1. Health and Family Welfare Ministry did soft launch of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) segment of _____________________ (IHIP) in seven states, first such initiative to monitor public health surveillance. It will provide near-real-time data to for detecting outbreaks, reducing morbidity and mortality and lessening disease burden in populations and better health systems.
2. 14th edition of Jashn e Bachpan a theatre festival for children held in __________________, organised by National School of Drama’s (NSD) Theatre in Education (TIE) Company.
3. 2nd India International Cherry Blossom Festival hosted in Shillong (______________), as world’s only autumn cherry blossom festival.
4. 2st India-ASEAN InnoTech Summit held in ________________, organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
5. 38th India International Trade Fair Concluded at Pragati Maidan (New Delhi). ______________ was adjudged Best State and Himachal Pradesh 2nd, for their pavilions showcasing potential to boost tourism and promotion of local products. Theme of IITF 2018 was Entrepreneurs of Rural India.
6. 49th International Film Festival of India held in Goa, showcasing 212 films from over 68 countries.
- While Israel is focus country, ___________________________ is the focus state this year. Theme is New India.
- Awards -
- Israeli Director Dan Wolman was honoured with lifetime achievement award.
- Script writer Salim Khan honoured with IFFI 2018 Special Award for his lifetime contribution to cinema.
- Best film (Golden Peacock) award - Donbass (Ukrainian movie) directed by Sergei Loznitsa.
- Best director (Silver Peacock) award - Lijo Jose Pellissery (Malayalam film-India).
- Best Actor (Male) Award - Chemban Vinod for his role in ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’ (Malayalam-India)
- Best Actor (Female) Award - Anastasiia Pustovit for her role in ‘When the Trees Fall’ (Ukrainian)
- Centenary Award for Best Debut Feature Film of Director - Alberto Monteras II for ‘Respeto’ (Filipino)
- ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal: ‘Walking with the Wind’ directed by Praveen Morchhale
7. Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated 2nd Mega Food Park in ____________________________, named Paithan Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd, in Wahegaon and Dhangaon village in Paithan Taluka of Aurangabad district. State's first Park was inaugurated on 1st of March 2018 in Satara district. Paithan Mega Food Park Park has been set up in 102 acre of land at a cost of Rs. 124.52 crore.
8. NITI Aayog constituted ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan region. It will review and implement identified action points based on Reports of five Working Groups, constituted by NITI Aayog. Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the ____________________ (Member in NITI Aayog).
9. According to National Health Agency, __________________________ emerged as top performer under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, after 2 months its launch. Around 76,000 hospital admissions have been cleared in state since September 23, Tamil Nadu ranked second and Chhattisgarh third.
10. According to National bureau of economic research (NBER)'s first analysis of status of mobility in urban India, using Google maps, _________________ tops as most congested city with Mumbai ranked 2nd. other top 5 - Delhi (3rd) , Chennai (4th) and Kolkata (5th).
11. According to a study named ‘Ease of Moving Index’ by Ola Mobility Institute, ______________________ topped among all metro cities in public transport. Patna and Bhubaneswar topped list for growing and emerging cities.
12. Airports Authority of India (AAI) cancelled UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) licence of low-cost carrier Air __________________________ for seven airports for poor and irregular services. Airports are — Jharsuguda, Raipur, Raigarh, Bilaspur, Ambikapur, Jagdalpur and Visakhapatnam.
13. Andaman & Nicobar Islands have ________________ % of India’s fauna species and hosts 1067 endemic faunal species found nowhere else. It was stated in Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)'s report Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: Islands of India. Total area of A&N Islands (comprises of 572 islands) is is about 8250 sq. km has around 11000 species.
14. ______________ State Updates -
- Launched Bhuseva and Bhudaar web portal through which people can view land records online. Bhudaar is 11 digit unique identification code to be assigned to each agriculture land holding and rural and urban property. Unique Bhudaar ID will start with 28 and if it is government land, 28 is followed by 00. Bhudaar card can be generated by land owner or property owner from Bhuseva web portal.
- Building India’s first ‘Justice City’ within its new capital Amaravati, to provide state-of-the-art ecosystem built on latest technology for supporting judicial system in state.
- __________and West Bengal governments have withdrawn their "general consent" to the CBI to conduct raids and investigations. CBI would now need permission from the respective state governments to carry out any sort of investigation in these states, except those ordered by courts and against central government officials.
- Finalised its new emblem for official use, five years after state's bifurcation in 2014. Inspired by Amaravati School of Art, it consists of "Dhamma Chakka" - "the Wheel of Law".
15. Annual Sangai Festival celebrated in northeastern state of __________________, as grandest festival of state named after state animal Sangai, the critically endangered brow-antlered deer found only in __________.
16. As per 6th edition & 2019 version of India Skills Report, ______________________ topped list of states with the highest employability followed by Rajasthan and Haryana.
17. As per Govt, 8 States have achieved 100% saturation in household electrification under Saubhagya -Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, J&K, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. Till now, __________________________ States have 100 % household electrification.
