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Contents

Topic Page Number

MOU/Agreement Countries 3

MOU Industry/States/Others 4-5

Appointments and Resignations 5-9

Awards and Recognitions 9-12

Conference and Summits 13-16

International News 16-20

National News 20-26

State News 27-34

Finance and Banking News 35-38

Business News 39-40

Economy News 40-43

Apps Launches/ Portal/Helpline 43-44

Science & Technology 44-45

Defence News 45-47

Sports News 47-53

Committees 53-54

Rankings of Countries 55-56

Rankings (Persons and Organisations) 56-57

Loans from Banks 57-59

Deadlines 59

GDP Growth rates predictions 60

Books and Authors 60-61

Obituaries 61-64

Nobel Prize Winners 64

Miscellaneous News 64-66

Important Days(Nov-Dec) 66-67

Union Budget 67-68

Important Government Schemes 69-70

Demonitisation in India 71





MOU/Agreement Countries

Countries Purpose

India Nepal On Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and

Psychotropic Substances and precursor chemicals, and related matters.

India Nepal For starting construction of a new Bridge over Mechi River at Indo-Nepal border.

The estimated cost of construction of the bridge is 158.65 crore rupees, which would be

funded by Government of India through ADB loan.

India International

Vaccine

Institute (IVI)

in South

Korea

India has committed an annual contribution of $5,00,000 for vaccine research and

development.

India Brazil For cooperation in the fields of Zebu Cattle Genomics and Assisted Reproductive

Technologies

India Canada A set of two commemorative postage stamps will be issued jointly by the Government of

India and Canada on the theme of Indian festival Diwali, which will be released on

September 21, this year.

India Japan For collaborative research in the field of silkworm and silk industries

India Japan To start a postal service called cool box service , which will help Japanese people living in

India to order food from Japan.

India Morocco In the areas of drug regulation and pharmaceutical quality control and communicable

diseases among others.

India Belarus Both countries released a postage stamp to mark 25 years of diplomatic ties between the

two sides.

India Russia To build the Roppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, the first initiative under a Indo-

Russia deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.

India Norway To extend health cooperation, especially in the areas of reproductive, maternal, new-

born, child and adolescent health.

India Sri Lanka To develop a village in Anuradhapura District (Sri Lanka) at a cost of 30 crores Sri Lankan

rupees.

India Bangladesh To construct a bridge over Mizoram s Khawthlangtuipui river to facilitate trade and

improve communication between the two neighbours.

India BRICS

nations

Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with respect to tax matters

India Switzerland On technical cooperation in the rail sector, including development of tilting trains that tilt

on approaching a bend.

India Myanmar On upgradation of the Women s Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar.

India Sweden A Sweden-India Startup Sambandh initiative has been launched by Invest India and

Founders Alliance in Sweden for higher cooperation among start-ups.

India Mozambique To expedite development of the giant Rovuma gas discovery, which is planned to be

converted into LNG for exports.





MOU Industry/States/Others

Organizations Purpose

YES Bank Santander UK plc to help boost UK-India trade and local business

networking opportunities

YES Bank Indus OS, Domestic android-

based mobile operating system

to launch an OS-integrated UPI payment platform

YES Bank Overseas Private Investment

Corporation (OPIC) and US s

Wells Fargo Bank

to increase lending to small and medium enterprises

(SMEs) in India

Punjab National Bank Bajaj Allianz General for distribution of Bajaj Allianz s general insurance

products through the bank s network

Punjab National Bank BSNL They have teamed up to roll out open mobile wallet

Speedpay across 10 states in the country. 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.

Air India Punjab National Bank and

IndusInd Bank

To secure loans to the tune of over Rs 3,000 crore for

meeting working capital requirements.

NITI Aayog International Road Federation,

Geneva (IRF Geneva)

They have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to

cooperate in the field of Intelligent Transportation

Systems (ITS).

Andhra Pradesh Govt Visa For Digital Dhan Sankalp project. It is an initiative to

develop Visakhapatnam into India s first less cash

city.

Canara HSBC Oriental

Bank of Commerce

Life Insurance

Dhanlaxmi Bank All the life insurance products of Canara HSBC

Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance would be

made available to customers of Dhanlaxmi Bank

South Indian Bank PFG Forex for remittance facility for the benefit of Indian

expatriates from Australia.

HDFC ERGO General

Insurance

Andhra Pradesh to implement Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme

(WBCIS) for loanee and non-loanee farmers.

HDFC ERGO Ebix s ItzCash to offer general insurance products through ItzCash s

physical retail outlets

Axis Bank Solar energy services company

Freyr Energy

to offer ter loa s ra gi g fro ₹ lakh to ₹ lakh for tenures up to five years,for solar rooftop

installations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Axis Bank Inter- American Investment

Corporation

To help traders boost relations between India and

Latin America and the Caribbean.

First Indian Bank to be a part of such a facility.

Central Government Haryana government to revive River Saraswati, and provide water in

drought-prone areas

Central Government Uttar Pradesh government For construction of All India Medical Institute of

Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur.

Ministry of Water Ministry of Skill Development For the success of Namami Gange





Resources

Bank of Baroda Finolex Plasson Industries In order to finance farmers for installation of Micro

Irrigation system for their fields through

Union Bank of India Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

and Cholamandalam MS General

Insurance

For distribution of their insurance products

IDFC Bank Digital payments company Zeta to launch IDFC Bank Benefits – a payment solution

for corporates that digitises employee spends and

claims, making the process simple, real-time and

paperless.

Dhanlaxmi Bank DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance

Company

Bank will distribute retail and group life insurance

products of company to its customers.

IndusInd Bank MobiKwik To launch a co-branded wallet IndusInd Mobikwik

Kotak Mahindra Bank Fintech firm Zeta Launch of Paymint , a multi-wallet digital prepaid

solution for salaried employees.

Bank of Baroda Amazon India Online marketplace Amazon India has planned to

provide unsecured micro-loa s, as lo as ₹ lakh, at interest rates as low as 10.45-11 per cent at a short

span of 3-5 days. The company has tied up with Bank

of Baroda for the loans, which a go up to ₹ lakh. HSBC

Sa-Dhan To develop digital ecosystem for India s unbanked

segment. Sa-Dhan is microfinance industry

association.

Appointments and Resignations

Name Post Institution

Justice Dipak Misra Chief Justice India (He took charge from Jagdish Singh Khehar)

Sunil Arora Election Commissioner India (He took charge from Achal Kumar Joti who is

now Chief Election Commissioner). Other Election

Commissioner is Om Prakash Rawa.

Dineshwar Sharma Interlocutor in Jammu and

Kashmir

The Centre has decided to start a sustained dialogue in

Jammu and Kashmir and added that former

Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Dineshwar Sharma

will be the representative from the Government of

India.

Vice Admiral Ajit

Kumar

Vice Chief Naval Staff, India

Preeti Sudan Union Health Secretary

Dr. Arvind

Subramanian

Chief Economic Advisor Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India Dr.

Arvind Subramanian has been given a one year

extension, post the completion of his current-three

year tenure.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey Chairman Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). He is

Aadhaar authority UIDAI Chief Executive.





Viveck Goenka Chairman Press Trust of India

O.Panneerselvam Deputy Chief Minister Tamil Nadu

Subhash Chandra Garg India s Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development

Bank (ADB)

Achal Kumar Jyoti Chief Election Commissioner

John Joseph Director General Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (GSTI)

Rukaiya Rangwala Business Head MobiKwik Payment Gateway

Rakesh Asthana Special Director Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

Gurbachan Singh Special Director Intelligence Bureau (IB)

Deepak Kumar Mishra

and Sudeep Lakhtakia

Special Director General Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

Rajesh Ranjan and A.P.

Maheshwari

Special Director General Border Security Force (BSF)

Alok Kumar Pateria Additional Director General

(ADG)

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Hasmukh Adhia Finance Secretary India

Mary Kom Ambassador Youth World Championships

Vikas Seth Chief Executive Officer Bharti AXA Life Insurance

Sudhanshu Jain Chief Financial Officer Paytm Payments Bank (PPB)

Sethurathnam Ravi Chairman Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

Y.C. Modi Director-General National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Ajay Bisaria Indian High Commissioner to

Pakistan

Neelamani N. Raju Karnataka s first woman Director General and

Inspector General of Police

Kenneth Juster US Ambassador To India

S Y Qureshi Ombudsmen to formulate the

AIFF Constitution within eight

weeks.

Tulsi Gabbard Chairperson World Hindu Congress 2018

Debjani Ghosh 1st woman President National Association of Software and Services

Companies (Nasscom)

Anupam Kher Chairman Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune

Sambit Patra Non-official director Board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd.

R.K. Pachnanda Director General Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

Ravi Shastri Head Coach Indian cricket team

Zaheer Khan Bowling coach (150 days a year) Indian cricket team

Bharat Arun Bowling coach (Full Time) Indian cricket team

P.V. Sindhu Deputy Collector Andhra Pradesh Government

Rajnish Kumar Chairman State Bank of India

Suresh Sethi MD and CEO India Post Payments Bank

Ashish Srivastava MD and CEO PNB MetLife

Jayant Rikhye CEO Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)

India





Ajay Vipin Nanavati Chairman Syndicate Bank

Sankara Narayanan Managing Director (MD) and

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Vijaya Bank

P R Seshadri MD and CEO Karur Vysya Bank

KV Rama Moorthy MD and CEO Tamilnad Mercantile Bank

Rajkiran Rai G MD & CEO Union Bank of India

Melwyn Rego MD & CEO Syndicate Bank

Kewal Handa Non-Executive Chairman Union Bank of India

Mukesh Kumar Jain MD & CEO Oriental Bank of Commerce

Vikram Limaye MD & CEO National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE)

Ajay Kanwal Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Janalakshmi Financial Services

Shikha Sharma MD & CEO Axis Bank

M Nagaraja Sarma Chief MD United India Insurance Co Ltd.

Shashi Shanker Chairman and MD Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)

Union Minister of State for Tourism and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K.J. Alphons Kannathanam was elected

unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan

Audrey Azoula Head United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)

Indian- origin Canadian

YouTube star Lilly

Singh

Global Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF

Amitabh Bachchan Ambassador UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Polio – extended for

2 years

Dr. (Ms.) Mamta Suri Executive Director Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)

David Rasquinha MD (MD) Exim Bank

E Sankara Rao MD and CEO IFCI Ltd, a government company

Dilip Asbe Chief Executive Officer (Acting) National Payments Corporation of India

(after retirement of A. P. Hota, its founding MD)

Mohammad Mustafa Chairman and MD SIDBI

Dhirendra Swarup Chairman Bombay Stock Exchange

Ashish Chauhan CEO Bombay Stock Exchange

Sanjaya Baru Secretary General Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &

Industry (FICCI)

Prasoon Joshi Chief CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification)

Nandan Nilekani Chairman Chairman of the board of directors of Infosys

Ashwani Lohani Chairman Railway Board (succeeds AK Mittal)

He was former Air India chief

Shashi Shekhar

Vempati

CEO (addition charge) Rajya Sabha TV

Desh Deepak Verma Secretary General Rajya Sabha

PV Sindhu Brand Ambassador Bridgestone India

Akshay Kumar Brand Ambassador For Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttar Pradesh

Rahul Dravid Brand Ambassador InCred, the Mumbai-based new age financial services

group

Rajiv Mehrishi Comptroller and Auditor India (He took charge from Shashi Kant Sharma)





General

Rajiv Kumar Vice Chairman NITI Aayog

Rajiv Bansal Chairman and MD Air India (succeeds Ashwani Lohani)

Rajiv Kumar Secretary Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance

Sanjaya Baru Secretary General Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and

Industry (Ficci)

India TV chairman and

editor-in- chief Rajat

Sharma

President News Broadcasters Association (NBA)

Y.C. Modi Director General National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Gopal Singh Chairman and MD Coal India Ltd (CIL)

Akshay Kumar Ambassador Uttarakhand Swachh Bharat Mission brand

ambassador

Sanjeev Kapoor Ambassador World Food India s Food Street. Food Street, being

held by Ministry of Food Processing Industry, will be

hosted for the first time in India from November 3.

Parineeti Chopra first Indian woman Ambassador for Tourism Australia

David Harquail Chairman World Gold Council. It is headquartered in London

United Kingdom

Eman Al-Ghamdi First time a Saudi woman has been named to a senior

government post for the first time.

Kenneth I Juster Ambassador US Ambassador to India. Juster is Successor to Richard

Verma (First US Ambassador to India of Indian origin)

Ajay Bisaria India s new High Commissioner

to Pakistan

He succeeded Gautam Bambawale

Sohail Mahmood Pakistan's High Commissioner

to India

Justice Gopal Prasad

Parajuli

Chief Justice Nepal

Ned Segal Chief Financial Officer Twitter

Saima Wazed Hossain

(daughter of

Bangladesh Prime

Minister Sheikh

Hasina)

Goodwill Ambassador for

Autism

For WHO South-East Asia Region

Soumya Swaminathan

(from India)

WHO Deputy Director General

for Programmes

Jane Ellison WHO Deputy Director General

for Corporate Operations

Neymar Jr (Brazil s

footballer)

Brand Ambassador Handicap International

S Aparna Executive Director World Bank

to represent the constituency of India, Bangladesh,

Bhutan and Sri Lanka for three years.

French Audrey Azoulay Director-General UNESCO

Angela Merkel Chancellor Germany





Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister New Zealand

Ukhnaa Khurelsukh Prime Minister Mongolia

Peter O Neill Prime Minister Papua New Guinea

Sapar Isakov Prime Minister Kyrgyzstan

Mercedes Aráoz

Fernández

Prime Minister Peru

Hassan Rouhani President Iran

Uhuru Kenyatta President Kenya

Khaltmaa Battulga President Mongolia

Halimah Yacob President First woman and 8th President of Singapore

Joao Lourenco President Angola

Christopher Wray Director FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Resignations/Terminations

Vikram Limaye resigned from a Supreme Court-appointed BCCI committee, clearing the way for his appointment at

NSE CEO.

Arvind Panagariya resigns as NITI Aayog Vice Chairman

Pahlaj Nihalani removed as CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) chief

Rajya Sabha TV CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal announced resignation from the post.

Vishal Sikka resigns as Infosys MD and CEO. B. Pravin Rao given interim charge.

Indian women s boxing s first foreign coach, Stephane Cottalorda, has ended his stint abruptly after just one month

in India, alleging delay in salary and other payments. He is from Paris, France.

Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp which was later acquired by Facebook, has announced that he was

leaving the company to start a non-profit venture of his own.

Acton had co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009 and agreed to sell it to Facebook in 2014 for

approximately $19 billion USD in cash and stock.

Iceland s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has resigned

Nawaz Sharif stepped down as Prime Minister of Pakistan

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned

Kwon Oh-hyun, Samsung Electronics CEO, vice chairman, and the head resigned from his post

Facebook India MD Umang Bedi quits, Bhushan interim MD

The Nepal government has accepted the resignation of its Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, to contest

the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, the country s second-most senior legal officer, has resigned citing personal reasons.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe s appointment as

its Goodwill Ambassador has been cancelled. He was just recently appointed as the WHO s Goodwill Ambassador.

Awards and Recognitions

Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge

PM s trophy for best Integrated Steel

Plant

Tata Steel Ltd

Golden Peacock environment

management award

Danfoss India





Golden Peacock Award for Eco

Innovation

Indian Railways Organization

for Alternate Fuel (IROAF)

Personality of the Year Kishore Sansi, Managing

Director and CEO of Vijaya

Bank

Awarded by Skoch Consultancy Services

IIM Bangalore for making management education

accessible to all through Massive Open

Online Courses (MOOCs).

General Insurance Company of the

Year

Apollo Munich Health

Insurance Company

Jnanpith award 2017 Krishna Sobti He is an eminent Hindi Litterateur

Tata Literature Live! Lifetime

Achievement Award 2017

Girish Karnad

Mother Teresa Memorial Award for

Social Justice, 2017

United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR)

Airline of the Year for 2018 Air New Zealand

Magsaysay Awards Yoshiaki Ishizawa He is a Japanese historian who helped save

Cambodia s renowned Angkor Wat temple

complex

Parmod Mahajan Smriti Award Anupam Kher and

Saira Banu

Golden Peacock Award in category --

Global Leadership in Public Service

and Economic Transformation

N Chandrababu Naidu He is current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister

Prem Nazir Award Sharada She is veteran actor and national award

winner

Saraswati Samman for 2016 Konkani writer

Mahabaleshwar Sail

She has been awarded for her work

Hawthan that captures the lives of the

potter community in Goa.

National Awards for senior citizens Gurbax Singh Sandhu He is Indian boxing coach

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award

for Excellence in Public

Administration, Academics and

Management for the year 2017

Bindeshwar Pathak

Mrs India Worldwide 2017 Neha Deshpande

Miss India America 2017 India LaRoda She is Indian-African American

1st Miss Transqueen India Natasha/Nitasha Biswas She hails from Kolkata

Transgender beauty pageant held in

Gurugram.

Miss India Australia 2017 Aarzu Singh

Best Woman Entrepreneur Award

2017

Upasana Taku She is Mobikwik co-founder

Global Agriculture leadership award K Chandrasekhar Rao He is Telangana Chief Minister

John Stewart Bell Prize Ronald Hanson

Sae-Woo Nam

A trio of scientists who defied Einstein by

proving the nonlocal nature of quantum





Anton Zeilinger entanglement will be honoured with the

John Stewart Bell Prize from the University

of Toronto (U of T).

2017 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Maryna Viazovska Received award for her contribution to

number theory

Global Diversity Award at Britain s

House of Commons

Salman Khan The Global Diversity Award is given to

people of immense stature in terms of what

they have done for diversity in the world.

National Tourism Awards - Hall of

Fame award for being the Best State

in Comprehensive Development of

Tourism

Gujarat

National Tourism Awards - Best

Tourism State

Madhya Pradesh

UN peace prize Zannah Mustapha He is a Nigerian lawyer who helped secure

the release of more than 100 schoolgirls

kidnapped by Boko Haram

2017 World Food Prize Award Akinwunmi Adesina He is from Nigeria.

Also Adesina is the current President of the

African Development Bank.

2017 Man Booker Prize George Saunders He is US Author. Awarded for his novel

Lincoln in the Bardo

Blue Planet Prize Hans Joachim Schellnhuber He is German theoretical physicist

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured for his pioneering work in the field of organic farming during a

ceremony at Germany s Lagau on the occasion of the One World Festival.

At a young age of 30, Captain Divya has become world s youngest woman commanders to fly a Boeing 777 airplane

ever.

ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) bestowed CMC Skills Founder Ms. Maya

Swaminathan Sinha with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2017

Nine-year-old Kaamya Karthikeyan became the youngest person to reach the summit of the 6,153 metres-high Mt

Stok Kangri in Kashmir.

Melbourne in Australia named the world s most liveable city by The Economist. Damascus in Syria given the lowest

rank – world s worst liveable city.

RECOGNITIONS

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling named world s highest-earning author by Forbes

World s Highest-Paid Actresses 2017 list topped by Emma Stone of USA – Forbes List

World s highest paid actor is Mark Walhberg; Shah Rukh Khan ranks 8th – Forbes List

Highest paid female athletes of 2017 list topped by American tennis player Serena Williams - Forbes list

Alibaba Group s Jack Ma - Asia s richest man, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list.

Bill Gates of Microsoft has topped Forbes list of the world s billionaires. Mukesh Ambani topped the list in India

Fortune's 2017 '40 Under 40' list topped by French President Emmanuel Macron

According Forbes magazine s annual India Rich List 2017 , Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani emerged as

India s wealthiest for the 10th straight year





Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill Gates to become the world s richest person with a net worth of

$91.6 billion.

Late singer Michael Jackson has been named the highest-earning dead celebrity for the 5th consecutive year by

For es. His ear i gs ha e ee esti ated to e $ illio ₹ rore . Forbes released the top 20 richest sportsmen in the world for 2017 with Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo

leading the chart.

