Daily Current Affairs 10th October, 2019

Daily Current Affairs 10 October 2019 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Thailand Foreign Minister arrives in India on 3-day visit

Thailand Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai arrived in Delhi on a three-day visit to India with an aim to boost bilateral relations.

Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme “DHRUV” Launched

Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’, a 14 day learning programme, has been launched from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Headquarters at Bengaluru.

• 60 students, 30 each from Science and Performing Arts discipline, have been selected for this ambitious programme in the first batch.
• Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme is being started to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge. The programme is called DHRUV (after the Pole Star) and every student to be called ‘DHRUV TARA’.

Cabinet approves 5 per cent DA for central government employees

The Union Cabinet approved an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 1, 2019.

• It will benefit about 49.93 lakh central government employees and 65.26 lakh pensioners and represents an increase of 5 per cent over the existing rate of 12 per cent of the basic pay/pension to compensate for price rise.

Centre extends Aadhaar seeding date for PM-Kisan plan

The central government extended Aadhaar seeding date to allow farmers to avail Rs 6,000 benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) Scheme till November 30.

Govt constitutes panel to suggest measures to augment GST revenue

The government has constituted a committee of officers to suggest measures to augment GST revenue collections and administration.

• The terms of reference of the panel include making suggestions about systemic changes in goods and services tax (GST) including checks and balances to prevent misuse and measures to improve voluntary compliance.

GRP website, mobile app launched to facilitate railways passengers

Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai launched a Government Railway Police (GRP) website and a mobile App (Sahyatri-Delhi Railway police) at NDMC convention centre in Delhi.

• Sahyatri App not only helps to reduce crime in railways but also provide medical facilities in running trains to save passengers life.

AP CM launches universal eye care programme

Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched a new eye care programme named ‘Dr. YSR Kanti Velugu’ on the occasion of World Sight Day.

• As part of health reforms, the state government has decided to implement “Dr.YSR Kanti Velugu” to provide cashless comprehensive primary, secondary and tertiary quality eye care services to the entire population of the state.

PM Modi launches commemorative stamp to honour Marshal of IAF Arjan Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp in honour of Marshal of the Indian Air Force late Arjan Singh. This year is the birth centenary of him.

• Arjan Singh is an icon of Indian military history and the best remembered for providing excellent leadership to a young IAF during the 1965 war.
• He served as the Chief of Air Staff from August 1964 to July 1969. Even after retirement, he continued to serve in various positions including India’s Ambassador to several countries.

Vishnu Nandan among 300 researchers to join MOSAiC Expedition

Vishnu Nandan, polar researcher from Kerala will join largest ever Arctic expedition “MOSAiC Expedition“. He will be the only Indian aboard among the 300 researchers for multidisciplinary drifting observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate expedition.

• Led by the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, MOSAiC, the largest ever Arctic expedition in history, will be the first to conduct a study of this scale at the North Pole for an entire year.

GEMINI system to warn fishermen of danger

To avoid communication blackouts that led to 20 fishermen going missing in the aftermath of Cyclone Okchi in 2017, a slew of government departments, research agencies and private companies have developed GEMINI, a portable receiver linked to ISRO-satellites, that is “fail-proof” and warn fishermen of danger.

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a Hyderabad institute collaborated with Accord, a private company, to develop a box-shaped receiver that has an antenna and in-built battery that can last three to four days.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India hands over 10,000 vials of anti-rabies vaccines to Myanmar

India has handed over 10,000 vials of anti-rabies vaccines to Myanmar in an effort to help the Naypyitaw in its fight against the Rabies disease.

• The aim of this goodwill donation was to provide support to the Government of Myanmar for its fight against Rabies and to showcase the strength of India’s pharmaceutical industry in manufacturing high-quality vaccines at a highly competitive price.

Saturn overtakes Jupiter as the planet with most moons

Twenty new moons have been found around Saturn, giving the ringed planet a total of 82, scientists from US said. That beats Jupiter and its 79 moons.

• If it’s any consolation to the Jupiter crowd, our solar system’s biggest planet Jupiter still has the biggest moon. Jupiter’s Ganymede is almost half the size of Earth.

Putin awards U.S. astronaut Nick Hague the Russian Order of Courage

U.S. astronaut Nick Hague received the Russian Order of Courage from President Vladimir Putin for his actions nearly a year ago when he and a cosmonaut had to abort a mission shortly after takeoff.

