Daily GK Update 10th October 2017

1. World Mental Health Day: 10 October

i. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.

ii. 'Mental health in the workplace' is the theme of World Mental Health Day 2017.

2. Facts about the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Campaign ICAN

i. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017 to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) "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".

ii. Here are some Quick facts About the Campaign- The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty.

iii. This landmark global agreement was adopted in New York on 7 July 2017. ICAN began in Australia and was officially launched in Vienna, Austria in 2007. ICAN’s headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. Beatrice Fihn is the Executive Director of ICAN.

3. Vice President Inaugurated 3rd International Conference on Yoga

i. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the third International Conference on Yoga in New Delhi. The theme of this year’s conference will be ‘Yoga for Wellness.’

ii. The two-day conference has six technical sessions and experts will deliberate on the scope of yoga in integrated medicine, and control of cancer, depression and gynaecological disorders and pain management.

Static Takeaways for IBPS PO Exam-

• The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on 9th November 2014.
• Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) which was created in March 1995.
• Shripad Yasso Naik is the Minister of  Ministry of AYUSH.

4. Uttarakhand Government Launched 'Solar Briefcase' to Provide Electricity in Remote Areas

i. Uttarakhand State Government and a charitable funding agency named Swan Cultural Center and Foundation launched ‘Solar Briefcase’ in Kedarnath Dham.

ii. The initiative was taken to provide electricity to far-flung areas in the hill state.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Trivendra Singh Rawat is the present CM of Uttarakhand.
• Krishna Kant Paul is the present Governor of Uttarakhand.

5. Reliance Commercial Finance Inks Agreement with IREDA for Rs 300 cr Loan

i. Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd has signed an agreement with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) for Rs.300 crore loan, in Mumbai.

ii. RCFL finances wind and solar energy projects besides providing assistance for developing infrastructure and projects in renewable energy space backed by the government.

Important Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Devang Mody is the Executive Director and CEO of Reliance Commercial Finance. 
• KS Popli is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of IREDA.

6. Union Home Minister Inaugurated First BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise

i. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the four-day First ‘BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise- 2017’ (BIMSTEC DMEx-2017) in New Delhi. The Exercise will be conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the lead agency in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

ii. The BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 is being conducted in two phases in Delhi and NCR. The main exercise will comprise of Table Top Exercise (TTX), Field Training Exercise (FTX) and After Action Review (AAR). The main focus of the BIMSTEC DMEx-2017 will be on testing the region’s preparedness and resilience towards effective activation of inter-Governmental interaction for immediate deployment of regional resources for disaster response.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• BIMSTEC stands for ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’, includes namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• At the 17th BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting held in Kathmandu, Nepal in February 2017, it was decided that India would organize the first annual Disaster Management Exercise for the region.

7. GCMMF Awarded Best FMCG in Food Sector by IAA

i. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which manages brand AMUL, has been awarded as the best FMCG in the food sector at the 5th International Advertising Associations (IAA) Leadership Awards in Mumbai
ii. Amul is India's largest food brand with the annual brand turnover of Rs 38,000 crore. It is a cooperative milk federation of 3.6 million milk producers of Gujarat.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Headquarters of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is in Anand, Gujarat.
• Jethabhai P Patel is the chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).

8. India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List

i. India is ranked the eighth most valuable nation brand while the United States retained its top position and China took the second spot in the league of nations according to Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017.

ii. India went down one spot over the previous year because the economy grew at its slowest pace. India switched places with Canada and its brand value dropped by one percentage point while that of Canada’s rose 14 percent. China, the fastest growing nation brand in 2017, saw valuation grow 44 percent.

The Top 10 Valuable Nation brands are:

1. United States 
2. China 
3. Germany 
4. Japan 
5. United Kingdom 
6. France 
7. Canada 
8. India 
9. Italy 
10. South Korea.

9. World Bank Reduces India GDP Growth Forecast to 7% for 2017-18

i. In the June quarter of 2017-18, the Indian economy decelerated to 5.7%, lowest since the economy grew at 5.3% in the March quarter of 2013-14. In its South Asia Economic Focus (Fall 2017), the World Bank reduced India’s GDP growth forecast to 7% for 2017-18 from 7.2% estimated earlier.
ii. Both the Asian Development Bank as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have also cut their growth projections for India to 7% and 6.7%, respectively, for fiscal 2017-18.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Jim Yong Kim is the President of World Bank.
• The World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., United States.

10. IIT Kharagpur Signs MoU with Samsung for Digital Academy

i. IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus.

ii. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances.