Acknowledging the role played by yoga legend Bishnu Charan Ghosh and his family members in spreading Indian

postural yoga in Japan, the Japanese postal department has released postage stamps on four of Bengal s famous

exponents of the ancient Indian practice.

Two mountain ranges on Pluto have been named after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary respectively by the

International Astronomical Union. Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes are mountain ranges honouring Tenzing

Norgay (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the Indian/Nepali Sherpa and New Zealand mountaineer

who were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest and return safely.

Mansour Anis, a 14-year-old Indian-origin teenager based in Sharjah, UAE has become one of the youngest pilots to

fly a single-engine aircraft

Two Indians — Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma — have made it to the rankings of most powerful women in

business outside the United States drawn up by the Fortune magazine while Indra Nooyi featured in the top three

on the US edition list. Topped by Banco Santander group executive chairman Ana Botin.

PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi came in at No. 2 on the US Most Powerful Women in Business list, led by

General Motors chairman and CEO Mary Barra.

In commemoration of the first anniversary of her canonisation, the Archdiocese of Calcutta is set to declare Mother

Teresa as its co-patron.

Google Doodle, celebrated 100th birthday of Asima Chatterjee, a renowned Indian chemist, who was the first

female Doctorate of Science in India from an Indian University.

An Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre, Aparna Kumar has become the first Indian woman to

scale Mount Manaslu, which is the eighth highest mountain peak in the world.

CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar was named the most powerful woman in India as she ranked 32nd in World s

100 Most Powerful Women list by Forbes. This year s list is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

With a net worth of $38 billion, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes annual

list of India s 100 richest tycoons of 2017. He is followed by Wipro s Azim Premji and Hinduja family.

Tata Power Solar has won Dun & Bradstreet – Everest Infra Awards 2017 under Infrastructure Project category for

commissioning India s largest solar project under Domestic Content Requirement for NTPC at Anantapur in Andhra

Pradesh.

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, the sacred shrine temple has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award

of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation following the massive renovation and restoration work .

Indian short film The School Bag , which tells a story based in Pakistan, has won the Best Short Film Award at the

South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM). The film is directed by Dheeraj Jindal.





Conference and Summits

Summit Place Extra Knowledge

2017 BRICS Trade Union Forum Beijing, China

2017 BRICS Education Ministers Beijing, China

2017 BRICS Youth Forum Beijing, China

2017 BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers

Meet

Chonqging, China

2017 BRICS trade Ministers meeting Shanghai, China

9th BRICS summit (2017) Xiamen, China

10th BRICS summit Johannesburg, South

Africa

to be held in 2018

Global Clubfoot Conference New Delhi

First meeting of Islands Development Agency

(IDA)

New Delhi

8th World Renewable Energy Technology

Congress

New Delhi

Meeting of Regional Technical Group on Trade,

Commerce and Investment CBM

New Delhi

Retail India Summit and Expo (RISE 2017) New Delhi

First Edition of WINGS 2017 – Sab Uden, Sab

Juden

New Delhi

First ever National Conference on Mission

Mode to address Under-Nutrition

New Delhi

Conference on Sustainable Landscapes & Forest

Ecosystems : Theory to Practice

New Delhi In the conference, Wood is Good

campaign launched. The purpose of

the campaign is to promote wood

as a climate-friendly resource and

substitute to materials like steel

and plastic.

First National Conference on Uniformed

Women in Prison Administration

New Delhi

North East Calling New Delhi

Rajaswa Gyan Sangam, 2017 New Delhi

India Mobile Congress 2017 New Delhi

First BIMSTEC disaster management exercise New Delhi To be conducted between October

10-13 and acronymed as BIMSTEC

DMEx-2017

First Meeting of BIMSTEC Task Force on

Traditional Medicine

New Delhi

Third Global Investors India Forum New Delhi

Third International Conference on Yoga New Delhi Theme - Yoga for Wellness

International Conference on Consumer

Protection

New Delhi India did not invite Pakistan and

North Korea to attend the

conference





Global Conference on Stroke New Delhi

Tech Summit 2017 New Delhi

First ever Nordic-Baltic youth film festival New Delhi

Island Development Agency (IDA) Meet New Delhi

Three-Day International Conference –

FIPSPHYSIOCON 2017

New Delhi

Global Clubfoot Conference New Delhi

21st World Congress of Mental Health New Delhi

World Food India 2017 New Delhi

1st Heli Expo India and International Civil

Helicopter Conclave-2017

New Delhi

India Disaster Response Summit New Delhi Jointly by the National Disaster

Management Authority (NDMA)

and Facebook

Asean-India business and investment summit New Delhi To be held in January 2018

Asian Bankers Association (ABA) Mumbai Hosted by State Bank, with the

theme of Asia s turn to transform .

1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit Dantewada,

Chhattisgarh

Sangai International Festival Manipur

Nobel Prize Series — India 2018 (Science

Impacts Life)

Goa

20th International Children s Film Festival Hyderabad, Telangana

India s first Military Literature Festival Chandigarh

Organic World Congress – 2017 Greater Noida

Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017 India

World Congress on Adolescent Health India Theme: Investing in Adolescent

Health the Future is Now

International AYUSH Conference and Exhibition

2017

India Theme -- Lifestyle diseases:

Prevention and management

through AYUSH

CMS Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13 India To be hosted in 2020 as announced

by UN for Environment Programme

International Conference on Dialogue of

Civilizations – IV

India at Delhi, Gandhinagar and

Dholavira

International medical conference Chandigarh

International puppet festival Kolkata The puppet festival is aimed at

regenerating the emotions

attached to puppetry and it will be

held at Mohorkunj in Kolkata.

First ever ASEAN-India music festival Purana Quila in New

Delhi

19th World Congress on Environment

Management

Hyderabad, Telangana

Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 Hyderabad





24th Congress of International Union of

Crystallography

Hyderabad

World Congress of Optometry Hyderabad

International Children s Film Festival, also called

The Golden Elephant

Hyderabad Theme for this year s festival --

New India .

India International Cherry Blossom Festival Shillong, Meghalaya

First International Aviation Security seminar Manesar, Haryana Organized by National Security

Guard (NSG)

International seminar and Global Ayurveda meet Kochi, Kerala In February, 2018

12th World Sudoku Championship and the 26th

World Puzzle Championship

Bengaluru

India-Asean Youth Summit Bhopal, MP to mark the 25th anniversary of the

India-Asean dialogue partnership

First South Asian Youth Summit-2017 Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Coastal Shipping and Inland Water

Transportation Business Summit 2017

Kochi, Kerala

12th India-Japan annual summit Gandhinagar, Gujarat Japan PM Shinzo Abe came to India

and met PM Modi

Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine Bengaluru

Eastern Economic Forum Russia

Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission Dhaka, Bangladesh

15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of

BIMSTEC countries

Kathmandu, Nepal

G-7 interior ministers summit on security Italy

International conference on maternal and child

health

Ethiopia

Indra Combat Exercise Russia India, Russia to Hold Major Tri-

Service

International Maritime Search and Rescue

Exercise (IMMSAREX)

Bay of Bengal

Mitra Shakti 2017 Pune, Maharashtra It is 5th India-Sri Lanka joint training

exercise.

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)

Summit 2017

Da Nang, Vietnam Theme - Creating New Dynamism,

Fostering a Shared Future

International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial

Meet

Paris, France

23rd Conference of Parties (COP-23) to the

United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Bonn, Germany India Pavilion at COP 23 was also

inaugurated there.

India s theme for COP 23 is

Conserving Now, Preserving

Future

World Youth Forum 2017 Sharm El sheikh, Egypt

International Conference on Ramayan Circuit

and Mithila-Awadh Relations

Janakpur, Nepal

ASEAN Summit 2017 Manila, Philippines





East Asia Summit 2017 Manila, Philippines

South Asia Economic Summit Kathmandu, Nepal

8th SAARC speaker Parliamentarians conference Sri Lanka

ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Singapore To be held in 2018

4th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM)

Plus -- Southeast Asian defence ministers

meeting

Clark, Philippines

South Asian Association for Regional Co-

operation in Law (SAARCLAW)

Colombo, Sri Lanka

2nd World Congress on Marxism Beijing, China To be held in 2018

India-UAE Partnership Summit Dubai, UAE

United Nations conference on nuclear energy Abu Dhabi, UAE

21st India-Myanmar National Level Meeting Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC)

International Conference

Istanbul, Turkey

Climate Summit on December 12, 2017 Paris, France

SAARC Ministers of Law and Order meeting Colombo, Sri Lanka

SAARC artists camp & exhibition of paintings Kathmandu, Nepal

7th ASEM (Asia–Europe Meeting) Economic

Ministers Meeting

Seoul, South Korea Theme for this year s meeting was

Innovative Partnership for Inclusive

Prosperity .

UN General Assembly (UNGA) session New York, USA External Affairs Minister Sushma

Swaraj represented India at the

annual UNGA session

International Hindu Conference Kathmandu, Nepal Theme: Emerging spiritualism:

Renaissance of Hinduism

India will host the next steering committee meeting of the proposed 1,814 kilometre-long Turkmenistan-

Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.

International News

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Implement Energy Efficiency Programmes, Signs MoU with Energy Efficiency Services

Limited (EESL)

India contributes $500,000 to UN Peacebuilding Fund.

UN cuts peacekeeping budget by $570mn for the next accounting year

India not to host G20 meet due to absence of mega centre. Japan will be the host country in 2019.

New continent discovered under New Zealand, called Zealandia

Australia s joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA). ISA is India s initiative aimed at boosting clean and

affordable energy and creating a sustainable world.

Bolivia s President Evo Morales has declared total independence from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and

World Bank.

The world s first full—scale floating wind farm — with turbines taller than the Britain s Big Ben — is being built off

the coast of Scotland.





Indonesia will now refer to the northern areas of its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea as the North

Natuna Sea .

Fascinating 71 million-year-old bird-like dinosaur the size of a HUMAN is found in Canada

Israel's Chrysanthemum flower will be called as 'Modi' in order to honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has surpassed Intel to become the world s largest maker of computer

chips.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee acting on a proposal brought by Palestine has put the West Bank city of

Hebron on its list of world heritage in danger.

The British government has launched a new project titled the Grand Trunk Road to mark the 70th anniversary of

India s partition in August 1947.

The world s first centre for breeding Saola, a critically endangered hoofed mammal, is being constructed

in Vietnam s central region.

ISIS confirms leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead

Sri Lanka has banned plastic shopping bags as it is facing a dengue epidemic and garbage crisis.

World s longest suspension footbridge opens in Switzerland, overtakes Titan-RT bridge in Germany.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided to open the Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan. The

IAEA opened the bank to ensure the supply of nuclear fuel in the event of disruption due to political or market

problems.

The first regional centre of the New Development Bank, set up by India and other BRICS nations, was officially

opened in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a first, Nepal has launched its climate-smart snow leopard landscape management plan, leading the way in

safeguarding this endangered species, also found in India, and its habitat.

Kenyans producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000,

as the world s toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution came into effect.

Pakistan s new cabinet included the first Hindu in a Pakistan government in more than 20 years, Darshan Lal.

In an apparent bid to take on Google-owned YouTube, Facebook has rolled out Watch — a redesigned video

platform for creators and publishers.

According to global leader in broadband testing Ookla, Norway has the fastest mobile Internet in the world.

UN declares Somalia free of polio

China will run the world's fastest bullet train -- the Fuxing -- between Beijing and Shanghai at 350 kms per hour,

covering the 1,250-km-long distance (equal to that between Jammu to Bhopal) in just 4.5 hours from September

21.

China is going to launch the world's first nuclear power plant, the Sanmen Nuclear Power Station, that is immune to

meltdow . The US a d Chi a joi tly i ested o er ₹ , rore for uildi g the rea tor used i the pla t. Severe Typhoon Hato hits Hong Kong.

Pakhar, the 14th typhoon of the year, landed in the Chinese city Taishan in Guangdong province, bringing gales of

up to 33 meters per second. Pakhar hit the province soon after Typhoon Hato, which landed in Zhuhai, about 80 km

from Taishan.

Hurricane Harvey menaces Texas, Louisiana in the USA.

Hurricane Maria devastates island of Dominica

Mawar, the 16th typhoon of this year, has made landfall in China s Guangdong province, bringing heavy rains and

winds,

Hurricane Irma kills 10 people in Cuba





The WHO has released its first tranche of emergency funding of $175,000 to provide lifesaving healthcare to the

vulnerable population in Bangladesh s Cox s Bazar.

The US will provide a humanitarian aid package worth $32 million to the Rohingya Muslim minority who have fled

violence in Myanmar and crossed into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Norway s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, has reached the value of $1 trillion for the first time, the

Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund, said. This amount equals nearly $189,000 (157,000 euros) for

each of the 5.3 million people living in Norway.

Chabahar Port in Iran will be operational by the end of 2018. Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan

province in the energy-rich Persian Gulf nation s southern coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed

from India s western coast, bypassing Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will grant gratis visa to Myanmarese citizens wanting to visit

the country.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited ( EESL) , under Ministry of Power, Government of India has launched UJALA

(Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme in the State of Melaka, Malaysia.

Nepal has begun its first-ever survey to remeasure Mount Everest to check if the world s tallest peak s height was

altered by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 2015.

Prince Charles, the heir to Britain s throne, has become the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history.

United States banking regulator has shut down operations of Pakistan s Habib Bank (HBL) in New York after almost

40 year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced $76 million for a BRICS economic and technology cooperation plan and

another $4 million to support the projects of the bloc s New Development Bank at the BRICS summit in Xiamen,

China.

China has issued a commemorative stamp priced at 1.2 yuan in honour of the world s largest radio telescope

located in Guizhou province.

The Chinese government has banned initial coin offerings, a new fundraising phenomenon that has taken the

Internet by storm.

Russia has launched the world s largest and most powerful icebreaker ship, designed to transport cargo via the

Northern Sea Route in the Arctic Ocean.

The Tajikistan government has banned its women from wearing veils and has introduced a legislation, wherein it

has asked the women to stick to traditional national clothes and culture .

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has taken snow leopard off the endangered list,

where it was included in 1972. In the new assessment, IUCN has placed the animal under the less-threatened

vulnerable category.

Saudi Arabia has invited women to a sports stadium for the first time to attend the kingdom s 87th National Day

celebrations with their families. This marks a shift from previous celebrations in the kingdom where women are

effectively barred from sports arenas.

Saudi women will be allowed to drive in the kingdom in 2018

Saudi Arabia has voted to allow women to issue fatwas, following a vote in Saudi s advisory council.

The INTERPOL General Assembly has voted to admit the State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands as new member

countries. The membership of the world policing body now totals 192.





BRICS-themed subway train debuts in China

A BRICS-themed subway train with carriages representing the five member nations including India has started test

operations in China s southeastern Xiamen city.

The subway train, which started its test run, has six carriages, five of which represents different cultures of the

BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The Indian carriage depicts elephants and yoga.

The Chinese carriage is red and displays icons such as the Great Wall and Tian anmen Square.

The Brazilian carriage is green and decorated with images of footballs and football stars.

The Russian carriage shows off the country s ballet and matryoshka dolls.

The South African carriage displays pictures of diamonds.

The sixth carriage combines cultural elements from all the five BRICS countries.

The world s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China.

The world s first track-less trains have begun the test runs in China. Promoted as the World s First smart train, the

vehicle operates on virtual rail lines and could travel as quickly as 70 kmh. The smart train is called Autonomous Rail

Transit (ART).

USA and Israel withdrew from UNESCO over anti-Israel bias .

The United Arab Emirates has begun collecting new sin taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks.

Burqa ban comes into effect in Austria

India will be the guest of honour during the sixth edition of the World Government Summit scheduled from

February 11th – 13th, 2018 in Dubai.

Catalonia s regional parliament declared independence from Spain in a disputed vote that is now likely to be

declared illegal by Spain s constitutional court.

From 2019, measure of kilogram will be set by value of Planck constant in combination with definitions of meter

and second. Earlier, definition of kilogram was given by a salt-shaker-sized cylinder housed at the Bureau

International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), Paris.

Burundi is all set to become the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Asia now has the most billionaires in the world, surpassing the US for the first time, according to a report by UBS

and PwC.

Saudi Arabia has become the first country to give a robot citizenship. The move is an attempt to promote Saudi

Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence – and, presumably, allow it to become a full citizen. Robot is

named – Sophia.

Scotland has finished constructing the world s first floating wind farm .

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj opened the new chancery complex of the Indian High Commission in

Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has highlighted its intention to make 2020 a unique year for the country s space

sector by launching the first Arab probe to Mars.

Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, has become the first nation to accept Bitcoins as payment for its investment

citizenship program.

PM Narendra Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Philippines and inaugurated

Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory .

Fake news, a term heavily popularised by US President Donald Trump, has been named the word of the year by

Collins dictionary due to its widespread use around the world. It was found that the use of this word registered a





365 per cent rise in the last 12 months. Fake News - false, often sensational, information disseminated under the

guise of news reporting . Last year, term selected was – BREXIT.

US grants $500k to promote religious freedom in India, Sri Lanka

United Nations hosts first talks on use of killer robots in Geneva.

Kazakhstan is changing its name to Qazaqstan as part of a transition from Cyrillic to a Latin-based script. A national

commission will be set up to oversee the transition, which will be completed by 2025.

A female bottlenose dolphin named Nana , thought to be around 47 years old, has died at a Japanese aquarium

A five-ship Indian naval training flotilla, based in Kerala is on a visit to Sri Lanka to foster bridges of friendship

between the two countries and expose their trainees to foreign waters.

China has unveiled Asia s largest artificial island-building ship.

China, which on its way to emerge as a Space Superpower, has claimed be the first nation to make contact with

alien life using the world s largest radio dish.

Guinea becomes new member of International Solar Alliance

Typhoon Damrey arrives in Vietnam

Nepal inaugurated a bridge built with India s financial assistance of USD 430,626 on the Kaligandaki river near China

border.

Nepal scraps 1200-MW Budhigandaki Hydroelectric project with China

National News

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed in Lok Sabha - The Bill amends

the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 to extend the deadline for teachers to

acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment. Deadline - March 31, 2019

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) for elderly with 8 per cent fixed rate of interest on their savings

launched.

Govt Launches Sohum , A Low-Cost Device To Test Hearing of NewBorns

India will invite the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), leaders for the Republic Day parade and

celebrations next year. Republic Day 2018 will be the first time ever that so many leaders will together be chief

guests at the parade.

Govt bans presenting flower bouquets to welcome PM Modi

Cabinet approved the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) in Varanasi,

which will work to develop special rice varieties.

Union Cabinet gave approval to the merger of oil marketer Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) with state-run

explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC).

PM Modi adopted his 3rd village Kakrahia, a village in Varanasi known for its wrestlers and wrestling arenas under

the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

The Union Ministry of Power has announced that about 97% of the total outstanding debt of all state power

distribution companies has been covered under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana.

The United Forum of Bank Unions decided to observe July 19, the 48th anniversary of nationalisation of major

banks, as Save public sector banks day.

The government has set a target of constructing 57 thousand kilometers of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram

Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during 2017-18.

India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8) after surveillance in the

states showed no evidence of its presence.





The government will set up Garib Nawaz skill development centres in 100 districts of the country to offer

employment-oriented training to the youth from minority communities.

Rare White tiger spotted Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve located in the Western Ghats.

Country s first solar powered DEMU train dedicated to nation. Will run from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh Nagar

in Haryana

India has advanced its target of eliminating malaria by three years to 2027. Earlier the target was 2030.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is the new name for urban development & housing ministry.

Railways has launched RailCloud, a virtual server with an inbuilt security system that will enable faster connectivity

at a reduced cost. Also launched the first application on RailCloud named Nivaran , which is a grievances redressal

portal

The Telecom department has made it mandatory for all phones, including feature phones, to install Global

Positioning System (GPS) from January 1, 2018.

