Daily news 28 june 2020

State News

1. Maharashtra Govt introduced "Maha Parwana" plan to boost investment

Maharashtra State Government has introduced “Maha Parwana” plan to attract fresh investment in industries. This plan will offer incentives and a single-window clearance system.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray; Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Banking News

2. Yes Bank partners with UDMA to launch 'Yuva Pay' mobile app

Yes Bank has partnered with UDMA Technologies to launched its digital wallet solution ‘Yuva Pay’ mobile app. Through this app, the bank enables contactless payments for its customers. With the help of the app, customers can pay their utility bills (including municipal, house, water tax, electricity, LPG, DTH, Mobile bill, license fees), make insurance renewals, FASTag recharges, EMI payments, and use the app to make payments at retail outlets.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Yes Bank MD & CEO: Prashant Kumar.
• Yes Bank Tagline: Experience our Expertise.

Business News

3. Sachin Bansal's startup "Navi" launches new instant lending app

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal's financial services startup "Navi" has launched a mobile app " Navi lending" to provide instant personal loans targeted at consumers in the middle-income segment.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Navi headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Navi established: 2018.

Ranks and Reports

4. India slips down at 77th place in accounting money in Swiss banks

Swiss National Bank (SNB) has released ‘Annual banking statistics, 2019’. According to the latest SNB data, India has moved down three places to 77th rank in terms of money parked by its citizens. However, many neighbouring countries are below India in the list. Among them, Pakistan is ranked 99th, Bangladesh 85th, Nepal 118th, Sri Lanka 148th, Myanmar 186th and Bhutan 196th. India-based branches, accounting for just about 0.06 per cent of the aggregate funds parked by all foreign clients of Switzerland-based banks. While Britain holds the first place in this list with a share of 27 % of the total deposits.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Swiss National Bank (SNB) Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland.
• Swiss National Bank (SNB) Chairman: Thomas Jordan.

Science and Technology

5. NASA headquarters to be renamed for Mary W. Jackson

NASA has announced that its headquarters in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, one of its history-making engineers. The information was passed by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States.

Sports News

6. Australia and New Zealand named as hosts of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The joint offer put together by Football Federation Australia and New Zealand Football got 22 of the 35 substantial votes cast by the FIFA Council individuals in the first voting form, with the Colombian Football Association having acquired 13 votes.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Headquarters of FIFA: Zürich, Switzerland.
• President of FIFA Gianni Infantino.

7. Rahul Dravid beats Sachin Tendulkar in Wisden India's poll

According to a poll conducted by Wisden India, Rahul Dravid is the greatest Indian Test batsman of all time. Dravid beats Sachin Tendulkar by a narrow margin of votes in the final round of voting. Dravid got 52 per cent of the votes, with as many as 11,400 fans participating within the final round of voting. Dravid saw off Tendulkar within the final round of the voting by a narrow margin despite trailing at 42 per cent.

Important Days

8. Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day: 27 June

Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day is observed globally on 27th June every year since 2017. This day is observed by the United Nations to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development and the global economy. Micro, small and Medium-sized businesses celebrate this day in recognition of their work in local and global economies. These enterprises, which generally employ fewer than 250 persons, are the backbone of most economies worldwide.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• International Society for Small and Medium Enterprises Headquarters: New Delhi.

Obituaries News

9. Vir Chakra awardee Sqn. Ldr. Parvez Jamasji passes away

Vir Chakra awardee, Sqn Ldr (retd) Parvez Jamasji passed away. He was commissioned in 1965 and retired in 1985. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. During the operations against Pakistan in December 1971, Flight Lieutenant Parvez Rustom Jamasji was serving with a helicopter unit. His Helicopter flown by him was attacked twice by machine gun and twice by mortars.