Important Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Samsung is an electronics company based in South Korea.
• Dr Oh-Hyun Kwon is the Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics.

11. Facebook India MD Umang Bedi Resigns

i. In just over a year of joining Facebook as India MD, Umang Bedi has resigned from his position at the social networking giant. Sandeep Bhushan has been appointed as the interim Managing Director.

ii. Facebook had roped in Umang Bedi as its Managing Director, India from Adobe. He had taken over from Kirthiga Reddy. Prior to joining Facebook, Umang served as Managing Director of the South Asia region at Adobe.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is the founder and Chairman of Facebook.

12. PepsiCo India Chairman and CEO D Shivakumar Resigns

i. PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd’s Chairman and Chief Executive officer D. Shivakumar has resigned. He will be joining Aditya Birla Group as president (corporate strategy and business development).
ii. Ahmed El Sheikh, currently senior vice-president and general manager for PepsiCo Egypt and Jordan, will succeed Shivakumar as PepsiCo India CEO.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• PepsiCo entered India in 1989.
• PepsiCo headquarters in New York, United States.

Current Affairs

Q1. In which state, PM Narendra Modi along with Union minister for road transport and highways has recently inaugurated highway and road projects worth Rs15,000 crore for the state?
Answer: Rajasthan

Q2. During the Indian-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue, India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies. This was ________ edition of Indian-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue.
Answer: 10th

Q3. ISRO has recently launched ____________, carrying IRNSS-1H from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
Answer: PSLV-C39

Q4. Name the person who recently took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Answer: Rajiv Gauba

Q5. Which bank has been recently given scheduled bank status by RBI?
Answer: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank

Q6. Name the company that was rewarded with the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan, recently.
Answer: Reliance Foundation

Q7. Name the President of Swiss Confederation who is on the three-day visit to India.
Answer: Doris Leuthard

Q8.  Who is the present vice-chairman of government think tank NITI Aayog?
Answer: Rajiv Kumar

Q9. Name the ex-Home Secretary who was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Answer: Rajiv Mehrishi

Q10. Prominent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail was recently presented with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel ___________.
Answer: Hawthan

Q11. Metal and Mining major ____________ has appointed Kuldip Kaura as its interim CEO.
Answer: Vedanta Ltd

Q12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on two nation tour to China and Myanmar. What is the Capital of Myanmar?
Answer: Naypyidaw

Q13. Which Indian city was formally accorded the status of India’s first World Heritage City by UNESCO?
Answer: Ahmedabad

Q14. In which city, PM Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated the two-day annual conference, Rajaswa Gyan Sangam, 2017?
Answer: New Delhi

Q15. Who is the newly appointed Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)?
Answer: Anita Karwal

Reasoning Ability

Directions (1-5): Study the following information carefully and answer the given questions:

Seven students A, B, C, D, E, F and G goes to computer center on a different day of the week starting from Monday to Sunday but not necessarily in the same order. They all have different company laptops viz. Sony, Dell, Apple, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Fujitsu but not necessarily in the same order.

Only two students go to Computer center before C. Only one student goes to Computer center between C and the one who has Lenovo laptop. Only one student goes to Computer center between the one who has Lenovo laptop and the D who has Fujitsu laptop. More than two students go to Computer center between D and the one who has Apple laptop. Less than two students go to Computer center between the one who has Apple and the one who has Lenovo laptop. The one who has Sony laptop does not go to Computer center immediately before or after the days on which C goes to Computer center. Three students go to Computer center between F and the one who has Sony laptop. The one who has Acer laptop goes Computer center immediately before F. Two students go to Computer center between B and G. B goes to Computer center before G. The one who has Toshiba laptop goes to Computer center after Thursday. E goes to Computer center before Friday. B does not have Acer laptop.

Q1. Who among following goes to Computer center on Saturday?

(a) G

(b) F

(c) D

(d) A

(e) None of These

Q2. Who among following has Toshiba laptop?

(a) G

(b) F

(c) D

(d) A

(e) B

Q3. E has which of the following laptop?

(a) Dell

(b) Apple

(c) Sony

(d) Acer

(e) Toshiba

Q4. Which of the following combinations of student-laptop and day is correct?

(a) C-Acer-Wednesday

(b)B-Toshiba -Monday

(c)E-Sony -Monday

(d) D-Fujitsu-Sunday

(e) None of These

Q5. A goes to Computer center on which of the following day ?

(a) Thursday

(b) Tuesday 

(c) Saturday

(d) Sunday

(e) None of These

Directions (1-5):

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol.

