The festival is a memoir to the protest by the local villagers against the Portuguese while trying to resolve the property ownership disputes. This festival starts with a flag which is accompanied by the brass band. Bonderam is a very popular monsoon festival in Goa and it draws huge crowds from all parts of Goa and world over.
72. The Punjab National Bank (PNB) and state-run owned BSNL has signed an agreement to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states in the country. Under the agreement, BSNL will expand Speedpay services in Punjab, Chandigarh(UT), Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. 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. Also, Speedway users will be able to operate Internet banking services from the application.
73. Konjum Taba has clinched gold in the junior men's 94 kg category by lifting 317 kg at the 2017 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. In the senior men's 94 kg, Vikas Thakur won the bronze medal by lifting 340 kg, while Punam Yadav won silver in the 69 kilogram senior category by lifting 217 kg. In the youth girl 75 kg event, A Anju Devi won the silver medal by lifting 167 kg overall. On day 5 of the championship, India bagged six medals, including two Gold.
74. Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), has inaugurated North East Festival 'North-East Calling' at India Gate in New Delhi on September 9, 2017. On the occasion, Dr Singh launched three initiatives, viz. North-East Venture Fund (NEVF), North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and Science and Technology Intervention in North Eastern Region (STINER). The purpose of the 2-day fest is to promote the art, culture, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India. The event will showcase all activities and products of North-East and the entry for the general public is free. The event will include music festival for bands of North-East, Cultural night for dances of North-East and Handloom Demo Show presenting the clothes of North-East.
75. Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne has been named as the new chief coach of the Indian Senior Men Hockey Team. Marijne will succeed Roelant Oltmans on September 20, 2017. Currently, Marijne is the chief coach of Indian Senior Women Hockey Team. Besides, Harendra Singh, who is hockey coach and Dronacharya Awardee, has been appointed as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team. The decisions were announced by the newly-appointed Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on his official twitter page. According to a top Hockey India official, both Marijne and Harendra have been given a tenure till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
76. Ajay Bhushan Pandey, the CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India's (UIDAI) has been appointed as interim chairman of the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). He succeeded Navin Kumar, who completed his term on August 29. GSTN is a not-for-profit entity owned by the Centre, states and non-government financial institutions, and is responsible for building and running the Information Technology (IT) backbone for new GST tax regime. Pandey has been given additional charge of the post of Chairman of GSTN with immediate effect and until further orders.
77. The 2018 World University Rankings (WUR), released by Times Higher Education, has found that India's flagship Indian Institute of Science (IISc) fall from previous year's 201-250 band to 251-300. This was attributed to drops in its research influence score and research income. In it, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has been named the top university in India, followed by IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Kharagpur. Globally, the University of Oxford has retained its first place in the rankings, followed by University of Cambridge, California Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The World University ranking is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
78. India will host the 2018 Junior Asian Wrestling Championship (JAWC), which is scheduled to be held from July 19 to 22 in New Delhi. Recently, the United World Wrestling (UWW) has announced the hosting rights to Indian city for the tournament. The UWW is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling and is headquartered in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
79. Rattihalli Nagendra Sudarshan (78), the veteran Kannada actor, producer and singer, has passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka on September 8, 2017. In his five decade film career, Sudarshan acted in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. He was one of the villains in Nayagan directed by Manirathnam. His last film was Super (2010) by Upendra in Kannada. Music lovers still remember him for songs such as Hoovandu Balibandu and Irabeku, Irabeku, Ariyada, which he sung in Shubhamangala (1975) directed by Puttanna and songs from his own film Naguva Hoovu (1971).
80. The Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is a protected area in Jhajjar district of Haryana and covers an area of 411.55 hectares. The major wildlife supported here are neelgai, geedar, langur and Bandar, blue peafowl, rufous treepie, greater coucal, Indian grey hornbill, coppersmith barbet, etc.
81. The researchers at IIT-Roorkee have developed a low-cost method for treating Osteoarthritis (OA), a disease that causes pain and stiffness in the joints leading to degeneration of the bone cartilage. Under the new method, a nano-material and a polymer are injected around the knee joint followed by a regular heat therapy, which is believed to be far superior to the conventional treatment administered in the form of multiple injections and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, which have critical side effects.
82. Recently, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is in news because it will constitute a committee to advise the method and process for undertaking large scale community reform program within the Islamic Shariah. A resolution was passed in this connection in the one-day meeting of the Board's executive body held in Bhopal on September 11, 2017. The committee will also look into the Supreme Court's verdict on the triple Talaq. The Board reiterated that Talaq-e-biddat or triple Talaq in one-sitting, is sinful but valid. It claimed that it has taken steps to discourage this practice through community reform programmes for a long time. The AIMPLB is a non-government organisation that focuses primarily to defend the Sharia laws from any law or legislation that they consider infringes on it. Syed Mohammad Rabe Hasani is the president of the AIMPLB.
83. Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the 2017 men's singles US Open tennis tournament after defeating first time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson by 6–3, 6–3, 6–4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, United States. It is Nadal's 16th Grand Slam title and 3rd US Open title of the career.
84. Unseeded American Sloane Stephens has won the 2017 women's singles US Open tennis tournament after defeating Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 in the finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, United States. It is her first grand slam title. With this, Stephens became the second unseeded woman in the Open era to win the US Open after Kim Clijsters in 2009.
85. Dr Tahir Mahmood, the well-known jurist, has won the prestigious Prof N R Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher Award – 2017 in recognition of his distinguished services to legal education and legal profession during the 9th Teachers' Day Award Function organized by Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training (MILAT) in New Delhi. Among the institutions, Mar Gregorios College of Law in Thiruvananthapuram bagged 2017 SILF-MILAT Institutional Excellence Award. Among other awardees, Prof V C Vivekanandan received the SILF-MILAT Legal Education Innovation Award and Dr. T.K Vishwanathan was conferred with Prof A.V Rohatgi Jurist Award 2017.
86. R M Hidayathulla, who is from Androth in Lakshadweep, in his research work stated that biodiversity-rich uninhabited 'Parali I island' of Lakshadweep has been eroded to an extent of 100% due to coastal erosion. The study stated that the complete erosion and inundation of Parali I was pointing to the gravity of issues associated with coastal erosion within the atoll. Apart from Parali I, net erosion was higher in Parali II (80%), followed by Thinnakara (14.38%), Parali III (11.42%) and Bangaram (9.968%). Hidayathulla was awarded a doctoral degree in July 2017 by Calicut University in Kerala for his work entitled "Studies on coastal erosion in selected uninhabited islands of Lakshadweep archipelago Archipelago with Special Reference to Biodiversity Conservation." He conducted studies on the biodiversity of five uninhabited islands — Bangaram, Thinnakara, Parali I, II and III, of which Parali I has been inundated.
87. According to a recent study "Manufacturing Excellence and Emergence in India: The state level analysis" conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM), Karnataka ranks first among states in terms of manufacturing excellence. Kerala stood second despite poor industrial growth over a five-year period from 2009.
88. Sushmita Dev has been appointed as the new President of All India Mahila Congress. She succeeded Shobha Oza. According to a release issued by All India Congress Committee (AICC), Congress President Sonia has approved the name of Sushmita Dev who is member of Lok Sabha from Silchar in Assam.
89. The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on September 10 to raise awareness about suicide prevention. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) survey, across the world nearly 800,000 commit suicide each year which is one person every 40 seconds. Thus, the day aims to open up the conversations and help those in the darkness. The 2017 theme "Take a minute, change a life" highlights the importance of speaking up, taking the time, and listening.
90. India has clinched the 2nd Under- 16 South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship by defeating Bhutan by 131-50 in its last league match at Kathmandu in Nepal on September 9, 2017. India remained unbeaten in its all four matches and accumulated 8 points. Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal third. The championship was played on a round robin league format. Now, India has qualified for 2017 International Basketball Federation, FIBA, Under-16 Asian Championship to be played in Malaysia later this year.
91. Prakash Padukone, the renowned Indian Badminton legend, will be conferred with the first Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for his rich contribution to the sport. The award carries cash prize of Rs 10 lakh with a citation, which will be presented to Padukone at New Delhi very soon. Padukone had won the 1980 All England, besides bagging a bronze at the 1983 World Championship in Copenhagen. He also won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He was bestowed with the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982.
92. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a nationwide online platform 'FoSCoRIS' to bring in transparency in food safety inspection and sampling. The web-based 'FoSCoRIS' system will help verify compliance of food safety and hygiene standards by food businesses as per the government norms.The new system will bring together all key stakeholders food businesses, food safety officers , designated officers, state food safety commissioners on a nation-wide IT platform and data related to inspection, sampling and test result data will be shared seamlessly by all the officials. The system will ease out the process of sample collection, make it transparent and traceable and controls the quality of compliances.
93. The second State Start Up Conference has been organized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in New Delhi on September 12, 2017 to deliberate on issues including incubation facilities and making regulations easier for budding entrepreneurs. The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, C.R. Choudhary and was attended by senior functionaries from states, Union Territories, incubators, accelerators, funding agencies, VCs, angel investors and startups. The move is expected to provide momentum towards building a positive startup ecosystem in states.
