International News
Sri Lanka removed from FATF's Grey List
- Srilanka has been removed from the Financial Action Task Force's grey list at the five-day plenary concluded in Paris.
- The FATF was established in 1989, is an inter-governmental body to combat terror financing, money laundering and related financial and cybercrimes.
Rohingya refugees to be Relocated to Camp at Bhashan Char Island
- The relocation camp built at Bhashan Char will accommodate about 1lakh people and has the facilities of the warehouse, embankment, etc.
- Rohingya are an ethnic group (largely Muslims), who moved to certain parts of India and Bangladesh from Myanmar, where they are classified as resident foreigners or as associate citizens.
2nd Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA)
- ISA is the Indian government’s initiative, launched by Indian Prime Minister and the President of France on 30th November 2015 at Paris, France.
- The Alliance was formed on the side-lines of the COP-21, with 121 solar resource-rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members.
National News
Training of 2nd group of Nepalese Officers at NACIN Started
- The training is given on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism at NACIN Regional centre in Bengaluru.
- The course is being provided under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme of Ministry of External Affairs and is fully supported by the Government of India.
25 years of Pulse Polio Programme
- The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1988.
- In India, the Delhi government had first launched the immunization programme on a pilot basis on 2nd October 1994 with the tagline ‘Do Boond Zindagi Ki’.
Hindustan Petroleum, Power Grid Corp got 'Maharatna' Status
- The government has accorded ‘Maharatna’ status to state-owned Hindustan Petroleum and Power Grid Corporation.
- The Department of Public Enterprises, under the Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises, issued the orders to this effect on 23rd October 2019.
BSNL, MTNL to be Merged
- As per the merger, MTNL will act as a subsidiary of BSNL (both together holds 14% market share in the mobile business in India).
- The revival package of Rs 70,000 crore includes raising sovereign bonds, monetising assets and voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees.
World Bank signed Loan Agreement for Odisha Farmers
- In Odisha, farming is largely dominated by farmers with landholdings of less than two hectares and the frequency of droughts in the state has increased from 1 in 5 years to 1 in 2 years.
- The $165 million loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a maturity of 24 years and a 6-year grace period.
Ease of Doing Business-Implementation of RFID
- Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the Ease of Doing Business-Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based Port Access Control System (PACS) at Kolkata Dock System (KDS).
- RFID based Port Access Control System (PACS) will provide a single-window system to the Port users for obtaining a permit/ pass through 100% cashless transaction.
Odisha-Mo Parivar Launched
- Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik have launched ‘Odisha-Mo Parivar’ initiative on 26th October 2019.
- Under the Programme, the party leaders of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will dedicate themselves to protect the environment with trees planting and generate awareness among the public.
Vote through Postal Ballots for Octagenarians & Persons with Disability
- The Ministry has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to allow them for postal ballots and ease the process of voting to all such categories of electors.
- As per the amended Rule, the person will make an application in a new Form 12 D, which will reach the Returning Officer within 5 days following the date of notification of election.
14th National Health Profile, 2019
- The NHP is published since 2005 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- The e-book of NHP was also released by the ministry, as digital documents give us an opportunity for wider dissemination of information.
Overseas Citizen Permitted to Enroll in NPS
- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is a statutory Authority that functions to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System (NPS).
- Earlier, NPS was notified for central government employees joining service after 1st Jan 2004 and was later adopted by state governments employees.
Banking
Penalty Imposed on TMB
- RBI has imposed Rs 35 Lakh penalty on TMB for non-compliance of provisions issued by RBI on “Reserve Bank of India (Frauds classification and reporting by commercial banks and select FIs) directions 2016”.
- RBI is vested with powers under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to impose such penalty.
RBI imposed Penalty on Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank Ltd
- RBI has imposed the penalty with the power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- On 1st March 2018, the statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI, with reference to the financial position of the Bank.
RBI imposed Penalty on Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd
- RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on Janata Sahakari Bank Ltd., Pune by an order dated 16th October 2019.
- RBI has imposed the penalty with the power vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
RBI imposed Penalty on Bandhan Bank Limited
- The penalty has been imposed for the for non-compliance with the guidelines on promoter holding contained in ‘Guidelines for Licensing of New Banks in Private Sector’, read with the conditions imposed by RBI in the exercise of powers under section 22 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- RBI is vested with powers under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to impose the penalty.
Reports
India ranks 63rd in World Bank’s Doing Business Report
- The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF) and this year India’s DTF score improved to 71.0 from 67.23 in 2018.
