16th-17th October, 2023

1. 51st meeting of the executive committee of National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved seven projects worth Rs 285 crore.
2. IRCON International Limited (IRCON) and RITES Limited (RITES) have been announced 15th and 16th Navratna company among CPSE.
3. PM Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated the third edition of Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS 2023) at MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai.
4. India and United Kingdom held their first 2+2 Foreign and Defence dialogue in New Delhi.
5. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme for establishing a seamless public transport network from Gram Panchayat level to state capital.
6. United Kingdom and Tamil Nadu collaborated on smart technology project for sustainable water, waste and resource management.
7. Asian Development Bank has approved 181 million USD loan to build infra in Ahmedabad’s peri-urban areas.
8. Kerala’s Vizhinjam port welcomes its first vessel Zhen Hua 15.
9. Bhopal’s Mahila Thana has become country’s first women police station to get ISO 9001:2015
10. Sri Lanka has taken over as the Chair and India as vice-chair of Indian Ocean Rim association (IORA) for the period of 2023 to 2025.
11. Christopher Luxon is set to become next President of New Zealand after win of conservative party.
12. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has been awarded for being ranked A+ in Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards at Marrakesh, Morocco.
13. Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.3% in FY 2024, according to latest Economic Outlook Survey released by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
14. Wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation remained in negative territory for the sixth consecutive month and Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased for second consecutive month in September 2023.
15. Indian Army has established the first-ever BSNL base transceiver station (BTS) on world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.
16. Army Chief presents the President’s Colours to the third battalion of Naga Regiment at Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet (Uttarakhand).
17. October 14– World Migratory Bird Day; Theme- Water: Sustaining Bird Life.
18. October 14– World Standards Day; Theme– Our shared vision for a better world
19. October 15– International Day of Rural Women; Theme– Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All
20. October 15– Global Handwashing Day; Theme– clean hands are within reach
21. October 16– World Food Day; Theme– “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.”
22. India’s grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani has won FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2023 title in open category.
23. ISRO’s Space Application Centre (SAC) has signed a three-year MoU with Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd (NavTech) to use light-based high-speed communication for satellite communication in space.
24. Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has signed an MoU with National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) for various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital transformation services.
25. Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with SpaceX to make Starlink Wi-Fi available to every passenger in the sky at no cost.
26. Justice Siddharth Mridul has been appointed as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.
27. NASA scientists found water and carbon from the sample of 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu.

National News

1. 51st meeting of the executive committee of National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved seven projects worth Rs 285 crore.>
   • Key projects–
     • Three projects for sewerage management–
       • Two in West Bengal and one in Uttarakhand
     • Project for extension of Composite Ecological Task Force (Ganaga Task Force)
       • For continue assisting the rejuvenation of River Ganga
     • Project related to Fish stock enhancement including Hilsa and livelihood improvement for sustainable fisheries and conservation in River Ganga.
     • Proposal for wetland conservation by effective management of –
       • Kalewala Jheel in Muzaffarnagar, Numaiya Dahi Jheel (Kheduva Taal) in Prayagraj and Dahtal Reoti wetland in Ballia District was also approved.
     • One proposal to develop Ganga Vatika Park in Dhalwala, Uttarakhand
       Source: PIB
2. IRCON International Limited (IRCON) and RITES Limited (RITES) have been announced 15th and 16th Navratna company among CPSE.
   • The status has been granted by Ministry of Finance.
   • Benefit of status–
     • The award of Navratna status will enable them to further nurture their brand, compete more effectively in the global market and pursue new frontiers more aggressively for growth.

3. PM Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated the third edition of Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS 2023) at MMRDA Grounds, Mumbai.
   • Focus Areas of Summit–
     • maritime sector with sessions and discussions around ports of the future;
     • decarbonisation;
     • coastal shipping & IWT;
     • shipbuilding;
     • repair and recycling;
     • finance,
     • insurance & arbitration;
     • maritime clusters;
     • innovation & technology;
     • maritime safety and security;
     • and maritime tourism, among others.
   • Representation in Summit-
     • 115 officials from 28 countries
       Source: PIB
4. India and United Kingdom held their first 2+2 Foreign and Defence dialogue in New Delhi.
   • About 2+2 dialogue–
     • It is a comprehensive mechanism to discuss and review all aspects of comprehensive strategic partnership.
     • Various assessments about recent international development are discussed.
       Source: TOI

State News

1. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme for establishing a seamless public transport network from Gram Panchayat level to state capital.
   Source: economic times
2. United Kingdom and Tamil Nadu collaborated on smart technology project for sustainable water, waste and resource management.
   • It will be done under UK backed Smart district project.
   • Objective–
     • To address global sustainability challenges by developing sensors across the district, gathering real-time data on water and waste management, and environment quality.
       Source: The Hindu
3. Asian Development Bank has approved 181 million USD loan to build infra in Ahmedabad’s peri-urban areas.
   • Objective-
     • To build quality infrastructure and services toward improving urban livability and mobility in the peri-urban areas of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
     • To upgrade basic infrastructure and services and strengthen urban management in these areas to raise the quality of life of its residents and sustain economic growth.

