Current Affairs PDF September 1-15-2018

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Current Affairs [PDF] -September 1-15, 2018
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Contents
......................... ..... . . ......... ................................................................
News Headlines: September 1 to 15, 2018 ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
September 1, 2018 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
September 3, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
September 4, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25
September 5, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 30
September 6, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 33
September 7, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
September 8, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42
September 10, 2018 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
September 11, 2018 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 51
September 12, 2018 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 54
September 13, 2018 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58
September 14, 2018 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
September 15, 2018 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66
Multiple Choice Questions .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 69
© 2018 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | https://www.gktoday.in 2

News Headlines: September 1 to 15, 2018

Current Affairs – News Headlines: September 1, 2018
India
For the first time in independent India, Census 2021 will collect data on Other Backwards Castes
(OBCs)
Law Commission suggests that 18 years should be the minimum legal age of marriage for both men
and women
PM Modi, his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli jointly inaugurate Nepal-Bharat Maitri
Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu
India and Nepal sign MoU to build a strategic railway line connecting Bihar’s Raxaul city to
Kathmandu
Mumbai-based neurosurgeon Dr B.K. Misra wins Dr B.C. Roy National Award as an Eminent Medical
Person of the Year
Lifetime achievement awards of non-profit organisation Legends of India presented to artist Satish
Gujral, musician T. N. Krishnan and theatre doyen Ratan Thiyam in New Delhi by Vice President
“Shades of Truth: A Journey Derailed”, a book by Congress MP Kapil Sibal, to release in September
Flood-hit Kerala to rope in KPMG as consultant for rebuilding state
Noted Telugu film director B. Jaya dies at 54 in Hyderabad
Krishna Kutir, a home for 1000 widows in Vrindavan, inaugurated by WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi
and UP CM Adityanath Yogi
Economy & Corporate
Rupee slumps 26 paise to breach the 71 level against the US dollar for the first time in history
Foreign exchange reserves rose by $ 445.4 million to $ 401.293 billion in the week to August 24: RBI
Diesel price crosses Rs 70/litre mark for first time ever
India’s GDP grew 8.2% in the April-June quarter of 2018-19
Eight core sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and
electricity – register growth of 6.6% in July 2018
Sunil Mehta, MD and CEO, PNB elected as new Chairman of Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) for
2018-19
UIDAI extends till November 1 the deadline for banks to do minimum (8) Aadhaar enrolments and
updations in identified branches
Telecom Commission unveils norms on network testing before the commercial launch of services,
caps its duration to a maximum of 180 days
Idea Cellular and Vodafone announce completion of their merger to create India’s largest telecom
operator
RBI cancels the licence of Bhilwara Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank
World
India and Pakistan agree to undertake the Indus Waters Treaty mandated tours in the Indus basin
on both sides
International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) publishes genome of bread wheat,
the world’s most widely cultivated crop
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, connecting capital Male and neighbouring Hulhule Island,
inaugurated. Is the first cross-sea bridge in the Maldives.
2-day 4th BIMSTEC summit concludes in Kathmandu, Sri Lanka assumes chairmanship of BIMSTEC
and will hold next summit
Coca-Cola buys Costa coffee brand from British firm Whitbread for USD 5.1 billion
India
The Chief Justice of India’s office proposes the name of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief
Justice

Tenth Law Teachers Day Awards presented by Vice President in New Delhi. Prof N R Madhava
Menon Best Law Teacher Award given to Prof R Venkata Rao of the National Law School of India
University, Bangalore
Gujarat to host 9th edition of the annual industry summit ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ from January 18 to 20 in
Gandhinagar
J&K: Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil polls throw up a hung house
with the National Conference (NC) emerging as the single largest party
UP: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurates ‘Digi Gaon’ initiative at Pindara Thakur village
in Amethi district
22-year old Nehal Chudasama crowned as Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe in Mumbai
IPPB
PM launches India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) with 650 branches and 3,250 access points
Will offer remittance services, mobile payments/transfers/purchases and other banking services like
ATM/debit cards, net banking and third-party fund transfers
Can’t offer loans directly, or issue credit cards
Will accept deposits of up to Rs 1 lakh
Any account that exceed Rs 1 lakh willVineet
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IPPB will offer 4 per cent interest rate on savings accounts
Economy & Corporate
Centre’s April-July fiscal deficit stood at 86.5% of the 2018-19 budgeted estimate
Filing of income tax returns surges 70.86% in the current assessment year upto August 31
CII National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2018 presented to over 150 companies in
Hyderabad
Telecom Commission to constitute ‘National Trusts Centre’ for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) for
devices and applications
World
Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu attends the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) in
Singapore
India and Singapore launch 3rd Review of India Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA) in Singapore
UN Secretary-General appoints Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of the Netherlands as his special
representative for Iraq
United States halts funding for UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) – UN’s agency working for
welfare of Palestinian refugees
Justice Tahira Safdar sworn in as first woman Chief Justice of a Pakistani high court in Balochistan
province
India
Moving On, Moving Forward–A Year in Office, a book to mark one year in office of Vice President
Venkaiah Naidu, released by PM Modi
J&K: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman becomes first Defence Minister to visit the Balbir
Forward Post
Puducherry bags top position in National Clean School Award given by HRD Ministry; Tamil Nadu is
2nd while AP and Gujarat are joint 3rd
President Ram Nath Kovind arrives in Larnaca, Cyprus
Economy & Corporate
Mauritius remains top source of FDI into India in 2017-18 at USD 13.41 billion; total FDI stood at USD
37.36 billion
1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations worldwide in 2017; 84 mn

increase over 2016: UN World Tourism Organisation

International tourist arrivals in India grew from 14.57 million in 2016 to 15.54 million in 2017
International tourism receipts for India grew from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion
dollars in 2017
ITI Ltd. partners with startups to boost manufacturing of ICT, IoT and Defence Technology based
solutions at the first ICT-IoT Expo in Bengaluru on September 1-2
Union Health Ministry comes out with draft rules for e-pharmacies to regulate online sale of
medicines
US-India Business Council (USIBC) to organise India Ideas Summit in Mumbai on September 5-6
World
4th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) inaugurated at Leiden in Netherlands by Minister of
State for AYUSH Shripad Naik
4th IAvC organised jointly by International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation, the Netherlands, All
India Ayurvedic Congress (New Delhi), and the International Academy of Ayurveda (Pune)
United States cancels $300 mn in military aid to Pakistan over its inaction against terror groups
US Army General Austin Miller has assumed command of the 41-nation NATO mission in
Afghanistan Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Egypt: President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ratifies a law granting authorities the right to monitor social
media users in the country
Asian Games
18th Asian Games conclude in Indonesia, China tops medals tally with 132 gold, 92 silver and 65
bronze followed by Japan and South Korea
India finish 8th with 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze, the country’s best performance in the Asian
Games till now
Women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal was India’s India flag-bearer in the closing ceremony
18-year old Japanese woman swimmer Ikee Rikako named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the
Asian Games for winning 6 gold and 2 silver medals
Sports
England (246, 271) beat India (273, 184) by 60 runs in 4th test at Rose Bowl Cricket Ground,
Southampton to take 3-1 lead in 5-test series; Moeen Ali is Man of the Match
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza
India
President Ram Nath Kovind meets his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia, addresses
members of the House of Representatives
India and Cyprus sign 2 MoUs on Combating Money Laundering and Cooperation in the field of
Environment
India made rapid progress in increasing access to sanitation in schools: WHO/UN Children’s Fund
Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP)
India to participate in multi-nation Indian Ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) ‘IOWave18’ on
September 4-5
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda addresses the 71st Session of the WHO
Regional Committee for South-East Asia in New Delhi
19-day-old girl born in government hospital in Karnal, Haryana on August 15 becomes 1st new-born
beneficiary of Prime Minister’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana (National Health Protection Scheme)
Centre approves Jharkhand government’s proposal to rename Nagar Untari town as Banshidhar
Nagar
Karnataka: Congress emerges as the single largest party in the Urban Local Bodies election
Economy & Corporate
The Indian rupee crashes to yet another historic low of 71.21 against the US dollar

RBI bought 8.46 tonne of gold in financial year 2017-18, the first such purchase in 9 years
US-based nonprofit The Internet Society and ISPAI (Internet Service Providers Association of India)
sign MoU to secure Internet infrastructure in India
Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) wins Rs 200 crore arbitration award against National Highway
Authority of India (NHAI)
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) launches utility passenger vehicle Marazzo at Rs 9.99 lakh
World
Ukraine organising Rapid Trident joint military exercises with NATO nations from September 3 to
15
China pledges $60 billion of financial assistance to Africa at the triennial China-Africa summit in
Beijing
Myanmar court jails two journalists of news agency Reuters for 7 years in state secrets case during
their reporting of the Rohingya crisis
Sports
ISSF World Championship in Changwon, South Korea: Anjum Moudgil wins silver in women’s 10m
air rifle event
RSL Kharkiv International Badminton in Ukraine: Anoushka Parikh & Saurabh Sharma win mixed
doubles title, Krishna Prasad Garaga & Dhruv Kapila clinch men’s doubles title
33-year old Alastair Cook (12254 runs in 158 tests) to retire from international cricket after England’s
5th Test against India
Former Maharashtra football player Arthur Pereira dies in Mumbai at 70
India
President Ram Nath Kovind meets his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev in Sofia
Rajasthan govt to provide free mobile phones to women of BPL families under the Bhamashah
Yojana
Bharat Ratna recipient scientist C N R Rao to get honorary D Sc at annual convocation of Presidency
University in Kolkata on September 11
Lok Sabha Speaker accept resignation of Tura MP Conrad K. Sangma, who was sworn in as the
Meghalaya CM in March
CJI Dipak Misra recommends Justice Ranjan Gogoi as next chief justice
Indian and Kazakhstan to conduct joint army exercise ‘Kazind’ from September 10 to 23 at Otar
military base
Air Force’s MiG-27 fighter jet crashes in Jodhpur; pilot escapes unhurt
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit releases Tamil version of ‘Exam warriors’ penned by PM
Modi
A gold tiffin box weighing two kg among items stolen from Nizam’s Museum in Hyderabad
Economy & Corporate
Asia Index Pvt Ltd announces the launch of S&P BSE Private Banks Index – an index designed to
measure the performance of private banks
Asia Index Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE Ltd
Cyient Solutions & Systems (a joint venture between Cyient Ltd and BlueBird Aero Systems, Israel)
gets first supply order from Indian Army for SpyLite mini Unmanned Arial Vehicle (UAV)
Coffee Krishi Tharanga, an IVR based Digital Mobile Extension Service, launched for coffee
stakeholders by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu
HDFC ERGO launches ‘E@Secure’, a Cyber Insurance Policy for individuals
Amazon India launches Hindi website and mobile app
7 Indian organisations selected for Microsoft’s AI for Earth programme
BSNL signs boxer Mary Kom as brand ambassador
PC Jeweller signs actress Kriti Kharbanda as brand ambassador

World
Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party’s candidate Arif Alvi elected President of Pakistan
International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 being held in Kathmandu from September 3 to 5
7 killed as Typhoon Jebi hits Japan with heavy winds and rain
Tropical Storm Gordon lashes Florida (USA) with heavy rains and high winds
Afghan Taliban announces death of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the dreaded Haqqani
Network
com Inc becomes 2nd US company after Apple to reach $1 trillion in stock market value
Sports
ISSF World Championships in Changwon (South Korea): Indian shooter Om Prakash Mitharval wins
gold in Men’s 50m Pistol event
India
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in New Delhi to hold
the inaugural two-plus-two talks with their Indian counterparts
Bulgaria: President Ram Nath Kovind delivers an address at Sofia University on the theme
“Education as an Instrument of Change and Shared Prosperity”
India, Bulgaria sign MoUs on civil nuclear cooperation, Science & Technology, investment & tourism
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launches book titled ‘Experiential Learning–Gandhiji’s Nai
Talim’ on Teachers’ Day
Vice President presents National Awards for Teachers 2017 to 45 teachers from across the country
in New Delhi on Teacher’s Day
Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, to attend 3rd ASEM
(Asia-Europe Meeting) Conference on ‘Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons’ in Seoul
on September 5-7
IAF successfully carries out 1st ever mid air refuelling of the indigenously developed Tejas light
combat aircraft
Gujarati author and journalist Bhagwatikumar Sharma dies in Surat at 84
Tourism Ministry sanctions Rs 80.37 cr for developing cruise tourism in Kerala under ‘Swadesh
Darshan’ Scheme
J&K: 5-day Chenab Valley youth festival begins in Bhadarwah, organised by organised by Bhadarwah
campus of Jammu University in collaboration with a local Army unit
APY
Atal Pension Yojana (APY), which lapsed in August, extended indefinitely
Age of enrollment extended from 60 years to 65 years
Accident insurance limit doubled from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh
Overdraft facility doubled from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000
APY is a social security scheme launched by govt. in 2015 to provide a defined pension between Rs
1,000 to Rs 5,000
PMJDY
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) made an open ended scheme, meaning that it will
continue indefinitely
Overdraft facility doubled from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000
Was launched in August 2014 for a period of four years as a national mission for financial inclusion
Economy & Corporate
PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) gets order for supply of 7 long range surface-to-air missile
(LRSAM) systems to the Indian Navy
Tata tops “India’s Most Consumer-Focussed Brands 2018” list: TRA Research report
World
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh nominated for 2nd 5-year term as regional director of World Health

Organisation’s South-East Asian Region (WHOSEAR)

India supports Mauritius over its claim on disputed Chagos islands, which is home to Diego Garcia
— the US military base in the Indian Ocean
“Fear: Trump in the White House”, written by journalist Bob Woodward, to release on September 11
Sports
32-year old bowler Rudra Pratap Singh (14 tests, 40 wickets) announces retirement from cricket
India beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in their opening encounter at South Asian Football Federation Cup in Dhaka
2+2 DIALOGUE
India and the US hold 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swara along with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held talks
with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis
Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) signed. Will give India access
to high-end US defence technology
India and the US to set up a hotline between their foreign and defence ministers
India
President Ram Nath Kovind hold talks in Prague with his Czech Republic counterpart Milos Zeman
and PM Andrej Babis
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi unveiled in Sofia by President Ram Nath Kovind and his Bulgarian
counterpart Rumen Radev
United States returns antique statues of ‘Lingodhbhavamurti’ and ‘Manjusri’ dating back to 12th
century to India
India and Sri Lanka conducting week-long joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 at Trincomalee from
September 7
Home Ministry inducts Akshay Kumar, Pullela Gopichand as trustees in ‘Bharat Ke Veer’ trust set up
for families of slain Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel
Defence and Homeland Security Expo and Conference being organised in New Delhi on September
6-8
6th edition of biennial Bengaluru Space Expo being organised in Bengaluru on September 6-8
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises consensual gay sex violates right to equality:
SC
India to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted by
OECD after 9 years
Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao dissolves Assembly 8 months ahead of its tenure completion,
announces fresh elections
Veteran Tamil film comedian Vellai Subbaiah dies at Mettupalayam at 78
Book ‘Constitutionalizing India – An Ideational Project’, authored by Bidyut Chakrabarty, released
by Vice President
Economy
National Mission on Government eMarketplace (GeM) launched for increasing accelerating the use
of (GeM) by Union Minister Suresh Prabhu
Corporate
ONGC announces oil and gas discoveries in Vindhya Basin in MP and 24 Parganas district in West
Bengal
L&T Technology Services to acquire Bengaluru-based Graphene Semiconductor Services for Rs 93
crore
Anshula Kant appointed as MD of SBI
Airtel Payments Bank enables card-less withdrawal at ATMs
HDFC Bank is India’s most valued brand for 5th year in a row: BrandZ India Top 50
Travel firm Cox & Kings signs Anushka Sharma as its first ever brand ambassador

Paint maker Kansai Nerolac ropes in actor Ranveer Singh as brand ambassador
State panels to be set up to identify patients suffering from faulty hip implants by pharmaceutical
MNC Johnson & Johnson
World
6-magnitude earthquake hits Japanese island of Hokkaido, 8 dead
Paraguay moves its embassy in Israel back from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv
Ethiopia reopens its embassy in the Eritrean capital Asmara after the two nations ended decades of
conflict
Pakistan observes Defence Day on September 6 to mark 53rd anniversary of the 1965 war with India
Google launches new search engine for the scientific community called Dataset Search
Australia mints 2 kg gold coin encrusted with rare pink diamonds worth $1.8 million
Japan’s Masao Matsumoto (108) and his wife Miyako (100) confirmed as the oldest living spouses by
aggregate age by Guinness World Records
Sports
ISSF World Championship in Changwon, South Korea: Saurabh Chaudhary wins gold in Junior
Men’s 10m Air Pistol
Current Affairs –Vineet
News Headlines: September 8, 2018
Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
India
Armies of India and the US will hold their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in
Uttarakhand from September 16 to 29
SLINEX 2018 naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka begins in Trincomalee
India and France sign implementation agreement on “Mobilise Your City” (MYC) in New Delhi; MYC
will support Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad in their efforts to reduce Green House Gas (GHG)
emissions
Indian Railways claims success in its “Plan Bee” to stop elephants from being hit by speeding trains
in the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR)
Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announces the launch of her new book “The Rule Breakers”
47th Border Co-ordination Conference between India’s BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
being held in New Delhi from September 3 to 8
Sikkim to join aviation map on October 4 with the launch of 1st flight by SpiceJet between Pakyong
and Kolkata
Minister of State for HRD, Satya Pal Singh attends G20 Education Ministers’ and Joint Ministerial
Meeting at Mendoza, Argentina on September 5-6
Minister of State for Labour& Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar attends G20 Labour &
Employment Ministers’ Meeting at Mendoza, Argentina on September 6-7
Economy & Corporate
Foreign exchange reserves decline by USD 1.191 billion to USD 400.101 billion in the week to August
31
Current account deficit (CAD) declines marginally to 2.4% of GDP in the April-June quarter of
2018-19 against 2.5% in the year-ago period: RBI
RBI imposes a penalty of Rs. 1 crore each on Union Bank of India, Bank of India and Bank of
Maharashtra for delay in detection and reporting of fraud in some accounts
PM Modi inaugurates 2-day Global Mobility Summit MOVE in New Delhi, outlines vision for future
of mobility based on 7 C’s
The 7 C’s are Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean and Cutting-edge
Global Mobility Summit MOVE is an initiative to attract investments in electric vehicles
manufacturing and encourage people to use public transport
Govt decides to exempt electrical vehicles & automobiles run on alternative fuel from permit
requirements
Board members of United States India Business Council (USIBC) call on PM Modi in New Delhi

NAL, Bengaluru, inks pact with Delhi-based Mesco Aerospace for production of Hansa-Next
Generation aircraft
World
Richard DeVos, co-founder of direct-selling giant Amway with Jay Van Andel in 1949, dies in US at
92
Veteran actor Burt Reynolds dies in Florida (USA) at 82
Sports
India Blue beat India Red by an innings and 187 runs to win the Duleep Trophy at Dindigul (Tamil
Nadu)
ISSF World Championship in Changwon (South Korea): Hriday Hazarika wins gold medal for India in
Men’s 10m Air Rifle Junior event, Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agarwal and Manini Kaushik win gold
in Women’s 10m Air Rifle Junior team event
India
World Summit on Accreditation being held in New Delhi on September 7-9 with its theme as
‘Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome-Based Accreditation’
Defence Ministry to organise Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru on February 20-24
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, former PM of Nepal and Co-Chairman, Nepal Communist Party,
calls on PM Modi in New Delhi
Governments of Punjab and J&K sign agreement to resume work on Shahpurkandi dam project that
would help reduce the quantum of India’s share of Ravi waters flowing into Pakistan
Lucknow’s famous ‘Hazratganj Chauraha’ to be renamed after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as
‘Atal Chowk’
Snow leopard spotted in Lippa-Asra wildlife sanctuary in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh,
‘Shades of Truth-A Journey Derailed’, written by former Union Minister Kapil Sibal, released
Former actress Twinkle Khanna launches her new book “Pyjamas Are Forgiving”
Economy & Corporate
doubles the monetary limit to Rs. 20 lakh for filing loan recovery application in the Debt Recovery
Tribunals (DRT) by banks and financial institutions
Amitabh Chaudhry to succeed Shikha Sharma as Managing Director & CEO of Axis Bank from
January 1
World
World Hindu Congress being held in Chicago on September 7-9 to commemorate 125 years of Swami
Vivekananda’s historic Chicago address on September 11, 1893
The theme of the World Hindu Congress 2018 is “Sumantrite Suvikrante” — think collectively,
achieve valiantly
United States recalls its envoys to 3 Latin American countries — Dominican Republic, El Salvador
and Panama — that recently switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China
Protestors burn the Iranian consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s co-founder and Chairman Jack Ma announces retirement at the
age of 54
David Cronenberg wins lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival
Sports
ISSF World Championship in Changwon (South Korea): Ankur Mittal wins gold medal in Men’s
Double Trap event
Murali Vijay to play for Essex in the remainder of the 2018 County Championship in England
Gaurav Gill wins 2000 km Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally that started from Bangalore and ended
in Goa
Assam govt makes Asian Games medalist Hima Das as Sports Ambassador of state


India
5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres to be opened by 2022 under Ayushman Bharat scheme: NITI
Aayog member Dr Vinod Kumar Paul
President Ram Nath Kovind returns home after concluding his tour of Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech
Republic
UP: Superintendent of Police Kanpur, Surendra Kumar Das, dies allegedly due to poisoning
Veteran Tamil film actor Kumarasamy dies in Coimbatore at 74
Economy & Corporate
Only a third in India are regularly saving for their retirement: HSBC’s the ‘Future of Retirement:
Bridging the Gap’ report
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje announces 4% reduction in VAT on petrol, diesel; prices to decline by
Rs.2.5/litre
World
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan given Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the Women in Film and
Television (WIFT) India Awards in Washington
General Purna Chandra Thapa becomes new Chief of Army Staff of Nepal
North Korea holds military parade to celebrate 70th anniversary of country’s founding in Pyongyang
Japan: Death toll from earthquake on northern island of Hokkaido goes up to 37
1995 Miss Universe Chelsi Smith dies in the US at 43
Jack Ma not retiring and will unveil transition plans on September 10: Alibaba
Sports
IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava (Czech Republic): India’s Arpinder Singh wins bronze medal in
Men’s Triple Jump
HYDERBAD OPEN BADMINTON WINNERS
India’s Sameer Verma: Men’s Singles
South Korea’s Kim Ga-eun: Women’s Singles
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty: Men’s Doubles
Akbar Bintang Cahyono and Winny Oktavina Kandow of Malaysia: Mixed Doubles
Ng Tsz Yau and Yuen Sin Ying of Hong Kong: Women’s Doubles
US OPEN TENNIS WINNERS
Japan’s Naomi Osaka beats Serena Williams of US in final 6-2, 6-4 to win women’s singles title
Mixed Doubles title won by Jamie Murray (UK) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)
Men’s Doubles title won by Mike Bryan and Jack Sock of United States
LITERACY DAY AWARDS
International Literacy Day celebrated on September 8 with its theme as ‘Literacy and skills
development’
Winners of UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize:
Accelerated Education for Marginalized Women and Girls (Afghanistan)
Programa Aprender Siempre (Uruguay)
Winners of UNSECO Confucius Prize for Literacy:
Consolidated teaching of literacy and ICDL (International Computer Driving License) basic
computer skills (Iran)
National Open University of Nigeria – Nigerian Prisons Study centres and inmates General
Education Programme (Nigeria)
Spanish as a second language for adult immigrants (Spain)
India-Bangladesh Projects
PM Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate 3 projects in Bangladesh through
video conferencing

1st project: Supply of 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh
2nd project: Construction work of the Bangladesh part of Akhaura-Agartala railway link
3rd project: Rehabilitation of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways
India
India and Mongolia holding Nomadic Elephant-2018 military exercise in Mongolia from Sept 10 to 21
BIMSTEC countries holding MILEX-18 military exercise at Aundh near Pune from Sept 10 to 16
BIMSTEC is Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
First ever mid-air refuelling of LCA Tejas successfully carried out using the Russian-built IL-78 MKI
tanker
Delhi govt launches doorstep delivery of 40 govt services including driving license and marriage
registration at a fee of Rs 50
2 Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives sentenced to death for the August 25, 2007 Hyderabad twin
bomb blasts that killed 42
IGNOU inaugurates certificate course in Korean language and culture
ITBP Director General R. K. Pachnanda presents a cheque of Rs. 8.5 crore towards the Prime
Minister`s National Relief Fund
MP: 2-day Regional Conference on Good Governance of 12 states and 2 UTs in Bhopal on September
10-11
Economy
The rupee ends at a record low of 72.45 against the US dollar
Fuel prices touch new all-time highs of Rs 80.73/litre for petrol and Rs 72.83/litre for diesel in Delhi
India’s share in the GDP of Asia and Pacific region rises to 17.3% in 2017 from 14.6% in 2000: ADB
report
Andhra Pradesh govt. announces Rs. 2 cut in VAT on petrol and diesel
Corporate
Girish Radhakrishnan appointed CMD of United India Insurance Company
Tajinder Mukherjee appointed CMD of National Insurance Company Limited
Haryana govt. signs MoU with Indian Oil to set up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of over
Rs 900 crore
Infosys signs 3-year deal with Australian Open tennis as its official digital innovation partner
SpiceJet to launch air cargo services under the brand name ‘SpiceXpress’ from September 18
Badminton player PV Sindhu signed as brand ambassador for JBL ‘Endurance’ earphones
World
Swiss international children rights charity Terre des Hommes awarded 2018 Balzan Prize for
humanitarian achievement
UAE University (UAEU) breaks Guinness World Record for the largest mosaic painting, made of
paper rolls
United States to close the Palestinian mission in Washington
Nepal: Om Prakash Mishra sworn-in as Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang to succeed Jack Ma as Chairman from September 10, 2019
World Suicide Prevention Day observed on September 10
Sports
England’s Alastair Cook hits century (147) in his last innings in test cricket at The Oval, London
Us Open Tennis Winners
Men’s Singles title won by Serbia’s Novak Djokovic who defeated Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro
in the final 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Women’s Doubles title won by Ashleigh Barty (Australia) and CoCo Vandeweghe (United States)
India
PM announces an increase in the remuneration given to Anganwadi and Accredited Social Health

Activist (ASHA) workers

EC withdraws NOTA option from ballot papers of the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls
following SC directive
SC vacates its order staying construction activities in MP, AP and Chandigarh for not framing a
policy under the Solid Waste Management Rules
Bihar govt. launches bus services connecting Bodhgaya to Kathmandu and Patna to Janakpur
Tamil Nadu signs MoU with Centre to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in association with its
Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS)
A gold tiffin box and other antiques stolen from Nizam’s Museum in Hyderabad recovered by Police
Telugu edition of ‘Exam Warriors,’ a book written by PM Modi, launched in Hyderabad
Scientist CNR Rao conferred honorary Doctor of Science (DSc.) degree by Presidency University in
Kolkata
Odisha: Veteran freedom fighter Goura Chandra Mohapatra dies at 104 in Bhadrak district
BARC recommissions India’s oldest research reactor ‘Apsara’ after 9 years at Trombay
NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR collaborate to set up a Model International Center for Transformative AI
(ICTAI) in Bengaluru
Economy Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Rupee plummets 24 paise against the US dollar to end at a new record low of 72.69
Petrol prices breach the psychological barrier of Rs 90 in Parbhani town of Maharashtra
Web portal ‘Rail Sahyog’ launched for corporates to fund creation of amenities at Railway stations
through CSR funds
Ministry of External Affairs signs pact with TCIL (Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd) for
the implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project between
India and Africa
Corporate
Cost of construction for a residential apartment is highest in the country in Mumbai at Rs 3,125 per
sq ft
Hero MotoCorp signs up Virat Kohli as brand ambassador
World
2-day India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) to be held in Dubai on October 30-31
Corruption costs 5% of global GDP, $1 trillion paid in bribes every year: UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres
US National Cancer Institute awards $6.5 million to Indian-American Professor Arul Chinnaiyan to
identify cancer biomarkers
Russia organises “Vostok-2018” military exercises in eastern Siberia
Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Pakistan’s ousted former PM Nawaz Sharif, dies in London at 68
Sports
England (332, 423d/8) beat India (292, 345) by 118 runs in 5th test at The Oval, London; win 5-test
series 4-1
Justice Mukul Mudgal named Chairman of the selection committee to pick Dronacharya and
Dhyanchand awardees
Asian Games gold medal-winning boxer Amit Panghal nominated for Arjuna award by Boxing
Federation of India
India
BJP leader L K Advani renominated Chairman of Lok Sabha Ethics Committee by Speaker
Padma Bhushan awardee and noted agricultural economist Vijay Shankar Vyas dies at 87 in Jaipur
National Health Mission Director Manoj Jhalani wins UN Interagency Task Force Award for work on
non-communicable diseases
Assam: CM Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Indo-Bhutan Border Centre at Darranga in Baksa

district
Tamil Nadu: Ruling AIADMK launches its channel ‘News J’
Tamil Nadu govt. prohibits manufacture and sale of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) or
e-cigarettes
Himachal Pradesh police ropes in Milkha Singh for its anti-drug drive
Economy
Rupee ends higher by 51 paise at 72.18 against the dollar
Retail inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI), declines to 10-month low of 3.69% in August
Factory output, measured by Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grows by 6.6% in August
Imports rise 25.41% to USD 45.24 billion, merchandise trade deficit at USD 17.4 billion in August
approves fiscal incentives to attract investments in raising oil and gas production from aging fields
Cabinet clears new procurement policy PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan
Abhiyan) to ensure MSP to farmers
CCEA approves 25% hike in the price of ethanol produced directly from sugarcane juice for blending
in petrol
Union Cabinet approves joint research on blockchain by EXIM Bank with member-banks of BRICS
2nd annual India-Afghanistan International Trade and Investment Show in Mumbai on September
13-16
Corporate
IBM announces partnership with IIT Bombay to advance AI research in India
AP govt. and MasterCard launch ‘e-Rythu’ mobile platform for farmers
HDFC Life appoints Vibha Padalkar as new MD & CEO
World
United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation observed on September 12
Myanmar: Indian Embassy signs agreements with Rakhine State Govt. to facilitate development in
the province
Over a million told to flee as Hurricane Florence stalks US East Coast
New York overtakes London as world’s top financial centre: Z/Yen survey
Sports
Mohun Bagan beat Calcutta Customs 2-0 to clinch Calcutta Football League title
James Anderson becomes highest wicket-taker in Test cricket among fast bowlers, surpasses
Australian Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets
Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh announces retirement at 32; won Arjuna award in 2012
and Padma Shri in 2015
India
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi launches National Scholarship Portal
Mobile App
President Ram Nath Kovind appoints Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India
Veteran film writer Brij Katyal, who penned the story of 1965 movie “Jab Jab Phool Khile”, dies in
Mumbai at 86
French journalist Francois Gautier to release authorised biography of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar
Rajasthan: State’s first lion safari inaugurated at Nahargarh Biological Park on Delhi-Jaipur highway
INMAS develops India’s first indigenous medical kit for protection against nuclear warfare or
radioactive leakage
INMAS: Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences
Economy & Corporate
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh launches Dairy Processing
& Infrastructure Development Fund with an outlay of Rs 10881 crore

bans manufacture, sale or distribution of 328 Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) for human use with
immediate effect.
Hyderabad International Airport adjudged World no 1 Airport in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per
Annum (MPPA) category by Airports Council International
World
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meets her Turkmenistan counterpart Rashid Meredov in
Ashgabat
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, attends Eastern
Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu to embark on 3-nation tour to Serbia, Malta and Romania from
September 14 to 20
European Union Parliament votes to punish Hungary for breaching democratic norms
Apple launches iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max having displays of 5.8 and 6.5 inches
Apple launches smartwatch that allows users to take their own electrocardiograms (ECG)
Google to shut down its alternate mailing app “Inbox” in March 2019, giving users time to shift to
the traditional Gmail
Nissan signs US Open tennis women’sVineet
singles champion Naomi Osaka as their brand ambassador
Sports
ISSF World Shooting Championships in Changwon (S. Korea): Udhayveer Singh wins gold in Junior
Men’s 25m Pistol event
Income Tax defeats Vijaya Bank in final to win 54th All-India men’s basketball tournament for PSG
Trophy in Coimbatore
India
Indian Coast Guard commissions indigenously built patrol vessel ‘Vijaya’ in Chennai
Tourism Ministry to include words “The land of Gandhi” in the logo of ‘Incredible India’ as part of its
plans to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary
Kochi-based start-up IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd (EyeROV) makes India’s first commercial
underwater drone for DRDO’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL)
More than 21 lakh people living with HIV in India, Maharashtra has highest: NACO Report
Tourism Ministry to organise 2nd edition of ‘Paryatan Parv’ from September 16 to 27 across the
country
SC awards Rs 50 lakh compensation to space scientist Nambi Narayanan for wrongful arrest and
harassment in ISRO espionage case of 1994
Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani presents ‘Shilp Guru’ and National Award to Master craft
persons at Raipur, Chhattisgarh
Economy & Corporate
Foreign exchange reserves decline by $819.5 million to $399.282 billion for the week to September 7
Wholesale price index (WPI) inflation eases to a four-month low of 4.53% in August
2nd meeting of High Level Empowered Committee to address the issues of stressed thermal power
plants held in New Delhi
India (111) ranks third globally behind China (159) and USA (121) in terms of the number of family-
owned businesses: Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018 report
Power Ministry launches energy efficiency labelling of chillers
Mahindra & Mahindra announces its commitment to become a carbon neutral company by 2040
Manipal Hospitals signs former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid as its brand ambassador
Infosys to acquire Finland-based Fluido for 65 million euros
Tata Steel adjudged Steel Industry Leader globally by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2018
World
India ranked 130th among 189 countries on Human Development Index (HDI) released by United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

India’s HDI value for 2017 (0.640) puts the country in the medium human development category
EAM Sushma Swaraj and Russia’s Deputy PM Yuri Borisov co-chair 23rd India-Russia Inter-
Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific Technical and Cultural Cooperation
(IRIGC-TEC) meeting in Moscow
Hurricane Florence smashes into the US East Coast
SpaceX announces signing of world’s 1st private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard the BFR
(Big Falcon Rocket) launch vehicle
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveils USD 2 billion philanthropic fund called the “Bezos Day One
Fund”
Sports
Gaurika Bishnoi wins the 14th leg of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in Gurgaon
September 1, 2018
Sunil Mehta elected as new Chairman of Indian Bank’s Association for 2018-19
Punjab National Bank (PNB’s) managing director and chief executive, Sunil Mehta was elected as new
chairman of Indian Banks Association (IBA) for year 2018-19. Bank of India’s managing director and chief
executive Dina Bandhu Mohapatra was elected as the deputy chairman. Madhav Nair, country head and
chief executive, Mashreqbank PSC, was elected as Honorary Secretary of IBA for 2018-19, State Bank of
India’s chairman, Rajnish Kumar, and Federal Bank’s managing director, Shyam Srinivasan, will continue
as deputy chairmen of IBA.
Indian Bank’s Association (IBA)
It is an association of Indian banks and financial institutions. It was established on September 26, 1946. It
is headquartered in Mumbai. Its objective is to strengthen, develop and foster coordination among Indian
banking stakeholders. It also facilitates various member banks. Managing Committee of IBA consists of
chairman, three deputy chairmen, one honorary secretary as well as 26 members. The members of IBA
comprise of public sector banks, private sector banks, foreign banks having offices in India, co-operative
banks, regional rural banks and all India financial institution. Currently it has 237 members from banking
sector operating in India.
Eight core industries output record 6.6% growth in July 2018
According to Index of Eight Core Industries released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry, eight core
sectors have grown by 6.6% in July 2018 pushed by healthy output in coal, refinery products, cement and
fertilizer sectors. It had registered growth of 2.9% in July 2017.
Performance of Eight Core Industries in July 2018
The output of coal, refinery products, fertiliser and cement grew by 9.7%, 12.3%, 1.3% and 10.8%
respectively in July 2018. However, growth rate in production of crude oil and natural gas recorded
negative growth in July, 2018. On the other hand, steel sector expansion came down to 6%, as against 9.4%
in July 2017. During April-July 2018 period of current fiscal, these eight sectors had grown by 5.8% as
against 2.6% in the year-ago period. In June 2018, these core sectors had showed growth of 7.6%, highest
core sector growth since March 2017.
Eight Core Industries