94. The BWF World Senior Badminton Championship has started at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi, Kerala on September 11 and will continue till September 17. It is for the first time that India is hosting the Championship. The President of Badminton Association of India (BAI) Himanta Biswa Sarma has formally inaugurated the week long Championship. The tournament will see a total of 665 players from 40 countries battle it out in eight different age groups and will be played in all the five categories. About 175 players are representing India including Olympians in the Championship.
95. Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, has launched a nation-wide hackathon #OpenGovDataHack on September 12, 2017. As part of the Startup Eco-system Development program, NIC and IAMAI have collaborated to conduct Nation Wide Hackathon #OpenGovDataHack across seven states of India. The purposeof the hackathon is to support & showcase potentially great Ideas/Talent from Inner India by reaching out in their own State/City (7 Cities). It is to enable them making their ideas developed into Apps/Infographics primarily by use of Open Government Data around the themes of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Transport, Education, Crime and Health to a stage, after which it can be evaluated by jury and be selected for Prizes and future support/funding.
96. Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has launched the "Wood is Good" campaign at conference on "Sustainable Landscapes & Forest Ecosystems: Theory to Practice" in New Delhi on September 12, 2017. Wood is a climate-friendly material, as it is a renewable resource, having zero carbon footprints. The conference has organized to deliberate and come out with out-of-the-box ideas and solutions on increasing the forest cover much beyond the stipulated 33 per cent. The union ministery advocated the balancing of environmental and developmental concerns and also urged the gathering of scientists and foresters to devise a solution to the problem of weeds.
97. The joint bilateral air force exercise "Shaheen VI" has started between air forces of China and Pakistan in China on September 7, and will run until September 27, 2017. The "Shaheen" joint training was launched by the Chinese and Pakistani air forces in March 2011 and has since gone through five major iterations.
98. P.S. Kayal (8) of Lawspet in Puducherry has won a gold medal in the 8th Modern Pentathlon National Championship – 2017 in Pune, Maharashtra. She beat 30 other participants to claim the title. In the competition, the participants had to run 200 metres and swim 50 metres. Kayal is a Class IV student of a private school in The Study school at Kalapet and started to learn swimming from the age of six at the swimming pool on the school campus.
99. London has retained its position as the world's top financial centre in the 2017 Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI). The index is compiled and published by Z/Yen Group, which ranked 92 financial centres globally on factors such as infrastructure and access to high-quality staff. New York has acquired 2nd position followed by Hongkong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, etc. Meanwhile, Mumbai is the only India that has been listed in the index and acquired 60th rank. The GFCI is a ranking of the competitiveness of financial centres based on over 29,000 financial centre assessments from an online questionnaire together with over 100 indices from organisations such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
100. The Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary (SRS) is a nature park in the Yumthang Valley of Flowers north of Lachung in North Sikkim district and covers an area of 43 sq kms. Bird species found in the park include Wood snipe and Hoary-throated barwing.
101. Halimah binti Yacob, the former Speaker of Parliament, has been declared the President-elect of Singapore, after her nomination papers were found to be in order. She will be Singapore's first female President and the first Malay head of state in 47 years. On September 13, Yacob was certified by the Presidential Elections Commission as the only eligible candidate, and since she has no opponent, there will be no election. Halimah will be sworn in as country's 8th President at the Istana on September 14, 2017. The 2017 Presidential Election was reserved for candidates from the Malay community. Under amendments to the Constitution that came into effect in June 2017, applicants had to show that they helmed a company with at least 500 million Singapore dollar in shareholders' equity. Halimah meets the criteria set out for those in the public sector, having held office for at least three years as Speaker.
102. The 4-day annual Border Security Force (BSF) sports meet has started in Jammu on September 12, 2017 in which about 1,200 personnel would participate in sports such as wrestling, boxing, weight-lifting and Kabbadi. The Inter-Frontier Sports Competition of the BSF is aimed at preparing the jawans for national and international-level championships. The 11 teams participating in the competition are from Gujarat, Guwahati, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Manipal and Cachar, North Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, South Bengal and Tripura.
103. The Maharashtra Government and Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd have signed a lease agreement to set up a state-of-the-art milk and milk products processing plant. As per the MoU, a dairy development initiative will begin in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions to provide access to milk producers to markets in Nagpur and Mumbai. Apart from transferring the Nagpur dairy on lease and land for setting up a new dairy at Gove Bhiwandi, Maharashtra will provide assistance, including funds, for a coordinated approach to improve productivity through animal breeding, nutrition and health. Mother Dairy is a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
104. Abhay Firodia, the Chairman of Force Motors, has been elected as the new president of the automobile industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for 2017-18. Firodia headed SIAM in 1990-91 and 1991-92 as well. Beside him, Mahindra & Mahindra's President-Automotive Sector Rajan Wadhera has been elected as the new vice-president of the organization. Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa has taken over as Treasurer for the year 2017-18.
105. Sumit Nagal of India has won the 8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures Men's tennis championship on September 10, 2017. Nagal defeated Colin van Beem of Netherlands in the singles final by 6-3, 6-0 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Nagal received $2,160 and 18 ITF points for the victory while van Beem received $1272 AND 12 ITF points.
106. Airtel has recently launched 'Office-In-a-Box' for start-ups registered under the Karnataka government's Start-Up Cell initiative. The Office-in-a-Box suite will be available to the over 100 start-ups registered with the Start-Up Cell and will add to their business efficiency. It will offer a range of services to support the business requirements of start-ups and is available on a scale-as-you-grow model with easy payment options. The services include voice and data solutions; audio and web collaboration; cloud services; payments bank services; go-to-market support across SMS, MMS, e-mail, voice, IVR and USSD; GPS and RFID-based tracking of assets.
107. Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, will inaugurate the 2-day National Conference on "Uniformed Women in Prison Administration" in New Delhi on September 14. The Conference is being organised for women officers of the rank of Jailors to Dy. Superintendents of Prisons. This Conference will have Panel Discussions, Deliberations and Syndicate Discussions on 4 themes: a) Are Woman Prison Officers getting mainstream duties?, b) Difficulties in balancing family and work environment of Women Prison Officers, c) Training needs of Woman Prison Officers and Correctional Staff and d) Is there need for change of uniform for Woman Prison Officers? The Conference is expected to benefit the participants being in their impressionable stage of service, by implementation of the knowledge gained through the Conference.
108. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) has won the 2017 Container Terminal of the Year Award at The Gateway Awards 2017 at Mumbai for its proactive strategies to ease congestion, smooth delivery of containers and revamping of infrastructure to support trade amidst adverse conditions. The 10th edition of the Gateway Awards showcased the outstanding achievements and exceptional accomplishments of individuals and organisations in the Indian Maritime industry. The Gateway Award was instituted to recognise and promote best practices, innovation and motivation in the Indian Maritime industry.
109. Peter Thomson, the outgoing president of the General Assembly, has been appointed as the first special envoy for the oceans by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Thomson played a leading role at the first-ever UN conference on oceans in June 2017. The 193 UN member states issued an urgent call for action to reverse the decline in the health and productivity of the world's oceans.
110. The Udawalawe National Park (UNP) is located in Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. The park covers 30,821 hectares and is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. Other animals reside in the park such as Sri Lankan sambar deer, Sri Lankan axis deer, Indian muntjac, water buffaloGolden jackal, Asian palm civet, toque macaque, tufted grey langur, Indian hare, etc.
111. 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. Under it, relief material consisting of items including rice, pulses, sugar, salt, cooking oil, biscuits and mosquito nets will be provided to the affected people. The relief material will be delivered in multiple consignments, and the first tranche will be brought to Chittagong by an Indian Air Force plane on September 14, 2017. The Union External Affairs Ministry has stated that India has always responded readily and swiftly to any crisis in Bangladesh, in view of close ties of friendship between the people of India and Bangladesh. In this hour of need, India stands ready to provide any assistance required by Government of Bangladesh.
112. The Indo-Sri Lanka Hindi conference was organized at Kelaniya University near Colombo with theme 'Hindi E-learning : Identity and possibilities' on eve of Hindi Divas celebrations on September 13, 2017. High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu was the chief guest on the occasion. The Kelaniya University is distinct as it has a full-fledged Hindi department which offers courses ranging from degree to doctorate and research. Hindi is quite popular among Sri Lankan youths and many of them are enrolled for special Hindi classes offered by Indian Cultural centre in Colombo.
113. The Union Finance Ministry has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to monitor and resolve the IT challenges faced in the implementation of GST. The GoM will be assisted by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). Apart from this, the government has also constituted a committee on exports convened by revenue secretary Dr Hasmukh Adhia to look into issues of export sector and to recommend suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST scenario to the GST Council.
114. Thomas Bach, the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC), has officially announced that Paris will host 2024 and Los Angeles will host 2028 Summer Olympics. Both cities wanted to host the 2024 event, before Los Angeles agreed to wait an extra four years after the IOC made guarantees on funding. Los Angeles will also receive up to $2 billion from the IOC, which is up to $300 million more than it would have gotten for 2024.