Auto major Tata Motors has rolled out the country s first bio-CNG (bio-methane) bus.

200th anniversary celebrations of the Paika Rebellion of Odisha inaugurated on July 20, 2017 in New Delhi

The Women and Child Development ministry has launched an online platform SHe-box (sexual harassment

electronic box) to enable women employees of the central government to file complaints related to sexual

harassment at the workplace.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared 1,076 temples as protected monuments in the country.

The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) launched the world s first diamond futures contracts to provide exporters

with a hedging tool.

The Centre has decided to observe this 70th Independence Day on August 15 as Sankalp Parva . A order said that

August 15, 2017 be celebrated as the Sankalp Parva or the Day of Resolve, and in 2022 our nation will transform

that resolve into Siddhi or attainment.

SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) scheme renamed as

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).

New initiative SAMADHAN (S-Smart Policing and Leadership; A -Aggressive Strategy, M-Motivation and Training, A-

Actionable Intelligence; D-Dashboard for Development and Key Performance Indicators, H-Harnessing Technology

for Development and Security, A-Action Plan for each Theatre and N-No access to Financing) launched to control

the situation in the LWE affected states.

All-India Elephant Population Estimation shows that India has 27,312 elephants. Highest being in Karnataka (6,049)

Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, launched Gaj Yatra , a nationwide

campaign to protect elephants on the occasion of World Elephant Day.

Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali campaign to celebrate a pollution-

free Diwali.

National Sports Talent Search Portal launched. The portal, nationalsportstalenthunt.com, aims to provide a direct

link to help kids and youngsters reach the ministry and senior sports administrators with their achievements.

India Permitted to Construct Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants:

World Bank. Pakistan has opposed the construction of these. Kishanganga on Jhelum River and Ratle on Chenab

River.

Government has launched the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign to reduce measles morbidity and

mortality. Campaign will cover children in the age group of 9 months to less than 15 years.

India has the most number of child deaths due to tuberculosis, according to a Lancet study which found that over

55,000 children died from the disease in the country in 2015.

India s first World Peace University (Dr Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU)) inaugurated in

MIT, Pune.

India s first railways disaster management village is expected to come up near Bengaluru by December 2018.





The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is going to establish National Sports Museum, first of its kind, at Jawaharlal

Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.

In its first visit to India, American Navy s amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor arrived in Goa as part of

defence cooperation between the two countries.

US tech giant Google has unveiled Tez - a simple and secure mobile app for digital payments and commerce, built

with the goal of working for everyone in India, and is available now for download on Google Play (Android) and the

App Store (iOS). App is available in English and seven Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujrati, Kannada, Marathi,

Tamil, and Telugu). Tez works in partnership with four Banks – Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of

India (SBI) – to facilitate the processing of payments across over 50 UPI enabled banks.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) on 5 September 2017 launched DIKSHA Portal

(diksha.gov.in) for providing digital platform to teachers for making their lifestyle more digital. DIKSHA will enable,

accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education.

PM Narendra Modi launched a postage stamp based on Ramayana during his visit to historic Tulsi Manas temple

in Varanasi and said that stamps are a wonderful way to preserve history.

The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) of the Ministry of Women & Child Development has started a

monthly Jan Sampark program to enable the public to have interaction with its officials and staff

The government has decided to increase the retirement age of central government doctors including those working

under the AYUSH ministry and in the railways to 65 years.

Dr. Harshvardhan launched Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana which will experiment and

endeavour to formulate and implement appropriate S&T Interventions for Sustainable Development through

cluster approach in Uttarakhand

Minister of State Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel launched a nationwide health campaign to sensitise

women about the early screening and the preventive care for cancer. Theme – Nurturing the Nurturer .

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives, an injectable contraceptive MPA

under the Antara programme and a contraceptive pill, Chhaya, in the public health system to expand the basket of

contraceptive choices to meet the emerging needs of couples.

The Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a nationwide hackathon

OpenGovDataHack to support and showcase potential ideas/talent from inner India. The hackathon aims to

enable participants develop their ideas into apps/infographics primarily by the use of open government data

around the themes of drinking water and sanitation, transport, education, health, and crime to a stage, after which

it can be evaluated by a jury and be selected for prizes and support/funding.

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for an increase of 1% additional Dearness Allowance (DA) to central

government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners to compensate for price rise. This additional

installment of DA represents an increase of 1% over the existing rate of 4% of basic pay/pension.

The Union Cabinet approved a Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) with an outlay of Rs

10,881 crore during the period from 2017-18 to 2028-29.

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.

INS Garhial of Indian Navy carried around 86 thousand family packs as relief material in the ongoing operation

Insaniyat launched in support of Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees.

National Aluminium Company (Nalco), Hindustan Copper (HCL)and MECL, three state-run PSUs, have signed an

MoU to form a joint venture — Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (Kabil).





Government think-tank Niti Aayog has come out with the National Nutrition Strategy, seeking to put nutrition at

the forefront of the narrative of the National Development Agenda. It aims at ensuring every child, adolescent girl

and woman attains optimal nutritional status by 2022.

The government issued an alert on spread of new malware Locky Ransomware that can lock computers and

demand ransom for unlocking them.

The Department of Biotechnology announced 3 missions focussing on the northeast India, including the B4, which

is centred on the Brahmaputra s biodiversity and biology. This new project aims at starting a lab on boat on

Bramhaputra river for biological analysis of the river system. The first laboratory under the Bramhaputra

Biodiversity Biology Boat (B4) initiative will cover Pasighat, Dibrugarh, Neemati, Tejpur and Guwahati in Assam.

Portal PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) — an electronic platform for no child labour

in the country is being developed by the Labour Ministry. Launched for effective implementation of the National

Child Labour Project (NCLP).

On the eve of Antyodaya Diwas 2017, the government has celebrated the Bharat Ke Kaushalzaade occasion on

24th September this year. Antyodaya Diwas has completed 3 years this year on 25th September.

India, Asia s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee, has started producing the world s most expensive

coffee, made from the poop of civet cat, on a small scale in Coorg district of Karnataka. The Civet coffee is also

called as Luwark coffee.

GOI inaugurated the first Pension Adalat and a pension app for Central Government employees in New Delhi. The

Adalat aims to quick resolve long pending pension cases.

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched -Mission 24 for Mumbai s M east ward which is known to have

one of highest slum population s in the city.

India s first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the NALSAR University of Law At Hyderabad, Telangana.

After remaining non-functional for the last three years the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway line connecting Nepal and

India is expected to become functional by 2018.

Recently-released black comedy film Newton , starring Rajkummar Rao, is India s official entry to the 90th

Academy Awards ceremony.

The Kandla Port Trust in Gujarat has been renamed Deendayal Port Trust.

An MoU was signed by Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat

program, to boost cultural ties.

On the occasion of National Ayurveda Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the All India Institute of

Ayurveda (AIIA) at Delhi s Sarita Vihar. The All India Institute of Ayurveda, set up on a total area of 10.015 acres on

a budget of Rs 157 crore, is the first medical institute under the AYUSH ministry to hold the coveted National

Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation.

India is among the five countries — Pakistan, Nigeria, Congo and Ethiopia being the others — responsible for half of

all new-born deaths in the world, according to a UN report. The report, Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017 ,

revealed that 5.6 million children died before reaching the age of five in 2016. However, this is a marked decrease

compared to 2000 when nearly 9.9 million children had died before turning five.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service connecting

Saurashtra with south Gujarat. The first phase of the project worth Rs 650-crore connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar

district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat. This is the first of its kind project not only

in India, but also in South-East Asia. Essar Projects, the EPC arm of Ruias-led Essar Group, has constructed and

designed the roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) terminals at both Dahej and Ghogha ports.





India s first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for Skilling in Smart Cities, in collaboration with New Delhi

Municipal Council (NDMC) in New Delhi launched.

Government has launched Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana and expansion of Postal Life Insurance.

Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana -- a minimum of one village will be taken up in each of the districts of the

country, and efforts will be made to cover all households of the village with at least one Rural Postal Life Insurance

policy each.

The much-awaited Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act has come into effect from October 12 with a provision to

bring more services and products like jewellery under the mandatory standard regime.

Parliament had, in March 2016, passed the law to replace the BIS Act of 1986.

India s first Sewage Treatment Plant under Hybrid Annuity Mode to come up in Haridwar and Varanasi

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Shirdi International Airport in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

Ministries of power and textiles have jointly announced a new scheme SAATHI under which Energy Efficiency

Services Limited (EESL) will provide energy efficient power loom equipment to small and medium units at no

upfront cost. SAATHI -- Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small

Industries.

Cabinet approves SANKALP, STRIVE schemes to boost Skill India Mission

SANKALP - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion -- Rs 4,455 crore Centrally

sponsored scheme including Rs. 3,300 crore loan support from World Bank.

STRIVE - Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement -- Rs. 2,200 crore – central sector scheme, with half

of the scheme outlay as World bank loan assistance.

The Union Cabinet has approved road building programmes of around Rs 7 lakh crore with a target to construct

83,677 km of roads in the next five years.

MSME Delayed Payment Portal – MSME Samadhaan (http://msefc.msme.gov.in), empowering micro and small

entrepreneurs across the country to directly register their cases relating to delayed payments by Central

Ministries/Departments/CPSEs/State Governments.

HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the Paika Bidroha (Paika rebellion) of 1817 will find a place in the

history books as the First War of Independence from the next academic session. Paika Bidroha against the British

rule took place four decades before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, which has so far been regarded as the First War of

Indian Independence.

The Government of India, has increased its stake in IDBI Bank to 77.79% by acquiring 3.81 per cent shares through

preferential allotment.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched the railways first set of solar plants in Delhi with a total capacity of 5

megawatt peak (MWp), an ambitious project aimed at reducing the national transporter s carbon footprint.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Indian Railways 110km Bidar-Kalaburgi railway track in the

Hyderabad-Karnataka region that is aimed at reducing the distance between Bengaluru and New Delhi by 380km

and travel time by six to eight hours

President Ram Nath Kovind launched Mata Amritanandamayi Math s Rs 100 crore clean water initiative for rural

India at the math headquarters in the coastal hamlet of Vallikkavu in Kerala

India has opened 2 immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar & Bangladesh. Myanmar - Zorinpui

check post of Mizoram. Bangladesh - Kawrpuichhuah post of Mizoram.

President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of World Tourism Day which is celebrated on September 27 annually,

launched Incredible India 2.0 Campaign , Adopt a Heritage project.





The Centre has launched a six-year project called SECURE Himalaya, to ensure conservation of locally and globally

significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in the high Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states in India.

SECURE ---- Securing Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan

ecosystems

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI). The special drive will focus on

improving immunization coverage in select districts and cities to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by

December 2018.

The Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) has launched India s first commodity options in gold, giving

stakeholders a new set of financial instruments to hedge their price risks.

Nepal and India will be conducting in November a joint head count of tigers in the national parks, forests and

sanctuaries along the international border between the two neighbours using a similar camera tapping method.

The world s largest combustion research centre which will impart a major boost to the Indian scientific community

has been inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

India sent first wheat shipment to Afghanistan via Iran s Chabahar port. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,

Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif flagged off the

shipment through video-conferencing.

To strengthen maritime security, India and the United States have agreed to implement the programme for

Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC).

India first country to partner with Facebook on disaster response.

The Union Cabinet approved the creation of a National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct entrance examinations for

higher educational institutions.

The Ministry of Finance increased the maximum age of joining the National Pension System (NPS) from the existing

60 years to 65 years under NPS – Private Sector (i.e. all citizen and corporate model).

Goa ranks top, Bihar at bottom of Gender Vulnerability Index released by Child development NGO Plan India.

According to a joint study by Assocham and EY, India is home to the largest number of malnourished children in the

world.

Railways has launched the main arch of the world s highest bridge on the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir s

Reasi district which will provide direct connectivity to the Kashmir valley.

The Inter-State Council, which is mandated to investigate and advise on disputes between states, has been

reconstituted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairman and six Union ministers and all chief ministers as

members.

According to a gazette notification, the Union ministers who will be members of the reconstituted council are

Rajnath Singh (home), Sushma Swaraj (external affairs), Arun Jaitley (finance), Nitin Gadkari (road transport),

Thaawar Chand Gehlot (social justice and empowerment) and Nirmala Sitharaman (defence).

Cabinet approved extension of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as RKVY-RAFTAAR for fiscals 2017-18 to

2019-20.

The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-

RAFTAAR) will incentivise states in increasing allocations to agricultural and allied sectors to boost farm output.

The financial allocation of the scheme will be Rs 15,722 crore.

World Food India 2017 - launched Nivesh Bandhu , an Investor Facilitation Portal. Karnataka was the focus State.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor was named brand ambassador for World Food India s Food Street. Germany, Japan and

Denmark were partner countries to World Food India, while Italy and the Netherlands were the focus countries.





A Pan India scholarship program for school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana has been launched by the

government to increase the reach of Philately. SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in

Stamps as a Hobby)

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the world s highest motorable road in the cold desert of Ladakh.

Tata Steel has established India s largest Coke Dry Quenching (CDQ) facility, capable of handling 200 metric tonnes

per hour, at its state-of-the-art steel plant at Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur district of Odisha.

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) in its document called New India @2022 anticipated a

New India by 2022 that will be free from poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism

The government made installation of FASTag, a rechargeable card that uses passive radio frequency identification

(RFID ) technology to debit toll charges automatically, mandatory for all four-wheel automobiles sold from

December 1.

The government has more than tripled the maximum amount that a central government employee can borrow

from the government to Rs 25 lakh, from Rs 7.50 lakh earlier.

India sets Guinness Record for cooking 918 kgs of Khichdi at the World Food India 2017 event.

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) opened its campus to an Israel Centre which is aimed at

becoming a bridge of academic collaboration between India and Israel.

India has pledged an additional USD 100 million towards the UN partnership fund, significantly scaling up its

support to sustainable development projects across the developing world.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways & Coal launched Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran App benefitting

customers of Coal India Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road mode.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launched SHe-box (sexual harassment

electronic box), an online portal for registering complaint related to sexual harassment in non-government and

government organisations.

Unesco, the UN cultural organisation, has included Chennai in its list of Creative Cities for its contribution to music.

Chennai is the third Indian city on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities list after Jaipur and Varanasi.

Google Arts and Culture unveils its first lab experiment in India in Mumbai.

A new passenger train between West Bengal and Bangladesh, Bandhan Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina via video conferencing. The train will connect Kolkata

to Khulna in Bangladesh. This will be the second train to run between the two countries after Maitree Express that

runs between Dhaka and Kolkata.

Northeast to get India s first air dispensary.

Number of pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir limited to 50,000 a day, to avoid any

mishap.

WCD Ministry to hosted Hausala 2017 to Celebrate Child Rights Week from 16-20 November 2017.

The government has launched phase 2 of BharatNet to connect 1.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed

broadband by March 2019. Phase 1 of BharatNet set to complete by the end of 2017.

Railways to start 9-month upskilling exercise named Project Saksham for employees in January.





State News

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has topped the charts in ease of doing business and providing electricity to rural households.

Government to develop green airports in Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati and Vijayawada. [Cochin International Airport

Limited (CIAL) in Kerala became the first airport in the world, to be completely powered by solar energy]

Rayichapalu , a regular catch for fishermen in Andhra Pradesh s Visakhapatnam, has been declared as one of the

rarest species of fish in the world by Marine Living Resources Department, Andhra University.

Andhra Pradesh has released People First mobile application for grievance redressal at the Collectors conference

in Vijayawada. Under this application, people of Andhra Pradesh can dial 1100 to register complaints about

government services and schemes.

Andhra Pradesh s Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution

Corporation of AP Ltd. (SPDCL) have become the first state-owned distribution companies in India to accept

payments through Bharat QR.

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has declared Friday as the day of the week when he will meet with the

poor and underprivileged sections of Andhra Pradesh society to hear their grievances and try to resolve them.

The day has been declared as the “Day of Helping Hand”. Andhra Pradesh has announced a new programme to offer prayers to water bodies and to create awareness among

the public regarding water preservation. Named Jala Siriki Haarati , the programme is aimed at praying at all the

rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, irrigation projects, water reservoirs, check dams and all kinds of water bodies.

The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an MoU with the US-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to

build India s first Hyperloop system. The planned project is aimed at connecting cities Amaravati and Vijayawada in

Andhra Pradesh, supposedly covering the distance of over 35 km in just five minutes.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu declared that the year of 2017 as e-pragati year.

No helmet, no petrol rule comes into force in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Swachh Andhra Mission on the occasion of Gandhi

Jayanti. PV Sindhu has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Swachh Andhra.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the TU142M aircraft museum in

Visakhapatnam. The Russian aircraft, which was decommissioned in March 2017 at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu after 29

years, was brought to the city on April 8 to be converted into a Museum.

Etikoppaka toys of Andhra, popularly known as Lakkapidathalu, have received Geographical Indication by the

Registration of Geographical Indication, categorised in class 20 of the toys category.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh s biggest festival Solung of the Adi Tribe was celebrated with traditional fervor and in a grand

way at Boleng in Siang District on September 3.

The Arunachal Assembly has passed a bill paving way for creation of a new district to be named Kamle. With the

official creation of the new district, the total number of districts in the state shot up to 23.

Assam

Assam going to raise a new Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) for better protection of the one-horned rhinos in

Assam.

Assam has become first state to pass a legislation which states that Assam government employees who dump

parents will lose part salary. The Assam Assembly passed The Assam Employees Parental Responsibility And Norms





for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill that makes it mandatory for state government employees to take

care of their parents and needy siblings or face a cut in their income.

Singapore will set up a Skill Center at Guwahati which will cater to the entire North-Eastern region.

A 100-ft tall bamboo idol of Goddess in Assam is all set to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest

bamboo sculpture ever made in the world

A program called SATH- Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital, a joint initiative of Government of

Assam and NITI Aayog, which aims to provide structured support to Assam in identifying key health priorities and

implement the solutions towards transforming the health and improving the well-being of people of Assam has

been launched in Assam.

Foundation stone for the country s first ever Industrial Training Institute for the Dibyangans exclusively was laid on

October 3 in Dibrugarh in Assam.

ISRO to set up research centre in Guwahati, Assam

Bihar

In a unique initiative, Gender Alliance Bihar, a collective effort of over 270 civil society organisations backed by the

UN Population Fund, has come up with a mobile application Bandhan Tod to fight the rampant social evil of child

marriage in the state.

In Bihar, four-day Chhat Pooja celebrations are beginning from today (24 October), with NAHAY-KHAY. Kharna

rituals will be held tomorrow.

Sonepur cattle fair, considered as Asia s largest such, kicked-off in Bihar.

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh bans use of chlorinated plastic and Polyvinyl Chloride.

Chhattisgarh has become the first state in the country to award citizenship to as many as 51 Hindu families who

had migrated from Pakistan several years ago.

Nineteen acres of land which housed around 70 government office buildings in Chattisgarh s Raipur is being

converted into India s first micro forest in order to create an oxy-zone.

Delhi

The Delhi High Court has launched a first-of-its-kind dedicated helpline number 1888 to provide litigants easy

access to justice.

India s tallest air traffic control (ATC) tower to be operational at Delhi airport by December 2017.

Delhi has become the second state to launch e-RTI portal that will enable citizens to file online Right to Information

(RTI). Maharashtra is the first state

Delhi police will be the first state police in India who will get super cop belt .

Delhi Metro has become the only completely green Metro system in the world for adhering to green building

norms for its residential colonies.

The National Green Tribunal, NGT has imposed an interim ban on use of non-biodegradable plastic bags which are

less than 50 microns in the New Delhi. Fine of 5,000 rupees on anyone found in possession of such banned plastic.

North Eastern Cultural and Information Centre will be set up in Delhi.