Index of Eight Core Industries is monthly production index, which is also considered as lead indicator of
the monthly industrial performance. It contains index, production and growth of Eight Core Industries
viz. electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, natural gas and fertilizers. It is compiled
based on monthly production information received from source agencies. These core industries are main

or key industries of the economy and serve as backbone of all other industries. These eight core sectors
constitute 40.27% of total index of industrial production (IIP).
Weightage: Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04%), Electricity generation (19.85%), Steel
production (17.92%), Coal production (10.33%), Crude Oil production (8.98%), Natural Gas production
(6.88%), Cement production (5.37%), Fertilizers production (2.63%).
Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala inaugurated in Kathmandu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli inaugurated 400-bed Nepal-Bharat
Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. They handed over this dharamshala to
Pashupati Area Development Trust.
Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala
It is rest house for pilgrims in Kathmandu, built with Indian assistance. It is located on banks of Bagmati
River. It has provisions to meet the requirements of pilgrims including dining hall, kitchen, family rooms
and multipurpose halls to meet the requirements of travellers and families on pilgrimage to
Pashupatinath Temple.
Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva (also known as Lord Pashupatinath, Nepal’s national
deity). It is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Shiva. It was built in the
5th century and later renovated by Malla kings. It largest temple
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | complex in Nepal, it stretches on both
sides of Bagmati River which is considered holy by Hindus. Jyotirlinga at Pashupatinath is considered as
head over twelve Jyotirlinga (in India) which are different body parts. The main pagoda style temple has
gilded roof, four sides covered in silver and wood carvings of the finest quality. Temples dedicated to
several other Hindu and Buddhist deities surround the temple of Pashupatinath. The Pashupatinath
temple complex was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage Sites’s list in 1979 as a cultural heritage site.
India, Nepal sign MoU on Raxual-Kathmandu railway line
India and Nepal have signed MoU to build strategic railway line connecting Raxaul city in Bihar, India to
Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. It was signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks on all aspects
of the bilateral ties with his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli on sidelines of 4th BIMSTEC Summit
held in Nepal.
Raxaul-Kathmandu rail line
It is expected to expand connectivity by enhancing people-to-people linkages and bulk movement of goods
between both countries. It help to promote economic growth and development in the region. India’s
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. will conduct preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey of this new rail
line in consultation with Government of Nepal. This will be followed by finalization of implementation and
funding modalities of project based ondetailed project report. Besides, there are also three other railway
projects in pipeline between both countries viz. Nautanwa-Bhairahawa, New Jalpaiguri-Kakarbhitta and
Nepalgunj Road-Nepalgunj.
Background
The signing of MoU comes two years after China agreed to construct strategic railway link with Nepal
through Tibet with apparent aim of reducing Himalayan nation’s dependence on India. It also comes in
backdrop of recent Chinese linkages with Nepal as it took on building three highways to be completed by
2020. The two countries have recently also signed transit treaty. It also comes years after sense of
mistrust had prevailed when certain sections in Nepal blamed India for the 135-day blockade in 2015 –
2016 that had crippled Nepal’s economy.
Kerala ropes in KPMG as consultant for rebuilding flood hit state
Kerala Government has decided to appoint KPMG as project consultant partner for rebuilding state
ravaged by recent massive floods. This decision was taken at state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Beisdes, Tata Project Ltd was entrusted with task of reconstructing roads,
buildings and bridges destroyed in rain fury at Pamba, the foothills of famous Lord Ayyappa shrine in
Sabarimala.
Key Facts
The services of KPMG rendered for projects related to revamping to Kerala will be free of cost. KPMG is
one of the largest professional service companies in the world and one of Big Four auditors, along with
Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

State Government also has decided to raise funds from foreign countries where Kerala expatriates live in
large numbers. It will deploy minister and necessary officials for mobilising funds from countries such as
UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, UK,
Germany, USA and Canada. It was decided to conduct fund-raising drives in key towns in India in
cooperation with local association of Keralites.
Background
Severe flooding in month of August 2018 had severely affected Kerala due to unusual high rainfall during
the monsoon season. It was the worst flooding in Kerala in nearly century after great flood of 99 that
happened in 1924. It had directly affected one-sixth of total population of Kerala. All 14 districts of the
state were placed on red alert. Central Government had declared it “calamity of a severe nature” or Level 3
Calamity. Due to excessive rainfall, 35 out of total 54 dams within state were opened for the first time in
history. All five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time, for the first time in 26
years. Heavy rains also had triggered severe landslides in Wayanad and Idukki districts and had left the
hilly districts isolated. It is estimated that loss and damage due to massive flood, , is much more than
2018-19 annual plan outlay of state which stood at Rs 37,247.99 crore.
Dr B.K. Misra named for 2018 Dr B.C. Roy National Award as eminent medical person of the year
Mumbai-based eminent neurosurgeon DrVineet B.K. Misra was named for prestigious Dr B.C. Roy National
Award for year 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of the Year. It is highest medical honour of India and will
be bestowed upon him by President Ram Nath Kovind in July 1 , 2019 on the occasion of National Doctors
Day.
Dr B.K. Misra
Misra is the Head of Department of Surgery as well as Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery at
Mumbai’s P.D. Hinduja Hospital. During his medical career, he has several firsts to his credit, including
image guided aneurysm microsurgery, first doctor in South Asia to perform gamma knife radiosurgery
and first in country to perform awake craniotomy for brain tumours.
B C Roy Award
BC Roy Award is the highest recognition for medical practitioners in India. It was instituted by Medical
Council of India (MCI) in 1976 in memory of renowned physician and former West Bengal Chief Minister
Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. The award is bestowed annually six categories viz. statesmanship of the Highest
Order in India, eminent medical person, medical man-cum-statesman, eminent person in philosophy,
eminent person in arts and eminent person in Science.
Bidhan Roy
Bidhan Roy was was physician, educationist, philanthropist, freedom fighter and politician. He had served
as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 until his death in 1962. He is often considered founder of
modern West Bengal due to his key role in founding of several institutions and five eminent cities,
Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashokenagar and Habra in West Bengal.
He is one of the few people in history to have obtained F.R.C.S. and M.R.C.P. degrees (they are higher
medical degrees) simultaneously. National Doctors’ Day is celebrated in his memory every year on July 1
in India. He was awarded India’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in February 1961. He was also the
member of the Brahmo Samaj founded by social reformist Raja Ram Mohun Roy.
Census 2021 for first time to collect data on Other Backwards Castes
Union Home Ministry has announced that Census 2021 for the first time in independent India will collect
data on Other Backwards Castes (OBCs). This comes more than 25 years after implementation of 27%
reservation for OBCs based on Mandal Commission’s recommendations on basis of last castes data
collected in 1931 census.
This decision was taken in meeting the roadmap for undertaking the Census in 2021 chaired by Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The meeting also put special emphasis on improvements in design and
technological interventions to ensure that data is finalised within three years of the conduct of the 2021
Census. This census data on OBCs will play an important role in such a sub-categorisation.
Background

In 1953, President under Article 340 had set up first Backward Classes Commission under chairmanship of
Kaka Kelkar to identify backward classes other than SCs and STs at the national level. But its conclusion
that caste is important measure of backwardness was rejected on ground that it had failed to apply more
objective criteria such as income and literacy.
Later in January 1979, second Backward Classes Commission headed by B P Mandal (famously known as
Mandal Commission) was appointed by then Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji
Desai to consider the question of reservations for people to redress caste discrimination, and used eleven
social, economic, and educational indicators to determine backwardness.
The Mandal Commission report had estimated OBC population at 52% and classified 1,257 communities as
backward. It also had recommended increasing existing quotas, which were only for SC/ST, from 22.5% to
49.5% to include OBCs. Its recommendations including of reservation were implemented then V.P.Singh
government in 1990,
The previous UPA government (under PM Manmohan Singh) had accepted demand for caste-based
enumeration and undertaken Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) in 2011. However, data from
SECC-2011 conducted at cost of Rs 4,893.60 crore was not made public for certain errors identified by
Registrar General of India.
Vodafone Idea Ltd: Idea Cellular and Vodafone completes merger to create India’s largest telecom
operator
The merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India has been completed after it was cleared by National
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). This merger has created India’s biggest telecom service provider. The
merged entity is named Vodafone Idea Ltd and dislodges current market leader Bharti Airtel from top
position, by its sheer size and scale. New board has been constituted for merged entity with 12 directors
(including six independent directors) and Kumar Mangalam Birla as its Chairman.
Key Facts
The combined entity will have nearly 443 million customers surpassing Bharti Airtel’s 344 million users.
Moreover, it will have all-India revenue market share of 32.2% and take numero uno slot in nine telecom
circles. It will have broadband network of 3.4 lakh sites and distribution network with 17 lakh retail
outlets.
The combination will have wide spectrum portfolio of about 1,850 MHz, over 2 lakh mobile sites and about
2.35 lakh kms of fibre network. This will allow merged entity to offer superior voice and broadband
connectivity across the country, covering 92% of the population and reaching nearly 5,00,000 towns and
villages.

India, Pakistan agree to undertake Indus Waters Treaty mandated tours in Indus basin on both sides
India and Pakistan have agreed to undertake Indus Waters Treaty 1960 mandated tours by their water
commissioners in Indus basin on both sides to resolve issues on various hydroelectric projects in Jammu
and Kashmir. This was decided in recently concluded high-level bilateral talks on Indus Waters Treaty in
Lahore, Pakistan.
Highlights on high-level bilateral talks
Deliberations were held on further strengthening the role of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) for
matters under 1960 Treaty. Technical discussions were also held on implementation of various
hydroelectric projects under provisions of Indus Waters Treaty including Pakal Dul (1000 MW) and Lower
Kalnai (48 MW) in Jammu and Kashmir. India has invited Pakistani experts to visit sites of Pakal Dul and
Lower Kalnai hydropower projects on Chenab river in September 2018 to address its concerns over
construction of the projects. During the talks India rejected Pakistan’s objections to the construction work
and has hinted at continuation of the work on both the hydropower projects. It was agreed to hold the
next meeting of the PIC in India on mutually convenient dates.
Background
Pakistan is demanding reduction of height of Pakal Dul’s reservoir up to five metres, maintenance of 40-
metre height above sea level and making spillways’ gates of Pakal Dul project. Besides it is also asking for
clarification of pattern and mechanism for water storage, releases and some technical concerns over
design of Lower Kalnai hydropower project from India.
Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)
IWT is water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan which was brokered by World Bank (then the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). It deals with sharing of water of Indus water
system having six rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum between the two countries.
It was signed by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan in
Karachi on September 19, 1960. It is most successful water treaty in world as it has survived India-
Pakistan wars of 1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil standoff besides Kashmir insurgency since 1990.
As per treaty, control over three eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are with India. While control over
three western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab was given to Pakistan. It allows India to use only 20% of
the water of Indus river, which flows through it first, for irrigation, power generation and transport.
The treaty also sets out mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between two countries

regarding their use of the rivers. It sets up Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) as a bilateral commission
to implement and manage the treaty. It also makes mandatory for both countries to appoint water
commissioners, who are required to meet twice a year and arrange technical visits to projects’ sites.
The commission solves disputes arising over water sharing. Besides, treaty also provides arbitration
mechanism to solve disputes amicably. The World Bank’s role in relation to “disputes” and “differences”
with respect of IWT is limited to the designation of people to fulfill certain roles when requested by either
or both of the parties.
4th BIMSTEC summit concludes with adaptation of Kathmandu Declaration

The 4th BIMSTEC Summit concluded in Kathmandu with signing and adoption of Kathmandu Declaration
by all the seven members (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand). After
conclusion of summit, current chair of BIMSTEC, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli also handed over
Chairmanship of next (fifth) BIMSTEC Summit to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. During this
summit, foreign ministers of BIMSTEC member countries had signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on establishment of BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection.
Kathmandu Declaration
18-point Kathmandu Declaration aims to enhance effectiveness of BIMSTEC Secretariat by engaging it in
various technical and economic activities in the region. It acknowledges importance of trade and
investment as one of major contributing factors for fostering economic and social development in the
region. It also deplored terrorist attacks in all parts of the world, including in BIMSTEC countries, and
strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms.
It also reiterated strong commitment of BIMSTEC countries to combat terrorism and called upon all
countries to devise comprehensive approach in this regard. Member countries also agreed to expedite
conclusion of BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and called upon
member states for its early ratification. It also expressed satisfaction that many member states have
ratified BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational
Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking.
BIMSTEC countries also agreed to establish seamless multi-modal transportation linkages and smooth,
synchronised and simplified transit facilities through the development, expansion and modernisation of
highways, railways, waterways, sea routes and airways in the region. They also decided to speed up efforts
to conclude BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and BIMSTEC Motor Vehicle Agreement as early as
possible taking into account special circumstances and needs of the member states.
BIMSTEC countries also decided for early conclusion of BIMSTEC Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations, and
directed the BIMSTEC Trade and Economic Ministerial Meeting and its subsidiary bodies, including Trade
Negotiating Committee, to expedite finalisation of all related agreements of FTA as early as possible.
BIMSTEC countries also called for exploring possibility of establishing BIMSTEC Development Fund with
voluntary contributions from member states. The fund will be utilised for research and planning of
BIMSTEC and financing of projects, and other activities of regional organisation.
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge: First cross-sea bridge in the Maldives inaugurated
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge was recently opened for traffic. It is first cross-sea bridge to be built in
Maldives. It was China’s flagship infrastructure project in Maldives. It is considered as iconic project of
China and Maldives cooperation towards building 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
China-Maldives Friendship Bridge
It is 2.2 km long bridge and has four vehicle lanes and two pedestrian lanes. It connects Maldives capital
city Male and neighbouring Hulhule island where island country’s main international airport is located. It
will allow locals and tourists to transfer between the two islands on land within five minutes. The bridge
was built with Chinese grant of $116 million. Apart from the grant, China also had provided $72 million as
loan for 1.4 km section bridge as top up to the grant.v
Krishna Kutir: Government inaugurates home for 1000 widows in Vrindavan
Union Ministry of Women and Child Development recently had inaugurated widows’ home ‘Krishna Kutir’
at Vrindavan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Krishna Kutir is special home for 1000 widows set under Swadhar
Greh scheme and is the largest ever facility of its kind created by government organization. It was
constructed to mitigate the plight of widows living in pathetic condition in Vrindavan.
Krishna Kutir
Its construction was funded by Central Government and will be managed by UP Government. It was
constructed on 1.4 hectare of land allotted by UP Government through National Building Construction
Corporation (NBCC). It has 100 rooms or dormitories with capacity of housing 1000 inmates at time. Its
name was selected a month-long Vrindavan Ashram contest held on social media and entry of Sunita
Katyal, Krishna Kutir, was adjudged as winning entry.
The design of this Home was prepared in consultation with Helpage India and is old age friendly. It
consists of ground plus three floors with facilities of ramp, lifts, supply of adequate electricity, water and
other amenities for meeting requirement of senior citizens and persons with special challenges. It is also
equipped with large modern kitchen and skill cum training centre. It also has two dispensaries and
physiotherapy facility to provide regular medical check-ups to inmates.
Swadhar Greh Scheme
It is implemented by Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. It aims to ensure economic and
social security to women in distress or victims of difficult circumstances who are in need of institutional
support for rehabilitation so that they could lead their life with dignity. It envisages providing shelter,
food, clothing and health as well as economic and social security for these women.
September 3, 2018
18th Asian Games concludes in Indonesia
18th Asian Games concluded in Indonesia. This edition of pan-continental mega sporting was held from
August 18 to September 2, 2018 in two cities – Jakarta (capital of Indonesia) and Palembang (capital of
Indonesia’s province of South Sumatra). This was second time Asian Games history, Indonesia had hosted
it after first time in 1962 in Jakarta. Indian women hockey captain Rani Rampal was India’s flag-bearer at
closing ceremony.
Key Facts
18th Asian Games saw participation of around 11,000 athletes from 45 countries from across Asian
continent, who competed in 40 sports, 67 disciplines, 4 new Olympic sports and 8 non-Olympic sports. It

also first time hosted eSports (form of competition using video games) and canoe polo as demonstration
sports. In this edition Asian Games, China has topped medals tally with 132 gold, 92 silver and 65 bronze
followed by Japan and South Korea. India finished 8th with 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze. The next
Asian Games (19th edition) are scheduled to Hangzhou, China between 10 and 25 September 2022.
Mascots: Trio of Bhin Bhin (bird of paradise), Kaka (one horned rhino) and Atung (deer) are mascots of
2018 Asian Games. These three represent east, west and centre of country and they have dress traditional
to each locality.
India’s performance
It was India’s best performance in the Asian Games till now. India finished at eight position both in terms
of gold medals and total tally. India’s medal tally is its highest ever, as it won four more medals than in
2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. In terms of gold medal tally, India matched its best performance at the
inaugral 1951 Games in New Delhi. In 2018 Asia Games, track and field events remained most productive
discipline for India as it won in seven events. Indian athletes had claimed two gold medals in shooting and
wrestling and one each in boxing, bridge, rowing and tennis.
Asian Games
It is pan-continental multi-sporting event held every four years between athletes from all over
Asia. It is also known as Asiad. It is second largest multi-sport event after Olympic Games. It is
organised by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since 1982, prior to that, it was regulated by Asian
Games Federation (AGF). The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India in 1951. Since then
overall, nine nations have hosted it and forty-six nations have participated in it, including Israel
(now excluded from it after its last participation in 1974). The 17th edition of games was hosted by
Incheon, South Korea from in 2014. India had hosted Asian Games two times in 1951 (inaugural)
and 1982, both in New Delhi.
ITI Limited partners with startups to boost manufacturing of ICT, IoT and Defence Technology
State-owned ITI Limited has signed agreements with leading startups and original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) covering manufacturing of wide range of ICT-IOT (Information and
communications technology- Internet of Things) based solutions. The agreements were signed on the
sidelines of the first edition of ITI’s two-day ‘ICT & IoT Startup Tech Expo’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Key Facts
The agreements with leading startups and OEMs covers manufacturing of civil and military advanced
radar systems, advanced edge router systems, data storage and networking solutions, next generation 5G
technology products, digital security solutions, advanced metering solutions and wi-fi products and
solutions. This will help to promote effective platform for startups to convert their innovative ideas into
marketable products and services. It will also help ITI diversify its’ manufacturing capabilities in
partnership with startups, thereby supporting sustainable turnaround of ITI. It is also in line with draft
National Digital Communications Policy 2018 which emphasizes domestic manufacturing of digital

communications equipment and components and aims to introduce Phased Manufacturing Program for
identified product segments.
ITI Limited- TEC New Delhi partnership
ITI Limited has also entered into agreement with Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC), New
Delhi for establishment of state-of-the-art telecom testing labs at its Bengaluru plant to facilitate
mandatory testing of imported and indigenous telecom equipment in India.
MOVE Cyclathon organized by NITI Aayog to promote clean mobility
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog flagged off cycle rally MOVE Cyclathon to spread
message of clean mobility to the Indian public and promote cleaner, accessible modes of transport. The
cyclathon was held in run up to MOVE: Global Mobility Summit scheduled to be held on September 7, 8 in
New Delhi.
Key Facts
The event was aimed at promoting cycling for healthier life & less polluting city and spread message of a
shared, connected, and zero-emission mobility in the country. It was organized as part of ‘Mobility Week’
which will see 17 events in seven days from 31 August to 6 September 2018. These events are aimed to
facilitate interactions with various stakeholders across the mobility domain.
MOVE: Global Mobility Summit
It is the first of its kind summit to be organized by NITI Aayog, in collaboration with various ministries
and industry partners to promote new cleaner, accessible modes of transport. It is aimed at bringing
together and engaging with key stakeholders within rapidly transforming global mobility landscape and
evolve public interest framework for shared, connected, zero emission agenda for the future. It also aims
to encourage synergies between indigenous industries such as automobile manufacturing, information
technology, electronics, telecommunications to integrate with global supply chains. It also envisages
mobility as key driver for generating employment, providing innovative solutions to improve efficiency
and efficacy of transport sector and accelerate economic growth. It will help to drive government’s goals
for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration and job growth and also speed up India’s
transition to a clean energy economy.
Mauritius remains top source of FDI into India in 2017-18: RBI
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Mauritius was top source of foreign direct investment (FDI)
into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore. The total FDI in FY 18 stood at $37.36 billion in financial year
which was marginal rise over $36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal 2016-17.
Key Facts
FDI from Mauritius was $13.41 billion in 2017-18 as against $13.38 billion in previous year. FDI inflows from
Singapore rose to $9.27 billion from $6.52 billion. FDI from Netherlands has declined marginally to $2.67
billion as against $3.23 billion.
FDI into manufacturing sector had witnessed substantial decline to $7.06 billion, as against $11.97 billion a
year earlier. FDI into communication services had rose to $8.8 billion in 2017-18 from $5.8 billion. The
inflows into retail and wholesale trade increased to $4.47 billion as against $2.77 billion.
FDI in financial services too saw rise to $4.07 billion from $3.73 billion in the previous year. These sectors
accounted for more than 50% of total FDI of $37.36 billion in 2017-18 reflects global interest in new areas,
including online marketplaces and financial technologies.
Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako named as Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Asian Games
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has chosen Japanese woman swimmer Rikako Ikee (18) as winner of Most
Valuable Player (MVP) Trophy Award in 2018 Jakarta and Palembang Asian Games. With this, she became
first female winner of MVP award, which OCA introduced at 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. She
was presented with trophy and $50,000 cheque.
Key Facts
Rikako Ikee was recognized as MVP for winning 6 gold and 2 silver medals. She had won gold medals in
50m butterfly, 100m fly, 50m free, 100m free, 4x100m free and the 4x100m medley events and silver
medals in 4 x 200m freestyle and mixed medley relays. She is first female athlete in any sport to win six
gold medals at a single Asian Games. So far, Only North Korean shooter So Gin-man, who had won seven
golds and silver at 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India. With eight medals in total, Ikee has equalled
record medal haul in single Asian Games held by North Korean shooter So Gin-man. Ikee is fourth
Japanese athlete to win this award since its inception. Previously, three swimmers had won this award:
Kosuke Kitajima (Japan) in 2002, Park Tae-hwan (South Korea) in 2006 and Kosuke Hagino (Japan) in 2014.
4th International Ayurveda Congress held in Leiden, Netherlands
Fourth International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) was held in Leiden, Netherlands from September 1 to 2,
2018. It was inaugurated by Minister of State, (IC), for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik. The Congress was
jointly organized by International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation, Netherlands; All India Ayurvedic
Congress, New Delhi and International Academy of Ayurveda, Pune in association with Indian Embassy in
Netherlands.
Key Facts
The congress focused on promotion and propagation of Ayurveda in Netherlands and its neighboring
countries of Europe. On sidelines of this congress, Indian Embassy also had organized special seminar
titled “India-Netherlands collaboration in Healthcare, including Ayurveda”. Special Seminar titled “India-
Netherlands collaboration in Healthcare, including Ayurveda” was also organized by Indian Embassy on
sidelines of this conference. This seminar was jointly addressed by AYUSH Minister and Dutch Minister
for Medical Care and Sport Bruno Bruins highlighting benefits on traditional knowledge of India such as
Yoga and Ayurveda for healthy living and aging.
AYUSH Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
India has long history and culture running over 5000 years of using traditional medicines for health care
and developing them with modern scientific outlook. AYUSH is acronym of tradition medical systems that
are being practiced in India such as Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
which are collectively abbreviated as AYUSH.
Health Ministry releases draft rules for e-pharmacies to regulate online sale of medicines
Union Health Ministry has released draft rules on sale of drugs by e-pharmacies to regulate online sale of
medicines across India. These rules also have been proposed to ensure accessibility and availability of
genuine drugs to the people across India from authentic online portals.
Key features of rules
It is mandatory for online pharmacies to register under Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
(CDSCO) and obtain trade licence applicable across India from any state government. E-pharmacies only
need to take one licence in any state. They can sell drugs all over the country even if they have one licence.
E-pharmacies need to apply for grant of registration to Central Licensing Authority through online portal
of Central Government. The registration issued to any person for e-pharmacy will remain valid for three
years period from date of its issuance and renewal of registration will have to be done in case it wants to
continue.
Registration of e-pharmacy can be suspended or cancelled if it contravenes any provision of the Drugs and
Cosmetics Act, 1940. E-pharmacy registration holder will have to comply with provisions of Information
Technology Act, 2000. It is mandatory for e-pharmacy to maintain keep details of patient confidential and
not disclose it to any person other than Central Government or State Government concerned.
The supply of any drug shall be made against cash or credit memo generated through e-pharmacy portal
and such memos shall be maintained by e-pharmacy registration holder as record. Sale of tranquillisers,
psychotropic drugs, narcotics and habit forming drugs will be prohibited through these portals.
The premises from where e-pharmacy business is conducted will be inspected, every two years, by team of
officers authorised by Central Licensing Authority, with or without experts in relevant field or officers
authorised by the concerned State Licensing Authority.
It will be binding on e-pharmacies to deliver drugs in specific time that will be told to patient during time
of purchase while the e-portals are mandatorily required to have 24/7 call centres. The e-pharmacy cannot
advertise any drug on radio or television or internet or print or any other media for any purpose.
September 4, 2018
China pledges $60 billion of financial assistance to Africa
China has pledged $60 billion of financial assistance to Africa bolster industry, counter hunger, and
enhance security in the continent. It was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his inaugural

address at third Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing.

FOCAC is an ofﬁcial forum between China and all states in Africa (except Eswatini). It was started as Ministerial
Conference in 2000 in Beijing and since then it is held triennially in China and Africa alternatively.
2018 FOCAC Highlights

Focal areas: Eight focal areas of funding were mentioned that would premise emergence of China-Africa
community with shared future in the new era. Energy, transport, telecommunications and tapping cross-
border water resources will be China’s priority in this next phase of Africa’s infrastructural forays.
Economic and trade cooperation: China’s will also help to set up additional economic and trade
cooperation zones to promote industrialisation in Africa. It will also encourage local currency settlements,
instead of hard currency usage to settle transactions. It will also support Africa to achieve general food
security by 2030.
Security: China also flagged its intent to bolster security in the continent. It will set up peace and security
fund in partnership with Africa. It will also support countries in Sahel region and others bordering piracy-
ridden Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Guinea apart from providing military aid to African Union.
50 China-Africa security assistance programmes will be launched under flagship Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI). China has already established naval base in Djibouti on the edge of the strategic Gulf of Aden, which
links the Red Sea and Arabian Sea
Environment Protection: China-Africa Green Envoys Programme will be launched to strengthen Africa’s
capacity for environmental management, pollution prevention and control, as well as green development.
China-Africa environmental cooperation centre will also be set up where research on environmental
issues will be conducted.
Financing Mechanism: For financing, China will nudge African countries to tap new multilateral lenders
such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), New Development Bank (NDB) of emerging
economies as well as Silk Road Fund marshalled by China.
Out of $60 billion offered, China will disburse $15 billion as aid, interest-free loans and concessional loans,
$20 billion as credit line, channel $10 billion into special fund for China-Africa development and $5 billion
special fund will be set up only for African imports.
Internet Society, ISPAI sign MoU to secure Internet infrastructure in India
US-based nonprofit The Internet Society and Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) have
signed MoU to make Internet safe and secure in India by securing routers which is vital for healthy
internet infrastructure. The MoU will also see both organizations exchanging research information and
training materials related to routing security which is vital to future and stability of the Internet.
Key Facts
The partnership between Internet Society and ISPAI will also promote Mutually Agreed Norms for
Routing Security (MANRS) which is global initiative to implement crucial fixes needed to reduce most
common threats to internet’s routing system and safeguard enterprises and government from cyber
threats. MANRS will provide simple and concrete steps for network operators that enable dramatically
improved Internet security and reliability. By joining MANRS, participants commit to implement actions
to address common challenges related to routing security such as filtering and anti-spoofing.
The Internet Society
It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring open development, evolution and safe use of Internet
worldwide. It was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Virginia, US. It is open standards body which
develops and promotes voluntary internet standards. It is governed by diverse board of trustees that is
dedicated to ensuring that internet stays open, transparent and defined by the people who use it.
Government approves Jharkhand Government’s proposal to rename Nagar Untari town as Banshidhar
Nagar
Union Ministry of Home Affairs has cleared proposal of Jharkhand Government to rename Nagar Untari
town and railway station as Banshidhar Nagar, after Banshidhar Temple, which is dedicated to Krishna in
Garhwa district of state. It has granted No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to Jharkhand Government after
there were no adverse reports from Intelligence Bureau, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Department of

Post, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Ministry of Railways for renaming Nagar Untari town and railway
station as Banshidhar Nagar.
Key Facts
The proposal was forwarded Jharkhand Government as part of its plant to include Banshidhar Nagar part
of Krishna circuit and develop it as major tourist attraction under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Under it,
state government is planning to develop Nagar Untari as Banshidhar Nagar and model it on the lines of
Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. It is also examining proposals for tying-up with International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) also for this.
Background
Under Central government’s guidelines for renaming railway stations, villages, towns and cities, all state
governments must obtain No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Union Home Ministry. Under this
guidelines MHA had earlier approved renaming of Robertsgang railway station in Uttar Pradesh as
Sonbhadra, and Mughalsarai junction, also in Uttar Pradesh as Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction after
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay.
Government receives Rs. 3,000 crore from MNCs that have entered into APAs
Union Government has received Rs. 3,000 crore of additional tax from MNCs that have entered into
advance pricing agreements (APAs) with it over last five years and also has eliminatedbig source of tax
litigation. It was revealed in recently released annual
Vineet Singh report on
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | advance pricing agreements (APAs) for
FY18 by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Key Highlights of report
219 APAs signed by CBDT has resulted in MNCs accepting extra income of Rs 10,000 crore, translating
into tax of Rs 3,000 crore. Between FY06 and FY15, around Rs. 2.6 lakh crore were added by taxman to
income of MNCs through what are called ‘transfer pricing adjustments’, and many of these have been
settled by using APAs.
The rate of completing APAs pacts has slowed down in FY18 compared to year ago. CBDT had signed 88
APAs in FY17 and it has now come down to 67 in FY18. One of the reasons for dip was increasing
complexity of cases, which required more time for analysing relevant international transactions.
Shortage of manpower at level of additional or joint commissioners and deputy or assistant
commissioners in APA teams also has slowed down processing of applications. At the end of FY 17, there
were 684 APA applications under process compared with 985 filed since launch of programme.
Despite slowing, India has outperformed China in finalising APAs in last five years. Compared to its 219
APAs since FY14, China managed to sign only 139 APAs in 12 years between 2005 and 2016. Of 58
unilateral APAs entered into in FY 17, 40 have associate enterprise of Indian applicant based in US,
followed by UK with 22 applications.
Advance Pricing Agreement
APAs are primarily aimed at avoiding transfer pricing disputes arising from cross-border transactions
undertaken by MNCs. Through these agreements, tax department and companies seek to resolve transfer
pricing disputes in advance before the cross-border related party transaction actually takes place. Its
provision was introduced in Income-tax Act, 1961 in 2012 and Rollback provisions to it were introduced in
2014.
Benefits
APAs provide certainty to taxpayers in domain of transfer pricing by specifying methods of pricing and
setting prices of international transactions in advance. It gives certainty to MNCs that agree on certain
principles in valuation of their cross-border transactions. It also provides them with alternate dispute
resolution mechanism with respect to transfer pricing. It helps in determining arm’s length price of
international transactions in advance for max period of 5 future years. It also strengthens Government’s
resolve of fostering non-adversarial tax regime. It also has significantly contributed towards improving
ease of doing business in India and has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to
address complex transfer pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.
Drug-resistant superbug spreading in hospitals: Study
Researchers from University of Melbourne, Australian have found that superbug resistant to all known

antibiotics and can cause severe infections or even death is spreading undetected through hospital wards
across the world. They have discovered three variants of multidrug-resistant superbug in bacteria known
as Staphylococcus epidermidis in samples collected from 10 countries, including strains in Europe that
cannot be controlled by any drug currently in the market.
Key Facts
Scientists have found that bacteria known as Staphylococcus epidermidis is related to better-known and
more deadly MRSA superbug. This bacterium is found naturally on human skin and most commonly
infects elderly or patients who have had prosthetic materials implanted, such as catheters and joint
replacements.
It can be deadly, but it is usually in patients who already are very sick in hospital and can be quite hard to
eradicate and the infections can be severe. Some strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis bug have made
mall change in its DNA that led to resistance to two of most common antibiotics.
These findings show urgent need for better understanding of how infections spread. Earlier, study had
suggested some hospital superbugs are growing increasingly tolerant to alcohol-based disinfectants
found in sanitisers and handwashes used on hospital wards.
India and Cyprus sign 2 MoUs
India and Cyprus have signed two agreements on combating money laundering and cooperation in the
field of environment. These agreements were signed after wide-ranging talks between President Ram
Nath Kovind and his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia (capital of Cyprus). President
Kovind visited Cyprus on the first leg of his three-nation visit to Europe including Bulgaria and Czech
Republic to continue India’s high-level engagements with European countries.
Key Facts
The MoU on combating money laundering was signed between Financial Intelligence Unit, India, and Unit
for Combating Money Laundering of Cyprus. This agreement will further strengthen institutional
framework to facilitate investment cross-flows.
India-Cyprus ties
Cyprus is the eighth largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative foreign direct investment of about
$9 billion in areas such as financial leasing, stock exchange, auto manufacture, manufacturing industries,
real estate, cargo handling, construction, shipping and logistics. The Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement (DTAA) between both the countries was revised in 2016.
Diplomatic ties between India and Cyprus were established in 1962. Cyprus got the support of India
during its struggle for independence from British colonial rule. Bilateral trade between both the countries
stood at EUR 76.5 million in 2015. The major commodities exported by India to Cyprus are organic
chemicals, vehicles & accessories and iron & steel. India’s main imports are aluminium and its products,
wood pulp, machinery, boilers, engines, and plastic.
IOWave18: India to participate in multi-nation Indian Ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise
India along with 23 other nations will be participating in major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise
known as IOWave18. The exercise is being organized by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
(IOC) of UNESCO. It will involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a dozen
states.
IOWave18
The purpose of the exercise is to increase tsunami preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each
state and improve coordination throughout the region. It is also aimed at enhancing tsunami
preparedness at the community level. The exercise will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put in
tsunami warning situation and require National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC) i.e. National and Local
Disaster Management Offices (NDMO/LDMO) to implement and test their communication links and
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at all levels of warning chain. In this exercises, Hyderabad based
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) will be nodal participating agency. It will
be involved in evacuation of more than 1,25,000 people from coastal communities of Odisha, Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Goa in
this simulated tsunami warning situation.