115. The 12th edition of the India-Japan annual summit-2017 has held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on September 14, 2017. This is the 4th annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In it, India and Japan have signed 15 agreements for enhancing bilateral cooperation in several key areas including investment promotion, civil aviation, and science and technology. The two leaders also reviewed the entire spectrum of bilteral cooperation.They also laid the foundation for the country's first high-speed rail corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
116. The 5th edition of the 'Coastal Shipping and Inland Water Transportation Business Summit 2017' will be held at Hotel Crown Plaza in Kochi, Kerala on September 22. The summit will be an initiative to explore the immense potential of coastal shipping and waterways as well as an effort to build a shared commitment and decipher the role that each stakeholder will have to play in integrating the coastal and waterways transport infrastructure. On this occasion, Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will present the India Seatrade Award for Excellence in Coastal Shipping & Inland Water Transportation.
117. Professor Sadanand Gupta, the former head of the Hindi department in the Gorakhpur University and renowned Hindi litterateur, has been appointed as the working president of the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan. The post was vacant since the Yogi Adityanath government came to power in March 2017. The working president of the Sansthan Uday Pratap Singh had resigned after change of guard in the State. Prof Gupta has been honoured with Birla, Vyas, and Saraswati awards for his literary contributions. He is also associated with several RSS magazines. A native of state of Jharkhand, Prof Gupta has been residing in Gorakhpur since his retirement from Gorakhpur University in 2013.
118. The National Hindi Day (NHD) is celebrated every year on September 14 across India to mark the language that roots back to Ancient India, in which the scriptures of the Land of Saints and Yogis, Mythological Epics and Glory of various Kingdoms and Dynasties were written. On this day, in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the official language of the Republic of India. On 2017 NHD, the President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented Rajbhasha awards for the Year 2016-17 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. The Rajbhasha awards were instituted by the Department of Official Language to recognize the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks in the field of Hindi.
119. The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) have signed a MoU for automatic and regular exchange of information to curb the menace of shell companies, money laundering and black money in the country. This will also prevent misuse of corporate structure by shell companies for various illegal purposes. The MoU will enable sharing of specific information such as PAN number data in respect of corporates, Income Tax returns of corporates, financial statements filed with the Registrar by corporates, audit reports and statements of financial transactions received from banks relating to corporates. The information shared will pertain to both Indian corporates as well as foreign corporates operating in India. In addition to regular exchange of data, CBDT and MCA will also exchange with each other any information available in their respective databases, for the purpose of carrying out scrutiny, inspection, investigation and prosecution.
120. The Phrumsengla National Park (PNP) is located in Bumthang, Lhuntse, Mongar and Zhemgang districts of Bhutan and covers an area of 905.05 square kilometers. The park is home to six species of threatened birds: the rufous-necked hornbill, rufous-throated wren-babbler, satyr tragopan, beautiful nuthatch, Ward's trogon and Chestnut-breasted partridge as well as the near-threatened wedge billed wren babbler. It has scenic views, including forests ranging with elevations from alpine to sub-tropical.
121. President Ram Nath Kovind has launched a nationwide campaign 'Swacchata Hi Sewa' from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on September 15, 2017. He will administer nation-wide Swachhta Hi Seva pledge initiating parallel action in all the two lakh 50 thousand plus Gram Panchayats and cities in India. Eminent personalities, community organizations and private sector organizations will undertakes shramdaan activities. The fortnight long campaign will conclude on 2nd of October, Gandhi Jayanti. The purpose of the campaign is to mobilize people and reinforce the public movement for sanitation to contribute to Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a Clean India.
122. Shripad Yesso Naik, the Union Minister of State for AYUSH, has inaugurated the India's first State of art virology laboratory at Dr Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata, West Bengal. The laboratory, established at a cost of Rs. 8 crore is the only one in India for conducting basic and fundamental research in Homoeopathy for viral diseases like influenza, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, chikungunya and H1N1 (swine flu). The laboratory will also be used to create new drugs and technologies in treating these viral diseases.
123. The Karnataka government has recently approved 'Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2017' to help the state become a hub for production of alternative fuel vehicles, reduce dependency on fossil fuels, bring down pollution levels and push the 'Make In Karnataka' initiative. The new policy aims to attract investments worth Rs 31,000 crore and create around 55,000 employment opportunities. With this, Karnataka has become the first Indian State to approve e-vehicle policy.
124. The Shiretoko National Park (SNP) is located at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido in Japan and covers an area of 386.33 square kilometers. The park is best known as the home of Japan's largest brown bear population and for offering views of Kunashiri Island, ownership of which Japan and Russia dispute.
125. India has been ranked 103rd out of 130 nations at the 2017 Global Human Capital Index (GHCI). The list compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) takes into account 'the knowledge and skills people possess that enable them to create value in the global economic system" to measure the 'human capital' rank of a country. The list is topped by Norway, Finland, Switzerland and United States. The report measures 130 countries against four key areas of human capital development; Capacity (determined by past investment in formal education), Deployment (accumulation of skills through work), Development (continued upskilling and reskilling of existing workers) and Know-how (specialised skills-use at work).
126. The International Day of Democracy is observed every year on September 15 to provide an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. The 2017 theme "Democracy and Conflict prevention" focuses on the critical need to strengthen democratic institutions to promote peace and stability.
127. The National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) has signed MoU with Ludhiana based Bonn Food Industries to promote coloured wheat with antioxidant qualities beneficial for control of diabetes, cholesterol and obesity. It has been developed by routine way of plant breeding by crossing high yielding Indian cultivars PBW550, PBW621, HD2967 with colored wheat procured from Japan and America, which is as rich in anthocynanins as blueberries and high in zinc. Anthocyanins can act as antioxidants that remove free radicals from the body and help in prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, inflammation, cancer, obesity and aging. Anthocyanin rich colored wheat developed at NABI also has enhanced Zinc content-one of the most deficient micro-nutrients in the developing countries. The NABI is an autonomous body of Ministry of Science and Technology.
128. Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO of Madison Media & OOH at Madison World, has been elected as the new president of The Advertising Club. Sakhuja will take over from Raj Nayak, who led the Advertising Club for two consecutive terms. The club is a dynamic platform for professionals from the Advertising, Marketing, Media, Research and Communication fraternity to gain from each other's expertise.
129. The Telangana government has launched a comprehensive land survey for rectification of land records in the state on September 15, 2017. The survey, first of its kind in the country, is aimed at rectifying and updating the land records in all 10,733 revenues villages across the state. Total 1346 teams of officials will take part in the survey which will continue till this year end. Under this programme, teams of revenue and agricultural officers will stay in villages for 10 days, conduct gram sabhas and verify the land records in the presence of farmers. The rectified records will be displayed at village panchayat office and will also be digitized and uploaded online. After completion of the survey, the farmer will be given an Electronic Title Deed Pattadar Passbook which will be farmer proof.
130. The first-ever National Ayurveda Youth Festival (NAYF) has started in Jaipur, Rajasthan on September 14, 2017. Approx 3000 youth Ayurveda students and doctors from across the country are participating in the 3-day fest, which is organized by the joint auspices of the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) Jaipur and National Ayurveda and Youth Association (NAYA), an affiliate of Vigyan Bharati. In it, Jaipur's National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) has entered the Guinness Book for 'Most people receiving Nasya Panch Kararma simultaneously'. It was a unique record and its purpose was to attract youth towards Ayurveda.
131. India's first lithium-ion battery facility will be set up by Japanese automobile giant Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) at Hansalpur in Gujarat. The new plant will make lithium-ion batteries for hybrid car models to be sold in domestic and international markets. The facility will be set up jointly by Suzuki, Toshiba Corporation and Denso with a proposed investment of $180 million. Suzuki made this announcement during the 12th India-Japan Annual Summit at Mahatma Mandir in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
132. India's first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad. Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, has inaugurated the centre on September 15. 2017. The Humane Society International (HSI) India will work with NALSAR to steer and coordinate the activities of the centre. The centre will create curriculum on animal welfare laws, including developing topics for research. It will also conduct workshops on animal laws and animal welfare issues with judicial magistrates, animal welfare advocates, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in the government.
133. The National Engineers Day (NED) is celebrated every year on September 15 in India as a remarkable tribute to the greatest Indian Engineer Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who was born on this day in 1861 in a village called Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He was not only known for his contributions in the field of engineering but was also called the "precursor of economic planning in India", according to the Institution of Engineers India (IEI). It stated that he is best known for his discourse "Planned Economy for India and Reconstructing India" which is the first of its kind to describe the country's planning efforts. The 2017 theme is "Role of Engineers in a developing India".
134. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been honoured with Global Diversity Award at Britain's House of Commons on September 15 for his outstanding contribution to Global Diversity. The Global Diversity Award is given to people of immense stature in terms of diversity in the world.
135. India has signed a loan deal of $76 million with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a project to upgrade the environment management plan at Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yards. The total cost of the project will be $111 million, out of which $76 million will be provided as soft loan from JICA. Out of the remaining amount, $25 million as taxes and fees will be borne by Government of Gujarat and the balance $10 million will be shared by Ministry of Shipping and Government of Gujarat. The project will be executed by Gujarat Maritime Board and is likely to be completed by 2022. The project will help the Alang-Sosia ship-recycling yards to comply with international safety and environmental regulations. It will attract more business at the recycling facilities at Alang, thereby further consolidating India's share in the global ship-recycling industry. The project will also help in safeguarding the marine and coastal environment.