- Saubhagya – ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’ was launched in September 2017 with the objective to electrify all remaining households in country.
- Aim is to ensure 24x7 access to electricity for all by 31st March 2019.
18. As per survey by World Bank, student dropout rate in _________________’s upper primary (VI-VIII) and secondary (IX-X) class stood at 17.7 % and 35.1 % respectively. It is highest in India and four times above the national average.
19. Bhadohi district of _____________________, known for its hand-woven carpets, has been granted export ‘excellence tag’ for product category ‘Carpets and other floor Coverings’ by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Carpet makers of the city will now get financial assistance from government to procure modern machines, improve export infrastructure, and organize fairs and exhibitions.
20. __________________ Government approved redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) into world’s largest 5462-bed hospital, at cost 5540 crores. State Government also approved to pay INR 25000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and onwards, irrespective of the pass division, community or region.
21. Cabinet Approvals (Nov 01, 2018) -
- MOUs -
- Morocco - Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
- Russia - M0U for cooperation in transport education and MoC with Russian Railways for technical cooperation in railways.
- South Korea - Cooperation in Tourism.
- General Approvals -
- Approved promulgation ordinance to amend Companies Act 2013, aimed at declogging National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs) and decriminalise minor offences by companies. It will transfer 90% of the cases to regional directors under Ministry of Corporate Affairs from NCLTs. It will retain status of all non-compoundable offences since they are serious in nature.
- Approved renaming Jharsuguda Airport in _____________________ as Veer Surendra Sai Airport.
- Approved moving a Resolution in first Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) for opening up ISA membership to all United Nations Member Nations. It will make ISA inclusive, where all member countries that members of UN could become members.
22. Cabinet Approvals (Nov 08, 2018) -
- General Approvals -
- In-principle approval for leasing out six airports of AAI - Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru for management under Public Private Partnership (PPP) through Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC).
- Apprised of India joining as Member of Advanced Motor Fuels Technology Collaboration Programme (AMF TCP)under International Energy Agency (IEA). AMF TCP works under International Energy Agency (IEA) to which India has "Association" status since 30th March, 2017.
- Aim is to facilitate market introduction of Advanced motor fuels/ Alternate fuels with an aim to bring down emissions and achieve higher fuel efficiency in transport sector.
- Approved filling of Padur Strategic Petroleum Reserves(SPR) at Padur (Karnataka) by overseas National Oil Companies (NOCs). The SPR facility at Padur is an underground rock cavern with a total capacity of 2.5 million metric tonnes (MMT). The filling of the SPR under PPP model is being undertaken to reduce budgetary support of Government of India.
- Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL) has constructed and commissioned underground rock caverns for storage of total 5.33 MMT of crude oil at three locations namely Vishakhapatnam (1.33 MMT), Mangalore (1.5 MMT) and Padur (2.5 MMT).
- Approved setting up a Central Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh, in Relli village of Vizianagaram District. 420 crores INR Funds for first phase expenditure have been approved.
- Defence Ministry enhanced Financial Powers of Vice Chiefs of Tri-Services by Five Times, with enhanced ceiling of 500 Crores.
- MOUs -
- Morocco - Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters. Also Approved Extradition Agreement with Morocco.
- Italy - for continuing training and education in the fields of Labour and Employment.
- CCEA Approvals -
- Approved strategic disinvestment of 100% Government of India's shares in _________________________________ to consortium of four ports namely, Vishakhapatnam Port Trust, Paradeep Port Trust, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust and Kandla Port Trust. Presently the Government of India holds 73.44% shares in DCIL.
23. Cabinet Aprovals (Nov 22, 2018) -
- General Approvals -
- Approved setting up of Medical College at Silvassa in UT of _________________________________________, with yearly intake of 150 students.
- Extended term of Commission to examine issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Central List for six months, till 31st May 2019, as fourth extension to commission for submission for its politically crucial report on creating quotas within quotas.
- Government had constituted 5 member Commission under article 340 of Constitution in October 2017, headed by former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice G. Rohini. Its report is expected to recommend earmarking sub-quotas for the extremely backward classes within the OBCs.
- Commission is formed under Article 340 of Constitution which was also used to establish landmark Mandal Commission (set up in 1979) more than two decades ago which recommended 27% reservation for socially and educationally backward classes in higher education and government jobs.
- Approved Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill 2018 for regulation and standardisation of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals. It provides for setting up of an Allied and Healthcare Council of India and corresponding State Allied and Healthcare Councils which will play role of a standard-setter and facilitator for professions of Allied and Healthcare.
- Approved development of Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab to international border with Pakistan. Kartarpur is located in Shakargarh in Narowal district of Punjab province of Pakistan. Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism and its first guru had spent over 18 years of his life here.
- MOUs -
- Tajikistan - Youth Matters
- Uzbekistan - Science, Technology and Innovation.