A special train called the mosquito terminator was pressed into service by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation

(SDMC), in collaboration with the Northern Railway, to spray anti-larval chemicals along the tracks to control

mosquito breeding.





The Supreme Court has placed a ban on the sale of firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) during

the upcoming festive season of Diwali. The ban will remain in effect till November 1.

New Delhi, the national capital, has been named as world s worst megacity for sexual violence against women in a

survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd installed the Nobel Memorial Wall at Rajiv Chowk metro station for the seventh

consecutive year.

The Delhi government signed a twin city agreement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government for strengthening

cooperation in the fields of e-governance, transportation, climate change and smart city.

Gujarat

India s first ever mega textiles trade fair – Textiles India 2017, was inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Gujarat s Ahmedabad has become India s first World Heritage City after the Unesco s World Heritage Committee

included it in its list.

The None Of The Above (NOTA) option available for the first time in upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat.

Gujarat first state to implement coal utilisation between power units

Gujarat on October 10 reduced VAT on petrol and diesel by 4%, becoming the first state to give relief to consumers

from a recent surge in oil prices.

The Centre has given green clearance for a greenfield airport project at Hirasar, about 28 km from Rajkot in

Gujarat, at a cost of over Rs. 1,400 crores.

Birsa Munda Tribal University inaugurated in the tribal dominated Rajpipla town in Narmada district about 90 kms

from Vadodara.

Ahmedabad in Gujarat has been formally accorded the status of India s first World Heritage City. The honour makes

the walled city of Ahmedabad the first city in India, and the third in Asia after Bhaktapur (Nepal) and Galle (Sri

Lanka).

Making steps towards digital revolution in the schools of Gujarat, state govt. launched state-wide Gyankunj

Project on Teachers Day. The objective of the project is to produce world-class students.

Gujarat government has launched Shramik Annapoorna Yojana (Construction Workers Meal Scheme), under which

each registered worker is provided a plateful of food for a mere Rs 10 with the Gujarat government providing a

hefty subsidy of Rs 19 per meal.

The ₹ -crore high-speed rail training centre for the first bullet train project will be set up in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Amaazia, India s first Cartoon Network branded amusement park, will open in Surat, Gujarat in the first quarter of

2019.

Haryana

The Haryana government announced lifetime monthly pension to the Hindi satyagrahis and those from the state

who were jailed during the Emergency in 1975, hiked financial assistance to veterans of the Second World War

(WW-II) and their widows, and provide 10-hour power supply to the agriculture sector.

Haryana first state to treat Hepatitis-C patients with oral medicine

Gurugram to have North India s biggest butterfly park

Students passing out of government medical colleges in Haryana will now be required to do a fixed period of

service in government hospitals of the state

Haryana government has prohibited flushing/mixing of liquid nitrogen with any drink or food article.

President Ram Nath Kovind has accorded approval to the proposal for setting up the world s first AYUSH University

at Haryana s Kurukshetra.





According to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, approximately 17.3 lakh new cancer cases are

being estimated by the year 2020 in India. Haryana has a major share, with over 39% of cases recorded in the state.

Himachal Pradesh

Green Spiti mission would for the Spiti Valley to increase forest cover to overcome water shortage.

After two years of trial runs on the challenging Manali-Rohtang highway, Himachal Roads Transport Corporation

(HRTC) has finally launched its electric bus service on the route on a regular basis. With this, Himachal Pradesh has

become the first hill state in the country to run electric buses.

PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for an AIIMS premier hospital in Bilaspur town of Himachal Pradesh.

Jammu Kashmir

In order to pave the way for applicability of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in Jammu and Kashmir, the

Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval for amendment of the Constitution Order, 1954 by way of the Constitution

Amendment Order, 2017.

Pratham-Shyok bridge that will link Leh to Karakoram, providing connectivity on the strategically important Darbuk-

Shyok-Daulat Beg Olde axis for military transport.

First power plant under PM Ladakh scheme commissioned in Biaras Drass of Kargil in Jammu & Kashmir.

Jharkhand

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for Ranchi Smart City coming up on the Heavy

Engineering Corporation (HEC) land. This would be the country s first green-field smart city.

Karnataka

Karnataka would provide Rs 400 crore fund to mentor 100 start-ups with idea validation, incubation facilities and

expertise in accounting and legal norms. Launched the Elevate 100 scheme for same.

Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Karnataka will become the first airport in the country to have a

helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service for those who cannot afford to spend time battling traffic to travel across the city.

Indira Canteen , aimed at serving the poor at subsidised rates, was inaugurated in Bengaluru by Congress vice

president Rahul Gandhi.

Amazon announced a partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to implement the Karnataka government s

Ksheera Bhagya Scheme in Bengaluru, wherein schoolchildren would be provided a glass of milk each five days a

week.

Karnataka government will be merging the existing seven health schemes to launch a unified scheme- Arogya

Bhagya which will cover all 1.4 crore households of the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the Mathru Purna scheme, which aims to provide nutritious

meals to about 12 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers in the state.

Karnataka government, from next academic year, has decided to provide free education to girls from class one to

graduation level in all public and aided private schools and colleges.

Karnataka has become the first Indian state to have an electric vehicle policy after the state Cabinet approved the

Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy.

The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, inaugurated the Swachhta Hi Seva and Shouchalayakkagi Samara (A

Crusade For Toilets) Programme in Karnataka.





Kerala

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched G-Ride, a digital ride sharing platform that matches co-workers and

neighbours and help them travel together to work.

Onam, the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala, celebrated in the state.

Kerala is going to open India s first transgender-exclusive clinics at government medical colleges across the state.

Kerala government launched She Pad , a scheme to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from classes VI

to XII in government and aided private schools affiliated to the state school board.

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), common platform of 21 countries including India and geographically

bordering Indian Ocean, is to set up a Centre of Excellence in Kochi. hHeadquarters of IORA is located at Ebene,

Mauritius.

Lakshadweep Island

According to a study, Parali I island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, part of Bangaram atoll, which had an

area of 0.032 sq.km in 1968 has been completely eroded, resulting in its inundation.

Madhya Pradesh

Foundation stone of country s biggest global skill park laid in Bhopal

The Madhya Pradesh government has contributed Rs. 2 crore to Assam Chief Minister s Relief Fund for the

prevailing flood situation in the state.

MP govt. launched Single Click Pension Delivery scheme, wherein the money will go directly into the account of

the beneficiaries.

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated a toilet in the Mangalwara area for the exclusive use of transgenders ---

first of its kind in the country.

Madhya Pradesh, which was the first state to announce that it would switch to January-December financial year

from the existing April-March cycle starting 2018, has put the plan on the back burner.

Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojna for the farmers of the state launched. Madhya Pradesh is the first state to lend money

to farmers at zero percent interest.

Maharashtra

Mumbai s Vikrikar Bhavan renamed as GST Bhavan

Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to provide women an injectable contraceptive for free.--

launched a programme called Antara

Maharashtra first state to have law against social boycott after President of India gave assent to Social Boycott

(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2016.

Matunga suburban railway station in Mumbai has become the first station in India to be run by an all-women staff.

Mumbai Metro One has announced the launch of India s first Mobile Ticketing System OnGo which will help

commuters pass the AFC gates using their mobile phones.

Maharashtra government has announced plans to launch 112 as a single integrated helpline number for police, fire

brigade, and ambulance services.

The Maharashtra government is planning to ban plastic carry bags after the Gudi Padwa (Maharashtrian New Year)

next year. Gudi Padwa falls in March-April period.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the Maharashtra Mission 1 Million initiative under

which over 10 lakh students across the state will play football.





MahaLabharthi web portal that will help people get information about all the government schemes that they are

eligible for.

The restored Royal Opera House, located at Mumbai s Charni Road, has received the Award of Merit from the 2017

UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The building, which was closed to the public in

1993 and reopened in 2016, was restored by architect Abha Narain Lambah.

Manipur

A North East Centre for Ethno Medicinal Research has been inaugurated at Hengbung village in Kangpokpi district

of Manipur.

Manipur's Nungthaang Tampak village has emerged as the '100 percent computer literate' not only in the state but

in the entire North East.

Heikru Hidongba, the traditional boat race festival of Manipur, was celebrated at the Thangapat (moat) of Shri Bijoy

Govindajee, Sagolband, Imphal on September 3.

Manipur celebrates Mera Houchongba festival

Meghalaya

Launched an ambitious flagship program titled Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship (LIFE)

at Songsak, Meghalaya.

Mizoram

Mizoram s Dampa Tiger Reserve now holds the distinction of housing the highest number of clouded leopards in

Southeast Asia, the state government has claimed. Density of population of clouded leopards, locally knows as

Kelral , is 5.14 per 100 sq km in the reserve.

Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Odisha hosted the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships (ACC) from July 5-9.

After the successful organisation of 22nd Asian Athletics Championships, the Odisha government has announced it

would set up the Kalinga International Sports City in Bhubaneswar to hold mega international events in the coming

years.

Nalco, in collaboration with Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, is setting up the first of its

kind Aluminium Park in Angul.

Odisha government has renamined Wheeler Island in Bhadrak district as Abdul Kalam Island

Odisha will partner with Facebook to train women entrepreneurs and Self Help Groups (SHGs) to promote

entrepreneurship and digital literacy and organise hands-on workshops for Micro, Small and Medium women

Entrepreneurs and women SHGs on Digital Marketing Skills in collaboration with Facebook.

Odisha s Government has launched She Means Business programme of Facebook for women entrepreneurs in

Odisha.

The annual Balijatra festival was inaugurated at the Gadagadia ghat in Cuttack on the banks of river Mahanadi.

Puducherry

The Puducherry government has decided to ban manufacture and use of plastic packaging materials of less than 51

microns as these were found to be injurious to health and a source of menace during monsoon in the Union

Territory.

Punjab

Punjab - first state in the country where injection-safety programme is being implemented in collaboration with

the World Health Organisation (WHO).





Punjab government has launched Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar scheme by flagging off over 100 uberMOTO bikes.

India s first museum on Partition of the Indian subcontinent opened in Amritsar, Punjab.

Rajasthan

In a move that is a first for the country, Rajasthan has fixed minimum educational qualification for candidates

interested in contesting elections for elections to village cooperative societies and various other cooperative

bodies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a hanging bridge built across the Chambal river at Kota to the nation.

The bridge, over Chambal River, has the longest main span of 350 metre in the country and will also act as a

bypass to Kota City.

Rajasthan becomes 1st state to incorporate skill development programme in higher education.

Rajasthan has launched the Election Commission s web- based project, ERO-Net, using which voters can register

their names on electoral rolls.

Government has passed an ordinance which seeks to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and

public servants in Rajasthan from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction -- Criminal Laws

(Rajasthan Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu topped the rooftop capacity addition table, according to a report by Bridge to India, a global renewable

energy consulting firm.

Madras HC makes singing of Vande Mataram mandatory in TN schools

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam s memorial in Tamil Nadu s

Ramananthapuram district

Bangladesh will soon open a new diplomatic station in Chennai.

The Madras high court has banned the use of pictures of living persons on banners and hoardings in Tamil Nadu,

where towering cut-outs of politicians and actors are almost a part of the local culture.

India s Second Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) Established in Chennai. 1st at Punjab.

Telangana

An innovative programme named Janahitha was launched to receive complaints from public through a special

portal.

Telangana to have separate agriculture budget from next year

India s first university only for Dalit students to come up in Hyderabad by 2018.

The Bonalu festival, reflecting Telangana s rich culture and traditions, was celebrated with gaiety in Hyderabad

with thousands of devotees participating in the festivities.

In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor

linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in

Telangana s Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Telangana government launches 181 helpline for distressed women

Regional Vocational Training Institute, Hyderabad, the first of its kind in Telangana inaugurated.

An innovative programme named Janahitha was launched to receive complaints from public through a special

portal.

Telangana to have separate agriculture budget from next year

India s first university only for Dalit students to come up in Hyderabad by 2018.

The Bonalu festival, reflecting Telangana s rich culture and traditions, was celebrated with gaiety in Hyderabad

with thousands of devotees participating in the festivities.





In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor

linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in

Telangana s Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Telangana government launches 181 helpline for distressed women

Regional Vocational Training Institute, Hyderabad, the first of its kind in Telangana inaugurated.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand becomes 20th state to ban begging.

The World Book Fair 2017 held in the capital city Dehradun of Uttarakhand from August 28, with the state

government offering discounts on books based on the lives of national figures.

The Uttarakhand Government and a charitable funding agency, Swan Cultural Center and Foundation launched

Solar Briefcase in Kedarnath Dham. The initiative was taken to provide electricity to far flung areas in the hill state.

Uttar Pradesh

UP govt launches free power connection scheme for BPL families

Lucknow Metro to be India s 1st with own FM radio station

The state has initiated a cleanliness drive Swachata Ka Shankhnad in the state.

The country s first aviation university at Fursatganj in Uttar Pradesh s Rae Bareli district inaugurated on August 18.

Air Vice Marshal (retired) Nalin Tandon has been appointed as the vice-chancellor.

In order to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga from escalating anthropogenic pressures,

development of a Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad, UP along with a River Biodiversity Park at Sangam (confluence of

Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati) have been approved under Namami Gange programme.

UP government approved the Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana , a mass marriage scheme, wherein Rs

35,000 will be spent on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items.

The Mughalsarai railway station of Uttar Pradesh has been renamed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay railway

station.

TheUttar Pradesh government has issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as

pavitra teerth sthals (sacred pilgrimage sites) . No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore.

Uttar Pradesh cabinet decided to make India s first conservation reserve for black buck in Allahabad s Meja.

With an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 491 on the 500-point scale, Varanasi has become the most polluted Indian city

among 42 cities, according to data from Central Pollution Control Board. 2nd - Gurugram.

Uttar Pradesh tops in opening new PMJDY accounts after demonetisation.

West Bengal

President Pranab Mukherjee presented the 2.5 croreth Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) connection at

Raghunathgunj, Murshidabad in West Bengal.

Kolkata hosted Horasis Asia Meeting, a global business meet in November 2017

India s first State of art virology laboratory inaugurated at Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional Research Institute for

Homoeopathy in Kolkata.

The West Bengal Transport department has introduced Yatrik mobile phone app to help in the easy booking of

traditional meter taxis in Kolkata.





Finance and Banking News

From the 23,000 crore to be disbursed to the State farmers by the RBI, it released Rs. 1700 crore in July.

RBI hikes foreign investment limit in g-secs by over 4% for Jul-Sep.

Cabinet approves revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme - investment limit per fiscal year has been

increased to 4 kg for individuals, 4 Kg for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and 20 Kg for Trusts

India emerging as front-runner in fight against climate change: World Bank

SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital s entire stake in SBI Card, the second-largest credit card franchise in

India.

State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its flagship service INTOUCH in Nepal along with its subsidiary, Nepal State

Bank Ltd (NSBL). Also NSBL Digital Village, Jaharsing Pauwa, which would be the first of its kind digital initiative in

Nepal banking industry along with INTOUCH.

Microfinance institution Svatantra Microfin, has launched an end-to-end cashless solution called Saathi.

Canara Bank forays into paperless banking; launches first digital branch in Bengaluru title CANDI

Karnataka Bank launches Met Loan & Life Suraksha in partnership with M/s PNB MetLife

FINO becomes payments bank. Headquarters - Mumbai

National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) creating the

country s third biggest commodity exchange.

ICICI Bank offers up to Rs 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs

India gets good ranks on FSB s (Financial Stability Board) reform report card to G20. The report submitted by FSB

listed India as a compliant jurisdiction with regard to the Basel III reforms in area of risk-based capital and

as largely compliant on liquidity coverage ratio.

NBFCs with asset size of Rs 500 crore and above that have made a net profit in the preceding financial year be

permitted to sell NPS to their clients after registration with the pension regulator.

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has received final approval from the Reserve Bank to function as the

Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) and operate Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).

Inflation to rise noticeably to 4.4% in second half of 2017: Nomura report

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has directed ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to take over the

life insurance business portfolio of Sahara India Life Insurance from 31st July 2017.

The Reserve Bank s Central Board has approved the transfer of surplus to the government of India amounting to Rs

306.59 billion for the year ended June 30, 2017. RBI follows a July to June accounting year.

The government has clarified that banks importing gold and precious metals will have to pay 3 per cent tax under

the GST which can be claimed as input tax credit.

Of the 56 regional rural banks (RRBs), Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank and Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank

recorded net profit of more than Rs 150 crore during 2016-17. These are among the 49 RRBs that recorded a profit

in 2016-17.

State Bank of India has launched a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative, SBI Gram Seva, which will work in

the areas of health, education, environment and rural infrastructure.

According to the Finance Ministry Data, the country s largest lender, SBI, accounts for over 27 per cent of the total

amount owed to public sector banks by wilful defaulters - tops share of wilful default to PSBs.

Spice Digital Limited (SDL) has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), allowing the company

to process bill payments as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) in the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).





Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd, has been given

scheduled bank status by RBI.

Vijaya Bank has launched 100 Digital Villages initiative in an effort to bring residents of these villages under the

formal banking system.

ICICI Bank has announced the launch of Instant Credit Card Service, which will enable its savings account customers

to get a credit card instantly, in a completely digital and paperless manner. This is the first-of-its-kind offering in the

Indian banking industry.

Corporation Bank has bagged the best performance awards for SHG-bank linkage programme for Karnataka for

2015-16 and 2016-17 from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

Foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of the permanent headquarters building of the BRICS New

Development Bank (NDB) held in Shanghai, China. The building is expected to become a landmark building along

Huangpu River.

RBI has announced it has added private lender HDFC Bank to its list of domestic systemically important banks (D-

SIBs) considered too big to fail. With HDFC Bank s inclusion, there are now three banks that are described as too big

to fail, including state-run State Bank of India and private lender ICICI Bank.

According to a government of India notification, all the peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platforms will be treated as non-

banking financial companies (NBFCs) and will be brought under the ambit of the banking regulator.

Indian insurance sector regulator IRDAI has given the final nod to online non-life insurer Acko General Insurance

Ltd.

The State Bank of India (SBI) announced SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA) — a chat assistant aimed to address customer

enquiries like a bank representative does. Developed by Payjo, an artificial intelligence (AI) banking platform,

SIA is equipped to handle nearly 10,000 enquiries per second or 864 million in a day — which is nearly 25 per

cent of the queries processed by Google each day.

Public sector lender IDBI Bank has initiated a turnaround plan – Project Nishchay in consultation with The Boston

Consulting Group (BCG). The project aims to accelerate the struggling lender s turnaround programme and improve

financial performance.

India s largest private sector lender by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank has announced a new home loan scheme

that offers borrowers the benefit of 1% cashback on every EMI, for the entire tenure of the loan. The offer will be

valid for home loans with a minimum tenure of 15 years and maximum tenure of 30 years.

Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payments bank in India to integrate the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

on its digital platform.

In a bid to help develop the fintech ecosystem in India, Fino Payments Bank has launched its mobile banking app

called BPay.

Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) on Sep 1 2017 has kick-started its banking

operations. Fincare CEO - Rajeev Yadav. It has its Registered Office at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Corporate Office at

Bangalore, Karnataka.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot Eva — built for HDFC Bank by Bengaluru-based Senseforth AI Research —

has successfully addressed over 2.7 million customer queries in six months to become the country s largest banking

chatbot.

Singapore s biggest lender DBS Group Holdings has won the Reserve Bank of India s approval to provide banking

services in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary.





Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (BFIL), formerly SKS Microfinance, has signed an exclusivity agreement for a

potential merger with IndusInd Bank.

Reserve Bank of India opens branch in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

According to the Reserve Bank of India, Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio for NBFCs increased to 5% at

end-March 2017 from 2.9 per cent at end-March 2012.

The Reserve Bank has clarified that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory

under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in

the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017.

SBI Foundation has committed Rs 10 crore for the conservation and restoration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Terminus (CSTM) of Mumbai over the period of 3-5 years.