136. Harry Dean Stanton (91), the veteran American actor, musician, and singer, has passed away in Los Angeles, United States on September 15, 2017. He was known for his roles in films like The Godfather II, Alien and Cool Hand Luke. The Kentucky-born star had a career which spanned more than six decades, appearing in dozens of films, including 1984's Paris, Texas. More recently, he appeared in the hit HBO show Big Love, and this year's revival of the cult classic Twin Peaks: The Return, a continuation of David Lynch's 1990–92 television series.
137. The Hyderabad team have won the 2017 Kalpathi AGS – Buchi Babu All-India Invitation cricket tournament. In the final at Chennai on September 15, they defeated TNCA President's XI by 8 wickets.
138. The book 'Unstoppable: My Life So Far' has been authored by tennis star Maria Sharapova. The book talks about Sharapova's rise from nowhere to tennis stardom and the unending fight to stay on top. The book tells how a seventeen-year-old Maria Sharapova became an overnight sensation by defeating the two-time defending champion Serena Williams to win the prestigious Wimbledon.
139. The International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed every year on September 16 to mark the commemoration of the date of signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 on substances that deplete the Ozone layer. It is mainly intended to spread awareness of the depletion of the Ozone Layer and search for solutions to preserve it. The 2017 theme 'Caring for all life under the sun'. The Ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas which protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun and thus helping preserve life on the planet. Substances like Chlorofluorocarbons, halons, Carbontetrachloride are responsible for ozone layer depletion.
140. The Indravati National Park (INP) is located in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and covers an area of 1,258.37 square kilometers. The park has one of the last populations of the endangered wild Asian buffalo. It is also home to a variety of other ungulate species such as Indian bison, nilgai, blackbuck, chausingha, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, tigers, leopards, sloth bears, dholes, etc.
141. Arjan Singh (98), who led the Indian Air Force in the 1965 India-Pakistan War, has passed in New Delhi on September 16, 2017. Throughout the 1965 war, Singh showed exemplary leadership, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his leadership during the war and subsequently the rank of the CAS was upgraded to that of Air Chief Marshal. Thus, Singh became the first Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force. Till date, he is the only Air Force officer to have been promoted to the five-star rank. After his retirement in July 1969, he was appointed Indian ambassador to Switzerland.
142. The 5th edition of "Kaju India 2017- The Global Cashew Summit has started at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Goa from September 17, which is organised by Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI). In the 3-day summit, more than 450 delegates including 30 from foreign countries are participating in the event. The summit will bring together the entire spectrum of the Global Cashew Industry and the Expo associated with it providing excellent brand visibility and demonstrates the recent developments of the industry.
143. Rio Olympics Silver medallist P V Sindhu from India has won the 2017 women's singles title at the Korea Open Super Series badminton tournament by defeating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in three sets 22-20, 11-21, 20-18 at Seoul in South Korea. With this, Sindhu has become the first Indian to win the Korea Super Series crown. It is also her third super series title of her career.
144. Mahant Chand Nath (61), the noted BJP politician and religious leader, has passed away at a Delhi hospital on September 17, 2017. He represented the Alwar Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan. Nath had won the Alwar seat in the 2014 parliamentary elections after defeating Congress candidate and former Union minister Jitendra Singh.
145. Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, has won the 2017 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix tournament at Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore.
146. Arun Jaitley, the Union Finance Minister, has launched Google's UPI-based digital payment service 'Tez' in New Delhi. The app that will let users link their phones to their bank accounts to pay for goods in physical stores and online. It is available for both Android and iOS users that allows person-to-person money transfers. Google Tez will support several local languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu.
147. The 13th edition of joint military training exercise "Yudh Abhyas-2017" has started between Indian and US armies at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington, USA on September 16, 2017. During the two week long exercise soldiers from both countries will hone their tactical skills in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations under a joint brigade headquarter. Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations. Experts from both sides will hold detailed discussions to share their experience and expertise on varied operational topics.
148. Mercedes Araoz, who is also a lawmaker and one of Peru's two Vice Presidents, has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Peru by the Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on September 17, 2017. Araoz succeeded Fernando Zavala, who lost vote of confidence by lawmakers. All 19 ministers in the previous Cabinet were forced to resign under Peru's constitution because of the no-confidence vote. Kuczynski reappointed six of the 19 ministers in the previous Cabinet.
149. Sterling K Brown has created history by becoming the first African-American to win the best actor drama Emmy awards in the past 19 years, for his performance as Randall on NBC's "This Is Us". The last to win the award was Andre Braugher in 1998 for his role in "Homicide: Life on the Street". Moreover British Pakistan actor Riz Ahmed has become the first Muslim actor as well as the man of Asian descent to win an Outstanding lead actor in a limited series at Emmy award for the "systematic issue of inclusion.
150. The Gorumara National Park (GNP) is located in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The park is located in the Dooars region of the Himalayan foothills, it is a medium-sized park with grasslands and forests. It is primarily known for its population of Indian rhinoceros. The park has been declared as the best among the protected areas in India by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the year 2009. It has recorded 50 species of mammals, 194 species of birds, 22 species of reptiles, 7 species of turtles, 27 species of fish, and other macro and micro fauna. The park is rich in large herbivores including Indian rhinoceros, gaur, Asian elephant, sloth bear, chital and sambar deer.
151. The first ever National Conference on "Mission Mode to address Under-Nutrition" was successfully held in New Delhi on September 19, 2017. The conference was organized by the Ministry of Women & Child Development in collaboration with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, keeping in mind the goal of "Mission Malnutrition Free India-2022". The Ministry of Women & Child Development will soon issue new guidelines on supplementary nutrition in this regard in the next few days which will supersede all existing guidelines. Similarly, a separate self contained protocol for severely and acutely malnourished (SAM) children will also be issued shortly. The Minister also highlighted the importance of child protection alongwith nutrition.
152. India have signed off with a rich haul of one gold, four silver, and three bronze medals at the Ahmet Comert Boxing Championships for youth women boxers in Istanbul, Turkey. Soniya (48kg) gave India the lone gold medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Zhazira Urakabeva in her summit clash. The rest of the four Indian finalists settled for silver medals after going down in their respective bouts. The silver winners for India were Niharika Gonella (75kg), Shashi Chopra (57kg), Parveen (54kg), and Ankushita Boro (64kg). Earlier, Tilotama Chanu (60kg), Jyoti Gulia (48kg), Lalita (64kg) and Manisha (69kg) had to be content with bronze medals after losing their respective semifinal bouts.
153. Rajni Kant Mishra, a 1984 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer, will be the new chief of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). He will succeed Archana Ramasundaram, who is set to retire on September 30, 2017. The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Mishra will hold the post till his superannuation on August 31, 2019, from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders.
154. The Jharkhand Government has launched the Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana at Ulihatu in Khunti district of Jharkhand. Ulihatu is the birthplace of Jharkhand's tribal icon Birsa Munda. The purpose of the scheme is to develop villages of freedom fighters in the state. Under this scheme, villages of many tribal freedom fighters will be developed and their habitats will be provided basic amenities. Birsa Munda was a freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe from Chhotanagpur area. He is known for leading Munda rebellion towards end of 19th century against British Raj.
155. Dr Kirpal Singh Chugh (85), the father of nephrology in India, has passed away in Chandigarh on September 17, 2017. Dr Chugh was emeritus professor and former head of department of nephrology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. He was a recipient of several national and international awards, including the Padma Shri. Presently, he was working with Fortis Hospital at Mohali. Dr Chugh had 413 papers, including 38 chapters, published in national and international journals and books. The International Society of Nephrology had acknowledged Dr Chugh's pioneering work and contributions and had included him amongst 50 legends in nephrology.
156. YC Modi, a 1984 batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and will hold the post till his superannuation, i.e. May 31, 2021. He will take over from incumbent NIA Chief Sharad Kumar Sinha after he completes his tenure on October 30, 2017. Currently, Modi is special director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). NIA was set up after an Act was enacted on December 31, 2008. The federal probe agency is tasked with probing terrorism and terror-financing related cases.
157. The Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) is located between Bhandara district and Gondia district of Maharashtra and covers an area of 152.81 square kilometres. This sanctuary has a number of fish, 34 species of mammals, 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and four species of amphibians. Apart from this, this sanctuary is a home of many interesting varieties of frogs and toads like Tree-frog, Bull-frog, Six-toed frog, an uncommon toad; Ramanella Montana etc.
158. The high-level committee headed by retired judge Arvind Kumar Goel has recommended that Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who harass or desert their wives could face impoundment or cancellation of their passport. The panel has also recommended that cases of domestic violence be included in the scope of extradition treaties that India inks with other countries. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has constituted the committee in May 2017 to look into various legal and regulatory challenges and suggest measures to address them due to several complaints lodged by women deserted by their NRI husbands.
159. Dr Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State for Public Grievances and Pensions, will inaugurate the first Pension Adalat in New Delhi on September 20, 2017. The Pension Adalats is being convened with the objective of bringing the aggrieved pensioner, the concerned department, the bank on a common table so that such cases can be settled within the framework of extant rules. Dr Singh will also award the pensioners for their outstanding contribution towards Anubhav- a platform for retiring employees for sharing their experience of working with government. The workshop on Pre-Retirement Counseling (PRC) of 300 retiring central government employees is also scheduled to be held. The objective of this workshop is to create awareness about the post-retirement entitlements as well as an advance planning for life after retirement.