4. Kerala’s Vizhinjam port welcomes its first vessel Zhen Hua 15.

5. Bhopal’s Mahila Thana has become country’s first women police station to get ISO 9001:2015
   • Reason for certification– Improvement in infrastructure.
   • Validity of certificate– 3 years.

Source: ANI

International News

1. Sri Lanka has taken over as the Chair and India as vice-chair of Indian Ocean Rim association (IORA) for the period of 2023 to 2025.
   • Location– Colombo, Sri Lanka
   • Theme– Reinforcing Indian Ocean Identity

2. Christopher Luxon is set to become next President of New Zealand after win of conservative party.
   Source: TOI

Banking and Economy

1. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has been awarded for being ranked A+ in Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards at Marrakesh, Morocco.
   • Shaktikanta Das has been placed at the top of the list of three central bank governors who have been rated A+.
   • Apart from Shaktikanta Das, Switzerland Thomas J Jordan and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Hong also received award for being ranked A+.

2. Indian economy is expected to grow at 3% in FY 2024, according to latest Economic Outlook Survey released by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
   • Key observation for FY 24-
     • Contributing factors-
       • The healthy financial sector,
       • robust urban demand,
       • uptick in private investment over government’s front-loading of capex,
       • pick-up in real estate and
       • festival season.
     • Minimum and maximum growth estimate– 6.0% and 6.6%
     • Sector wise Growth
       • Agriculture & Allied– 2.7%
       • Industry– 5.6%
       • Services– 7.3%
     • CPI Inflation- 5%
       Source: Business Standard
3. Wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation remained in negative territory for the sixth consecutive month and Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased for second consecutive month in September 2023.
   • WPI Data–
     • Negative growth of 0.26% in September 2023
     • Vegetable price inflation- Reduced to 1.54% in September from 5.62% in August
   • CPI Data–
     • Reduced for the second consecutive month in September to 5.02%

Source: AIR

Defence News

1. Indian Army has established the first-ever BSNL base transceiver station (BTS) on world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.
   • BTS station is established in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
     Source: ANI
2. Army Chief presents the President’s Colours to the third battalion of Naga Regiment at Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet (Uttarakhand).

Source: PIB

Important Days

1. October 14– World Migratory Bird Day; Theme- Water: Sustaining Bird Life.
   • It is celebrated across globe on 2nd Saturday of May and October.
     Source: worldmigratorybirdday.org

2. October 14– World Standards Day; Theme– Our shared vision for a better world
   Source: ISO
3. October 15– International Day of Rural Women; Theme– Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All
   Source: UN Women
4. October 15– Global Handwashing Day; Theme– clean hands are within reach
   Source: globalhandwashing.org
5. October 16– World Food Day; Theme– “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.”
   Source: livemint

Sports

1. India’s grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani has won FIDE World Junior Rapid Chess Championship 2023 title in open category.
   • FIDE World Junior Under 20 Rapid & Blitz Championship was held in Italy.

Source: TOI

Memorandum of Understanding

1. ISRO’s Space Application Centre (SAC) has signed a three-year MoU with Nav Wireless Technologies Pvt Ltd (NavTech) to use light-based high-speed communication for satellite communication in space.
   • Benefits of MoU-
     • SAC can use high-speed, secure quantum key communication using light from base station to satellite in space and terrestrial communication.
     • By using LiFi technology, SAC will be able to do the pointing acquisition and tracking for satellite-to-satellite communications in the space.

2. Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has signed an MoU with National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) for various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital transformation services.
   • The MoU will benefit the REC ecosystem by facilitating exploration of latest technology in evolving areas like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Blockchain Technology, Cyber Security, etc.
     Source: economic times

3. Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with SpaceX to make Starlink Wi-Fi available to every passenger in the sky at no cost.
   Source: livemint

Appointments

1. Justice Siddharth Mridul has been appointed as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court.
   Source: Indian Express

Miscellaeneous

1. NASA scientists found water and carbon from the sample of 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu.

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