S2. Ans.(d)
Sol.

S3. Ans.(a)
Sol.

S4. Ans.(d)
Sol.

S5. Ans.(c)
Sol.

Directions (6-10): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are eight employees who work in an eight-storey building. The ground floor is numbered one and the topmost floor is numbered eight. Each of them earns different salary viz $87, $79, $21, $55, $15, $29, $41 and $59 but not necessarily in the same order. There is gap of only one floor between A and the one who earns $59 lives. The one who earns $59 does not work on floor number one. D works on the floor which is just below the floor on which B works. The one who earns $87 works on an even-numbered floor and just above the floor on which the one who earns $15. The one who earns $29 works on an even-numbered floor but not on the 8th floor. Neither D nor H works on the 1st floor. Only one person works between the one who earns $41 and D. A works on an odd-numbered floor and E works on the floor which is just above the floor on which A works. B works on the fourth floor. Two persons work between the one who earns $29 and A. F works just below the one who earns $15. D earns neither $15 nor $59. The one who earns $21 does not work on an odd-numbered floor. G does not earn $79. There are gap of two floors between the floor on which H and E works. There is a gap of two floors between the one who earns $55 and the one who earns $21.

Q6. Who among the following earns $79?

(a) D

(b) C

(c) F

(d) E

(e) None of these

Q7. How many persons are there between E and B?

(a) One

(b) Two

(c) Three

(d) Four

(e) None of these

Q8. Who among the following works on the topmost floor?

(a) The one who earns $87

(b) The one who earns $29

(c) The one who earns $21

(d) The one who earns $79

(e) None of these

Q9. Which of the following combinations is/are true?

(a) Floor no. 2 – D – $55 

(b) Floor no. 5 – F – $59 

(c) Floor no. 1 – C – $79 

(d) Floor no. 8 – E – $87 

(e) None of these

Q10. A earns how much money?

(a) $87

(b) $59

(c) $29

(d) $15

(e) None of these

Solution(6-10):

S6. Ans.(b)
Sol.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol.

S8. Ans.(a)
Sol.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol.

S10. Ans.(d)
Sol.

Directions (11-15): Question consists of Six statements followed by five conclusions. Consider the given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance with commonly known facts. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions does not logically follow from the given statements using all statements together.

Q11. Statements: Some red are tree. All tree are black. No tree is carbon. All carbon are air. Some carbon are oxygen. No oxygen is ozone.

Conclusions: 

(a) Some red are black.

(b)Some red is not carbon.

(c) All red being ozone is a possibility.

(d) All oxygen being tree is a possibility.

(e) Some black is not carbon 

Q12. Statements: All temple are star. All star are bright. Some bright is dark. Some sea is blue. No blue is kite. All kite is machine.

Conclusions: 

(a) All temple being sea is a possibility.

(b) All temple being blue is a possibility.

(c) Some sea is not kite.

(d) All blue being machine is a possibility.

(e) All sea being kite is a possibility.

Q13. Statements: Some copy is hair. No hair is leg. All text is leg. No text is eye. Some eye is nose. All nose are elbow. 

Conclusions: 

(a)No hair is text.

(b)Some copy is not leg. 

(c) Some nose is not text.

(d)Some eye is elbow.

(e) All copy being leg is a possibility.

Q14. Statements: Some sony are dell. All sony are copy. All dell are pencils. No pencils is paper. Some paper is bag. No bag is box. 

Conclusions: 

(a)Some sony is pencil.

(b)Some paper is box.

(c) Some dell is not paper.

(d) Some bag is not pencil.

(e) Some bag is paper.

Q15. Statements: Some pen is not pink. All pink is black. Some black is not brown. Some brown are red. All red are yellow. No yellow is orange.

Conclusions: 

(a) All pen being black is possibility.

(b) All pink being pen is a possibility.

(c) Some red is not black.

(d) Some yellow is brown.

(e) Some brown is not orange.

Solution (11-15):

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol.

S12. Ans.(e)
Sol.

S13. Ans.(e)
Sol.

S14. Ans.(b)
Sol.

S15. Ans.(c)
Sol.

Daily GK Update 09th October 2017

1. Complete list of Nobel Prize Winners 2017

i. The 2017 Nobel Prize were announced recently in 6 different fields viz. Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences.

ii. Brief History of the Nobel Prize- On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace - the Nobel Prizes.

Find Complete List Here

2. 2017 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences Announced

i. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2017 was awarded to Richard H. Thaler "for his contributions to behavioural economics".