Background
IOC, the only UN body specialized in ocean science and services had coordinated in setting up of Indian
Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in the aftermath of December 26, 2004
tsunami. Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), based out of Indian National Centre for Ocean
Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad. It is autonomous institution under Union Ministry of Earth
Sciences. The state-of-the-art warning centre is operational since October 2007. It has all necessary
computational and communication infrastructure for reception of real-time data from seismic and sea-
level networks, tsunami modelling, as well as generation and dissemination of tsunami bulletins for entire
Indian Ocean region (IOR).
Rapid Trident: Ukraine conducts joint military exercises with NATO nations
Ukraine has launched annual joint military exercise named Rapid Trident with United States and other
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries. The exercise will place in western
Ukrainian village of Starychi from September 2 to 15, 2018. Its main goal is to practice countering armed
aggression in conditions of the hybrid war. It is being conducted week before Russia holds its biggest
military exercise Vostok-2018 since Cold War, in eastern part of the country and with participation of
China and Mongolia.
Rapid Trident Exercise 2018
The exercise is composed of multinational,Vineet
brigade-level, computer-assisted
Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | command post exercise, that
is ntegrated with battalion-level field training exercise, and platoon-level situational training exercise. It
will see participation of around 2,200 soldiers (all having combat experience) from 14 countries including
the UK, Canada, Georgia, Turkey, Poland and Germany. During this exercise, armored vehicles, aviation
units and around 350 pieces of military equipment will be used. It will also for first time will see
participation of Ukrainian Border Guard Service and National Guard troops.
Health Ministry releases draft charter of Patients’ Rights
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released draft Charter of Patients’ Rights prepared by
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Ministry plans to implement the Charter of Patients’ Rights
through State governments for provision of proper health care by clinical establishments. This charter is
expected to act as guidance document for Union Government and State Governments to formulate
concrete mechanisms so that Patients’ Rights are given adequate protection and operational mechanisms
are set up to make these rights functional and enforceable by law.
Draft Charter of Patients’ Rights
The draft charter is inspired by international charters and is guided by national level provisions with
objective of consolidating comprehensive document on patients’ rights in India. It provides patients with
right to emergency medical care and informed consent, right to non-discrimination, seek a second opinion
and choose alternative treatment options, if available. It also includes 17 rights with description and draws
upon all relevant provisions.
Need Charter of Patients’ Rights
There is no consolidated uniform document on patients’ rights that can be followed by all states
uniformly. Some states have adopted National Clinical Establishments Act, 2010 and certain others have
enacted their own State-level legislations to regulate hospitals. Right to non-discrimination in medical
treatment is important right. Every patient has right to receive treatment without any discrimination
based on his or her illnesses or conditions, including HIV status or other health condition, religion, caste,
ethnicity or sexual orientation.
NITI Aayog expert group urges plan to save springs in Himalayas
NITI Aayog constituted group of experts has submitted report titled ‘Inventory and Revival of Springs in
the Himalayas for Water Security.’ It has mentioned that nearly 30% of springs crucial to water security of
people are drying and 50% have reported reduced discharge.
Report Highlights
Challenges: Almost half of perennial springs in Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) have already dried up or
have become seasonal. Tens of thousands of villages in this region are currently facing acute water
shortage for drinking and other domestic purposes. Almost 60% of low-discharge springs that provided

water to small habitations in Himalayan region have reported clear decline during the last couple of
decades
Dedicated mission: It has urged government to set up dedicated mission to salvage and revive spring
water systems in Himalayan States, given their vital importance as source of water for both drinking and
irrigation for the region’s inhabitants.
Key Message: It calls for spring mapping and revival, using 8 steps protocol should be taken up across
Himalayan states in phased manner, applying carrying capacity concept to all major tourist destinations
and implementing and monitoring tourism sector. It calls for setting up of Mission on Spring Water
Management in Himalayas.
8-year programme: It also has mooted 8-year programme to overhaul spring water management. This
includes preparing digital atlas of country’s springsheds, training para-hydrogeologists who could lead
grassroots conservation and introducing Spring Health Card.
Water sources distribution: Meghalaya with 3,810 villages with springs has highest number of these
water sources in Eastern Himalayan States. Sikkim had greatest density with 94% of its villages having
spring. In Western Himalayas, Jammu & Kashmir had both highest number of villages with springs at
3,313 and greatest density of 50.6%.
Background Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) spans across states across country’s north and northeast and is home to
about 50 million people who are heavily reliant on natural groundwater sources such as perennial springs.
These water sources are under increasing threat from urbanisation caused by constant push for
development and climate change. The extent of crisis plaguing Himalayan region was recently evident
when more than half dozen districts of Himachal Pradesh and State capital Shimla had faced severe
drinking water crisis in May 2018 after major water sources either went fully or partially dry.
September 5, 2018
6th East Asia Summit and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting held in Singapore
The 6th East Asia Summit-Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) was held in Singapore. Singapore is currently holding the Chair of Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
6th EAS-EMM
It was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their 8 dialogue partners –
Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and United States. The meeting
recognized importance of ongoing work to maximize opportunities of and address challenges presented
by digital economy and rise of regional and global value chains as part of their efforts to promote
economic growth and integration in the region.
EAS-EMM forum expressed hope that economic linkages among EAS members will enable them to
address challenges due to disruptions in macro-economy that could affect overall market sentiments and
global growth. It also took note of increasing importance of trade and investment relations among the EAS
economies. It also agreed to importance of keeping markets open and fair as well as improving
transparency and predictability of business environment.
15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM)
The 6th EAS–EMM was followed by the 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting. It was co-chaired
by Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing and India’s Minister of Commerce and
Industry Suresh Prabhu,. The meeting attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries. It took
stock of current level of trade and economic engagement between India and ASEAN. It also reaffirmed
commitment to further strengthen ASEAN-India economic relations. ASEAN has emerged as second
largest trade partner of India in 2017-18 with bilateral trade valued at US $81.33 billion, comprising 10.58%
of India’s total trade with the world.
Puducherry bags top position in National Clean School Award given by HRD Ministry
Union Territory of Puducherry has bagged top position in National Clean School Award after seven
schools from Puducherry were awarded for cleanliness. As many as 52 schools from across the country
were bestowed with National Clean School Award in recognition of their efforts in carrying forward
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Key Facts
Tamil Nadu bagged second position in National Clean School Award. The third position was shared by
Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Fourth position was shared by Jharkhand, Haryana, Maharashtra and
Rajasthan. Three schools from each state made it for the award. National Clean School Award ranking and
the list were issued by Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and was prepared by National
Institute of Cleanliness Education and Research (NICER).
KAZIND 2018: Indo-Kazakhstan joint military exercise to be held in Otar region, Kazakhstan
India, Kazakhstan joint army exercise KAZIND will be conducted between Indian and Kazakhstan Army in
Otar region, Kazakhstan from 10 to 23 September 2018. This will be third joint military exercise between
two countries which have history of extensive cooperation in defence arena. The second edition of the
exercise was held in India in 2017.
KAZIND 2018
The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral army to army relations and exchange skills and
experiences between armies of both countries. The exercise will also serve as platform for exchange of
drills and procedures. It will also follow graduated continuum from orientation to full scale mock exercise
win aim of achieving optimum integration among two armies through enhanced mutual comprehension
of each other’s tactics, techniques and procedures. It will also| set stage for greater defence cooperation
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com
and consequently manifest in stronger ties between two countries. Kazakhstan Army will also get vast
knowledge from experience and expertise of Indian troops in counter insurgency operations.
Government launches Coffee Connect app and KrishiTharanga project
Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry launched Coffee Connect-India coffee field force app and Coffee
KrishiTharanga – digital mobile extension services project for coffee stakeholders. These initiatives were
developed by Coffee Board of India for the overall technological advancement of the coffee sector and
value chain.
Coffee Connect mobile app
The application has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work
efficiency. It provides solution by harnessing power of mobility comprising latest technology in easing
whole process of field activities like digitization of coffee growers and estates with geo tagging, collecting
pllantation details. It will also help in enhancing transparency in activities of extension officers and
officials, transparency in subsidy disbursement and real time report generation. It has been developed by
Coffee Board of India in association with National Institute for Smart Government (NISG).
Coffee KrishiTharanga Project
It is IVR based digital mobile extension service jointly developed by Coffee Board and Precision
Agriculture for Development India Foundation (PADIF). It is aimed at providing customised information
and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. The customised
services are two ways, 24 by 7 service supports. It is also aimed at maximising reach of Board’s services in
limited time available. It has been
Coffee production in India
India is 6th largest coffee producer in the world with 4% share after Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia
and Ethiopia. In India, coffee is cultivated in India in about 4.54 lakh hectares by 3.66 lakh coffee farmers
and 98% of them are small farmers. Karnataka (54%), Kerala (19%) and Tamil Nadu (8%) are largest coffee
producing states. India accounts for only 4-5% of world’s coffee output, but exports 70-80% of its produce.
Italy, Russia and Germany are the top three buyers of Indian coffee. In India, two coffee varieties robusta
(or Coffea canephora) and Coffea arabica are grown on large scale.
Coffee Board of India
Coffee Board of India is an autonomous body, functioning under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
Government of India. It was set up under an Act of Parliament in 1942. It focuses on research,
development, extension, quality upgradation, market information, and the domestic and external
promotion of Coffees of India.
Ranjan Gogoi will become 46th Chief Justice of India
Justice Ranjan Gogoi will be become 46th Chief Justice of India succeeding incumbent Dipak Misra. His

name was recommended incumbent CJI Dipak Misra by following convention of recommending next
senior most Supreme Court judge. With this, Justice Ranjan Gogoi will become first CJI from north-eastern
region. He will have tenure of about 13 months, from October 3, 2018 till his retirement on November 17,
2019.
Justice Ranjan Gogoi
Justice Gogoi was born on November 18, 1954. He is a native of Assam and is son of former Assam Chief
Minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi. He had joined Bar in 1978 and practiced mainly in Gauhati High Court.
He was appointed as permanent judge of High Court in February 2001. He was transferred to Punjab and
Haryana High Court in September 2010 and was appointed its Chief Justice in February 2011. He was
elevated to the Supreme Court in April 2012.
In Supreme Court, Justice Gogoi had led important benches that have dealt largely with issue of
corruption in politics and public life. He has led apex court bench which ordered Centre to set up special
courts to exclusively try MPs and MLAs as means to de-criminalise politics. His Bench is also monitoring
progress made by government in appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.
Justice Gogoi was one of the four most senior Supreme Court judges (along with Justices J Chelameswar,
M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph) who held January 12, 2018 press conference bringing up issue of selective
assignment of sensitive cases by recent CJIs to certain judges in the Supreme Court.
National Nutrition Month being celebrated to mark fight against malnutrition
The National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya Poshan Maah) is being celebrated across the country in
September 2018 to mark fight against malnutrition. Union Ministry of Women and Child Development are
spearheading various programmes during this month to spread broad awareness on issues related to
malnutrition like stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children.
Key Facts
The National Nutrition Month will also focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers
to eliminate the deficiencies prevailing in the Health sector. Ministry of Women and Child Development is
working on eight focused themes like optimal breast feeding, growth monitoring, food fortification and
girls’ education, hygiene and sanitation, diet and marriage at right age etc. to achieve improvement in
nutritional status of children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers. It is also trying to
reach about 11 crore women and children during this month through various grass-root activities, with
the convergence of different ministries.
Background
The decision to celebrate September as the National Nutrition Month every year was taken during the
second meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under Poshan Abhiyaan (Prime
Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) held in July 2018. POSHAN Abhiyaan- the National
Nutrition Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2018 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
with aim to bring down stunting of children in age group of 0-6 years from 38% to 25% by 2022.
S&P BSE Private Banks Index: Asia Index Pvt Ltd launches index to measure the performance of private
banks
Asia Index Pvt Ltd has launched S&P BSE Private Banks Index to measure the performance of private
banks. Asia Index Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE Ltd
S&P BSE Private Banks Index
This index is designed to provide market participants with transparent and rules-based benchmark that
measures performance of private banks listed in India. It draws from constituents of S&P BSE Finance
Index. Only common stocks classified as banks by BSE Sector Classification model and that are not
classified under BSE scrip category as Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) are eligible for this index. The
index will be calculated in Indian Rupees and US Dollar in real-time by BSE, Asia’s oldest exchange.
Dr Arif Alvi elected as 13th President of Pakistan
Dr Arif ur Rehman Alvi (69) was elected as 13th President of Pakistan. He is close ally of Pakistan Prime
Minister Imran Khan and one of founding members of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. He will
take oath of office of President on September 9, 2018.
Background
Dr Alvi had defeated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Aitzaz Ahsan and Pakistan Muslim League-N
nominee Maulana Fazl ur Rehman in three-way contest to become President. Of the 430 votes cast
through secret ballot in National Assembly and Senate, Dr. Alvi had received 212 votes followed by Mr.
Rehman 131 and Mr. Ahsan 81. Six votes were rejected.
Dr Arif ur Rehman Alvi
He was born in Karachi in 1947 where his father settled after partition. His father Dr Habib ur Rehman
Elahi Alvi was dentist to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru before partition. He had inherited profession of dentist
from his father. His father was also connected with Jinnah family. Prior to his political career, Dr Alvi was
dentist by profession.
Dr. Alvi had started his political career about five decades ago when he was student of de’Montmonrency
College of Dentistry in Lahore. He had joined Imran Khan’s PTI as its founding member in 1996. He was
Secretary-General of party from 2006 till 2013. In 2013 he was elected as Member of National Assembly
from Constituency NA-250 Karachi and was re-elected in July 2018.
He also had served as President of Pakistan Dental Association. He was also Chairman of first Pakistan
International Dental Conference in 1981 and also elected Chairman of 28th Asia Pacific Dental Congress. In
2006, he was elected as President of Asia Pacific Dental Federation. In 2007, he was elected as Councillor
of FDI World Dental Federation, this was for first time Pakistani was elected.
Note: Dr Alvi will be third Pakistani president to have India connection prior to partition. His
predecessors Mamnoon Hussain’s family came from Agra and Pervez Musharraf’s parents had migrated
to Pakistan from New Delhi.
International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 held in Kathmandu
International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 was held in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal from
September 3 to 5, 2018. The summit was inaugurated by Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Pun. The
theme of 3-day summit was “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment”. It was organised by the South
Asian Women Development Forum
International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018
The main objective of the summit was to bring together achievers, women business leaders, professionals,
international service providers, resource organizations, experts, government representatives and other
stakeholders with a focus on innovative economic transformation through discussions and collaborations.
It had seen participation of delegates from SAARC, ASEAN, EU, Africa, Arab countries and China.
South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF)
SAWDF is an autonomous, nonprofit organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was granted the status of
SAARC Recognized Body by 36th Session of SAARC Council Ministers at 18th SAARC Summit held in
Kathmandu in 2014. It is first SAARC Recognized Body organisation working on women entrepreneurs
issues. It represents national women entrepreneurs’ associations or organizations, institutions working
towards economic issues of women entrepreneurs in SAARC Region. Its membership is based on
organizations with extensive work around women’s entrepreneurship.
September 6, 2018
Lockheed Martin, Tata JV to make F-16 jet wings in India
American security and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has entered into an agreement with Tata
Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture wings of its F-16 fighter jets in India. Producing F-16
wings in India will support Central Government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme and strengthen
Lockheed Martin’ strategic partnership with TASL.
Key Facts
Lockheed Martin and TASL joint venture is bidding for contract to supply Indian air force (IAF) with 114
combat planes, estimated at more than $15 billion which must be all manufactured locally under Make in
India programme. Lockheed has offered to move its entire F-16 manufacturing base to India.
The proposed production of F-16 wings in India is not contingent upon company winning order from IAF
for these planes. It will help to push local manufacturing that will generate jobs and also end armed forces
dependence on imports. Lockhead Martin and TASL already have entered into partnership for C-130J
[Super Hercules airlifter] and S-92 [helicopter].

Cyient JV bags Indian Army order to supply SpyLite mini UAV systems
Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt. Ltd has bagged order from Indian Army to supply SpyLite mini UAV
(unmanned aerial vehicle) systems for high altitude aerial surveillance. Cyient Solutions & Systems Pvt.
Ltd is joint venture between IT firm Cyient and BlueBird Aero Systems of Israel
SpyLite mini UAV
SpyLite is an advanced, combat-proven, electric fully autonomous mini unmanned aerial system. It is
optimized to offer covert, extended range real-time visual intelligence. It is fully autonomous system from
launch to accurate parachute recovery. It has capability to deliver enhanced reliability even in severe
weather conditions, assuring long endurance and high operational availability.
SpyLite has endurance of 4-5 hours and maximum flight ceiling of 30,000 feet, which makes it ideal for
supporting Indian Army operations along border with China as well as on Siachen glacier. Using high-end
payloads, it can deliver high-quality day and night videos. It also has low visual and acoustic signature
which gives it edge to conduct covert operations.
GM mustard DMH-11 trials may get nod for field-trials
Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) will soon convene special meeting
of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) to decide on field-trial approvals for transgenic
mustard DMH-11 developed by University of Delhi’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants
(CGMCP). Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Background
CGMCP had earlier applied to grow transgenic mustard (DMH-11) in plots in Delhi and Punjab to test
plant’s effects on honeybees after GEAC had initially cleared GM crop for commercial cultivation. But later
GEAC had backtracked and demanded more tests of transgenic mustard and asked for additional data on
honeybees and other pollinators and on soil microbial diversity after some members objected to use of
unapproved pesticides/herbicides including banned Endosulfan in project proposal. Some members also
had voiced objections over lack of time to examine field safety protocol which specifies what measures can
be undertaken in case of pest attack.
GM Mustard DMH-11
DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 is genetically modified variety of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) mustard. It
was developed by team of scientists from Delhi University’s CGMCP led by former Vice-Chancellor
Deepak Pental under Government sponsored project. It was created by using “barnase/barstar”
technology for genetic modification by adding genes from soil bacterium that makes mustard self-
pollinating plant. It contains three genes viz. Bar gene, Barnase and Barstar sourced from soil bacterium.
The bar gene had made plant resistant to herbicide named Basta.
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)
GEAC is apex body under Environment Ministry for regulating manufacturing, use, import, export and
storage of hazardous micro-organisms or genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) and cells in the
country. It is also responsible for giving technical approval of proposals relating to release of GMOs and
products including experimental field trials.
34 per cent of Indians insufficiently active: Lancet Study
According to recent study published in Lancet Global Health journal, at least 34% of India’s population is
insufficiently active. The levels of insufficient activity were higher among women at 48%, while prevalence
was 22 %among men. The study was undertaken by researchers from World Health Organisation (WHO).
It was based on self-reported activity levels, including activity at work and at home, for transport, and
during leisure time in adults aged 18 years and older from 358 population-based surveys in 168 countries.
Key Findings of Study
Globally, more than 1.4 billion adults are at risk of diseases from not doing enough physical activity as
around one in three women (32%) and one in four men (23%) do not do enough physical activity to stay
healthy. Levels of insufficient physical activity are more than twice as high in high income countries
compared with low income countries.
The highest rates of insufficient activity in 2016 were found in adults in Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi
Arabia and Iraq, where more than half of all adults were insufficiently active. Comparatively, around 40%
of adults in United States, 36% in UK and 14% in China were insufficiently active. India was ranked 52nd
(with 1 being the most inactive, and 168 being the most active) among 168 countries.
Insufficient physical activity puts people at greater risk of non-communicable diseases such as
cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cancers. If current trends continue, 2025
global activity target of 10% relative reduction in insufficient physical activity will not be met.
Solutions
Cities needed to be more walk friendly and more opportunities for physical activity in public open spaces
and parks in workplaces need to be created. The recommended levels of physical activity are at least 150
minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. It is also
necessary to promote and improve women’s access to opportunities that are safe, affordable and culturally
acceptable to address inequalities in physical activity levels between men and women. WHO Global Action
Plan on Physical Activity (2018-30) provides selection of policy options targeting different settings and
population groups that can be adapted and tailored to local contexts in all countries.
New Ganga clean-up law proposes setting up Ganga Protection Corps, prison terms and fines
Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation has prepared draft Bill
which proposes setting up armed Ganga Protection Corps (GPC) to arrest any person who has committed
offence of polluting River Ganga punishable under this law. The Bill calls for National Ganga Council and
National Ganga Rejuvenation Authority to enforce law and protect Ganga River.
Key Features of this Bill Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Cognizable offences marked in this Bill: Construction activities causing obstruction in river, withdrawal
of ground water for industrial or commercial consumption from land fronting river and its tributaries,
commercial fishing or aqua culture in river and its tributaries, discharging untreated or treated sewage
into the river.
Ganga Protection Corps (GPC): The draft Bill envisages GPC as armed force constituted and maintained
by Central government. It gives powers to armed GPC personnel to arrest any person who has committed
offence punishable under this Act and take such person in custody to the nearest police station. For this
GPC will follow Code of Criminal Procedure (CrCP).GPC personnel will be provided by Ministry of Home
Affairs and will be deployed by National Ganga Rejuvenation Authority. This is almost similar provisions
as in the Environment Protection Act 1986, but creation of GPC is new.
Punishment: The draft Bill proposes imprisonment for 2 years or fine of Rs 2 lakh or both for commercial
fishing or aqua culture activities in Ganga and any of its tributaries. Similarly, it provides two-year
imprisonment or fine up to Rs 50 lakh or both for construction of permanent structure for residential,
commercial and residential purposes in active flood plain area of Ganga River. It proposes 5 year prison
term or fine of Rs. 50,000 per day or both for person or municipal authority which establishes or takes any
steps to set up any industrial or residential or commercial premises or structure near Ganga which may
result in discharge of any sewage or trade effluent into river.
Background
Present environmental laws are not adequate to restore and protect Ganga River. To overcome
it,Government had constituted committee under retired judge of Allahabad High Court Justice Girdhar
Malviya in July 2016. It had submitted draft Bill named The National River Ganga (Rejuvenation,
Protection and Management) Bill, 2017. Subsequently, four-member committee was also set up by
Ministry to examine the Bill. Earlier in 1998, Justice Malviya, as judge of Allahabad High Court had called
for River Police to protect the Ganga.
Japan to conduct world’s first test of space elevator
Japanese researchers from Shizuoka University will conduct world’s first experiment to test small
prototype of space elevator in space by using two mini satellites. The test equipment will be launched by
Japan’s space agency on board of H-2B rocket from southern island of Tanegashima.
Key Facts
In this experiment, two ultra-small cubic satellites developed by Shizuoka University Faculty of
Engineering will be used for demonstration of space elevator technology. Each satellite measures 10
centimeters each side. Roughly 10-meter-long steel cable will be employed to connect twin satellites. The
pair of satellites will be released from International Space Station (ISS) and container acting like elevator

car will be moved on cable connecting satellites using motor. The movement of motorised elevator box
will be monitored with cameras in the satellites.
Space elevator
It is proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system. Its components mainly are cable (also called
tether) anchored to surface of planet and extending into space. It will permit vehicles to travel along cable
from planetary surface, such as Earth’s, directly into space or orbit, without use of large rockets. The idea
of space elevator was first proposed in 1895 by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky after he saw Eiffel
Tower in Paris and later it was revisited nearly century later in novel by Arthur C. Clarke.
The one end of cable of space elevator will be attached near to surface and the other end in space beyond
geostationary orbit (35,786 km altitude). The competing forces of gravity, which is stronger at lower end
and outward or upward centrifugal force, which is stronger at upper end, will result in the cable being
held up, under tension, and stationary over single position on Earth. Once cable (tether) is deployed at
fixed position, climbers can repeatedly climb it to venture into space by mechanical means, releasing their
cargo to orbit. Climbers also can descend ether to return cargo to surface from orbit.
Indian Air Force successfully carries first-ever mid-air refuelling of LCA Tejas
Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully carried out first ever midair refuelling of indigenously developed
light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The midair refuelling test conducted involved dry linkup, meaning no fuel
was actually transferred between IAF Il-78 tanker and Tejas fighter jet through its air-to-air refuelling
probe.
Key Facts
For this test, Russian-built IL-78 MKI tanker was launched from IAF’s base in Agra while LCA Tejas fighter
was launched from Gwalior. Nine more tests will be held which will also include wet tests where actual
transfer of fuel takes place from IAF tanker to fighter jet. The success of these midair refuelling trials will
be major leap for indigenous fighter which will help in enhancing its mission capability by increasing its
range and payload. . The ability to carry out air-to-air refuelling is also one of critical requirements for
LCA Tejas to achieve final operational clearance .
LCA Tejas
LCA Tejas is lightweight single-seat multi-role jet fighter, powered by single engine. It has tailess and
compound delta wing design made entirely of composite structures. It is pegged as world’s smallest and
lightest supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
It is first advanced fly-by-wire Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) designed, developed and manufactured
indigenously by state owned Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and Aeronautical Development
Agency (ADA) as part of LCA programme, started in 1980s to replace India’s ageing MiG-21 fighters. It was
named ‘Tejas’, which means ‘radiance’, by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It took total of 20
years from 1993 to 2013 for building this aircraft. Its maiden flight took place in 2001.
Advance Features: LCA Tejas is equipped with quadruplex digital fly-by-wire flight control system to ease
handling by the pilot. It also has digital computer-based attack system and autopilot mode. It is also
equipped with satellite-aided Inertial Navigation System.
Stealth Features: It has many features of stealth fighter aircraft. Its radar cross section is very less
compared to other aircrafts like MiG-29, F-16 due to its small size and extensive usage of carbon
composits. It incorporates glass cockpit in which pilot is feed with real time information. It also has open
architecture software for avionics which can be easily updated as and when required.
Range: It has limited reach of little over 400-km and will be mainly used for close air-to-ground
operations (unlike Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKIs or Rafale which have deep strike capability into enemy
territory due to their long range).
Weaponry: It can fire air-to-air missiles, carry bombs and precision guided ammunition.DRDO has
successfully tested fired Tejas with different kinds of weaponry and missiles including R-73 air-to-air
missile, bomb dropping (including laser guided bombs). In future, DRDO also plans test firing of
indigenous Astra missile and guns from the Tejas.
Operations: LCA Tejas had commenced operations from Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu in July
2018, two years after it was formally inducted into IAF. The fighter jet is part of ‘Flying Daggers’ of 45
Squadron of IAF. Southern Air Command based in Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram has been entrusted
with responsibility of integrating fighter aircraft in IAF’s concept of operations.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Tourism Ministry sanctions Rs. 80.37 crore for developing cruise tourism in
Kerala
Ministry of Tourism sanctioned Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project under Swadesh Darshan
Scheme for development of rural circuit in Kerala. Under this project, Ministry of Tourism will be
developing three cruises with budget of Rs. 80.37 crores.
Three approved cruise are
Malabari Cuisine and Culinary Cruise (Muthappan Cruise): It will start from Valapattanam and
cover distance of 40 km to reach Munambu Kadavu in Valapattanam River.
Valapattanam River- Theyyam Cruise: It will begin from Valapattanam and will go up to
Pazhayangadi in Valapattanam River.
Mangrove Cruise: It will be running on Kuppam River covering distance of 16 Km from
Pazhayangadi to Kuppam.
The project will be focusing on development of water-based thematic cruise experiences in and around
Valapattanam and Kuppam Rivers of Kannur District to tap potential of water tourism of Kerala. The
cruises under it will be operated under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Ministry of Tourism will provide funds for development of basic infrastructure facilities such as passenger
terminals, boat terminals, jetties, boat race gallery, food courts, performance areas, bio toilets, wifi facility,
drinking water facilities, floating markets for local produce among others.

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

The scheme was launched by Union Tourism Ministry with an objective to develop theme-based tourist
circuits in the country. These tourist circuits will be developed on principles of high tourist value,
competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner.
Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development. They are Buddhist Circuit,
North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit,
Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
It is 100% centrally funded scheme for the project components undertaken for public funding. It also has
provision for leveraging voluntary funding under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of
Central Public Sector Undertakings and corporate sector.
The funding of projects under this scheme varies from state to state. It is finalised on basis of detailed
project reports prepared by Programme Management Consultant (PMC) which is national level consultant
for implementing the scheme.
BEL bags contract to supply 7 long range surface-to-air missile systems to Indian Navy
State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has bagged order worth Rs. 9,200 crore for supply of seven Long
Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) systems to Indian Navy. In this regard, it has entered into a
contract with Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). The
LRSAM will be fitted onboard seven ships to be built by these two shipbuilders. This was highest-ever single
value order bagged by BEL. This contract has pushed order book of BEL beyond Rs 50,000 crore for the first time
in single financial year,
Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM)
LRSAM has long-range engagement capability to penetrate deep water and land to intercept all types of
aerial targets like subsonic and supersonic missiles, fighter aircraft, maritime patrolling aircraft (MPA),
helicopter and sea skimming missiles. It is capable of countering newest generation anti-ship missiles.
Indian Navy has decided to equip its all naval ships such as INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, and INS Chennai
guided missile destroyers with Barak 8 LRSAM for air and missile defense. Barak 8 LRSAM has been
jointly developed by DRDO and IAI, Israel to be launched from ship. It possesses high degree of
maneuverability at target interception range. It has maximum speed of Mach 2 with maximum operational
range of 70 km (which has been increased to 100 km).
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
BEL is state-owned leading defence electronics company. It is one of nine PSUs under the Union Ministry
of Defence of India. It has been accorded Navratna status. It is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
BEL is engaged in design, manufacture and supply of state-of-the-art radars like weapon locating radar
and battle field surveillance radar, communication systems, naval systems, electronic warfare systems,
missile systems, tank electronics and gun/weapon systems, coastal surveillance system etc for armed
forces.
India, Bulgaria sign MoUs on civil nuclear cooperation, S&T, investment & tourism
India and Bulgaria have signed four MoUs in fields of Civil Nuclear cooperation, investment, Tourism and
establishment of Hindi chair at Sofia University. Both countries also signed program of Cooperation on
science and Technology. These agreements were signed after President Ramnath Kovind and his
Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev held talks in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. President Ram Nath Kovind
visited Bulgaria on the second leg of his three-nation visit (Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic) to Europe
to continue India’s high-level engagements with the European countries. President Kovind was fifth
Indian President to visit Bulgaria and first in 15 years.
Key Highlights of President’s visit
India called for collaboration with Bulgaria in fields of innovation and R&D as it can offer exciting eco
system for it. It was also held that India and Bulgaria can cooperate in devising technologies to clean
rivers and to explore potential of blue economy. Both countries also have agreed to substantially upgrade
their economic partnership in line with depth of robust political relations. Bulgaria can become key
partner for India in defence sector under Make In India programme and in technology intensive sectors
such as IT, logistics and infrastructure under Digital India and Smart Cities programmes of the

Government. Bulgaria supported India on issues like entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group and permanent
membership of UN Security council.
September 7, 2018
Cabinet approves establishment and operationalization of permanent campus of seven new IIMs
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved establishment and
operationalization of permanent campus of seven new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). These IIMs
will be established at Amritsar (Punjab), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha),
Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Jammu.
Key Facts
These IIMs were established in the year 2015-16/2016-17 and are presently functioning from transit
campuses. Each of these IIMs will construct area of 60384 Sqm, which will have complete infrastructural
facilities for 600 students. The construction of permanent campus of these IIMs will be completed by
June, 2021. With this, all 20 IIMs will have their own permanent campuses. IIMs are country’s premier
institutions imparting best quality education in management and are recognized as world-class
management Institutions and Centres of Excellence. They provide education to students to enable them to
become professional managers and they will also promote economic and industrial development of the
country.
Dataset Search: Google launches new
Vineet Singh search engine
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | for scientific community
Search engine giant Google has launched Dataset Search, a new search engine for scientific community
that will help them make sense of millions of datasets present online. It will also help scientists, data
journalists and geeks to find data required for their work and their stories or simply to satisfy their
intellectual curiosity.
Dataset Search
The new search engine will work like Google Scholar, which is company’s popular search engine for
academic studies and reports. It will help to find datasets wherever they’re hosted, whether it is
publisher’s site, digital library or an author’s personal web page. It can be used to find references to most
datasets in environmental sciences, social sciences, as well as government data and data provided by news
organizations. It will have twin benefits of creating data sharing ecosystem that will encourage data
publishers to follow best practices for data storage and publication and give scientists way to show impact
of their work through citation of datasets that they have produced.
Government extends Atal Pension Yojana indefinitely
Union Cabinet decided to indefinitely extended Atal Pension Scheme, which had lapsed in August 2018. It
also has broadened its scope by keeping it open-ended. The extension was given by taking into
consideration of mass participation.
New Provisions
To further incentivize people’s participation in the scheme, age criterion for participation has been
revised. Earlier, people of age 18 to 60 years were entitled to enroll in this scheme. But now it has been
relaxed further to 65 years, taking into consideration rise in average age-expectancy,
Henceforth the scheme will expand its focus to target individuals, instead of households. Moreover, all
accounts opened after August 2018 will have accident insurance limit of Rs 2 lakh, double than earlier Rs 1
lakh limit. The overdraft facility of the scheme was also increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.
Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
It is a social security scheme that aims to provide affordable universal access to essential social security
protection to unorganized work force of country, which constitute more than 85% of the workforce. It had
replaced earlier government-backed pension Swavalamban scheme targeted at the unorganised sector. It
was launched in June 2015.
It is available to all citizens of India in age group of 18-40 years (making minimum period of contribution
by subscriber is 20 years). There is no exit to scheme before maturity age. In case of death of subscriber,
spouse of subscriber is entitled for same amount of pension till his or her death.
Defence and Homeland Security Expo and Conference held in New Delhi
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and
Conference – 2018 in New Delhi. It was jointly organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference – 2018
The objective of expo was to enable nation become self-reliant in Home Land Security (HLS) and defence
sector there by making India stronger economy. It was also aimed at addressing country’s HLS-Defence
and Economic needs on an integrated platform. It provided common platform to over 200 Indian and
multinational companies to enable engagement with country’s premier defence establishments. Home
Land Security involves protection of citizens and critical infrastructure for natural and intentional
threats. Companies to deliver a HLS solution provide solutions around GPS, radars, ID systems, access
control, IR Equipment, thermal imaging heat detection to ensure effective and punitive measures to
combat and nuetralise any threat.
3rd ASEM Conference on Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons held in Seoul
The third ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Conference on ‘Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older
Persons’ was held in Seoul, capital of South Korea. It was jointly organised by South Korea and National
Human Rights Commission of Korea.
Key Facts
The 3-day Conference was attended by International Institutions including United Nations, Regional
Institutions such as UNESCAP, UNECE, European Union (EU), ASEAN, GANHRI and also International
NGOs, Experts etc. Indian delegation was led
Vineet Singh by Union Minister
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | of Social Justice and Empowerment
Thaawarchand Gehlot. The Conference reaffirmed universal value of human rights of older persons,
shared information on discrimination against elderly and exemplary cases of long-term and palliative care
in Asia and Europe. It also discussed operation and tasks of ASEM Global Ageing Centre as implementing
institution for mutual cooperation among ASEM members for protection and promotion of human rights
of older persons. The experience gained from this Conference will be beneficial for Policy formulation and
implementation for welfare of senior citizens.
Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM)
ASEM is informal process of dialogue and cooperation that brings 53 entities – including 51 countries
(including India) from Asia and Europe and two regional bodies European Union (EU) and ASEAN. It was
officially established in March 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand. ASEM represents around
62.3% of the world’s population, 57.2% of the global GDP and almost 60% of the world’s trade. The dialogue
addresses political, economic and cultural issues between the two regions. It also seeks to strengthen
relationship between the two regions in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh re-elected as Regional Director of WHO’s South-East Asian Region
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh was unanimously re-elected as World Health Organization (WHO) Regional
Director for South-East Asia for another five-year term beginning February 2019. She was reelected by 11
member states of the Region during elections held at ongoing Regional Committee meeting of WHO
South-East Asia. With this, India has retained top WHO position in South-East Asia Region.
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh
She had served as civil servant in India as member of Indian Administrative Services for over two decades.
She was the Health Secretary of Punjab. Dr Khetrapal Singh’s ongoing first term as WHO Regional
Director South-East Asia had started on 1 February 2014. It had made her first woman to have been elected
to position of Regional Director. Prior to her WHO career, she had served in health sector in various senior
positions during her stint in IAS and in World Bank. She also worked in WHO Director-General’s cabinet
in Geneva, as Executive Director of Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments in WHO
headquarters and was Deputy Regional Director WHO South-East Asia Region from 2000-2013.
WHO South East Asia Region
It was established in 1948 and was the first of its six regions. It has 11 Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Timor-Leste. It provides leadership on health matters, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides
technical support to countries and monitors health trends in the region. It also fosters collaborative
efforts of WHO for improving the health of the people in the region.
Government launches National Mission on Government eMarketplace
Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched National Mission on Government eMarketplace
(GeM) for increasing awareness and accelerating use of GeM by major central Ministries, State
Governments and their agencies. GeM provides online, end to end solution for procurement of commonly
used goods and services for all Central Government Departments and State Governments. Public Sector
Units and affiliated bodies
National Mission on GeM
The mission aims to promote inclusiveness, transparency and efficiency in public procurement and
achieve cashless, contactless and paperless transaction. This will help to increase overall efficiency and
lead to cost saving on government expenditure in procurement.
It will cover all central government departments, states and public sector undertakings in mission mode.
It will create awareness about GeM, train buyers and sellers, get them registered in GeM and increase
procurement through GeM. It will also promote inclusiveness by empowering various categories of sellers
and service providers such as MSMEs, start-ups, domestic manufacturers, women entrepreneurs, and
Self-Help Groups.
It will also highlight value addition via transparency and efficiency in public procurement, including
corruption-free governance in sync with Central Government’s objective of ‘Minimum Government,
Maximum Governance’.
Government eMarketplace (GeM)
It is an online marketplace to facilitate procurement of goods
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | and services by various Ministries and
agencies of the Government. The platform offers online, end to end solution for procurement of commonly
used goods and services for all central government departments and state governments, public sector
units and affiliated bodies. It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement of
goods and services and eliminate corruption. It was launched in August 2018 and so far it has crossed Rs
10,800 crore in terms of value and 6.96 lakh in terms of volume of transactions. The GeM platform has
more than 1.35 lakh sellers, offering 4.43 lakh products and around 26,500 organisations as buyers.
PISA: India to participate in international students’ test after 9 year Boycott
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD has officially decided to participate in Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA) after gap of nine years. It will send team of officers to Paris to
negotiate India’s terms of participation in PISA 2021.
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
PISA is assessment test for 15-year-olds, organised every three years by Organisation for Economic
Cooperation Development (OECD), Paris, France. It was started in 2000 with about 43 states participating,
and its latest edition in 2015 saw participation from 73 countries including China and Vietnam.
PISA measures student performance in mathematics, reading, and science and even innovative subjects like
collaborative problem-solving and money literacy. The test is designed by education experts around the
world. It assess how students apply what they have learnt to real-world problems.
PISA test results give insight into education systems around the world. The results are shown as a
national mean score and not shown individually. Its objective is not to rank countries, but to see how
education system can be improved. Countries willing to participate in PISA choose kids from different
regions to represent sample of 15-year-olds in their country.
In 2012 PISA test, schools of Shanghai in China topped reading, mathematics and science test, followed
closely by Singapore. In 2015, Singapore, Japan and Estonia were ranked as top three countries, in that
order.
India’s boycott of PISA
India had made its debut in PISA in 2009 with 16000 students from 400 schools across Tamil Nadu and
Himachal Pradesh. However, students had performed miserably in 2009 test and India was placed at 72nd
among 74 participating countries. Government had blamed “out of context” questions for the poor results
in 2009 and decided it won’t participate in 2012 and 2015.
Revision of Boycott decision
In 2016, HRD Ministry had revisited this decision and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) had set up
committee to review matter and submitted its report in December 2016. The report recommended for
participation in test in 2018. Similar recommendation was made in 2017 by group of secretaries on

education constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, India had missed the application
deadline for 2018 cycle of PISA test.
PISA 2021
PISA 2021 test is likely to be administered in schools in Union Territory of Chandigarh. Apart from schools
in Chandigarh, HRD Ministry also suggested that all Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya Vidyalayas
(NVs), funded and run by Centre, shall take the test. Chandigarh was selected for its compact area,
students are taught in Hindi and English (Government wants to keep number of languages in which test
has to be administere) to minimum). Chandigarh has record of performing well in learning assessments.
SLINEX-2018: India and Sri Lanka conducts joint naval exercise at Trincomalee
India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from September 7 to
13, 2018. SLINEX exercise started in 2005 was previously held once in two years and now it has been
converted to annual event this year onwards.
SLINEX-2018
The exercise was conducted in two phases, namely Harbour and Sea Phase. These exercises involved joint
training, exchange of expertise, helicopter and maritime patrol aircraft operations, search and rescue, and
maneuvers at sea. The exercise also involved sports fixtures and cultural events to provide opportunity
for personnel from both navies to learn from each other and to build individual bonds of friendship and
camaraderie. The scope of exercise was significantly increased| this year, as it saw participation of three
ships, two maritime patrol aircraft and one helicopter participating from Indian side. In addition, Sri
Lanka Air Force personnel also participated in the exercise for first time.
Comment
SLINEX exercise is continuation of ongoing operational interaction between both navies wherein regular
ships visits are being undertaken between the two countries. Converting it into annual event signifies
desire of both countries to enhance co-operation in maritime domain and further strengthen mutual trust
and interoperability between two navies. SLINEX 2017 was held at Visakhapatnam in September 2017
wherein two ships SLNS participated from Sri Lanka Navy.
September 8, 2018
India Blue wins 2017-18 Duleep Trophy
India Blue has won 2017-18 Duleep Trophy by defeating defending champion India Red by an innings and
187 runs in the final match played at NPR College ground in Dindigul, Tamilnadu. India Blue’s spinners
Deepak Jagbir Hooda (5 for 56) and Saurabh Kumar (5 for 51) were just needed10.5 overs on fourth day of
final match to bundle out India Red for 172 in second innings. Himachal Pradesh batsman Nikhil Gangta
was named man of match for his superb knock of 130.
Brief scores: India Blue scored 541 runs with all out in 167.3 overs (N R Gangta 136, Anmolpreet Singh 96,
Swapnil Singh 69, Parvez Rasool 4 for 150, Mihir Hirwani 3 for 190). They defeated India Red 182 all out in
69.1 overs (B Sandeep 57, Swapnil Singh 5 for 58) and 172 all out in 38.5 overs (Abhinav Mukund 46,
Saurabh Kumar 5 for 51, Deepak Hooda 5 for 56) by innings and 187 runs.
Duleep Trophy
It is a domestic first-class cricket tournament played between teams representing geographical zones of
India. This tournament was instituted in 1961-62 by BCCI. It is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of
Nawanagar. It is previously contested by three teams, namely India Red, India Blue and India Green. Since
2016-17, the tournament is played by teams chosen by selectors from Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI), apex governing body of cricket. It now also played in day/night format with pink ball.
India, Czech Republic sign five agreements
India and Czech Republic have signed five agreements on defence, scientific and industrial research, laser
technology, agriculture and diplomatic visa waiver. These agreements were signed after delegation-level
talks between Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Czech Republic counterpart Milos Zeman in Prague,
capital of Czech Republic. President Kovind visited Czech Republic on final leg of his state visit to three
European nations – Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic.
Five agreements signed are
Cooperation between India’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Czech
Academy of Sciences.
Work plan to support Indo-Czech projects in diverse areas of science and technology. Department of
Science and Technology will be taking lead from Indian side for this.
Visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passport holders.
Cooperation in laser technology between Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and ELI
Beamlines.
Cooperation between Haryana Agricultural University and Czech University of Life Sciences
In addition, both countries also agreed to initiate cooperation in civil nuclear energy. Details of
prospective agreement to be signed between Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, Jhajjar
(Haryana) and relevant Czech institution are to be worked out.
Temasek inks agreement to invest $400 million in NIIF Master Fund
Singapore-based global investment firm Temasek has signed agreement to invest up to Rs 2,750 crore
($400 million) in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’s (NIIF) Master Fund. With this investment,
NIIF Master Fund is now one of largest infrastructure funds in India which invests in core infrastructure
sectors in India with focus on energy, transportation and urban infrastructure.
Key Facts
As part of this agreement, Temasek will join Government of India (GoI), Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
(ADIA), HDFC Group, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance and Axis Bank as investor in NIIF’s
Master Fund and as shareholder in National Investment and Infrastructure Limited (NIIFTL), investment
management company of NIIF. With this agreement, NIIF now has agreements totalling almost Rs. 10,000
crore, with ADIA having committed to invest up to $1 billion (about Rs 6,500 crore) and domestic financial
institutions, about Rs. 500 crore.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF)
NIIF was set up in December 2015 to catalyse funding into the country’s infrastructure sector by serving
as quasi sovereign wealth fund (SWF). It has been set up as fund of funds structure with aim to generate
risk adjusted returns for its investors alongside promoting infrastructure development. It aims to
maximize economic growth of country mainly through infrastructure development in commercially viable
projects (both greenfield and brownfield) and also in stalled projects.
NIIF has been registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India as a Category II Alternate
Investment Fund. It has targeted corpus of Rs 40,000 crore to be raised over the years — 49% of it will be
funded by government and remaining 51% will be raised from domestic and global investors, including
international pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, multilateral/bilateral investors.
NIIF’s Governing Council is chaired by Finance Minister and act as an advisory council. Moreover, two
companies viz. NIIFTL, a trustee of fund and NIIFL, an investment management company of NIIF were
incorporated in 2015. NIIF is also planning third fund to be called strategic investment fund, which could
be of similar size to its master fund. This third fund will target investments in greenfield projects and will
be long-tenure fund of 15 years.
Yudh Abhyas 2018: India, US annual combat exercise to be held Chaubatia in Uttarakhand
India and United States will conduct their annual combat exercise “Yudh Abhyas” at Chaubatia in
Uttarakhand from 16 to 29 September, 2018. The exercise will be held soon after both countries hold their
inaugural top-level “2+2” dialogue in New Delhi.
Key Facts
It will be fourteenth edition of exercise in Yudh Abhyas series which was started in 2004 under US Army
Pacific Partnership Program. This will be fourth time exercise will be conducted at Chaubattia in
Uttarakhand. The aim of this exercise will be to enhance interoperability between armies. It will also focus
on enhancing counter-terror cooperation.
The scope and intensity of this year’s exercise is much wider and is in reflection of upswing in defence ties
between the two countries. This year’s Yudh Abhyas drills will be upgraded to battalion-level field training
exercise (FTX) and division-level command post exercise (CPX). It will see participation of around 400
soldiers from each side, increase from around 200 each earlier. India will be fielding 15 Garhwal Rifles. Last
year, Yudh Abhyas was held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the US.

Background
The defence and security cooperation between India and US has witnessed new momentum in last couple
of years. Earlier in September 20178, both countries had signed Communications Compatibility and
Security Agreement (COMCASA) which will allow Indian defence forces to receive military-grade
communications equipment from US and ensure access to real-time encrypted information. It will also
help India to obtain critical defence technologies from US.
India and US also have decided to hold their first-ever mega tri-Service amphibious exercise off eastern
coast of India in 2019. This will be only second time India will deploy assets and manpower from its Army,
Navy and Air Force together for exercise with foreign country after tri-service Indra wargames were held
with Russia at Vladivostok in 2017.
In July 2018, US had announced granting India status of Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) country,
making it first South Asian nation to be given designation along with US’ NATO allies like South Korea,
Australia and Japan. STA-1 status will help India get critical technology from US in defence and certain
other key areas. It will also further facilitate India-US trade and technology collaboration in defence and
high technology areas. In June 2016, US had designated India as major defence partner intending to
elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to level commensurate with that of its closest
allies and partners.
ONGC discovers oil, gasVineet
reserves in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has made oil and gas discoveries in Madhya Pradesh and
West Bengal that may potentially open up two new sedimentary basins in country. They are category-III
basins, having hydrocarbon and are considered geologically prospective for exploration.
Key Facts
Madhya Pradesh: The gas deposits were discovered in block in Vindhyan basin. This find is at 3,000-plus
meters deep and is being now tested. Four wells drilled after discovery and now hydro-frack will be
undertaken to test commerciality of this field.
West Bengal: Oil and gas was discovered in well in Ashok Nagar of 24 Parganas district. Around one lakh
cubic meters per day of gas has flowed from one object that was tested.
Background
India has 26 sedimentary basins, of which only seven category-I basins have commercial production of oil
and gas. Except for Assam shelf, ONGC opened up all the other six basins, including Cambay, Mumbai
Offshore, Rajasthan, Krishna Godavari, Cauvery, and Assam-Arakan Fold Belt for commercial production.
The seventh basin was opened way back in 1985. It is in the process of adding eighth basin by putting
Kutch offshore discovery (it holds about one trillion cubic feet of gas reserves) to production.
26 sedimentary basins (category wise)
Category-I basins: Cambay, Mumbai Offshore, Rajasthan, Krishna Godavari, Cauvery, Assam Shelf and
Assam-Arakan Fold Belt. They have been established for commercial production.
Category-II basins: Kutch, Mahanadi-NEC (North East Coast), Andaman-Nicobar, Kerala-Konkan-
Lakshadweep. They are known for accumulation of hydrocarbons but no commercial production has been
achieved so far.
Category-III basins: Himalayan Foreland Basin, Ganga Basin, Vindhyan basin, Saurashtra Basin, Kerela
Konkan Basin, Bengal Basin. They having hydrocarbon and are considered geologically prospective.
Category-IV basins: Karewa, Spiti-Zanskar, Satpura–South Rewa–Damodar, Chhattisgarh, Narmada,
Deccan Syneclise, Bhima-Kaladgi, Bastar, Pranhita Godavari and Cuddapah. They have uncertain potential
which may be prospective by analogy with similar basins in the world.
India and France sign implementation agreement on Mobilise Your City
India and France have signed implementation agreement on Mobilise Your City (MYC) to support three
pilot cities – Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad for reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to
urban transport. It was signed between Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Agence
Française de Développement (AfD).
India and MYC
MYC aims at supporting three pilot cities viz. Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kochi (Kerala) and Ahmedabad

(Gujarat) in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport by
implementing urban mobility plans at local level and to help India at national level to improve their
sustainable transport policy.
The three pilot cities selected under programme as well as MoHUAwill benefit from technical assistance
activities to be carried out under MYC. The main components of proposed assistance are to support
planning and implementation of sustainable urban transport projects, support to strengthening
institutional capacity for regulating, steering and planning urban mobility, and learn and exchange
formats with other cities across India for exchanges on best practices.
The details of the project activities will be worked out by AFD in consultation with MoHUA and three
partner cities including institutions such as respective Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for Smart Cities,
Municipal Corporations and any transport authority or transport related SPV.
Mobilise Your City (MYC)
MYC is global and inclusive network of cities and countries as well as umbrella brand of European
development cooperation particularly related to field of sustainable urban transport. It aims at assisting
beneficiary partners – i.e. national and local governments in their preparation of National Urban Mobility
Policies and Investment Programs (NUMPs) and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). It facilitates
establishment of framework conditions for effective investment and sustainable development of urban
transport infrastructure and services as well as regulatory soft measures. MYC is part of international
initiative which is supported by French and German Governments. It was launched at 21st Conference of
Parties (COP21) meeting in December, 2015.
Government doubles monetary limit for filing cases in DRT
Union Finance Ministry has doubled pecuniary limit to Rs. 20 lakh from Rs.10 lakh for filing loan recovery
application in Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRT) by banks and financial institutions. It means that bank or
financial institution or consortium of banks or financial institutions cannot approach DRTs if pecuniary
limit amount due is less than Rs 20 lakh. This move is aimed at helping reduce pendency of cases in DRTs.
Background
Banks and financial institutions’ recovery of dues (loans) takes place on ongoing basis through legal
mechanisms, which inter-alia includes Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and
Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002; Recovery of Debts to Banks and Financial
Institution (DRT) Act, 1993 and Lok Adalats. The borrowers of such loans continue to be liable for
repayment even when the loans have been removed from the balance sheet of the bank(s) concerned. To
make recovery tribunals more effective and to facilitate fast disposal of debt recovery cases, government
has made several amendments in different laws, including SARFAESI Act.
Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRT)
DRTs were first set up under Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act 1993, also
known as DRT Act. Under it, DRTs were established to facilitate debt recovery involving banks and other
financial institutions with their customers. Under existing norms, DRT is supposed to dispose of matter
referred to it within 180 days of receipt of application and appeal can be filed against DRT order with Debt
Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs). There are 39 DRTs and 5 DRATs functioning at various parts of the
country.
India, France ink agreement to collaborate for Gaganyaan mission
India and France have signed agreement to collaborate for ISRO’s first human space mission Gaganyaan
to be launched in 2022. Both countries have also announced working group for Gaganyaan. The
announcement was made at sixth edition of Bengaluru Space Expo (touted to be largest space conference
in Asia and held in Bengaluru). So far, French-Indian space cooperation was in the domain of climate
monitoring, with fleet of joint satellites devoted to research and operational applications.
Key Facts
Under this agreement, ISRO and French space agency CNES will form working group to exchange
expertise in fields of astronaut life support, radiation protection, space debris protection and personal
hygiene systems among others. CNES will be sharing its expertise acquired from France first human
spaceflights of Thomas Pesquet’s Proxima mission in November 2016, when European Space Agency’s (ESA)

astronaut Pesquet was on six-month mission at International Space Station (ISS). Pesquet had conducted
50 scientific experiments for CNES and ESA.
It is also envisioned that French space training infrastructure such as CADMOS centre for development of
microgravity applications and space operations or MEDES space clinic will be used for training of future
Indian astronauts, as well as exchange of specialist personnel. The partnership between CNES and ISRO
will also allow French space agency to learn from India’s developments in the field of crew transport.
Gaganyaan Mission
It will be India’s first manned space mission. Under it, India is planning to send three humans
(Gaganyatris) into space by 2022 for period of five to seven days. The mission was announced by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi during his 72nd Independence Day speech. It will make India fourth nation in the
world after USA, Russia and China to launch a human spaceflight mission. The crew of three astronauts
will conduct experiments on microgravity in space. They will be selected jointly by Indian Air Force (IAF)
and ISRO after which they will undergo training for two-three years. GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, having
necessary payload capability will be used to launch Gaganyaan.
Pakistan could become world’s 5th largest nuclear weapons state: Report
According to recent report, Pakistan could become world’s 5th largest nuclear weapons state after Russia,
United States, France and China in terms of possession of total nuclear warheads. Pakistan currently has
140 to 150 nuclear warheads and its stockpile is expected to increase to 220 to 250 by 2025 (surpassing
United Kingdom) if its current proliferation trend continues.

Key Findings of Report
The current estimate of 140 to 150 nuclear weapons with Pakistan exceeds projection made by US Defense
Intelligence Agency in 1999 that Pakistan would have 60 to 80 warheads by 2020. Pakistan is continuing
to expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads, delivery systems and growing fissile materials
production industry.
The size of increase in Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal will depend on many factors. Two key factors will be how
many nuclear-capable launchers Pakistan plans to deploy, and how much Indian nuclear arsenal grows.
Pakistan is developing several nuclear weapons delivery systems, four plutonium production reactor, and
its uranium enrichment facilities are further expanding.
Pakistan is also modifying its nuclear posture with new short-range nuclear-capable weapon systems to
counter military threats below the strategic level. Its nuclear program seeks to create full-spectrum
deterrent that is designed not only to respond to nuclear attacks, but also to counter an Indian
conventional incursion onto Pakistani territory.

Odisha Assembly passes resolution for creation of Legislative Council

The Odisha State Assembly has passed resolution seeking creation of Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad
or second house of legislature). The resolution was passed with as many as 104 of total 147 legislators
casting their votes in its favour. The resolution now will be sent to Central Government (Union cabinet)
for approval, following which it will be tabled in both houses of the Parliament. Thereafter, presidential
assent is required to make it Act.
Background
The proposal for creation of Legislative Council in Odisha was passed by State Cabinet chaired by Chief
Ministry in August 2018. The proposed Council will have 49 members (one-third size of state assembly.
State government plans to function legislative council from old assembly building while the existing
assembly secretariat will cater to its administrative needs.
Legislative Council: Explained
India has bicameral system of legislature. Just as Parliament has two Houses, States can have Legislative
Council (LC) in addition to the Legislative Assembly if they choose to. This option is available under Article
171 of the Constitution.
Constitutional provisions: Under Article 169, legislative council can be formed if state legislative
assembly passes resolution to that

effect by majority of total membership of assembly and by majority of not less than two-thirds of
members of assembly present and voting (i.e. by Special Majority). Parliament can then pass a law
to this effect.Currently, seven states have Legislative Councils viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and
Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. Apart from these, Tamil Nadu
Government had passed law to set up Council but it was withdrawn in 2010. Andhra Pradesh’s
Legislative Council, set up in 1958, was abolished in 1985, but was again reconstituted in 2007.
Proposals to create Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in Parliament.
Members of LC: Under Article 171 of Constitution, Legislative Council of state cannot have MLCs
more than one-third of total number of MLAs of state assembly and not less than 40 members.
Jammu & Kashmir is exception, as Section 50 of state’s Constitution, Assembly has 87 members and
Legislative Council 36. The tenure of Member of Legislative Council (MLC) is six years (similar to
Rajya Sabha MPs), with one-third of members retiring every two years.
One-third of MLCs are elected by state’s MLAs, another 1/3rd by special electorate comprising
sitting members of local governments such as municipalities and district boards, 1/12th by
electorate of teachers and another 1/12th by registered graduates. The remaining members are
appointed by Governor for distinguished services in various fields such as literature, science, art,
co-operative movement and social service (in case Rajya Sabha, President can nominate 12 members
from field of literature, science, art and social service).
Powers of LC vis-à-vis Rajya Sabha
The legislative powers of Legislative Councils are limited compared to Rajya Sabha and State
Assembly. Rajya Sabha has substantial powers to shape non-financial legislation, but Legislative
Councils lacks constitutional mandate to do so. State Assemblies can override suggestions and
amendments made to legislation by Legislative Council. Again, unlike Rajya Sabha MPs, MLCs
cannot vote in elections for President and Vice President. Vice President is ex officio Chairperson
of Rajya Sabha, whereas MLC elected by Council members is its Chairperson.
Arguments in of favour LC: It can help check hasty actions by directly elected House, and also
enable non-elected and eminent personalities to contribute to legislative process.
Arguments against: Legislative Council can be used to delay legislation and to park political
leaders who have not been able to win election.
September 10, 2018
Hima Das appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam
India’s ace sprinter Hima Das was appointed as Sports Ambassador of Assam to inspire budding players of
northeastern state to aim big and young generation to take up sports seriously.
Hima Das
She was born 9 January 2000 at Kandhulimari village near Dhing Town of Nagaon district, Assam. Her
parents are rice farmers. She was the first Indian athlete to win gold medal in track event at IAAF World
U20 Championships held in Tampere, Finland. In 2018 Asian Games (Jakarta), she had won silver medal in
400 m final to win a silver medal. She is nicknamed ‘Dhing Express’ after her village in Assam.

Medals won in 2018 Asian Games

Gold medal: Women’s 4 × 400 metres relay along with M. R. Poovamma, Sarita Gayakwad and V. K.
Vismaya.
Silver medal: Mixed4 × 400 metres relay along with Muhammed Anas, M. R. Poovamma and Arokia Rajiv.
Silver medal: Women’s 400 m individual race (time: 50.79). She had set national record by clocking 51.00
to qualify for the 400 metre final.
World Hindu Congress 2018 held in Chicago, United States
The World Hindu Congress (WHC-2018) was held Chicago, United States. It was organized to
commemorate 125 years of Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago address on September 11, 1893. The
theme of WHC-2018 was “Sumantrite Suvikrante” — think collectively, achieve valiantly”. It was second
edition of World Hindu Congress and was attended by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
World Hindu Congress (WHC)
It is global platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good.
It offers Hindus opportunity to introspect towards improvement and tap into collective resources to seek
tangible solutions to most pressing issues of our age. The inaugural WHC was held in November 2014 in
New Delhi with theme ‘Sangachchhadhwam Samvadadhwam’ which means ‘Step together, Express together’.
Since then, it is held once every four years.
WOSA-2018: 4th WorldVineet
Summit on Accreditation held in New Delhi
The World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) was held New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Union
Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar. WOSA-2018 was organized by
National Board of Accreditation (NBA) with main focus (theme) on “Challenges and Opportunities in
Outcome Based Accreditation”.
WOSA 2018
The Summit facilitated exchange of information on various challenges being faced during transition
between input-output based accreditation to outcome based accreditation. It saw participation of
accreditation agencies from across world on common platform to share best practices.
WOSA 2018 also provided opportunity for academia and industry to explore avenues for future
partnerships and to create an environment for open dialogue to facilitate mobility of students and
professionals world-wide to gain international experience.
Sub-themes of WOSA 2018: Achieving excellence through learning outcomes, role of industry in technical
education, ranking and rating of higher education institutions – Do they have Role in Quality
Improvement, linking government funding with quality and use of ICT in accreditation in large
jurisdictions.
Background
World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA) is biennial Summit organised by NBA, which provides platform
to stakeholders to share their knowledge and information on accreditation. So far, NBA has organised
three Summits in past in 2012 (theme: Achieving Excellence through Accreditation), 2014 (International
Recognition of Education Qualifications) and 2016 (Quality Assurance through Outcome Based Accreditation).
National Board of Accreditation (NBA)
It is an autonomous organisation under Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is engaged in
quality assurance of programs offered by professional and technical institutions in India through
accreditation. It has been accorded Permanent Signatory Status of Washington Accord since June, 2014.
NBA has adopted internationally implemented outcome based assessment and accreditation for ensuring
that graduates of NBA accredited programs are globally competent and relevant.
Bengaluru airport set to become first in Asia to use face recognition as boarding pass
Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka is set to become first airport
in Asia to introduce face recognition based passage system technology from 2019. For this, Bengaluru
International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), which operates KIA has signed agreement with Portuguese software
firm Vision Box.
Key Facts
The face recognition based passage system will allow passengers to board flights and move across

different sections of the airport using automatic biometric boarding procedure instead of manual
boarding passes verification. In this case, face will serve as boarding pass. The first implementation
milestone of this system at KIA will be completed in the first quarter of 2019, with Jet Airways, Air Asia
and SpiceJet passengers as first users.
Benefits: Face recognition based passage system will simplify journey of air passengers by making it
paperless from registration to boarding. Biometric technology will identify passengers by their face as
they move across airport, avoiding stops and repeated presentation of boarding passes, passports or other
physical identity documents. It will enable seamless journey fo passengers, without obstacles, waiting
lines or hassles, from registration to boarding..
Significance: On complete implementation, this will be first end-to-end face recognition-based walk
through experience in Asia and largest in the world. It is also one of the most significant steps towards
Digital India campaign endorsed by Central Government.
Note: Voice Box had showcased its face recognition-based passage system for first time for Lufthansa
passengers at kiosks at Los Angeles airport in US in March 2018. It had allowed Lufthansa passengers to
use biometric boarding procedure instead of boarding passes.
Snow leopard spotted in Lippa-Asra wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh
Snow leopard was spotted at height of about 4,000 metres in Lippa-Asra wildlife sanctuary in Kinnaur
district of Himachal Pradesh. Its picture was captured by camera-trap installed by State Wildlife
Department. This findings have ascertained that snow leopards are inhabiting new areas.
Snow leopard
Snow leopard (Panthera uncial) is large cat native to mountain ranges of Central and South Asia- including
Himalayas, and Russia’s remote Altai mountains. It inhabits in alpine and subalpine zones at elevations
from 3,000 to 4,500 m. In northern range countries, it is also found at lower elevations. It mostly feed on
wild animals, but also prey on livestock. It usually hunts at dawn and dusk and is able to kill prey up to
three times their own weight. In India, it is found in states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Threats: It is threatened by poaching for their fur, habitat destruction by infrastructure developments
and climate change.
Protection Status: It has been listed in Schedule I under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Appendix I of
Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and Appendix I Convention on
Migratory Species (CMS). In September 2017, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had
downgraded conservation status of snow leopard to “vulnerable” from “endangered”. It is National
Heritage Animal of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Project Snow Leopard: It was launched in 2009 to safeguard and conserve Snow Leopard (an unique
natural heritage of high-altitude) and its habitats by promoting conservation through participatory
policies and actions.
Lippa-Asra wildlife sanctuary
The sanctuary is part of district Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh and also is part of Moorang town. It was
established in 1974 and is spread over an area of 3089 hectares. It hosts wide range of flora and fauna due
to varied elevation, different climatic situation and topographical type of weather found in its vicinity y.
This type of weather conditions thus helps in the survival of different type of species that are housed in
the sanctuary. The sanctuary has diversified wildlife that forms part of it. It houses wild species of animal
like Yak, Ibex, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Musk Deer, Goral, Brown Bear and Himalayan Black Bear. The dry
alpine scrub and dry coniferous type of forest are main type of flora found in this sanctuary. Besides,
dwarf juniper scrub, coniferous forest and temperate type of forest of Himalayan region is also found in
this sanctuary.
2018 US Open: Novak Djokovic wins men’s singles title
Former world number one Novak Djokovic from Serbia won 2018 US Open title of tennis in men’s singles
category by defeating Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro (world no 3). It was Djokovic’s third US Open
title and overall 14th Grand Slam title. With this win, he equalled Pete Sampras’ haul of 14 Grand Slams.

Further, he became seventh man to win US Open singles title at least thrice in the Open Era.
2018 US Open Winners
Women’s singles title: It was won by Japan’s Naomi Osaka by defeating Serena Williams of US by score of
6-2, 6-4 in the finals.
Men’s Double title: It was won by US pair of Mike Bryan and Jack Sock. They defeated Łukasz Kubot
(Poland) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) by 6–3, 6–1 scrore.
Women’s Doubles title: It was won by Ashleigh Barty (Australia) and CoCo Vandeweghe (US). They
defeated Tímea Babos (Hungary) and Kristina Mladenovic (France) pair by 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(8–6).
Mixed Doubles title: It was won by Jamie Murray (UK) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US). They defeated
Alicja Rosolska (Poland) and Nikola Mektić (Croatia) pair by 2–6, 6–3, [11–9] score.
2018 US Open
It was the 138th edition of tennis’ US Open held on outdoor hard courts at USTA Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center in New York City. It was fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. Rafael Nadal and
Sloane Stephens were defending champions in the men’s and women’s singles events, but they were
unsuccessful to defend their titles in this edition of tournament.
Nepal refuses to participate in first BIMSTEC joint military exercise
Nepal has refused to participate in inaugural joint military exercise of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) |countries scheduled to be held in Pune,
Maharashtra. Nepal’s withdrawal comes in wake of stringent criticism from ruling and opposition parties
in the country.
Reasons for Nepal’s backing out
The BIMSTEC military drill saying it is beyond the agenda of BIMSTEC. It also goes against country’s
history of following policy of keeping equal distance from its neighbours, without ever being part of a
regional bloc militarily. Experts believe that non-participation of Nepal in such ‘military drill’ certainly
seems like political call and comes at time when Nepal-China relations are on upward trajectory and
BIMSTEC connectivity seen as counter to China’s BRI (Belt and Road Initiative).
BIMSTEC Military Exercise
The first BIMSTEC field training exercise will be conducted at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune,
Maharashtra from September 10 and 16, 2018. Armies of BIMSTEC members including India, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Nepal were to participate in it.
The theme of exercise includes counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search. The main
aim of this military exercise is to promote strategic alignment among the member-states and to share
best practices in the area of counter-terrorism.
The exercise was required platoon-level participation of around 30 soldiers from each BIMSTEC member
countries for exercises involving counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search. Now,
Nepal will be only sending three-member observer team. Apart from Nepal, Thailand will also not be
participating in military exercise and will be represented by observer.
September 11, 2018
Regional Conference on Good Governance held in Bhopal
Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts was held in Bhopal, capital
of Madhya Pradesh. It was organized by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
(DAR&PG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in association with Madhya Pradesh
Government. Delegates from 12 States/2 UTs had participated in this Conference. There were 5 Technical
sessions in this 2-day conference.
Regional Conference on Good Governance
So far, DAR&PG has organized 28 Regional Conferences. This conference aims create common platform to
share experiences in formulation and implementation of best practices in citizen centric governance and
improve public service selivery through e-Governance, transparent, accountable and citizen-friendly
effective administration.
Ethanol plant: Haryana Government inks MoU with IOC to stop straw burning
Haryana Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) to set up ethanol plant at village Bohali village in Panipat district with an outlay of over Rs. 900
crore. The MoU will be valid for one year. This plant will motivate farmers in its 50 km radius area to
manage crop residue and prevent straw burning and help to fulfill increasing demand of ethanol and also
bio-fuels for consumers of petroleum product.
Key Facts
The proposed capacity of this ethanol plant will be of producing 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day. It will
help to manage crop residue and prevent straw burning before upcoming paddy season. 10 cooperative
and three private sugar mills in the state will provide raw fuel to this plant. There will be regular supply of
raw material to this plant as paddy crop residue will be provided as raw material after end of paddy season
in October and November and after that sugarcane crop residue will be supplied in cyclic manner.
Bioethanol
It is an alcohol derived by process of fermentation mostly from carbohydrates of agricultural residue and
feedstocks. It acts as a quasi-renewable energy, as it can be easily blended with petrol or diesel, thus
making it sustainable transport fuel. Its long-term usage will help to reduce emissions and dependency on
imported fossil fuel. It will benefit farmers economically, as they will be paid for their agro-based produce
to extract bio-ethanol. It would also help in preventing loss of fertility of soil and damage to environment
by reducing air pollution caused by burning of leftover agro-based produce.
Delhi Government launches India’s first scheme for doorstep delivery of essential government services
Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi GovernmentVineet has
Singhlaunched scheme
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | for doorstep delivery of 40 essential
government services like caste and marriage certificates, driving license and new water connections. It is
fist home delivery scheme of various essential government services in the country. It will help to deal with
corruption in delivery of essential government services and promote transparent governance.
Key Features of Scheme
Under this scheme, Delhi government will provide 40 services such as caste certificate, driving licence at
doorstep of people in the first phase. Eventually, more services will be added to the list in later phases.
These essential government services will be delivered by mobile sahayaks with fee of Rs 50.
For implementation of this scheme, Delhi government has intermediary agency which has set up call
centres and hired mobile sahayaks (facilitators). For availing doorstep delivery of services, Delhi citizens
need to call centralised number to set up home visit with mobile sahayak.
The mobile sahayak will be equipped with all necessary equipment such as biometric devices and camera.
These sahayak will help user fill out application, pay fee and collect documents needed for service. Then
completed certificate will then be posted to applicant.
For certificates that mandate visit to office concerned, such as test for driving licence, applicant will be
required to personally visit to office after sahayak helps with initial application at home. This scheme will
cover doorstep delivery of various certificates including caste, new water connection, income, driving
licence, ration card, domicile, marriage registration, duplicate RC and change of address in RC, among
others.
First wet mid-air refuelling of LCA Tejas successfully carried out using IL-78 MKI tanker
Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully carried out first ever mid-air refuelling of indigenously developed Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK-1 over Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. With this, India joins in elite group of
countries which have successfully developed air-to-air refuelling system for military aircraft.
LCA Tejas mid-air refuelling
It was first wet mid-air refuelling of LCA Tejas (LSP8) carried out by transferring 1,900 kg of fuel from IAF’s
Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 (IL-78) tanker at altitude of 20,000 feet. This operation had refueled all internal
tanks and drop tanks of LCA Tejas.
Before this wet contact trial, IAF had successfully conducted ‘dry-air refuelling contact trials’ where
drogue (basket) extended from tanker aircraft IL-78 by fuel hose, which was only tracked and plugged into
using LCA’s Tejas’ refuelling probe without transfering fuel.
Significance
With this first trial of air-to-air refueling, LCA gets much closer to important battle-ready tag, called final
operational clearance (FOC). Besides, air-to-air refuelling capability for LCA will be force multiplier for IAF
as it enhances potential of aircraft to stay airborne for much longer periods of time, thus increasing its

range and endurance. It will also enable IAF options to exploit operational potential of LCA as well as to
participate in international exercises without having to stop or stage through several locations enroute.
Background
IAF currently operates nine LC Tejas fighters built to Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) standard built
indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited. These jets are being flown by No. 45 Squadron named
Flying Daggers (It is first LCA Tejas Squadron) based at Sulur Air Force Station in Tamil Nadu. IAF has
placed ordered of 123 LCA Tejas variants at cost of Rs 70, 000 crores to Hindustan Aeronautical Limited
(HAL). Among the 123 planes on order, 20 each are in IOC and more advanced final operational clearance
(FOC) configurations, while remaining 83 are in Mk-1A configuration that comes with additional
improvements
Nomadic Elephant 2018: India, Mongolia joint exercise held in Ulaanbaatar
India, Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant 2018 commenced at Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five
Hills Training Area in Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia). Nomadic Elephant is annual bilateral military
exercise started in 2006. It is designed to strengthen partnership between Indian Army and Mongolian
Armed Forces.
Nomadic Elephant 2018
This year it is thirteenth edition of exercise aimed at developing mutual understanding and respect
between armies of both countries and facilitate
Vineet Singhin tackling the | world wide phenomenon of terrorism. The
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com
12 days long joint exercise will be conducted from 10 to 21 September 2018.

This exercise will seek to improve tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter
terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario between both countries under United Nations mandate.
Indian contingent is represented by contingent of 17 PUNJAB Regiment while Mongolian contingent is
represented by Unit 084 of Mongolian Armed Forces.
During the exercise, armies of both countries will jointly train, plan and execute series of well-developed
tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.
Moreover, experts from both sides will also conduct detailed discussions to share their experience on
varied topics for mutual benefits.
India, Bangladesh jointly inaugurate three projects
India, Bangladesh jointly inaugurated three projects related to power supply rehabilitation of existing
railway section. These projects were jointly inaugurated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through video conference.
These three projects are
Rehabilitation of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways: Under this project, bridge and
bridge building was constructed, station with platform and shed along with reformation of level crossing
and railway line were also built. Mainline of 44.77 km and loop line of 7.77 km was also renovated.
500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh: It will be transferred through existing
Bheramara (Bangladesh)-Baharampur (India) interconnection. With completion of this project, India will
be supplying around 1.16 Gigawatts of power to Bangladesh. This project announced during his PM Modi’s
visit to Bangladesh in 2015.
Akhaura–Agartala Rail Link: The railway project was conceptualized in 2010. Later, both the countries
had signed MoU on this railway project in 2013. It is expected that railway line will become operational in
2019. The railway project consists of constructing 15.054 km long railway line. It will provide another link
in the cross-border connectivity between two countries by connecting Akhaura in Bangladesh with capital
city of Tripura, Agartala through Nischintapur in Indo-Bangla border. It will help to develop socio-
economic as well as cultural bond between two neighbouring countries.
MILEX-18: First military exercise of BIMSTEC countries held in Pune
The first field training military exercise MILEX-18, as part of the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-sectoral
technical and economic cooperation (BIMSTEC) commenced at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune,
Maharashtra. All member BIMSTEC countries, except Thailand and Nepal will take active part in this
exercise. Thailand and Nepal will only be sending group of observers.

