28th October, 2022

1. Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researchers have collaborated to study the interactions between microbes in the International Space Station (ISS).
2. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General Mr Antonio Guterres have launched the Mission LiFE at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat.
3. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted license to Jeypore Airport to carry out commercial flight operations under the regional connectivity scheme-UDAN.
4. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has set up two committees — one for nationwide implementation of technology-based crop yield estimation and the other for standardisation and improvement of weather data infrastructure.
5. Two new beaches from Lakshadweep – Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach – have received the Blue Flag certification.
6. India is planning to expand its regional satellite navigation system e., Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC) to increase its use in the civilian sector and also by ships and aircraft travelling far from the country’s borders.
7. India is hosting a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) Mumbai and Delhi on October 28 and 29, 2022, respectively.
8. Rajasthan government has signed an MOU with Jakson Green, a clean energy subsidiary of the Jakson Group, to set up a 0.36-million-ton green hydrogen and green ammonia plant at the cost of Rs 22,400 crore in the state.
9. Meghalaya govt has signed an MOU with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), a CPSE under Ministry of Power, for ensuring a speedy development of hydro projects in the state.
10. The Central Govt has officially restricted the use of the widely used herbicide named glyphosate, fearing risk to human and animal health.
11. The Technology Development and Acceleration Cell of the Naval Innovation Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) under the Indian Navy and the Drone Federation of India have partnered for promoting indigenous development, manufacturing and testing of a drone, counter-drone, and associated technologies for the Navy.
12. NLC India Ltd has signed an MOU with National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) for strategic collaboration in developing onshore and offshore wind power projects in India.
13. New Zealand has passed the Plain Language Act to ensure the use of easy and understandable English in official documents for the benefit of common people.
14. UNICEF has released “The coldest year of the rest of their lives” report for the first time.
15. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has released the 2022 NDC synthesis report ahead of the COP 27 in Egypt in November 2022.
16. Top export destinations for India in 2022 (according to Ministry of Commerce and Industry)–
17. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has modified the equity allocation standards for Tier I and Tier II National Pension System (NPS) accounts.
18. SAP India, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, has launched SAP Industry Knowledge Exchange for accelerating India’s journey to ‘Amrit Kaal,’ and driving the country’s inclusive digital transformation with sustainable development.
19. Novartis AG (Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation) has signed a voluntary agreement licence with generic drugmakers in seven middle-income nations to produce the leukemia treatment drug named as Nilotinib.
20. Nomura Singapore has divested 1.52% stake in private sector lender CSB Bank for over Rs 61 crore through an open market transaction.
21. Greenko Group of India has signed a contract with Singapore’s Keppel Infrastructure to export green energy to the company.
22. Sandeep Bakhshi has been reappointed as the MD and CEO of ICICI Bank for a period of 3 years.
23. Dr Shefali Juneja has become the first Indian to be appointed as the chairperson of the Air Transport Committee (ATC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
24. Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), an industry body consisting of all the banks including foreign lenders with branches in India, has elected A K Goel (MD of PNB) as its chairman.
25. Central government has appointed Sangeeta Verma as the acting chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
26. October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day
27. October 23 – Ayurveda Day; Theme – Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda
28. October 24 – 61st Raising Day of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (motto of ITBP – Valour, determination, devotion to duty)
29. October 23-29 – International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (10th edition); Theme – Say no to lead poisoning
30. October 26 – World Sustainability Day (4th Wednesday of October)
31. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has announced awards under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban for the year
32. National Industrial Security Academy (NISA), Hakimpet, Telangana has bagged the Union Home Minister’s Trophy for the Best Police Training Institution for Training of Gazetted Officers for the year 2020-21.
33. Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) has won the US Grand Prix 2022.
34. Magnus Carlsen has won the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022.
35. Denmark Open (badminton) tournament 2022 – Men’s singles – Shi Yuqi (China); Women’s singles – HE Bing Jiao (China)
36. Former RBI Governor Dr Bimal Jalan has authored “From dependence to SelfReliance: Mapping India’s Rise as a Global Superpower”
37. “The Corbett Papers: Biographical, Legal, & Contextual Material on the Life & Career of Jim Corbett of Kumaon” book has been edited by Akshay Shah and Stephen Alter.