SBI is creating a 15,000-sqft innovation centre in Belapur in Navi Mumbai investing around Rs 100 crore.

SBI has launched a new product -- SME Assist -- to provide short-term working capital demand loans to its MSME

clients.

The State Bank of India has launched the second edition of its Hackathon named Digitize For Bank. This hackathon

will be held from 1st to12th November 2017.

According to a Crisil report, banks are likely to need nearly Rs 3.3 lakh crore this fiscal as provisioning for large NPA

accounts in the current financial year.

Union Bank of India has launched an Android app, Union Sahyog, as part of its drive to digitise customer-facing

banking services.

Oriental Bank of Commerce becomes 7th bank to be under PCA (Prompt corrective Action) by RBI. Others are -

Dena Bank, Central Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and UCO Bank

ICICI announced financial assistance of Rs. 10 crores to the Indian Armed Forces.

HDFC Bank wants to become the Go To bank and preferred banker for the start-up community in the country.

Launched SmartUp zones in its branches across India.

HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched Neo — a servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial intelligence for

customer service. The insurer hopes to deploy the bot in answering policy —related queries on social media.

Private sector Yes Bank has committed Rs 156 crore to fund first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to be constructed at

Varanasi under Hybrid Annuity-PPP Model.

HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) announced the launch of a mobile app – Trade Transaction

Tracker – to help customers track the status of their trade transactions on a real-time basis.

Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of Eazy Connect , that will extend online customer service to

social media platforms.

The government announced an aggressive Rs 2.11 lakh crore capital infusion for the NPA hit public sector banks

over a period of 2 years.

Out of this, Rs 1.35 lakh crore will be through the recapitalisation bonds, while remaining Rs 76,000 crore from the

budgetary support. Non-performing assets of banks have increased from Rs 2.75 lakh in March 2015 to Rs 7.33

crore as on June 2017.

North East Small Finance Bank Limited has commenced operations as a small finance bank from 17th October 2017.

The Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi Microfinance Limited– North East (RGVNMFL-NE) is the promoter of North East

Small Finance Bank.





The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided not to pursue a proposal for introduction of Islamic banking in the

country. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is

prohibited under Islam.

India s largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, ICICI Bank, announced the launch of India s first voice-

based international remittance service to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in India.

AU Small Finance Bank received approval from Reserved Bank of India (RBI) to operate as Scheduled Commercial

Bank. AU Small Finance Bank s name has now been included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of India Act,

1934.

YES Bank is all set to launch a first-of-its-kind fintech survey. Called India Fintech Opportunities Review, the study

will cover India and a few major fintech markets in the world.

India Post Payments Bank will become operational in all 650 districts of the country by April next year. Two such

banks are already operational in Ranchi and Raipur.

Private sector lender Yes Bank signed an agreement with the government to provide Rs 1,000 crore financing for

food processing projects.

HSBC has pledged to provide $100 billion in financing and investment by 2025 to help combat climate change.

Private Sector, Federal Bank has obtained RBI approval to open representative offices at Kuwait and Singapore.

IDFC Bank, MobiKwik and Net1 have partnered to launch a co-branded virtual prepaid card on the Visa platform to

customers of MobiKwik.

Emirates NBD, the UAE s second-largest lender, has started operations in India with an aim to invest USD 100

million capital into its Indian operations. Branch opened in Mumbai.

RBI asked large borrowers to obtain 20-digit Legal Entity Identifier unique code. LEI is a 20-digit unique code to

identify parties to financial transactions worldwide. The LEI number will help banks in monitoring the aggregate

exposure of corporate borrowers.

RBI to make LEI must for cos with over Rs 5 crore exposure

RBI releases guidelines for P2P lenders; caps loans exposure at Rs 10 lakh per borrower

As per the guidelines released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Peer to peer (P2P) lenders can cumulatively lend a

maximum of Rs 10 lakh and individually have an exposure to a borrower of not more than Rs 50,000.

The P2P lenders would be allowed to lend only unsecured loans i.e. will not be allowed to take collateral against the

loans they lend.

P2P lending is a crowd-funding model (largely online) where people looking to invest their money with people who

want to borrow can do so.

Prudential Norms

(1) NBFC-P2P shall maintain a Leverage Ratio not exceeding 2.

(2) The aggregate exposure of a lender to all borrowers at any point of time, across all P2Ps, shall be subject to a cap of Rs

10,00,000/-.

(3) The aggregate loans taken by a borrower at any point of time, across all P2Ps, shall be subject to a cap of Rs 10,00,000.

(4) The exposure of a single lender to the same borrower, across all P2Ps, shall not exceed Rs 50,000.

(5) The maturity of the loans shall not exceed 36 months.

(6) P2Ps shall obtain a certificate from the borrower or lender, as applicable, that the limits prescribed above are being

adhered to.





Business News Reliance Jio launches Asia-Africa-Europe (AAE-1), world s longest 100Gbps submarine cable system

Reliance Industries market capitalisation hits Rs 5 lakh cr mark; second firm after TCS to reach milestone

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) wins government nod for Rs 7,738 crore Gujarat State Petroleum

Corp s stake buy.

In a fresh impetus to its artificial intelligence dreams, Google has acquired Bengaluru-based start-up Halli Labs.

The government has banned exports of gold jewellery, medallions and other articles with purity above 22 carats in

a bid to check round tripping of the precious metal.

Country s top mobile operator Bharti Airtel has partnered with Symantec to provide cyber defense to enterprises.

HCL Technologies has completed the acquisition of Urban Fulfilment Services, LLC.

HDFC Ergo General Insurance has completed the merger with L&T General Insurance, marking the first

amalgamation in the country's non-life insurance sector.

E-commerce major Flipkart has acquired global technology major eBay.

Infosys to acquire Brilliant Basics, a London-based product design and customer experience (CX) innovator.

Messaging and social media technology company Hike Messenger has acquired Bengaluru-based tech startup Creo.

BSEs India INX (India International Exchange) has received an approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of

India to commence trading in gold options contracts from August 30. It will be the first one in India to commence

trading.

Google has announced to acquire part of the Taiwan-based HTC Corporation s mobile division team for $1.1 billion.

Google has acquired Bitium, a company that provides enterprise customers with identity and access management

solutions, including single sign-on (SS) and provisioning for Cloud applications.

HCL Technologies has announced the acquisition of automation-driven data management platform Datawave.

To enable small businesses and start-ups to file their Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns smoothly, Airtel

Business has launched Airtel GST Advantage.

Thyssenkrupp AG and Tata Steel Ltd. reached a tentative deal to merge their European steel businesses in a bid to

create the region s second-largest producer and tackle overcapacity in the industry.

E-commerce major Flipkart has acquired mobiles and IT products repair services company, F1 Info Solutions for an

undisclosed amount.

State-owned IDBI Bank has sold 9 per cent stake in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) for an

undisclosed amount in a bid to mobilise funds by exiting non-core business. Earlier in September, the bank sold 1%

stake in Sidbi.

E-commerce major Amazon India has launched a new marketplace Amazon Business to cater to the requirements

of the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has bought an additional 7% stake totaling to

10% in Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) for Rs900 crore from troubled public sector lender IDBI

Bank Ltd.

Bharti Airtel acquires Tatas telecom business on cash-free basis - Consumer Mobile Businesses (CMB) of Tata

Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML).

Bharti Airtel has received Ghana s National Communications Authority s approval for the merger between Bharti

Ghana (Airtel) and Millicom Ghana (Tigo)

Axis Bank has acquired payments wallet Freecharge for Rs. 373 crore. Sangram Singh has been appointed as the

CEO of Freecharge Payment Technologies Private Ltd.





The Board of Directors of IndusInd Bank Ltd and Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd have approved the merger of two

companies through a composite scheme of arrangement.

E-commerce major eBay has acquired a 5.4% stake in Flipkart.

The IDFC Group and Shriram Group have decided to call off their merger proposal as they were not able to reach a

mutually acceptable swap ratio.

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has revamped its portal www.udyamimitra.in with enhanced

features to provide easy access to credit and hand-holding services for micro small medium enterprises (MSME).

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross Rs6 trillion market capitalisation after its

shares surged over 75% so far this year and hit a fresh lifetime high.

Nokia and Xiaomi ink patent and equipment deal, Xiaomi buys Nokia patents

Popular mobile-based digital payment platform Paytm launched Inbox , a messaging service that will allow

consumers to chat with friends and family, and send and request money at the same time.

ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) gets government nod for acquiring HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum).

Rs 10,000 Crore MoU signed between Govt of India & Patanjali

According to Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), provisional figures of direct tax collections up to October, 2017

show that net collections are at Rs. 4.39 lakh crore which is 15.2 percent higher than the net collections for the

corresponding period of last year.

The GST Council decided to raise Composition Scheme threshold to Rs 2 crore. The Council, which held its 23rd

meeting in Guwahati, decided that there will be no inter-state taxes and input tax credit for composition dealers.

Out of 228 items in the 28% tax bracket, 178 have been put into the lower tax category of 18%. It will be applicable

from 15th November.

Economy News To protect online consumers, the government has made it mandatory for e-commerce companies from January

2018 to print not only the MRP on goods but also information like expiry date and customer care details.

The Union Government has saved around Rs 57,000 crore in 2016-17 through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme

under which subsidies are given directly to beneficiaries.

I-T Department unearths income of Rs 5,400 cr post-note ban

The Income Tax department has detected undisclosed income of around Rs.71,941 crore over the last three years

from April 1, 2014 to February 28, 2017

The government has ordered state-run oil companies to raise subsidised cooking gas (LPG) prices by Rs 4 per

cylinder every month to eliminate all the subsidies by March next year.

The Government of India has launched a new sub-scheme named Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)

as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

The government has raised the creamy layer ceiling by Rs 2 lakh and announced setting up of a commission to

work out sub-categorisation within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for a "more equitable distribution of

reservation benefits". OBC families earning up to Rs 8 lakh per annum will not be considered in the creamy

layer. Earlier, this ceiling was Rs 6 lakh per annum.

The government has clarified that selling of space for advertisements in print media would attract 5 and 18

per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST), depending on the terms of the contract between the newspaper,

advertisement agency and the client.





The three-decade old National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been merged with another central police

organisation — the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) by the government with an aim to

improve efficiency of development works related to policing.

Base year to measure WPI revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12

According to The Economic survey, extreme weather events are costing India $9-10 billion annually and

climate change is projected to impact agricultural productivity with increasing severity from 2020 to the end of

the century.

Gobindobhog rice,a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI)

status. As a result of getting the GI tag, as the certification is also called, rice from other regions or rice of

other varieties cannot be branded as Gobindobhog .

For the first time ever, forex exchange reserves crossed the $400-billion mark as on September 8 to reach

$400.727 billion, data from the Reserve Bank of India show. The central bank took almost a decade to shore

up its forex kitty by $100 billion to cross $400 billion from $300 billion.

According to a new series of gross State domestic product data with 2011-12 as the base year published by the

Central Statistics Office, Arunachal Pradesh was the fastest expanding State economies in 2015-16 followed by

Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra topped the list.

State Bank of India (SBI) is India s most trusted and most popular bank according to a survey conducted by

Brand Finance, a business valuation and strategic consultancy headquartered in London.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said, India s current account deficit (CAD) rose sharply to $14.3 billion in

the first quarter (April-June) of 2017-18 from $0.4 billion reported for the like period of 2016-17.

According to Dun and Bradstreet report titled India s Top Banks 2017 , the credit growth of all scheduled

commercial banks slowed down from 10.9 per cent in 2015-16 to 8.1 per cent in 2016-17.

According to Japanese financial services major Nomura, India s current account deficit is expected to widen to

1.5 per cent of GDP in 2017

Project Insight , launched in October 2017, will use big data analytics to match information from social media

sites to deduce mismatches between spending pattern and income declaration. So next time a photo of your

shiny new luxury car on Instagram or a costly watch on Facebook may lead the taxman to your door as the tax

department from next month will begin amassing virtual information to trace black money.

India s first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is likely to be completed by 2022, the year marking

75 years of India s Independence.

According to Fitch Ratings, Indian Banks will require about USD 65 billion in additional capital, to meet the new

Basel-III capital standards by March 2019 (financial year 2018-19) and push loan growth.

The Reserve Bank of India, RBI will introduce 100 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of AIADMK founder

Late Dr M G Ramachandran. It will also issue 5 rupees coin to mark the birth centenary of Dr M G

Ramachandran.

The Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu released a Commemorative Coin on Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S.

Subbulakshmi and inaugurated an exhibition entitled Kurai Onrum Illai-MS: Life in Music on the occasion of

Birth Centenary Commemoration of Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (also

known as M.S.) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be





awarded the Bharat Ratna, India s highest civilian honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon

Magsaysay award, often considered Asia s Nobel Prize.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has upped the age limit for joining the

National Pension Scheme (NPS) to 65 years from the current 60. NPS is currently open for people between 18

and 60, and the Board has approved raising the age limit for joining to 65. The scheme anyway has the option

of continuing and making contributions up to the age of 70.

According to revised estimates published by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), global merchandise trade is

expected to grow at a higher 3.6 per cent in 2017, compared with 1.6 per cent increase last year. The WTO

had earlier projected the world trade to grow at 2.4 per cent in 2017.

India s external debt amounted to $485.8 billion during the quarter ended June 17, up 1.3 per cent over the

same period a year ago.

According to data released by the Commerce Ministry, cooling of food prices helped ease India s annual rate

of inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with the revised base year of 2011-12, in September to

2.6 per cent.

According to market research firm Gartner, Global IT spending in India is projected to hit $3.7 trillion in 2018

— a 4.3 per cent increase from 2017.

According to Coffee Board, coffee output in India, is pegged to be a record 3.50 lakh tonnes in the 2017-18

marketing year started this month on higher acreage.

The GST council meet chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned that permanent account number

(PAN) or Aadhaar would not be mandatory if jewellery is purchased above Rs 50,000.

Govt. approved Rs 2,000 crore specifically for setting up Aadhaar centres in post offices, a move that will see

private contractors phased out from the data collection process.

The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to September, 2017 reported a 15.8 percent increase (Rs.

3.86 lakh crore) compared to the net collections for the corresponding period of last year.

Digital payments to grow at 26 % CAGR during 2016-2020: World Payment Report

The centre has released Rs 8,698 crore to states to compensate them for revenue loss following Goods and

Services Tax (GST) implementation. All states barring Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh, have been given

compensation.

According to the data furnished by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGA), the Indian budgetary fiscal

deficit over the first half of the current financial year at Rs 4.99 lakh crore — stood at 91.3 per cent of the full

year s target of Rs 5.46 lakh crore.

According to NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, the economic slowdown that began in 2013-14 has

bottomed out and the GDP is likely to grow at 6.9-7 % this fiscal (2017-18) and 7.5% in 2018-19.

Government has permitted banks to sell more small savings schemes. Banks can also sell National Savings

Time Deposit Scheme 1981, National Savings (Monthly Income Account) Scheme 1987, National Savings

Recurring Deposit Scheme 1981 and NSC VIII issue. Present annual rate of interests are as:

Investments in the public provident fund (PPF) – 7.8 per cent

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments – 7.5 per cent and mature in 115 months.

Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme – 8.3 per cent





5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme – 8.3 per cent. The interest rate on the senior citizens scheme is paid

quarterly.

The government gave ex-post facto clearance to implementation of the Special Banking Arrangement (SBA) of

Rs10,000 crore for payment of outstanding claims towards fertiliser subsidy in 2016-17.

Asia Index Pvt Ltd, a joint venture of S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE, has launched an environmental, social and

governance (ESG) index to measure the exposure to securities meeting sustainability investing criteria.

Eight core sectors grew to a six-month high of 5.2 per cent in September, helped by a robust performance in coal,

natural gas, and refinery segments.

According to the Japanese financial services major, Nomura s report, India s current account deficit (CAD) for this

financial year is expected to be around $40 billion, or 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP).

The revenue department has announced that farmers do not need to quote PAN for cash sale of their produce up

to Rs 2 lakh a day.

Lauding India s increasing per capita income, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva said she has no doubt that India

will be a high-middle income country by 2047 when it completes its centenary year of independence.

India s insurance regulator IRDAI has mandated all insurers – life and non-life – to link the Aadhaar number of the

policy holders to their policies. It further said that linking of Aadhaar number to insurance policies is mandatory

under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules 2017.

Sidbi, Crisil to launch sentiment index named CriSidEx for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector

The Government of India launched the BHARAT-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) managed by ICICI Prudential

Mutual Fund targeting an initial amount of about Rs.8,000 crore. This New Fund Offer is open till November 17,

2017. The Units of the Scheme will be allotted 25% to each category of investors.

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), with the revised

base year of 2011-12, went up in October to 3.59 per cent from 2.60 per cent in September.

Apps Launches/ Portal/Helpline

APP/Portal Features/Use Hire Google has launched Hire , a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized

businesses.

MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch

of Electricity for Rejuvenation of

Income and Transparency) and

the e-bidding portal

The app and the portal would help the states to select Independent Power

Producers (IPPs) for procurement of power by transferring their domestic

coal.

launched by Power Ministry.

GST Rates Finder to enhance the ease of doing business post the rollout of the GST

launched by Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)

Rail SAARTHI to cater to various passenger requirements, including ticket booking, inquiry,

on-board cleaning and ordering meal on a single platform.

mAadhaar for syncing Aadhaar data on the mobile phone, has been launched by UIDAI

(Unique Identification Authority of India).

Aarambh Mobile App for Road Maintenance

Sagar Vani An Integrated Information Dissemination System. launched by Minister of

Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate

Change Dr. Harshvardhan





India Quake An App for Earthquake Parameter Dissemination. launched by Minister of

Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate

Change Dr. Harshvardhan

Kaizala Microsoft Kaizala is a Made for India product and brings together the two

disparate worlds of mobile-only messaging apps and a digitally integrated

modern workplace

e-RaKAM (Rashtriya Kisan Agri

Mandi)

an e-platform to trade agriculture commodities to ensure better returns to

farmers and access to larger markets to buyers.

AGRI UDAAN programme Launched by Hyderabad-based ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural

Research Management (NAARM).

Selected startups will be trained to develop innovative agriculture products.

Bespoke mobile wallet (mobile

payment App)

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched it.

Has been developed and issued by MobiKwik on behalf of BSNL.

1. MyFASTag (Launched by

National

and Highways

Authority

2. FASTag Partner of

India)

1. Consumer App. A consumer can purchase or recharge FASTags on this App

2. Merchant App. Common Services Centre, banking partners and vehicle

dealers can sell and enroll FASTag through this App

Science & Technology

A group of Indian astronomers have discovered a massive supercluster of galaxies, and have named it Saraswati.

A US-Russia research collaboration at Harvard has created the world s most advanced quantum computer

In a first, US scientists have developed a plant-based Zika vaccine that could be more potent, safer and cheaper to

produce than other medicines being developed for the disease. The vaccine, developed using tobacco plant, targets

a key protein — called DIII — which envelopes the outside of the Zika virus and plays a key role for the virus to

infect people.

International Astronomical Union (IAU) named an asteroid after a young Indian scientist Dr. Guneshwar Thangjam.

The asteroid, which orbits the sun is called Thangjam Asteroid or 11806 Thangjam .

British scientists have developed the world s smallest surgical robot which could transform daily operations for tens

of thousands of patients. The robot is called Versius.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch a full-fledged niche Earth observation (EO)

satellite — called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite or HySIS — using a critical chip it has developed.

The NASA has successfully launched Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M) into orbit.

India s rendezvous with the red planet continues as its celebrated Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) completes three

years in orbit. The country had on 24 September 2014 successfully placed the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft in

the orbit around the red planet, in its very first attempt, thus breaking into an elite club.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the world s most experienced spacewoman, has returned to Earth after clocking

cumulative 665 days in space. The 57-year-old landed after completing 288 days and 4,623 orbits around Earth

during her third ISS mission.