- MoU between Atal Innovation Mission India and Fund "Talent and Success" Russia for promotion of science & technology, strong foundation to the collaborative work through exchange of students, teachers, researchers and scientists.
- Mauritius - Consumer Protection and Legal Metrology
- CCEA Approvals -
- Approved to expand scope of mandatory packaging norms under Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act 1987 -
- 100% of food grains and 20% of sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.
- Initially 10% of indents of jute bags for packing foodgrains would be placed through reverse auction on Gem portal, to gradually usher in a regime of price discovery.
- This will give a fillip to development of jute sector, increasing quality and productivity of raw jute, diversification of jute sector and also boosting and sustaining demand for jute product.
- Approved continuation of 9 sub-schemes of Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS) during 2017-2020 at cost of 1450 crores. CCEA also approved establishment of National Facility for Airborne Research (NFAR) with a financial commitment of Rs 130 crore during 2020-21 and beyond.
- It will provide improved weather, climate and ocean forecast and services, ensuring transfer of commensurate benefits to the various services.
24. Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) signed MoU with US-based Research Institute for Fragrant Materials (RIFM) for improving quality of fragrant oils, during annual conference of International Fragrance Association (IFA) in Paris (__________________).
- It will standardize fragrant material produced in India and bring it to an international level. It will give impetus to aroma mission of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) which aims at enhancing production of fragrant materials.
25. ______________ Updates -
- CM Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated long awaited Signature Bridge, the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India, constructed at expenditure of 1518 crores. The 675-metre bridge aims to reduce travel time and traffic congestion between the north-eastern and northern parts of ______________.
- It was first approved in 1997 after school bus fell off the narrow Wazirabad Bridge into the Yamuna, killing 22 children.
- State / UT Government launched a dedicated Open Transit Data portal (otd._______.gov.in), to spot locations of cluster buses at intervals of 10 seconds. It became first city in the country to open up transit data of city buses.
- State / UT Police launched an e-learning portal ‘Nipun’ to impart training and provide up to date information to police officers, designed under project CLAP “The Collaborative Learning and Partnership”. It will have online courses and resources on law, standing orders, investigation checklists, forms for case files, latest High Court and Supreme Court rulings.
- State / UT government and Indian Railways launched a scheme to give free tourism package for senior citizens travelling to 5 religious circuits, named Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana. Under it, 1100 senior citizens from all Delhi constituencies will be able to avail the offer. State government will bear expenses of 77,000 pilgrims every year.
26. General Events / Conferences (Nov 11 - 20, 2018) -
- 1st Indo-Japan Business Council- KONNICHIWA PUNE Festival held in Pune (_____________________).
- 2 day annual meeting of World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Councils held in Dubai (UAE).
- 6th Indian Social Work Congress held in New Delhi, with theme Human Development and Social Inclusion: Imperatives for Social Work Education and Practice.
- Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC) 2018 held in New Delhi.
- Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) hosted a conference on Global Digital Content Market (GDCM) 2018 in New Delhi.
- 2 day Global Cooling Innovation Summit Held in New Delhi -
- During the Summit, Global Cooling Prize was launched as an international competition to incentivize development of a residential cooling technology that will have at least five times lesser climate impact than the standard Room Air Conditioning (RAC).
- Prize is supported by Government of India and will be administered by leading research institutes Including Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Conservation X Labs, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) and CEPT University.
- A winning technology could prevent up to 100 gigatons (GT) of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2050, and put the world on a pathway to mitigate up to 0.5˚C of warming by 2100.
- Over US$3 million will be awarded in prize money over 2 year competition. Up to 10 short-listed competing technologies will be awarded up to US$200,000 each in intermediate prizes to support design of their innovative residential cooling technology.
- Winning technology will be awarded at least US$1 million to support its incubation and early-stage commercialization.
- Risk is that There are currently 1.2 billion room air conditioning units in service around world, estimated to rise to 4.5 billion by 2050. India alone will see over 1 billion air conditioning deployed by 2050.
- 26th Conference of Central and States Statistical Organizations at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, with theme Quality Assurance in Official Statistics.
- Twitter India launched #PowerOf18 campaign aimed at encouraging youth to contribute in public debates and participate in civic engagement for 2019 general elections.
- Inaugural session of General Assembly of Network for Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and the Pacific (NEDAC) held in New Delhi. NEDAC was set up in 1991 by United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
- 8th National Conference of Women in Police held in Ranchi (Jharkhand).
- Election Commission has set up ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in various constituencies of Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to vote in Assembly elections.
- Delhi government announced “Jashn-e-Virasat-e-Urdu”, a festival to celebrate Urdu culture and its heritage.
- 4 day regional meeting of World Customs Organisation (WCO) held in Jaipur (Rajasthan).
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organised a seminar on “International Standards and the Fourth Industrial Revolution” in New Delhi to celebrate the World Standards Day 2018 (October 14).
- India and China held 9th Annual Defence and Security Dialogue in Beijing (China), attended by Defence secretary Sanjay Mitra.