Redmi Note 8 Pro Review

• Design
• Display
• Software
• Performance
• Battery Life
• Camera
• Value for Money

• Good
• Great performance
• Versatile cameras
• Premium build quality
• HDR display

• Bad
• Gets warm under load
• Sub-par low-light video performance

The Redmi Note series has been very important for Xiaomi. The Redmi Note 4 (Review) was the first model that sold in huge numbers, helping the Chinese smartphone giant cement its position in the Indian market. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 7 Pro is another highlight of the series, according to the company. Launched in February earlier this year, the Redmi Note 7 Pro offered impressive performance and good cameras at an aggressive price. Naturally, this puts a lot of pressure on its successor, the Redmi Note 8 Pro. While this new smartphone has been launched nine months after its predecessor, it claims to be better in every measurable way. Will the Redmi Note 8 Pro become the new yardstick for its segment? We put it to the test to answer that.

Samsung Galaxy M30s Summary

Samsung Galaxy M30s smartphone was launched on 18th September 2019. The phone comes with a 6.40-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels.

Samsung Galaxy M30s is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 9611 processor that features 4 cores clocked at 1.7GHz and 4 cores clocked at 2.3GHz. It comes with 4GB of RAM.

The Samsung Galaxy M30s runs Android 9 Pie and is powered by a 6000mAh non-removable battery. The Samsung Galaxy M30s supports proprietary fast charging.

As far as the cameras are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy M30s on the rear packs a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/2.0 aperture; a second 5-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a third 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies.

The Samsung Galaxy M30s runs One UI based on Android 9 Pie and packs 64GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 512GB) with a dedicated slot. The Samsung Galaxy M30s is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards.

Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy M30s include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, USB OTG, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India) with active 4G on both SIM cards. Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy M30s measures 159.00 x 75.10 x 8.90mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 188.00 grams. It was launched in Opal Black, Pearl White, and Sapphire Blue colours.

As of 24th October 2019, Samsung Galaxy M30s price in India starts at Rs. 13,999.

Redmi Note 8 Pro Full Specifications

General

Brand	Xiaomi
Model	Redmi Note 8 Pro
Release date	29th August 2019
Launched in India	Yes
Form factor	Touchscreen
Body type	Glass
Dimensions (mm)	161.70 x 76.40 x 8.81
Weight (g)	200.00
Battery capacity (mAh)	4500
Removable battery	No
Fast charging	Proprietary
Wireless charging	No
Colours	Gamma Green, Halo White, Pearl White, Shadow Black

Display

Screen size (inches)	6.53
Touchscreen	Yes
Resolution	1080x2340 pixels
Protection type	Gorilla Glass
Aspect ratio	19.5:9

Hardware

Processor	octa-core (2x2.05GHz + 6x2GHz)
Processor make	MediaTek Helio G90T
RAM	6GB
Internal storage	64GB
Expandable storage	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	512
Dedicated microSD slot	Yes

Camera

Rear camera	64-megapixel (f/1.79) + 8-megapixel (f/2.2) + 2-megapixel + 2-megapixel
Rear autofocus	Yes
Rear flash	Yes
Front camera	20-megapixel (f/2.0)

Software

Operating system	Android 9 Pie
Skin	MIUI 10

Connectivity

Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
GPS	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes, v 5.00
NFC	Yes
Infrared	Yes
USB Type-C	Yes
Headphones	3.5mm
Number of SIMs	2
Active 4G on both SIM cards	Yes
SIM 1
SIM Type	Nano-SIM
GSM/CDMA	GSM
3G	Yes
4G/ LTE	Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)	Yes
SIM 2
SIM Type	Nano-SIM
GSM/CDMA	GSM
3G	Yes
4G/ LTE	Yes
Supports 4G in India (Band 40)	Yes

Sensors

Face unlock	Yes
Fingerprint sensor	Yes
Compass/ Magnetometer	Yes
Proximity sensor	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes
Ambient light sensor	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes

Daily updates 23 October 2019

National

1. Indian Railways install Electronic Interlocking System on Grand Chord route

• Indian Railways has installed the most advanced Electronic Interlocking System on the Grand Chord route.
• The measure is expected to help Indian Railways speed up trains and achieve the objective of reducing the travel time between Delhi and Howrah to about 12 hours from the existing 17 to 19 hours.
• Grand Chord is part of the Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line and Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line.
• The new Electronic system has replaced outdated 65-year old mechanical signalling system at Tundla Junction in Uttar Pradesh on the route.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Railway Minister: Piyush Goyal.