160. The Union government has constituted a GST Committee on Exports headed by revenue secretary Dr Hasmukh Adhia to look into issues of export sector and to recommend suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST scenario to the GST Council. On September 19, the Adhia – headed panel is meeting in New Delhi to deliberate on the issues faced by the industry under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and holding discussion with representatives from 8 export promotion associations the difficulties faced by the exporters. Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia is also attending the meet. The panel is mandated to recommend to the GST Council a suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST set-up.
161. Tripura has become the India's first state to set up family welfare district committees to examine the complaints of women against their husbands, in-laws and relatives of the husband and to find an amicable solution through negotiation. The Tripura High Court is the first high court among 24 high courts of the country that has constituted the family welfare district committees. The new system would be valid for the next six months and after that National Legal Services Authority (NLSA) would submit a report of its performance to the apex court, on the basis of which a new course of action would be decided.
162. Acclaimed filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli has won the prestigious 2017 ANR National Award for his contribution to the Telugu film industry. The award was instituted by the Akkineni International foundation in the honor of Akkineni Nageswara Rao to recognise stalwarts in the Indian film industry.
163. Purnima Hembram from Odisha, who is an Indian sprinter and heptathlete, has won gold in women's pentathlon at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on September 19, 2017. Apart from her, Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and Sanjivani Jadhav won silver each in men's shot put and women's 3000m respectively while Neena Varakil took a bronze in women's long jump.
164. The joint military exercise "Iron Union 5" will start between United States and United Arab Emirates (UAE) exercise in Abu Dhabi on September 23, 2017 to consolidate their bilateral relations and exchange training and military expertise. The purpose of the exercise is to upgrade and boost the readiness of the UAE's armed forces and to allow both armies to promote their international co-operation in joint military operations.
165. The Airtel Payments Bank (APB) has become the India's first payments bank to integrate the UPI on its digital platform. This will add to customer choice and convenience for making secure digital payments to online/offline merchants and making instant money transfers to any bank account in India.
166. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released its first tranche of emergency funding of $ 175,000 to provide essential medicines and life-saving healthcare to the vulnerable population in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar that has witnessed an influx of thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar. The WHO grant will support 20 mobile medical teams to provide essential services for at least two months. The grant is also being used to procure essential medicines and medical supplies to be distributed to pre-existing health facilities in Cox's Bazar area. The WHO is also working closely with International Organisation for Migration, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and other health partners in ensuring that adequate health services are provided to the vulnerable population.
167. Recently Sri Lanka has qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 after West Indies lost the first ODI against England at Old Trafford on September 19, 2017. With this, Sri Lanka has become the eighth and last team to qualify directly, joining Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. Now, West Indies will progress to the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018, where they will be joined by the bottom three sides on the ICC ODI team rankings – Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland as well as the top four sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the top two sides from the ICC World Cricket League Division 2. The top two sides from the World Cup Qualifier will complete the 10-team line-up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be played in United Kingdom (UK) from 30 May to 15 July.
168. Ajay Bisaria has been appointed as the new high commissioner to Pakistan. It is expected that he will succeed Gautam Bambawale in October 2017. Presently, Bisaria is serving as the Indian ambassador to Poland.
169. The first 'BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017' (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) will be conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency from October 10-13, 2017 in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This exercise will be a platform for sharing best practices on all aspects of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), strengthening regional response and coordination for Disaster Management among the BIMSTEC member countries. The main focus of the exercise will be on testing the region's preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of inter-Governmental interaction/dialogue/agreements for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster response. The delegates from all 7 nations of the BIMSTEC grouping, – namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand are participating in the event.
170. The Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located in the south west of Munger district of Bihar and covers an area of 681.99 square kilometres. The main animals found at BWS are tigers, panthers, wild boars, sloth bear, sambar deer, chitals, four-horned antelope and nilgais. Though, the sanctuary is more famous for its bird life rather than the land animals. It is home to more than 100 species of resident birds, which stay here all year around.
171. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, has launched 'People First' mobile application at the Collectors' conference in Vijayawada. The app will empower citizens with real-time governance. It will keep the citizens updated with the latest schemes and services of the government and the users will also be able to use the app for registering their complaints. The registered complaints will be addressed as soon as possible and selected complaints will be directly monitored by the chief minister himself.
172. India and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to upgrade Thondaman Vocational Training Centre at Hatton located in Nuwara Eliya district of the Island nation. The up gradation of the center will be done using a grant of around Rs 9 crore from the Government of India. The project includes construction of new infrastructure facilities as well as renovation of existing building. The project also includes supply of machinery, equipment & tools for the new courses, furniture and vehicles. A total of 500 youth of Sri Lanka are expected to be trained as skilled workers with suitable skills catering to the job market annually with the completion of the project. This project is in line with Government of India's efforts to assist and cooperate with government of Sri Lanka in the field of vocational training and skill development.
173. The National conference on Agriculture for Rabi Campaign 2017 was organised by Agriculture Ministry at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 19, 2017. The 2-day conference was inaugurated by Radha Mohan Singh , the Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister. During the conference, group discussions were held on important topics including Soil Health Card Scheme, management of drought and harvest and doubling farmers' income. Agriculture Secretary, Shobhan Patnaik laid emphasis on measures to bridge the yield gap among districts and States in a planned manner and steps to ensure payment of remunerative price to the farmers. In addition, Joint Secretaries and senior officials made presentations on the flagship schemes including seed quality control, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Soil Health Card and organic farming. Many States used the opportunity to offer valuable comments and observations on many aspects of the flagship programme of the Government.
174. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has been appointed as brand ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission for Uttarakhand. Earlier, Akshay Kumar was also appointed as the brand ambassador for cleanliness drive by the Uttar Pradesh Government and his film 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' was interest-free in the state. The film focuses on importance of building toilets and ending open defecation in the country.
175. Yesteryear Bollywood actress Shakila (82), who was known for her work in films like "Aar Paar" and "CID", has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on September 20, 2017. She was a star in her own right in the 50's n 60's. The famous song 'Baabuji dhiire chalanaa…' from Aar Paar was filmed on her. Besides her roles in Guru Dutt classics like 'Aar Paar' and 'CID', Shakila also starred with Shammi Kapoor in Shakti Samanta's hit 'China Town'.
176. B Sambamurthy, the former Director and CEO of the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), has been appointed as new interim Chairman of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). He will succeed M Balachandran, who was Non-Executive Chairman of NPCI from September 23, 2013 till September 20, 2017. Prior to the appointment, he was the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Corporation Bank.
177. The United Nations' International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21 to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. This year, in 2017, the day will focus on engaging and mobilizing people throughout the world to show support for refugees and migrants. Its messages will be shared with communities hosting refugees and migrants as well as people concerned that refugees and migrants may bring physical and economic insecurity to their lives. The day will highlight solidarity with refugees and migrants and showcase the shared benefits of migration to economies and nations, while also acknowledging legitimate concerns of host communities. The 2017 theme "Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All" honours the spirit of 'TOGETHER', a global initiative that promotes respect, safety and dignity for everyone forced to flee their homes in search of a better life.
178. Zannah Mustapha, a Nigerian lawyer and teacher, has won the 2017 UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugees Award for his crucial mediating role and efforts to help children affected by the insurgency in the country. Mustapha's The Future Prowess Islamic Foundation School in Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno state and the centre of Boko Haram violence, stayed open through the insurgency and now provides education to more than 500 students. His school took in children of Nigerian Army soldiers as well as of Boko Haram militants. Apart from this, he had been instrumental in securing their freedom – as well as the release of 82 additional schoolgirls in May 2017 from Chibok kidnapped by the Boko Haram militant group. The 2017 award ceremony will be held on 2 October in Geneva, Switzerland.
179. Ajay Kumar Saroj from India won the gold in men's 1500m race in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on September 20, 2017. In track cycling, Deborah Herold won a silver in women's 200m individual sprint race. Meanwhile, Neha Solanki and Jyoti bagged a bronze each in women's kurash +87kg and —87kg respectively. With 5 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze, India are 8th in the medals tally with hosts Turkmenistan on top with a whopping 52 gold, 36 silver and 37 bronze. India are being represented by more than 200 athletes in 15 sports disciplines in the Games, touted as the second biggest multi-sporting event of the continent after the Asiad.
180. The Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) is located 10 km from the city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and covers an area of 195 square kilometers. It is home to elephants, barking deer, sloth bear porcupines and many other animals. Commonly seen birds in the sanctuary are the falcons, golden oriole, Indian tree pie, paradise fly catchers, grey hornbills, Indian peafowl, etc. The best time to visit is from October to June. The forest cover is denuded up to 90% because of selective pilferage by timber mafia over many years.