- 38th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2018 inaugurated at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi today, to last till Nov 27, 2018.
27. General Events / Conferences (Nov 21 - 30, 2018) -
- 3rd India-Singapore Defence Minister dialogue(DMD) held in Visakhapatnam (________________________________________________).
- 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF 2018) held in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- 4th annual “Aadi Mahotsav”, a National Tribal Festival organized by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in at Dilli Haat (Delhi).
- 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health will be held in Hyderabad (Telangana), with theme 'Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action.
- 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine started in Kathmandu (Nepal), with theme Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas.
- 2nd India-UAE Strategic Conclave held in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
- Government decided to set up domestic Gold council in India to promote the growth of the sector and boost exports of jewellery. It was announced during 2nd India Gold and Jewellery Summit in New Delhi.
- PM Narendra Modi laid Foundation Stones of City Gas Distribution (CGD) Projects in 65 Geographical Areas (GAs) in 129 Districts under 9th CGD Bidding Round, awarded by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
- 1st offshore wind investment conference held in New Delhi, During which European Investment Bank (EIB) and State Bank of India (SBI) agreed to cooperate on financing renewable energy and wind energy projects across India. EIB also approved a new line of credit worth USD 100 million to Yes Bank to boost private investment in clean energy projects.
- Uttar Pradesh Government launched Women Empowerment Resolution Campaign to develop leadership capacities in women and make them vocal for their rights.
- National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs)- “Hausla 2018” of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) was held in New Delhi. Theme for event is “Child Safety”.
- Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched logo and brochure of Logix India 2019 in New Delhi, Major Logistics sector event scheduled to take place in New Delhi from 31st January to 2nd February 2019.
- South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference held in New Delhi, organized by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) to mark beginning of celebration of 150th birth anniversary of M K Gandhi.
- 2nd International Ambedkar Conclave held in New Delhi as part of commemoration of Constitution Day.
- Dr Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC) and Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi signed MoU to enhance research activities and policy formulation aimed at Socio-economic Transformation and Sustainable Development.
- Bihar CM Nitish Kumar unveiled 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district of state, as 2nd tallest statue of Buddha in India.
- 7th ‘International Tourism Mart’ was held in Agartala (capital of Tripura), with theme Adventure Tourism.
28. General Confrences (Nov 1 - 10, 2018) -
- Ayodhya Deepotsav 2018, an event organised to mark Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya (_________________________________________) - has entered Guinness Book of World Records. On this occasion, over 3 lakh clay lamps were illuminated at Ram Ki Paidi on Chhoti Diwali as part of Deepotsava.
- Indo-French Conclave held in Nagpur (Maharashtra), in which French and Indian firms signed 12 agreements worth 200 million euro.
- Seminar on ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) concluded at Air Force Auditorium in New Delhi.
- Indian Air Force has organised a two day seminar on ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) at Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi.
- First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held at WHO Headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland).
- Preparatory meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue- 2019 held in new Delhi. Main exercise is scheduled for February 2019 in Delhi.
- 2 day Gyan Kumbh held at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar (Uttarakhand).
- India-UAE Partnership Summit (UPS) 2018 was held in Dubai (UAE). It aimed to identify the investment areas, projects, funding needs and helped to raise investments to funds vital infrastructure projects.
- 1st ‘Annual Senior Care Conclave – Igniting Industry for India’s Ageing Sector’ held at the Indian Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
- 13th Indo-Myanmar Regional Border Committee Meet concluded at Mantripukhari Garrison in north Imphal (Manipur).
29. ______________________ government banned import of fish into state for six months, amid uncertainty about the presence of formalin in imported fish.
30. _______________________’s Next Billion Users (NBU) team announced national roll-out of its Neighbourly app in Delhi and Bangalore. It will help people by sourcing local information from their neighbors about their neighbourhood in an easier way. It offers services in 8 vernacular languages and is a targeted app with a geographic radius between 1 to 5 km.
31. Government approved 3 proposals under Nirbhaya Fund including setting up of ______________________ Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs). It was proposal forwarded by Department of Justice under Ministry of Law and Justice) to dispose off pending cases of rape and POCSO Act across country. It will have total financial outlay of Rs 767.25 crores.
32. Government approved constitution of new boards of Governors for ______________________ IIMs as per IIM Act 2017, to give them complete autonomy and ensure a quality expansion of higher education. This will pave way for complete control of the institutions by reputed academicians and alumni.
33. Government launched initiative called Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to ________________________________ Indian languages, as part of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme. It will continue till December 21, 2018.
34. Government will set up first-of-its-kind institute of Inter-Faith Studies in _________________________________ to promote brotherhood and diversity, as part of year-long activities to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikh religion Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
- Government constituted National Implementation Committee (NIC) under Chairmanship of Home Minister Rajnath Singh to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
35. Govt. launched upgraded version of ____________________ 2.0 web portal and mobile app, for superior user experience with enhanced functionalities. Improvements include secure sign-up with social media, support chatbot, improved grievance management and detailed flight schedule.