MILEX-18
The theme of the exercise is counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain. Its main aim is to promote strategic
alignment among member-states and to share best practices in the area of counter-terrorism. The
exercise will include training in operations like search-and-cordon operations, search and destroy and
handling and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) among other things. Each participating
member country will be represented by platoon sized contingents including around 30 soldiers (including
five officers, 25 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and personnel of other ranks). As part of this
exercise, conclave of Army chiefs of all seven member-states is also being planned. In it, army chiefs will
debate challenge of terrorism and transnational crime, which is major concern among all states and
discuss ways to promote collective cooperation.
Comment
Through this exercise India is trying to achieve in cooperative defense diplomacy. It is also looking
forward to initiate process of sharing counter-terrorism strategies among armies of member nations in
the region. India also wants to start a dialogue, sharing of procedures, thoughts, processes and certainly
strategies to deal with terrorism collectively in region.
Note: BIMSTEC countries had held disaster management exercise in 2017 in New Delhi, but this will be
first military exercise of the grouping.
BIMSTEC Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
It is regional group of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia lying in littoral and adjacent
areas of Bay of Bengal constituting contiguous regional unity. It was established on 6 June 1997 through
Bangkok Declaration. It is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Its member countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar,
Thailand from South East Asia. They are collectively home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute
around 22% of global population.
BIMSTEC’s main objective is to promote technological and economic cooperation among south Asian and
south-east Asian countries along coast of the Bay of Bengal. The grouping is sector-driven cooperative
organization, started in 2006 with six sector including trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and
fisheries. In 2008, it was expanded to embrace eight more sectors including agriculture, public health,
poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people to people contact and climate change.
September 12, 2018
India focus country in Turkey’s Izmir International Trade Show
India was the focus country of 87th Izmir International Trade Show held in Izmir, third most populous city
in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara from 7th to 11th September, 2018. Trade Promotion Council of India
(TPCI) had led 75-member Indian delegation for this trade show.
Source India pavilion
In this tradeshow, India also had displayed mega business standalone pavilion ‘Source India’. This pavilion
had hosted 75 Indian companies with aim of tie-ups in order to increase India’s exports to Turkey and
other neighbouring countries. It had showcased multi-product pavilion, including companies displaying
products like ceramics, cereals and mechanical appliances. This pavillion was part of series of Source India
pavilions that TPCI is hosting in important tradeshows across the world for boosting India’s exports.
TPCI: It is trade and investment promotion organization of Department of Commerce, Union Ministry of
Commerce & Industry. It works to open new areas for co-operation in trade and investment between India
and rest of the world.
PM Narendra Modi announces hike in remuneration for ASHA, Anganwadi workers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced landmark increase in remuneration for ASHA and
Anganwadi workers. The announcement will be effective from October 2018. It was made during video
bridge interaction with lakhs of ASHA, Anganwadi and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife). It was organised
as part Poshan Maah being observed in September every year.
Increase in remuneration
ASHA workers: The routine incentive given by Union Government to ASHA workers has been doubled. In
addition, all ASHA workers and their helpers will be provided free insurance cover under Pradhan Mantri

Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Prime Minister Suraksha Bima Yojana.
Anganwadi workers: Those receiving Rs. 3000 so far, will now receive Rs. 4500. Similarly those receiving
Rs. 2200, will now get Rs. 3500. The honorarium for Anganwadi helpers also has been increased from Rs.
1500 to Rs. 2250. In addition, Anganwadi workers and helpers using techniques such as Common
Application Software (ICDS-CAS), will get additional incentives ranging from Rs. 250 to Rs. 500 based on
performance.
Rail Sahyog web portal launched for corporates to fund creation of amenities at Railway stations
Union Ministry of Railways has launched Rail Sahyog web portal (www.railsahyog.in). It will provide
platform for Corporates and PSUs to fund creation of amenities at railway stations through Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
Rail Sahyog portal
This portal will allow companies to register their requests for contributing to create amenities at railway
stations through their CSR funds. These requests will be processed by Railway officials and based on
tprinciple of first come first serve, requests will be shortlisted. Selected applicants will be intimated to
deposit the funds with Railways or its nominated agencies like RITES or RAILTEL etc. The nominated
agency will get the work executed thereafter.
The portal with provide simplicity and transparency for companies to fund creation of amenities at
Railway stations through CSR funds. It willVineet
provide opportunity for industry, companies, associations to
collaborate with Indian Railways. Fund utilized for creation of amenities will be beneficial for passengers
and for neighbourhood of railway vicinity.
EC orders removal of NOTA from Rajya Sabha, legislative council elections
Election Commission of India (EC) had removed NOTA (None of the Above) option from ballot papers of
Rajya Sabha, Legislative Council elections following directive of Supreme Court. The NOTA option,
henceforth will be only available in direct elections such as Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
Background
In August 2018, Supreme Court had said that NOTA will not be applicable as ballot option in Rajya Sabha
polls. It will only continue to be option in direct elections such as Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It had
quashed June 2014 notification of EC that allowed use of NOTA option in Rajya Sabha elections. It held
that NOTA will destroy concept of value of vote and representation, and encourage defection that shall
open doors for corruption which is malignant disorder. It also had held that NOTA was meant to be
exercised by individual voters in direct polls.
NOTA
NOTA is ballot option designed to allow voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting
system. It was introduced in 2013 after Supreme Court of India directed Election Commission to provide
NOTA button in the electronic voting machines.
NOTA option was first used in 2013 assembly elections held in four States — Chhattisgarh, Mizoram,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 2014 Lok Sabha election was first general election to see its nationwide
use of NOTA, where it polled 1.1% of the votes.
NOTA is not right to reject i.e. candidate with maximum votes wins the election irrespective of the
number of NOTA votes polled. Election Commission also has clarified that even though votes cast as
NOTA are counted, they are considered as invalid votes so they will not change outcome of election
process.
Justice Mukul Mudgal to head Selection Committee to pick up Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awardees
Justice Mukul Mudgal was named Chairman of 11-member selection committee to pick this year’s
Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees given as part of National Sports Awards ceremony. These awards
will be presented at National Sports Awards ceremony scheduled to be held on September 25, 201.
Dhyanchand award is bestowed on sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and contribution to
sport during both their active career and after retirement. Dronacharya award is presented to coaches for
their outstanding and meritorious work on consistent basis over period of four years.
Other members of selection committee are: former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Samresh Jung,
Indian badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa, former national boxing coach G S Sandhu, hockey coach AK

Bansal and archery coach Sanjeeva Singh apart from Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Special Director
General Onkar Kedia, Joint Secretary (Sports) Inder Dhamija, two sports journalists and Target Olympic
Podium Scheme CEO Commander Rajesh Rajagopalan.
Background
National Sports Awards ceremony is held every year on August 29 to commemorate the birth anniversary
of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. But this year it will be organised on September 25, 2018. The change
of schedule was done because of clash of dates with 2018 Asian Games, which concluded on September 2,
2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Justice Mukul Mudgal
Justice Mudgal is retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. Previously he was appointed by
Supreme Court to probe into 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, involving three players from Rajasthan Royals.
Currently, he is deputy chairman of FIFA Governance Committee and Review Committee. Mukul Mudgal,
is also popular name among cricketing circles, as he is regarded as pioneer behind reviving Test cricket in
India. He also had devised new procedures on how to get crowds into cricket stadiums.
NITI Aayog, Intel and TIFR collaborate to set up Model International Center for Transformative AI
NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are collaborating to set up Model
International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) in Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka.
This collaboration is part of NITI Aayog’s ‘National Strategy for |Artificial Intelligence’ Discussion Paper that
focuses on establishing ICTAI in the country through private sector collaboration. The model centre is
aimed at solving major challenges in India with special focus on application-based AI research in
healthcare, agriculture and smart mobility.
Model ICTAI
Objectives
It will aid in Developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects.
It will conduct advanced research to incubate AI-led solutions in three important areas – healthcare,
agriculture and smart mobility – by bringing together expertise of TIFR and Intel.
It will experiment, discover and establish best practices in domains of ICTAI governance,
fundamental research, physical infrastructure, compute and service infrastructure needs, and talent
acquisition.
Key Features
Through this collaborative effort, model ICTAI will develop AI foundational frameworks, tools and assets,
including curated datasets and unique AI algorithms. It will also develop standards and support policy
development related to IT such as data-storage, information security, privacy, and ethics for data capture
and use. It will also develop AI foundational technologies to promote applied research that can scale for
national impact and will lead to the creation of a vibrant and self-sustaining ecosystem.
ICTAI will also collaborate with industry leaders, startups, and AI services and product companies to
productize technologies and IP that are developed by it. It will also support skilling and talent
development for world-class AI talent. The learning and best practices developed through this model
ICTAI will be used by NITI Aayog to set up future ICTAIs across country.
Apsara: BARC recommissions upgraded version of India’s oldest research reactor
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay has recommissioned India’s oldest nuclear research
reactor named ‘Apsara’, which was shut down permanently in 2009 for repair. The refurbished version of
this reactor has been named as ‘Apsara-upgraded’ (Apsara-U) and also has double capacity compared to its
earlier version. It is located within India’s nuclear weapons facility at BARC’s Trombay campus
(Maharashtra).
Apsara
Apsara was the first nuclear research reactor in Asia. It had become operational in BARC’s Trombay
campus in August 1956. It was first nuclear research reactor indigenously developed in India. The design
was conceptualised in 1955 by Dr Homi Bhabha, the father of Indian Nuclear programme. Its name Apsara
was coined by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Apsara was a light water moderated (swimming pool-type) reactor with maximum power output of 1

megawatt thermal (MWt). It burned enriched uranium in form of aluminum alloyed curved plates. It was
utilised for various experiments including neutron activation analysis, radiation damage studies, forensic
research, neutron radiography, and shielding experiments. It was shut down in 2009, after more than five
decades of service.
Apsara-upgraded
The upgraded version, like its ancestor, is indigenously made. It uses plate type dispersion fuel elements
made of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU). It will help to increase indigenous production of radio-isotopes for
medical application by about 50% mainly due to higher neutron flux. It will also be extensively used for
research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding. The radioisotopes produced by it will
be also used in the field food preservation, agriculture, and other industries apart from medicine for
diagnosis and therapy.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
BARC is India’s premier nuclear research facility based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is multi-disciplinary
research center with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development. Its R&D covers
entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas. BARC’s core mandate is to sustain
peaceful applications of nuclear energy, primarily for power generation.
e-VBAB Network Project: MEA, TCIL inks agreement to provide e-health and education in Africa
Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)VineetandSinghTelecommunications
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) have
signed agreement for implementation of e-VidyaBharati and e-AarogyaBharati (e-VBAB) Network Project
in Africa. The project is seen as digital bridge of knowledge and health between India and Africa. It is also
considered as important milestone in India’s development partnership with Africa.
E-VBAB Network Project
It is technological upgrade and extension of Pan-African e-Network Project (Phase 1) which was
implemented in 48 partner countries across Africa from 2009 till 2017. The phase 1 of project had
successfully imparted tele-education and tele-medicine by linking educational institutions and hospitals
in India with those from participating countries from Africa.
e-VBAB Network Project is completely funded by Government of India for its entire duration. It is open for
participation to all India’s partner countries in Africa. Over its five-year duration, this project will provide
free tele-education courses to 4000 students every year from African countries. It will also be utilized for
providing free continuing medical education (1000 every year) doctors, nurses, para-medical staff from
Africa. Further, Indian doctors, through this project will also provide free medical consultancy to those
African doctors who seek such consultancy.
Health Ministry notifies HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued notification for bringing Human
Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017
in force from 10th September, 2018.
The Act safeguards rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV. It also addresses HIV-related
discrimination, strengthen existing programme by bringing in legal accountability and establish formal
mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances.
Key Provisions of the Act
The Act seeks to prevent and control spread of HIV and AIDS, prohibits discrimination against persons
with HIV and AIDS. It lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV positive persons and
those living with them is prohibited.
These discrimination grounds include denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with
regard to (i) employment (ii) educational establishments (iii) health care services, (iv) standing for public or
private office, (v) residing or renting property and (vi) provision of insurance.
It also prohibits requirement for HIV testing as pre-requisite for obtaining employment or accessing
health care or education. It mentions that every HIV infected or affected person below age of 18 years has
right to reside in shared household and enjoy facilities of household.
It also prohibits any individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of hatred against HIV
positive persons and those living with them. It gives right to every person in care and custody of the state

to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and counseling services.

It mentions that person between 12 to 18 years of age having sufficient maturity in understanding and
managing affairs of his HIV or AIDS affected family will be competent to act as guardian of another sibling
below 18 years of age. This will be applicable in matters relating to admission to educational
establishments, operating bank accounts, managing property, care and treatment, amongst others.
Government makes demat mandatory for issue and transfer of shares
Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has mandatory for unlisted public companies to issue new
shares or transfer of all shares in dematerialised or demat (i.e. in electronic form) form beginning October
2, 2018. With this, major benefits of dematerialisation of securities will now be available to unlisted Public
companies.
Key Facts
The Companies Act 2013, provides for government to mandate that as in case of listed public companies
other classes of public companies should also issue securities only in dematerialised form. MCA’s latest
step is seen as measure for further enhancing transparency, investor protection and governance in the
corporate sector. It also comes at a time when the ministry is clamping down on shell companies that are
suspected of being conduits for illicit fund flows
Major benefits of dematerialisation of securities
It will help in elimination of risks associated with physical certificates such as loss, theft, mutilation, fraud
etc. It will help in improving corporate governance system by increasing transparency and preventing
mal-practices such as benami shareholding, back dated issuance of shares, etc. It will also ease in transfer,
pledge etc. of securities and provide exemption from payment of stamp duty on transfer.
Unlisted Companies
According to Companies Act 2013, a public company is formed by seven persons or more, while for private
company this number is two or more. If shares of such companies are not traded on stock exchange, they
are called unlisted companies.
September 13, 2018
Tamil Nadu Government bans manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes
Tamil Nadu Government has issued order banning manufacture, sale and possession of Electronic
Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) or e-Cigarettes with immediate effect in the state. The ban covers
distribution, trade, display, marketing, advertisement, use, import and possession of e-cigarettes as well.
So far, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar already have
prohibited manufacture, import, sale and distribution of ENDs or e-cigarettes. The Tamil Nadu
government has already banned chewable tobacco products.
ENDS
ENDS are devices that heat solution to create aerosol, which also frequently contains flavours, usually
dissolved into propylene glycolor and glycerin. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are most common
prototype of ENDS. These devices do not burn or use toacco leaves but instead vaporise solution, which
user then inhales (This process is called as vaping). The main constituents of vaporise solution are
nicotine, propylene glycol (with or without glycerol and flavouring agents).
Health risk associated with ENDS
Children, adolescents, pregnant women and women of reproductive age are at greater health risk due to
use of ENDS including e-cigarettes. ENDS solutions and emissions contain harmful chemicals and
toxicants. They contain nicotine, addictive component of tobacco products. In addition they also contain
harmful metals, including lead, chromium and nickel and chemicals like formaldehyde with
concentrations equal to or greater than traditional cigarettes. Use of ENDS may affect development of
foetus during pregnancy. It may contribute to cardiovascular disease to people who use ENDS. Moreover,
nicotine may function as ‘tumour promoter’ and seems to be involved in biology of malignant diseases.
Foetal and adolescent nicotine exposure have long-term consequences for brain development, potentially
leading to learning and anxiety disorders.
LK Advani renominated as Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha
Senior BJP leader L K Advani was renominated as Chairman of Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha. He was

renominated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. L K Advani represents Gandhinagar Lok Sabha
constituency from Gujarat.
Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha
It formulates Code of Conduct for members and suggest amendments to it from time to time. It also
oversee moral and ethical conduct of Members. It examines complaints related to any unethical conduct
by members of Lower House of Parliament. It can also initiate suo motu investigation into matters related
to unethical conduct of a member and make recommendations, as it may deem fit.
Other appointments
Former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (BJP) was renamedchairman of Lok Sabha
Committee on Government Assurances. Chandrakant Khaire (Shiv Sena) was reappointed as chairman of
Committee on Papers Laid on Table. Dilipkumar Mansukhlal Gandhi (BJP) has been given another term as
Chairman of Committee on Subordinate Legislation. P Karunakaran (CPI-M) will continue serving as the
chairman of the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House.
Cabinet approves 4 New National Institutes Of Design
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved proposal for introduction of Bill in
Parliament for amendment of National Institutes of Design (NID) Act, 2014 for establishing four new NIDs
across the country.
These four new NIDs are Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
National Institute of Design, Amaravati/Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
National Institute of Design, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
National Institute of Design, Jorhat, Assam.
National Institute of Design, Kurukshetra, Haryana.
Key Features of Bill
The amendment will bring these four new NIDs within ambit NID Act, 2014 and to declare them as
Institutions of National Importance (INIs) at par with NID, Ahmedabad. The proposed Bill also brings
makes some minor amendments to this Act such as to include consequential amendments considered
necessary to re-name NID Vijayawada as NID Amaravati and nomenclature of Principal Designer as
equivalent to Professor.
Significance
Establishment of new NIDs as Institutions of National Importance in different geographical regions of
country will help produce highly skilled manpower in design sector which in turn, will create job
opportunities, both direct and indirect. It will also provide sustainable design interventions for crafts,
handloom, rural technology, small, medium and large scale enterprises; and outreach programmes for
capacity, capability and institution building.
IIP records 6.6% growth in July 2018
According to data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO), factory output measured in terms of the
Index of Industrial Production grew at 6.6% in July 2018. This growth was on the back of good
performance by manufacturing sector and higher offtake of capital goods and consumer durables. Besides,
IIP growth for June 2018 was also revised downwards to 6.8% from the provisional estimate of 7% released
in August 2018. The IIP growth in April-July 2018 period was 5.4% compared to 1.7% year ago.
July 2018 IIP
Manufacturing sector (Weightage: 77.6): It recorded 7% growth.
Electricity sector (Weightage: 7.9%): It recorded 6.7% growth.
Mining (Weightage: 14.3%): It recorded 3.7% growth.
Consumer durables sector: It recorded impressive growth of 14.4% as against dip of 2.4% in July 2017.
Capital goods production: It grew by 3% as against decline of 1.1% in July 2017.
Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
IIP is composite indicator that measures short-term changes in volume of production of basket of
industrial products during given period with respect to chosen base period. It is compiled and published
monthly by Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI).
Base year: The CSO had revised the base year of the IIP from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in May 2017 to capture
structural changes in economy and improves quality and representativeness of indices. The revised IIP
(2011-12) reflects changes in industrial sector and also aligns it with base year of other macroeconomic
indicators like Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Sector wise items and weightages: IIP covers 407 item groups. Sector wise, the items included falls into 3
categories viz. Manufacturing (405 items), Mining (1 items) & Electricity (1 item). The weights of the three
sectors are 77.63%, 14.37%, 7.9% respectively. The combined weightage of eight core Industries in IIP is 40.27%.
Health Ministry prohibits manufacture, sale and distribution of Fixed Dose Combinations
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has prohibited manufacture, sale, distribution of 328 Fixed
Dose Combinations (FDCs) for human use with immediate effect. It has also restricted manufacture, sale
or distribution of six FDCs subject to certain conditions. This ban was imposed by Health Ministry by
exercising powers conferred to it section 26A of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Fixed dose combinations (FDC) Drugs
FDC drugs are drugs having two or more active ingredients in a single dosage. They are widely used to improve
patient compliance as it is easier for them to take one drug than several. They are acceptable only when the drugs so
combined have a therapeutic advantage.
Background
India is one of the world’s largest markets Vineet
forSingh
FDC drugs that make
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | up almost half the market share. The
Union Health Ministry had imposed the ban on 344 FDC drugs under Section 26A of Drugs and Cosmetics
Act in March 2016 for being unsafe and not having a therapeutic justification. The ban was imposed based
on the recommendations of Kokate committee. It was imposed over fears that these drugs cause anti-
microbial resistance and might even cause organ-failure because of high toxicity. It was also aimed at
curbing the misuse of medicines. However, pharmaceutical companies contend that no prior enquiry was
made from them or show cause notice issued prior to ban notification by the Central Government. They
also held that these drugs in the same combination are being marketed in other countries.
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) in compliance with directions given by Supreme Court of
India in its judgment (December, 2017) had examined this issue of banning FDCs. DTAB had recommended
that there is no therapeutic justification for ingredients contained in 328 FDCs and that these FDCs may
involve risk to human beings. It also had recommended that it is necessary to prohibit manufacture, sale
or distribution of these FDCs in the larger public interest. With regard to six FDCs, it had recommended
restriction for their manufacture, sale and distribution subject to certain conditions based on their
therapeutic justification
Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB)
DTAB is highest statutory decision-making body on technical matters related to drugs in the country . It
is constituted as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. It is part of Central Drugs Standard Control
Organization (CDSCO) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Cabinet approves MoU between EXIM Bank and BRICS banks for blockchain research
Union Cabinet has approved MoU signed between Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and member
banks under BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger
and Block chain Technology in context of development of digital economy.
Key Facts
Blockchain technology or Distributed Ledger holds potential for solutions to various challenges being
faced in financial sector space of BRICS nations. The MoU was signed between Exim Bank, Banco Nacional
de DesenvolvimentoEconomico e Social (BNDES, of Brazil), China Development Bank (CDB), State
Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank of Russia) and
Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). It intends to enhance understanding in this field, through
joint research efforts to identify areas within respective business operations where it may have potential
for applications aimed at enhancing operational efficiencies.
Background
The Xiamen Declaration signed in September 2017 at 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen, China by BRICS
leaders had highlighted importance of digital economy and ways BRICS nations can leverage its potential

for fostering global economic development and benefit everyone. Accordingly, Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Block chain Technology in the
Context of Development of Digital Economy was suggested to be signed by all member banks.
BHQOSE: BEML launches India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck
India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (Model BH205-E), designed and developed by Bharat
Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was flagged off recently. The dump truck has been developed for use in the
project of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. It will also help to address the
growing demand for higher capacity equipments in mining industry.
BH205E
BH205E is electric drive rear dump truck for large scale mining operations. It has been indigenously
designed and developed by Mysuru plant of BEML to reinforce ‘Make in India’ initiative and address
growing demand for higher capacity equipments in the mining industry. It is powered by Tier II emission
compliant Modular Common Rail Electronic Engine with 2300 HP capacity. It has AC drive system to provide
exceptional haul road performance with reduced maintenance.
The dump truck weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded. It is easily manoeuvrable with power-steering and
short turning radius. It has ergonomically designed dash board and tiltable telescopic steering wheel. Its
other important features also include good visibility in addition to safety with provisions for emergency
steering, breaking and proximity warning. Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML)
BEML is public sector undertaking under Ministry of Defence. It manufactures a variety of heavy
equipment, such as that used for earth moving, transport and mining. It was incorporated in May 1964. It
is headquartered in Bengaluru. BEML is Asia’s second-largest manufacturer of earth moving equipment,
and it controls 70% of India’s market in that sector.
VC 11184: HSL to undertake sea trials of India’s first ocean surveillance ship
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first ocean surveillance
ship by end of September 2018 or first week of October 2018. This ship is now simply referred as VC 11184
and will be formally named after its induction into the Indian Navy.
VC 11184
VC 11184 is built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL). It is the first of its kind ocean surveillance ship being
built as part of efforts of Government to strengthen country’s strategic weapons programme. HSL will be
handing over the vessel to Indian Navy by end of 2018.
This ship is being built for National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), the technical intelligence
agency working directly under supervision of Prime Minister’s Office and National Security Adviser. The
ship was built inside covered dry dock. Its keel was laid in June 2014.
VC 11184 has displacement of more than 10,000 tonnes, length of 175m, beam of 22m, depth of 6m and can
attain maximum speed of 21 knots. It is powered by two imported 9000kW combined diesel and diesel
(CODAD) configuration engines and three 1200 ekW auxiliary generators.
This ship has capacity to carry 300-strong crew with hi-tech gadgets and communication equipment and
large deck capable of helicopter landing. This ship already has successfully completed the basin trials
some time ago.
The ship will be primarily tasked with missile tracking using two sensors, possibly an X-Band AESA
primary radar and S-Band AESA secondary radar, ranging. It will also undertake electronic intelligence
(ELINT) gathering.
Significance
It will be India’s most advanced electronics and tracking and surveillance ship i.e. a missile range
instrumentation ship. It will be the first ship to be dedicated element in Phase-2 of India’s ballistic missile
defence (BMD) setup and also be deployed for duties to support India’s strategic weapons programme.
After induction of this ship, India will join elite of club of few countries that have such sophisticated ocean
surveillance ship. Only four other countries — US, Russia, China and France are operating similar vessels.
September 14, 2018
President appoints Justice Ranjan Gogoi as next Chief Justice of India

President of India Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as next Chief Justice of India as
per Article 124 of the Constitution. He will assume office of Chief Justice on 3rd October, 2018 after
retirement of incumbent Chief Justice, Justice Dipak Misra.
At present Justice Gogoi is senior-most judge of Supreme Court. His appointment was as per convention,
where outgoing CJI recommends name of senior-most judge for appointment by President as his
successor. He will be become 46th Chief Justice of India and shall He will have tenure of about 13 months
from October 3, 2018 till his retirement on November 17, 2019.
Justice Ranjan Gogoi
Justice Gogoi was born on November 18, 1954. He is native of Assam and is son of former Assam Chief
Minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi. He had joined Bar in 1978 and practiced mainly in Gauhati High Court
mainly on constitutional, taxation and company matters.
He was appointed as permanent judge of High Court in February 2001. He was transferred to Punjab and
Haryana High Court in September 2010 and was appointed its Chief Justice in February 2011. He was
elevated to the Supreme Court in April 2012.
In Supreme Court, Justice Gogoi had led important benches that have dealt largely with issue of
corruption in politics and public life. He has led apex court bench which ordered Centre to set up special
courts to exclusively try MPs and MLAs as means to de-criminalise politics. His Bench is also monitoring
progress made by government in appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal.
Justice Gogoi was one of the four most senior Supreme Court judges (along with Justices J Chelameswar,
M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph) who held January 12, 2018 press conference bringing up issue of selective
assignment of sensitive cases by recent CJIs to certain judges in the Supreme Court.
Ministry of Water Resources institutes National Water Awards
Union Ministry of Water Resources has instituted National Water Awards with objective to encourage all
stakeholders to manage their water resources efficiently and create water consciousness in the country.
The awards will be given for 13 categories
National Water Awards 2018
The objective of these awards is to encourage all stakeholders including NGOs, Gram Panchayats, Urban
local bodies, water user associations, institutions, corporate sector, Individuals etc. for adopting
innovative practices of ground water augmentation by rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge. It also
seeks to encourage water use efficiency, recycling and reuse of water and creating awareness through
people’s participation in targeted areas for ground water resources development, adequate capacity
building etc.
They will be given for 13 categories viz. Best State; Best District; Best Village Panchayat; Best Municipal
Corporation; Best research, innovation and adaptation of new technology for water conservation; Best educative
and mass awareness efforts; Best TV show for promoting water conservation; Best Newspaper; Best School; Best
Institution for successful campus water usage; Best Resident Welfare Association (RWA;, Organizations for Best
Religious and Recreational & Tourism Water Uses and Best Industry for industrial water conservation.
Secondary Steel Sector Awards given for contribution to National Economy
Union Ministry of Steel recently for the first time gave away Secondary Steel sector awards to 26 mini
steel companies in recognition of their contribution to the national economy. 12 companies were awarded
Gold Certificates and 14 Silver Certificates for their performance during 2016-17. These awards were given
in order to enhance global competitiveness of companies involved in secondary steel sector. It will also
encourage secondary steel sector to strive for improving performance as well as quality of production.
Secondary Steel Sector
The secondary steel sector is critical and important segment of market spanning from construction, cold
rolled products, machine tools, pipes, stainless steel, galvanized and color coated steel as well as exports. It
contributes to more than half of the total steel production in the country. It plays important role along
with integrated steel players in order to achieve steel production capacity of 300 million tonne by year
2030-31. At present India has 134 MT capacity.
Steel Sector in India
Steel is one of the core sectors of the Indian economy. India is 3rd largest steel producer in the world. Steel

contributes to over 2% to India’s GDP and creates virtuous cycle of employment generation throughout
the economy. The steel consumption of India has almost touched 70 kg per capita.
National Hindi Divas: 14th September
National Hindi Divas (हिंदी दिवस) is observed every year on 14 September in Hindi speaking regions
of India and other countries with Hindi speaking population. Observance of this day aims to propagate
Hindi language and its cultural heritage and values. It also seeks to promote Hindi as matra bhasha
(mother tongue) of India and show its importance as a language in country and world at large.
On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Rajbhasha awards for Year 2016-17 at Rashtrapati
Bhawan. These awards were instituted by Department of Official Language of Union Home Ministry to
recognize excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks in field of Hindi.
National Hindi Divas
Hindi Divas is celebrated to mark adaptation of Hindi language as the official language of India by the
Constituent Assembly of India on 14 September 1949. The decision of using Hindi as official language was
ratified by Constitution of India which came into effect on 26 January 1950. Under the Article 343 of
Indian Constitution, Hindi written in Devanagri script was adopted as the official language. But presently,
there are 2 official languages: Hindi and English.
Hindi Language
Hindi is one of the main languages of India and
Vineet Singh is spoken by| around 40% of the Indian population. It
belongs to Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European language family. As per 2011 census, 43.63% of Indians
speak Hindi as their mother tongue i.e. around 258 million people. It is native language for most people
living in Hindi belt of North India comprising Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh,
Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It is also spoken in
many countries of the world including Pakistan, Mauritius, Trinidad, Surinam etc. Outside Asia, Hindi is
official language in Fiji along with other two official languages, namely English, Fijian. The dialect of Hindi
spoken there is known as Fiji Hindi or Fiji Baat.
Ministry of Minority Affairs launches National Scholarship Portal Mobile App
Union Ministry for Minority Affairs has launched the country’s first National Scholarship Portal Mobile
App (NSP Mobile App). It aims to provide smooth, accessible and hassle-free scholarship system for
students from poor and weaker sections.
NSP Mobile App
The mobile app will be beneficial for beneficiary students in many ways as they will get all information
regarding various scholarships on this mobile app, they will be able to apply for scholarships sitting in
their home. Using it, students can also upload necessary documents and can check the status of their
application, scholarship disbursement etc. Students from far-flung, hilly areas and North East will be the
mostly benefitted from this app.
Background
Ministry of Minority Affairs has completely gone online to provide benefits of every scheme directly to the
needy without any obstacle and eliminating middlemen. Transparent and hassle-free scholarship system
has helped in this endeavor by going online. All the scholarships are being given directly into bank
accounts of needy students under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode through National Scholarship
Portal which has removed any scope for duplication and leakage. Moreover, Central Government’s
“Empowerment without Appeasement” policy has ensured that record about 3 crore students belonging to
poor and weaker sections of Minorities have been benefitted from various scholarship programmes. The
beneficiaries include about 1 crore 63 lakh girls
Government launches Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme
Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched Dairy Processing & Infrastructure
Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 10881 crore. Under this fund, first installment of
Rs. 440 crore was given to National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme
This scheme was approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in September 2017 with
aim to boost dairy sector. It is managed by NDDB and will be implemented from 2017-18 to 2028-29. Milk
unions, multi-state milk cooperatives, state dairy federations, milk producer companies and NDDB
subsidiaries can avail loan under this scheme after meeting eligibility criteria.
Under this scheme, eligible milk organisations will be provided financial assistance in the form of a loan at
6.5% interest for building an efficient milk procurement system and other dairy processing infrastructure.
This loan will be reimbursed over period of 10 years. It also has provision of interest subsidy on loans.
The loan proceeds will be provided for putting in place efficient milk procurement system by setting up of
chilling infrastructure and installation of electronic milk adulteration testing equipment. It will be also
used for creation, modernisation and expansion of processing infrastructure and manufacturing faculties
for value-added dairy products.
The scheme will benefit 95,00,000 farmers in about 50,000 villages. In addition to this, it provide direct
and indirect employment to many skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. It will also help in creating
additional milk processing capacity of 126 lakh litre per day, milk drying capacity of 210 MT per day, milk
chilling capacity of 140 lakh litre per day.
CCEA approves 100% Electrification of Railways by 2021-22
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved 100% electrification broad gauge routes of
Indian Railways (IR) by 2021-22. The 100% electrification will reduce use of imported fossil fuels thereby
improve energy security. Reduction in consumption of high speed diesel oil will also result in reduction of
GHG emissions, thus, reduce environmental impact of Railways.
Key Facts Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
CCEA’s decision covers only electrifying remaining 13,675 kilometers (16,540 track kilometers). Currently,
around 48% of the country’s 61,680 km broad gauge railway network is electrified. However, this approval
does not cover 3,479 km of metre gauge and 2,209 of broad gauge network.
After complete electrification, India will be having second largest electrified railway networks in the world
after China, which has 87,000 km electrified network (around 68% of its network) and only large railway
with 100 % electrification. The proposed electrification is mainly for missing links and last mile
connectivity will increase the operational efficiency, enhance line capacity and improve average speed of
trains
Benefits of 100% electrification
Capacity & Speed: It will provide seamless train operation by eliminating detention of trains due to
change in traction from diesel to electric and vice versa. It will help Railways in enhancing line capacity
due to higher speed & higher haulage capacity of electric locomotives
Safety: It will result in improved signalling system which will lead to enhanced safety in train operation.
Energy Security and Energy bill savings: It will reduce fossil fuel consumption of about 2.83 billion liters
per annum. Thus, reduce dependence on imported petroleum based fuels will ensure energy security to
the nation. It will help Indian Railways to save Rs 13,500 crore annually on fuel bill. Moreover,
maintenance of electric locomotive is less compared to diesel locomotive maintenance cost.
Sustainability: It is considered as environmentally friendly option as it will reduce carbon footprint of
Indian Railways as environmental cost per tonne Km for electric traction is less as compared to diesel
traction. Total shift to electric traction will reduce CO2 emission of Railways by 24% till 2027-28. It is also
in line with India’s commitment in COP21.
Employment Generation: It will generate direct employment of about 20.4 crore man days during the
period of construction.
What about existing diesel engines?
Indian Railways has fleet of 5,526 diesel engines. With change traction policy, operational diesel engines
will be converted into electric ones during periodic overhaul, so that the diesel fleet gradually turns
electric. Domestically manufactured new diesel locomotives will be exported. Even after 100%
electrification, diesel engines will be used in emergencies and for strategic use such as in the border areas.
First Tribal Circuit Project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme inaugurated in Chhattisgarh
Union Ministry of Tourism has inaugurated India’s first tribal circuit project connecting 13 tourism sites
in Chhattisgarh under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The circuit connects Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat,
Kamleshpur, Maheshpur, Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur, Chitrakoot,
and Tirthgarh in Chhattisgarh.
Tribal circuit project

Major components sanctioned under tribal circuit project in Chhattisgarh includes developing eco log
huts, craft haats, souvenir shops, open amphitheatre, tribal interpretation centres, workshop centres,
tourist amenities centres, viewpoints, nature trails, solar illuminations etc. These components will
improve the existing tourist facilities, enhance the overall tourist experience and help in getting more
visitors which in return will increase job opportunities in the area.
Background
Development of tribes and tribal culture is one of the prime area of focus for the Tourism Ministry. It is
carrying out an array of activities for development and promotion of tourism in the tribal region. Under
tribal circuit theme of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, TourismMinistry has sanctioned four projects to
Nagaland, Telangana and Chhattisgarh for Rs. 381.37 crore.
Chhattisgarh was considered for the first tribal circuit theme for acknowledging sovereignty of tribes and
to promote rich and diverse primitive assets in the state. Chhattisgarh is known for its exceptional scenic
beauty and rich cultural heritage. Tribes make up over one-third of state population whohave retained
their culture and traditions for centuries.
Swadesh Darshan scheme
The scheme was launched by Union Tourism Ministry with an objective to develop theme-based tourist
circuits in the country. These tourist circuits will be developed
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | on principles of high tourist value,
competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner.
Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development. They are Buddhist Circuit,
North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit,
Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
It is 100% centrally funded scheme for the project components undertaken for public funding. It also has
provision for leveraging voluntary funding under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of
Central Public Sector Undertakings and corporate sector.
The funding of projects under this scheme varies from state to state. It is finalised on basis of detailed
project reports prepared by Programme Management Consultant (PMC) which is national level consultant
for implementing the scheme. So far, Tourism Ministry has sanctioned 74 projects worth Rs. 5997.47 crore
to 31 states and Union Territories under this scheme.
CCEA approves continuation of Capacity Development Scheme
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved
continuation of Capacity Development Scheme for period 2017-18 to 2019-20. It is ongoing Central Sector
Scheme of Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI).
Capacity Development Scheme
Its objective is to augment infrastructural, technical as well as manpower resources for making available
credible and timely official statistics for policy makers and public at large.
Two Sub-schemes under it
Economic Census: It includes listing of all non-agricultural establishments is undertaken
periodically, which forms the basis for conducting detailed socio-economic surveys. The last (6l)
Economic Census was conducted during January 2013 to April 2014. Government is now aiming to
conduct this census once every three years in future.
Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS): It seeks to strengthen State and sub-State level
statistical systems and infrastructure to facilitate development of robust national system. Under it,
funds are released to States and UTs after detailed examination of their proposals.
Major ongoing activities carried out under this scheme
Augmenting resources for bringing out important statistical products such as Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Index of Industrial Production (IIP), Statistical
classifications, etc.
Conducting various Socio-Economic surveys, capacity building and strengthening statistical
coordination and improving Information Technology (IT) infrastructure.
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), a continuous survey to assess quarterly labour data in urban
areas and annual labour data for the whole country (urban and rural areas).
Three new surveys Time Use Survey (TUS), Annual Survey of Service Sector Enterprises (ASSSE),
and Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) will be also undertaken for better
statistical coverage of sectors/areas.
INMAS develops India’s first indigenous anti-nuclear medical kit
Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) has developed India’s first indigenous medical
kit for protection against nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage. The kit will ensure protection from
serious injury and aid faster healing of wounds due to nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage.
Anti-nuclear medical kit
The kit has been developed after 20 years of work by INMAS scientists. It has 25 items which include
radioactive protectors which can absorb 80-90% of radiation, nerve gas agents, bandages that absorb
radiation as well as tablets and ointments. The kit is seen as potent alternative to similar imported kits
that were till now procured from US and Russia at much higher prices. It has been developed for armed,
paramilitary and police forces only as they are first ones likely to get exposed to radiation during nuclear,
chemical and biomedical (NCB) warfare or rescue operation after nuclear accident.
Few important items of kit
Prussian blue tablet: It is highly effective in incorporating Radio Cesium (Cs-137) and Radio Thallium,
among the most feared radioisotopes in nuclear bombs that destroy
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | human body cells. It provides 100%
absorption from gut and other portals of entry to human body.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) injection: It traps uranium in the guts and blood of victims
during a nuclear accident or warfare.
Ca-EDTA Respiratory Fluid: It is inhalation formula for chelation, or grabbing of heavy metals and
radioactive elements deposited in lungs through inhalation at nuclear accident sites. EDTA after being
injected into veins, grabs heavy metals and minerals and removes them from the body. It reduces the body
burden of radioactivity by 30-40% in controlled conditions and is highly useful for the rescue teams and
victims after a nuclear accident.
Radioactive Blood Mopping Dressing: It is special kind of bandage that absorbs radiation to prevent
spread of radiation from radioactive patients to others. It will make safer for medical staff to handle
radioactive patients as it reduces chances of them getting contaminated.
Radioactive urine/biofluid collector: It is cost-effective, easy to store and can safely dispose of the urine of
person affected by radiation.
Anti-gamma ray skin ointment: It protects and heals the radiation damage on the skin.
Amifostine injection: It is US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved conventional
radiopharmaceutical that limits damage from gamma radiation.
Indranil 150 mg tablet : It is reserve emergency therapeutic drug for services, rescue workers and places
where high acute exposures are expected and lives will be at stake. Preliminary tests have shown that if it
is given as prophylactic, 80-85% animals survive at 100% lethal gamma radiation .
Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS)
INMAS is laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It was established in
1961 and is located in New Delhi. It is involved in nuclear medicine research and responding to nuclear
accidents and explosions. Since 1968, Department of Nuclear Medicine in INMAS is offering two-year
diploma in radiation medicine. It is first formal training program in nuclear medicine in the world.
September 15, 2018
Rajasthan’s first lion safari inaugurated at Nahargarh Biological Park
Rajasthan’s first lion safari was inaugurated at Nahargarh Biological Park. The park is located on Delhi-
Jaipur National Highway in the Aravalli foothills, nearly 12 kilometers from state capital Jaipur (known as
Pink City). It will be open for visitors from October 2018.
Lion safari
The lion safari project is located at biological park spread across 38 hectare. The park was inaugurated by
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in June 2016. Lions in this park were brought from Junagarh,
Gujarat under an exchange programme. Total of 10 lions will be released in the park in a phased manner.