2. IIM Kozhikode & MRPL to support women entrepreneurs

• IIM Kozhikode and Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd. have announced a special drive Labelled as "La Eve (meaning The Woman)" to support women entrepreneurs in the country.
• The initiative aims to identify innovative, promising women-founded start-ups to provide a comprehensive start-up support programme. The initiative would be steered by the institute's entrepreneurship development centre, Laboratory for Innovation, Venturing and Entrepreneurship or IIMK LIVE.
• Under the drive "La Eve" IIMK LIVE would identify women-founded, innovation-led start ups and provide incubation that would provide access to the institutes intellectual, network and infrastructural resources. MRPL would provide seed fund assistance from the start funding initiative under start-up India Program.

States News

3. No govt. jobs in Assam for people with more than two children

• The State Cabinet of Assam has decided to make government jobs out of bounds for people with more than 2 children.
• The policy will come into effect from January 1, 2021.
• The Cabinet also adopted a new land policy that will make the landless indigenous people eligible for 3 bighas (43,200 sq. ft.) of land for farming and half a bigha for constructing a house. The beneficiary will be able to sell the given land only after 15 years of use.

Agreements

4. AYUSH, Defence ministries ink MoU to provide traditional medicine services

• The AYUSH ministry has signed an MoU with the Defence Ministry to provide traditional medicine services at the armed forces’ hospitals and dispensaries.
• Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik inaugurated an Ayurveda Palliative Care Unit at the Base Hospital in the Delhi Cantonment.
• Under the MoU, Ayurveda units will also be established at palliative care centres at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, Air Force Hospital, Hindon in Ghaziabad and five identified ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics in Delhi–NCR.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Union Minister of Defence: Raj Nath Singh.

5. Grasim partenered with German's MR to produce insulators

• Grasim Industries Limited has signed a definitive agreement to form a joint venture company in India with Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH (MR) of Germany.
• The joint venture is for the manufacturing and sale of Composite Hollow Core Insulators to serve the power transmission and distribution (T&D) industry globally.
• This joint venture will bring together Aditya Birla Insulators (a unit of Grasim) and Reinhausen Power Composites (a unit of MR).
• ABPCL will build a fully integrated CHCI plant at Halol, bringing the latest technology for Composite Hollow Insulators from Europe.
• It will serve the insulator requirements of Indian and global OEMs in the power equipment industry.

Appointment

6. Ashok Malik appointed as Policy Advisor in MEA

• Ashok Malik has been appointed as the Policy Advisor in the External Affairs Ministry in the rank of Additional Secretary.
• The Distinguished Fellow of the prominent think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF) will have a 2-year tenure.
• Ashok Malik has previously served as the Press Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2019.

7. Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas elected as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cabo Verde

• The Ministry of External Affairs notified that Godavarthi Venkata Srinivas (IFS:1993), presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Senegal, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cabo Verde.
• He will replace Rajeev Kumar.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Union Minister of External Affairs: Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

8. Pankaj Kumar appointed as new CEO of UIDAI

• The Government of India appointed IAS officer Pankaj Kumar as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• He is currently Additional Secretary in the Ministry Of Electronics and IT.
• The UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 by the government under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, with the mandate to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), or Aadhaar, to all residents of India to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Headquarters of UIDAI: New Delhi.

9. Sourav Ganguly take Charges as new BCCI President

• One of India's most decorated captains Sourav Ganguly takes over as the 39th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• Ganguly is the unanimous nomination for the post of BCCI President along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah as the Secretary.
• Mahim Verma of Uttarakhand is the new Vice President of BCCI.

Defence

10. DRDO starts work on ‘next-gen’ hypersonic weapon

• The Defence Research and Development (DRDO) has started work to produce hypersonic weapon missiles that travel at 5 times speed of sound, or a little over a mile every second.
• A wind tunnel to test and fine-tune the technology will be operational soon.
• Hypersonic weapons are specifically designed for increased survivability against modern ballistic missile defence systems.
• These missiles are capable of delivering conventional or nuclear payloads at speeds not imagined hiterto over long ranges.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy; Formed: 1958; Headquarters: New Delhi.

