Banking and Financial Awareness
- SEBI has reconstituted its committee on market infrastructure institutions under the chairmanship of R Gandhi.
- RBI has guided banks to issue loans to rural women SHGs at 7 % under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission in 2017-2018.
- Private sector Bank, Yes Bank is to fund Rs.156 Crores for the STP- Sewage Treatment Plant at Varanasi under Namami Gange project.
- NITI Aayog forecasted that the GDP might grow to 6.9 to 7 % in the fiscal of 2017-2018 and to 7.5% in 2018-2019.
- Union Bank of India launched an app called Union Sahyog, which offers both English and Hindi.
- Yes Bank has partnered with an Abu Dhabi International Financial Center, for collaboration in financial technology systems in India and Saudi Arabia.
- Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) launched India’s first commodity options in gold.
- The Ministry of Finance has permitted all public sector banks and the top 3 private banks ( ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank) to accept deposits for Small savings schemes.
Appointments and Resignations
- Ranjit Kumar, Solicitor General of India resigned from the post, the tenure of which was extended on last June.
- Sunny Verghese was appointed as the new chairman of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
Obituaries
- Thuravoor Viswambharan, Indian Vedic scholar and writer passed away on October 20, 2017.
- Roy Dotrice, Veteran British actor passed away.
- Shamsher Khan, India's first Olympic swimmer passed away.
- Former CPI-M Lok Sabha member Amal Datta passed away.
Honour and Awards
- US author George Saunders has won Man Booker Prize 2017 for his novel "Lincoln in the Bardo".
- Prominent poet, lyricist and journalist Prabha Varma has been chosen for the Padma Prabha Puraskaram this year.
- Famous Konkani Folk artist Gopal Gowda has been selected Kalakar Puraskar 2017.
- Vocalist T.M. Krishna will receive the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for 2015-16.
- Environmental scientist Schellnhuber receives Blue Planet Prize, world's most prestigious award for environmental science.
- Fifty Indian peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan have been awarded the UN Medal for their professionalism and service
Books and Authors
- The biography of veteran actress Hema Malini titled "Beyond the Dream Girl" was launched.
- Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee released the third series of his autobiography titled "The Coalition years 1996-2012"
Important Days
- October 15th is celebrated as "International Day for Rural Women" to recognize the contribution made by rural women.
- World Food Day is celebrated on October 16 every year by FAO- Food and Agricultural Organisation.
- "The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty" is observed on October 17 annually.
- The second Ayurveda Day was celebrated on 17 October 2017 by the Ministry of AYUSH.
- 20th October is observed as ‘World Statistics Day’, once in every 5 years from 2010.
- 21st October is observed as Police Commemoration Day throughout India ,to mark the memory of all Police personnel who have laid down their lives on duty.
Index and Ranking:
- The Jaipur and Srinagar Airports were ranked first and second respectively in ACI (Airports Council International)-ASQ (Airport Service Quality) Survey in the category of 2-5 million passengers.
MoUs and Partnerships:
- India, Brazil and South Africa have signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement that seeks to fight poverty in developing countries.
- The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund of India (NIIF) has signed an investment agreement for $1 billion with a unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
Important News- World
- Russia is to conduct INDRA-2017, the first-ever Tri-Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces from October 19 to October 29.
- The first nation to accept bitcoin in exchange for citizenship is the island country- Vanuatu.
- Indian actor Varun Dhawan is the youngest actor to get a wax statue done at Madame Tussauds, Hong Kong.
- Jacinda Ardern is to become the next prime minister of New Zealand and the third prime minister to lead the country.
- A direct bus service commenced between New Delhi and Rolpa district in Nepal once in a week.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo has been elected to the UN Human Rights Council.
Important News- India
- Ministry of Women and Child Development has started an online campaign #IamThatWoman, to end Gender bias.
- Mahindra & Mahindra launched a programme, Prerna with an objective to empower women working in the agriculture sector.
- India's first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) was inaugurated on Ayurveda Day on 17th October, 2017 in New Delhi.
- The Provisions of "Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) Act 2017" have come into force on October 16, 2017. (FDDI was declared an ‘Institute of National Importance’).
- The Govardhan Eco Village, set up by the ISKCON in Palghar district, Maharashtra has won the Green Platinum Award, instituted by Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has planned a programme for the promotion of Northeastern products in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- The government of India has set up a committee for suggestions on Artificial Intelligence policy.
Science and Technology
- INS Kiltan, an indigenously built anti-submarine, was commissioned into Indian Navy.
- The world’s first plant under the CarbFix Project to turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into stone has begun operations in Hellisheidi, Iceland.
- A new species of gecko at Chhattisgarh’s Kanger Ghati National Park in Eastern Ghats was discovered. Its common name is the Kanger valley rock gecko and the biological name is Hemidactylus kangerensis.
Important News- States
- Madhya Pradesh has launched a new scheme called "Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana" to provide the compensation for agriculture products.
- Odisha’s first PNG supply was started in Bhubaneswar, which is an integral part of ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’ pipeline project.
- Rajasthan has become first in India to call attention and adjournment motions and proposals online from legislators to send them to the state government.
- The Government has given Green clearance to the Greenfield Airport Project at Hirasar, Gujarat.
- Rajasthan Government has introduced The Code of Criminal Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017 to prohibit probes against judges and officers without sanction.
- Assam State Government rolled out ‘Tourism Policy of Assam 2017’ to increase tourist inflow in the state by two to three times within next five years.
- The Maharashtra Govt. has released the sum of 4,000 crore rupees under the first phase of the farm loan waiver scheme.
- Arunachal Pradesh Assembly approved the creation of Kamle as 23rd district.
- The AYUSH Festival of Stamps 2017 has been inaugurated the two days exhibition event at Panaji.
- Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje has opened up the expansion of Annapurna Rasoi Yojna in all the 191 urban areas of the state.
Sports News
- Kavita Devi has become the first Indian woman to sign for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
- The 17-year-old Selena Selvakumar won singles and doubles gold medal and the team championship gold at Egypt Junior Table Tennis Championship.
- Tennis star Maria Sharapova won Tianjin Open Title, the first series after the 15-month doping ban imposed on her.
- Cricketer Shakib Al Hasan is the first Bangladesh player to be inducted in the MCC World Cricket committee.
- Swiss Tennis Legend Roger Federer clinched Shangai Masters Title, after defeating Rafael Nadal.