National News

1. Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researchers have collaborated to study the interactions between microbes in the International Space Station (ISS).
2. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General Mr Antonio Guterres have launched the Mission LiFE at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat.
   • Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) aims to increase the awareness of people about the climate and planet to bring a behavioural change in their lifestyle.
3. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted license to Jeypore Airport to carry out commercial flight operations under the regional connectivity scheme-UDAN.
4. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has set up two committees — one for nationwide implementation of technology-based crop yield estimation and the other for standardisation and improvement of weather data infrastructure.
   • Both the committees will be chaired by the Director of Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) i.e., Dr C. S. Murthy.
5. Two new beaches from Lakshadweep – Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach – have received the Blue Flag certification.
   • Now, India has a total of 12 beaches with Blue Flag certification.
6. India is planning to expand its regional satellite navigation system e., Navigation with Indian Constellation (NaVIC) to increase its use in the civilian sector and also by ships and aircraft travelling far from the country’s borders.
   • The NaVIC uses seven satellites to provide real-time positioning and timing services in India and an area extending up to 1,500 km from the country’s borders.
   • At present, some of the seven satellites of NaVIC have failed. Therefore, ISRO has sought govt’s approval to launch 12 satellites to expand the system and improve its coverage.
   • The information was delivered by ISRO Chairman S Somanath at the India Space Congress organised by the SatCom Industry Association.
7. India is hosting a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) Mumbai and Delhi on October 28 and 29, 2022, respectively.
   • Theme – ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes’

Knowledge Nuggets – ·This will be the first meeting of the UNSC-CTC in India since its establishment in 2001. The Permanent Representative of India to the UN serves as the Chair of the CTC for 2022.

State News

1. Rajasthan government has signed an MOU with Jakson Green, a clean energy subsidiary of the Jakson Group, to set up a 0.36-million-ton green hydrogen and green ammonia plant at the cost of Rs 22,400 crore in the state.
   • Jakson Group is a solar energy company in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
   • Jakson Green will set up the 3,65,000 tons per annum green hydrogen and green ammonia plant along with an integrated hybrid renewable power complex in a phased manner.
2. Meghalaya govt has signed an MOU with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), a CPSE under Ministry of Power, for ensuring a speedy development of hydro projects in the state.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. The Central Govt has officially restricted the use of the widely used herbicide named glyphosate, fearing risk to human and animal health.
   • From now, glyphosate will be applied only through pest control operators (PCOs).
   • The herbicide is applied on the leaves to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses.

Defence News

1. The Technology Development and Acceleration Cell of the Naval Innovation Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) under the Indian Navy and the Drone Federation of India have partnered for promoting indigenous development, manufacturing and testing of a drone, counter-drone, and associated technologies for the Navy.
   • The Drone Federation of India is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led body.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. NLC India Ltd has signed an MOU with National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) for strategic collaboration in developing onshore and offshore wind power projects in India.
   • NIWE is an autonomous R&D institution under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

International News

1. New Zealand has passed the Plain Language Act to ensure the use of easy and understandable English in official documents for the benefit of common people.

Reports and Indices

1. UNICEF has released “The coldest year of the rest of their lives” report for the first time.
   • As per the report, around 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency.
   • Around 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures – high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extremely high temperatures.
   • By 2050, virtually every child on earth – over 2 billion children – is forecast to face more frequent heatwaves, regardless of whether the world achieves a ‘low greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 1.7 degrees of warming in 2050 or a ‘very high greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 2.4 degrees of warming in 2050.
2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has released the 2022 NDC synthesis report ahead of the COP 27 in Egypt in November 2022.
   • The report assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the targets under the Nationally Determined Contributions.