The park will serve for breeding lions and also centre of attraction for tourists. It will provide new habitat
to lions and also add tourism venue to the Pink City. Visitors will be able to see lions in their natural
habitat in the park in enclosed by a fence. They will be taken on a nearly 4 kilometer safari in closed bus.
Apart from lion, the park also hosts wolves, jackals, and hyenas.
Hyderabad International Airport: World no 1 Airport in 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum category
Hyderabad International Airport (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport) was awarded Airports Council
International Airport Service Quality World no.1 airport awardin the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum
(MPPA) category. This is for the second consecutive year Hyderabad airport has won this award. It was
adjudged World no 1 Airport in this category earlier in 2016. The award was bestowed in recognition of
airport’s relentless efforts towards service excellence and customer delight.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
It is international airport that serves Hyderabad, capital of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad, about
24 kilometres south of Hyderabad. It is operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, a
public–private venture. It was opened in March 2008 to replace Begumpet Airport as primary commercial
airport for Hyderabad. It is named after Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It is sixth busiest
airport by passenger traffic in India.
Erratic monsoon rainfall
Vineetin India
Singh partly due| to air pollution: Study
According to recent study by scientists from IIT Kanpur, erratic behaviour of monsoon rainfall, including
phenomenon of concentrated heavy rainfall on small number of days in localized area can be attributed to
the rising air pollution, especially the increase in suspended particles in the atmosphere. The study has
found that high pollution levels are not just changing cloud shape and size and depth, but also its
microstructure.
Key Findings of this study
Excess aerosols, suspended solid particles like dust, smoke and industrial effluents in atmosphere is
changing cloud patterns, its shape, size and other properties like temperature, which in turn is resulting
in variability in rainfall over Indian sub-continent during monsoon season.
Aerosols are extremely important for cloud formation. In absence of aerosols, no clouds can be formed and
consequently no rainfall will take place. But due to increase in aerosol content in atmosphere, there is
direct consequence of rising air pollution interfering with stable cloud formation system and influencing
rainfall patterns.
In short term, these changes in cloud structure and cloud dynamics lead to sharp variability in rainfall,
which is similar to rainfall patterns witnessed very often in India in last few years. In the long term, it is
likely to lead to overall suppression of rainfall during the monsoon season.
Significance of this study
The linkage of air pollution to rainfall activity is not new and has been established in many earlier studies
as well. But this is for the first time, study has given details of the exact changes that take place inclouds over
India as result of increase in aerosols. It also shows how it is leading to reduction in difference in day and
night temperatures and also impacting rainfall activity. For this study, researchers had analysed satellite
data and data from atmospheric computer models from last 16 years to make an assessment of likely
impacts of changes in cloud behaviour over land area of about 16 lakh square kilometres.
Power Ministry launches Chiller Star Labelling Program on energy efficiency in chillers
Union Ministry of Power has launched Chiller Star Labelling Program to encourage deployment of energy
efficient chiller systems in the country. It was launched as part of occasion of 24th World Ozone Day and
31st Anniversary of Montreal Protocol, which will be observed on 16th September 2018.
Chiller Star Labelling Program
The program was formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). It envisages providing star rating in
terms of its energy performance. Initially, the program has been launched on voluntary basis and will be
valid upto 31st December 2020. BEE has developed online registration platform for easy and expeditious
approval under this program. It will allow manufacturers to register online for availing appropriate star
rating of chiller equipment. Based on test certificate from designated agencies and after due verification

from BEE, star label on the scale of 1 (less efficient) to 5 (most efficient).
Significance of star labelling of chillers
It will help promote advancement technology for central HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
systems and will also facilitate energy efficient solutions for large commercial and industrial applications.
It will also help to save more than 500 million units of electricity in 2019 along with Green House Gases
reduction of 0.5 million-ton equivalent of CO2. It will also save more than 4 billion units of electricity by
2030 with CO2 emission reduction of 3.5 million ton.
Background
Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of buildings and for industrial process cooling
applications. The size of Indian chiller market which stood at 1 Million Tonne per year at 2017 and is
projected to grow at CAGR of 3.6% fuelled by growth in the retail, hospitality and infrastructure projects.
Chillers, being energy intensive system, contribute more than 40% of total energy consumption in
commercial buildings. Therefore, it is important to optimize energy performance of chillers and create
awareness amongst the end users to adopt transition towards energy efficient chillers.
Vijaya: Indian Coast Guard commissions indigenously built patrol vessel
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned indigenously built patrol vessel ICGS Vijaya in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu. It is second in the series of 98 m offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) commissioned by ICG.
ICGS Vijaya Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
It has been designed and built indigenously by Larsen & Toubro (L&T). It is 98-metre long ship. It can
carry one twin engine helicopter and four high speed boats, including two inflatable boats for boarding. It
is fitted with advanced technology navigation and communication equipment and sensors. It is fitted with
30 mm gun and will be fitted with 12.7 mm gun with fire control system. On joining ICG fleet, ICGS Vijaya
will be based at Paradip, Odisha. It will be manned by 12 officers and 91 men.
Significance
It will be deployed extensively for Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance and other duties as enshrined in
Coast Guard charter. It will also undertake search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol
operations. It will help to enhance ICG’s operational capability to discharge its multifarious maritime
tasks. It will also give fillip to maritime protection of Eastern seaboard in general and the maritime states
of Odisha and West Bengal in particular. It is also capable of carrying limited pollution response
equipment to contain oil spill in sea.
EyeROV TUNA: India’s first underwater robotic drone handed over to NPOL
India’s first underwater robotic drone EyeROV TUNA was handed over to Naval Physical and
Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This
underwater drone will be used by NPOL for research and development activities which in turn would
result in commercial product for defence purposes.
EyeROV TUNA
EyeROV TUNA has been designed and developed indigenously by Kochi-based start-up IROV Technologies
Pvt Ltd (EyeROV). It is smart micro-ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) or underwater drone. It design is at
par with global standard and has operational capabilities to work in harsh and mission-critical
underwater environment.
It is designed to perform visual inspection and surveys of submerged structures up to depth of 100
metres. It can be-controlled using laptop or joystick. It is fitted with camera that helps to give live HD
video feed of the submarine environment.
It is also equipped to perform variety of functions, including inspection of ship hulls, undersea cables or
bridge moorings, fish farms, dams, port structure and bridge foundations and also in various underwater
research operations. Its commercial use will eliminate need for costlier and riskier manual inspection by
divers
IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd
IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd is backed by Kerala Start-Up Mission, oil and gas firm BPCL and Department
of Science and Technology. It has been founded by Johns T Mathai, an IIT-Delhi alumnus and Kannappa
Palaniappan P (IIT-Madras). The company also has mentors and advisors who were earlier with DRDO,

Indian Navy and marine industry. It is now incubated at Maker Village, Kochi, an initiative of Union
Government and Kerala Government.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who has been sworn-in as the first female high court Chief Justice in Pakistan?
[A] Tahira Safdar
[B] Maria Hassan
[C] Riffat Quraishi
[D] Asifa Ulfah
Correct Answer: A [Tahira Safdar]
Notes:
Justice Tahira Safdar has been sworn-in as the first woman Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court at a
ceremony held at the Governor House in Balochistan. She will remain in this post until 4 October 2019.
With this, she became the first female chief justice of any court in the history of Pakistan. Earlier, Safdar
created history in 1982 when she became the first female civil judge in Balochistan. Currently, Justice
Tahira is a member of the 3-judge special court conducting the trial of former president Pervez
Musharraf for committing treason by proclaiming a state of emergency on 3rd November 2007.
2. Which country is host to the 4th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) 2018?
[A] Belgium
[B] Russia
[C] France
[D] Netherlands
Correct Answer: D [Netherlands]
Notes:
The 4th International Ayurveda Congress (IAvC) 2018 has been inaugurated by Minister of State for
AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik at Leiden, the Netherlands on September 1. The congress would focus on
promotion and propagation of Ayurveda in the Netherlands and its neighbouring countries of Europe.
The 2-day congress is jointly organized by International Maharishi Ayurveda Foundation (Netherlands),
All India Ayurvedic Congress (New Delhi) and the International Academy of Ayurveda (Pune) in
association with the Indian Embassy in the Netherlands. A special Seminar is also organized by the
Indian Embassy titled “India-Netherlands collaboration in Healthcare, including Ayurveda”.
3. Which Indian men’s bridge pair have created history by clinching India’s first-ever gold in
bridge at the Asian Games?
[A] Subhash Gupta and Sapan Desai
[B] Sumit Mukherjee and Debabrata Majumder
[C] Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar
[D] Rajeev Khandelwal and Bachiraju Satyanarayana
Correct Answer: C [Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar]
Notes:
Pranab Bardhan (60) and Shibnath Sarkar (56) have created history by clinching India’s first-ever gold in
bridge at the Asian Games. They finished at the top after scoring 384 points in the final of the men’s
bridge pair event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The Chinese pair of Lixin Yang and Gang Chen won
the silver with a score of 378 and the Indonesian combination of Henky Lasut and Freddy Eddy Manoppo
bagged the bronze scoring 374 here. The card game has been featured as a sport at the Asian Games for
the first time, in the 2018 edition.
4. Who has been elected as the new chairman of the Indian Banks Association (IBA)?
[A] Shyam Srinivasan
[B] Sunil Mehta
[C] K R Kamnath
[D] O P Bhatt
Correct Answer: B [Sunil Mehta]

Notes:
Sunil Mehta, the MD &chief executive of Punjab National Bank (PNB), has been elected as the new
chairman of the Indian Banks Association (IBA) for 2018-19. Apart from him, Dinabandhu Mohapatra,
MD & CEO of Bank of India (BoI), has been elected as IBA’s Deputy Chairman. The IBA is a representative
body of management of banking in India and has its headquarters in Mumbai.
5. Who is the newly appointed Secretary of Ministry of Steel?
[A] Binoy Kumar
[B] Raghav Jain
[C] Aruna Sharma
[D] K L Manoj
Correct Answer: A [Binoy Kumar]
Notes:
Binoy Kumar, the 1983 batch IAS officer of the Telengana cadre, has assumed charged as the new
Secretary of the Ministry of Steel on September 1, 2018. He had been posted as Officer on Special Duty in
the Steel Ministry since May 21, 2018. He succeeded Aruna Sharma, who recently superannuated. Prior
to this, Binoy Kumar held the post of Special Secretary, Logistics, in the Department of Commerce,
where he continued to hold additional charge till 31st July 2018. He also held the post of Director General
(Supplies & Disposals), where he developed the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) as a one-stop online
public procurement platform, in line with the digital initiatives of the Government of India (GoI).
6. Who of the following Indians has/have received the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award?
[A] Deepa Joshi and Nileema Mishra
[B] Kulendi Francis and Anshu Gupta
[C] Sanjiv Chaturvedi
[D] Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk
Correct Answer: D [Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk ]
Notes:
Two Indians, Dr. Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay
Award for 2018 on August 31. The award, which is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, was
established in 1957. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, in its citation, stated that Wangchuk was
recognised for his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems
in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth. Vatwani was
recognised for his tremendous courage and healing compassion in embracing India’s mentally-afflicted
destitute. Beside them, Youk Chhang from Cambodia, Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz from East Timor,
Howard Dee from the Philippines and Vo Thi Hoang Yen from Vietnam are the other winners of the 2018
award.
7. Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala, which is in news recently, is located on the banks
of which river?
[A] Bagmati River
[B] Trishuli River
[C] Tamur River
[D] Seti Gandaki River
Correct Answer: A [Bagmati River]
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated a 400-
bed Nepal-Bharat Maitri Pashupati Dharamshala in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a rest house for pilgrims,
which is located on the banks of the Bagmati River. The Dharmashala is build with the Indian assistance
and has provision for family rooms, kitchen, dining hall, library and some multipurpose halls to meet the
requirements of the travellers and families on pilgrimage to Pashupatinath Temple.
8. The series of sermons by Jain Muni Tarun Sagar ji was known by __ ?
[A] Kadve Shlok
[B] Kadve Stotra

[C] Kadve Pravachan

[D] Kadve Shabad
Correct Answer: C [Kadve Pravachan]
Notes:
Renowned Digambar Jain Muni Tarun Sagar ji (51), who was popularly known for his sermons titled
‘Kadve Pravachan’, has passed away in New Delhi on September 1, 2018. He was born as Pawan Kumar
Jain on 1967 in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, and accepted celibacy and decided to lead a life of a
monk in the year 1981. Unlike most other Digambar jain monks, his audience often includes a majority of
non-Jains. His discourses often address family or society issues, topics generally avoided by other Jain
monks. All his life, he spread the message of peace and non-violence in the society.
9. Which of the following has won India’s only boxing Gold at the 18th Asian Games 2018?
[A] Gaurav Solanki
[B] Shiva Thapa
[C] Vikas Krishan Yadav
[D] Amit Panghal
Correct Answer: D [Amit Panghal]
Notes: Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
On September 1, Indian boxer Amit Panghal from Haryana won a historic gold after beating Rio
Olympics gold medallist Hasanboy Dusmatov in the final of Men’s Light Flyweight 49kg category at the
Jakarta Asian Games 2018. It is India’s only boxing gold at the 18th Asiad. With this, Panghal became the
8th Indian boxer to claim the gold medal at the Asian Games. Beside him, Vikas Krishan Yadav (75kg)
settled for the bronze in the ongoing event. In the 2014 Asian Games, M.C. Mary Kom was the lone gold
medallist for India. While, Vijender Singh and Vikas Krishan were the last set of male gold medallists for
India at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
10. Who has been named for Dr B.C. Roy National Award for 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of
the Year?
[A] Basant Kumar Mishra
[B] Indira Hinduja
[C] Siva Ramakrishna
[D] Kamini Rao
Correct Answer: A [Basant Kumar Mishra]
Notes:
Well-known neurosurgeon Dr. Basant Kumar Mishra from Odisha has been named for prestigious Dr
B.C. Roy National Award for year 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of the Year. It is the highest medical
honour of India, which will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind on July 1, 2019. It was
instituted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) in 1962. Presently, Mishra is leading the Department of
Neurosurgery & Gamma Knife Radio surgery at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. He is also the secretary of
International Neurosurgeon Council. During his career, Misra has several firsts to his credit, including
image guided aneurysm microsurgery, first doctor in South Asia to perform gamma knife radiosurgery
and first in the country to perform awake craniotomy for brain tumours.
11. Rikako Ikee, who has become the first female athlete to be named the Most Valuable Player
(MVP) at Asian Games, is from which country?
[A] North Korea
[B] Japan
[C] South Korea
[D] China
Correct Answer: B [Japan]
Notes:
Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee (18) became the first female athlete to be named the Most Valuable
Player (MVP) at Asian Games after she scooped an unprecedented six gold medals in the Jakarta pool.
She also won two silvers. With this, Ikee also became the first female athlete in any sport to win six gold

medals at a single Asian Games. Only North Korean shooter So Gin-man, who won 7 golds and a silver at
1982 New Delhi Games, has won more titles at one Asian Games. Beside this, Ikee also became the 4th
Japanese athlete to win the MVP award since its inception at the 1998 Bangkok Games.
12. Which state government has decided to organise employment camps for martyrs’ families?
[A] Haryana
[B] Punjab
[C] Rajasthan
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Correct Answer: C [Rajasthan ]
Notes:
The Rajasthan government has decided to organise special employment camps in all district
headquarters of the state to give government jobs to at least one person from the family of those who
were martyred after 1947 but none of their kin was given a job. As per officials, there are more than 1,100
such martyrs in the state whose kin had not been given government jobs. Through the special camps,
one dependent of those martyrs will now get a job, which will be organised from 15th September 2018.
The first camp will be held in Jhunjhunu. It was recently announced by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje
at a public meeting in Barmer district, during her pre-poll tour ‘Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra’.
13. Indian men’s hockey team defeatedVineet
which country to| win bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Asian
Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com
Games?
[A] Japan
[B] South Korea
[C] Indonesia
[D] Pakistan
Correct Answer: D [Pakistan]
Notes:
In Men’s hockey, Indian men’s national field hockey team defeated arch rival Pakistan 2-1 to clinch a
Bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Akashdeep hit the first goal and 2nd was scored by
Harmanpreet. Pakistan’s lone goal came from a counter-attack scored by Muhammad Atiq. With this,
India ranked at 8th position with 69 medals – 15 gold, 24 Silver and 30 Bronze – at the 18th Asian
Games. China leads the medals tally followed by Japan.
14. Which country hosted the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM)?
[A] Singapore
[B] New Zealand
[C] Malaysia
[D] Japan
Correct Answer: A [Singapore ]
Notes:
Singapore is currently holding the Chair of ASEAN. There, the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) was held in
September 1, 2018. It was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries and their 8 dialogue
partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and
the United States. The meeting recognized the importance of ongoing work to maximize the
opportunities of, and address the challenges presented by, the digital economy and the rise of regional
and global value chains, as part of their efforts to promote economic growth and integration in the
region. It was announced in the Singapore meeting that the next ASEAN-India Business Summit will be
held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2018, which will be followed by the 4th India-ASEAN
Dialogue Partner Expo and Summit scheduled for 21-23 February 2019, in New Delhi.
15. Which Indian sportsperson was the India’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony in the 18th
Asian Games?
[A] Bajrang Punia
[B] Rahi Sarnobat

[C] Rani Rampal

[D] Vinesh Phogat
Correct Answer: C [Rani Rampal]
Notes:
Rani Rampal, the Indian women hockey captain, was India’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony of the
18th Asian Games 2018. India ended their Asian Games 2018 campaign with the highest medal tally at
the tournament ever, with a total of 69 medals which includes 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals. In
addition to local artists and a Chinese segment, the South Korean boybands Super Junior and iKon, and
Indian singer Sidharth Slathia performed in the closing ceremony. More than 10,000 athletes gave their
best at the Asian Games 2018, winning medals for their respective countries. 465 gold medals were won
by the athletes of 28 countries. 37 out of 45 participating nations were able to win medals at the Asian
Games 2018. China finished on top of the medal tally with 132 gold medals. Javelin thrower Neeraj
Chopra was India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. In it, the Games flag for the 2022 Asian Games
received by Mayor of Hangzhou Xu Liyi.
16. The E-pharmacies will not be allowed to sell which of the following as per recently released
draft rules on “sale of drugs by e-pharmacy”?
[A] Tranquillisers
[B] Narcotics Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
[C] Psychotropic drugs

[D] All of the above
Correct Answer: D [All of the above]
Notes:
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently released the draft rules on sale of drugs
by e-pharmacies with an aim to regulate online sale of medicines across the country. It aims at providing
patients accessibility to genuine drugs from authentic online portals. The draft rules on “sale of drugs by
e-pharmacy” stated that no person will distribute or sell, stock, exhibit or offer for sale of drugs through
e-pharmacy portal unless registered. The new draft rules require e-pharmacies to be registered with the
Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and obtain a trade licence — applicable across
India — from any state government. The drugs sold online would need prescription and the pharmacy
will have to maintain a detailed record. However, there should be strict confidentiality and no patient
information should be leaked domestically or internationally. There should also be facility for customer
support and grievance redressal. Though, sale of tranquillisers, psychotropic drugs, narcotics and habit
forming drugs have been prohibited through these portals.
17. Who is the author of the book “Moving On, Moving Forward: A year in Office”?
[A] Sumitra Mahajan
[B] Anand Sharma
[C] Arun Jaitley
[D] Venkaiah Naidu
Correct Answer: D [Venkaiah Naidu]
Notes:
The book “Moving On, Moving Forward: A year in Office” has been authored by Vice-President M.
Venkaiah Naidu, which was recently released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book is based on
Naidu’s tenure as Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He talks about his vision in the
chapter ‘Retired from politics but not from public life’. As Chairman, he also records his disappointment
over the first two sessions of the House he presided over. The 245-page book with 7 chapters deals with
Naidu’s focussed engagement on four key issues — unrealised demographic dividend, need for an
effective ecosystem for farmers to thrive, scientific advancements to better the life of people and public
awareness about rich Indian heritage.
18. What was the theme of the 2018 World Coconut Day (WCD)?
[A] Coconut: A Healthy Drink
[B] Coconut for Family Nutrition, Health, and Wellness
[C] Coconut for Healthy Life

[D] Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellness

Correct Answer: D [Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellness]
Notes:
The World Coconut Day (WCD) is observed every year on September 2 to enhance coconut farming with
focus on productivity and product diversification. The day is also celebrated to commemorate the
formation day of Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC). In India, the day is celebrated every year
under the aegis of Coconut Development Board (CDB) in various coconut growing states across the
country. The 2018 theme is “Coconut for Good Health, Wealth & Wellnessis”. APCC is an inter-
governmental organisation of 18 member countries mandated to promote, coordinate and harmonize
coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region to achieve maximum economic
development. India is one of the founder members of APCC. India is one of the founder members of
APCC and stands first in global coconut production and productivity. The annual coconut production of
India is 2437.80 crore and the productivity is 11616 coconuts per hectare.
19. Arthur Pereira, who passed away recently, was associated which which sports?
[A] Hockey
[B] Chess
[C] Football
[D] Boxing Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Correct Answer: C [Football]

Notes:
Arthur Pereira (70), the former Maharashtra football player, has passed away on September 3, 2018. He
toured Russia as a striker with the Indian team in 1971. He also represented Maharashtra in the national
championships for the Santosh Trophy from 1971 to 1976. Pereira played for several clubs in the city,
including the well-known Orkay Mills. After his playing career, Pereira became a Physical Education
teacher at St Joseph’s School in suburban Malad.
20. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s annual data, which country has topped the India’s
FDI chart in FY18?
[A] Netherlands
[B] France
[C] Singapore
[D] Mauritius
Correct Answer: D [Mauritius ]
Notes:
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s annual data, Mauritius accounted for the largest source of
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India in the financial year FY18 followed by Singapore. The data
shows that the total India’s FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the FY18, which is a marginal rise over the
$36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal FY17. The provisional data for the financial year ended
March revealed that FDI into the manufacturing sector witnessed a substantial decline to $7.06 billion,
as against $11.97 billion in the year-ago period. However, FDI into communication services rose to $8.8
billion in 2017-18 as compared to $5.8 billion. The inflows into retail and wholesale trade also shot up to
$4.47 billion as against $2.77 billion, while financial services sector too witnessed a rise in inflows to
$4.07 billion from $3.73 billion in the previous year.
21. The Government of India (GoI) has provided first-ever financial support to which International
sporting event for participation in England?
[A] Bridge
[B] Equestrian
[C] Kabaddi
[D] Kho Kho
Correct Answer: D [Kho Kho]
Notes:
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (I/C) Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has approved the
participation of Kho Kho team from India at the First International Kho Kho Championship in England
from 1st to 4th September, 2018, with financial support from the Government of India (GoI). Financial
support for participation of the Kho Kho team in an International event has been approved for the first
time in relaxation of extant guidelines of the Ministry which, inter-alia, lay down that sports disciplines
like Kho Kho, which are categorised as “Others”, will not be eligible for financial support for participation
in International sporting events. The decision to provide financial support to the Kho Kho Federation of
India has been taken with a view not only to give fillip to this traditional Indian sports and sportspersons
but also to pave the way for its future mainstreaming at the International level and its possible inclusion
in multi-disciplinary sporting events like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Olympics, etc.
22. The multi-nation tsunami mock exercise (drill) “IOWave18” has started in which of the
following oceans?
[A] Indian Ocean
[B] Pacific Ocean
[C] Atlantic Ocean
[D] Southern Antarctic Ocean
Correct Answer: A [Indian Ocean]
Notes:
The major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) “IOWave18” has started from September 4,
which is being organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The
purpose of the 2-day exercise is to increase tsunami preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each
state and improve coordination throughout the region. It will also enhance tsunami preparedness at the
community level. The IOWave18 exercise will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put in a tsunami
warning situation and require the National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC), i.e., INCOIS in case of
India, and the National and Local Disaster Management Offices (NDMO/LDMO) to implement their
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). India along with 23 other nations is participating in the tsunami
mock exercise that would involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a
dozen states.
23. Which of the following have become the first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
[A] Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar
[B] Heena Sidhu and Shreyasi Singh
[C] Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela
[D] Anisa Sayyed and Rahi Sarnobat
Correct Answer: C [Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela]
Notes:
Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela became the first set of Indian shooters to secure quota places for
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Moudgil finished 2nd on the podium and won a silver in the women’s 10m air
rifle event of the ISSF’s World Championship 2018 in Changwon, South Korea on September 3. Chandela
finished 4th in the same event. This is the premier tournament of the ISSF and assumes added
significance as it is the first Olympic quota event for the Tokyo Games, offering as many as 60 berths
across 15 events. Though the two shooters have secured quotas, as per the stated policy, the National
Rifle Association of India(NRAI) will take the final call on selection. This will be based on the aggregate
scores of shooters leading up to the Olympic Games.
24. India has recently signed agreements with which European country on combating money
laundering and environment?
[A] Croatia
[B] Cyprus
[C] Poland
[D] Czech Republic
Correct Answer: B [Cyprus ]
Notes:
On September 3, India and Cyprus signed two agreements on combating money laundering and
cooperation in the field of environment in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovind and his Cypriot

counterpart Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia. Both the countries also agreed for the revision in the Double
Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) made in 2016 to further enhance investment partnership to
grow by strengthening the institutional framework to facilitate investment cross flows. Beside this,
Cyprus also reaffirmed its support to India for its membership of the Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG)
and UN Security Council (UNSC). Mr. Kovind is in Cyprus on the first leg of his three-nation visit to
Europe to continue India’s high-level engagements with European countries.
25. Which phenomenon was used by US researchers to develop a wearable device that could
generate energy from the swing of an arm while walking or jogging?
[A] Photoelectric effect
[B] Penn effect
[C] Piezoelectric effect
[D] Polar effect
Correct Answer: C [Piezoelectric effect]
Notes:
The US researchers have developed a wearable device that could generate energy from the swing of an
arm while walking or jogging. The device, about the size of a wristwatch, produces enough power to run
a personal health monitoring system. The prototype watch is apparently made from a crystal material,
which can produce an electric current when compressed or can change shape when an electric charge is
applied. This is called the “piezoelectric effect” and is used in ultrasound and sonar devices, as well as
energy harvesting. The researchers used a well-known piezoelectric material ‘PZT’ and coated it on both
sides of a flexible metal foil to a thickness four or five times greater than in previous devices. The
compressive stresses that are created in the film as it is grown on the flexible metal foils also mean that
the PZT films can sustain high strains without cracking, making for more robust devices. The
researchers behind the device come from Pennsylvania State University’s Materials Research Institute
and the University of Utah. The research was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
26. Alastair Cook, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, is associated
with which country?
[A] Australia
[B] West Indies
[C] New Zealand
[D] England
Correct Answer: D [England]
Notes:
Former England captain Alastair Cook, who is country’s highest run- scorer in Test cricket, will retire
from international cricket after the 5th and final match against India at the Oval, starting September 7.
So far, he scored 12,254 runs at an average of 44.88 with 32 hundreds and 56 half centuries in 160 Tests.
His highest Test score of 294 came against India at Birmingham during the 2011 series.
27. India is hosting its first-ever FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters event in which city?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Pune
[D] Chennai
Correct Answer: B [Hyderabad]
Notes:
India will host its first-ever official FIBA 3×3 World Tour Masters 2018 in Hyderabad, which is scheduled
to be held from September 22. It is one of the most prestigious basketball tournaments in the world. The
Hyderabad Masters will see participation from the leading international 3×3 teams and top two Indian
3BL teams – Delhi 3BL & Bangalore 3BL. The qualification for the Indian teams was decided on the basis
of the results of the inaugural season of 3×3 Pro Basketball League (3BL) which was held from June 9 to
August 26 across six cities in India. Hyderabad Masters is the 7th stage of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour and
is the first time an international 3×3 basketball tournament is being played in India. The participating
teams will compete for a chance to qualify for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Bloomage Beijing Final on
October 27-28.
28. The Government of India (GoI) has decided to observe which month as National Nutrition
Month (NNM) across country to mark the fight against malnutrition?
[A] October
[B] December
[C] September
[D] August
Correct Answer: C [September ]
Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) will observe September as National Nutrition Month (NNM) across the
country to mark the fight against malnutrition. During this month, various programmes have been
organized by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry to spread broad awareness on the
issues related to malnutrition like stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children.
The Nutrition Month will also focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers to
eliminate the deficiencies prevailing in the Health sector. The NNM will be celebrated every year with
the aim to bring down stunting of children in the age group of 0-6 years from 38% to 25% by 2022. The
POSHAN Abhiyaan – the National Nutrition Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan on 2018 International Women’s Day (IWD).
29. Which country is host to the International Women Entrepreneurs
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | Summit (IWES) 2018?
[A] Nepal
[B] India
[C] Bhutan
[D] Sri Lanka
Correct Answer: A [Nepal ]
Notes:
Nepal is hosting the International Women Entrepreneurs Summit (IWES) 2018 in Kathmandu with
theme “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment” from September 3. The main purpose of the 3-
day summit is to bring together achievers, women business leaders, professionals, international service
providers, resource organizations, experts, government representatives and other stakeholders with a
focus on innovative economic transformation through discussions and collaborations. The delegates
from the SAARC, ASEAN, EU, Africa, Arab countries and China participating in the summit. The event is
organised by the South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF).
30. The joint military exercise “Rapid Trident 2018” has started in which country?
[A] Russia
[B] Ukraine
[C] China
[D] Mongolia
Correct Answer: B [Ukraine ]
Notes:
The joint military exercise “Rapid Trident 2018″ has started in the western Ukrainian village of Starychi,
which will continue from September 2 to 15. It was launched by Ukraine with the United States and a
string of other NATO countries as tensions with Russia remain high over the Kremlin-backed
insurgency in the country’s east. The aim of the exercise is to practice countering armed aggression in
conditions of the hybrid war. The exercise is composed of a multinational, brigade-level, computer-
assisted command post exercise i.e. integrated with a battalion-level field training exercise, and a
platoon-level situational training exercise. The Rapid Trident 2018 started a week before Russia holds its
biggest military exercise ” Vostok-2018″ since the Cold War, in the east of the country and with the
participation of China and Mongolia. Approx 2,200 soldiers from 14 nations are participating in the
exercise.
31. Under what law, the Internal Ombudsman (IO) scheme 2018 gives statutory powers to Internal
Ombudsman?
[A] RBI Act
[B] Banking Regulaton Act
[C] Lokpal and Lokayukta Act

[D] Companies Act
Correct Answer: B [Banking Regulaton Act]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently introduced Internal Ombudsman (IO) scheme 2018 to
tighten internal grievance redressal system at Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs). In it, RBI has given
statutory powers to Internal Ombudsman (IO) under section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The central bank has tightened the selection and operating procedure for IO in banks and made it
mandatory for lenders with more than 10 branches (excluding Regional Rural Banks) to have an
independent authority to review complaints that were partially or wholly rejected by the respective
banks. An ombudsman is a person officially charged with investigating and addressing public
complaints or violation of rights. The tenure of the IO cannot be more than 5 years and it is not open to
reappointment. An IO also cannot be removed without consent from the RBI. This new post will not
report to the bank’s CEO but to the customer service committee of the bank.
32. The 2018 edition of Maralal International Camel Derby event was held in which African
country?
[A] Ghana
[B] Kenya Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
[C] Senegal
[D] Tanzania
Correct Answer: B [Kenya]
Notes:
The 2018 edition of Maralal International Camel Derby event was held at Maralal town in Kenya. It is
best Kenya’s best known and most prestigious camel race that attracts both local and international
competitors. The event is a major draw for spectators as well as racers. It is an entertaining festival of
fun and local competition that brings this small desert town to life.
33. Which state government has decided to provide free mobile phones to women of BPL families?
[A] Rajasthan
[B] Gujarat
[C] Himachal Pradesh
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Correct Answer: A [Rajasthan]
Notes:
In a bid to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Digital India’ campaign, the Rajasthan
government has decided to provide free mobile phones to women of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families
under the Bhamashah Yojana. The aim of the scheme is to transfer financial and non-financial benefits of
government schemes in a transparent manner. The state government will also provide free Wifi facilities
to as many as 5,000 gram panchayats to ensure that the state is well connected with the outside world.
This programme commenced on September 1 and will end on September 30.
34. Which of the following cities is the venue of the International Aviation Summit 2018?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Pune
[C] Kolkata
[D] Chennai
Correct Answer: A [New Delhi ]
Notes:
The International Aviation Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi from September 3-4, which was jointly
organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Airports Authority India (AAI) and International
Air Transport Association (IATA). The summit commemorates the approaching milestone of 50-straight
months of double digit domestic growth for Indian aviation. More than 700 delegates and leaders
attended the summit. In it, Civil Aviation minister Suresh Prabhu revealed that the Civil Aviation
Ministry is coming up with Vision 2035 under which it plans to build 100 new airports across India in
the next 10-15 years with an investment of $60 billion and address the major issues concerning aviation
industry such as airport infrastructure, taxation and use of technology.
35. Aurora Prize Laureate Kyaw Hla Aung, who will donate $1 million award money to help
Rohingya refugees, is from which country?
[A] South Korea
[B] Indonesia
[C] Myanmar
[D] Japan
Correct Answer: C [Myanmar]
Notes:
Aurora Prize Laureate Kyaw Hla Aung, a noted lawyer and activist from Myanmar, has recently
announced to donate his $1 million award money towards humanitarian relief work among Rohingya
refugees. He was given the 2018 award for his fight against injustice and advocating on behalf of the
Rohingya people. The money will be distributed among three international organisations — Medicins
Sans Frontieres (MSF), the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) and MERCY Malaysia
— who are providing medical aid and assistance to Rohingya refugees across South East Asia. This
initiative will benefit around 3,75,000 Rohingya refugees.
36. Who has been elected as the new President of Pakistan?
[A] Maulana Fazlur