36. ________________________ government launched a Rs 351-crore project for conservation of the Gir lions, after Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) outbreak that claimed 23 Asiatic lions in Gir National park in Saurashtra. It will also include an emergency ambulance van similar to 108 emergency services.
37. ____________________ General Insurance has set up a remote sensing lab for crop insurance, to help in early detection of information and alert the farmers. The lab will work accurately for assessing the risks of the insurers and will also be able to give early warnings about the losses.
38. ________________________ government approved implementing Sashakt Mahila Yojna in state with a vision to empower rural women by providing them an interface for organization and socio-economic development.
39. Historic Bali Yatra festival held in Cuttack, as largest trade fair in __________________.
40. Home Minister Rajnath Singh launched Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for Himachal Pradesh, making Himachal Pradesh first state to launch pan-India single emergency number ‘____________________________’ under ERSS. The single emergency services number will connect to Police, Fire, Health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre in State, obviating need to remember multiple helpline numbers.
41. IIT ______________________ Researchers have devised decision support system (DCS) to help maximise LPG connections in BPL (below poverty line) households under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, as first such analysis of national level energy policy. Its a computer program that helps in making sound rational decisions using mathematical programming and operation research techniques.
42. India Autism Centre (IAC), in association with state government, will build a world-class autism township near _______________________. Children and adults suffering from Autism (developmental disorder) can receive treatment and boarding facilities. It is expected to come up at Sirakol in South 24 Parganas.
43. India's WAPCOS and _______________________________ based Doppelmayr signed MOU for providing end-to-end solutions for passenger ropeway projects. Doppelmayr are world’s largest ropeway manufacturers with cutting-edge ropeway technologies.
44. Indian Railways unveiled ‘________________’ software that will help Railways keep track of punctuality of trains and earnings etc. It has been developed by Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS).
Indian Railways also announced elimination of all Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge. There were 3479 Unmanned Level Crossings on Broad Gauge routes of which, 3402 UMLCs have been eliminated in last 7 months. 12 Zonal Railways have been freed from UMLC on Broad Gauge route.
45. India’s first specialized hospital for elephants was formally opened Churmura village in Mathura district of ____________________, promoted by Wildlife SOS which had established first elephant conservation and care centre in 2010. It is designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants.
46. ____________Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved State Assembly with immediate effect, after both rival alliances put their claim to form government.
47. Jangalmahal festival organised in Kolkata (____________________), to promote tribal art and culture.
48. ___________________ government announced to provide free mobile phones to 28 lakh farmers and a separate electric feeder for them for agriculture purpose by 2019/2021.
49. ________________________ Government launched Samruddhi, 800-crore entrepreneurship and skill development scheme, for economically and socially underprivileged youth of small towns. It aims to train youth from SC and ST communities through private organisations in retail management and franchise opportunities.
50. ______________ Updates
- _______________ Govt. launched 'Cow Samridhi Plus Scheme' to provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in the state. Farmers belonging to general category will be getting 50% subsidy on premiums while those belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category would get 70% subsidy on the premium.
- _______________ Infrastructure and Technology for Education rolled out– KOOL, its Online Open Learning training platform, to train teachers, students and general public. KOOL has been designed in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) model.
- _______________ government commenced a scheme to offer free education and vocational training to the children of fishermen who died or went missing in 2017 Ockhi cyclonic storm.
51. Madras High Court banned online drug sale in ___________________. It said the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 was enacted during the colonial era and much before advent of online trade. There is no provision in it that permits the online sale of drugs and medicines.
52. ___________________ Updates -
- Approved hyperloop project between Pune and Mumbai as a public infrastructure project. This Fresh approval will ensure more competition and easier land acquisition for this ultra-high speed project, which aims to bring travel time between Pune and Mumbai down to 25 minutes.
- Bidding will be held under ‘Swiss challenge’ method, which allows the government to invite global firms to bid for the project and challenge original proponents of endeavour, Virgin Hyperloop One.
- Legislative assembly passed Maratha Reservation Bill, approving 16 % reservation for Maratha community in education and jobs in state. Bill will now be sent to the state’s upper house, legislative council (Vidhan Parishad). State legislature will create a new category called SEBC (socially and educationally backward class) in order to give reservation to Marathas.
53. ______________________ Government announced 378 crores INR investment in 2nd phase of State’s flagship aquaculture mission aimed at cutting down fish imports into hill State. Mission named Aqua Mission 2.0 was announced at 5th state aqua festival held in Shillong at U Soso Tham auditorium premises.
54. Ministry of ___________________ will launch new index to rank states on ‘ease of doing agri-business’, to incentivise states for various reform measures undertaken by them. It will broadly rank states on six major reform parameters related to the farming sector and have a total score of 100. These six parameters include -
- Marketing reforms (weightage of 25)
- Reducing cost of inputs (20)
- Governance and land reforms (20)
- Risk mitigation (15)
- Increasing production and productivity (10)
- Investment in agriculture (10)
55. Ministry of Finance will release Rs ___________________________________ commemorative coin on occasion of 75th anniversary of hoisting of Tricolour for first time by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Cellular Jail, Port Blair on December 30, 1943. 35-gram coin will be composed of 50% silver, 40% copper, and 5% each of nickel and zinc.