Summit and Conference

11. 1st India-Bangladesh Stakeholders' meet in Guwahati

• The 1st India-Bangladesh Stakeholders' meet was held in Guwahati. Bangladesh was represented by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
• India is the second-largest trading partner of Bangladesh.
• A 70-member delegation from Bangladesh is participating in the meet, while a similar top-level team will represent the host nation.
• The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the focus point of India's trade expansion with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

Ranks and Reports

12. IIT-Bombay again tops this year’s QS India University Rankings 2020

• The latest 2 edition of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) India University Rankings 2020 released.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) has again topped all Indian Institutes in the list with an overall score of 88.5 followed by IISc- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (ranked 2 with 84.7 score) & Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD),which has improved a notch to rank 3 with 82.2 scores.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Headquarters of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS): London, United Kingdom
• Founded: 1990
• Founded by Nunzio Quacquarelli, QS is a British company specialising in education.

Sports

13. Graeme Smith has been elected as MCC Honorary Life Member

• Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has been elected an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
• Smith has an impressive record in One-Day International, scoring 6,989 runs including ten centuries and also became South Africa’s youngest ever captain at 22.
• Former Australian off-spinner Tim May was also awarded Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cricket.
• The pair follows Paul Collingwood, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Johnson and Adrian Morgan in being awarded Honorary Life Membership of MCC in 2019.

14. Anandan wins 2 golds at the 7th CISM World Military Games

• Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran has won 2 gold medals at the 7th CISM World Military Games held in Wuhan, China.
• He won the medal in the disabled men’s 100m and 400m IT1 events.
• Gunasekaran finished the 100m race in 12 seconds and won India’s 1st medal in the ongoing Games.
• He clinched his 2nd gold clocking 53.35s in the disabled men’s 400m IT1 event.

15. Bengal Warriors wins 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League 2019

• In the final of 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League 2019, Bengal Warriors won their first title by defeating Dabang Delhi by 39-34 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• Most Valuable Player award of the League was bagged by Naveen Kumar from Dabang Delhi, Best raider to Pawan Kumar Sherawat from Bengaluru Bulls; Best defender award to U Mumba's Fazel Atrachali and New Young Player of the season to UP (Uttar Pradesh) Yoddha's Sumit.

16. 2024 Olympic Games logo unveiled in Paris

• The logo for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games unveiled at a ceremony in the French capital.
• The circular design with Paris 2024 in the art deco style which was in vogue in 1924 when Paris last hosted the Games, also incorporates the lips and outline of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic since the revolution in 1789.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of France: Emmanuel Macron; Capital: Paris; Currency: Euro, CFP Franc.

Miscellaneous

17. IRDAI imposes penalty of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has imposed penalties of Rs 1.01 crore on Cholamandalam MS GIC.
• The insurer was penalised for violations observed during an inspection.
• The penalty of Rs 1 crore is for violation of Clause 15 of Schedule I of IRDA (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2013 which clearly specifies that no commission shall be payable to any intermediary on the acceptance of a ported policy.
• The other penalty of Rs 1 lakh is for motor insurance and was for violating the outsourcing guidelines by agreeing to payment terms not in the interests of the insurer.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RBI Grade ‘B’ 2019:

• IRDAI Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia; Headquarters: Hyderabad.

Daily updates 18 October 2019

National

1. NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019

• NITI Aayog with Institute for Competitiveness as the knowledge partner released the India Innovation Index (III) 2019. Karnataka is the most innovative major state in India.
• Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten major states respectively.
• Sikkim and Delhi take the top spots among the northeastern & hill states, and union territories/city-states/small states respectively.
• Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are the most efficient states in translating inputs into output.
• The study examines the innovation ecosystem of Indian states and union territories.
• The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing the economic growth policies for their regions.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog: Rajiv Kumar; CEO, NITI Aayog: Amitabh Kant.