- India has improved its rank in 7 out of 10 indicators that include Construction Permits, Registering Property, Getting Electricity, Starting a Business, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders and Resolving Insolvency.
Index and Ranking
India ranked 57th in Global Health Security Index
- US has topped the list and is followed by UK and Netherlands at 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
- The report is a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, with research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Appointments
| Name of the Person | Designation |
| Pankaj Kumar | New CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) |
| Pramod Kumar Das | Minority Affairs Secretary |
| Rajesh Bhushan | Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat |
| Tuhin Kanta Pandey | Secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management |
| Braj Raj Sharma | Chairman of Staff Selection Commission |
| Sanjeev Nandan Sahai | Power Secretary |
| Sanjeev Gupta | Secretary of Inter-State Council Secretariat |
| Sailesh | Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises |
| Alok Tandon | Secretary in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances |
| Nagendra Nath Sinha | Secretary in Department of Border Management |
| Kais Saied | President of Tunisia |
| Alberto Fernandez | Presidential election of Argentina |
| Girish Chandra Murmu | Lt. Governor of Jammu-Kashmir |
| R K Mathur | Lt. Governor of Ladakh |
| P.S. Sreedharan Pillai | New Governor of Mizoram |
| Dineshwar Sharma | Administrator of Lakshadweep |
Important Days
| Date | Day | Theme |
| 23rd October 2019 | International Snow Leopard Day | -- |
| 27th October 2019 | Infantry Day | -- |
| 28th October to 2nd November 2019 | Vigilance Awareness Week | Theme- “Integrity- a way of life” |
MOU’s Signed
GeM Signed MoU with Federal Bank
- The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federal Bank for Payment Services.
- The government launched the GeM portal in August 2016 for seamless procurement of goods and services by the government departments in a transparent manner.
Ministry of Railways signed MoU with ISB
- ISB has been training the Indian Railway officers for their mid-career training requirements through its Centre for Executive Education (CEE).
- Indian School of Business (ISB) is a global business school that provides management education across its two campuses – Hyderabad and Mohali.
Government Schemes
Delhi government agreed to Implement PM-KISAN
- The PM-KISAN scheme was announced on 1st February 2019, during the interim budget presented by stand-in Finance Minister Piyush Goyal.
- The scheme credits an amount of Rs 6000 in 3 instalments into farmers account through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) i.e. Rs 2000 in each instalment.
Defence
Rudrashila: White Water Rafting Expedition
- The white water rafting expedition- ‘Rudrashila’ was flagged in on 25th October 2019 at Jodhpur Military Station.
- The soldiers covered a total distance of over 140km from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh in river Ganga along Uttarakhand mountains.
Indo-French Joint Exercise Shakti-2019
- Exercise SHAKTI is a biennial exercise between India and France and is conducted alternatively in India and France since 2011.
- The Indian side is represented by the Sikh Regiment of Sapta Shakti Command (Indian Army) and the French army is represented by troops of 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of 6th Armoured Brigade.
Science and Technology
IndiGen Genome Project
- The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology has conducted Whole Genome Sequencing of 1,008 Indian under the IndiGen Genome project.
- CSIR has led human genomic sciences in India for studying the “Indian Genome Variation”.
Sports
Praveen Kumar: 1st Indian to win Wushu World Championships
- The 15th edition of the championship was held in Minhang Gymnasium in Shanghai, China on 23rd October 2019.
- Praveen Kumar has defeated Russel Diaz of Philippines in the 48kg category.
India won Silver at French Open
- The doubles pair lost to world No.1 Indonesian pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the finals of the French Open.
- Partho Ganguli and Vikram Singh were the last doubles pair from India to win the French Open in 1983.
Tiger Woods equals US legend Sam Snead's all-time Record
- American Golfer Tiger Woods equals world record for most career titles on PGA Tour with his 82nd win in Japan, equalling Sam Snead's 54-year-old record.
- He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam and is only the second golfer (after Nicklaus) to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times.
2024 Olympic Games Logo
- The organising committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris has unveiled the logo for the 2024 Olympic Games.
- Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant is the chairman of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission.
Summits and Conferences
DEFCOM 2019
- DEFCOM is jointly organised by the Corps of Signals, Indian Army and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)/ Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
- The event stresses on the need and measures for seamless communication between the three services.
29th BASIC Ministerial Meet on Climate Change
- The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. LI Ganjie, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China.
- The member countries urged the developed nations to deliver on their commitment to provide $100 billion to the developing nations as climate finance for proper implementation of the climate action plan.