According to an international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the Earth-sized

planets orbiting the ultracool TRAPPIST-1 dwarf star 40 light-years away may have substantial amounts of water

and could be habitable.





Scientists from Brown University in the US have created the first map of water trapped in the uppermost layer of

the Moon s soil using data from an instrument aboard India s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. As per a study says that

this may prove useful to future lunar explorers.

In a bid to boost the health sector, scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world s first

molecular robot which can be used to build molecules and also help discover novel drugs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for the first time a test -- cobas Zika test -- for detecting

the Zika virus in donated blood.

According to a large clinical trial in Liberia, two experimental Ebola vaccines — cAd3-EBOZ and rVSV-ZEBOV — are

safe and can elicit immune response that lasts for at least one year.

After orbitting the Red Planet for 16 years, NASA s Mars Odyssey spacecraft has captured its first images of the

Martian moon Phobos.

Astronomers have discovered that a Sun-like star - Dubbed Kronos - lurking around 350 light-years away consumed

the rocky equivalent of 15 Earths.

India s second bid to explore Earth s satellite is likely to start in March 2018. The Indian Space Research

Organization (ISRO), is set to start a lunar journey of the Chandrayaan-2 mission as early as March of next year.

Defence News The joint military exercise – Surya Kiran between India and Nepal held in in Rupandehi district, Nepal.

The exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017 between India and USA, will be held from September 14-27 at Joint Base Lewis-

McChord in the US.

Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy on 7 September 2017 began the 2017 Sri Lanka-India Exercise (SLINEX) at

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Indian and Kazakhstan - 14-day joint exercise Prabal Dostyk 2017 from November 2 in Bakloh belt of Himachal

Pradesh.

Indian and the Bangladeshi armies - an intensive combat exercise Exercise Sampriti at India s Counter-Insurgency

and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram.

An army training capsule on counter-insurgency/ counter-terrorism operations will be conducted in Patna s

Danapur Cantonment from November 13 to December 10.

Coastal security exercise Sagar Kavach , in which several security and intelligence agencies are expected to

participate, will be held off the Goa coast on November 8 and 9, 2017.

Indian Naval ship Sukanya reached Belawan port, Indonesia to take part in the 30th edition of CORPAT

(Coordinated Patrol) and third Bilateral exercise between the Indian and Indonesian navies.

Exercise INDRA-2017, the first ever Tri Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces conducted

at the 249th Combined Army Range Sergeevisky and in the Sea of Japan near Vladivostok, Russia.

A 45 member contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Israel to participate in exercise Blue Flag-17 . Blue Flag is a

bi-annual multilateral exercise which aims to strengthen military cooperation amongst participating nations. Indian

Air Force is participating with the C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos.

The Indian Coast Guard has handed over offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varuna to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard. India

has earlier handed over two offshore patrol vessels of the Indian Coast Guard — Varaha in April 2006 and Vigraha

in August 2008. ICGS Varuna, named after sea god Varuna, was commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard in

February 1988.





The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) twice successfully flight tested Indias indigenously

developed third generation Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Nag in Rajasthan.

Astra, the beyond visual range air-to-air missile, is all set for production and later induction into the armed forces.

A multi agency exercise was conducted on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake as the final event of Pralay Sahayam in

Hyderabad.

A new interceptor boat V-409 built by Bharati Defence and infrastructure limited was launched at Mangalore. The

objective of the boat is to provide coastal security.

The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two high-speed interceptor boats –C-433 and C-434 (built by L&T

Shipbuilding) — fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun at the Dighi Port in Mumbai, in a move that will boost security

along the Maharashtra coastline.

For the first time in 22 years, India s first ingenuously built INS Kalavari submarine has been handed over to the

Indian Navy.

INS Tarasa, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft intended for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrolling, has

been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

China has announced commissioning its first radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, giving its air

force an edge in the region. The Chengdu J-20 is China s fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet

Bangladesh naval ship Somudra Avijan arrived Visakhapatnam on a four-day goodwill visit to the Eastern Naval

Command (ENC).

On the occasion of its 85th anniversary, the Indian Air Force has launched an innovative mobile health App named

`MedWatch in keeping with the Prime Minister s vision of Digital India .

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman commissioned the third of the four indigenously-built Anti-Submarine

Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes INS Kiltan under Project 28 (Kamorta class) into the Indian Navy at

Visakhapatnam s Naval Dockyard.

Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt will participate in Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese Marine Self

Defence Force.

An offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named Vikram , entirely developed in-house by Larsen and Toubro and the

country s first-ever such defence craft to be built in a private shipyard, has been handed over to the Coast Guard.

GOI has armed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with ISRO s geostationary communication satellite, GSAT-6, to

supervise the nearly 3,500-km-long Sino-Indian border.

The Indian Navy has dispatched a P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Manila to undertake a Search

and Rescue (SAR) for missing sailors of a merchant vessel that sank off the coast of Philippines.

India has successfully test-fired an indigenously developed short-range and Quick Reaction Surface to Air missile

(QRSAM) from Chandipur along the Odisha coast.

Muntra, country s first unmanned tank, rolls out from the Chennai lab.

The US Navy inducted the world s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, which is worth over Rs83,000 crore

($12.9 billion) and weighs 1 lakh tonnes.

Two naval offshore patrol vessels (NOPVs) named Shachi and Shruti delievered to Navy by Reliance Defence and

Engineering Ltd (RDEL).

Warships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from India, Japan and the US will participate in the Malabar 2017

exercise in the Bay of Bengal from July 7-17.

Doppler Weather Radar built by Indian Meteorological Department at Kochi.





A student of Chennai s SRM University, Dacharla Panduranga Rohith developed a Nano Missile on 21 August

2017 recognised by World Records of India.

A six-member all-woman team of the Indian Navy will set sail to circumnavigate the globe on the sailing vessel

INSV Tarini. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-woman crew. The expedition

has been titled Navika Sagar Parikrama .

The Indian Coast Guard Ship Varuna, which was part of the First Training Squadron of the Navy, was

decommissioned with full armed forces honours at a ceremony held at the south jetty of the Southern Naval

Command.

Pakistan successfully test fires short-range ballistic missile, Nasr

The Union Government announced on 3 November 2017 that an indigenously developed lightweight Glide bomb

was successfully tested in Chandipur in Odisha.

Indian Navy is likely to go with an advanced catapult-based aircraft launch mechanism (CATOBAR) from the U.S. for

its second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II)

India successfully test-fired the indigenously-designed and developed long-range subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay

from an Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha s Balasore. It failed its last test in December 2015.

Aiming to strengthen coastal security along the Odisha and West Bengal coastline, the governments of both states

will hold a joint security exercise Sagar Kavach in the Bay of Bengal

Sports News

Tournament Winner Extra Info Senior National title – women s singles title PV Sindhu

Senior National title – men s singles title H.S. Prannoy

Asian Boxing Championships Mary Kom Held in Vietnam

Panasonic Open India (Golf) Shiv Kapur

Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open (Golf) Aditi Ashok

Asia Cup Hockey Title (Women) India Beat China

IBSF World Billiards Championship Pankaj Advani Championship held at Doha, Qatar

United States Open Grand Prix HS Prannoy Parupalli Kashyap

Asian Team Snooker Championship Team: Pankaj Advani

and Laxman Rawat

South Australian Open squash title Harinder Pal Sandhu

Malaysian Squash Tour X event Harinder Pal Sandhu

Korea Open (Badminton) PV Sindhu She defeated World Championships gold

winner, Japan s Nozomi Okuhara

2nd South Asian Basketball, SABA, Under –

16 Championship

India Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal

third.

South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)

Under-15 Championship

India Beat Nepal

Hockey Asia Cup title India Defeated Malaysia.

Held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Women s World Cup 2017 England India

FIFA Confederation Cup Football title Germany Chile

FIBA Asia Cup 2017 (Basketball Australia Beat Iran





Championship)

FIFA Under-17 World Cup England Defeated Spain.

Tournament held in India. Final at the Salt

Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup in India became

the most attended in the history of the

tournament.

Pro Kabaddi League title Patna Pirates Beat Gujarat Fortunegiants

MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC)

Beat Bengaluru Hockey

French Open title – men s singles Kidambi Srikanth It is his 4th title of the year. Earlier -

Indonesia Open, Australian Open and

Denmark Open.

Denmark Open title – men s singles Kidambi Srikanth

Bulgarian International Shuttler RMV

Gurusaidutt

World Open Under-16 Snooker

Championship title

Anupama

Ramachandran

Held in Russia

U-15 Asian Junior Championship Shuttler Samiya Imad

Farooqui

Held in Myanmar

European Racing Championship Mahaveer

Raghunathan

He became first Indian to win the race

Gold at Wushu World Championships Pooja Kadian India s first ever gold medal at the

chanpionship

8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF

Futures Men s tennis championship

Sumit Nagal

57th National Open Athletics

Championships (Men s 500-meter race)

Govindan Lakshmanan

Commonwealth Youth weightlifting

Championship

Konsam Ormila Devi She bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight

category. C ship held at Gold Coast,

Australia

World Cadet Chess Championship in the

under-12 category

Divya Deshmukh

Cadet World Wrestling Championship Sonam Malik She won a gold medal by defeating

Japanese Wrestler Sena Nagamoto

Belgian Junior Open (Badminton) Vaishnavi Reddy

2017 US Open (tennis) – Men s singles Rafael Nadal (Spain)

2017 US Open (tennis) – Women s singles Sloane Stephens

(American)

With she won her 1st Grand Slam.

2017 US Open (tennis) – Men s Doubles Henri Kontinen

(Finland), John Peers

(Australia)

2017 US Open (tennis) – Women s Doubles Ekaterina Makarova

(Russia), Elena Vesnina

(Russia)

2017 US Open (tennis) – Mixed Doubles Martina Hingis





(Switzerland) and Jamie

Murray (British)

International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final - 10m air pistol

mixed team event

Jitu Rai and Heena

Sidhu

Macao Open trophy Indian golfer Gaganjeet

Bhullar

National Blitz Chess Championship R.R. Laxman Championship held at Kolkata

74th National Squash Championships –

men s singles

Saurav Ghoshal

74th National Squash Championships –

women s singles

Joshna Chinappa

Asian Shotgun Championship Ankur Mittal Championship held at Astana, Kazakhstan

Bulgaria Open International Series title–

men s singles

Lakshya Sen

WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title Vijender Singh Beated Chinese opponent Zulpikar

Maimaitiali

Austrian Grand Prix 2017 Valtteri Bottas Sebastian Vettel

Mexico Grand Prix Max Verstappen

F1 s Malaysian Grand Prix Max Verstappen after beating Lewis Hamilton.

Hungarian Grand Prix 2017 Sebastian Vettel Kimi Raikkonen

Brazilian Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel

Italian Grand Prix Mercedes Lewis

Hamilton

Beat Max Verstappen

Singapore Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton Beat Daniel Ricciardo

Belgian Grand Prix 2017 Lewis Hamilton Beat Sebastian Vettel

British Grand Prix 2017 Lewis Hamilton Valtteri Bottas

Japanese Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton

US Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton

Tianjin Open Maria Sharapova

Wimbledon 2017 Men s singles Roger Federer

(Switzerland)

Marin Cilic

Wimbledon 2017 Women s singles Garbiñe Muguruza

(Spain)

Venus Williams

Wimbledon 2017 Men s doubles Łukasz Ku ot Pola d / Marcelo Melo (Brazil)

Wimbledon 2017 Women s doubles Ekaterina Makarova

(Russia) / Elena

Vesnina (Russia)

Wimbledon 2017 Mixed doubles Jamie Murray (United

Kingdom) / Martina

Hingis (Switzerland)





Sports

India will host the men s World Championship in 2021.

India will host women s World Championship for the second time in 2018.

Indonesia to host Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 championship in 2018

Russia s Kazan to host 2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships

China s Hangzhou to host 2018 World Short Course Swimming Championships.

India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting Championships.

Birmingham has been named as the British government s choice to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The World Senior Badminton Championship began at Kochi. It is for the first time that India is hosting the

Championship.

Asia Road Racing Championship started from 22nd September in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

South Asian Championship to be held in Guwahati from December 6-10.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the revamped Khelo India

programme at a cost of Rs.1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

India becomes 1st visiting country to inflict 5-0 whitewash on Sri Lanka.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma launched a statewide football grassroots development programme

Mission Football .

Chennai Open renamed Maharashtra Open, to be held in Pune from next year.

Indian women s cricket team skipper Mithali Raj has surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards to

become the highest run-scorer in the One-Day Internationals (ODI).

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu was awarded the Sportsperson of the Year award by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Pullela Gopichand was conferred with the Coach of the Year award by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Sports Illustrated magazine :: Former sprinter Milkha Singh bagged the Living Legend award, the Lifetime

Achievement award was won by shooter Abhinav Bindra, Inspirational athlete of the year award was won by Deepa

Malik.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated The Arena in Ahmedabad, Gujarat one of the most advanced

integrated multi-purpose stadiums.

Budding India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj, aged 15, has become the country s youngest athlete to figure in the

government s Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.

PV Sindhu Becomes Second Indian To Win Silver At World Badminton Championship.

Oinam Bembem Devi Becomes Second Indian Female Footballer To Win The Arjuna Award.

Indian captain Virat Kohli became the leading ODI run-scorer in 2017. Kohli, who has now scored 907 runs this year,

overtook South Africa s Faf du Plessis, who has 814 runs in 2017.

India beat Austria 4-3 to end European tour on a high

Legendary Sprinter Usain Bolt retires.

England's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney has announced his retirement from international football.

U-19 cricket Asia Cup to be held in November 2017 has been shifted from Bengaluru to Malaysia following the

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) s objection to the tournament being held in India.

USA tops the IAAF World Championships 2017 medal tally (30 medals). It was held in London. Hero-the Hedgehog

was a Mascot of 2017 IAAF World Championships and Whizbee-the Bee was the Mascot for the Para Athletics.

Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom has become the first Indian to be picked as

International Boxing Association s (AIBA) representative for the IOC Athletes Forum, scheduled in November.





MS Dhoni has became the first wicketkeeper to have 100 stumpings to his names in one-day international. Dhoni

surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who had 99 stumpings in 404 matches.

Indian captain Virat Kohli became the fastest player to score 15,000 runs in international cricket during the one-off

T20I against Sri Lanka.

The renowned Indian Badminton legend Prakash Padukone has been selected for the first life time award by

Badminton Association of India. He has been selected for the award for his contributions to Badminton.

The captain of the Indian basketball team, Amritpal Singh scripted history by becoming the first Indian-born player

to be picked up by an Australian NBL team.

The present Chief Coach of India senior women Hockey Team, Waltherus Norbertus Maria Marijne is appointed as

the Chief Coach of Indian Senior Men Hockey Team. Also, Shri Harendra Singh, Dronacharya Awardee, Hockey

Coach as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team.

FIFA U-17 World Cup song officially launched - Called Kar Ke Dikhla De Goal , the song has been written by lyricist

Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Pritam.

Acting on the recommendations of the Olympic Task Force on preparations for Olympics 2020-2028, the Sports

Ministry has announced the setting up of an Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) to look into the same. The task

force with members such as Abhinav Bindra and P Gopichand had submitted its interim report focussing on short-

term preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games on May 22.

Hockey India has sacked national coach Roelant Oltmans after a string of unimpressive outings at the international

level.

England s top tier football club Tottenham Hotspur has unveiled the world s first-ever dividing retractable pitch at

its new stadium. The retractable grass football pitch will sit on top of an artificial pitch which will be used by

American football league NFL

Official Slogan and Emblem of FIFA Women s World Cup France 2019. - The slogan of the tournament Dare To

Shine reflects the development of football, especially women s football.

India remain 4th in women s cricket team rankings

The Indian football team rose two spots above to 105th position in the latest FIFA rankings in October 2017.

Ravi Shastri has emerged as the world s highest earning cricket coach with salary close to 1.17 million dollars per

year, according to ESPNCricinfo.

Jeakson Singh Thounaojam created history at Delhi s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by scoring India s first goal in a

World Cup during India s match against Colombia.

Yuvraj Singh has been appointed as Laureus first Indian ambassador.

Virat Kohli has become the top run-scorer at the 200 ODI-mark, after taking the field against New Zealand in the

first ODI at Mumbai.

Virat Kohli became the fastest to reach 9000 ODI runs, taking just 194 innings to achieve the feat

On October 29, as the ICC Rankings were updated, both the Indian captains Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj came out on

top. Kohli overtook South Africa s AB de Villiers in the rankings and Mithali Raj overtook Australia s Meg Lanning.

Indian pacer Ashish Nehra confirmed his retirement from all forms of cricket on Nov. 1

Kavita Devi, who was part of the WWE s Mae Young classic tournament, has made history by becoming the first

ever woman wrestler from India to be awarded a WWE developmental contract.

Netherlands captain Arjen Robben announced retirement from international football.





All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan became the first cricketer from Bangladesh to be inducted in the MCC World Cricket

Committee under the chairmanship of Mike Gatting.

Heena Sidhu clinched the 10-metre air pistol gold medal at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships.

In a bid to create awareness about para-sports and provide a platform to para sportspersons to narrate their stories

of triumph and adversity,thenationspride.com, the country s first portal dedicated to para-sports has been

launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Dehradun, Uttarakhand hosted its first ever Ranji Trophy cricket match.

Scott Fleming, former India men s national team head coach, has joined NBA India as Head of Basketball

Operations.

The U-17 World Cup will set a record of sorts as it will see for the first time a female assistant referee in a FIFA

men s competition this time. Seven female assistant referees from across the world, one from each continent, have

been chosen by FIFA.

Switzerland s Esther Staubli became the first female referee to officiate a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup when

Japan clashed with New Caledonia in the final round group E match in Kolkata on 14th October 2017.

Official ball for Under-17 football World Cup -- Krasava, a word generally used by Russian sports fans to describe a

striking performance and it is the ultimate praise for a team when they play with creativity and flair.

9 top weightlifting countries suspended by the by the International Weightlifting Federation – Russia, China,

Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Australian fast bowler John Hastings announced his retirement from first-class and one-day cricket

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football Federation.

The next cricket season will witness the debut of Puducherry in the domestic circuit after the Supreme Court-

appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) acceded to BCCI s proposal of granting associate membership to the

Union Territory.

Turkey is all set to host the 10th installment of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in September 2018 in Ankara,

capital city of Turkey.

Indian ace shuttler Srikanth Kidmabi has risen to the zenith of his career as he established himself as world number

2 in the latest BWF men s singles ratings.

Indian women s cricket team captain Mithali Raj bagged the Indian Sportswoman of the Year (Team Sports) award

at the Indian Sports Honours (ISH) event.

Geeta Phogat wins gold at All India Police Championship

Prakash Nanjappa wins gold at Commonwealth Shooting Championships

Virat Kohli - top of the latest ICC Twenty-20 Rankings for Batsmen.

Spain s Rafael Nadal was presented with ATP World No. 1 award

The official mascot of the 2017 AIBA Youth Womens World Boxing Championship is Assams famed one-horned

rhino. The official mascot, anointed Guppy, is a female version of Assam s one-horned rhino.

The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 19 at the Maulana Mohd. Tayebulla Hockey

Stadium.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has named a gate of the Feroz Shah Kotla ground after former

India opener Virender Sehwag. The Gate No. 2 of the stadium, in Delhi, was named as the Virender Sehwag Gate .

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah became the number one bowler in the latest ICC T20I rankings Player Rankings.

Pakistan to host ACC Emerging Nations Cup in April 2018





Hong Kong is set to become the first Asian city to host the Gay Games, after it won the right to host the Games in

2022, beating the likes of Mexico s Guadalajara and Washington DC.

25-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis has announced her retirement from professional tennis at the

conclusion of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.

Adidas Football has unveiled the Telestar 18 official ball for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia.

India s star gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been conferred a D.Litt. degree from the National Institute of Technology

(NIT) Agartala.