181. Balraj Joshi has been appointed as the new Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd., the country's premier hydro power utility. Presently, Joshi is at Director (Technical) in the organisation. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment to the post till December 31, 2019, i.e. the date of his superannuation, according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
182. The 6th edition of International Textile and Apparel Fair "VASTRA-2017" has started in Jaipur, Rajasthan from September 21 where over 250 exhibitors from 13 states will showcase their products. The 4-day fest was inaugurated by Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. It is the ideal platform to enter JVs, strategic alliances and partnerships worldwide, launch new products, as well as, harness new locations for setting up businesses in India. It is also a place for disseminating technology and interacting with R&D Labs and experts for solution in technology and latest trends. Around 300 overseas buyers from more than 50 countries are participating in the fest.
183. Lillian Ross (99), a pioneer of literary journalism, has passed away in New York, United States. She was a staff writer at The New Yorker from 1945 until she retired. Her close narrative style defined a memorable and influential 70-year career, including a revealing portrait of Ernest Hemingway, a classic Hollywood expose and a confession to an adulterous affair.
184. Amit Masurkar's acclaimed political satire "Newton" has been selected as India's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars 2018. Rajkummar Rao played a role of Newton Kumar, a presiding officer who is determined to hold a free and fair election in a Chhattisgarh village despite the threat of Naxalite violence and all-round cynicism. The movie, produced by Drishyam Films and distributed by Eros Entertainment, also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav, and was released on September 22, 2017.
185. India's first electric bus service has launched by Himachal Pradesh Government for Rohtang Pass, a tourist destination near Manali. The electric bus, which is built by Goldstone Infratech, has been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), after extensive testing at the parts and vehicle level. With this initiative, Himachal has become the first in the world to ply electric buses at an altitude of 13 thousand feet. These buses will ply on 51km eco fragile stretch between Manali and Rohtang. Each electric bus has a capacity to carry 30 passengers and can cover 200 km with the fully charged batteries. The fare is yet to be fixed but it would be marginally higher than diesel buses.
186. India's first indigenously built Scorpene submarine " INS Kalvari" has been delivered to the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Dock Ltd shipyard and will soon be commissioned. Kalvari is named after the dreaded Tiger Shark, a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean. It can carry 18 torpedoes and travel 1,020km underwater. The 66-metre submarine can dive up to a depth of 300 metres to elude enemy detection. It has superior stealth and the ability to launch crippling attacks on the enemy with precision-guided weapons. The attack can be carried out with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles underwater or from the surface. This Scorpene submarine is designed to operate in all theatres of war, including the tropics. Kalvari is capable of handling various missions such as anti-surface warfare (attacking surface ships), anti-submarine warfare (destroying submarines), intelligence gathering, mine-laying and area surveillance.
187. Qatar Airways has become the world's first Airline to launch double beds in its brand new business class suite "Qsuite" from London to Doha in Qatar. Such suites will allow passengers to recline two middle seats into a fully flat bed and features partition panels to create a private bedroom with two entertainment screens inside. This new initiative marks a world-first for the industry and looks to set a precedent for rival carriers. Qatar Airways has launched the feature on a daily Boeing 777 service from London Heathrow.
188. Jake LaMotta (95), the legendary American boxer, has passed away in Aventura, Florida. He was given the nickname "The Raging Bull" for his aggressive style in the ring, and was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the film Raging Bull, which examined his tumultuous life outside of the ring. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, is considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time and one of the best films ever made.
189. P Alli Rani has been appointed the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Ltd. Presently, she is Director (Finance) in Container Corporation of India (CCI) Ltd. According to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Rani has been appointed to the post for a period of five years.
190. The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) is located in Wayanad, Kerala and covers an area of 344 square kilometers. It is home to elephants, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bisons, deer, bears, etc. The sanctuary is one of the safest havens for different species of vultures like the White-rumped Vultures and the Red-headed Vultures. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
191. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has launched a nation-wide 'Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat' at Mota Ishanpur village in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat on September 23, 2017. The new scheme is a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. The purpose of the LPG Panchayat is to spread awareness among the LPG users about how to properly use the clean fuel and its many benefits. Under the scheme, one lakh LPG Panchayats will be activated across the country during the next one and a half years. The idea of this platform is to trigger a discussion through sharing of personal experiences on the benefits of use of clean fuel compared to traditional fuels like cowdung, charcoal or wood. India has over 21 crore LPG connections, with 51% reach in the rural areas and nearly 100% penetration across the urban centres.
192. The 9-day Bathukamma festival is a colourful and vibrant festival of Telangana that has started on September 20, 2017. This fest is celebrated by women with flowers that grow exclusively in each region. This festival is a symbol of Telangana's cultural identity. On this occasion, the Telangana government has began free distribution of over one crore sarees for women below the poverty line.
193. M C Mary Kom, the five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist, has become the first Indian to be picked as the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes' Forum scheduled in November 2017. She has been invited to attend the 8th International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Athletes' Forum in Lausanne from November 11th to 13th. Regarding to this, AIBA has sent an invitation letter to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). However, the event overlaps with the Asian Championship in Vietnam, which is scheduled from November 2 to 12. If Mary Kom is selected for the tournament after trials later this month, her participation at the IOC event would become uncertain.
194. Jagat Prakash Nadda, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, has inaugurated a 5-day multi-media exhibition "Naya Bharat-Hum Karke Rahenge" in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on September 23, 2017. It is the 36th such exhibition organized in the country. The purpose of the exhibition is to aware common people on the different central sponsored schemes through photographs and video clips, so that the people can take benefit from the schemes. The exhibition was organized by Housing and Urban Development Corporation with the help of Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.
195. Jayantilal Barot (75), the senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, has passed away on September 23, 2017. He was ex-chairman of Gujrat Housing Board and former Chairman of Gujarat Backward Classes Development Corporation.
196. The joint military training exercise "Panda-Kangaroo 2017" was held between Chinese and Australian ground forces in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, from September 10 to 20. The exercise is an important platform for enhancing the mutual understanding and trust and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. This is the first joint training held in China by Chinese and Australian armies. The two ground forces have conducted such joint training in 2015 and 2016 in Australia.
197. The Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is located in the Kodagu district, Karnataka and is part of the Western Ghats. It covers an area of 181.80 square kilometres. The area has mainly evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, and in the higher altitudes, there are grasslands with shola forest patches. Bamboos are well represented in these forests. It is home to mammals such as lion-tailed macaque, elephant, gaur, tiger, jungle cat, leopard cat, wild dog, sloth bear, wild pig and sambar. Also around 300 species of birds have been observed here over the years include emerald dove, black bulbul and Malabar trogon.
198. Abdul Majid (86), the famous actor, Director and writer, has passed away in Guwahati, Assam on September 24, 2017. In 1975, Mr Majid had directed an award winning movie Chameli Memsaab. Over the years, he acted in several movies, tv serials and Theatre. The film fraternity of the state has condoled the demise of the veteran actor.
199. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned $300 million loan facility to continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West Bengal to bring about more accessible, affordable, and high quality public services. The new loan programme, which will be undertaken over two years, will carry forward reforms such as linking medium term expenditure plans to actual budgets, supported by strengthening internal audit system, and enhancements in the integrated financial management system (IFMS). Other activities under the program include improved tax monitoring and continued support for information technology systems in strengthening tax and land administration.
200. Dabur India has tied up with e-commerce major Amazon for an online ayurveda marketplace which will house all ayurvedic brands and products of the country. The company will also offer consumers an insight into various ayurvedic medicines for treating a variety of ailments. Products of other ayurvedic manufacturing companies like Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali and Himalaya would also feature on the marketplace.
201. The Central Government will launch a 15-day 'Gram Samridhi Evam Swachhta' campaign to promote development and cleanliness in rural areas on the 1st of October in partnership with state governments. The campaign will focus on educating villagers about hygiene and cleanliness through self-help groups, anganwadi centres and schools, and conducting training programmes.
202. Prof C.N.R. Rao, the renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee, has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious 2017 Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research. The award is the US-based Materials Research Society's (MRS) highest honour. The award, which includes a cash prize, trophy and a diploma, will be presented in Boston on November 29, 2017. It recognises those qualities most prized by materials scientists and engineers – brilliance and originality of intellect, combined with vision that transcends the boundaries of conventional scientific disciplines.
203. The 2-day Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise "Pralay Sahayam" was held in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Telangana on September 22, 2017. The exercise was for all agencies involved in search, rescue and relief operations during natural disasters, to interact and evolve a seamless and optimized disaster management strategy. The purpose of the exercise is to create public awareness about man-made and natural climate change and urban disasters including floodings.
204. Rajiv Mehrishi, a 1978 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has taken charge as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on September 25, 2017 and will have tenure of about three years. He administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeded Shashi Kant Sharma. The CAG is appointed for a term of six years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. As a constitutional functionary, the CAG is primarily entrusted with the responsibility of auditing the accounts of the Union government and of the state governments. Prior to this post, Mehrishi was Home Secretary of Government of India (GoI). He had held several posts in both his state cadre Rajasthan and in the Centre. He also served as Economic Affairs Secretary and Chief Secretary of Rajasthan.
205. Arun Sadhu (75), the veteran Marathi writer and journalist, passed away in Mumbai on September 25, 2017. He was known for his work Mumbai Dinank, Kakasaheb Gadgil, Simhasan and many more novels in Hindi, English and Marathi, has also won the Sahitya Academy award. He has written on rise of Shiv Sena, Vietnam War and Chinese revolution and also written several short stories. As a journalist, he has won several awards including Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad, NC Kelkar and Acharya Atre award.
206. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana 'Saubhagya' to supply electricity to poor households to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on September 25, 2017. The scheme will cover all rural families after electrification of all villages by December 2017. The Union government stated that states will be required to complete the household electrification by March 31, 2019. The scheme will be funded by a 60% grant from the government, with the states contributing 10% and the remaining amount will be covered by loans. For special category states, the government will grant 85% of the outlay, with the states contributing just 5%.
207. Indian shuttler Vaishnavi Reddy has clinched the women's singles Under-19 title at the Belgian Junior Open badminton tournament. She defeated top seed Vivien Sandorhazi in a three-game final at Herstal, Belgium on September 25, 2017.
208. Indian wrestler Bajrang has won gold in the men's freestyle 65kg by defeating Daichi Takatani of Japan iIn Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. With this, Indians added four medals including a gold on the 9th day of the games at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan on September 24, 2017. Two women wrestlers Sheetal Tomar and Navjot Kaur also grabbed a bronze each. Krishnan Sasikiran won the third bronze in men's standard individual chess. Now, India stands at 12th place in the medals tally with 6 gold, 7 silver and 11 bronze.
209. The 57th National Open Athletics Championships 2017 has started at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on September 25, 2017. Around 1200 athletes from various states and departments and public sector undertakings would be taking part in the four-day meet. Besides, state teams, numerous athletes will also participate on behalf of their institutions. Among the institutions to be represented include All India Police Sports Board, ONGC, LIC, apart from the Railways and Services. The host state, Tamil Nadu, would be represented by 41 men and 35 women athletes.
210. The Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary situated in Andhra Pradesh. It covers an area of 235.7 square kilometers. It is the second largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 mangrove tree species and more than 120 bird species. It is home to the critically endangered white-backed vulture and the long billed vulture.
211. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has declared the year of 2017-18 as e-Pragati year. The flagship e-pragati training programme is for AP government officials to familiarize and update new technologies and its usage. The six-week training is conducted by a team from Indian School of Business (IBS), Hyderabad to all the 32 departments of AP government. These departments will start using the latest technology from October for administration & e-governance, which will bring transparency and make everything visible online.
212. The 7th ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting (ASEM EMM7) was held in Seoul, South Korea on September 21-22, 2017. The 2017 theme is 'Innovative Partnership for Inclusive Prosperity'. The meeting was conducted under the Chairmanship of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea. In it, 51 member countries signed a joint statement on supporting the multilateral trade system.
213. The two-week long joint military exercise "DRUZBA 2017" has started between Special Forces of Pakistan and Russia Armies started in Minralney Vody, Russia on September 25, 2017. The focus of the joint exercise is to counter-terrorism operations, hostage and rescue, cordon and search operation. The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen military ties between the two countries and share Pakistan Army's experience in war against terrorism. The first-ever joint military exercise was held in October 2016 and Russia also started selling weapons to Islamabad.
214. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has downgraded India's GDP growth forecast to 7% from 7.4% for financial year 2017-18 due to weakness in private consumption, manufacturing output and business investment. Further, in its latest Asian Development Outlook (ADO) outlook update, ADB has downgraded India's growth projection for financial year 2018-19 to 7.4%, from the earlier forecast of 7.6% in July 2017. However, the multilateral lender stated that India continues its strong showing although demonetisation and implementation of the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime have dented consumer spending and business investment. These short-term disruptions are expected to dissipate allowing these initiatives to generate growth dividends over the medium term.
215. The book "The Shershah of Kargil: Captain Vikram Batra" has been authored by Deepak Surana, which is launched in Banguluru on September 10, 2017. It is the biography of Kargil war hero Late Captain Vikram Batra, who was posthumously awarded Param veer Chakra (PVC) – the highest gallantry award of India. It is an inspiring story of the young captain, which takes you through the various dimensions of Captain Batra's life.
216. The Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary (GWS) is located at a distance of about 32.0 km from Bikaner, Rajasthan. This is one of the proposed forests for the reintroduction of cheetahs in India. It is home to mammals such as wildfowl, deer, antelope, nilgai, chinkara, black buck, desert fox and wild boar.
217. Prime minister Narendra Modi has recently constituted Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (PMEAC) under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy. The 5-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) will address the issues of macroeconomic importance. The council will also analyse and advise the Prime Minister on any issue, economic or otherwise, referred by him. Besides Debroy, the council includes NITI Aayog's principal adviser Ratan Watal as its member and economists Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal as part-time members.
218. Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has launched a web portal called 'PENCIL' for effective implementation of National Child Labour Project (NCLP) in New Delhi on September 26, 2017. The acronym PENCIL stands for Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour, which is developed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE). It is an electronic platform for no child labour. The PENCIL portal has five components — Child Tracking System, Complaint Corner, State Government, National Child Labour Project and Convergence. The online portal will connects the Centre to the state government, district and to all project societies and would provide a mechanism for implementation.
219. Thaawarchand Gehlot, the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, has launched the beta version of an accessible and comprehensive mobile App "Divyang Sarathi" in New Delhi for easy information dissemination to Divyangjans. The unique features of the App are its audio notes embedded in it which converts the written information into an audio file. The purpose of the mobile app is to provide all relevant information pertaining to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, including its various Acts, rules, regulations and guidelines, schemes and information about the various outreach institutions, employment opportunities in an accessible format.
220. Manoj Sinha, the Union Minister of Communication, will launch the first-ever India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2017, which is scheduled to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 27th September till 29thSeptember 2017. It is being organised by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) with support of the ministries like the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Skill Development and Entrepreneurship amongst others and will see participation from senior government representatives from the centres as well as various states.
221. The Union government has set up the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DPIDF) worth Rs 10,881 crore to boost the dairy sector. With this investment, 95 lakh farmers from about 50,000 villages would be benefited. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the National Cooperative Development Cooperation (NCDC) will utilise DPIDF to provide the loan for building an efficient milk procurement system and other infrastructure. The DPIDF will focus on building an efficient milk procurement system by setting up infrastructure and installing electronic milk adulteration testing equipment, besides creating and expanding infrastructure and manufacturing faculties for the value-added products for milk unions and milk companies.
222. The World Tourism Day (WTD) is observed every year on September 27 to raise awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The 2017 theme "Sustainable tourism – a tool for development" is dedicated to explore the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). On the occasion of World Tourism Day, President Ram Nath Kovind will give away the National Tourism Awards and will Launch Incredible India 2.0 Campaign in New Delhi.
223. Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco, the leader of People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), has been officially sworn-in as the new President of Angola on September 26, 2017. With this, he became the first new leader in the oil-rich southern African nation in almost four decades. He succeeded Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979. Lourenco will be Angola's first head of state to be constitutionally limited to serving two five-year terms.
224. The Ghatigaon Wildlife Sanctuary (GWS) is located near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 511 square kilometers. The sanctuary is also as the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary. It houses many varieties of flora such as Khair, Murjan, Palash, Seja, Dhawada, Royenja, Ghote, Beweg, Dhaman, Salai, Heans and Katli. The sanctuary is also a home to the blackbuck, chital, monkey, wolf, blue bull, wild boar, fox and hyena.
225. The 2017 South Asian Boxing Championship (SABC) will be held in Guwahati, Assam from December 6 to 10. This is first time India will host the championship, which will see a potential blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan besides other SAARC countries — Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, among others. Apart from this, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has announced that India will also host the 'India International Open tournament' in New Delhi on January 2017.
226. The Maharashtra government has recently signed MoU with South Korea in Seoul for increased co-operation in infrastructure projects like development of smart cities, roads, airports and metros. The MoU is to help with implementation strategy, legal systems, policies, technologies and information in infrastructure development. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is on a three-day tour to South Korea and Singapore.
227. Shashi Shanker has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director of India's biggest oil and gas producer, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) till March 31, 2021. Currently, he is director (Technical and Field Services) at ONGC and will take over the charge as CMD from October 1.He will succeed Dinesh K Sarraf, who retires on September 30.
228. The Odisha Government has launched Sishu Abond Matru Mrityuhara Purna Nirakaran Abhijan (Sampurna) Yojna for pregnant women, in Odisha. Under the scheme, the state government will provide Rs.1,000 as transport cost for pregnant women to travel to the hospital. The main purpose of this scheme is to reduce the death ration of the newborn child and mother mortality rate. Around 7853 villages will be covered under the scheme. This scheme will be implemented in the areas where 102/108 ambulances cannot reach.
229. The Karnataka Government has recently launched 'Vision-2025' project across the state with an aim to draft policy for the development of the state in next seven years by seeking the opinion of the public. Under the project, the state government would seek public opinion on how they want their dream state to be in the next seven years. Officials will collect the required information after discussing with public representatives and the general public. They will then bring out a draft vision policy for the year 2025, portions of which would be incorporated in the manifesto of ruling Congress. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also launched the website 'www.navakarnataka2025.in' on this occasion.