[B] Aitzaz Ahsan
[C] Arif Alvi
[D] Mamnoon Hussain
Correct Answer: C [Arif Alvi]
Notes:
Dr Arif Alvi has been elected as the new President of Pakistan and will take the oath of the office on
September 9. He will succeed Mamnoon Hussain. Dr. Alvi is a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan
and one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
37. The Government of India (GoI) has approved a proposal by the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC) to increase wages of artisans by over how much percent?
[A] 36%
[B] 40%
[C] 35%
[D] 30%
Correct Answer: A [36%]
Notes:
The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) has approved a proposal by the Khadi and
Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to increase the wages of artisans by over 36%, from Rs 5.50 per
hank previously to Rs 7.50 per hank. The proposal for an increase in wages to khadi spinners along with
payment of government subsidy — Modified Market Development Assistance (MMDA) — has been
approved with effect from August 15, 2018. Under the MMDA programme, 30% of the prime cost is paid
to the khadi institutions as production subsidy. Of this 30%, 40% goes to artisans as wage incentives and
the remaining 60% goes to the khadi institutions. The wage incentives are paid by KVIC directly to the
accounts of the artisans through direct benefit transfer. As a result, if an artisan makes 20 hanks in a day
— he will get Rs 150 per day as wage at the rate of Rs 7.50 per hank, plus incentives including MMDA,
which would be approximately 35% on Rs 150, that is Rs 52.
38. Which Indian shooter bagged gold in the 50m pistol event at 2018 ISSF World Championship
in South Korea?
[A] Jitu Rai
[B] Saurabh Chanudhary
[C] Abhidnya Patil

[D] Om Prakash Mitharwal

Correct Answer: D [Om Prakash Mitharwal]
Notes:
Indian Shooter Om Prakash Mitharwal clinched his first gold in the 50m pistol event at the 2018
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships in Changwon, South Korea on
September 4. Mitharwal, who won bronze in the 10m air pistol and the 50m pistol events of the 2018
Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, shot a score of 564 to finish on top at ISSF Championships.
39. Which two countries will participate in SLINEX-2018 naval exercise?
[A] Indonesia and Singapore
[B] India and Sri Lanka
[C] India and South Africa
[D] Italy and Spain
Correct Answer: B [India and Sri Lanka]
Notes:
The joint maritime naval exercise “SLINEX-2018” will be held between Indian & Sri Lankan navy at
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from September 7 to 13. The exercise which was previously held biannually has
been converted to an annual event from year 2018 to enhance cooperation in the maritime domain and
to further strengthen mutual trust and interoperability between the two navies. The exercise to be
conducted in two phases, namely the Harbour and Sea Phase, will involve conduct of joint training,
exchange of expertise, helicopter and maritime patrol aircraft operations, search and rescue, and
maneuvers at sea. It would also involve sports fixtures and cultural events which would provide an
opportunity for personnel from both navies to learn from each other and to build individual bonds of
friendship and camaraderie.
40. Which country has signed pact with India to collaborate on ISRO’s first human spaceflight
programme “Gaganyaan”?
[A] Germany
[B] France
[C] Japan
[D] United States
Correct Answer: B [France ]
Notes:
India and France has recently signed an agreement to collaborate on ISRO’s first human spaceflight
programme “Gaganyaan”. It was announcement by French space agency president Jean-Yves Le Gall at
the 6th edition of the Bengaluru Space Expo. The first step under the MoU is to exchange specialists to
work on (space) medicine. The ambit of the cooperation includes giving ISRO access to space hospital
facilities in France and combining expertise of the two space agencies in fields of space medicine,
astronaut health monitoring, life support, radiation protection, space debris protection and personal
hygiene system. The two space agencies also plan to work on Mars, Venus and asteroids. The aim of the
Gaganyaan mission is to send a 3-member crew to space for a period of 5 to 7 days by 2022. Its objectives
are to inspire youth, increase science and technology levels in the country, improve industrial growth,
develop technology for social benefits, etc.
41. Which of the following technology initiatives has been launched by the Union Government for
coffee growers?
[A] Coffee Krishi
[B] Coffee Tharanga
[C] Coffee Geo
[D] Coffee Connect
Correct Answer: D [Coffee Connect]
Notes:
On September 4, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched Coffee Connect – India
coffee field force app & Coffee KrishiTharanga – an IVR-based digital mobile extension service for coffee
sector which would help farmers increase production and improve quality. The Coffee Connect will
gather all information relating to various coffee plantations in the country, such as geographical
location, plant material, age, production and machinery available. The solution will help improve the
efficiencies of field functionaries, particularly extension workers, in subsidy disbursement and real-time
report generation. On the other hand, Coffee KrishiTharanga will provide customized information and
services to coffee growers to increase productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability.
Beside this, the Ministry also launched pilot projects on data analytics, artificial intelligence, and
blockchain to address some of the perennial coffee production and farming issues such as rainfall, pests
and diseases.
42. On which date, the 2018 International Day of Charity (IDC) was observed recently?
[A] September 3
[B] September 5
[C] September 4
[D] September 6
Correct Answer: B [September 5]
Notes:
The International Day of Charity (IDC) is observed every year on September 5 to raise awareness and
provide a common platform for charity related activities all over the world for individuals, charitable,
philanthropic and volunteer organizations for their own purposes on the local, national, regional and
international level. The day also recognizes the efforts of charitable organizations and individuals. The
date was chosen by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in order to commemorate the anniversary
of the passing away of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for work
undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace.
43. Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is expected to become 46th Chief Justice of India (CJI), hails from
which North-East State of India?
[A] Assam
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Tripura
[D] Nagaland
Correct Answer: A [Assam ]
Notes:
Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the son of former Assam chief minister Keshab Chandra Gogoi, will become the
46th Chief Justice of India (CJI), after the current CJI Dipak Misra retires on October 2. He will have
tenure of 13 months – till November 17, 2019. As per convention, the senior-most judge of the Supreme
Court has to be appointed as the next CJI. Therefore, once the recommendation by CJI Misra is
approved, Justice Gogoi will become the first CJI from North-Eastern states. His appointment is crucial
as it comes at a time when Assam is preparing to release a final National Register of Citizens (NRC),
possibly by the end of the year 2018. Justice Gogoi was one of the four senior-most judges of the court
who had called an unprecedented press conference this January, when they had publicly raised concerns
about the administration of the court and the formation of benches for the allocation of important cases.
He is also one of 11 judges in the Supreme Court who have disclosed their assets.
44. KAZIND-2018 is an army exercise between India and which country?
[A] Kuwait
[B] Kenya
[C] Kyrgyzstan
[D] Kazakhstan
Correct Answer: D [Kazakhstan]
Notes:
The Indo-Kazakhstan joint Army exercise ‘KAZIND 2018’ will be conducted between the Indian and
Kazakhstan Army from 10 to 23 Sep 2018 in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This is the 3rd joint military
exercise between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defense arena.
The aim of the 14-days exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army to Army relations and exchange
skills and experiences between Kazakhstan Army and the Indian Army. The exercise will also serve as a
platform for exchange of drills and procedures. The conduct of the joint exercise will set the stage for

greater defence cooperation and consequently will manifest in stronger ties between the two great
nations.
45. Which Indian personality has been elected as new Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia?
[A] Madan B Lokur
[B] Manan Kumar Mishra
[C] Poonam Khetrapal Singh
[D] Kurian Joseph
Correct Answer: C [Poonam Khetrapal Singh]
Notes:
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh from India has been unanimously re-elected as Regional Director of WHO
South-East Asia for another 5-year term beginning February 2019. The elections were held at the
ongoing 71st regional committee meeting of WHO South-East Asia in New Delhi. In her ongoing first
term as Regional Director, four countries in the Region have eliminated measles and six have controlled
rubella. The South-East Asia Region, which is certified polio free in 2014, continues to maintain this
status. The maternal mortality rates in the Region have reduced by 69%. Among neglected tropical
diseases, India eliminated yaws, Nepal eliminated trachoma, while Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand
have eliminated lymphatic filariasis. Two countries – Maldives and Sri Lanka – have eliminated malaria.
All countries are implementing national action plans to combat anti-microbial resistance. Dr Singh is
the first woman to have been elected to Vineet
theSinghposition of Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Region after an illustrious career in the Indian civil service, World Bank and WHO.
46. India has recently signed pact with which European country for establishment of Hindi chair
at Sofia University?
[A] Spain
[B] Czech Republic
[C] Cyprus
[D] Bulgaria
Correct Answer: D [Bulgaria ]
Notes:
India has recently signed five pacts with Bulgaria in the fields of Civil Nuclear cooperation, Investment,
Tourism, Science & Technology (S&T) and establishment of Hindi chair at Sofia University, after
delegation level talks between President Ram Nath Kovind and his counterpart Rumen Radev. Both the
countries have agreed to substantially upgrade their economic partnership in line with the depth of
robust political relations. Mr. Kovind is in Bulgaria on the 2nd leg of his state visit to 3 European nations
– Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic – to continue India’s high-level engagements with European
countries. After Cyprus, Bulgaria also supported India’s claims for a permanent seat in the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) and membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
47. Which of the following cities is the venue of the 2nd World Hindu Congress (WHC) 2018?
[A] Paris
[B] Geneva
[C] Chicago
[D] Brelin
Correct Answer: C [Chicago]
Notes:
The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu will address the 2nd World Hindu Congress (WHC) 2018,
which is scheduled to be held in Chicago, United States on September 7 to 9. Apart from addressing the
congress, Mr. Naidu will also participate in a programme organized by 14 Telugu Associations of the US
at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. He will also participate in bilateral discussions with several world
leaders, who are attending this event, on the sidelines of this Congress. The WHC is a global platform for
Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good. It offers Hindus an
opportunity to introspect towards improvement and tap into their collective resources to seek tangible
solutions to the most pressing issues of this age. The global event also marks the commemoration of
125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Historic Speech at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in
1893.

48. Bhagwati Kumar Sharma, who passed away recently, was the renowned author and journalist
of which state?
[A] Rajasthan
[B] Gujarat
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Correct Answer: B [Gujarat]
Notes:
Bhagwatikumar Sharma (84), the renowned author and journalist, has passed away in Surat, Gujarat on
September 5, 2018. Born in May 1934, Sharma authored novels, short stories, poetries, essays and articles
during his 65-year career. Some of his famous Gujarati novels include ‘Aarti Ane Angara’ (1957), ‘Man
Nahi Mane’ (1962), ‘Rikta’ (1968), ‘Vyaktamadhya’ (1970) and ‘Samaydvip’ (1974), among others. He
received Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1984 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1988 for his novel
‘Asooryalok’. In 2017, the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi honoured him with the ‘Sahityaratna’ Award. He had
also worked in different genres of poetry such as ghazal, geet and sonnet. His first ghazal collection,
‘Sambhav’, was published in 1974, followed by ‘Chhando Chhe Pandada Jenan’ (1987), ‘Nakhdarpan’ (1995),
‘Jhalhal’ (1995) and ‘Adhi Aksharnu Chomasu’ (2002), among many others.
49. Which country is host to the 87th Izmir International
Vineet Singh tradeshow
| vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | 2018?
[A] Israel
[B] Turkey
[C] Kazakhstan
[D] India
Correct Answer: B [Turkey]
Notes:
Turkey is hosting the 87th Izmir International tradeshow 2018 in Izmir from September 7th to 11th, in
which India is the Partner Country. In this tradeshow, India will also launch a mega business pavilion
‘Source India’ to increase India’s exports to Turkey and other neighbouring countries. Owing to India’s
participation as Focus Country status, India’s National Anthem will be played and the National Flag
displayed on the screens put up in the show. Special signage will be erected to lead buyers and visitors to
the ‘Source India’ pavilion. Source India, with 75 Indian participating companies, is a multi-product
pavilion though some of the key potential areas for increasing trade with Turkey are ceramics, cereals
and machinery or mechanical appliances.
50. Govindan Lakshmanan is associated with which sports?
[A] Sprint
[B] Basketball
[C] Hockey
[D] Badminton
Correct Answer: A [Sprint]
Notes:
At the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Indian athlete Govindan Lakshamanan won bronze but was later
stripped as he was disqualified for lane infringement. Though, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh
Rathore has recently rewarded Lakshamanan with Rs 10 lakh and acknowledged the long distance
runner’s performance in the 10,000m race in which he was dramatically disqualified after finishing
third. He had stepped off the track momentarily, as he was hit by the spike of another athlete. The Indian
team protested against the disqualification at two levels but it was turned down.
51. Recently, the 25th Raising Day of Delta Force celebrated. It is a counter insurgency force of
which Indian Armed Force (IAF)?
[A] Indian Navy
[B] Indian Air Force
[C] Indian Army
[D] Indian Coast Guard
Correct Answer: C [Indian Army]

Notes:
Recently, the Delta Force has celebrated its 25th Raising Day on September 6 in the memory of those
who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. It is the counter insurgency force of the Indian Army that
has been instrumental in eliminating terrorism from the Chenab Valley and ushering peace in the
region. Till date, the Force has been honoured with 1,380 Gallantry Awards including one Ashok Chakra,
five Kirti Chakras and 46 Shaurya Chakras
52. Which military communications pact has been signed by India and the United States in the
first round of the ‘2-plus-2-dialogue’?
[A] GSOMIA
[B] LEMOA
[C] BECA
[D] COMCASA
Correct Answer: D [COMCASA ]
Notes:
In the first round of the ‘two-plus-two dialogue’ in New Delhi, India and the United States signed
military communications pact “COMCASA” , which will give India access to advanced new defence
systems like armed drones and will enable the Indian armed forces to exploit existing US-origin
platforms much more efficiently. COMCASA is an India-specific version of the Communication and
Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). It comes into force immediately & is
valid for a period 10 years. The term “COMCASA” stands for Communications Compatibility and
Security Agreement (COMCASA) and is one of the four foundational agreements that the U.S. signs with
allies and close partners to facilitate interoperability between militaries and sale of high end technology.
COMCASA allows India to procure transfer specialised equipment for encrypted communications for US
origin military platforms like the C-17, C-130 and P-8Is.
53. Which of the following cities is the venue of Defence & Homeland Security Expo and
Conference – 2018?
[A] Pune
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Agartala
[D] New Delhi
Correct Answer: D [New Delhi]
Notes:
The 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference – 2018 has started in New Delhi to enable
nation become self-reliant in Home Land Security (HLS) & defence sector. It is being organized for the
first time to make leading policy makers and luminaries from diverse defence segments take part with
special focus on MSMEs in defense production and procurement. It was inaugurated by Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh on September 6, which was organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The expo is
cutting across various industries vis-a-vis surveillance, cyber security, bulletproof jackets, robots,
drones, hi-tech equipment including livelihood items, research and development and police
modernization.
54. Which sportsperson has been appointed the new Brand Ambassador of BSNL?
[A] Bajrang Punia
[B] Mary Kom
[C] Neeraj Chopra
[D] Rani Rampal
Correct Answer: B [Mary Kom ]
Notes:
Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom has been appointed the new Brand Ambassador of state-run
telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for two years. The two-year contract will see boxer Mary
Kom endorse as well as engage in various promotional events organized by BSNL for its different
telecom services. Beside this, BSNL has also signed pact with Indian Army to provide various telecom
services like PRIs, basic telephone, and leased circuits, among others on a pan India basis for a period of 3
years. Besides these services, BSNL will also provide broadband and mobile services under another
existing agreement with the Indian Army.
55. Section 377, which has been recently decriminalised came into force in which year?
[A] 1860
[B] 1862
[C] 1861
[D] 1864
Correct Answer: C [1861 ]
Notes:
In a landmark judgement on September 6, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) struck down Section 377 of
the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and decriminalized homosexuality. The five-judge Constitution Bench, led by
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra unanimously scrapped a 156-year old colonial-era law banning
gay sex that was punishable by a jail sentence of up to 10 years. Thereby, this verdict is the beginning of
a journey towards greater dignity, equality and liberty. However, the court held that Section 377 will
apply to “unnatural” sexual acts like bestiality. Sexual acts without consent continue to be a crime under
the Section. IPC Section 377 came into force in 1861 during the British rule of India (modelled on the
Buggery Act of 1533) which criminalised sexual activities “against the order of nature”, including
homosexual activities.
56. Burt Reynolds, who passed away recently, was the veteran personality of which field?
[A] Politics
[B] Film Industry
[C] Journalism
[D] Sports
Correct Answer: B [Film Industry]
Notes:
Burt Reynolds (82), the veteran Hollywood actor, has passed away in Florida, United States on September
6, 2018. Reynolds received an Oscar nomination when he portrayed porn director Jack Horner in Paul
Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997) and was the No. 1 box-office attraction for a five-year stretch
starting in the late 1970s. He was known for his work in 1970-80s films, ‘Deliverance’, ‘The Longest Yard’
and ‘Smokey and the Bandit’.
57. Which of the following movies has became the first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi
Arabia?
[A] Pad Man
[B] Raazi
[C] Parmanu
[D] Gold
Correct Answer: D [Gold]
Notes:
Indian movie ‘Gold’ has created history by becoming the first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi
Arabia. The Reema Kagti-directed sports film ‘Gold’ is a fictional re-telling of India’s iconic win at the
1948 London Olympics. It stars Akshay Kumar, Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Kumar Singh, Amit
Sadh, and Sunny Kaushal. This film is only the second movie after Rajnikanth’s social drama “Kala” to hit
the theatres in the Gulf country. Saudi Arabia had held a private screening of international cultural
phenomenon, “Black Panther” in May 2018 to herald the launch of movie theatres in the kingdom and
opening them to the public.
58. The Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC-2018) will be organized by
which union ministry?
[A] Ministry of Women and Child Development
[B] Ministry of Urban Development

[C] Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

[D] Ministry of Rural Development
Correct Answer: C [Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation]
Notes:
The Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC-2018) will be organized by the Union
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in New Delhi from September 29 to mark the beginning of
the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. It will be a 4-day international conference
that will bring together Sanitation Ministers and other leaders in WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)
from around the world. The purpose of the Convention is to share sanitation success stories and lessons
from the participating countries. It will culminate on October 2nd, Gandhi Jayanti, which is also
celebrated as the Swachh Bharat Diwas. Several mass mobilisation events and campaigns are being
planned across the States in the run up to this Day.
59. Which cricket team has won the 57th edition of Duleep Trophy 2018?
[A] India Red
[B] India Blue
[C] India Green
[D] India Orange
Correct Answer: B [India Blue] Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Notes:
India Blue has won the 57th edition of Duleep Trophy 2018 by defeating India Red in the final by an
innings and 187 runs to win. Spinners Deepak Jagbir Hooda and Saurabh Kumar shared 5 wickets each
in just 10.5 overs on the 4th day to bundle out India Red for 172 in the second innings. India Blue scored
541 in the first innings while India Red scored 182 in the first innings and 172 in the second innings.
Himachal Pradesh batsman Nikhil Gangta was named man of the match for his superb knock of 136. The
Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India. It was named after Kumar
Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar, who played for England.
60. Which of the following cities is the venue of the 4th edition of World Summit on Accreditation
(WOSA 2018)?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Hyderabad
[C] Patna
[D] Shimla
Correct Answer: A [New Delhi]
Notes:
India is hosting the 4th edition of World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA 2018) in New Delhi from
September 7 with theme “Challenges and Opportunities in Outcome-Based Accreditation”. The focus of
the 3-day summit is on challenges and opportunities in outcome-based accreditation. The WOSA 2018
will bring about new ideas and help in establishing new trends of identifying opportunities and
challenges in professional education world-wide. The Summit is a biennial event organized by the
National Board of Accreditation (NBA) which provides platform to its stakeholders to share their
knowledge and information on accreditation.
61. Which Indian sportsperson has been officially named as the Sports Ambassador of Assam?
[A] Neeraj Chopra
[B] Dutee Chand
[C] Fouaad Mirza
[D] Hima Das
Correct Answer: D [Hima Das]
Notes:
Indian sprinter Hima Das has been officially named as the Sports Ambassador of Assam for her recent
achievements in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and IAAF World U-20 Championship 2018 at a function
held at Srimanta Sankardev International Auditorium, Guwahati. Beside this, Chief Minister Sarbanand
Sonowal handed over a cheque worth Rs 1.6 crore to Hima and also offered her a job in the senior
category of Sports and Youth Welfare Department. He also announced to develop 500 village stadiums
in the state. In recently concluded Asian Games, she set a national record by clocking 51.00 to qualify for
the 400m final and bettered it with 50.79 to clinch silver. She went on to win silver in the mixed 4x400m
relay and bagged gold in the women’s 4x400m relay. Apart from this, she has already scripted history by
becoming the first Indian woman athlete to clinch a gold in a track event at the IAAF World U-20
Athletics Championships 2018 in Finland.
62. Which Indian woman writer has authored a new novel “The Rule Breakers”?
[A] Anita Desai
[B] Preeti Shenoy
[C] Jhumpa Lahiri
[D] Anuja Chauhan
Correct Answer: B [Preeti Shenoy]
Notes:
The book “The Rule Breakers” has been authored by Preeti Shenoy i.e. expected to release on September
17. It’s an inspirational tale for those who find it difficult to stand up for what they want in life. The book
claims to explore complex themes of women’s equality, gender and inclusion among others. The novel
set in the 90s’ is the story of “smart and studious” Veda, who harbours big dreams but finds herself
trapped in an arranged marriage and realizes that her opinions, her choices in real life do not matter.
However, amidst the dark clouds of stagnation and despondency, Veda carves out what one can call the
“unlikeliest of silver linings”. Shenoy has previously authored best-selling books like “A Hundred Little
Flames” and “It’s all in the Planets”.
63. Which noted Odia poet will be honoured with the prestigious 39th edition of the ‘Sarala
Puraskar’ award 2018?
[A] Banaj Devi
[B] Satrughna Pandav
[C] Umesh Chandra Kar
[D] Ghasiram Mishra
Correct Answer: B [Satrughna Pandav]
Notes:
Noted Odia poet Satrughna Pandav will be honoured with the prestigious 39th edition of the ‘Sarala
Puraskar’ award 2018 for his poetry collection ‘Misra Dhrupad’. The award, which carries a cash prize of
Rs 5,00,000 and a citation, will be presented to Pandav on October 26. The ‘Sarala Puraskar’ was
instituted by eminent Odia industrialist late Dr Bansidhar Panda and late Ila Pnada in 1979 and awarded
every year by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT). Beside Pandav, two other eminent
personalities of Odisha will also be honoured for their contribution in the field of music and art. Pandeet
Umesh Chandra Kar will be awarded the ‘Ila Panda Sangeet Samman’ and Binod Moharana will receive
the ‘Ila Panda Chitrakala Samman’. They will receive a cash award of Rs 1,50,000 each along with
citations.
64. Which Indian economist has been conferred ‘Honoris Causa’ by the University of Engineering
& Management (UEM) in Kolkata?
[A] Manmohan Singh
[B] Amartya Sen
[C] Bibek Debroy
[D] Kaushik Basu
Correct Answer: C [Bibek Debroy]
Notes:
Dr. Bibek Debroy, an Indian economist, indologist and author, has been conferred ‘Honoris Causa’ by the
University of Engineering & Management (UEM) in Kolkata, West Bengal. He is currently serving as the
Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). Mr. Debroy is also the
Member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of Government of India (GoI). ‘Honoris Causa is a degree
awarded without examination as a mark of esteem.
65. Under which article, the Odisha Assembly has passed a resolution for establishing Legislative
Council (Vidhan Parishad) in the state?

[A] Article 169
[B] Article 170
[C] Article 171
[D] Article 168
Correct Answer: A [Article 169]
Notes:
On September 6, the Odisha Assembly has passed a resolution for establishing Legislative Council (
Vidhan Parishad or second House of legislature). As per the resolution, the proposed Council will
function similar to the Rajya Sabha in Parliament and will have 49 members. In every two years, one-
third member of the Legislative Council will retire. Now, the resolution will be sent to the Centre for
approval of Parliament to facilitate creation of the Legislative Council. And, then, President’s nod will be
require for creation of a Legislative Council in Odisha. Under Article 169, a Legislative Council can be
formed “if the Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution to that effect by a majority of the
total membership of the Assembly and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the
Assembly present and voting”. Parliament can then pass a law to this effect. Currently, 7 states have
Legislative Councils – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, J&K, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and UP.
66. Which renowned personality hasVineet
been made the first Honorary Ambassador of the Lal
Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation?

[A] Medha Patkar
[B] Chetan Bhagat
[C] Narendra Modi
[D] Akshay Kumar
Correct Answer: D [Akshay Kumar]
Notes:
Akshay Kumar, the National Award-winning actor, has been made the first Honorary Ambassador of the
Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Foundation. It is the social organisation founded by the family of India’s
second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.
67. Chagos Islands, which is in news recently, is the disputed islands between which of the
following countries?
[A] United Kingdom and United States
[B] Mauritius and United Kingdom
[C] Maldives and United States
[D] Maldives and Mauritius
Correct Answer: B [Mauritius and United Kingdom ]
Notes:
The Chagos Archipelago (or Chagos Islands) is a group of 7 atolls consists of more than 60 individual
tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 km south of the Maldives archipelago. The sovereignty
over the Islands is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom (UK). Recently, it is in news
because India has supported Mauritius in International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue of de-
colonisation of the Chagos Archipelago, which is home to Diego Garcia — the key military base of the
U.K. and the U.S. in the Indian Ocean. India told ICJ that the historical survey of facts indicates that the
Chagos Archipelago throughout the pre- and post-colonial era has been part of the Mauritian territory.
These islands came under the colonial administration of the UK as part of Mauritian territory. Of the 22
countries which are giving their legal opinion at ICJ, the UK is supported by the US, Australia and Israel,
while Mauritius is being supported by 17 countries, including India.
68. Which of the following cities is the venue of the 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic
Society of India Conference 2018?
[A] Lucknow
[B] Bhopal
[C] New Delhi
[D] Udaipur
Correct Answer: C [New Delhi]
Notes:
The 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference 2018 has been inaugurated by
Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New
Delhi on September 7. The purpose of the conference is to spread awareness about the health needs of
the ageing population and to bring together everyone involved in geriatric orthopaedic care under one
roof to interact and arrive at consensus on best practices. It’s theme is “Increased Longevity with
Reduced Fragility and Enhanced Mobility”.
69. India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge “Bogibeel” will come up over which river?
[A] Ganga
[B] Yamuna
[C] Brahmaputra
[D] Godavari
Correct Answer: C [Brahmaputra]
Notes:
The Bogibeel Bridge is a combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam, which is
expected to complete at the end of 2018. Sited about 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh town, the 4.94km
bridge will facilitate road and rail connectivity between the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra
in the eastern part of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge is 32m above the water level of the
Brahmaputra and is fashioned on a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark. It has three lane roads on top
and double line rail below. Upon completion, Bogibeel will be the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India
and 2nd longest bridge over the Brahmaputra after Dhola-Sadiya Bridge which is a road bridge of length
9.15 km.
70. Who is the head of the committee to select new Chief Economic Advisor (CEA)?
[A] Amartya Sen
[B] Bimal Jalan
[C] Jagdish Bhagwati
[D] Bibek Debroy
Correct Answer: B [Bimal Jalan]
Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has constituted a committee, headed by former Reserve Bank of India
governor Bimal Jalan, to select the next Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). Apart from Jalan, secretary of
the department of personnel and training C Chandramouli and economic affairs secretary Subhash
Chandra Garg will be members of the panel which will vet the applications received and conduct the
interviews. Recently, Arvind Subramanian resigned from CEA post before his tenure ends in May 2019
citing personal reasons. He has since joined as a visiting professor at Harvard University. The CEA is
under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance and is the ex-officio cadre controlling authority of the
Indian Economic Service (IES).
71. Who will represent India at the 67th Miss Universe 2018 pageant in Bangkok?
[A] Nehal Chudasama
[B] Hannah Reji Koshy
[C] Aditi Hundia
[D] Roshni Sheoran
Correct Answer: A [Nehal Chudasama]
Notes:
Nehal Chudasama from Mumbai has been crowned the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva – Miss Universe India
2018 at a star-studded grand finale event in Mumbai. Now, she will represent at the 67th Miss Universe
2018 pageant, which is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 16th December 2018. At the same
event, Aditi Hundia from Jaipur was crowned as Miss Diva – Supranational 2018 and Roshni Sheoran
was crowned as Runner-up.

72. Who clinched the men’s singles title of US Open 2018?

[A] Rafael Nadal
[B] Kei Nishikori
[C] Juan Martin del Potro
[D] Novak Djokovic
Correct Answer: D [Novak Djokovic]
Notes:
In the US Open Tennis, Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Men’s singles final by defeating Juan Martin
del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in straight sets. It was Djokovic’s 14th Grand Slam title and the third
US Open title. With this win, he has equalled Pete Sampras’s mark of 14 Grand Slams. He is now just
three Slams behind Rafael Nadal and six back from the record 20 held by Roger Federer.
73. Which of the following cities is the venue of the 12th Aero India 2019?
[A] Bengaluru
[B] New Delhi
[C] Pune
[D] Chennai
Correct Answer: A [Bengaluru]
Notes:
The 12th edition of Aero India 2019 will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 20 to 24. This 5-
day event will combine a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with public air
shows. Besides global leaders and big investors in aerospace industry, the show will also see
participation by think-tanks from across the world. It will provide a unique opportunity for exchange of
information, ideas and new developments in the aviation industry. Besides giving fillip to the domestic
aviation industry it would further the cause of Make in India.
74. Which of the following cities is the venue of the Regional Conference on Good Governance
with Focus on Aspirational Districts?
[A] Patna
[B] Lucknow
[C] Jaipur
[D] Bhopal
Correct Answer: D [Bhopal ]
Notes:
The Regional Conference on Good Governance with Focus on Aspirational Districts has started in
Bhopal on September 10. This Conference is an effort to create a common platform to share experiences
in the formulation and implementation of Best Practices in Citizen Centric Governance and improved
Public Service Delivery through e-Governance, transparent, accountable and citizen-friendly effective
administration. It is organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
(DAR&PG) in association with Government of Madhya Pradesh. The delegates from 12 States and 2 UTs
are participating in the Conference. There will be 5 Technical sessions in the 2-day conference.
75. The researchers at which institute have developed cheaper organic solar cells using vitamin
B12 derivative?
[A] IISER Pune
[B] IIITM Gwalior
[C] IISER Bhopal
[D] IISc Bangalore
Correct Answer: C [IISER Bhopal]
Notes:
The researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have developed
cheaper and more flexible organic solar cells using a synthetic derivative of vitamin B12. An organic
solar cell is made up of acceptor and donor materials. The donor absorbs light from solar radiation and

the harvested energy is passed to the electrodes with the help of the acceptor. In the present study, the
researchers synthesized the donor using an artificial aromatic chemical (corrole) which has a similar
structure to the corrin ring in vitamin B12. The artificially synthesised corrole (Cor-BODIPY) absorbs
light much like porphyrin in natural chlorophyll. Currently, corroles are used as sensors, catalysts and in
biomedical imaging. This is the first study wherein a corrole has been utilised for a bulk heterojunction
solar cell as a donor material.
76. Who has become the first Japanese player to clinched the women’s singles title of US Open
2018?
[A] Ai Sugiyama
[B] Kimiko Date
[C] Kurumi Nara
[D] Naomi Osaka
Correct Answer: D [Naomi Osaka]
Notes:
Naomi Osaka has become the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title. She lifted the
women’s singles title of US Open 2018 by defeating Serena Williams of US in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. The
match saw some dramatic scenes at the Grand Slam final after an angry Serena Williams accused the
umpire of being a “thief”. Williams was Vineet
given a game penalty for her outburst, which also followed
racquet smashing and another code violation as Osaka kept her focus to become the first Japanese to
win a Grand Slam.
77. Who has created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in IAAF Continental Cup?
[A] Arpinder Singh
[B] Rahi Sarnobat
[C] Neeraj Chopra
[D] Heena Sidhu
Correct Answer: A [Arpinder Singh]
Notes:
Triple jumper Arpinder Singh has created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the
IAAF Continental Cup as he clinched a bronze with a modest effort of 16.59m at Ostrava in Czech
Republic on September 9, 2018. Arpinder was representing the Asia-Pacific team in the meet, which held
once every 4 years. No Indian has ever won a medal in the Continental Cup, which was known as the
IAAF World Cup before 2010. In the same event, reigning Olympic and world champion Christian Taylor
of the United States took the gold with a jump of 17.59m. The IAAF Continental Cup is being competed in
37 events in men and women sections taken together with two top athletes from the four regions of
Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific taking part in each of them. Earlier, Arpinder clinched gold in
the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
78. What is the theme of the 2018 International Literacy Day (ILD)?
[A] Literacy and skills development
[B] Literacy in a digital world
[C] Reading the Past, Writing the Future
[D] Literacy and Sustainable Societies
Correct Answer: A [Literacy and skills development]
Notes:
The International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated every year on 8 September to highlight the
importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. The 2018 theme “Literacy and skills
development” explores and highlights integrated approaches that simultaneously can support the
development of literacy and skills, to ultimately improve people’s life and work and contribute to
equitable and sustainable societies.
79. The Indian Air Force has successfully carried out the first-ever mid-air refuelling of the
indigenously build which aircraft?
[A] Tejas

[B] Sukhoi
[C] Jaguar
[D] Mirage
Correct Answer: A [Tejas]
Notes:
The Indian Air Force has successfully carried out the first-ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously
build fighter aircraft Tejas MK 1 with an IL-78 MKI tanker of the 78 Sqn. The feat was achieved when
1,900 kg of fuel was transferred from the mid-air refuelling Russian-built tanker IL78 to the Tejas LSP8
at an altitude of 20,000 feet. The tanker aircraft was launched from Agra, while the fighter was launched
from Gwalior. The specially modified Tejas aircraft carried out a series of test profiles including a ‘Dry
Contact’ with the tanker. The IAF IL78, piloted by Wing Commander Siddarth Singh, accomplished the
task with designers from HAL and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) closely monitoring system
parameters from the ground station at Gwalior. With this first trial, the aircraft gets much closer to the
important battle-ready tag, called the FOC or the final operational clearance. Beside this, India has also
joined an elite group of countries having air-to-air refuelling capacity for military planes.
80. Which Indian software company has inked deal with Australian Open as official digital
innovation partner?
[A] TCS Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
[B] Infosys
[C] Wipro
[D] HCL
Correct Answer: B [Infosys]
Notes:
Software major Infosys has recently signed a 3-year partnership with the Australian Open as its official
digital innovation partner. The partnership is about creating new ways of experiencing the Australian
Open. As per agreement, Infosys will leverage its expertise in emerging technologies like Big Data and
Analytics, Artificial Intelligence as well as Virtual and Augmented Reality, to provide unique, innovative
and engaging experiences for fans. However, the financial details of the deal were, not disclosed. Tennis
Australia is the governing body of tennis in Australia, promoting and facilitating participation the sport
at all levels, as well as conducting national and international tournaments and events.
81. Which Indian airport is set to become first in Asia to use face recognition as boarding pass for
passengers?
[A] Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Airport
[B] Indira Gandhi International Airport
[C] Kempegowda International Airport
[D] Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Correct Answer: C [Kempegowda International Airport]
Notes:
The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru is set to become the first airport in Asia to
use face recognition as the boarding procedure for passengers to board flights and move across different
sections of the airport. For this, the agreement was signed between Bangalore International Airport
Limited (BIAL) & Portuguese software firm ‘Vision-Box’ in Lisbon to launch paperless biometric self-
boarding technology. The first implementation milestone at Kempegowda will be completed in the first
quarter of 2019, with Jet Airways, Air Asia and SpiceJet passengers as first users. The goal of the
programme is to simplify the journey by making it paperless from registration to boarding. Biometric
technology will identify passengers by their face as they move across the airport. The technology will
avoid stops and the repeated presentation of boarding passes, passports or other physical identity
documents.
82. Which state government has recently signed pact with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for
ethanol plant?
[A] Haryana
[B] Himachal Pradesh
[C] Punjab
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Correct Answer: A [Haryana]
Notes:
On September 11, the Haryana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up an ethanol plant in Panipat with an outlay of over Rs 900 crore. The
initiative at village Bohali with a proposed capacity of 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day will manage crop
residue and prevent straw burning before the upcoming paddy season. The state Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare department will motivate the farmers in the 50 km radius of the plant to provide crop
residue or feedstock on regular basis as raw material. The pact will be valid for one year.
83. What is the theme of the 2018 World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD)?
[A] Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies
[B] Connect, Communicate, Care
[C] Take a Minute, Change a Life
[D] Working Together to Prevent Suicide
Correct Answer: D [Working Together to Prevent Suicide]
Notes: Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on September 10 to provide worldwide
commitment and action to prevent suicides. It is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO)
that over 800,000 people die by suicide each year across the world – that means one person every 40
seconds. Thus, the day aims to open up the conversations and help those in the darkness. The 2018
theme “Working Together to Prevent Suicide” highlights the most essential ingredient for effective
global suicide prevention- collaboration.
84. Which city is host to the first-ever BIMSTEC military exercise “MILEX-18”?
[A] Hyderabad
[B] Pune
[C] Chennai
[D] Bhubaneswar
Correct Answer: B [Pune]
Notes:
The first-ever joint military exercise of BIMSTEC, named MILEX-18, has started at Aundh Military
Station in Pune from September 10 to enhance cooperation in dealing with the challenge of terrorism in
the region. The aim of the week-long anti-terror exercise is to boost inter-operability among the forces
and exchanging best practices to contain terror related activities. The exercise will include training in
search-and-cordon operations and handling and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
among other things. The militaries of BIMSTEC member nations barring Nepal are participating in the
exercise. The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. The grouping accounts for 22% of the global population & has a combined
gross domestic product of USD 2.8 trillion.
85. The Rajasthan government has decided to hold convention on preserving heritage properties
in which city?
[A] Bikaner
[B] Jaipur
[C] Udaipur
[D] Bharatpur
Correct Answer: D [Bharatpur]
Notes:
The Rajasthan government has decided to hold convention on preserving heritage properties &
promoting heritage tourism in Bharatpur on September 13-14, 2018. Organised by the Indian Heritage
Hotels Association (IHHA), the convention on ‘Revitalising India as a Heritage Destination’ will witness
national and international experts speak on preservation of heritage buildings, museums and promoting
lesser-known destinations. The convention will strive to preserve heritage properties from decay while
promoting heritage tourism in the in-bound tourism market. It will also bring to the forefront
‘battlefield tourism’, which aims to recreate the grand battles of Rajasthan. Similarly, role of next
generation heritage owners and spousal participation in property management will also be discussed.
86. Which country is host to the 2018 Global Summit on Climate Action?
[A] United States
[B] Brazil
[C] United Kingdom
[D] France
Correct Answer: A [United States]
Notes:
The 2018 Global Summit on Climate Action will be held at San Francisco in California, United States
from September 12 to 14, 2018. The summit is a platform that brings together several decision makers
and officials, as well as people, from around the world to discuss proposals for future action on climate
change. It will serve as a starting point for broader and more effective global commitments, to reduce
the impacts of climate change and achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. It will also promote
climate action in five key areas: Healthy Energy Systems, Inclusive Economic Growth, Sustainable
Communities, Land and Ocean Stewardship and Transformative Climate Investments. The Summit will
culminate in a call to action to nations to step up their ambition under the Paris Agreement, and cut
emissions on a science-based trajectory that limits warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
87. India and France have signed an implementation agreement on ‘Mobilise Your City (MYC)’ to
support which of the following cities?
[A] New Delhi, Lucknow and Shimla
[B] Pune, Patna and Panaji
[C] Amritsar, Indore and Chennai
[D] Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad
Correct Answer: D [Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad]
Notes:
India and France have signed an implementation agreement on Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme in
New Delhi on September 7. The aim of MYC is to support three pilot cities – Nagpur, Kochi and
Ahmedabad – in their efforts to reduce their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban
transport by implementing urban mobility plans at local level and to help India at national level to
improve their sustainable transport policy. The MYC is part of an international initiative which is
supported by the French and the German Governments and was launched at 21st Conference of Parties
(COP21) meeting in December 2015. The details of the project activities will be worked out by AFD in
consultation with Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the three partner cities including
institutions such as the respective Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for Smart Cities, the Municipal
Corporations and any transport authority or transport related SPV.
88. Which Bollywood personality has been honoured with the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence?
[A] Madhuri Dixit
[B] Vidya Balan
[C] Deepika Padukone
[D] Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Correct Answer: D [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan]
Notes:
At the first-ever Women in Film and Television (WIFT-2018) India Award, Actress Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan has been honoured with the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence in Washington, United States.
The award was established to honour the best female talent in Bollywood and Hollywood. WIFT India is
part of WIFT International, a network which promotes professional development and achievement for
women in the film industry, video, and other screen-based media.
89. Vijay Shankar Vyas, who passed away recently, was the noted personality of which branch of
economics?