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on this day hoisted Tricolor for first time on free Indian soil at Cellular Jail of Port Blair.
- It was much before India attained Independence in 1947. He announced freedom of Andaman & Nicobar Islands (making it first Indian Territory) from British rule and renamed them as “Shaheed-dweep” and “Swaraj-dweep”.
- Island was liberated from British rule by Japan which captured it during World War – II. Major General Arcot Doraiswamy Loganadan of Indian National Army (INA) was made Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
56. Ministry of Food Processing Industries(MoFPI) approved operationalisation strategy for Operation Greens. It was announced in Budget speech 2018-19 with outlay of 500 crores, to stabilize supply of Tomato, Onion and Potato(TOP) crops. Measures Include -
- Short term Price Stabilisation Measures - NAFED will be Nodal Agency to implement price stabilisation measures. MoFPI will provide 50% of the subsidy on two components -
- Transportation of Tomato Onion Potato(TOP) Crops from production to storage;
- Hiring of appropriate storage facilities for TOP Crops.
- Long Term Integrated value chain development projects -
- Capacity Building of FPOs & their consortium
- Quality production
- Post-harvest processing facilities
- Agri-Logistics
- Marketing / Consumption Points
- Creation and Management of e-platform for demand and supply management of TOP Crops.
- Eligible Organisations for assistance under the scheme will be required to submit online application on SAMPADA (_____________________________) portal of ministry (https://sampada.gov.in/).
57. Ministry of Home Affairs released 113.36 crores to 6 Border States under _________________________ (BADP) to improve the condition of people living in these isolated locations. States - Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. With this, so far, Home Ministry has released total 637.98 crores during 2018-19 to states having International Border.
58. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy prepared a draft of new Scheme called ________________________ (IWTCS) incorporating various guidelines.It is a consolidation of relevant National and International Standards (IS/IEC/IEEE), and various best practices from other countries to ensure quality of wind energy projects.
- IWTCS is aimed at assisting and facilitating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), End Users -Utilities, State Nodal Authorities (SNAs), Developers, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Owners, Authorities, Investors and Insurers, Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories.
- Type Certification of wind turbines plays an active role in ensuring that wind turbines in India meet the requirements of requisite IS/IEC/IECRE standards in vogue.
59. Ministry of Tourism inaugurated 2 important projects as part of Development of North East Circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme in _______________________ -
- Bhalukpong- Bomdila – Tawang Project : Sanctioned by Ministry of Tourism in March 2015.
- Nafra- Seppa- Pappu, Pasa, Pakke Valleys- Sangdupota- New Sagalee- Ziro- Yomcha Project - It was sanctioned in December 2015.
60. Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) announced that government will pay employers salaries for first _______________________ of 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 month, amid complaints that many companies were reluctant to hire pregnant women after maternity leave was extended from 12 to 26 weeks and some were even firing women employees.
- It covers both government as well as private sector.
- Government had increased maternity leave for pregnant women was extended from 12 weeks to 26 weeks in 2017 after Parliament had passed Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill 2016.
61. Ministry of Women and Child Development linked sexual harassment complaints portal ‘_____________’ with all Central Ministries, Departments and 653 districts across 33 states and UTs. It will help in quick and more accurate redressal of comlaints.
62. ______________________ CM Neiphiu Rio launched GPS Mapping of Government Schools and Personnel Location System in Kohima, to help in digitization of records of all government schools.
63. National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) launched a youth-friendly scheme ‘Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme” for attracting them to cooperative business ventures. It will be linked to Rs 1000 crore ‘____________________ (CSIF)’ created by NCDC.
- Funding for project will be up to 80% of project cost for special categories as against 70% for others.
- It envisages 2% less than applicable rate of interest on term loan for project cost up to Rs 3 crore including 2 years moratorium on payment of principal. All types of cooperatives in operation for at least one year are eligible.
64. Nongkrem dance festival annual event celebrated in Khasi Hills in Shillong (_________________). It is performed by members of Hima Khyrim, a sub-tribe of the indigenous Khasi tribe.
65. ______________________ Updates -
- Launched Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Policy 2018, aimed at forwarding process of industrialization through promotion of aerospace and defence manufacturing enterprises and generate employment. Key Features -
- Proposes to extend subsidy upto 50% of cost of land, building, plant and machinery to special purpose vehicle (SPV) for setting up first state-of-the-art Aerospace and Defence Park in state.
- Sets ceiling of 50 crore for Common Facility Centre, 30 crore for Technology Innovation Centre and 25 crore for Testing Centre to be established with private participation.