M. S. Dhoni inaugurated his first global cricket academy in Dubai, UAE.

Committees

Head of Committee Purpose Dr. Rajiv Kumar 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.

Bhupender Yadav The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 has been referred to a Joint

Parliamentary Committee of both the Houses, under the Chairpersonship of Shri

Bhupender Yadav, M.P for examination and presenting a Report to the Parliament.

Sushil Kumar Modi (Bihar

Deputy Chief Minister)

The Union Finance Ministry has constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) to monitor and

resolve IT challenges faced in implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Dilip C Chakraborty The RBC (risk-based capital) committee headed by Dilip C Chakraborty in its report to

Irdai suggested that the industry should move ahead with RBC to ensure that capital

held by a company will take into account its overall risk profile.

Bibek Debroy The Economic Advisory Council headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy will be an

independent body for giving advice on economic and related issues to the government,

especially to the Prime minister.

T.K. Viswanathan The Home Ministry is examining a report submitted by a high-level committee formed

to propose new laws or amendments to deal with hate speech on the internet. The

committee, headed by T.K. Viswanathan submitted its report to the Union Home

Ministry recently.

K. Viswanathan Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has set up a committee on fair market

conduct .

Justice B N Srikrishna To study various issues relating to data protection in the country and suggest a draft

data protection Bill. Formed by Union Government.

Justice BN Srikrishna To review the Institutionalization of Arbitration Mechanism in India has submitted its

report.

Maj. General (Retired) B C

Khanduri

Committee has recently recommended 100% pension to widow of deceased soldier

Committee of joint

secretaries

Constituted by GOI for ensuring enhanced affordability, availability and accessibility of

drugs for the citizens.

K Rajeswara Rao To review the National Mineral Policy, 2008, and suggest a new framework will submit

its report by October-end.

Tarun Ramadorai Committee on Household Finance has suggested that banks link their home loan rates

to the RBI s repo rate, the rate at which it lends to banks, instead of the Marginal Cost

of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR).





D.B. Shekatkar The government has accepted the first batch of 65 recommendations of the Lt General

D.B. Shekatkar (retd) committee which will result in redeployment of 57,000 personnel

for various other required duties.

PM Narendra Modi Government of India will commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Father of the

Nation Mahatma Gandhi during the period from 2nd October, 2019 to 2nd October,

2020.

Rajiv Kumar (NITI Aayog

Vice Chairman)

For proper management of water resources in the North-Eastern region

G Rohini (Delhi High Court s

former Chief Justice)

To examine subcategorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under Article 340 of

the Constitution

Himanta Biswa Sarma To make the composition scheme more attractive and to revisit the goods and services

tax rates on restaurants. Sarma is Assam finance minister.

Shashi Tharoor A parliamentary committee has decided to examine the whole gamut of Sino-Indian

relations, including the border situation.

PV Reddi Law ministry nod to panel to look into pay hike issue of lower court judges

Afzal Amanullah Committee appointed by the government on Haj Policy has recommended phasing out

of subsidy for Haj pilgrims and allowing women devotees above 45 years of age to

travel in a group of at least four without a male.

Arun Jaitley Panel will oversee merger proposals of state-owned banks. The other members of the

panel include Railway and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman. The constitution of Alternative Mechanism (AM) is a movement in that

direction.

A. Arumughaswamy Panel constituted by Tamil Nadu Government to look into the circumstances leading to

the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Y. M. Deosthalee Panel set up by RBI to develop a comprehensive public credit registry (PCR) — an

extensive database of credit information for India that is accessible to all stakeholders.

A Surya Prakash Panel formed to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV

(RSTV). Surya is Prasar Bharati Chairman.

B C Khanduri Panel to examine the operational preparedness of the armed forces and review the

accidents involving strategic defence assets.

Yashwant Thorat Maharashtra government has formed a committee to study the feasibility of merging

financially weak District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) with the Maharashtra State

Cooperative (MSC) Bank

Sushil Chandra Multi-Agency Group (MAG) will investigate the Paradise Papers on offshore financial

holdings, including a list 714 Indian individuals and entities.

M Vinod Kumar Panel has started a review of the laws governing goods and services tax (GST) to remove

any glitches.

CK Mishra Committee to formulate short and long-term measures to solve the problem of air

pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.





Rankings

Index India’s Rank Other Information Global index of countries with the

most confidence in their government

1st 73 per cent Indians have faith in the Narendra Modi led

NDA coalition, the highest in the world

Global Retail Development Index 1st India replaced China at numero uno position

Highest proportion of digital talent 1st According to the Capgemini and LinkedIn survey, India

has the highest proportion of digital talent with 76

percent among the countries surveyed, compared to the

global average of 56 percent.

Global TB Report 2017 1st India s rank accounting for 64 per cent of the 10.4

million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide in 2016.

report released by the World Health Organisation

(WHO).

World s largest smartphone market 2nd Ist – China

India overtook USA to become world s second-largest

smartphone market

Biggest beef exporter 3rd 1st – Brazil

According to OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026

report released by Food and Agriculture Organisation

(FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation

(OECD)

Nuclear Power Installations 3rd (number of

nuclear reactors

being installed is

6)

Topped by China (number of nuclear reactors being

installed is 20)

Fastest growing economy in the

world according to the World Bank s

latest edition of the Global Economic

Prospects

4th 1st - Estonia

Foreign investor into the UK 4th 1st - USA

Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 6th 1st – Haiti

Business Optimism index 7th 1st – Indonesia

Most valuable nation brand 8th 1st – USA

According to Brand Finance s Nation Brands 2017

Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 23rd 1st – Singapore

released by the UN telecommunications agency

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

Melbourne Mercer Global Pension

Index 2017

28th 1st – Denmark

World Economic Forum s (WEF)

Global Competitiveness Index

40 Topped by Switzerland

2017 Global Retirement Index 43rd (last) Index given by French asset management company

Natixis Global.

Switzerland, Norway and Iceland topped the ranking.

Most Powerful passports in the 75th 1st – Singapore.





World Passport Index developed by global financial advisory

firm Arton Capital

In terms of money parked by its

citizens with Swiss banks

88th 1st – United Kingdom

Ease of Doing Business index 100th 1st – New Zealand

Report by World Bank.

India has climbed to 4th position in protecting interest of minority investors, as per the latest Ease of Doing Business

Report of the World Bank. List is topped by Kazakhstan.

Global Hunger Index (GHI), 2017 100th

Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index

(QNI)

101 1st – Germany

World Economic Forum s (WEF)

Global Human Capital Index

103 1st – Norway

Global Gender Gap index 108th 1st – Iceland

Index is launched by World Economic Forum

Sustainable Development Goals Index 116th 1st - Sweden

Index that rates countries by their

commitment to reducing inequality

132nd 1st - Sweden

India leapt up the global rankings by 12 places to take the 14th spot in terms of best country for expats to live and

work in, says a HSBC survey. Topped by Singapore.

India is the most corrupt Asian country with 69 per cent bribery rates, according to a report by Transparency

International.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that India ranked third among the countries that have faced the most

natural disasters in the last half century. The United States experienced the most disasters

According to a KPMG (a professional service company) survey, India has emerged as the top country for reporting

corporate responsibility information in the annual financial report of companies, but the quality of disclosures has to

improve.

With 2.51 million deaths in 2015, India has been ranked No. 1 in pollution related deaths, according to a report by

The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. 2nd - China

Indians second-highest public bingers in the world. 1st – Mexico.

Binge Watching means the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television programme in rapid succession,

typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.

India tops domestic air passenger traffic in September, China second: International Air Transport Association (IATA)

According to the Q3 2017 Salary Budget Planning Report , India s projected salary growth for 2018 stood the

highest in the Asia-Pacific region at 10 per cent despite a decreasing year-on-year pattern.

Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)

In the race to go digital, businesses judge India s Silicon Valley — Bangalore — the best host among 45 cities

worldwide. San Francisco came in second followed by two other Indian cities — Mumbai and New Delhi.

Three Indian firms — Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints and Bharti Airtel — are among Forbes list of the world s 100

most innovative companies, where Salesforce.com has replaced Tesla Motors on the top position.

Singapore Airlines has been rated the world s best airline in a survey by the Travel and Leisure magazine.





Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has been

recognised in Fortune s annual list of the Top 50 companies that are changing the world. mKrishi developed by TCS

got 30th rank. JPMorgan Chase topped the list.

New Delhi s Connaught Place has been ranked as the tenth most expensive office market in the world, as revealed

by the CBRE South Asia s Global Prime Office Rents survey. Hong Kong s Central Markettopped the survey ranking.

Apple topped the list of the world s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group

Interbrand. Apple is followed by Google.

Reliance Industries Ltd has jumped five places to rank as the world s third-biggest energy company behind Russian

gas firm Gazrpom and German utility E.ON, according to Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings.

Three Indian entrepreneurial legends, Ratan Tata, Lakshmi Mittal and Vinod Khosla have been included in Forbes s

special list of the world s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds .

Patanjali Ayurved CEO Acharya Balkrishna has been named among India s top 10 richest people for the first time in

Hurun Rich List 2017, with a wealth of ₹70,000 crore. Mukesh Ambani retains the richest Indian title for the sixth

year.

Forbes – Priyanka Chopra is eighth highest paid TV actress, Sofia Vergara tops the list

Google, Bharat Heavy Electricals and State Bank of India have been named as the top three best places to work in

India by leading global job site Indeed.

Bengaluru is the world s most affordable technology hub, according to a study conducted by a realty consultancy

firm.

London has retained its rank as the number one city in the world shrugging off Brexit worries, according to Global

Power City Index (GPCI).

Japanese capital city Tokyo has topped The Economist Intelligence Unit s Safe Cities Index 2017. Delhi and Mumbai

have ranked 43rd and 45th respectively.

The Jaipur and Srinagar Airport got First and Second rank respectively in the category of 2-5 million passengers in

ACI-ASQ Survey.

Hyderabad s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has bagged the World 1 airport Award trophy of the Airports

Council International (ACI) in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category.

Loans from Banks

From To Amount Purpose

World Bank India $ 125

million For Innovate in India (i3), a National Biopharma Mission aimed at

accelerating biopharmaceutical development in the country.

World Bank India USD 200

million

For the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project

World Bank India US $ 1 billion For funding Institutional Development and for construction of

priority infrastructure projects for municipal waste water

treatment and solid waste treatment on the main stem of Ganga

in the five Ganga basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,

Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

World Bank India US$ 119

Million

For the Odisha Higher Education Programme for Excellence &

Equity (OHEPEE) Project was signed with the World Bank.

Asian Gujarat $329 million to build access roads to 4,000 villages in Gujarat





Infrastructure

Investment Bank

(AIIB)

AIIB India USD 2 million

loan (Rs.

13,000

crores)

For various projects in Andhra Pradesh. Projects for roads and

buildings department, for rural safe drinking water department,

municipal and urban development department and Panchayat

Raj department

Asian

Development

Bank (ADB)

India $220 million for improving connectivity as well as transport efficiency and

safety on State Highways of Rajasthan.

Asian

Development

Bank (ADB)

India US$ 3 billion

to US$ 4

billion

For ADB s Indian Operations including support for infrastructure

projects. For the period 2018-22

Asian

Development

Bank (ADB)

IndusInd

Bank

USD 200

million

(about Rs

1,282 crore)

The seven-year senior loan will go toward IndusInd Bank s

microfinance activities. The loan specially will be used to serve

low income women borrowers in rural areas

ADB West Bengal $300 million To continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West

Bengal to bring about more accessible, affordable, and high

quality public services

ADB India $4 billion ADB has extended the lending to support the country to

accelerate inclusive economic transformation

ADB Himachal

Pradesh

USD 80

million

(about Rs

524 crore)

For modernisation of Himachal Pradesh s technical and

vocational education and training (TVET) institution

Asian

Development

Bank (ADB)

India USD 65.5

million

To continue interventions to check coastal erosion on the

western coast in Karnataka.

ADB India USD 300

million

To continue a series of fiscal reforms in the State of West Bengal

to improve the quality of public service delivery.

AIIB and ADB India USD 100

million

To improve power transmission network and expand the use of

solar and wind energy

New

Development

Bank

China, India

and Russia

US$ 1.4

billion out of

which US$

470 million

to India

Total amount for sustainable development project in 3 countries.

Loan to India for Madhya Pradesh s Multi-Village Rural Drinking

Water Supply Scheme Project.

European

Investment Bank

(EIB)

India € Euro 300

million

For Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6

India Bangladesh USD 4.5-

billion

For developing Bangladesh s infrastructure, health and

education.

India Ethiopia India would give Ethiopia a line of credit of USD 195 million for

power transmission sector and medicines worth USD 2 million.

India Sri Lanka USD 585,000 The assistance package was given to develop agriculture as well

as engineering faculty on the Killinochchi campus of University of





Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

ICICI Bank NTPC

Limited

Rs. 3,000-cr For partially funding NTPC s capital expenditure.

NABARD Rajasthan

government

Rs 1,350-cr For creation of rural infrastructure in the state under the Rural

Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).

NABARD Andhra

Pradesh

Govt.

Rs. 273.06

crore

Loan under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for

Rural Water supply, Road and Bridge projects.

Deadlines/ Important Dates

What for Deadline/Date Deadline for banks to set up enrollment centres within their premises. If the

banks fail to do so,UIDAI will impose Rs 20,000 as fine per uncovered branch after

September 30

September 30, 2017

First phase of the national optic fibre network, christened Bharat Net project -

which aims to deploy high-speed optical fibre cables across rural areas

December, 2017

RBI has asked banks to provide doorstep banking facilities to senior citizens of

more than 70 years of age and differently-abled persons by

December 31, 2017

Deadline for sale of pre-GST goods with stickers of revised rates. Earlier it was

September 30.

December 31, 2017

AC truck cabins must by December 31 2017

The price of a packaged good would no longer depend on where you bought it —

be it a local kirana store, a mall, a five-star hotel or an airport from

January 1, 2018

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of

stapler pins in tea bags effective from

January 1, 2018

Medical devices will have to mandatorily carry maximum retail price (MRP) on

packages from

January 1, 2018

Indian Railways has decided to install Aadhaar-based biometric attendance

system across its zones and divisions by

January 31, 2018

Aadhaar and mobile number must be linked by February 6, 2018

For mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail benefits of various government

schemes.

March 31, 2018

To meet affordable housing targets, the Centre has extended the benefits of the

interest subsidy scheme on home loans under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or

PMAY (Urban). Earlier it was till December 2017

March 2019

NBCC to redevelop 10 railway stations with amenities similar to airports 2020





GDP Growth rates predictions (updated ones)

Agency 2017-18 2018-19

World Bank 7.0% -

IMF 6.7% 7.4%

RBI 6.7% -

Ind-Ra 6.7% -

Fitch 6.9% -

ADB 7.0% 7.4%

HSBC 7.1% -

OECD 6.7% 7.7%

Asia will continue to lead global growth: IMF (5.5 per cent for 2017 and 5.4 per cent for 2018)

India s Current Account Deficit is expected to grow by 1.6% from 0.5% in this fiscal year: Nomura

RBI: the Gross Value Added (GVA) at 6.7 per cent in 2017-18

IMF forecast that the global economy will grow by 3.6 per cent in 2017 and 3.7 per cent in 2018

GDP to remain below 6 per cent in second quarter of 2017-18: SBI report

Books

Book Author Other Info President Pranab Mukherjee – A Statesman Published by The Statesman.

Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature Jairam Ramesh Former union minister

Making of A Legend A coffee table book on Prime Minister Narendra

Modi s life.

Compiled by Sulabh International Founder

Bindeshwar Pathak

Khushwant Singh: In Wisdom and in Jest Vijay Narain

Shankar and

Onkar Singh

On noted author and journalist Khushwant Singh

Kadve Vachan Jain saint

Acharya Tarun

Sagar Maharaj

The world s shortest woman Jyoti Amge

unveiled this 51-feet high book.

I am HIV positive, so what? Jayanta Kalita On the career of Manipur bodybuilder, K

Pradipkumar Singh, known for his personal

struggle against HIV AIDS

I Do What I Do: On Reform, Rhetoric & Resolve Former RBI

Governor

Raghuram Rajan

Published by HarperCollins India.

How India Sees the World: Kautilya to the 21st

Century

Shyam Saran He is Former Foreign Secretary

100 things every professional cricketer must

know

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

issued players handbook that covers several

issues from money managing to managing

emotions. The book is also in line with Lodha





recommendations.

Hit Refresh Satya Nadella He is India-born Microsoft CEO

Unstoppable: My Life So Far Maria Sharapova She is Russian tennis player

A to Z of Financial Management in

Autonomous Institutions

Dr. Rajat

Bhargava and

Deenanath

Pathak

The book is book on financial management.

A journey towards self-reliance First ever coffee table book on Department of

Defence Production (DDP)

e-book titled India 2017 Yearbook Rajiv Mehrishi Mehrishi is Comptroller and Auditor General of

India (CAG) and former Union home secretary

Dreamnation: Uniting a Country with

Handwritten Dreams

Saji Mathew and

Jubie John

Book contains inspiring words of Dr A.P.J. Abdul

Kalam

Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl Ram Kamal

Mukherjee

It is Biography of Hema Malini. It also contains a

short foreword written by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi.

Obituaries

Name Profession Other Info Naresh Chandra Former Indian Ambassador to U.S.

Mangesh Tendulkar Renowned cartoonist

KS Chugh Doctor He is known as the father of nephrology in

India. He was a recipient of several national and

international awards, including the Padma Shri,

the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2000.

P.P. Antony Former national women s hockey

coach

Shirish Pai Poet Marathi poet and activist

Arun Sadhu Journalist journalist and Renowned Marathi writer

Shakila Actress Bollywood actress

Tom Alter Actor Padma Shri awardee and veteran film,

television and theatre actor, director and writer

R N Sudarshan Actor South Indian

Dwijen Bandyopadhyay Actor Bengali

Abdul Majid Actor An icon of the Assamese film industry, an

eminent actor, Director and writer

P P Rao Senior Advocate He was a constitutional law expert

Gauri Lankesh Journalist

Sultan Ahmed Politician Former Union minister and sitting Trinamool

Congress MP

Jomde Kena Politician Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare

Minister

Syed Mustafiz Politician Former Odisha health minister





M L Fotedar Politician He was a veteran Congress leader who was a

close confidante of former Prime Ministers

Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandh

Kiyanilie Peseyie Politician Former Speaker of the Nagaland Assembly and

sitting MLA

Alwar Mahant Chandnath Politician He was Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from

Rajasthan s Alwar

K.R Aravindakshan Politician He was Communist Party Marxist State General

Secretary

Prabhakarpant Ojharkar Politician

Purushottam Lal Politician Former Minister for Information and

Broadcasting

Santosh Mohan Dev Politician Former Heavy Industries Union Minister

Sanwar Lal Jat Politician Former Minister of State for Water Resources

in the Narendra Modi government

Gyan Singh Sohanpal Politician Former West Bengal Minister, freedom fighter

and ten-time legislator.

Fondly called Chacha (uncle)

Rishang Keishing Politician Former Manipur chief minister and Rajya Sabha

MP

PVRK Prasad Bureaucrat Senior Retired IAS Officer and Additional

Secretary to former PM Narasimha Rao

Shivajirao Patil Politician Congress leader, freedom fighter and former

Maharashtra Minister

Nar Bahadur Bhandari Politician Former Chief Minister of Sikkim

N. Dharam Singh Politician Former Chief Minister of Karnataka

Bidisha Bezbaruah Singer and Actor Assamese actor and singer

Inder Kumar Actor

K.E. Mammen Gandhian and freedom fighter

Gandhian and freedom fighter Freedom fighter and social worker

Pushpa Mitra Bhargava Scientist

Yash Pal Scientist

Udupi Ramachandra Rao Scientist

UR Rao had launched India s first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975. He was the first Indian to be inducted in the Satellite

Hall of Fame – Washington in 2013 and in International Astronautics Federation (IAF) in 2016.