Banking and Economy

1. Top export destinations for India in 2022 (according to Ministry of Commerce and Industry)–
   • 1st – US
   • 2nd – UAE
   • 3rd – Netherlands
   • China and Bangladesh are lagging behind in this list.
2. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has modified the equity allocation standards for Tier I and Tier II National Pension System (NPS) accounts.
   • According to the new rules, private sector subscribers can continue to allocate up to 75% of their funds to equity under active choice in a Tier-I account even after turning 51 years of age.
   • It has also been decided to allow option to allocate 100% of subscriber’s contribution in Asset Class E (Equity) in Tier-II (optional account) under active choice without any conditions of tapering.
3. Note: You can watch this video to understand the entire scheme in a comprehensive way – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1I5n1LMQk4
4. SAP India, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, has launched SAP Industry Knowledge Exchange for accelerating India’s journey to ‘Amrit Kaal,’ and driving the country’s inclusive digital transformation with sustainable development.
   • The exchange will bring together enterprises, consulting firms, and academia across 25 industries.
5. Novartis AG (Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation) has signed a voluntary agreement licence with generic drugmakers in seven middle-income nations to produce the leukemia treatment drug named as Nilotinib.
   • This is the first time a voluntary license has been granted for a patented cancer drug as part of a public health initiative.
   • The oral drug, nilotinib, is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and may be made in Egypt, Guatemala, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tunisia.
6. Nomura Singapore has divested 1.52% stake in private sector lender CSB Bank for over Rs 61 crore through an open market transaction.
7. Greenko Group of India has signed a contract with Singapore’s Keppel Infrastructure to export green energy to the company.
   • Both companies will work towards a 250,000 tonne per annum contract to be supplied to Keppel’s new 600Mw power plant in Singapore.

Appointments

1. Sandeep Bakhshi has been reappointed as the MD and CEO of ICICI Bank for a period of 3 years.
2. Dr Shefali Juneja has become the first Indian to be appointed as the chairperson of the Air Transport Committee (ATC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
   • The ATC is the advisory body of the Council on air transport matters as specified in the Convention and on any other issues affecting air transport referred to it by the Council or on its behalf by the President.
3. Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), an industry body consisting of all the banks including foreign lenders with branches in India, has elected A K Goel (MD of PNB) as its chairman.
   • Formed in 1946 with 22 members, IBA now has 237 members and associates, according to its website.
4. Central government has appointed Sangeeta Verma as the acting chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Important Days

1. October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day
2. October 23 – Ayurveda Day; Theme – Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda
3. October 24 – 61st Raising Day of Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (motto of ITBP – Valour, determination, devotion to duty)
4. October 23-29 – International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (10th edition); Theme – Say no to lead poisoning
5. October 26 – World Sustainability Day (4th Wednesday of October)

Awards

1. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has announced awards under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban for the year
   • Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has organized the Indian Housing Conclave in Rajkot, which is a continuation in the series of Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) and Indian Housing Technology Mela (IHTM).

2. National Industrial Security Academy (NISA), Hakimpet, Telangana has bagged the Union Home Minister’s Trophy for the Best Police Training Institution for Training of Gazetted Officers for the year 2020-21.

Sports

1. Max Verstappen (Belgian-Dutch) has won the US Grand Prix 2022.
2. Magnus Carlsen has won the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022.
3. Denmark Open (badminton) tournament 2022 – Men’s singles – Shi Yuqi (China); Women’s singles – HE Bing Jiao (China)

Miscellanous

1. Former RBI Governor Dr Bimal Jalan has authored “From dependence to SelfReliance: Mapping India’s Rise as a Global Superpower”
2. “The Corbett Papers: Biographical, Legal, & Contextual Material on the Life & Career of Jim Corbett of Kumaon” book has been edited by Akshay Shah and Stephen Alter.

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