2. Commemorative stamp on centenary of NIN released

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan released a postal stamp to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the city-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) at a function held at Indian Council of Medical Research in New Delhi.
• The postal stamp has been brought out under the ‘Corporate My Stamp’ scheme of India Posts.
• About 5,000 stamps with a face value of ₹5 each have been printed and the India Posts would print an additional 1,000 sheets for sale online at the e-post office and for display and sale at national and global philately exhibitions by the Department.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• ICMR Director: Balram Bhragava; NIN Director: R. Hemaltha.

3. NH No. 703AA in Punjab named as Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg

• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the naming of new National Highway No. 703AA as "Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg."
• The road starting from Kapurthala connecting Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in Punjab. The naming would be effective from next month.
• The decision has been taken to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• CM of Punjab: Amarinder Singh; Governor: VP Singh Badnore.

International

4. Italy set to introduce web tax on digital giants from 2020

• Italy approved a new tax on digital companies, including U.S. tech giants, as part of its 2020 draft budget on October 16.
• The levy, due to be introduced from next year, will oblige companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, to pay a 3% levy on internet transactions, according to a text of the draft budget.
• The Italian scheme is expected to yield about 600 million euros ($662 million) a year.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• President: Sergio Mattarella; Prime Minister: Giuseppe Conte.
• Capital: Rome; Currency: Euro.

State News

5. Odisha's first Robot Restaurant opens in Bhubaneswar

• Odisha's smart city Bhubaneswar gets it 1st Robo Chef Restaurant in Odisha.
• The Robot Restaurant opened at the Infocity DLF tower of Bhubaneswar claims to be the first restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously developed robots, 'Champa' and 'Chameli' are engaged.
• The robots are developed at a Jaipur-based startup using SLAM technology, and It automatically navigates like humans, follows the routes and instructions.
• Not only this, after serving the food, the robots will also ask you for feedback in Odia that 'Are you happy'.
• Earlier Chennai and Bengaluru had introduced smart restaurants with robots machines imported from China.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB (Clerk) Main 2019:

• Utkal Divas or Odisha Day falls every year on 01st April.

6. CM Kamal Nath inaugurates "Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference"

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference started.
• Many well-known industrialists are attending this conference held in Indore.
• The event showcasing various opportunities that exist in the state in variegated sectors, including food processing, pharmaceuticals, textile and garment, warehousing and logistics, IT &ESDM, urban development and renewable energy.
• Chief Minister Kamal Nath also inaugurated the Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Governor of Madhya Pradesh: Lal Ji Tandon.

7. Tamil Nadu constitutes two panels over water disputes with Kerala

• The Tamil Nadu government constituted two committees to deal over water disputes with Kerala relating to the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) and the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project.
• Secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department (PWD) K. Manivasan would lead both the committees constituted by the State government.
• Cauvery Technical Committee chairperson R. Subramanian is also part of both the panels.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
• Governor of Tamil Nadu: Banwarilal Purohit.
• Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai.

8. Satya Pal Malik inaugurates J&K Bazar

• Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has inaugurated J&K Bazar.
• J&K Bazar is a retail showroom of authentic Jammu Kashmir Handicrafts, Handlooms, Silk, Agro-based products and Restaurant serving Authentic Kashmiri Cuisine at J&K House in New Delhi.
• The newly constructed state-of-the-art showroom is for promoting J&K specific products of handicrafts and authentic cuisine.
• The newly inaugurated showroom shall cater to the people who cherish the Kashmiri handicraft and relish the traditional Kashmiri food which is now available in the heart of Delhi.
• Other handicraft products in the showroom which are on display include-Paper Mache items, carved walnut-wood items, Pashmina shawls and Kashmiri embroidery sarees.