Virendra Sanghi Journalist

Jagdish Mohan Hindustani vocalist

Kunwar Narain Hindi poet

Ashok Khal Veteran cyclist

Amritsar Govindsingh Milkha

Singh

Cricketer

Manu Sharma Hindi Author

Vettoor Purushan Malayalam actor

L.N. Shastry Singer-musician Kannada

Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dhrupad maestro





Dagar

Shanta Serbjeet Singh Dance critic Also Sangeet Natak Akademi member

Ramananda Sengupta Cinematographer India's oldest cinematographer

Sitaram Panchal Actor

Shanmugasundaram Actor Tamil

Shobha Sen (also known as

Sova Sen)

Actress Bengali theatre and film actress

K S Achyutan Former Director of Doordarshan

Dr MV Sridhar Ex-BCCI general manager

Bismoy Kumar Mohanty Journalist

RM Bhagawati Journalist veteran Guwahati-based journalist and editor

of Dainik Asam, oldest Assamese daily

newspaper

HM Marathe Marathi writer and journalist

Punathil Kunjabdulla Writer Hugely popular writer and novelist

Punyaslok Dasgupta Poet

Shamsher Khan Swimmer He was the first swimmer to represent India in

Olympics

Girija Devi Singer Thumri exponent and veteran classical singer

Kundan Shah Director

Lekh Tandon Filmmaker

I.V. Sasi Director Acclaimed Malayalam film director

Ram Mukherjee Director and screenwriter Indian film director and screenwriter in Hindi

and Bengali cinema and father of Bollywood

star Rani Mukerji.

Satish Chandra Historian Veteran historian of medieval India and noted

educational administrator

Vijay Nambisan Poet and Writer

Ahmed Khan Football Player Double Olympian and one of the biggest and

brightest stars in Indian football history

Tobe Hoope Director American

Paul Saheb known as S Paul Photography

Kirti Nidhi Bista Former Prime Minister of Nepal

Dina Wadia She was Mohammad Ali Jinnah s Daughter

Mansur bin Muqrin Saudi Prince

Fats Domino (Antoine

Dominique Domino Jr.)

Pianist American. Legendary rhythm and blues pianist

and singer-songwriter and rock and roll pioneer

William J. Lombardy, Chess Player American

Choirul Huda Footballer Veteran Indonesian goalkeeper

Ralphie May Comedian American

Roy Dotrice Actor British

Harry Dean Stanton Actor American

Frank Vincent Actor American

Richard Anderson Actor American





Walter Becker Guitarist He was America s legendary guitarist, bassist

and co-writer for the sophisticated, dark-

humored band Steely Dan

Charles Bradley Singer American

Richard Wilbur Poet American

John Ashbery Poet American

Jerry Lewis Actor and comic legend American

Dick Gregory Stand-up comedian, actor and civil

rights activist

American

Tom Pritchard Cricketer Zealand s oldest cricketer

Ted Corbett Sports Journalist Born in England

Dr Ruth Pfau Doctor A German Doctor

Popularly known as Pakistan s Mother Teresa

Nobel Prize Winners

Award Winner For What

2017 Nobel Prize in

Physiology or Medicine

Americans Jeffrey C. Hall,

Michael Rosbash and Michael

W. Young

for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms

controlling the circadian rhythm .

2017 Nobel physics prize Americans Rainer Weiss, Barry

C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne

for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and

the observation of gravitational waves .

2016 Nobel Prize in

Chemistry

Swiss Jacques Dubochet,

German Joachim Frank and

British Richard Henderson

for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-

resolution structure determination of biomolecules in

solution .

2017 Nobel Peace Prize International Campaign to

Abolish Nuclear Weapons

(ICAN) headquartered in

Geneva, Switzerland

for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic

humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear

weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to

achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons .

2017 The Sveriges Riksbank

Prize in Economic Sciences

in Memory of Alfred Nobel

American Richard H. Thaler for his contributions to behavioural economics .

2017 Nobel Prize in

Literature

British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro who, in novels of great emotional force, has

uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of

connection with the world .

Miscellaneous

FM launches new pension scheme PMVVY for senior citizens

The Union Minister for Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs has formally launched the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana

Yojana (PMVVY) for elderly with 8 per cent fixed rate of interest on their savings in New Delhi.

PMVVY is a Pension Scheme announced by the Government of India exclusively for the senior citizens available from 4th





May, 2017 to 3rd May, 2018. It can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India

which has been given the sole privilege to operate this scheme

Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.

Pension is payable at the end of each period, during the policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of monthly/

quarterly/ half-yearly/ yearly as chosen by the pensioner at the time of purchase.

The scheme is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.

Supreme Court Declares Right to Privacy as Fundamental Right

The Supreme Court of India pronounced that individual privacy is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. A

nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar ruled that the right to

privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under Article 21, and comes under the various fundamental freedoms in

PART III of the Indian Constitution.

All the nine judges arrive at the same conclusion, though through different but concurring judgments, that right to

privacy is intrinsic to right to life and liberty. With this now India has total seven fundamental rights.

Right to equality, Right to freedom, Right against exploitation, Right to freedom of religion, Cultural and

Educational rights, and Right to constitutional remedies are the 6 fundamental rights of India.

Modi, Abe kick off India s first bullet train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the proposed

Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail Network, commonly known as the bullet train, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Around Rs 1.10 lakh crore will be spent on the Mumbai to Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project that is

being partially funded by Japan. Out of the Rs 1,10,000 crore, Japan is giving a loan of Rs 88,000 crore.

The interest on this loan is minimal at 0.1 per cent and it is to be repaid in 50 years, with a grace period of 15 years.

On the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route, total 12 stations have been proposed.

It is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities from seven to three hours.

With this, India has become the first to import the iconic Shinkansen bullet-train technology after Taiwan.

56 years in the making: PM Modi inaugurates the Sardar Sarovar Dam, dedicates to nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who celebrated his 67th birthday today (17th September), inaugurated and dedicated to

the nation the India s biggest and the world s second-biggest dam Sardar Sarovar Dam, in Kevadia, Gujarat, nearly six

decades after its foundation stone was laid.

Electricity from the dam will majorly benefit Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

The foundation stone of the dam was laid on April 5, 1961 by the country s first prime minister Jawaharlal Lal

Nehru. However, it took 56 years to complete its construction.

The inaugural event also sees the culmination of the fortnight-long Narmada Mahotsav – launched by the Gujarat

government to celebrate the completion of the work.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing Sewa Diwas to mark the occasion.

World s biggest dam is Grand Coulee Dam in the United States.





National Sports Awards 2017 Conferred

President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred National Sports & Adventure Awards 2017 in a ceremony held at

Rashtrapati Bhawan. Here is the list of awardees:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2017: Devendra Jhajaria (para-athlete), Sardar Singh (hockey)

Dronacharya Awards 2017: Late Dr. R Gandhi (athletics), Heera Nand Kataria (kabaddi), GSSV Prasad (badminton),

Brij Bhushan Mohanty (boxing – Lifetime), PA Raphel (hockey – Lifetime), Sanjoy Chakraverthy (shooting –

Lifetime), Roshan Lal (wrestling – Lifetime)

Arjuna Awards 2017: Jyothi Surekha Vennam (archery), Khushbir Kaur (athletics), Rajiv Arokia (athletics),

Prashanthi Singh (basketball), Laishram Devendro Singh (boxing), Cheteshwar Pujara (cricket), Harmanpreet Kaur

(cricket), Oinam Bembem Devi (football), SSP Chawrasia (golf), SV Sunil (hockey), Jasvir Singh (kabaddi), Prakash

Nanjappa (shooting), Anthony Amalraj (table tennis), Saketh Myneni (tennis), Satyawart Kadian (wrestling),

Mariyappan (para-athlete), Varun Singh Bhati (para-athlete)

Dhyan Chand Award 2017: Bhupender Singh (Athletics), Syed Shahid Hakim (Football), Sumarai Tete (Hockey)

Important Days

November 2017

Date Day Theme

1 November World Vegan Day

2 November International Day to End Impunity

for Crimes against Journalists

5 November World Tsunami Awareness Day

7 November National Cancer Awareness Day

8 November International Day Of Radiology or

World Radiography Day

Emergency Radiology

10 November World Science Day for Peace and

Development

Science for Global Understanding

11 November National Education Day

12 November World Pneumonia Day

13 November World Kindness Day

14 November Children s Day

14 November World Diabetes Day Women and diabetes – our right to

a healthy future

16 November International Day for Tolerance,

National Press Day

16 November 2017 World Philosophy Day Commemorated on 3rd Thursday of

November

19 November World Toilet Day Wastewater

19 November 2017 World Day of Remembrance for

Road Traffic Victims

Commemorated on 3rd Sunday of

November.

Theme: 2020 Target: reduce road

fatalities AND serious injuries by

50%

20 November Universal Children s Day





21 November World Television Day

25 November International Day for the Elimination

of Violence Against Women

26 November Constitution Day/ Samvidhan Divas

December 2017

Date Day

1 December World AIDS Day

2 December International Day for the Abolition

of Slavery

3 December International Day of Persons with

Disabilities

4 December Navy Day

5 December World Soil Day

7 December International Civil Aviation Day

9 December International Anti-Corruption Day

10 December Human Rights Day

11 December International Mountain Day

12 December Universal Health Coverage Day

16 December Vijay Diwas

18 December International Migrants Day

20 December International Human Solidarity Day

22 December National Mathematics Day

23 December Kisan Diwas/Farmers Day

24 December National Consumer Day

25 December Good Governance Day

Union Budget Highlights

Agenda of Union Budget 2017-18 : TEC India (Transform, Energize, Clean)

Three Changes in Union Budget 2017-18:

(i) Date- Presented on 1 February instead of last working day of February

(ii) Merger of General Budget and Railway Budget

(iii) Removal of Planned & Non-Planned Expenditure

Funds Allocated

The total Budget expenditure allocated for 2017-18 is Rs. 21.47 lakh crores.

Target of agriculture credit fixed at Rs 10 lakh cr in 2017-18

Income tax rate reduced from 10% to 5% for tax slab of Rs 250,000 to Rs 500,000.

Total allocation for rural, agriculture and allied sectors- Rs 1,87,223 crore

Allocation under MNREGA- Rs.48,000 crore





Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion programme (SANKALP) will be launched in 2017-

18 with an outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore to provide market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth.

Mahila Shakti Kendra to be set up at village level with an allocation of Rs. 500 crores

Under Maternity Benefit Scheme Rs. 6,000 will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women

NABARD fund will be increased to Rs. 40,000 crore.

A sum of Rs. 10 lakh crore is allocated as credit to farmers, with 60 days interest waiver.

Irrigation corpus increased from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore.

Govt to set up dairy processing fund of Rs 8,000 crore over three years with initial corpus of Rs 2,000 crore

Dedicated micro-irrigation fund to be created with a corpus of Rs 5000 crore

The allocation for rural agri and allied sector in 2017-18 is record Rs 1,81,223 crore.

More funds beyond Rs 10,000 cr for recapitalisation of banks will be provided if needed

Govt doubles distribution target under Mudra Yojana to Rs 2.44 lakh crore for 2017-18

National Housing Bank will refinance indiviual loans worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2017-18

To construct one crore houses by 2019 for homeless, PM Awas Yojana allocation raised from Rs 15,000 cr to Rs 23,000

cr.

27,000 cr on to be spend on PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY); 1 cr houses to be completed by 2017-18 for houseless.

Rs 500 cr allocated to set up Mahila Shakti Kendras; Allocation raised from Rs 1.56 lakh cr to Rs 1.84 lakh cr for women

& child welfare.

For transport sector, including railways, road and shipping, government provides Rs 2.41 lakh crore

Allocation of Rs 10,000 cr for Bharat Net project for providing high-speed broadband in FY18

Allocation for national highways stepped up to Rs 64,000 cr from Rs 57,676 cr

Sports Ministry got a total of Rs 1943 crore in contrast to Rs 1592 crore earmarked last year, thus increasing the

budget for sport by 40%.

Rs 1,840.77 crore allocated to tourism ministry.

Allocation under MNREGA increased to 48,000 crore from Rs 38,500 crore. This is highest ever allocation.

Infrastructure and Railway

A total allocation of Rs. 39,61,354 crore has been made for infrastructure.

Total allocation for Railways is Rs. 1,31,000 crore.

No service charge on tickets booked through IRCTC.

Raksha coach with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh crore for five years (railway safety fund for passenger safety).

Unmanned level crossings will be eliminated by 2020.

3,500 km of railway lines to be commissioned this year up from 2,800 km last year.

SMS-based clean my coach service is put in place.

No service charge will be levied on tickets booked through the IRCTC website from April 1.

Coach mitra facility will be introduced to register all coach related complaints.

By 2019 all trains will have bio-toilets.

Rs. 64,000 crore allocated for highways.

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Important Government Schemes

Public Provident Fund(PPF) Scheme [Interest Rate-

7.8%] Introduction : It is a long term investment scheme backed

by Government of India and returns in this scheme are fully

exempted from Tax. Introduced in the year 1968.

Who can open the account : Resident Indian Individuals and

individuals on behalf of minors.

Interest Rate : 7.8% (compounded yearly)

Minimum Amount for opening : Rs. 100/-

Minimum Deposit :Rs. 500/- in a financial year

Maximum Deposit : Rs. 1,50,000/- in a financial year

Maturity : 15 years (can be extended in blocks of 5 years)

Premature closure : Not Allowed before 15 years

Important points

A PPF subscriber can take loan against the PPF

account between the 3rd and 6th financial year of

opening of account.

Partial withdrawal is permissible after 7th financial

year from the year of opening of account.

Interest is tax-free

Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) [Interest Rate-

8.3%]

Introduction : It is a saving scheme for senior citizen.

Introduced in the year 2004. It is only a one time deposit

saving scheme(in multiples of Rs 1000)

Who can open the account : (i)An individual of the Age of

60 years or more

(ii) An individual of the age of 55 years or more but less than

60 years who has retired on superannuation or under VRS

can also open account subject to the condition that the

account is opened within one month of receipt of

retirement benefits and amount should not exceed the

amount of retirement benefits.

Interest Rate : 8.3%(compounded quarterly)

Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000

Maximum Deposit : Rs 15 lakh

Maturity : 5 years (can be extended by 3 years after

maturity)

Important points

Interest is taxable

Premature closure of account is allowed after 1 year

of opening the account but with penalty.

A person can open any number of accounts in any

post office subject to maximum investment limit by

adding balance in all accounts.

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) [Interest Rate-7.5%]

Introduction : KVP scheme is a saving scheme in which a

person can buy KVP certificates(available in denominations

of Rs 1,000, 5000, 10,000 and Rs 50,000) and the amount

doubles after maturity period.

It was introduced in 1988, then discontinued in 2011 and

then again introduced in 2014 with some minor changes.

The amount deposited in this scheme is used for welfare of

farmers.

Who can open the account : Resident Indian Individuals and

individuals on behalf of minors.

Interest Rate : 7.5%(annually)

Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000/-

Maximum Deposit : No limit

Maturity : 115 months(amount becomes double)

Important points

No income tax benefit is available under the

scheme.

Certificate can be encashed after 2 & 1/2 years from

the date of issue.(Premature withdrawal)

Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts [Interest Rate-8.3%] Introduction : It is a saving scheme for girl child introduced

by government of India in 2015.

Who can open the account : (i)A legal Guardian/Natural

Guardian can open account in the name of Girl Child from

the birth of the girl child till she attains the age of 10 years

(ii) In a family a maximum of 2 girl child can have this

account.

Interest Rate : 8.3%(annually)

Minimum Deposit : Rs. 1000/- in a financial year

Maximum Deposit : Rs. 1,50,000/- in a financial year

Maturity : (i)After the girl attains the age of 21 years

(ii) After the girl attains 18 years provided she is married.

Important points

Deposits in an account can be made till completion

of 14 years, from the date of opening of the

account.

Investment in Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana scheme is

exempted from Income Tax under section 80C.

Partial withdrawal facility available after attaining

18 years of age.

There is no limit on the number of deposits made in

a financial year. Deposits should be in multiple of Rs

100/- .





National Savings Certificates (NSC) Scheme [Interest

Rate-7.8%] Introduction : It is a saving scheme introduced by

government of India in 1950s and subscriber can buy these

certificates from Post Office

Who can open the account : Any Indian Resident

Interest Rate : 7.8%(compounded half yearly but paid at

maturity)

Minimum Deposit : Rs. 100/-

Maximum Deposit : No Limit

Maturity : 5 years

Important points

Available in denomination of Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs

1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

Tax deduction under Section 80C, up to INR 1 Lakh a

year

Atal Pension Yojana(APY)

APY is a guaranteed pension Scheme of GOI and is

administered by PFRDA.

Pension between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 a month

Joining age between 19 and 40 years

Pradhan Mantri Surakhsa Beema Yojana (PMSBY)

PMSBY is a Accidental Insurance Scheme offereing

accidental death and disability covers for death or

disability on account of an accident. It is

administered by Public Sector General Insurance

companies

Scope of Coverage: All saving bank account holders

between the age 18-70 years

Benefits: Death- Rs 2 lakh

Total and irrecoverable loss of both organ-

Rs 2 lakh

Total and irrecoverable loss of one organ-

Rs 1 lakh

Premium: Rs 12 per annum

Maturity/Termination: On attaning age 70 years

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

PMJJBY is an insurance scheme offereing life

insurance for death due to any reason.

Administered by LIC.

Scope of Coverage: All savings bank account

holders in the age of 18-50 years

Benefits: Rs 2 lakh

Premium: Rs 330 per annum

Maturity/Termination: On attaining age 55 years

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

PMJDY is a financial inclusion mission to ensure

banking service to everyone ina affordable manner.

In this Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA)

can be opened in which there is no requirement of

minimum balance.

Any individual above the age of 10 years can open

BSBDA account.

Accidental insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh

Life Insurance cover of Rs 30,000

Overdraft facility of Rs 5,000

Standup India – Loan from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 100 lakh for 7

years

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana- Premium

Kharif Crops – 2%

Rabi Crops- 1.5%

Horticulture Crops – 5%

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd.

(MUDRA) is a new institution set up by Government of India

to provide funding to the non-corporate, non-farm sector

income generating activities of micro and small enterprises

hose redit eeds are elo ₹ Lakh. Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY),

MUDRA has created three products i.e. 'Shishu', 'Kishore'

and Tarun as per the stage of growth and funding needs of

the beneficiary micro unit. These schemes cover loan

amounts as below:

Shishu: o eri g loa s up to ₹ ,

Kishore: covering loa s a o e ₹ , a d up to ₹ , ,

Tarun: o eri g loa s a o e ₹ , , a d up to ₹ , ,





Demonetisation in India

Till now demonetisation of bank notes has been taken 3 times in India of which 2 came after Independance.

S.No Date and Year Notes Demonitised Then Prime Minister Then RBI Governor

First time 12 January 1946 Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and

Rs 10,000

- (India was ruled by

Britain)

C. D. Deshmukh

Second Time 16 January 1978 Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and

Rs 10,000

Morarji Desai I. G. Patel

Third Time 9 November 2017 Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 Narendra Modi Urjit Patel

RBI can withdraw the legal tender character of bank notes as per Section 26(2) of RBI Act, 1934

Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act 2017

For non- resident Indians (Indian passport holders), the grace period to deposit SBN is till June 30, 2017. Maximum

Rs 25,000. This facility will not be available for Indian citizens resident in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The grace period for resident Indians expired on March 31, 2017.

After the expiry of grace period, holding of not more than 10 notes in total, irrespective of denomination or not

more than 25 notes for the purpose of study/ research/ numismatics is permitted. It may result into fine which may

extend upto 10,000 INR or five times the face value of the SBNs involved in the contravention, whichever is higher.





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