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
• Amartya Sen (India) and John F. Nash Jr. (America) are the most famous recipients of Nobel Prize in Economics.

3. India's First Portal Dedicated to Para-Sports Launched

i. 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 was launched.

ii. thenationspride.com is a non-profit initiative, helmed by 17-year-old Mumbai student and sports enthusiast, Saachi Munot.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the present minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.

4. Prime Minister Launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush

i. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in Gujarat.

ii. Through this program, Government of India aims to reach each and every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation program. IMI is supported by 11 other ministries and departments.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Shri J P Nadda is the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

5. Rajesh Nath Gets Germany's Highest Civilian Honour

i. Rajesh Nath, Managing Director of VDMA India, has been conferred the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit’, the highest civilian honour awarded to individuals for their services to Germany.
ii. The award, also known as Bundesverdienstkreuz or Federal Cross of Merit was instituted in 1951 and is Germany’s only honour that is awarded to both Germans and foreigners for achievements in the economic, social, political or intellectual realms.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The President of Germany is Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
• Berlin is the capital of Germany.

6. PNB MetLife Appoints Ashish Srivastava as MD & CEO

i. PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd (PNB MetLife), a life insurer, has appointed Ashish Srivastava as a new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the company.

ii. Prior to this elevation, Srivastava was an interim CEO at PNB MetLife. Srivastava joined PNB MetLife in 2013 as the Head of HR for the India business.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Chris Townsend is the Chairman of the Board of PNB MetLife

7. Aadhaar Made Mandatory For Small Saving Schemes as Post Office Deposits, PPF, KVP

i. The government has made biometric identification Aadhaar mandatory for all post office deposits, PPF, the National Savings Certificate scheme and Kisan Vikas Patra. 

ii. According to the provision, which is already in effect, all depositors have been given time till December 31, 2017, to provide the 12-digit unique identification number and link it with their accounts.

Important Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Unique Identification Authority of India has its Headquarters (HQ) in New Delhi.
• The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UIDAI is Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

8. International Conference on Dialogue of Civilizations – IV

i. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Ministry of Culture is hosting an international conference on “Dialogue of Civilizations – IV” from 8th to 15th October 2017 at Delhi, Gandhinagar and Dholavira.  This conference is fourth in this series of ‘dialogues’ initiated by National Geographic Society in 2013.

ii. The objective of the conference is to encourage scholarly and public discourse about the five ancient, literate civilizations of the world, i.e. Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, China and Mesoamerica.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• The first conference of this series was inaugurated in Guatemala in 2013 followed by Turkey in 2014 and China in 2015. 
• Prof. B.B. Lal is a Padma Bhushan awardee on ‘Harappan Civilization’, which introduced the earliest civilization of South Asia to the scholars working on other ancient civilizations.

9. GoM Set Up to Review Composition Scheme

i. A group of ministers (GoM) has been set up under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants. The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had constituted the GoM.

ii. With only 15.50 lakh businesses out of the total 98 lakh registered under the goods and services tax (GST) regime opting for the composition scheme, the GST Council has decided to set up the GoM to examine measures to make it more attractive.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• Jagdish Mukhi is the Present Governor of Assam.

10. Anupama Clinches World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship Title

i. India’s Anupama Ramachandran has clinched the World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title at St. Petersburg in Russia.

ii. In the girl's category, second seed Anupama Ramachandran of India knocked out her compatriot and top seed Keerthana Pandian 3-1 to become World Open Under-16 champion.

11. Rafael Nadal Wins China Open Title

i. World number one Rafael Nadal (Spain) won his sixth title of this year. He defeated Nick Kyrgios  (Australia) at the China Open 2017.

ii. Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, came to the Chinese capital Beijing on the back of winning his third US Open.

Important Takeaways from Above News-

• In US Open 2017 Rafael Nadal defeated Kevin Anderson (South Africa) in Men's Singles.

Daily GK Update 08th October 2017

1. 08th October 2017: Indian Air Force Celebrates the 85th Anniversary

 

i. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating its 85th anniversary on 08th October 2017. The celebrations would be marked by a stellar show in the skies by various aircraft at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad. President Ram Nath Kovind has greeted the Indian Air Force on its 85th Anniversary.

ii. Defence Ministry stated that the air display has commenced with flag bearing skydivers of famous AKASH GANGA Team dropping out of AN-32 aircraft in their colourful canopies.

Must Do Takeaways from the Above News: 

• The Indian Air Force was officially established on 08th October 1932. Its first ac flight came into being on 01st April 1933. 
• Birender Singh Dhanoa is present Air Chief Marshal of Indian Air Force. He assumed the post after Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha retired.