- It allows interest subsidy allowed up to a limit of Rs. 10 Crore per annum and Rs. 5 crore per annum for first three OEMs setting up manufacturing units in state based on investment of over 500 Crore and between 100 - 500 crores respectively. This provision is designed to attract key players to set up units in state.
- launched Saura Jalnidhi scheme to encourage use of solar energy in irrigation by farmers. Under this, farmers will be given 90% subsidy and 5,000 solar pumps. It will provide irrigation benefits in 2,500 acres. For this, state government has made a provision of 27.18 crore in 2017-18.
- Announced a new Biotechnology Policy 2018 to attract investments in sector, at concluding day of Make in Odisha Conclave in Bhubaneswar.
- Launched initiative named ‘Mo Bus’ services in Bhubaneswar, ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup to be hosted in city in Nov - Dev 2018. Also, Tata Steel announced as an official partner of men's hockey World Cup 2018.
- State govt also launched ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ project to make Bhubaneswar a fully Wi-Fi enabled city before Hockey World Cup 2018.
- Released lexicons of 21 tribal languages for multilingual education (MLE) purposes for elementary schools in tribal dominated districts. It aims to bring back tribal languages in circulation and prevent them from vanishing.
66. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first Inland Multi-Modal Terminal Port on river Ganga at Ramnagar in Varanasi (________________________) and received first container cargo belonging to PepsiCo. It is first of four Multi-Modal Terminals being constructed on National Waterways-I (NW1) on River Ganga as part of World Bank-aided Jal Marg Vikas project of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
- The other three terminals are under construction at Sahibganj, Haldia and Gazipur.
- It will enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT on river Ganga.
- JMVP was approved in January 2017 for capacity augmentation of navigation on NW-1, at cost INR 5369 crores. IWAI in February 2018 had signed project agreement with World Bank for Jal Marg Vikas Project, for $375 million.
67. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kundli-Manesar section of the Western Peripheral Expressway. He also inaugurated 3.2-kilometer long Escorts Mujesar-Ballabhgarh corridor of the Delhi Metro.
- Western Peripheral Expressway also known as KMP expressway is expected to divert more than 50 thousand heavy vehicles away from Delhi. 136-kilometer long six-lane expressway has been built at a cost of over 6400 crore rupees.
- PM Narendra Modi also laid foundation of India’s first Skill Development University, named Sri Vishwakarma Skill Development University, in Palwal (___________________________).
68. PM Narendra Modi launched Grand Challenge on resolving seven identified Ease of Doing Business (EODB) problems with use of cutting edge technologies Including Such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence.
- Aim is to Bring India in Top 50 countries in Ease of Doing Business Index of World Bank. Note that in World Bank's Doing Business Report (DBR, 2019) released on October 31, India recorded a jump of 23 positions against its rank of 100 in 2017 to be placed at ___________________ rank among 190 countries.
- Top Innovative ideas will be rewarded with 1/2/3 Lakh INR.
- Platform for the Grand Challenge is the Startup India Portal.
69. Pharma company Lupin launched India’s First chatbot named ‘___________________’ to provide medically verified information for health-related queries.
70. Railways launched ___________________ mobile app, introduced Unreserved Mobile Ticketing to promote Cashless transactions, Contact less ticketing and Customer convenience. It will enable booking of unreserved tickets on all non-suburban sections across all Zonal Railways.It will remove need for passengers to wait in queues for purchasing tickets.
- It involves registration and booking ticket through this application within ticketing area and outside Geo-fenced area (geofenced area is station premises and train route within which ticket cannot be booked. Ticketing area is outside geofenced area as defined in application).
71. Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia has termed ‘Titli’, severe cyclonic storm that struck _________________ in October 2018 as ‘rarest cyclone’. Its rarity lies in terms of its characteristics such as recurvature after landfall, retaining its destructive potential after landfall and recurvature away from coastal areas for more than two days.
72. Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology _______________ designed India’s first indigenous microprocessor called ‘Shakti’.
- Microprocessors are brain of all computing and electronic devices and are used to operate larger high-speed systems and supercomputers.
- It will reduce dependency on imported microchips especially in communication and defence sectors and thus eliminate risk of cyber-attacks. It can be used in mobile computing, wireless and networking systems.
- IIT M researchers are now conducting research on ‘Parashakti’, an advanced microprocessor for supercomputers, to be ready by December 2018. It will have its applications in desktops and 32 such interconnected microprocessors may be used in supercomputers.
- It also developed portable solar-powered cold storage device with 500 kg capacity for storing vegetables and fruits. It will help farmers store their produce for sufficient time so that it does not get spoilt before it is sold, preventing wastage of agricultural produce.
73. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State (Ministry of Human Resource Development) launched two new initiatives - Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and __________________________________ (ARPIT).
- LEAP is a three weeks Flagship leadership development training programme (2 weeks domestic and 1 week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in public funded higher education institutions. objective is to prepare second tier academic heads who are potentially likely to assume leadership roles in future. Implementation will be through 15 NIRF top ranked Indian Institutions. Foreign Universities identified for training are -
- University of Michigan, NTU Singapore, Harvard University, Purdue University (USA), University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania / Stanford, Monash University, London School of Economics/ Oxford University University of Cambridge and University of Virginia, USA.