230. Sumit Nagal from India has won gold medal in the men's singles tennis event of Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games with a dominating win over compatriot Vijay Sundar Prashanth in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on September 27, 2017. Nagal outplayed Prashanth 6-1, 6-1 in the all-Indian final as he broke him five times in the match. It was the second medal for Prashanth in the tournament, having won gold in the men's doubles with reigning singles national champion Vishnu Vardhan. Overall, India won five medals — two gold and three silver medals — from tennis. With 9 gold, 12 silver and 19 bronze, India finished the Games at 11th position. Hosts Turkmenistan topped the medals tally with 89 gold, 70 silver and 86 bronze, followed by China and Iran.
231. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. Recently, it is in news because, CARA has started a monthly 'Jan Sampark' program to enable the public to have interaction with its officials for seeking information related to adoption as well as flagging their concerns. The first of its kind programme was held in New Delhi recently. The event will now be a regular feature every month apart from the quarterly Facebook live chat by CEO CARA.
232. The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) was set up in January 1997 as a non-profit company under Union ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The corporation provides financial assistance for wide range of income generating activities to disabled persons. Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir government has launched a scheme for disabled soldiers and their dependents in collaboration with the NHFDC. As per scheme, the disabled soldiers or dependent relatives of such soldiers, who are permanent residents of the state, having disability of 40% and above can avail maximum loan of Rs 25 lakh with 4-7% rate of interest per annum.
233. On the occasion of World Tourism Day (WTD-2017), Madhya Pradesh bagged total 10 National Tourism Awards at a function in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on September 28, 2017. The state won 'Best Tourism State' national award for the 3rd consecutive year, besides the Most Innovative Tourist Product award for 'Hanuwantia Jal Mahotsav' and Best State for Adventure Tourism. The Hindi brochure published by Madhya Pradesh Tourism in Simhastha-2016 won the national award for Excellence in Publishing in Hindi. The Best Wildlife Guide national award was bagged by Saib Khan of Pachmarhi. Madhya Pradesh also received a national award for Film Promotion Policy in the category of Best Film Promotion Friendly State/Union Territory. While Chanderi was adjudged as the Best Heritage City, the Best Tourist-Friendly Railway Station award was given to Ujjain Railway Station. The Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination of India award was given to Khargone.
234. The World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed every year on September 29 to acknowledge the maritime industry and to highlight the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, and the marine environment. The 2017 theme 'Connecting Ships, Ports and People' was chosen to provide an opportunity to focus on the many diverse actors involved in the shipping and logistics areas. The aim of theme is to focus on helping International Maritime Organization (IMO) member states to develop and implement maritime strategies to invest in a joined-up, interagency approach.
235. The World Rabies Day (WRD) is an international awareness campaign, which is observed every year on September 28 to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease. The day also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine. The 2017 theme is 'Rabies: Zero by 30'.
236. Rajnath Singh, the Union Home Minister, has inaugurated the 13th Formation Day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 28, 2017. The 2017 theme of formation day is 'School Safety'. On this day, the stakeholders will discuss the roadmap, their roles and key challenges in the implementation of the School Safety Policy across the country. States will share their experiences in terms of best practices and lessons learnt through their efforts towards school safety initiatives. The NDMA is an agency of the Ministry of Home Affairs whose primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of it.
237. India has been ranked the 40th out of 137 countries at the 2017 Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), which is compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF). According to the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) 2017-2018, India's performance improved in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) indicators, particularly Internet bandwidth per user, mobile phone and broadband subscriptions, and Internet access in schools. The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by United States, Singapore, Netherlands and Germany. The GCI is prepared on the basis of country-level data covering 12 categories or pillars of competitiveness viz. Institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, etc.
238. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will increase its annual lending to India to a maximum of $4 billion between 2018 and 2022 to help fasten inclusive economic transformation towards upper middle income status. The ADB's programme in India will focus on three main pillars of activity during the 5-year period: boost economic competitiveness to create more and well-paid jobs, improve access to infrastructure and services, and address climate change and improving climate resilience. The new lending programme, which includes private sector operations, is much higher than the average $2.65 billion a year in loans extended during 2012 and 2016.
239. The Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) is located in Dhamtari District, Chhattisgarh and covers an area of 556 square kilometers. It is a famous tourist attraction which is frequented by wildlife enthusiasts throughout the year. It is named after Sitanadi River which originates from this sanctuary and joins Mahanadi River near Deokhut. Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its lush green flora and rich and unique and diverse fauna and has great potential to emerge as one of the finest wildlife destinations in Central India.
240. Hugh M Hefner (91), American Icon and the founder of the iconic Playboy magazine, has passed away in Los Angeles on September 27, 2017. He was also the founder and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, the publishing group that operates the magazine.
241. The 3rd India International Science Festival (IISF-2017) will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu from October 13-16. The festival is being organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).Top scientists from the government are expected to participate in the four-day festival at IIT-Chennai.The event will be jointly inaugurated by science and technology ministers of Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Portugal.
242. Padma Shri awardee Tom Alter (67), who was veteran actor and theatre personality, has passed away in Mumbai on September 29, 2017. The Indian actor of American descent, Tom Alter made his big screen debut in 1976 with a small role in Dharmendra-starrer Charas and later went on to work in films like Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Gandhi, Kranti, Bose: The Forgotten Hero and Veer Zara. But it was his sitcom Zabaan Sambhalke (1993-1997) that made him a household name. Born in Mussoorie in 1950, Alter was a third-generation American in India who studied at Woodstock School in the Himalayas and then briefly at Yale University in the USA, before returning to India in the early 70s.
243. NITI Aayog will host the 8th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2017) in partnership with the USA, which is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad from November 28 to 30. The 2017 theme "Women First, Prosperity for All" will celebrate entrepreneurship in all its strength, diversity and entirety. The four primary focus areas of GES 2017 are Health Care and Life Sciences, Digital Economy and Financial Technology, Energy and Infrastructure, and Media and Entertainment. The 2017 summit will empower Indian entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, secure funding, and create innovative products and services that will transform societies for a better future. It will not only bring global best practices to India, but will also create an irreplaceable place for India in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem.
244. The 14th India-EU Summit will be held in New Delhi from October 5-7, 2017. During the summit, both sides are expected to discuss a host of key issues including ways to remove hurdles for the long-pending free trade agreement. The president of the European Council (EC) Donald Franciszek Tusk, and the president of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker, will attend the summit. The European Union (EU) is India's largest regional trading partner with bilateral trade in goods at USD 88 billion in 2016. The EU is also the largest destination for Indian exports and a key source of investment and technologies.
245. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Vihaan Networks Limited (VNL) have signed MoU to launch "Relief 123" service to provide disaster management in India. The "Relief 123" service is an integrated disaster response solution for first responders and public safety agencies. The solution is designed and manufactured by VNL and the backhaul connectivity will be provided by BSNL. The "Relief 123" is based on "ResQMobil", an integrated portable communication solution which packs in the required hardware into a portable transportable trailer-on-wheels. The service will restore connectivity at disaster sites, help locate the affected people and integrate information across platforms for quick relief. The model can also be scaled for SAARC countries, wherein BSNL would have roaming agreements with local mobile service operators.
246. IDBI Bank has launched 'Project Nishchay' in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to accelerate its turnaround program and improve financial performance. The project will be led by senior management at IDBI Bank along with BCG. As part of the initiative, IDBI bank will focus on four key areas – revenue enhancement, cost control & reduction, asset productivity and overall program management in consultation with BCG.
247. The Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) is located in Baragarh district, Odisha and covers an area of 346.91 square kilometers. This sanctuary is not only famous for the sylvan beauty with magnificent waterfalls but is also very rich in wildlife. The dry deciduous forests with varied flora and fauna attract the tourists of Odisha and neighbouring states. It is home to Indian leopard, Indian elephant, sambar, chital, gaur, etc.
248. Royana Singh, an assistant professor at the Institute of Medical Science (Anatomy Department), has been appointed as the first woman chief proctor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). She succeeded O P Singh, who recently resigned from the post after taking moral responsibility for the lathi charge on students who were protesting against the victim-blaming of a colleague who was molested on the campus.
249. Makhan Lal Fotedar (85), a veteran Congress leader, has passed away in Gurugram, Haryana on September 28, 2017. Hailing from Kashmir, Fotedar was ushered into politics by Jawaharlal Nehru in early 1950s and he gradually strengthened his position in the Congress to become one of the most powerful persons in the party. He enjoyed immense trust of Indira Gandhi who had made him her political secretary in 1980. After her death, Rajiv Gandhi also made him his political secretary for three years, before inducting him in his Cabinet as a minister. Fotedar also was a member of the powerful Congress Working Committee (CW), the highest decision-making body of the party, for a long time. Even now, he was a permanent invitee to the CWC. He was also a leader of the Kashmiri Pandits.
250. Gujarat will be the second state after Goa to use the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system for the Assembly elections. Here, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be equipped with VVPAT. State Chief Electoral Officer and Principal Secretary Mr. B. B. Sawain announced this at a press conference in Gandhinagar on Septmebr 28, 2017. Approx 70,182 VVPAT machines will be used in the state for the Assembly elections. During the poll, the voters will experience the transparency and would enjoy a new right. According to the latest electoral list, it has as many as 4.33 crore registered voters in the state.
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