Current Affairs One - liner : 17th October 2023

• National:
•  The 5th India STEM Summit & Awards 2023 is being organized by the All India Council for Robotics and Automation (AICRA) at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The event took place on 16th October, 2023.

• The inaugural India-UK 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 16 October 2023. The Indian delegation was co-chaired by Shri Piyush Srivastava, Joint Secretary Europe West, Ministry of External Affairs and Shri Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary, International Cooperation, Ministry of Defence.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the third edition of the Global Maritime India Summit 2023. During the summit, he unveiled the ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, a blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy. He also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation projects worth more than Rs 23,000 crores.
• The 51st meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved 7 projects worth around Rs. 285 crore. The meeting was held on 12th October 2023 under the chairmanship of G. Asok Kumar, Director General (DG) of NMCG.
• Sri Lanka has assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) at the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers which concluded in Colombo. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry chaired the meeting.
• The 3rd Battalion of the Naga Regiment was presented with the prestigious President’s Colours by the Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande. The ceremony took place during an impressive Colour presentation parade held at Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet (Uttarakhand) on 13th October 2023.
• The Indian Army, in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), has established the first-ever BSNL base transceiver station (BTS) on the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme from Malkangiri on October 12, 2023. The scheme aims to connect panchayat and block headquarters with district headquarters by bus.
• The 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting was held in Hanoi on October 16, 2023.The meeting was co-chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.
• Important days:
• World Migratory Bird Day 2023 will be celebrated on October 14. The theme for this year is "Water: Sustaining Bird Life". The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of water to migratory birds and the increasing threats to both water quality and quantity.
• The International Day of Rural Women is observed annually on October 15.The day was established to acknowledge the vital contributions of rural women to their communities and the global economy.The theme for the International Day of Rural Women 2023 is "Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All".
• Obituaries:
• Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away at the age of 86. He was a renowned peace broker and had a global reputation as a peace mediator. He served as Finland’s President from 1994 to 2000.
•  Awards and Honors:
• Guidance Tamil Nadu, the nodal agency for investment promotion under the Department of Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu, has indeed received the prestigious United Nations Promotion Award 2023.
• Economy:
• The Indian government has extended the 20% export duty on parboiled rice until March 31, 2024. This move aims to maintain sufficient local stock and control domestic prices. 
• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has projected that the share of natural gas in India’s total energy mix will reach 10.6% by 2045. This is compared to the Indian government’s target of 15% by 2030.
• The production halt in the Parsa East & Kanta Basan block in Chhattisgarh has resulted in a scarce fuel supply in Rajasthan. The 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) coal mine in Chhattisgarh is owned by Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL).
• In September 2023, India’s wholesale inflation remained in the deflation zone for the sixth consecutive month. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation was -0.26%.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change notified the ‘green credit’ programme on October 13, 2023. This is a first-of-a-kind market-based instrument designed to incentivise individuals, industries and local bodies for their voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors.
• The drop in new investment by 13% in Q2 of FY24 could be due to a variety of factors. It could be influenced by the overall economic climate, changes in government policies, market demand, or even global events.
• The retail inflation in India, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), eased to 5.02% in September from 6.83% in August. This is a significant decrease and could have various implications for the economy, such as potential changes in monetary policy.

Questions:

Q.1 When is the International Day of Rural Women observed?

a. October 15

b. November 15

c. September 15

d. December 15

Q.2 Which award did Guidance Tamil Nadu receive in 2023?

a. United Nations Promotion Award

b. United Nations Development Award

c. United Nations Investment Award

d. United Nations Commerce Award