- ARPIT is a unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using MOOCs platform SWAYAM. 75 discipline-specific institutions have been identified and notified as National Resource Centres (NRCs) in first phase, tasked to prepare online training material.
- Course is a 40 hour module with 20 hours of video content and 20 hours of non-video content. Faculties who successfully complete online refresher course will be certified. The courses will remain open from 1st November, 2018 to 28th February, 2019.
- ARPIT will be an ongoing exercise so that every year NRCs will continuously develop new refresher module in their earmarked discipline each year. NRCs will revolutionize professional development of faculty by catering to massive numbers by leveraging ICT and online technology platform of SWAYAM.
74. Satyajit Ray directed Pather Panchali included in BBC’s 100 best foreign language films, as only Indian film in list. It was releaesed in ______________.
75. Severe Cyclone Storm Gaja affected ____________________ and UT of Puducherry, causing heavy rainfalls and losses.
76. Shri Ramayana Express, a special tourist train to run on Ramayana circuit to cover major spots related to Hindu epic flagged off from Safdarjung Railway Station (New Delhi). It will have 2 travel components - one each in India and ______________________. It will cover important destinations of Ramayana circuit such as Nandigram, Sitamarhi, Janakpur, Varanasi, Prayag, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram.
- Fare for 16-day trip at 15,120 per person. ____________ leg of the tour will be charged separately as passengers opting for this leg can take flight to Colombo from Chennai.
77. Shripad Naik (Minister of state for Ayush) laid foundation stone for All India Institute of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy at Dhargal (___________________). It will also boost tourism in Goa by offering various short-term courses on yoga and naturopathy. This was a part of 2-day International Conference on Yoga for Public Health that held at Kala Academy (Panjim).
78. _______________ Updates -
- Directed states to start implementing draft witness protection scheme framed by Centre in consultation with National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). It was stated in response to plea made by Attorney General KK Venugopal that finalized draft scheme would be made into a law soon, but till then court should direct the states to start implementing it.
- Fixed December 15, 2018 as he deadline for filing of claims and objections by individuals excluded from the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam, published on July 30, 2018.
- Approved a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh, which will start functioning from January 1 next year. It will will be 25th High Court in the country and will temporarily function from a makeshift building till permanent structure is built in Justice City complex in Andhra’s de-facto capital Amaravati.
79. Tata Trust and The Global Fund backed Indian Health Fund (IHF) has chosen four innovators for early detection of tuberculosis (TB), malaria to effectively tackle these eradicate diseases. Three selected innovators are related to TB and one to malaria. Government has set a target of eliminating TB by 2025 and malaria by ______________________.
80. __________________________ government will purchase 26 % equity shares of the Palatana gas thermal power project from the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS). Its a 726.6 mw gas-based thermal power project, run by ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC). It was started in 2014 as a joint venture between ONGC, IDFC, IL&FS and State government.
81. UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) offered to collaborate with ___________________________ for South-South Cooperation in development of seed sector in African countries.
82. ______________ Updates -
- CM Yogi Adityanath made three announcements -
- Faizabad district will be renamed as Ayodhya.
- New airport named after Lord Rama and medical college named after King Dasharatha will be opened in district.
- Approved renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively. Government justified name changes are merely restoring older names and correcting historical distortions.
- Approved construction of a 221-metre long statue of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya. Height of statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while pedestal would be 50 metres. It will be world’s tallest statue, taking over 181 Metres tall Statue of Unity, of Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
83. ___________________ government approved renaming Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport after late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
84. ______________________ Updates -
- State Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill 2018 approved, to give land rights to enclave dwellers in north Bengal. It will end uncertainity for people residing in those enclaves, giving them full-fledged status as citizens of India. It will result in creation of 13 ‘mouzas’ (administrative district), while rest area will be amalgamated with existing 31 ‘mouzas'.
- Bangladesh and India exchanged total of 162 enclaves in August 2015 as per historic 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), ending one of world’s most-complex border disputes.
- In Cooch Behar, 111 Indian enclaves became part of Bangladesh territory and 51 Bangladesh enclaves joined India.
- Will set up development boards for Matua and Namasudra communities, for social representation and welfare of the 2 communities present in large numbers in state.
- Approved renaming _______________ Green University as Rani Rashmoni Green University, in commemoration of Rani Rashmoni’s 225th Birth anniversary.
85. Winter session of Lok Sabha will be held between ______________________________, 2019. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh had recommended convening Winter session of Parliament between this period.
86. Women and Child Development Ministry launched online marketing portal named: “Mahila-E-Haat” for promoting women farmers and entrepreneurs. It will serve as an e-platform to promote achievements of women farmers. It was launched during 5th Women of India National Organic Festival 2018 in ______________________.