• Hague was being recognized “for courage and high professionalism shown while performing his duties in the conditions of an increased risk to life when an emergency situation occurred at the Baikonur cosmodrome.”

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI rejects Indiabulls-Lakshmi Vilas Bank merger plan

The proposed merger of private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) with home financier Indiabulls Housing Finance has failed to get approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• The rejection comes after the RBI last month put LVB under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework due to a high level of bad loans, lack of sufficient capital to manage risks and negative returns on assets for two consecutive years.

RBI approves merger of district co-operative banks to form Kerala Bank

The Reserve Bank of India has given the final approval for the merger of district co-operative banks (DCBs) in Kerala with Kerala State Co-operative Bank. The combined entity will be called the ‘Kerala Bank’.

• Under the arrangement, 13 DCBs will be merged with the Kerala State Co-operative Bank.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Asia Pacific growth may slow to 5.8 pc amid trade tensions: World Bank

Growth in developing East Asian and Pacific economies is expected to slow from 6.3 per cent last year to 5.8 per cent in 2019 and to 5.7 and 5.6 per cent in 2020 and 2021 respectively, reflecting a broad-based decline in export growth and manufacturing activity, the World Bank said.

Bahrain and Kerala sign MoU for cooperation in Fin-Tech, ICT and IoT start-ups

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the investment promotion agency for the Kingdom of Bahrain, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kerala Start-up Mission (KSUM) – the Kerala government body for supporting technology start-ups in Kerala.

• The MoU aims to provide a framework for co-operation between the two authorities to promote innovation in their respective markets in the fields of FinTech, ICT and related emerging technologies.

India Ratings lowers its FY20 GDP growth forecast to 6.1 pc

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) revised its forecast of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in current financial year downward to 6.1 per cent following the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) estimating Q1 growth to be 5 per cent, much lower than Ind-Ra’s estimate of 5.7 per cent.

SPORTS

Mithali Raj becomes first women cricketer to complete 20 years in International cricket

India skipper Mithali Raj has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 20 years in the international cricket.

• With this, she has become only the fourth cricket player in the world and first in women cricket, to have 20 years or more of international cricket experience. Now only Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Javed Miandad have had longer careers in the international cricket than Raj.

Shiva Thapa, Hussamuddin win gold as Services continue to dominate Men’s Boxing Nationals

Services continued its domination at the national level and defended the national title while Shiva Thapa (63kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) and PL Prasad (52kg) won gold medals on the last day of 4th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships at the Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology.

Indian G S Lakshmi to become first woman match referee in ICC event

Indian referee G S Lakshmi will become the first woman referee to officiate in an International Cricket Council (ICC) event as the apex body of cricket announced the list of the match officials for the league phase of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.

• Former New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe and Lakshmi are among the match officials for the tournament.

AWARDS

Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 and 2019

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2019 was awarded to Austrian author Peter Handke “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.”

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 is awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”

• The two winners were named this year because the prize was not given last year as the Swedish Academy that oversees the award had suspended it in 2018 following a sexual assault scandal.

Andaman Holidays bags National Tourism Award

Andaman Holidays, leading destination management and yacht agency in the Andamans, has bagged the prestigious National Tourism Award 2017-18 for organising India’s first-ever yacht carnival – Sail the Andamans – in 2018 and 2019 at the Andaman Islands. The award recognizes the Andaman Yacht Carnival as the most innovative and unique tourism product.

Kerala govt felicitates shuttler PV Sindhu

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who recently became the first Indian to win the BWF World Championships, was felicitated by the Kerala State Government.

• The Kerala Olympic Association President V Sunil handed over the cash reward of Rs 10 lakh to Sindhu.

J Mitra & Co Awarded India’s greatest brand award at the Asian Business and Social Summit 2019

India’s leading in-vitro diagnostics company, J Mitra and Co has been conferred the title of India’s Greatest Brand 2018-19, and Jatin Mahajan, the managing director of the company has been conferred the title of India’s Greatest Leader 2018-19 at the Asian Business and Social Summit organised by AsiaOne & URS Media.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day (10 October) is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.

• This year’s theme is “Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention”.

World Sight Day

World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is a global event meant to draw attention on blindness and vision impairment. This year it was celebrated on 10th October.

• This year’s theme is “Vision First”.

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