Appointments

9. World Steel Association elected Sajjan Jindal as vice Chairman

• The World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has elected Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Steel, as Vice-Chairman of the association for one year.
• The association has also appointed Tata Steel CEO and MD T V Narendran and Arcelor Mittal Chief L N Mittal as its members.
• The board also elected a 14-member Executive Committee.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Chairman of World Steel Association: Andre Johannpeter; Formed: 10 July 1967.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Agreement

10. Home Credit India join hand with Karur Vysya Bank for joint lending

• Home Credit India (HCIN), a local arm of the international consumer finance provider, has tied-up with Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for joint lending using end-to-end automated processing which will help the customer get real-time approval and disbursement.
• Under the agreement, HCIN and KVB will disburse loans in a single amount to customers.
• With this partnership and by leveraging the lower cost of funds of KVB, Home Credit India will be able to reach out to a new segment of customer.
• Home Credit India has operations spread over 179 cities across 20 States in India.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Managing Director and CEO: PR Seshadri; founded: 1916.
• Headquarters: Karur, Tamil Nadu.
• Tagline: Smart Way to Bank.

Awards

11. Hong Kong's orchestra wins "Orchestra of the year award 2019" at Gramophone Awards

• Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has been named orchestra of the year at the 2019 Gramophone Awards.
• The group is the first Asian orchestra to win the award, a fact noted by its Dutch-born conductor Van Zweden, who has been its Music Director since 2012.
• The category is the only one of the classical music magazine’s awards open to the public vote. This award is often likened to the Oscars for the classical music world.

Defence

12. India, Japan joint Air Force exercise 'Shinyuu Maitri' 2019 began in West Bengal

• Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) carrying out a joint military air force exercise named 'Shinyuu Maitri' began from October 17 to 23, at the air force station, Arjan Singh in Panagarh town in West Bengal.
• C-130 J aircraft of the Special Operations Squadron of IAF and C-130 H of Tactical Airlift Squadron of JASDF will participate in the exercise.
• The focus of the exercise will be to undertake Joint Mobility and Tactical interoperability among the two forces.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB Mains:

• Motto of the Indian Air Force: Nabha Sprsham Deeptam (The Glory that touches the sky).
• Air Chief Marshal: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria.

13. India-Oman begin joint training exercise 'EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V'

• Indian Air Force (IAF) kickstarted its bilateral joint exercise with Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO), named 'EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V' at Air Force Base Masirah, Oman.
• The exercise will be held till October 26. The IAF contingent comprises of MiG-29 and C-17 aircraft.
• MiG-29 will be exercising with Royal Air Force Oman’s Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 and Hawk.
• For the first time, MiG-29 fighter aircraft will be participating in an international exercise outside India.
• The exercise will enhance inter-operability during mutual operations between the two Air Forces and will provide an opportunity to learn from each other's best practices. Last time, the bilateral exercise was held in 2017 at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS RRB Main 2019:

• Oman Capital: Muscat, Currency: Omani rial.

Books and Authors

14. A new book titled "India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate Change and Development" set to release

• A new book titled "India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development" is set to release on November 2019.
• This book is featuring a collection of articles by climate experts including Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Dr Friederike Otto & Shibani Ghosh, edited by Navroz K Dubash.
•  It is published by Oxford University Press(OUP).
• This book aims to bring together the many and growing, voices that seek to find the language and ideas with which to engage climate change and to do so from a perspective that resonates with broader Indian development policy discourses.

Sports

15. England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn announces retirement from international cricket

• England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn has announced her retirement from international cricket.
• Gunn, who is England’s most capped player in T20Is, made 259 appearances for her country, winning 3 World Cups and five Ashes series.
• She was a member of the England side that won the inaugural Women’s World T20 in 2009, and also featured in her country’s Women’s World Cup-winning campaign that same year.

Miscellaneous

16. NCERT to revise 14-year-old curriculum framework

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is planning to review the 14-year-old National Curriculum Framework (NCF) in accordance with new national education policy (NEP) and set up a committee for the purpose.
• The NCF has been revised four times so far - in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005. A panel led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan had submitted the draft of the new national education policy to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
• The new proposed revision will be a 5th of the framework. The council is also undertaking a survey in six blocks to analyse the quality of primary education available and the areas that need change.
• The revision of NCERT textbooks has also been recommended in the new education policy draft.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/IBPS RRB (Clerk) Mains:

• Director of NCERT (ex-officio) Chairperson: Prof. Hrushikesh Senapaty.
• Headquarters of NCERT: New Delhi.