[A] Constitutional economics

[B] Environmental economics
[C] Agricultural economics
[D] Monetary economics
Correct Answer: C [Agricultural economics]
Notes:
Prof. Vijay Shankar Vyas (87), the Padma Bhushan awardee and noted agricultural economist, has passed
away in Jaipur, Rajasthan on September 12, 2018. He had held several prestigious, professional and
leadership positions in national and international organisations. The economist was the director of the
IIM Ahmedabad and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) of Jaipur. He was also a senior advisor in
the World Bank’s agriculture and rural development department. Beside this, Prof. Vyas also remained
the vice president of the Rajasthan planning board.
90. Who will head the panel of secretaries to look into the issues raised on some proposals of the
draft e-commerce policy?
[A] Rajiv Gauba
[B] S S Ahluwalia
[C] Ajay Prakash Sawhney Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
[D] Ramesh Abhishek

Correct Answer: D [Ramesh Abhishek]
Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has set up a group of secretaries to look into the issues raised on some
proposals of the draft e-commerce policy. The group will be chaired by Ramesh Abhishek, the secretary
in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The development comes at a time when
the DIPP has effectively ruled out FDI in inventory based ecommerce models. As per draft e-commerce
policy, any group company of an online retailer or marketplace may not be allowed to directly or
indirectly influence the price or sale of products and services on its platform, a move that could
completely restrict e-tailers from giving deep discounts. The draft has also suggested introduction of a
pre-set timeframe for offering differential pricing or deep discounts by e-commerce players to
customers. Further, the draft recommended 49% FDI in inventory-based business-to-customer e-
commerce model. Currently, FDI in such businesses is prohibited and it is allowed only in the
marketplace model.
91. India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has tied up with which software company to create payments
network for unorganized retail?
[A] FSS
[B] Oracle
[C] Infosys
[D] TCS
Correct Answer: A [FSS]
Notes:
The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has partnered with Financial Software and Systems (FSS) to create
payments network for unorganized retail. FSS is a payments technology company that enables micro-
merchants to accept payments online, or via Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Quick-Response (QR)
codes, Aadhaar and IPPB accounts. FSS will also provide merchant management and settlement
solutions including on-boarding fee calculation, reconciliation and settlement. IPPB has been
incorporated as a public sector company under the Department of Posts with 100% government equity
and is governed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). IPPB offers a range of products such as savings and
current accounts, money transfer, direct benefit transfer, bill and utility payments and enterprise and
merchant payments. Customers are able to access these products and related services across various
channels—counter services, micro-ATM, mobile banking app, text messages and phone calls.
92. The Indo-US military training Exercise “Yudh Abhyas 2018” will be held at which state?
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Uttarakhand
[C] Uttar Pradesh

[D] Punjab
Correct Answer: B [Uttarakhand ]
Notes:
The 14th edition of the joint military exercise “Yudh Abhyas 2018” will be conducted between India and
United States in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand from September 16 to 29. The
exercise will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together in counter insurgency and
counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain under United Nation charter. The two week
exercise will witness participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of the
Indian Army. It will witness a Division Headquarter based Command Post Exercise, an Infantry Battalion
carrying out Field Training Exercise and discussions on issues of mutual interest by experts of both
countries. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries
will jointly carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic setting.
93. Mega Icons’ is the new series to be launched by which TV channnel?
[A] Sony
[B] Discovery
[C] National Geographic
[D] BBC Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Correct Answer: C [National Geographic]

Notes:
Actor R Madhavan will host the National Geographic’s new series ‘Mega Icons’, which examines the
success stories of five prominent personalities. It is scheduled to premier on September 24. The five-part
television series will feature episodes on former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, movie star and
politician Kamal Haasan, Nobel laureate the Dalai Lama, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and the first woman
Indian Police Service officer, Kiran Bedi. Each episode would be a journey into the life of an iconic
personality, with help of not only intimate interviews with the icons and their families but also through
research and analysis by experts.
94. BARC has recently re-commissioned an upgraded version of which nuclear reactor?
[A] Dhruva
[B] Apsara
[C] Purnima
[D] Zerlina
Correct Answer: B [Apsara]
Notes:
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has recently re-commissioned an upgraded version of
nuclear research reactor ‘Apsara-U’ with a higher capacity, which was shut down permanently in 2009
for revamp. The indigenously made reactor ‘Apsara-U’ uses plate type dispersion fuel elements made of
Low Enriched Uranium (LEU). By virtue of higher neutron flux, this reactor will increase indigenous
production or radio-isotopes for medical application by about 50% and would also be extensively used
for research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding. This development has re-
emphasized the capability of Indian scientists and Engineers to build, complex facilities for health care,
science education and research. Apsara was the Asia’s first research reactor that was made operational
in Trombay campus of BARC on 4th August 1956. The design of the pool-type reactor using enriched
uranium fuel was conceptualised in 1955 by Dr Homi Bhabha himself. The name ‘Apsara’ was coined by
then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
95. Which state government has launched India’s first scheme for doorstep delivery of essential
government services?
[A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Karnataka
[C] Odisha
[D] Delhi
Correct Answer: D [Delhi]
Notes:
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rolled out its ambitious project to deliver public
services at the doorstep of residents. It’s first of kind service in the country for doorstep delivery of
essential government services. From driving licences to marriage certificates, Delhiites can now apply
for 40 government documents to be delivered at their homes for a fee of Rs. 50 per service. The applicant
would have to call 1076 and fix an appointment with a mobile sahayak, who will go to their home and
help with filling forms, payment of fees and collection of documents. The mobile sahayak would then
submit the documents at the government office concerned, which would post the certificate or licence
once issued. VFS Global, one of the biggest visa and passport service providers in the world, has been
given the contract to run the project for three years. The number of services to be home-delivered would
be increased to 100 within 3 months.
96. NITI Aayog has collaborated with which of the following organisations to set up a Model
International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI)?
[A] Microsoft
[B] Infosys
[C] Wipro
[D] Intel
Correct Answer: D [Intel ] Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Notes:
NITI Aayog has collaborated with Intel and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) to set up a
Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI). The collaboration aims to
bring together fundamental and applied research, innovation and technology development to solve
important problems.The ICTAI will work towards developing and deploying artificial intelligence based
research projects in critical domains such as health care, agriculture, smart cities and mobility. The
initiative is part of NITI Aayog’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence discussion paper that
focuses on establishing ICTAI through private sector collaboration.
97. Nomadic Elephant 2018 is an army exercise between India and which country?
[A] Nigeria
[B] Senegal
[C] Mongolia
[D] Ghana
Correct Answer: C [Mongolia]
Notes:
The 13th edition of Indo-Mongolian joint military exercise “Nomadic Elephant 2018” has commenced at
Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area in Ullanbaatar on September 10. During the 12
days long exercise, both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills
for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Experts from
both sides will also hold detailed discussions to share their experience on varied topics for mutual
benefits. Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual, bilateral exercise since 2006 which is designed to
strengthen the partnership between Indian Army and Mongolian Armed Forces. The exercise will see
them improve their tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist
operations in rural and urban scenario under United Nations mandate.
98. The first-ever tripartite meeting among India, Iran and Afghanistan was held in which city?
[A] Kabul
[B] Tehran
[C] Isfahan
[D] New Delhi
Correct Answer: A [Kabul]
Notes:
On September 11, India, Iran and Afghanistan held their first tripartite meeting in Kabul during which
implementation of the Chabahar port project and a host of other issues discussed. The Indian delegation
was led by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale while the Iranian team was headed by Deputy Foreign
Minister Abbas Araghchi. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai chaired the meeting.
The meeting focused on consolidating economic cooperation, including Chabahar, as well as enhancing
cooperation on counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and continuing support to the peace and
reconciliation process that is led and owned by Afghanistan. As per officials, the three sides agreed to
hold the next round of consultation in 2019 at an appropriate time in India.The Chabahar port is being
considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian
countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit
access to New Delhi.
99. India’s first railway university “National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI)” is located in
which city?
[A] Ahmedabad
[B] Kanpur
[C] Patna
[D] Vadodara
Correct Answer: D [Vadodara]
Notes:
The National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), which is India’s first railway university, has
recently started operations in Vadodara, Gujarat. This institute is located in the National Academy of
Indian Railway (NAIR) having about 55Vineetacres of campus. It is India’s first university focused on
transport-related education, multidisciplinary research and training. NRTI will offer multi-disciplinary
programmes designed to cater to the needs of India’s transportation sector. The Institute will follow a
demand-driven curriculum, while aligning with industry priorities. To ensure best-in-class delivery of
education, NRTI will follow a highly experiential and unique inter-disciplinary pedagogical approach,
that incorporates the latest technologies such as live classrooms and online programs, and is delivered
by high-quality faculty with global exposure. It is established as a deemed to be university under de-
novo category. NRTI is a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently offering its flagship
undergraduate programmes in Transportation Technology and Management.
100. Which state government has banned the manufacture, sale and possession of e-cigarettes?
[A] Odisha
[B] Assam
[C] Tamil Nadu
[D] Karnataka
Correct Answer: C [Tamil Nadu]
Notes:
The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture, sale (including online sale), distribution,
trade, display, marketing, import and possession of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), which
are popularly known as e-cigarettes, with an immediate effect in the state. The government order stated
that it is a myth that e-cigarettes are less harmful than beedis and cigarettes. The ban advisory states
that the use of e-cigarettes causes adverse health effects due to second-hand exposure to metals like
nickel and chromium. These poses a risk to non-smokers and bystanders. E-cigarettes are also
dangerous to children and non-smokers.
101. Sagarmatha Friendship-2018 military exercise is scheduled to start between which of the
following countries?
[A] Nepal and China
[B] Myanmar and India
[C] India and Nepal
[D] India and Sri Lanka
Correct Answer: A [Nepal and China]
Notes:
The second edition of the 10-day Nepal-China joint military exercise “Sagarmatha Friendship-2018” will
be held at Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, from September 17. The aim
of the exercise is to share expertise in disaster management and to fight terrorism, among others. This
will reduce Nepal’s dependence on India and allow China to get a firmer foothold in the sub-continental
drama. This comes at a time when Nepal refuses to participate in the first-ever BIMSTEC military
exercise “MILEX-18”, which has started in India from September 10.

102. Who has been appointed new chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee?
[A] Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
[B] Chandrakant B Khaire
[C] L K Advani
[D] P Karunakaran
Correct Answer: C [L K Advani]
Notes:
Veteran BJP leader L K Advani has been renominated as the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics
Committee by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The Committee examines complaints relating to unethical
conduct by members of Parliament. It is also free to take up suo motu investigation into the matters
relating to ethics and unethical conduct by a member, wherever necessary, and make such
recommendations, as it may deem fit. P Karunakaran has also been renominated as chairman of the
Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House. Beside this, Ramesh Pokhriyal
Nishank will head the Committee on Government Assurances. As per Lok Sabha bulletin, Chandrakant B
Khaire was also renominated as chairman of the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, and Dilipkumar
Mansukhlal Gandhi as the chairman of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation.
103. Which Indian sportsperson has become the first bowler
Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com | in women’s cricket to pick 300
international wickets?
[A] Mithali Raj
[B] Smriti Mandhana
[C] Mithu Mukherjee
[D] Jhulan Goswami
Correct Answer: D [Jhulan Goswami]
Notes:
Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami has become the first bowler in women’s cricket to pick 300 international
wickets. She achieved this feet after reaching the landmark figure in India’s 9-wicket win over Sri Lanka
on September 11. Earlier, Indian Cricketer Mithali Raj became the most capped player in the history of
Women’s ODIs cricket.
104. Which Indian-origin professor has been awarded an “Outstanding Investigator Award” by the
U.S. National Cancer Institute to identify cancer biomarkers?
[A] Aswath Damodaran
[B] Subramanyan Chandrasekhar
[C] Arul Chinnaiyan
[D] Arup Chakraborty
Correct Answer: C [Arul Chinnaiyan]
Notes:
Prof. Arul Chinnaiyan, an Indian-American scientist and professor at the University of Michigan, has
been awarded an “Outstanding Investigator Award” along with a grant of $6.5 million by the U.S.
National Cancer Institute to identify cancer biomarkers. The funding is aimed at identifying cancer
biomarkers, which may improve diagnosis and help develop targeted therapies for the deadly disease.
The award is designed to support the very best researchers who have a track record of innovation and
success. The focus of Prof. Arul’s research is molecular profiling of cancer to discover novel diagnostic
markers and therapeutic targets.
105. India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (BH205-E) has been launched by which
public sector company?
[A] GAIL
[B] BHEL
[C] BEML
[D] SAIL
Correct Answer: C [BEML]

Notes:
The Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has recently launched an indigenously designed and
developed India’s first 205T Electric Drive Rear Dump Truck (Model BH205-E) in its Mysuru plant, with
an objective of strengthening the ‘Make in India’ initiative. This new rear dump truck is expected to
address the growing demand for higher capacity equipment in the mining industry. BH205E is powered
by Tier -II emission compliant Modular Common Rail Electronic Engine with 2300 HP. The AC drive
system has been engineered to provide exceptional haul road performance with reduced maintenance.
The Dump Truck is environmental friendly in relation to mechanical drive due to its superior efficiency.
The truck weighs 335 tonnes when fully loaded but it is easily manoeuvrable with power-steering and
short turning radius. It has been developed for use in the project of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL),
Singrauli.
106. As per culture study survey by US-based firm Kronos Incorporated, Which country is the
world’s most hardest working country?
[A] Australia
[B] India
[C] Mexico
[D] Japan Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
Correct Answer: B [India]

Notes:
As per culture study survey by US-based multi-national workforce management firm Kronos
Incorporated, India leads the way as the world’s hardest working country with 69% of full-time
employees are happy with 5-day workweek. Indians stated that they would work five days a week even if
they had the option to work fewer days for the same pay. Mexico was the 2nd-highest at 43% of workers,
followed by the US at 27%. The study found workers in the United Kingdom, France and Australia were
least content with the standard five-day workweek. According to a survey If pay remained constant, one-
third of global workers felt their ideal workweek would last four days (34%), while 20% said they would
work 3 days a week. For this study, the survey was carried out amongst 2, 700 full and part-time
employees living in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the UK and the US. It was
conducted by Future Workplace on behalf of Kronos Incorporated between July 31 to August 9, 2018. The
study also found that in the matter of overtime, US leads the way with 49% clocking more than 40 hours
each week. This was followed by India (44%), Mexico (40%) and Germany (38%).
107. Who is the author of the book “The Twice-Born – Life and Death on the Ganges”?
[A] Aga Shahid Ali
[B] Amish Tripathi
[C] Abhijit Bhaduri
[D] Aatish Taseer
Correct Answer: D [Aatish Taseer]
Notes:
The book “The Twice-Born – Life and Death on the Ganges” has been authored by Aatish Taseer, who is
son of late Pakistani politician Salman Taseer and Delhi journalist Tavleen Singh. The Twice-Born is a
deeply individual and acutely perceptive book revolving around questions of culture and politics that are
going to define our future as a nation. It is the remarkable account of a personal journey to understand
today’s India, and truly a book for our times. He is the author of books like “Stranger to History”, “The
Way Things Were”, “The Temple-Goers” and “Noon”. The book, published by HarperCollins India, will
release on October 22.
108. Goura Chandra Mohapatra, who passed away recently, was the veteran freedom fighter of
which state?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Odisha
[C] Manipur
[D] Nagaland

Correct Answer: B [Odisha ]

Notes:
Goura Chandra Mohapatra (104), the veteran freedom fighter, educationist and social reformer, has
passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on September 11, 2018. He actively participated in the freedom
movement and jailed during Quit India Movement in 1942. He dedicated his entire life for promotion of
Gandhian values and for social upliftment. Mohapatra was the son of nationalist poet ‘Kantakabi’
Laxmikanta Mohapatra, who penned the famous song “Bande Utkal Janani” .
109. India’s first tribal circuit tourism project has launched in which state?
[A] Assam
[B] Rajasthan
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Chhattisgarh
Correct Answer: D [Chhattisgarh ]
Notes:
India’s first tribal circuit tourism project under the Swadesh Darshan scheme has launched at Gangrel in
Chhattisgarh on September 13. It covers 13 sites in Chhattisgarh which are Jashpur, Kunkuri, Mainpat,
Kamleshpur, Maheshpur, Kurdar, Sarodadadar, Gangrel, Kondagaon, Nathiya Nawagaon, Jagdalpur,
Chitrakoot and Tirthgarh. Under the tribal circuit
Vineet Singh theme of | the scheme the Ministry of Tourism has
sanctioned 4 projects to Nagaland, Telangana and Chhattisgarh for Rs. 380 crore. Major components
sanctioned in the tribal circuit theme include eco log huts, craft haats, souvenir shops or kiosk, tourist
reception and facilitation centres, open amphitheatre, tribal interpretation centres, workshop centres,
tourist amenities centres, last mile connectivity, wayside amenities, viewpoints, nature trails, solar
illuminations, signages and solid waste management among others. The Swadesh Darshan scheme was
launched in 2014 -15 for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritized
manner.
110. Brij Katyal, who passed away recently, was associated with which field?
[A] Film Industry
[B] Politics
[C] Painting
[D] Sports
Correct Answer: A [Film Industry]
Notes:
Veteran film writer Brij Katyal (86), who penned the story of Shashi Kapoor-Nanda hit “Jab Jab Phool
Khile”, has passed away in Mumbai on September 13. One of the most accomplished writers of the film
industry, Katyal also has writing credits to his name in many TV serials such as “Dillagi”, “Saans” and
“Pal Chhin”, both directed by Neena Gupta. His stint in movies also includes “Ajooba” and “Yeh Raat Phir
Na Aayegi”, among others.
111. Which country is host to the 2018 G-20 trade and investment ministerial meeting?
[A] Argentina
[B] France
[C] Germany
[D] Brazil
Correct Answer: A [Argentina ]
Notes:
The 2018 G-20 trade and investment ministerial meeting was held at Mar del Plata in Argentina on
September 12-13. From India, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu participated in the
meeting. Issues including increasing protectionism, challenges to promote global commerce and new
industrial revolution were discussed. The meeting assumes significance as countries including the US
has significantly raised customs duties on products including steel and aluminium. It has triggered a
trade war kind of situation, which is impacting the global trade. The G20 members include India,
Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Gemaany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa,
UK and the US.

112. Every year Hindi Diwas is celebrated on 14 September. In which year, Hindi was chosen to be
state language of Union?
[A] 1950
[B] 1948
[C] 1949
[D] 1951
Correct Answer: C [1949]
Notes:
The National Hindi Divas (NHD) is celebrated every year on September 14 in India. On this day, in 1949,
the Constituent Assembly of India had adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the official
language of India under Article 343. In all, there are 22 Scheduled languages of India, of which, two are
officially used at Union government of India level: Hindi and English.
113. Who is the head of the committee to look into the harrowing arrest and alleged torture of
former space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the ‘ISRO spy scandal’?
[A] Anupam Shrivastava
[B] Dipak Misra
[C] D K Jain Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
[D] K K Joshwa
Correct Answer: C [D K Jain]
Notes:
The Supreme Court has appointed a 3-member committee headed by D.K. Jain, a former judge of the
court, to probe the harrowing arrest and alleged torture of former space scientist Nambi Narayanan in
the ‘ISRO spy scandal’ that turned out to be fake. A 3-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI)
Dipak Misra also awarded Mr. Narayanan Rs. 50 lakh in compensation for the mental cruelty he suffered
all these years. The committee will explore “ways and means” to bring justice to the former space
scientist besides probing the officers who caused the “harrowing” incidents. The Centre would take care
of the committee’s facilities and expenses.
114. Under which article of the constitution, President has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the
46th Chief Justice of India?
[A] Article 123
[B] Article 122
[C] Article 124
[D] Article 121
Correct Answer: C [Article 124]
Notes:
Under article 124 of the constitution, President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as
the 46th Chief Justice of India (CJI). He will assume office after the current CJI Dipak Misra retires on
October 2. He will have tenure of 13 months – till November 17, 2019. Currently, Justice Gogoi is heading
the Bench monitoring the sensitive Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) case. Thus, Justice Gogoi
will become the first CJI from North-Eastern states. He is the son of former Assam chief minister
Keshab Chandra Gogoi. Justice Gogoi was one of the four senior-most judges of the court who had called
an unprecedented press conference this January, when they had publicly raised concerns about the
administration of the court and the formation of benches for the allocation of important cases. He is also
one of 11 judges in the Supreme Court who have disclosed their assets.
115. Mehlli Gobhai, who passed away recently, was associated with which field?
[A] Art
[B] Film Industry
[C] Journalism
[D] Sports
Correct Answer: A [Art]

Notes:
Mehlli Gobhai (87), the veteran artist, has passed away in Mumbai on September 13,2018. He is
considered one of the foremost abstractionist artists in India. His paintings record the dialogue between
the spare line and burnished field. Gobhai was a student at the Royal College of Art in London and the
Art Students League and the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. He worked in New York for 20 years
before returning to Mumbai in the 1980s. He was part of the advisory council at the Jehangir Nicholson
Art Foundation at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghrahalaya in Mumbai.
116. The agricultural festival of Nuakhai has started in which state?
[A] Nagaland
[B] Odisha
[C] West Bengal
[D] Assam
Correct Answer: B [Odisha]
Notes:
The agricultural festival of Nuakhai has started in Odisha on 13th September 2018. The word ‘nua’ means
new and ‘khai’ means food, so the name means the farmers are in possession of the newly harvested rice.
The festival is seen as a new ray of hope, held the day after the Ganesha Chaturthi festival. During this
harvest festival of western Odisha, new produce Nabannis offered to presiding deities. After offering the
Nabann, people relish different types of delicacies prepared from the newly harvested crop. The Nuakhai
Juhar is a major ritual of the festival, during which greetings are exchanged with friends, relatives and
well-wishers.
117. What is the total fund outlay of recently launched Dairy Processing & Infrastructure
Development Fund Scheme, which provides financial assistance to cooperatives?
[A] Rs 12, 801 crore
[B] Rs 9, 801 crore
[C] Rs 10, 881 crore
[D] Rs 11,008 crore
Correct Answer: C [Rs 10, 881 crore]
Notes:
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh has recently launched Dairy
Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) in New Delhi with an outlay of Rs 10881 crore.
The fund is implemented through National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Cooperative
Development Development Corporation (NCDC). It will benefit 95 lakh farmers in about 50 thousand
villages. In it, many skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers will get employment, directly and
indirectly. Additional milk processing capacity of 126 lakh litre per day, milk drying capacity of 210 MT
per day, milk chilling capacity of 140 lakh litre per day shall be created. Under this scheme, milk
cooperatives will be provided financial assistance of Rs 8004 crore in the form of a loan at 6.5% interest,
which will be reimbursed over a period of 10 years. The government has also given a provision of
interest subsidy on loans.
118. Who is the author of the book “Bastar Dispatches: A Passage Through the Wilds”?
[A] Aatish Taseer
[B] Vikram Seth
[C] Nirupam Roy
[D] Narendra
Correct Answer: D [Narendra]
Notes:
The book “Bastar Dispatches: A Passage Through the Wilds” has been authored by Narendra, which
explores lives of Bastar’s Abujhmad tribals. It provides a narrative of these people at peace with
themselves and nature, their dialect, their festivities & their delightful interactions. The Bastar
Dispatches brings out how forests and the wilds, humans and animals, distances, spaces and the skies,
the known and unknown together make up societies and intimacies. Abujhmad stands today as one of
the few mirrors left the world over wherein modernity can view itself – its calamities and collapses. The
book is based on the author’s over 30 years of association with Abujhmad under a field research
programme and its contiguous areas in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh.

119. India to hold its first-ever global tourism mart in which city?
[A] Amritsar
[B] Chennai
[C] Pune
[D] New Delhi
Correct Answer: D [New Delhi]
Notes:
India will hold its first-ever global tourism mart at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from September 16-18. It
is modelled on the ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-B rse Berlin), the world’s largest tourism trade
fair. The ten major tourist organisations like FHRAI, HAI, IATO are involved in this mega event. The
purpose of the event is to create an annual global tourism mart for India in line with major international
travel marts being held in countries across the world. Many tour operators who can’t attend the tourism
mart abroad because of the expenses involved, will be able to meet the industry big wigs right here in
the country. The mart will see the participation of around 225 international buyers from across the
world such as North America, West Europe, East Asia, Latin America and others as well as an equal
number of domestic stakeholders. After the event, the visitors will also be taken on familiarization tours
of tourist sites of their choice sponsored by the respective state governments and ten such itineraries
have already been chalked out. Vineet Singh | vineet.vineetsingh@gmail.com |
120. What is the India’s ranks in the latest UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) report 2018?
[A] 130
[B] 132
[C] 134
[D] 136
Correct Answer: A [130]
Notes:
India has been ranked 130 among 189 countries in the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report
2018, which is released by the United Nations Development Programme. As per report, between 1990
and 2017, India’s HDI value saw a 50% increase from 0.427 to 0.640, an indicator of the country’s
remarkable achievement in lifting millions of people out of poverty. During the period, India’s life
expectancy at birth increased by nearly 11 years, with the average years of children staying in school
increased by 4.7 years. India’s gross per capita income increased by a staggering 266.6% between 1990
and 2017. The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of
human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland and Germany led the ranking, while Niger, the Central African
Republic, South Sudan, Chad and Burundi have the lowest scores in the HDI’s measurement of national
achievements in health, education and income.
121. Which country is host to the World chefs’ congress 2018?
[A] Australia
[B] India
[C] China
[D] Japan
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
The first edition of the World Heritage Cuisine Summit and food festival will be held at the Qila
Gobindgarh in Amritsar, Punjab from October 12-14. It will be organise by the World Cultural Culinary
Heritage Committee, under the aegis of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (World Chefs). The
summit, hosted by the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations, will celebrate traditional cuisine with
live demonstrations, food tasting, presentations, panel discussions, master classes by chefs from around
the world in the holy city. It will focus on inculcating appreciation for food culture and traditions, good
food habits and sustainable practices.
122. The Delhi government has signed a “Friendship and Cooperation Agreement” with which city

to share expertise on 12 fields?

[A] Geneva
[B] Paris
[C] Seoul
[D] Berlin
Correct Answer: C [Seoul ]
Notes:
The Delhi government has signed a “Friendship and Cooperation Agreement” with the Seoul
Metropolitan Government under which the two cities would exchange expertise for betterment in 12
fields including environment, transport, tourism, solid waste management and public health. As per the
MoU, the Delhi government will solicit support of its Urban Development Department and other
departments for implementing all the relevant aspects of the agreement. It also requires the Delhi
government to set up and operationalise a ‘Twinning Cell’ at the Urban Development Department and a
committee to support the cell. Besides, it will support activity related workshops, conduct community
participation activities, and maintain documentation. The ‘Twinning Agreement’ will remain in force till
three years from September 14, 2018, and it could be amended by written agreement between the two
parties.
123. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has recently commissioned which indigenously built patrol vessel?
[A] Tarmugli
[B] Vijaya
[C] Chetlat
[D] Baratang
Correct Answer: B [Vijaya]
Notes:
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned indigenously built patrol vessel ‘Vijaya’ in Chennai,
Tamil Nadu. It is capable of carrying limited pollution response equipment to contain oil spill in sea. The
98-metre Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) was designed and built by Larsen & Toubro India at Kattupalli
shipyard and is fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery.
The ship is designed to carry one twin engine helicopter and four high speed boats, including two
inflatable boats for boarding, search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol operations. The
vessel is fitted with a 30 mm gun and will be fitted with a 12.7 mm gun with a Fire Control System (FCS).
It will be based at Paradip Port, Odisha and be deployed in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for
surveillance and other duties.
124. Which of the following is the India’s first underwater robotic drone?
[A] BrainROV TUNA
[B] HeadROV TUNA
[C] EyeROV TUNA
[D] HandROV TUNA
Correct Answer: C [EyeROV TUNA]
Notes:
India’s first underwater robotic drone “EyeROV TUNA” was launched and handed over to Kochi-based
DRDO lab “Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL)”. The drone can send real-time videos
of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance. It will be used by
NPOL for research and development activities which in turn would result in a commercial product for
defence purposes. The robotic drone can be navigated up to a depth of 50 meters to take real-time HD
video images to examine ship hulls or undersea cables or bridge moorings and can eliminate the need for
costlier and riskier manual inspection by divers. The first commercial Remotedly Operated Vehicle
(ROV)/underwater drone “EYEROVTUNA” was developed by EyeROV Technologies, a company
incubating at the Kalamassery-based Maker Village which is said to be the largest hardware incubator in
the country.
125. The first lion safari of Rajasthan has come up at which of the following parks?
[A] Nahargarh Biological Park

[B] Ranthambore National Park

[C] Keoladeo National Park
[D] Sariska National Park
Correct Answer: A [Nahargarh Biological Park]
Notes:
The Rajasthan government has recently inaugurated the first lion safari of the state at Nahargarh
Biological Park (NBP), which is located about 12 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. The
visitors will be able to see lions in their natural habitat in the park spanning 38 hectares and enclosed by
a fence. They will be taken on a nearly 4 km safari in a closed bus. Though, the Safari will be thrown open
for the tourists from October 2018.
126. The scientists at which central research institute have developed India’s first indigenous anti-
nuclear medical kit?
[A] Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
[B] Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
[C] Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany
[D] Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences
Correct Answer: D [Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences]
Notes:
The scientist at INMAS claim to have developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure
protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or
radioactive leakage. The medical kit has been developed for the armed, paramilitary and police forces
only as they are the first ones likely to get exposed to radiation. It has over 25 items, including radio-
protectors that provide 80-90% protection against radiation and nerve gas agents, bandages that absorb
radiation as well as tablets and ointments. The kit also has an Ethylene Di-amine Tetra acetic acid
(EDTA) injection that traps uranium in the guts and blood of victims during a nuclear accident or
warfare. The kit also has Ca-EDTA Respiratory Fluid, which is the inhalation formula for chelation, or
grabbing, of heavy metals and radioactive elements deposited in lungs through inhalation at nuclear
accident sites. The medicine reduces the body burden of radioactivity by 30-40% in controlled conditions
and is highly useful for the rescue teams and victims after a nuclear accident. The acronym “INMAS”
stands for “Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences”.
127. What is the theme of the 2018 International Day of Democracy?
[A] Fight for democracy
[B] Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World
[C] Democracy and conflict prevention
[D] Democracy for Universal Peace
Correct Answer: B [Democracy under Strain: Solutions for a Changing World]
Notes:
The International Day of Democracy is observed every year on September 15 to highlight the values of
freedom and respect for human rights as essential elements of democracy. It is an opportunity to look
for ways to invigorate democracy and seek answers to the systemic challenges it faces. This includes
tackling economic and political inequalities, making democracies more inclusive by bringing the young
and marginalized into the political system, and making democracies more innovative and responsive to
emerging challenges such as migration and climate change. The 2018 theme is “Democracy under
Strain: Solutions for a Changing World”.
128. National Engineer’s Day (NED) is celebrated in India on which date?
[A] September 16
[B] September 15
[C] September 14
[D] September 17
Correct Answer: B [September 15]
Notes:

The National Engineer’s Day (NED) is celebrated every year on September 15 in India to appreciate the
contributions of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who was born on this day in 1861 in a village called
Muddenahalli in Karnataka. He patented and installed an irrigation system with water floodgates at the
Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune to raise the flood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest
level. This was also installed at Gwalior’s Tigra Dam and Mysuru’s Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam, the
latter of which created one of the largest reservoirs in Asia at the time. According to the Institution of
Engineers India (IEI), he was not only known for his contributions in the field of engineering but was also
called the “precursor of economic planning in India”. The 2018 theme is “Engineering Challenges for
Knowledge Era”.

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News Headlines: September 1 to 15, 2018

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increase over 2016: UN World Tourism Organisation

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Organisation’s South-East Asian Region (WHOSEAR)

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Current Affairs – News Headlines: September 10, 2018

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Activist (ASHA) workers

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Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Eight Core Industries

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Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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4th BIMSTEC summit concludes with adaptation of Kathmandu Declaration

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address at third Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing.

2018 FOCAC Highlights

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Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

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Swadesh Darshan Scheme

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association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

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United Kingdom) if its current proliferation trend continues.

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Odisha Assembly passes resolution for creation of Legislative Council

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Medals won in 2018 Asian Games