2. India's Coffee Output Pegged at Record 3.5 lakh Tons in 2017-18

i. 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. According to the Coffee Board, the final output stood lower by 10.34 percent at 3.12 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 marketing year from 3.48 lakh tonnes in the previous year. 

ii. Coffee Board stated that the crop's forecast for 2017-18 is placed at 3.50 lakh tonnes, comprising 1.03 lakh tonnes of Arabica and 2.47 lakh tonnes of Robusta varieties. Higher output is mainly attributed to the additional bearing area of about 13,500 hectares in traditional growing areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 

Must Do Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee in India.
• Coffee output in Karnataka is pegged at 2.51 lakh tonnes in 2017-18 as against 2.21 lakh tonnes last year. 
• The government of India established the ‘Coffee Board’ through a constitutional act “Coffee Act VII of 1942” under the administrative control of Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

3. PM Modi lays Foundation Stone for Bhadbhut Barrage over Narmada River

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for Bhadbhut Barrage to be built over Narmada River in Bharuch Gujarat. Mr Modi also flagged off the Antyodaya Express between Udhna in Surat and Jaynagar in Bihar. 

ii. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister has inaugurated a new 500-crore rupees civil hospital and a medical college in Vadnagar, Gujarat. The Prime Minister, in his hometown (Vadnagar), also launched the intensified mission Indradhanush to accelerate progress towards the goal of full immunization coverage. 

Must Do Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Om Prakash Kohli is present Governor of Gujarat and a former member of Rajya Sabha.
• Vijay Ramniklal Rupani is the incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat. 
• The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat.

4. President launches Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project Jeevamritham in Kerala

i. President Ram Nath Kovind has launched 100 crore rupees Mata Amritanandamayi Math Project "Jeevamritham "to provide the filtration system for cleaning drinking water to 5000 villages across India, in Kollam district in Kerala.

ii. The President also distributed the certificates to three villages out of 12 villages in the States of Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Kerala, which were adopted by the Math, verified as Open Defecation Free by Swatch Bharat Abhiyan.

5. RBI to soon Launch Financial Literacy Drive in 9 States

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in nine states on the pilot basis to educate people on e-transactions, formal sector borrowings and insurance purchases. The pilot project, according to RBI will be commissioned in the 9 states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh by the 6 NGOs in collaboration with the sponsor Banks.

ii. The aim of this drive is to inculcate the habit of making a household budget and recording financial transactions, encourage transactions in savings accounts, and active saving by depositing in banks through fixed deposits and recurring deposits.

6. Prasar Bharati launches Online Application System for AIR Auditions

i. Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash has launched an online application system for music auditions across all genres for the All India Radio. 

ii. The initiative was launched on the occasion of 64th Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan in New Delhi. It is believed that with the introduction of this facility, the aspirants who want to apply and get themselves graded will have a better experience in terms of accessibility and availability. 

7. India, Ethiopia Sign Agreements on Trade, Communication

i. India and Ethiopia has signed agreements on trade, communication and media to boost bilateral ties. The agreements were signed after wide-ranging talks between President Ram Nath Kovind and his Ethiopian counterpart Mulatu Teshome at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. 

ii. The two leaders discussed economic relations between the two countries and also support to Ethiopia in the power healthcare, and education sectors. The President also thanked Ethiopia for its participation in the International Solar Alliance (ISA), established in 2015.

Must Do Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Addis Ababa is Capital city of Ethiopia.
• The Ethiopian Birr is the currency of Ethiopia.
• Ethiopia is an East African Country. 

8. Haj Committee Recommends Abolishing of Subsidy

i. The government was appointed Committee 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. The Committee presented its report on New Haj policy 2018-22 to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in Mumbai. 

ii. In view of the Supreme Court direction, the Ministry had set up the Panel under the Chairmanship of former Secretary Afzal Amanullah to review the existing Haj Policy and to suggest a framework for new Haj policy 2018-22.

Must Do Takeaways from the Above News: 

• Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is a member of Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand (From 08th July 2016 onwards).
• Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is Union Minister of Minority Affairs. 

9. Hurricane Nate moves Toward the second Landfall on Gulf Coast in the USA

i. In the United States, hurricane Nate has made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana. According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm with maximum sustained winds of 137 kilometres per hour is moving north and a second landfall is expected on the Mississippi coast later.

ii. A state of emergency has been declared in four southern US states with Hurricane Nate gathering strength. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida have issued hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. The measures apply to parts of the city of New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago.