10-October 2019 PDF

oliveboard
October 2019
Monthly Current Affairs
CLICK HERE TO PREPARE FOR

IBPS, SSC, SBI, RAILWAYS & RBI EXAMS IN ONE PLACE
Bolt is a series of GK Summary ebooks by Oliveboard for quick revision
oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Table of Contents
Banking .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Insurance....................................................................................................................................... 6
Economy ........................................................................................................................................ 7
State ............................................................................................................................................... 9
National ........................................................................................................................................ 12
International ............................................................................................................................... 14
India & world .............................................................................................................................. 16
Appointments & Resignations ............................................................................................... 19
Ranks & Reports........................................................................................................................ 25
Important days .......................................................................................................................... 27
Sports ........................................................................................................................................... 32
Awards.......................................................................................................................................... 33
Obituaries .................................................................................................................................... 36
Schemes ...................................................................................................................................... 37
Person in News .......................................................................................................................... 39
Summits & Conference ........................................................................................................... 41
Defence ........................................................................................................................................ 44
Agreements ................................................................................................................................ 46
Books & Authors........................................................................................................................ 49
Science & Technology .............................................................................................................. 50
Environment ............................................................................................................................... 50
Apps & Portals............................................................................................................................ 51
Acquisitions & Mergers ............................................................................................................ 53
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Banking
News: Most Important
1. Monetary policy committee (MPC) cuts repo rate by 25 bps to

5.15%
RBI's monetary policy committee slashed repo rates by 25 basis points to
5.15%. The reverse repo rate has been reduced to 4.9%, & bank rate
stands at 5.40%. Marginal Standing Facility Rate - 5.40%, Cash Reserve
Ratio - 4%; Statutory liquidity ratio - 18.75%.
2. Bank of Baroda signs MoU with Indian Army for customised
services
Bank of Baroda has signed an MoU with Indian Army to offer customized
services, along with a host of facilities to account holders. It includes free
personal accident insurance cover, free air accident insurance cover of
₹15 lakh to ₹50 lakh. Overdraft up to 3 times the monthly net salary is
available.
3. ICICI Bank partners CSC e-Governance Services India to expand
rural reach
ICICI Bank signed a pact with CSC e-Governance Services India to extend
its banking & other services to the country's rural regions. It would enable
the CSCs to leverage its technology to reach out to underserve
communities and provide a range of services.
4. UCO Bank announces launch of 3 new digital products
UCO Bank launched UCash, Digi locker and an app. Digi locker aims to
eliminate the use of physical documents & enables sharing of verified
electronic documents. UCash enables customers to withdraw money from
ATMs via mobile banking.
5. SBI launches debit card with EMI facility
State Bank of India launched ‘Debit Card EMI facility’ for its existing
customers, whereby they can opt for an EMI tenure of minimum six
months to 18 months. The EMIs will begin one month after the transaction
is complete.
6. SBI cuts rate on Savings Bank deposits below Rs 1 lakh to 3.25%
SBI has decided to cut the interest rate on savings bank deposits up to Rs
1 lakh to 3.25 % from 3.50 %. SBI has also cut its Retail Term Deposit &
Bulk Term Deposit interest rates in the ‘1 year to less than 2 years’ by
6.30 % and 5.90 % respectively.
7. Bank of Baroda, BNP Paribas to merge asset management units
BOB’s asset management arm Baroda Asset Management & BNP Paribas
Asset Management(BPAM) India, a wholly-owned unit of BNP Paribas AMC
Asia have agreed to merge. BPAM was assisted by BNP Paribas
Investment Banking as its transaction advisor.
8. ADB Grants $37 Million for a 47.5 MW Floating Solar Project in
Vietnam
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $37 million loan agreement
that would finance the installation of a 47.5 MW floating solar project in
Vietnam. ADB has signed the agreement with Da Nhim–Ham Thuan–Da
Mi Hydro Power Joint Stock Company (DHD).
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. RBI raises withdrawal limit to Rs 40,000 for PMC bank account

holders
RBI has enhanced the withdrawal limit for the account holder of Punjab
and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank to 40,000 Rs from 25,000 Rs. This is
the third time; RBI has raised the withdrawal limit since its clamp down
on PMC Bank last month.
10. IOB in pact with Magic bricks to e-auction over 500 properties in
14 cities
Indian Overseas Bank has entered into an agreement with Magic bricks-
an online property marketplace, for the e-auction of more than 500 re-
possessed properties- majority located in Chennai & Coimbatore, rest in
12 other cities-worth more than ₹800 crore.
11. ICICI Bank sells entire stake in GST Network to 13 state
governments
ICICI Bank has exited the GST Network, the company facilitating
collection of the indirect tax, by selling its entire 10% stake to as many
as 13 state governments. The stake sale is for aggregate cash
consideration of ₹1 crore. The stake transfer to be completed by the end
of March 2020.
12. RBI introduces new reporting system for co-operative banks
RBI has introduced a new reporting system Central Information
System for Banking Infrastructure (CISBI) for all co-operative banks.
CISBI replaces the legacy master office file system. Banks can use the
facility to access/download the data related to them.
13. Credit Saison India gets NBFC licence from RBI
Credit Saison India, the domestic subsidiary of Japanese financial
services leader Credit Saison, has received a non-banking financial
company (NBFC) licence from RBI, and will begin operations by month-
end. Fintech start-up Shubh Loans also recently got NBFC licence from
RBI.
14. India signs MoU with Saudi Arabia to launch RuPay card
India signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to launch RuPay card in the
country, making it the 3rd nation in the West Asia to initiate India's digital
payment system. India has already launched the RuPay card in the UAE,
Bahrain, Singapore & Bhutan.
15. ICICI Bank introduces ‘FD Health’; India’s first fixed deposit with
critical illness insurance
ICICI Bank announces the launch of ‘FD Health’, a Fixed Deposit (FD)
offering the dual-benefit of investment growth via FD and protection
through a critical illness coverage. The customers will be offered the
insurance cover free of cost for the first year and thereafter, they can
renew it.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
News: Others
1. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches first overseas branch at Dubai

Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has launched its 1st overseas branch at Dubai
International Financial Centre (DIFC). This is in addition to the banking
unit at the International Financial Centre at GIFT City in Gujarat.
2. RBI imposes Rs 35 lakh penalty on Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank
(TMB)
RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 35 lakh on Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank
for violating norms on frauds classification & notification. It was imposed
via an order dated October 24, 2019. TMB is a bank founded in 1921 &
headquartered at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
3. World Bank to continue with $ 6 bn annual lending support to
India
According to World Bank President David Malpass the multi-lateral funding
agency will continue with $ 6 billion lending target for India. Visiting head
of the World Bank met PM Modi and FM Nirmala Sitharaman. World Bank
right now has 97 projects with $ 24 billion committed.
4. Bandhan Bank fined ₹1 crore over promoter holding norms
RBI imposed a penalty of ₹1 crore on Bandhan Bank for failing to meet its
promoter holding norms. According to RBI’s new bank licensing guidelines
Bandhan Financial Holdings Ltd, had to cut its stake from 82% to 40%
within 3 years of commencing business.
5. World Bank Project to Support Climate Resilient Agriculture in
Odisha
Govt of India, Govt of Odisha & World Bank signed a US$165 million loan
agreement to support smallholder farmers. It aims to strengthen the
resilience of production systems as well as to improve the marketing of
their produce for increased income.
6. No charges on digital payments made to large business
establishments from 1 Nov
Businesses with an annual turnover of more than ₹50 crore will have to
mandatorily offer electronic mode of payments to their customers from 1
November. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)- charge that banks impose on
commercial transactions-will not be levied on customers/merchant.
7. RBI issues guidelines on 'on tap' authorisation on payment
systems
RBI issued guidelines on ‘on tap' authorisation of payment systems with
an aim to encourage innovation & competition. RBI decided to offer on-tap
authorisation for Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit, Trade Receivables
Discounting System & White Label ATMs. Minimum paid up equity capital
for TReDS should be Rs. 25 crore.
8. Government e-Marketplace signs pact with Union Bank of India to
avail various services
Govt e-Marketplace has signed a pact with Union Bank of India to offer
several services including transfer of funds. It will facilitate a cashless,
paperless and transparent payment system on the portal and will create
an efficient procurement system.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Policy/Exchange rate & Percentage

Reserve ratio
Repo rate 5.15%
Reverse Repo rate 4.90%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 5.40%
rate
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 18.50%
Bank Rate 5.40%
Insurance
1. Nippon Life invests Rs 6,000 cr to emerge largest shareholder in

Reliance MF
Japan's Nippon Life Insurance has completed an investment of Rs 6,000
crore in the erstwhile Reliance Mutual Fund to emerge as the single
largest shareholder, with 75% stake. Nearly 50 per cent of flows in the
mutual fund business come from metro cities.
2. RBI's subsidiary DICGC to revamp 50-year-old deposit insurance
scheme
A subsidiary of RBI- The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee
Corporation is to revamp the country’s 50-year-old deposit insurance
scheme by the end of this year. DICGC board has started the process and
will submit its report to the finance ministry. It was last revised on 1993
after the collapse of Bank of Karad.
3. IRDAI forms panel to vet proposals for innovations
lnsurance Regulatory and Development Authority of lndia (IRDAl) has
formed an 8-member committee, with IIIT- Bangalore Director S.
Sadagopan as the chairperson, to evaluate proposals it has started
receiving for implementing innovations in the sector under a regulatory
sandbox approach.
4. New India Assurance signs ICAs with Reliance HF, Dewan HF
NIACL has entered into ICAs for debt exposure to debt instruments of
Reliance Home Finance and Dewan Housing Finance. As per RBI, the
defaulting lenders to the company would put in place a resolution plan
within 30 days of the default.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
News: Others
1. Bajaj Allianz Life launches video calling service ‘i-SERV’

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launched i-SERV-a first-of-its-kind video
calling service within the life insurance industry. It is designed to enhance
the customer experience & provide swift resolutions to their queries.
Service is available in 112 cities.
2. Indian Overseas Bank unveils health insurance policy with
Universal Sompo
Indian Overseas Bank unveiled healthcare insurance policy through online
platform in association with Universal Sompo General Insurance Company
Ltd. The co-branded healthcare policy designed by Universal Sompo
General Insurance. It is offered with a sum insured from ₹50,000 to ₹15
lakh.
Economy
1. Fitch slashes India's FY20 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% from

6.6%
Fitch Ratings has lowered India's FY20 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% from
6.6% & said a large credit squeeze emanating from NBFCs has pushed
economic growth to a 6-year low. The projection is lower than 6.1 % that
the RBI had forecast in early October.
2. Indian economy seen rebounding to 7 % next fiscal year: IMF
IMF sees Indian economic growth rebounding to 7% in next FY 2020,
supported by measures like monetary policy stimulus & corporate income
tax cuts. IMF projected 6.1 % growth for 2019. Jonathan Ostry is the
Deputy Director of the Asia Pacific Dept of IMF.
3. IMF Members agree to double pool of money to aid distressed
countries
IMF agreed to double a key pool of money that it can use to aid distressed
countries. IMF's governing body did agree to a plan to shore up the crisis
lender's resources, doubling to $ 500 billion a temporary fund provided
by 40 of the fund's 189 members.
4. IMF cuts India's growth forecast to 6.1 %
IMF cuts India’s growth forecast by 90 basis points to 6.1 % as 2nd
downward revision in 7 months. Almost all the agencies including RBI
lowered the growth projection with GDP’s growth rate slipping 5 % during
April-June period. It has also cut global forecast by 20 bps for 2019.
5. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges Nepalese Rs 56 billion in aid
to Nepal
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Nepalese Rs 56 billion assistance
to Kathmandu over the next two years to help Nepal’s development
programmes. Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli & Xi inked 20 agreements to
bolster the bilateral ties between two nations.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
6. Credit growth slows to 8.74% in HI

According to the Reserve Bank of India, credit growth in the first half
slowed to 8.74% year-on-year (y-o-y) up to September, 2019(till 27th) .
It indicates that credit risk aversion continues to play centre stage,
particularly for the NBFC sector.
7. Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%
Moody's cuts India's GDP growth to 5.8 % in the fiscal year ending in
March 2020, from 6.8 % in 2018. This is lowest projection after the RBI
cut the GDP growth to 6.1 % earlier this month. It also predicts deficit of
3.7 % of GDP in fiscal 2019.
8. India gets first tranche of Swiss account details under automatic
exchange framework
India has received first tranche of details about financial accounts of its
residents in Swiss banks under a new automatic exchange of information
framework between the two countries. The next exchange will take place
in September 2020.
News: Others
1. PPF, NSC, SSY & other small savings schemes' interest rates
remain unchanged
Post office savings schemes or small savings schemes interest rates have
been kept unchanged for the third quarter(Oct to Dec 2019).PPF- 7.90 per
cent; Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)- 8.60 per cent; Post office
time deposits- range of 6.90 and 7.70.
2. SEBI allows MFs to invest in unlisted NCDs
SEBI allowed mutual funds to invest in unlisted non-convertible
debentures up to a max of 10% of debt portfolio of a scheme in a phased
manner. The max investment in unlisted NCDs will be 15% of the scheme
& the investment limit will be 10% from June 2020.
SEBI has reduced exposure limits to 20% from 25%.
3. RBI revises GDP growth forecast to 6.1%
RBI cut its economic growth projection for the fiscal year 2019- 20 to
6.1% from 6.9%. The bank forecasted 5.3% GDP in Q2, 6.6% in Q3,
7.2% in Q4. RBI has also revised slightly upwards the retail inflation
projection to 3.4% for Q2.
4. 24x7 NEFT gets extended liquidity support
RBI came out with a series of measures for the sector, including liquidity
support for 24x7 National Electronic Funds Transfer & the setting up of an
Acceptance Development Fund (ADF) for card infrastructure to encourage
digital payments. The collateralized liquidity support is available till 7:45
pm.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
5. Current Situation Index (CCI) fell into 89.4 in September

According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s monetary policy Current
Situation Index (CCI) fell into 89.4 in September from 95.7 recorded in
the July round of survey, the data showed. In September 2013, it had
touched 88. RBI conducted the survey across 5192 households in 13
cities.
6. Govt raises Rs 4,368 crore through Bharat-22 ETFs
Government has raised Rs 4,368 crore through the fourth tranche of the
Bharat-22 exchange traded fund (ETF). Government has decided to
exercise its green-shoe option & retain Rs 4,368 crore of the overall bids
received over 2 days.
Quick revision
Organization/Parameters Rate/Figures
Fitch Ratings 5.5% (GDP Forecast)
IMF 6.1% (2019)
Credit growth 8.74%
Moody's 5.8% (GDP Forecast)
PPF- 7.90 per cent
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme 8.60 per cent
(SCSS)-
Post office time deposits Range of 6.90 and 7.70
RBI 6.1%( GDP Forecast)
Current Situation Index (CSI) 89.4
State
1. Gandhinagar becomes first kerosene-free district of Gujarat

Gandhinagar district of Gujarat has become the 1st Kerosene-free district
of the state. Home Minister Amit Shah allotted 1000 LPG connections to
the women beneficiaries of Gandhinagar district under the Ujjwala Yojana
with the help of ONGC. Projects under Gandhinagar Smart City Yojana
have been launched.
2. Nagaland partners with Madhya Pradesh under 'Ek Bharat,
Shreshtha Bharat'
Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme has brought in the states of
Nagaland & MP as one to celebrate the spirit of national integration
through the structured engagement b/w the states. Directorate of Higher
Education of Govt-Nagaland is the nodal dept.
3. AP will set up 25 skill development centres
Andhra Pradesh will set up 25 skill development centres in all the 25 Lok
Sabha constituencies . A new building of the Central Institute of Plastics &
Engineering Technology has been inaugurated in AP by CM YS Jagan
Mohan Reddy & Sadananda Gowda.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. West Bengal to invest Rs 540 Cr for Calcutta Leather Complex

West Bengal Govt has decided to invest Rs 540 Cr for the infrastructural
development of Calcutta Leather Complex. The State Govt is aiming to
raise the target to Rs 30,000 Cr in the next 5 years. The complex has
been renamed as Karmadiganta. It is considered Asia’s first integrated
leather complex.
5. Uttar Pradesh most unsafe for women: NCRB 2017 data
Uttar Pradesh has been ranked as the most unsafe for women according
to the NCRB 2017 report, followed by Maharashtra & West Bengal. The
data comes after a 2-year delay. Among UTs Delhi recorded the most
murder cases followed by Chandigarh & Puducherry. The annual ‘Crime in
India’ report was last released in 2016.
6. Uttar Pradesh CM launches integrated emergency number 112
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh launched a new
integrated emergency number 112 for police, medical & fire emergencies
& also to launch the women helpline 1090. The single number for
emergency services is similar to '911' in the US.
7. Odisha's biggest trade fair to begin on Nov 12
Biggest trade fairs of Odisha-Baliyatra, is scheduled to begin on November
12. It will continue for 8 days. This year’s fair will be jointly organized by
the Cuttack District Administration, District Cultural Council, & the Cuttack
Municipal Corporation.
8. Kamal Nath inaugurated Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Conference
Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath inaugurated the two-day Magnificent
Madhya Pradesh Conference held in Indore. CM also inaugurated the
Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore. 223
industries are investing in MP in near future.
9. Tripura gets its first-ever SEZ
Centre has given in-principle approval for setting up of Tripura's first-ever
SEZ at Sabroom. Estimated investment in the project will be around Rs
1550 Crore to be developed by to be Tripura Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDC) Ltd.
10. Odisha launched ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiative
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the government’s new
governance initiative ‘Mo Sarkar’. The objective of the programme is to
provide service with dignity to people who are coming to government
offices for different purposes.
11. Uttarakhand CM launches awareness campaign to stop power theft
Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched an awareness campaign
'Urjagiri' which aims at stopping power theft and saving. The CM
emphasized on the need to speed up the process for wider awareness to
avoid power loss in the state.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
12. UP CM flags off country's first corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas

Express
UP CM flagged off the country's 1st corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas
Express. Acc. to IRCTC, the passengers will get a refund of ₹ 100 in case
the train gets delayed for 1 hour. If the delay is of more than 2 hours,
then the refund amount will be ₹ 250.
News: Others
1. Karnataka tops in first ever India Innovation Index launched by

NITI Aayog
The 1st-ever India Innovation Index was launched by NITI Aayog in order
to promote competitiveness among the states. Karnataka has emerged as
the topper among major states. Tamil Nadu is on 2nd & Maharashtra is on
the 3rd positions. Among the North-Eastern states Sikkim occupied the
top spot.
2. Shirui Lily Festival inaugurated in Manipur
Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture Prahlad Singh Patel
inaugurated Shirui Lily Festival 2019, at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul
in Manipur. It is the 3rd edition of the 4-day festival. It will showcase the
rich cultural heritage of the State.
3. Telangana announces land regularisation scheme for unapproved
plots
Telangana issued orders for a new scheme to regularise unapproved
layouts for the newly constituted municipal corporations and
municipalities. Plots renewed on or before March 30, 2018, are only
eligible for regularisation.
4. 10th National Cultural Festival held in Madhya Pradesh
10th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-National Cultural Festival
took place in Madhya Pradesh. Union Ministry of Culture organized the
event & it held from October 14th to 21st under the 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha
Bharat' campaign.
5. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to organize City Walk Festival
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board is organizing a month-long City Walk
Festival in 11 cities from October 12-November 10 to promote tourism.
Local, national and international tourists of all age groups will participate
in the festival.
6. Garbage Cafe to provide free meal in exchange of plastic waste
'Garbage Cafe' commenced in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh will provide free
meal in exchange of plastic waste. This is to mark the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Collected garbage will be sold at the
Solid Liquid Resources Management Centre.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
National
1. Women in Delhi gets free rides in public buses from 29 October

Women in Delhi get free rides in public buses starting from 29 October.
Conductors will distribute pink tickets to women passengers for free travel
& the govt will then reimburse the transporters based on the number of
such tickets issued. Pink ticket has a face value of 10 Rs.
2. Octogenarians & persons with disability can now vote through
postal ballots
The people over 80 years of age & person with disability can cast their
votes through postal ballot. Such voters will have both the choices
available either voting through postal ballot or going to the polling station
on polling day for voting.
3. Indian Railways launches ‘Operation Dhanush’ against ticket touts
Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone conducted ‘Operation Dhanush’
against ticket touts involved in e-ticketing. The operation was carried out
in all the five divisions falling under the Central Railway Zone.
4. Tata Sons board okays ₹6,500 cr equity infusion in Tata Motors
Tata Motors Ltd.’s board has approved an equity infusion of ₹6,500 crore
from its promoter Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. Tata Motors will allot ordinary
shares and warrants to the promoter in return, subject to shareholder
approval.
5. Health Ministry observed Vigilance Awareness Week from 28th
October to 2nd November
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare will observe the Vigilance Awareness
Week from 28thOctober-2nd November 2019 as per directions of Central
Vigilance Commission. It is observed to promote probity in public life & to
achieve a corruption free society. The 2019 theme is “Integrity- a way of
life”.
6. Ministry of Railways signs MoU with Indian School of Business
Ministry of Railways and Indian School of Business signed a MoU for the
strategic partnership. MoU covers several aspects including executive
education programs, developing case studies & creating of a future-ready
leadership pool for the Indian Railways.
7. Ease of doing business survey to also cover Kolkata & Bengaluru
next year
The World Bank’s ease of doing business survey, which so far covered
only Delhi and Mumbai, will include Bengaluru and Kolkata from next
year. World Bank has decided to have four cities each from countries with
more than 100 million population.
8. Microsoft & Reliance Jio to empower small businesses in India
Microsoft is bringing the power of Cloud to small businesses in India
through partnership with Reliance Jio. Jio will leverage the Microsoft Azure
cloud platform to develop innovative cloud solutions focused on the needs
of Indian businesses.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. Government accords 'Maharatna' status to PowerGrid Corporation

Govt accorded 'Maharatna' status to Power Grid Corporation of India on its
30th Raising Day Celebrations. The status provides enhanced powers to
the PowerGrid board to facilitate the expansion of operations, both in
domestic as well as global markets. It is the 3rd largest Central Public
Sector Enterprise in India.
10. Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals becomes fastest to reach 1
million container handling milestones
Bharat Mumbai Container Terminals-facility run by Singapore’s PSA
International Pte Ltd at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust at Mumbai, handled
its 1 millionth 20-foot equivalent units last week, becoming the fastest to
reach the feat for a terminal in India.
11. Railways to carry Amazon consignments for 3 months
In a bid to increase revenue through the non-fare sources, the railways
has decided to allow carriage to goods of Amazon on a pilot basis for 3
months during the non-peak hours. A total 7 metric tonnes of
consignment per day has been allowed to be carried. Timings are
scheduled between 11 am-4 pm.
12. Govt launches portal for monitoring coal supply to power plants
The government had launched PRAKASH - Power Rail Koyla
Availability through Supply Harmony- portal in New Delhi. The portal
is designed to help in mapping and monitoring entire coal supply chain for
power plants.
News: Others
1. CII adopts 100 villages in Punjab & Haryana to curb stubble

burning pollution
Confederation of Indian Industry CII has adopted over 100 villages &
100,000 acres of farm area in Punjab & Haryana to enable zero crop
residue burning. Air quality monitors have been installed to monitor
village level air pollution data & to measure the impact of reduced stubble
burning.
2. Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot with passengers on-
board
Air India became the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A320
aircraft with passengers on-board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor
for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway & vice versa & it will
reduce fuel consumption.
3. Sporting Infrastructure Accessible to all under Fit India Movement
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has decided to allow national and state
sports federations, leagues and clubs to organise sports events in all
sporting facilities owned by the government, free of cost. It is to
strengthen the Fit India Movement & will be applicable from 1st November
2019.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Govt constitutes committee to suggest measures to augment GST

revenue
Government has constituted a committee of officers to suggest measures
to augment Goods and Services Tax revenue. It has been asked to
suggest urgent measures to arrest the fall in tax revenues and suggest
steps to be taken to improve revenue collection. It comprises GST
commissioners of Maharashtra, TN, UP,WB &Punjab.
5. Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches WHO India Country Cooperation
Strategy 2019–2023
Dr Harsh Vardhan launched ‘The WHO India Country Cooperation
Strategy(CCS) 2019–2023: A Time of Transition’. CCS will provide a
strategic roadmap for WHO to work with the Government towards
achieving its health sector goals.
6. Cabinet approves new strategic disinvestment process
The Cabinet has approved a new process of strategic disinvestment with a
view to expediting the privatization of select PSUs. It was done with a
view to streamlining & speeding up the process, reducing the role of
administrative ministries.
7. Paryatan Parv begins to promote tourism
The Ministry of Tourism kick-started ‘Paryatan Parv’, a 20-day programme
organized with the aim of drawing attention on the benefits of tourism,
showcasing the cultural diversity of the country & reinforcing the principle
of ‘Tourism for All’.
International
1. Microsoft beats Amazon to win $10 bn Pentagon cloud computing

contract
US government has awarded the much-anticipated $10 billion Cloud
contract for Pentagon to Microsoft. Known as the Joint Enterprise
Defence Infrastructure (JEDI), it will support Department of Defence
business and mission operations. The expected completion date of the
project is October 24, 2029.
2. Beijing's new $63 billion Daxing airport begins Intern'l operations
Beijing's new $63 billion Daxing airport began its first scheduled
international flights. It boasts four runways and is expected to handle up
to 72 million passengers a year by 2025, eventually reaching 100 million.
The airport is roughly the size of 100 football fields.
3. Twitter to ban all political advertising worldwide from November
22
Twitter will ban all political advertising worldwide from 22nd November.
This is in response to growing criticism over misinformation from
politicians on social media. Facebook recently ruled out a ban on political
ads. They will ban ads on political issues & from the candidates.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Sri Lankan Cabinet approves MCC grant of 480 million from US

Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) grant of 480 million US dollars from the US Govt. MCC consists of
grant funds for traffic management in Colombo, road construction island-
wide & land administration improvements covering the whole country.
5. Microsoft set to invest $200 mn in ANI Technologies
Ride-hailing company Ola is set to unveil a connected car project in
partnership with Microsoft Corp., which will invest around $200 million in
Ola’s parent-ANI Technologies. Microsoft will acquire around 4.5% in ANI
Technologies as part of the deal. Project aims to connect cars with
Internet of Things sensors.
6. Canada Elections 2019: Trudeau's Liberal Party wins but loses
majority
PM Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party held onto power in Canadian General
Election but as a weakened minority govt. Justin Trudeau has won for a
second term as Canada’s PM. Trudeau will be forced to co-operate with
smaller left-of-centre parties to govern.
7. World’s oldest known natural pearl discovered on Abu Dhabi
Island
The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Abu
Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island.
Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been
radiocarbon during the Neolithic period.
News: Others
1. Sri Lanka removed from FATF’s Grey List

Sri Lanka has been removed from the “Grey List” of Financial Action Task
Force FATF. FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to
combat money laundering, terrorist financing & other related threats to
the integrity of the international financial system.
2. Singapore will ban ads for sugary drinks in bid to tackle diabetes
Singapore will become the first country to ban advertisements for the
unhealthiest sugary drinks, as its latest move to combat rising diabetes
rates. “Less healthy" products must display labels grading their nutritional
and sugar content.
3. Softbank-backed Oyo raises $1.5 bn at $10 bn valuation for
market expansion
Oyo Hotels and Homes raises $1.5 billion from founder Ritesh Agarwal,
SoftBank Group Corp and other investors as the India lodging start up
expands into foreign markets such as the US and Europe. Agarwal will
spend $700 mn. to buy new shares in the company.
4. Festival of Fulpati being celebrated in Nepal
Fulpati is observed on the 7th day of Dashain festival. In Nepali, "Ful"
means flower and "Pati" means leaves and plants. There is a tradition in
Nepal to bring 9 types of Fulpati into homes on the 7th day of Navaratri.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
India & world

1. India signs Strategic Partnership Council Agreement with Saudi

Arabia
During Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia, India signed Strategic Partnership
Council Agreement with Saudi Arabia & became the 4th country to sign
such an agreement with Saudi. Agreement will strengthen the already
robust relations between the 2 countries.
2. India and Netherlands launched the second phase of the LOTUS-
HR
India & Netherlands launched the 2nd phase of the Local Treatment of
Urban Sewage streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program. The
programme was held during the visit of Netherlands King & the Queen in
the presence of Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The project was
initiated in July 2017.
3. India & Switzerland to carry forward working together in the area
of Rail Transport
India & Switzerland decided to carry forward working together in the Rail
Transport sector. The 2 sides at meetings followed upon the 1st meeting of
Joint Working Group held between 2 sides after the MoU for cooperation in
rail sector signed in 2017.
4. India & Germany to explore partnership in AI
India & Germany discussed cooperation in green urban mobility & AI
during their 5th Biennial Inter Governmental Consultations in New Delhi.
They also discussed the deepening of cooperation in sectors such as
transport, skill development & energy.
5. India, US to collaborate on drone swarms & other military hi-techs
India & US have agreed to collaborate on futuristic military technologies to
develop drone swarms, that had agreed on 7 projects in the Defence
Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting. This has been recently
inked in the joint Statement of Intent to deepen defence cooperation.
6. Vice President addresses Indian diaspora in Azerbaijan
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu addressed Indian diaspora in Azerbaijan.
He reached Baku to attend the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
summit. Azerbaijan had released a postal stamp to celebrate the legacy of
Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.
7. Japan’s DMG Mori & LMW to tie up to increase machinery
production
DMG Mori has decided to restart the collaboration with the machinery
manufacturing major Lakshmi Machine Works for the manufacture of CMX
600 Vi vertical machining centre at the latter’s facility at Arasur. It would
be marketed under DMG Mori brand.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
8. India & Saudi Arabia to establish Strategic Partnership Council

India & Saudi Arabia have agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership
Council, resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorist
operations and signed 12 MoUs in various areas. Modi & Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammad Bin Salman signed the agreement. Agreement was
signed at the Saudi capital city-Riyadh.
9. President lays foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana
Samskruti Project in Japan
Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana
Samskruti Project in Japan. It will be developed as a temple on the lines
of Akshardham & Swaminarayan Temple. He also attended a banquet
hosted by the Japan PM Shinzo Abe. Aim of the project is to promote
Indian traditional culture.
News: Others
1. India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet held in Guwahati

India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet held in Guwahati with 70-members
from both nations. The idea of the meet is to put Assam at the focus point
of India’s trade expansion with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
besides Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal.
2. MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan embarked on 2-day official
visit to UAE
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan embarked on an
official visit to UAE. Besides the bilateral meeting, he participated in the
ministerial level meeting of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue & the Indian
Community function in Sharjah.
3. President Kovind to embark on week-long visit to Philippines &
Japan
President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on a week-long visit to the
Philippines & Japan on this month. He attended the Enthronement
Ceremony of the Emperor of Japan. The visit reaffirms India’s
commitment to strengthen the bilateral ties.
4. India, China agree to set up new mechanism to address issues
related to trade and services
India & China have reiterated that both countries play an important role in
ensuring stability in the current international landscape. Both sides will
prudently manage their differences without allowing differences on any
issue to become disputes.
5. Dharmendra Pradhan participates in ceremony for commissioning
oil refinery project in Mongolia
Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
participated in the ceremony for commissioning the infrastructure facilities
constructed to support the proposed oil refinery project in Mongolia along
with Mongolia PM Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
6. India & Bangladesh inked 7 pacts & launched 3 projects

PM Modi held wide-ranging talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh
Hasina. One of the projects included import of LPG from Bangladesh for
distribution in North Eastern states. The 2 sides have launched a total of
12 projects in 1-year period.
Quick revision
Country Capital Head of State /Govt. Currency

Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh Togrog
Netherlands Amsterdam Mark Rutte Euro
Russia Moscow Vladimir Putin Ruble
UAE Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin UAE Dirham
Rashid Al Maktoum
Switzerland Berne Ueli Maurer Swiss Franc
China Beijing Xi Jinping Chinese Yuan
Thailand Bangkok Prayut Chan-o-cha Baht
Singapore Singapore City Halimah Yacob Singapore
Dollar
Germany Berlin Frank Walter Steinmeier Euro
Japan Tokyo Shinzo Abe Yen
Ukraine Kiev Volodymyr Zelensky Ukkranian
Hryvnia
USA Washington D.C Donald Trump Dollar
Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan Askar Mamin Tenge
Bangladesh Dhaka Sheikh Hasina Taka
Nepal Kathmandu Khadga Prasad Oli Nepalese
Rupee
Saudi Arabia Riyadh Mohammad Bin Salman Saudi Riyal
(Crown Prince)
Azerbaijan Baku Ilham Aliyev Manat
Maldives Male Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Maldivian
rufiyaa
Philippines Manila Rodrigo Duterte Philippine Peso
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Appointments & Resignations
1. SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed new CMD of Punjab National Bank

Union government appointed SS Mallikarjuna Rao, Managing Director and
CEO of Allahabad Bank as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of Punjab National Bank. He will replace Sunil Mehta.
2. P K Gupta is new CMD of NBCC
The government-appointed P K Gupta as the new Chairman and Managing
Director of NBCC. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of
engineering services company RITES Limited. His appointment is proposed
by the Min of Housing & Urban Affairs.
3. England appoint Chris Silverwood as new head coach
England have appointed Chris Silverwood as their new head coach across
all formats, replacing Trevor Bayliss who stepped down from the role at
the end of the home summer. The new head coach's first assignment will
be England's tour of New Zealand.
4. Nissan appoints Makoto Uchida as CEO, Ashwani Gupta as COO
Nissan Motor Co. has chosen Makoto Uchida, the current Senior Vice
President, as the next Chief Executive and Ashwani Gupta as its Chief
Operating Officer. The India-born Gupta is also the COO of alliance junior
partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
5. Anita Pai appointed chief operating officer (COO) of Yes Bank
Yes Bank announced the appointment of former ICICI Bank chief general
manager Anita Pai, as the chief operating officer (COO) and former head
of marketing at Kotak Life, Jasneet Bachal, as the chief marketing officer
(CMO).
6. C.K. Venkaraman becomes Titan MD
C.K. Venkataraman who was the CEO of the jewellery business of Titan
Company since 2005 has taken over the role of Managing Director of Titan
Company upon the retirement of the former MD, Bhaskar Bhat. Ajoy
Chawla has taken over as the CEO of the Jewellery Division.
7. Citigroup names Peter Babej as Asia Pacific CEO
Citigroup Inc appointed Peter Babej-the U.S. bank's global head of
financial institutions group, as its Asia Pacific CEO. He joined Citi as co-
head of the financial institutions group after having worked at Deutsche
Bank & investment bank Lazard.
8. S M Vaidya takes over as Director (Refineries) at Indian Oil
Corporation
IOC has appointed Shrikant Madhav Vaidya as the Director of IOC
Refineries. He is also the Director on the board of Chennai Petroleum
Corporation & the West Coast Refinery & Petrochemicals Project-world’s
largest grassroot refinery project.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. Ajit Kumar Saxena takes charge as RINL Director of Operations

A K Saxena was sworn in as the new Director of operations in
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant - Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL). He was
the Chief general manager of Mills at SAIL IISCO plant in West Bengal.
RINL is built using German & Soviet technologies.
10. Raghavendra Singh appointed as the director of the Nehru
Memorial Museum
Former culture secretary Raghavendra Singh has been sworn in as the
director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library for the next 6
months, replacing Shakti Sinha. The govt has set a deadline of October
2020 to get the Museum on Prime Ministers of India ready.
11. Indian Banks Association elects Rajnish Kumar as Chairman
SBI's head Rajnish Kumar has been elected as the chairman of Indian
Banks Association for the fiscal 2019-20. Union Bank of India's G
Rajkiran Rai, S.S Mallikarjuna Rao of PNB & Madhav Kalyan of JP
Morgan Chase Bank have been elected as deputy chairmen.
12. Arvind Singh appointed chairman of AAI
Senior IAS officer Arvind Singh has been appointed as the chairman of
Airports Authority of India and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will head the
National Highways Authority of India as part of a major bureaucratic
reshuffle effected by the Centre. GK V Rao has been named MD & Chair:
India Tourism Development Corporation.
13. Sophie Wilmes named as Belgian Prime Minister
Belgian Budget Minister Sophie Wilmes has been chosen as the country's
new caretaker Prime Minister, a first for a woman. Belgium has not had a
fully functioning federal government since a coalition headed up by Michel
collapsed in December 2018.
14. Manohar Lal Khattar takes oath as Haryana CM
Manohar Lal Khattar took oath as Haryana chief minister for the second
time while JJP leader Dushyant Chautala took oath as the deputy chief
minister. In the 90-member assembly, a minimum strength of 46 MLAs is
required to form the government.
15. Sourav Ganguly appointed new BCCI President
Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has been selected as the
new President of the BCCI. BCCI also selected Jay Shah as Secretary &
Arun Dhumal as Treasurer. Ganguly is the 2 nd India cricketer to become
BCCI president. He is the current President of Cricket Association of
Bengal.
16. Sajjan Jindal elected as Vice-Chairman of The World Steel
Association
The World Steel Association has elected Sajjan Jindal-Chairman & MD of
JSW Steel, as Vice-Chairman of the association for 1 year. It also elected
YU Yong-Chairman of HBIS Group Co, as Chairman. TV Narendran & LN
Mittal has been elected as its members.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
17. Kais Saied sworn in as Republic of Tunisia's president

Kais Saied has been sworn in as Tunisia's president. He currently chairs
the Arab League. The poll followed the death of Beji Caid Essebsi-Tunisia's
1st president freely elected by universal suffrage. Modi has congratulated
him on being the President.
18. Punit Goenka re-elected as IAA India Chapter's president
Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, has been re-
elected as the president of the India Chapter of the International
Advertising Association (IAA). Megha Tata, MD, Discovery South Asia has
been elected as vice president.
19. Justice SA Bobde to be next Supreme Court Chief Justice
President Ram Nath Kovind signed a warrant appointing Justice Sharad
Arvind Bobde as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Bobde will take
oath as CJI on November 18. He will succeed Ranjan Gogoi. Arvind
Bobde’s term will run until April 23, 2021. He will be the 47 th Chief Justice
of India.
20. Manoj Jain to be new chairman and managing director of GAIL
Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) has picked up Manoj Jain who is
currently serving as the director (Business Development) at GAIL (India)
to be the chairman and MD of India’s biggest natural gas company. He will
have term till August 2022.
21. Kolkata Knight Riders announce Kyle Mills as new bowling coach
Kolkata Knight Riders named former New Zealand pacer Kyle Mills as their
new bowling coach. Also, David Hussey, a former KKR player & Australian
international, has been named as a top advisor to New Zealand coach
Brendon McCullum.
22. Pranav Mistry appointed as President and CEO of STAR Labs
Computer scientist Pranav Mistry has been appointed as the President and
CEO of STAR Labs (Samsung Technology & Advanced Research
Labs), an independent entity of Samsung Electronics. He was the global
vice president at Samsung Electronics since May 2017. He is best known
for SixthSense, a wearable gestural interface.
23. Justice LN Swamy takes oath as Himachal Chief Justice
Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the
Himachal Pradesh High Court as he was administered the oath of office by
Governor Bandaru Dattatraya in a function held at Raj Bhawan in Shimla.
24. Anil Kumar Gautam takes over as Director of Finance at NTPC
Anil Kumar Gautam sworn in as Director of Finance at NTPC Limited. NTPC
is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of
generation of electricity and allied activities. It is incorporated under
Companies Act 1956 & is promoted by GOI.
25. Anup Kumar Singh appointed as Director-General of NSG
Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed
as Director-General of the National Security Guard. The appointment was
approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. His
appointment will be up to September 2020.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
26. Centre appoints SSC, UIDAI Chiefs In major bureaucratic

reorganization
The Central government cleared appointments of several senior
bureaucrats in multiple ministries and departments with Braj Raj Sharma
and Pankaj Kumar being appointed chiefs of Staff Selection Commission
(SSC) and Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chief.
News: Others
1. J.P.S. Chawla assumes charge as new Controller General of

Accounts
Shri J.P.S. Chawla assumed charge as the new Controller General of
Accounts, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure. Prior to
assuming the charge of CGA, Shri Chawla served as Principal Chief
Controller of Accounts, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)
2. Sudhaker Shukla appointed as whole-time member of IBBI
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the
appointment of Sudhaker Shukla as Whole-Time Member, Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). He is a 1985 Indian Economic Service
officer.
3. Justice Indrajit Mohanty appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief
Justice
Governor Kalraj Mishra administered the oath of office to newly
appointed Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Indrajit Mohanty. He is now
the 37th Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
4. Punjab government appoints Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma as
Punjab Lokpal
Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma (retired) took oath as the Lokpal of Punjab.
Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, V P Singh Badnore
administered the oath of office to Sharma, a former Punjab and Haryana
High Court judge.
5. Oil India Limited appoints Sushil Chandra as new Managing
Director and CEO
Oil India Limited appointed Sushil Chandra Mishra as the new Managing
Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. He started his
professional journey as an executive trainee with OIL in 1984 and
developed deep expertise in commercial matters.
6. Sailesh Assumes charge as Secretary Dept of Public Enterprises
Sailesh assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises
under Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises in New Delhi. He
served as Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs. He belongs to
Indian Administrative Service, 1985 batch.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
7. Air Marshal S K Ghotia takes over as chief of South Western Air

Command
Air Marshal S K Ghotia has taken over as the new Air Officer
Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the South Western Air Command
(SWAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), at Gandhinagar. He replaced Air
Marshal H S Arora, who moved to Air Headquarters as the Vice-Chief of
Air Staff.
8. Kapil Dev resigns as Cricket Advisory Committee chairman
Former India captain, Kapil Dev, who was the chairman of the Cricket
Advisory Committee (CAC) has stepped down from the role. The
committee, initially working as an ad-hoc body, had conducted interviews
and eventually named W.V. Raman as the head coach of the women's
team.
9. Tata Communications names Amur Lakshminarayanan as MD,
Group CEO designate
Tata Communications has named Amur S Lakshminarayanan as Managing
Director and Group Chief Executive Officer designate of the company. He
comes with 35 years of experience in a broad range of leadership roles
across industries and regions across the world.
10. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo sworn in for final term
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has been sworn into office for his 2nd
and final 5-year term. He took oath at a ceremony in Jakarta. He sworn in
along with Vice president Maruf Amin, who replaces Widodo's vice
president in his 1st term, Jusuf Kalla.
11. Economist Surjit Bhalla appointed as the Executive Director for
India at IMF
Economist Surjit Bhalla was appointed as the Executive Director for India
at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Mr. Bhalla for a period
of three years.
12. Girish Chandra Murmu appointed first Lieutenant Governor of J&K
Girish Chander Murmu, appointed the 1st LG of J&K . R K Mathur will be 1st
LG of Ladakh. P S Sreedharan Pillai will take charge as new governor of
Mizoram, while S.P Malik will govern Goa. Dineshwar Sharma has been
appointed as administrator to Lakshadweep.
13. IIFL Wealth Management appoints Prateek Mishra as CISO
Prateek Mishra has joined IIFL Wealth Management as Chief
Information Security Officer. In this new role he will be leading the
Information and cyber security for the company. He has previously been
the Chief Information Security Officer for IDBI Federal Life Insurance.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Quick Revision
Appointment/Resignation Post
SS Mallikarjuna Rao MD & CEO, Punjab National Bank
P K Gupta CMD, NBCC
Chris Silverwood Head coach, England
Makoto Uchida CEO, Nissan
Ashwani Gupta COO, Nissan
Anita Pai COO, Yes Bank
Jasneet Bachal Chief marketing officer (CMO), Yes Bank
C.K. Venkataraman MD, Titan
Peter Babej Asia Pacific CEO ,Citigroup Inc
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya Director, IOC Refineries
Raghavendra Singh Director, Nehru Memorial Museum
Rajnish Kumar Chairman, Indian Banks Association
Anil Kumar Gautam Director of Finance , NTPC Limited
Anup Kumar Singh Director-General, National Security Guard
Braj Raj Sharma Chief, SSC
Pankaj Kumar CEO, UIDAI
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Chairman, National Highway Authority of India
Girish Chander Murmu First Lieutenant Governor, J&K
P S Sreedharan Pillai Governor, Mizoram
S.P Malik Governor, Goa
Dineshwar Sharma Administrator, Lakshadweep
R K Mathur First LG, Ladakh
Prateek Mishra Chief Information Security Officer, IIFL Wealth
Management
Arvind Singh Chairman ,Airports Authority of India
GK V Rao MD & Chair, India Tourism Development
Corporation.
Sophie Wilmes Prime Minister, Belgium
Manohar Lal Khattar Chief minister, Haryana
Sourav Ganguly President ,BCCI
Sajjan Jindal Vice-Chairman, World Steel Association
Kais Saied President, Tunisia
Punit Goenka President, India Chapter of the International
Advertising Association
Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde 47th Chief Justice of India
Manoj Jain MD, GAIL
Pranav Mistry President and CEO ,STAR Labs
J.P.S. Chawla Controller General of Accounts
Sudhaker Shukla Whole-Time Member, IBBI
Justice Indrajit Mohanty Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice
Sushil Chandra Mishra MD & CEO, OIL
Air Marshal S K Ghotia Chief, South Western Air Command
Kapil Dev (Resignation) Chairman, Cricket Advisory Committee
Amur S Lakshminarayanan MD & CEO, Tata Communications
Joko Widodo President , Indonesia
Surjit Bhalla Executive Director for India ,IMF
Justice Lingappa Narayana Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh High Court
Swamy
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Ranks & Reports

1. Biocon number six in top 10 Global Biotech Employers ranking for

2019
Bengaluru-headquartered biopharmaceuticals company Biocon Ltd has
moved up to sixth spot in the Top 10 Global Biotech Employers ranking for
2019. The Top 5 global players in this year's list are Alnylam, Regeneron,
Incyte, Merck KGaAfday and Spark therapeutics.
2. Cleanliness survey: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Durgapura emerge top three
ranking railway stations
Three railway stations named Jaipur; Jodhpur & Durgapura in Rajasthan
bagged top honours among 720 stations in the railways' cleanliness
survey unveiled by Piyush Goyal. Andheri, Virar & Naigaon railway
stations were the top 3 among 109 suburban stations. Rank 1 railway
zone – North Western Railway.
3. India slips 10 places to 68th on global competitiveness index
India has moved down 10 places to the 68th rank while Singapore has
replaced the US as the world’s most competitive economy according to
the Global Competitiveness Index compiled by Geneva-based World
Economic Forum (WEF).
4. India ranked 102 in Global Hunger Index
India slipped to the 102 spots in the Global Hunger Index which features
117 countries, according to Concern Worldwide-agency that compiles the
report. Central African Republic topped the report. 9 countries of concern
were omitted due to lack of data.
5. India emerged as 3rd largest ecosystems for successful start-ups
With 21 unicorns, India has emerged as 3rd largest ecosystems for more
successful start-ups according to Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019. China &
US won 1st & 2nd positions, respectively. Beijing is the world’s unicorn
capital city. Europe has 35 unicorns.
6. Global Health Security Index 2019: India ranks low at 57
According to GHSI 2019 report by WHO, world is unprepared for
outbreaks of major infectious diseases, with Asian countries facing
significant risks, Thailand & South Korea were among the best-
performing countries in Asia, while India was at 57th rank.
7. IIT Bombay ranks first in QS India University rankings
IIT-Bombay, IISC-Bengaluru & IIT-Delhi won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks
respectively according to the QS India University Rankings 2020 for the
2nd consecutive year. University of Hyderabad has been ranked 8th among
the top 10 in India.
8. Ghaziabad’s Loni town emerges as country’s most polluted
Ghaziabad’s Loni emerged as the most polluted city in the country as per
Central Pollution Control Board’s Air Quality Index (AQI) figures. The AQI
figures for Ghaziabad ranked in the “very poor” category &topped the list
of 108 most polluted cities. Loni’s AQI figure is 359.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. Forbes India Rich List 2019: Mukesh Ambani retains top spot,
Gautam Adani second
Industrialist Gautam Adani jumped 8 spots on the list to become the
second richest India with net worth of $15.7 billion while Reliance
Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani maintained his numero uno spot with
$51.4 billion.
10. Kerala, Chandigarh top govt think tank NITI’s school education
quality index
Kerala and Chandigarh emerged as the top performers in the school
education quality index (SEQI) of all states and Union territories,
government think tank NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog considered 2016-17 as the
reference year for the index. Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and Uttar
Pradesh were the laggards.
News: Others
1. India's rank jumps 14 places in World Bank's ease of doing

business ranking
India climbed 14 rungs in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business 2020
survey among 190 countries, making it the one of world’s top 10 most
improved countries for the 3rd consecutive time. India’s ranking improved
from 142nd in 2014 to 63rd in 2019. Last year, India jumped 23 places to
reach 77th position.
2. IIM Calcutta featured in the 'Financial Times master’s in
management Rankings 2019'
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has secured the 17th rank
globally in the 'Financial Times master’s in management Rankings 2019'.
University of St Gallen, Switzerland & HEC Paris, France secured the
first & second ranks respectively. London Business School secured the
third position.
3. Three Indian-origin CEOs in 'The Best-Performing CEOs in the
World, 2019'
Three Indian-origin CEOs have featured in 'The Best-Performing CEOs in
the World, 2019' published by Harvard Business Review. Adobe CEO
Shantanu Narayen(6th), MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (7th) & Microsoft
chief Satya Nadella (9th) featured in the list. American company NVIDIA's
CEO Jensen Huang topped the list.
4. World Giving Index: India ranks 82, USA tops the list
India ranks 82 among the 128 countries surveyed by the Charities Aid
Foundation (CAF), an international organisation that promotes giving to
transform lives and communities across the world. USA stood at the top
followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Important days
1. International Day of Older Persons: 1 October

The International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to highlight the
important contributions that older people make to society and raise
awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.
2. International Day of Non-Violence : 2 October
The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the
birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence
movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.
3. 10 October: World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October, with the objective of
raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing
efforts in support of mental health. This year’s theme is suicide
prevention.
4. 11 October: International Girl Child Day
Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Girl Child
Day by UN. Its main objective is women empowerment. In the world
Conference on women that took place in 1995 countries adopted the
Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action. 2019 theme is “Girl Force:
Unscripted and Unstoppable”.
5. 15 October: International day of rural women
On 15 October, UN celebrates the International Day of Rural Women to
recognize the role of rural women. This year UN celebrates the vital role
that rural women play in climate action with a spotlight on “Rural women
and girls building resilience” theme. The day was first observed on
2008.
6. 15 October: World students’ day
World Students' Day is marked as the birthday of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. It
is observed on 15 October. In 2010 the United Nations declared 15
October as "World Students' Day". The day honours Kalam’s efforts in the
field of science & technology.
7. 16 October: World White Cane Day
World white cane day is observed on 16 October to celebrate the
achievements of people who are blind/visually impaired. The white cane
has become a symbol of freedom, independence, & confidence enabling
blind person to move about freely.
8. 17 October: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
UN celebrates International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October
17. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty
worldwide. 2019 theme is- “acting together to empower children,
their families & communities to end poverty”.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. 20 October: World Osteoporosis Day

World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on October 20th by the
International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). The day is dedicated for
raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis & treatment of
osteoporosis & metabolic bone disease.2019 campaign will feature “That’s
Osteoporosis” as headline.
10. 21 October: National Police Day
The National Police Memorial in India commemorates National Police Day
on 21 October. Day is remembrance of police personnel from all of the
central & state police forces in India who have died in the line of duty
since the nation's Independence in 1947.
11. 23 October: International mole day to foster interest in chemistry
Mole Day is celebrated annually on October 23. It celebrates Avogadro’s
Number-a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Day was created as a way to
foster interest in chemistry & schools around the world celebrate with
various activities related to chemistry. Day is celebrated from 6:02 am to
6:02 pm.
12. 24 October: United Nations Day
24 October is celebrated as the United Nations day annually. Day marks
the anniversary of the UN Charter's entry into force on 24 October 1945.
UN has declared climate change the defining issue of our time. 2019
theme is “Our Planet. Our Future”.
13. 24 October: World Polio Day
24 October is celebrated as the World Polio Day to commemorate the birth
of Jonas Salk- who led the 1st team to develop a vaccine against
poliomyelitis. The day is observed to raise the awareness for polio
vaccination & polio eradication. Day was established by Rotary
International.
14. World Statistics Day : 20 October
This was the second World Statistics Day. This year’s theme Better Data,
Better Lives emphasizes the critical role of high-quality official statistical
information in analysis and informed policy decision-making in support of
sustainable development. The first World Statistics Day was celebrated in
2010
15. World Development Information Day : 24 October
The General Assembly in 1972 established World Development
Information Day to draw the attention of the world to development
problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve
them.
16. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage : 27 October
The General Conference of UNESCO approved the commemoration of a
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage in 2005 as a mechanism to raise
general awareness of the need to preserve and safeguard important
audiovisual material for future generations. 2019 Theme: Engage the Past
Through Sound and Images.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
17. World Food Day : 16 October

World Food Day is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger.
Held annually on 16th October. This year, World Food Day calls for action
across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and
accessible to everyone. Events are organized in over 150 countries across
the world.
18. 31 October: World Cities Day
UN designated 31st October as the World Cities Day & UNESCO will host a
conference on the day. The general theme of the Day is “Better City,
Better Life”. “Changing the world: innovations and better life for future
generations” is the 2019 sub-theme. Day aims to promote the New Urban
Agenda globally.
19. 31 October: World Thrift Day
World Thrift Day is observed on 31st October worldwide & in India it is
observed on 30th October since 1984 as 31st October being the date of
assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi. This day is devoted to the
promotion of savings all over the world. First International Thrift Congress
was held in Italy in 1924.
20. 31 October: National Unity Day/ Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
National Unity Day is observed on 31 October to commemorate the birth
anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel who played an important role in
unifying the country. The theme of the day is to bring the nation together
in times of strife & rising extremism.
News: Others
1. World Habitat Day - 7 October

The first Monday of October of every year is observed as World Habitat
Day to reflect on the state of our towns, cities & on the basic right of all to
adequate shelter. 2019 theme: Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool
to transform waste to wealth.
2. World Cotton Day: October 7
On 7 October, the WTO hosted the first World Cotton Day (WCD) in
Geneva. The WTO Secretariat is organizing the event in collaboration with
the Secretariats of FAO, UNCTAD, ITC and ICAC.
3. 87th IAF Day celebrated on October 8
Every year, the Air Force Day is celebrated at Hindon base in presence of
IAF chief and senior officials of the three-armed forces. The IAF was
founded on October 8, 1932, and the force has participated in several
crucial wars and landmark missions.
4. UN celebrates World Post Day on 9 October
United Nations celebrates world post day on October 9th.The purpose is to
create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people’s and
businesses’ everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic
development of countries.
5. World Migratory Bird Day observed on October 12
The World Migratory Bird Day this year on the theme of 'Protect Birds: Be
the solution to plastic pollution' aims to increase the level of awareness
about the threats - both general and specific - that birds are facing.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
6. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction - October 13

International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed on 13 October
annually to raise awareness about disaster reduction. The theme is
“Reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption
of basic services”.
7. 14 October: World Standards Day
World Standards Day is celebrated internationally each year on 14
October. The aim of the day is to raise awareness among regulators,
industry and consumers as to the importance of standardization to the
global economy. ISO was formed in 1947.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Quick revision
Date Day Theme

1 October International Day of The Journey to Age Equality
Older Persons
2 October International Day of NA
Non-Violence
7 October World Habitat Day Frontier Technologies as an innovative
tool to transform waste to wealth
7 October World Cotton Day NA
October 8 87th IAF Day NA
9 October World Post Day NA
10 October World Mental Health Suicide Prevention
Day
11 October International Girl Girl Force: Unscripted and
Child Day Unstoppable
October 12 World Migratory Bird Protect Birds: Be the solution to
Day plastic pollution
October 13 International Day for Reduce disaster damage to critical
Disaster Risk infrastructure and disruption of basic
Reduction services
14 October World Standards Day
15 October International day of Rural women and girls building
rural women resilience
15 October World students’ day NA
16 October World White Cane NA
Day
16 October World Food Day NA
17 October International Day for Acting together to empower children,
the Eradication of their families & communities to end
Poverty poverty
20 October World Osteoporosis That’s Osteoporosis( campaign
Day headline)
20 October World Statistics Day Better Data, Better Lives
21 October National Police Day NA
23 October International mole NA
day to foster interest
in chemistry
24 October United Nations Day Our Planet. Our Future
27 October World Day for NA
Audiovisual Heritage
31 October World Cities Day Changing the world: innovations and
better life for future generations
31 October World Thrift Day NA
31 October National Unity Day/ NA
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Sports
1. Novak Djokovic clinches Japan Open title

World No.1 Novak Djokovic clinched the Japan Open tennis title by
defeating Australian qualifier John Millman 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets at the
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo. It was his first Japanese competition.
2. Surender Singh creates three world records at World Powerlifting
C’ ship
Surender Singh created 3 world records at the ongoing World Powerlifting
Championship in Berlin, Germany. He bagged a gold medal in 110 kg
category, Classic Raw & Best Lifter Award in Classic Raw & Single Ply.
3. Spain's Marquez grabs 6th MotoGP world title
Marc Marquez of Spain lifted his 6th premier class MotoGP world title with
victory at the Thailand Grand Prix. His 6 titles puts him 3rd on the all-time
list in the MotoGP/500cc class behind Italian legends Giacomo Agostini (8)
& Valentino Rossi (7).
4. Medvedev defeats Zverev to clinch Shanghai Masters
Daniil Medvedev won his fourth title with a thumping 6-4, 6-1 victory over
Alexander Zverev in the Shanghai Masters finals. He is now the new
world number three, displacing Roger Federer. The top two are Rafael
Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
5. Priyanshu Rajawat claims men's singles title at Bahrain
International Series
Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat won the men's singles title in the
Bahrain International Series Badminton defeating Jason Anthony Ho-Shue
from Canada. Indian mixed double pair of Juhi Dewangan & Venkat
Gaurav Prasad also finished at the top.
News: Others
1. Indian boxers clinched 21 medals at Asian Junior Championships

Indian boxers clinched 21 medals-including 6 golds and 9 silvers- to end
with the best medal haul among 26 competing countries at the Asian
Junior Championships held in UAE. But team finished as 2nd behind
Uzbekistan which had a better gold count of 8. Uzbekistan clinched a
total of 20 medals.
2. An Se-young , Chen Long clinch French Open badminton titles
Korean An Se-young stunned Carolina Marin in an epic final to lift the
women's singles title at the French Open badminton tournament. Chinese
Chen Long grabbed the men's singles trophy with a 21-19 21-12 win over
Indonesia's Jonathan Christie. Satwik-Chirag lost French Open final,
settled for silver.
3. BWF World Tour: Satwiksairaj & Chirag Shetty reclaim top 10 in
doubles
Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
grabbed 9th position in the latest BWF Badminton rankings. They became
the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a BWF World Tour Super 750
event at the French Open last week.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Ravinder settles for silver at U-23 World Wrestling Championship

At the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship in Budapest, Indian
grappler Ravinder settled for a silver medal after going down to
Kyrgyzstan's Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov for a 3-5 loss in the final in 61-kg.
Ulukbek is the current Asian U-23 champion. This was India's first medal
at the 2019 edition.
Awards
1. William Kaelin, Gregg Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe win Nobel Medicine

Prize 2019
The 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to
scientists William G Kaelin, Jr, Peter J Ratcliffe and Gregg L Semenza.
They received the award jointly for their discoveries of "how cells sense
and adapt to oxygen availability,".
2. Nobel prize in physics awarded for discoveries in cosmology
Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics has been announced. Three scientists, James
Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz have won the Prize for their
contribution to the understanding of the evolution of the universe
and earth's place in the cosmos. Award includes 9 million kronor cash,
a gold medal & a diploma.
3. Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for development of lithium-ion
batteries
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 was awarded jointly to John B.
Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham & Akira Yoshino for the
development of lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are now used in
everything from mobile phones to laptops & electric vehicles.
4. Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke awarded Nobel literature prize for
2018 & 2019
The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 is awarded to the Polish author Olga
Tokarczuk & for the year 2019 is awarded to the Austrian author Peter
Handke. Literature Nobel prize was suspended in 2018 after a sexual
assault scandal. Olga Tokarczuk won the Man Booker International Prize
last year.
5. Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed wins Nobel Peace Prize 2019 for ending
Eritrea conflict
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for 2019 in recognition of his efforts to end his country's long-
running border conflict with Eritrea. Last year Abiy & Eritrean President
Isaias Afwerki formally restored relations.
6. Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer conferred 2019
Nobel Economics Prize
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo & Michael Kremer won 2019 Nobel
Economics Prize for their work on poverty. Duflo is the youngest person
and second woman to be awarded the prize. The three laureates are
expected to split a $915,000 cash prize.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
7. Sachin Tendulkar gets most effective Swachhata Ambassador

award
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar bagged the Most Effective Swachhata
Ambassador award at the fifth edition of the Safaigiri Awards for utilizing
his popularity and fame to ensure India achieves its goal of a Swachh
Bharat.
8. Milkha Singh bestowed with the lifetime achievement award at
ISH
Legendary Milkha Singh and star batswoman Smriti Mandhana were
among the winners during the second edition of the Indian Sports
Honours (ISH). A total of seventeen honours were presented during the
ceremony.
9. MS Ananth conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award at TiECON
Chennai 2019
MS Ananth was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
TiECON Chennai 2019 event. The award was given for his contributions to
higher education in India, and for committed research and excellence in
Chemical engineering.
News: Others
1. Elgi wins CII Design Excellence award

Air compressor manufacturer Elgi Equipment’s won the 2019 CII Design
Excellence Award. Elgi’s “Always Better series” - a disruption in oil-free
compressed air technology won award in the Industrial Design, capital
goods category.
2. First National CSR awards on October 29
The govt is set to host the 1st national corporate social responsibility
awards on October 29. The awards are intended to encourage best
practices in CSR & to recognise the efforts of companies that have utilised
funds marked for CSR effectively.
3. K Parasaran won the Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award
Venkaiah Naidu presented Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to former
Attorney General K. Parasaran. He was honoured with the award on the
Elder’s Day celebration of Age Care India. He was awarded for
contribution to the field of law & justice.
4. Marg ERP promoter gets Udyog Rattan Award
The promoter of Marg ERP which provides inventory & accounting
software has bagged Udyog Rattan Award from the Govt. This award is
conferred annually to Indian citizens for their outstanding contribution to
the economic development of the country.
5. 28th Vyas Samman conferred on Leeladhar Jagoori
28th Vyas Samman for the year 2018 was conferred on well-known Hindi
writer Leeladhar Jagoori. He has been chosen for the prestigious award for
his poetry collection- Jitne Log Utne Prem. Renowned Author & Scholar
Govind Mishra gave away the award to him. Vyas Samman-started in
1991-is given by K.K Birla Foundation.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
6. India wins four UNESCO heritage awards

The four winners from India, include one from Ahmedabad -- Award of
Distinction for Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management
(IIM); and three from Mumbai -- Award of Merit for Keneseth Eliyahoo
Synagogue and Our Lady of Glory Church; while Honourable Mention for
Flora Fountain.
7. Panchayati Raj Minister to confer National Panchayat Awards 2019
Narendra Singh Tomar will confer the National Panchayat Awards 2019 in
New Delhi. The Awards will be given to awardee Panchayats & States in
various categories. 246 awards will be given in total.6 states will be
awarded in e- Panchayat Puraskar category.
Quick Revision
Winner Award
William Kaelin, Gregg 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology
Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe
James Peebles, Michel Mayor Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics
and Didier Queloz
John B. Goodenough, M. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019
Stanley Whittingham & Akira
Yoshino
Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Nobel literature prize for 2018 & 2019
Handke
Abiy Ahmed Nobel Peace Prize 2019
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo 2019 Nobel Economics
& Michael Kremer
Sachin Tendulkar Most effective Swachhata Ambassador award
Milkha Singh Lifetime achievement award at ISH
MS Ananth Lifetime Achievement Award at the TiECON
Chennai 2019
Elgi Equipment’s 2019 CII Design Excellence Award
K. Parasaran Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award
Marg ERP promoter Udyog Rattan Award
Leeladhar Jagoori 28th Vyas Samman, 2018
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Obituaries
1. Opera legend Jessye Norman dies at 74

Jessye Norman whose passionate soprano voice won her four Grammy
Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor, has
died. She was 74. In 1990, Augusta opened the Jessye Norman
Amphitheatre to honour the opera icon. She earned 15 Grammy
nominations throughout her career.
2. Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar dies in Dhaka
Internationally acclaimed Bangladesh painter Kalidas Karmakar passed
away at the age of 73. He was awarded Shilpakala Padak & the Ekushey
Padak by the Govt of Bangladesh for his contribution to fine arts. He
conducted solo exhibitions on many countries.
He was known for his installation work using diverse materials.
3. Marcello Giordani a star at the world’s top opera houses, passed
away
Tenor Marcello Giordani, renowned for a voice of beauty and heft that
made him a star at the world’s top opera houses, passed away. He was
56. Giordani was sought after in lyric and later spinto roles.
4. Doyen of Nutrition research Colathur Gopalan passed away
Colathur Gopalan, the doyen of nutrition research in India passed away in
Chennai. He played a key role in tackling nutritional-deficiency diseases
such as Beri Beri (vitamin B1 deficiency) & Pellagra. He started the
Nutrition Foundation of India in 1980.
5. Noted saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath passed away
Noted saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath passed away at the age of
69. He was the first Carnatic musician to be invited in the BBC Promenade
concert in the Royal Albert Hall at London. Mangalore & Bangalore
universities had conferred him doctorates.
6. Centenarian philatelist and coin collector Krishna Gopalkrishna
Kadekodi passed away
Centenarian philatelist and coin collector Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi
passed away. He started his career as a revenue inspector and retired as
a special deputy commissioner at the Regional Commissioner’s Office in
Belagavi. He was 102.
7. Former Supreme Court Judge And Ex-Karnataka Lokayukta N
Venkatachala passed away
Former Karnataka Lokayukta and former Supreme Court judge N
Venkatachala,89 died in Bengaluru. Justice Venkatachala was appointed
as a judge of the top court in July 1992. He retired from his post in July
1995. He served as Lokayukta of Karnataka following his retirement from
the judiciary.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
News: Others
1. Indian-Origin Journalist Farook Khan passed away

Farook Khan, a prominent Indian-origin journalist in South Africa and
cultural activist who received fame for his investigative reporting during
apartheid, passed away. He started the Miss India South Africa Pageant
as part of the Miss India Worldwide Pageant.
2. Veteran journalist Kanwar Sain Jolly passed away at 86
Veteran journalist Kanwar Sain Jolly passed away following a prolonged
illness. He was 86.
He retired as Deputy General Manager of PTI new agency in 1993. Post
his retirement from PTI, he served with various organisations such as
KPMG, Pepsi and DuPont.
3. Sara Danius, the first female head of Nobel's literature award
body, passes away at 57
Sara Danius, the 1st female head of the Swedish body that awards the
Nobel Prize in Literature, has died. She was 57. She was a literature critic,
Professor and writer, served as the 1st female permanent secretary of
Swedish Academy b/w 2015 & 2018.
Quick revision
Obituary (Name) Related Field

Jessye Norman Opera legend
Kalidas Karmakar Painter
Marcello Giordani Star, Opera house
Colathur Gopalan Nutrition research
Farook Khan Journalist
Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi Philatelist
Kanwar Sain Jolly Journalist
Sara Danius First female head of Nobel's literature
award body
N Venkatachala Former Karnataka Lokayukta
Schemes
1. FSSAI launches Food Safety Mitra for ease of doing business, job
creation
Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
launched a scheme --Food Safety Mitra (FSM). The scheme will support
small and medium scale food businesses in compliance to the food safety
laws.
2. Yogi Adityanath launches Kanya Sumangala Yojana
UP govt launched its flagship scheme Kanya Sumangla Yojna. The
scheme will provide 15,000 Rs in a phased manner to every family in
which a girl child takes birth & parents have to take care of girl child’s
health & education to get the benefit.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
3. Delhi Govt agrees to implement Central scheme PM-KISAN

Delhi Govt has agreed to implement the Central scheme PM-KISAN under
which income support of 6,000 Rs is provided to each eligible farmer.
Under the scheme, which was launched in February crediting is done as 3
equal instalments to the bank accounts.
4. Govt to boost ‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme
Govt is planning to allocate more funds for the Jiyo Parsi scheme. Centre
announced the Scheme in September 2013 to check the declining Parsi
population. Parzor Foundation works for the promotion & preservation of
Parsi culture & implements the scheme. Maharashtra has the highest
Parsi population followed by Gujarat.
5. Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launches
Ganga Aamantran
Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Ganga Aamantran
– a unique initiative to connect with Ganga’s Stakeholders. It is a
pioneering and historic exploratory open water rafting and kayaking
expedition on the Ganga River.
News: Others
1. Andhra Pradesh CM launches scheme for MSMEs

Andhra Pradesh Govt launched a scheme called YSR Navodayam for
MSMEs. The scheme aims to bail out MSMEs in the State & provide them
financial relief by restructuring their bank loans before March 31,2020. AP
CM YS Jagmohan Reddy inaugurated the scheme.
Bank loans up to a ceiling of Rs 25 crores will be restructured.
2. Andhra Pradesh CM launches vision improvement scheme
Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched “YSR Kanti Velugu”
programme intended to screen the school children for vision defects and
to provide treatment free of cost. Programme will have two phases and
will be completed by 2020.
3. Govt launches SUMAN-an initiative for quality health care at no
cost
Dr Harsh Vardhan launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan-SUMAN, an
initiative in New Delhi. The initiative was launched during the 13th
Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare. It provides a
positive birth experience to mother & infant.
4. Revenue Secretary inaugurates National e-Assessment Scheme
Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey inaugurated National e-
Assessment Scheme of Income Tax department. With NeAC, there would
be no physical interface between the taxpayers and the tax officers. NeAC
improves quality of assessment and monitoring.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Person in News
1. Dutch Open: Lakshya Sen wins maiden BWF World Tour title
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched maiden BWF World Tour title by
winning the Dutch Open men's singles at Almere in the Netherlands.
Lakshya, currently ranked 72nd, had won the Belgian Open last month and
reached the finals of Polish Open this year.
2. Simone Biles breaks record for most world medals won by any
gymnast
Simone Biles broke the all-time record for most medals by any gymnast at
the world championships by winning the balance beam competition at the
World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the 24th
world championship medal for Biles.
3. Manju Rani won silver in World Women's Boxing Championship
Manju Rani clinches silver after losing to Russia's Ekaterina Paltceva in the
Women's World Boxing Championships 2019.Paltceva defeated Rani 4 -1
in 48-kg category in the final match of the tournament. Rani hails from
Indian state of Haryana.
4. Kuhoo Garg-Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles
title
Kuhoo Garg & Dhruv Rawat won Egypt International mixed doubles title
2019 in Cairo. They defeated Utkarsh Arora and Karishma Wadkar in an
all-Indian final. Earlier at the Dubai International Challenge, Rituparna Das
defeated Japan's Mako Urushizaki.
5. Commerce and Industry Minister on a Two-Day Visit to Sweden
Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister-Piyush Goyal attended the
19thSession of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic,
Industrial & Scientific Cooperation in Sweden on 23 October 2019.
Sweden is the 20th largest foreign investor in India.
6. Dharmendra Pradhan visits Russia & Japan
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan visited
Russia & Japan. Possible areas of collaboration in sectors like coking coal
& shipping routes were discussed. EIL signed an MoU with the Russian
National Chamber of Engineers.
7. Praveen Kumar becomes first Indian man to win gold at Wushu
World Championships
Praveen Kumar became the 1st Indian man to win a Wushu World
Championships gold, beating Russel Diaz of Philippines in the 48kg
category in Shanghai. The Indian saw off his Filipino opponent 2-1 in the
men's Sanda event of the 15th World Wushu Championship. India finished
third overall in the championship.
8. Rohit Sharma becomes 3rd Indian batsman to reach top 10 in all
formats
Rohit Sharma has become the 3rd Indian batsman to reach the top 10 in
all three formats after the series against South Africa in which he donned
the new role of Test opener. Rohit emulated captain Virat Kohli and retired
opener Gautam Gambhir.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. Mithali Raj becomes 1st female player to complete 20 years in

international cricket
India women's cricket captain Mithali Raj became the first female player to
last more than 20 years in international cricket. She achieved the feat
while leading India to an eight-wicket win over South Africa Women in the
first ODI at Vadodara.
10. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands completed a unique double
Sifan Hassan completed a historic 1,500/10,000 metres double at the
World Athletics Championship. She became the first athlete, male or
female, to win the two events at a single Olympic Games or world
championships.
11. Ben Stokes named PCA player of the year
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been voted Professional Cricketers'
Association player of the year. He helped England win the World Cup for
the first time and made a remarkable unbeaten 135 to win the third Ashes
Test against Australia at Headingly.
News: Others
1. Roger Federer Wins 10th Swiss Open Crown, Career Title No. 103
Top-seeded Federer, 38, won the Swiss Open for a 10th time, beating 20-
year-old Alex de Minaur of Australia, 6-2, 6-2, for his fourth title of 2019
and the 103rd title of his career. Jimmy Connors is the all-time men’s
leader with 109 tournament wins. In other tournament Dominic Thiem
beat Diego Schwartzman to grab Vienna Open title
2. Tiger Woods wins Zozo Championship
Tiger Woods won the Zozo Championship defeating Hideki Matsuyama of
Japan to tie Sam Snead's PGA Tour record of 82 victories. He was playing
in the first-ever PGA Tour event in Japan. The Zozo Championship is a
professional golf tournament in Inzai, Japan.
3. Shiv Nadar tops EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2019
HCL founder and chairman Shiv Nadar has topped the EdelGive Hurun
India Philanthropy List 2019, with the highest contribution of Rs 826
crore between April 2018 and March 2019. The amount in philanthropy
contributed by Indians in the list stands at Rs 4,391 crore with an average
contribution of Rs 44 crore.
4. Chandi Prasad Bhatt to get Indira Gandhi award for national
integration
The 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the years 2017
and 2018 will be awarded to the pioneer of the Chipko Movement Chandi
Prasad Bhatt for his services in promoting and preserving the national
integration.
5. World Bank President David Malpass visit India & Pakistan
World Bank President David Malpas visit India & Pakistan where he
discussed the challenges in the financial sector. Annual meetings of the
IMF and World Bank have begun in Washington. WB publishes Global
Economic Prospects report.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
6. Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run marathon in under two

hours
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has completed the first-ever marathon under two
hours in the Austrian capital of Vienna, two years since he fell 25 seconds
short. He ran forty-two kilometres in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40
seconds at Vienna's Prater-Hauptallee.
Summits & Conference

1. Second Informal Summit between Modi & Xi Jinping to be held in

Tamil Nadu
After the success of first informal meeting between Modi & Chinese
President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April 2018, second informal summit is to
be held at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. This summit will improve the
bilateral relations between two countries.
2. Piyush Goyal attended 9th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting
in Thailand
Piyush Goyal attended the 9th Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Intersessional Ministerial meeting beginning on October 12 at
Bangkok. This will be the last Ministerial before the 3rd Leaders’ Summit to
be held on next month in Bangkok.
3. Kerala Start-up Mission to hold fourth edition of IEDC event
Kerala Start-up Mission will hold the 4th edition of the IEDC (Innovation &
Entrepreneurship Development Centre) summit. 'Accelerating Ideas to
Industry 4.0’ will be the theme. This gives students an opportunity to
express their entrepreneurial ideas.
4. President of India Addresses 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit
Ram Nath Kovind addressed the 4th ASEAN-India Business Summit &
India-Philippines Business Conclave in Manila, Philippines. Both countries
share mutual complementarities which can be utilised to deepen trade &
investment. He also visited the Manila Museum. ASEAN-India trade target
is US$ 200 billion by 2022.
5. Venkaiah Naidu to lead Indian delegation at Non-Aligned
Movement Summit
Venkaiah Naidu will lead the Indian delegation at the 18th Summit of
Heads of State & Govt of the Non-Aligned Movement. The theme is -
Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted & adequate
response to the challenges of the contemporary world.
6. New Delhi to Host First “Global Bio-India 2019” Summit
The Global Bio-India 2019-one of the largest biotechnology stakeholders’
conglomerates will be held for the 1st time in India at New Delhi from 21st
to 23rd November 2019. The event has been structured to bring together
stakeholders from 30 countries.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
7. 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet on Climate Change

29th ministerial meeting of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China)
countries on Climate Change was held at Beijing, China. India has already
achieved 21% reduction in emission intensity of GDP in 2014 compared to
2005 levels. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar attended it.
8. Interpol to hold general assembly in India in 2022
India will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 after a proposal
received the overwhelming support of member countries at this year's
congregation at Santinago in Chile. A proposal in this regard was given to
Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock.
9. Goa Maritime Conclave– 2019 Inaugurated
Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC)-2019 was inaugurated by NSA Ajit Kumar
Doval. Theme for the conclave is “Common Maritime Priorities in IOR
and need for Regional Maritime Strategy”. 31st edition of the Naval
War College Journal was also released.
10. 2020 G7 summit to take place in USA
2020 G7 summit will take place in one of Trump's Florida golf clubs.
Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney informed this. G7 is an organisation
made up of the world's 7 largest so-called advanced economies: Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK & US. The 45th G7 summit was held on
August 2019 France.
11. Second India-France Ministerial level Annual Defence Dialogue
held in Paris
Rajnath Singh participated in the Second India-France Ministerial level
Annual Defence Dialogue with his French counterpart, the Minister for the
Armed Forces -Ms. Florence Parly in Paris. Both sides agreed to
strengthen and deepen defence relations.
News: Others
1. IICTF 2019 organised from 11 to 13 October in New Delhi

The India International Cooperative Trade Fair was organised in New
Delhi. The Trade fair aims at bridging the gap between small farmers and
the international market via technology. This is India's first ever trade fair
organised for small farmers and cooperative organisations.
2. 38th India Carpet Expo held in Varanasi
The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) organized the 38th India
Carpet Expo from 11th- 14th October, 2019 in Sampurnanand Sanskrit
University Ground with an aim to promote the cultural heritage and
weaving skills of Indian hand-made carpets and other floor coverings for
the visiting overseas carpet buyers.
3. First National Hindi Science writers conference held in Lucknow
In Uttar Pradesh, the first 2-day long National Hindi Science writers
conference will start today in Lucknow with an aim to release science
writing from the clutches of English and to promote use of Hindi and other
Vernacular languages.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Kochi to host national health informatics meet in 2020

The Health Informatics and Information Management Association (HIIMA),
Kerala, and the Health Records Association of India (HERAI) will jointly
organising the 20th annual national conference in Kochi on in February,
2020. The theme of the conference – Medrecon 2020 – is ‘Value of Data
in Health Care Ecosystem’.
5. Regional Labour conference held in Bhubaneswar
Regional Labour conference was held in Bhubaneswar. Labour Ministers &
senior officials of six states participated in the conference. Regional
Conferences help in creating better coordination between Central and
State Govts in implementing labour laws.
6. Finance Minister led the Indian delegation at G20 Finance
Ministers meet
FM Nirmala Sitharaman led the Indian delegation at G20 Finance Ministers
& Central Bank Governors as well as the BRICS Finance Ministers &
Central Bank Governors meetings in Washington. IMF/WB Annual
Meetings were also held in Washington D.C. She also attended Industry
Roundtable organized by USIBC & CII.
7. Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave
Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated 11th Nuclear Energy Conclave in New Delhi.
Theme of the Conclave: “Economics of Nuclear Power-Innovation
towards Safer & Cost-Effective Technologies”. Govt has diversified
the applications of nuclear energy in various fields.
8. 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair
Buyers from 110 nations have assembled to source home, lifestyle,
fashion, furniture and textiles products from around 3,200 Indian
exhibitors at the 48th edition of the Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair
(IHGF) at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Quick Revision
Summit/Conference Venue
Second Informal Summit between Modi & Xi Jinping Mamallapuram ,Tamil Nadu
9th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting Thailand
IEDC (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Kerala
Centre) summit
4th ASEAN-India Business Summit Manila, Philippines
First “Global Bio-India 2019” Summit New Delhi
29th ministerial meeting BASIC Beijing, China
General assembly, Interpol (2022) India
India International Cooperative Trade Fair,2019 New Delhi
38th India Carpet Expo Varanasi, U.P
First National Hindi Science writers conference Lucknow, U.P
National health informatics meet (2020) Kochi
Regional Labour conference Bhubaneshwar
11th Nuclear Energy Conclave New Delhi
2020 G7 summit USA
Second India-France Ministerial level Annual Defence Paris
Dialogue
Defence
1. India-France joint Army exercise begins from Oct 31

The bilateral 'Exercise SHAKTI' between the armies of India & France will
be conducted from 31 October-13 November 2019. It will focus on counter
terrorism operations in semi-desert terrain & aims at enhancing
interoperability between the two armies. Exercise will be held in
Rajasthan.
2. DAC announces sourcing of worth Rs3,300 Cr for army
DAC announced the sourcing of Rs. 3,300 crore worth of indigenously
designed & developed weapons systems for the Indian Army. Move comes
amid efforts by India to broaden its domestic defence manufacturing base
under ‘Make in India’ programme.
3. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 Defence exercise “Danx19”
concludes
Andaman & Nicobar Command conducted the 2nd edition of Defence of
Andaman & Nicobar Islands-DANX19 at Port Blair. Components of the
Indian Army, Navy, Air Force & Coast Guard carried out mobilisation and
field manoeuvres validate defensive plans. It was held from 14 Oct to 18
Oct 2019.
4. India, Japan to hold joint military exercise in Mizoram
India & Japan are holding a joint military exercise in Mizoram from Oct 19
to Nov 2. The focus of the 2-week-long exercise Dharma Guardian will be
to increase the interoperability btw the two forces & enhance coordination
and counter terrorism.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
5. India’s First Training Squadron at Mombasa, Kenya

As part of Indian Navy's Overseas Deployment, four indigenously built
ships of Indian Navy's First Training Squadron, Indian Naval Ships Tir,
Sujata and Shardul and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, arrived at
Mombasa Kenya.
News: Others
1. India takes delivery of first Rafale fighter jet

India received its first French-made Rafale fighter jet. The aircraft was
received by defence minister Rajnath Singh on the 87th Indian Air Force
(IAF) founding day. India is the fourth country after France, Egypt and
Qatar, to fly the Rafale.
2. IAF In Talks With Russia To Finalize Procurement Of Sukhoi Jets
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in advance stages of talks with Russia to
finalize a deal over the purchase of 12 Sukhoi jets as the Air Force looks
to upgrade its force further, and also to replace the jets that crashed.
3. Indo Mongolian Joint Exercise Nomadic Elephant- XIV commenced
at Bakloh
14th edition of Indo - Mongolian joint military training, Exercise Nomadic
Elephant–XIV took place at Bakloh. The joint exercise is meant to enhance
defence co-operation and military relations between the two nations.
Indian Army is represented by a battalion of RAJPUTANA regiment.
4. Defence Minister approves hike in monetary aid for battle
casualties
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a four-fold increase in
monetary assistance for battle casualties - from ₹2 lakh to ₹8 lakh. The
amount will be granted under the Army Battle Casualties Welfare
Fund (ABCWF).
5. 12-day India-Kazakhstan joint military exercise held
The 12-day joint military exercise named KAZIND-2019 between India
and Kazakhstan took place in Pithoragarh. The aim of the exercise was to
conduct company level joint training with an emphasis on counter-
terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Agreements
1. India, Bangladesh sign MoU for Coastal Surveillance Radar System

India and Bangladesh have signed an MoU that will enable Delhi to set up
a coastal surveillance system radar in Bangladesh. Other agreements
signed by the two countries include MoU for Standard Operating Procedure
on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports.
2. India, ADB sign 190-million-dollar loan agreement for improving
road connectivity in Rajasthan
India and Asian Development Bank, ADB have signed 190-million-dollar
loan agreement for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan. It was
signed to upgrade 754 km of state highways which will benefit about 26
mn people in 14 districts of Rajasthan.
3. India & Sierra Leone signed six agreements
India & Sierra Leone signed 6 agreements including extending a credit line
of 30 million US Dollars for rice cultivation. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
& Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio committed to further
strengthening bilateral relations.
4. Fujifilm India signs pact with Max Healthcare
Fujifilm India has inked a partnership with Max Healthcare to train doctors
in early detection of breast cancer & advance diagnostics at its hospital in
New Delhi. Fujifilm will sponsor an advanced fellowship in breast imaging
with Max Healthcare.
5. Exxon Mobil & ONGC signed expertise-sharing deal
Exxon will offer its expertise & technology to ONGC to help develop its
resources in offshore blocks under the expertise-sharing deal. The MoU
signed on the side-lines of the 3rd India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, will
be carried out in 3 phases.
6. C-CAMP & Dutch AMR consortium ink pact
Centre for Cellular & Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has signed a letter of
intent (LoI) with Dutch AMR Consortium - AMR Global. LoI will help the
firms to jointly build & nurture innovations to address the global
antimicrobial resistance threat (AMR).
7. Value Point partners with Cisco to set up cyber security experience
centre in Bengaluru
Tech firm Value Point Systems has partnered with US-based Cisco to
launch cyber security experience centre in Bengaluru. CSEC will enable
Value Point customers to build & manage cyber security platforms specific
to their business requirements.
8. Bharat Electronics signs MoU with TEL for ammunition business
Bharat Electronics Limited has signed a MoU with Tamil Nadu Industrial
Explosives Limited-a Tamil Nadu govt undertaking for co-operation in the
explosives segment. They also aim to set up a Centre of Excellence for
ammunition related technologies.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
9. MG Motor India partners with eChargeBays for setting up home

charging for EVs
MG Motor has partnered with eChargeBays for setting up home charging
infrastructure for electric vehicles. The partnership comes ahead of the
company’s launch of the its electric SUV. MG Motor has already partnered
with the Fortum & the Delta Electronics.
10. DRDO signed 30 agreements on Technology Transfer
DRDO signed 30 licensing agreements for Transfer of Technology with 16
Indian companies at the Vibrant Goa Global Expo & Summit 2019.
DRDO develops technologies for the Armed Forces & has been carrying
out ToT of these technologies to the defence industry. Goa CM Pramod
Sawant inaugurated the event.
11. India set to sign agreement on Kartarpur corridor with Pakistan
India & Pakistan set to sign a pact to operationalize the Kartarpur
corridor. PM Modi will inaugurate the corridor in November. The corridor
will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Punjab with the
Gurdwara at Kartarpur of Pakistan's Punjab province. Kartarpur is about
four km from the international border.
12. ITC ties up with AP govt to improve quality, sales of chilli output
ITC has joined hands with the Andhra Pradesh Govt to develop a chilli
value chain. The Agri-Business Division of ITC & Department of
Horticulture have conceptualized an integrated Agri Extension Platform for
chilli farmers under the public-private model.
13. Thyssenkrupp ties up with Nayara Energy, to provide project
consultancy
Thyssenkrupp ties up with Nayara Energy, to provide project consultancy
for Nayara Energy’s upcoming petrochemical units in Vadinar, Gujarat.
The company headquartered in Germany is collaborating with Nayara
Energy for the second time after 2000.
14. PayPal & Synchrony join hands to launch co-branded Venmo credit
card
PayPal & Synchrony signed a pact to launch co-branded Venmo credit
card. The card program will combine Venmo’s expertise in mobile design &
user experience with Synchrony’s industry-leading technology, program
management capabilities & data analytics.
15. Bharti Airtel signed pact with AMPSolar
Bharti Airtel has signed a pact with AMPSolar Evolution to acquire its 26%
stake for Rs 8.4 crore. Pact will fulfil the green energy needs & optimise
energy costs, as well as to comply with the regulatory requirement around
consumption of electricity.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
News: Others
1. Edify Education ties up with Cambridge University for testing

English skill
MDN Edify Education has tied up with Cambridge Assessment English to
provide training & English assessment facilities in India. Both the
institutions will identify partners in the remote area who in turn will be
skilling the younger generation.
2. Adani Group ties up with US-based Digital Realty for foray into
data centre domain
Adani Group ties up with Digital Realty-a San Francisco-based player in
data centre, co-location & interconnection solutions. Two entities will
jointly evaluate development & operation of data centres & data centre
parks. The move will help Adani Group's foray into data centre domain.
3. IIT Madras to collaborate with ExxonMobil for research in Energy
and Biofuels
IIT Madras will collaborate with ExxonMobil on Research in Energy &
Biofuel as part of Centre's new targets to convert the country’s biofuel
industry into a $15.6 billion economy. ExxonMobil is a leading global oil,
natural gas & petrochemicals company.
4. NITI Aayog, UNDP India Jointly Launch Youth Co:Lab
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & United Nations Development
Programme India launched Youth Co: Lab which aims at accelerating
social entrepreneurship & innovation in young India. it will convene a
series of Youth dialogue across several ci.
5. Vodafone Idea and Kia Motors, enter pact on UVO connected car
services
Vodafone Idea and Kia Motors have inked a pact wherein the telco will
provide Internet of Things (IoT) solutions - in navigation, safety and
security, vehicle management, remote control and convenience.
6. 120 MoUs signed for exports to China
Private companies from India and China signed more than 120 MoUs for
export of various products from India. Modi and Chinese President Xi
Jinping held second India-China Informal Summit in Mamallapuram, Tamil
Nadu on October 11-12.
7. Kotak Mahindra & Citroen in tie-up
Citroen announced partnership with Kotak Mahindra Prime to provide auto
financing & enable mobility solutions. Partnership will offer innovative
finance solutions & value-added products to customers and customised
credit solutions to dealers in India.
8. Airport Authority of India, Air India join TReDS platform
M1xchange
M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System(TReDS) platform
has forayed into the aviation sector by bringing on board Airport Authority
of India (AAI), Air India and Air India Express. The platform provides
MSMEs the facility of obtaining quick easy and assured settlement of their
invoices.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Books & Authors

1. New book on digital transformation titled The Tech Whisperer

launched
The book The Tech Whisperer features a chapter on AI written by AI
itself. It has been penned by digital transformation expert Jaspreet
Bindra. The book will demystifies and simplify "emerging technologies like
AI, blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality.
2. PM unveils the book “Bridgital Nation”
PM unveiled the book “Bridgital Nation” & presented its 1st copy to Ratan
Tata. It has been written by N Chandrasekaran & Roopa
Purushottam. It presents a vision of the future where technology &
human beings co-exist in a mutually beneficial ecosystem.
News: Others
1. Margaret Atwood & Bernardine Evaristo jointly bags Booker Prize

Margaret Atwood & Bernardine Evaristo have jointly won 2019 Booker
Prize. Atwood's “The Testament” & “Girl, Woman, Other” by Evaristo
shared the prize. British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie's “Quichotte” was
among the 6 books shortlisted for the prize.
2. Sheikh Sultan inaugurates Sharjah International Book Fair 2019
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi inaugurated the 38th edition
of the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair.2019 theme is 'Open Books
Open Minds'. It aims at promoting books & reading across age groups &
communities & will be held for 11 days. Republic of Mexico has been
declared as the Guest of Honour.
Quick revision
Books Authored By/Launched

By/Published By
The Tech Whisperer Jaspreet Bindra
Bridgital Nation N Chandrasekaran & Roopa
Purushottam
“The Testament” & “Girl, Woman, Margaret Atwood & Bernardine
Other” Evaristo
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Science & Technology

1. MIT researchers develop new technology to remove carbon

dioxide from air
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in US have
developed a new technology to capture carbon dioxide from a stream of
air. This will reduce greenhouse gas levels & it takes out the gas even
when it is present in very low concentrations. The device operates at room
temperature & normal air pressure.
2. MakeMyTrip deploys AI to make bookings easier
With the use of newly launched MakeMyTrip AI-powered chatbots,
customers will get suggestions and alerts of rail/flight bookings & even
suggestions for car bookings. MakeMyTrip also tied-up with IRCTC to
provide train tickets on its portals.
News: Others
1. IIIT Hyderabad researchers create first ever Indian Brain atlas

Researchers at the IIIT Hyderabad have created the 1st ever Indian Brain
Atlas. The next step is to prepare atlases for different age groups to study
age related effects on brain anatomy. The average brain size of an Indian
was smaller in comparison.
2. Novartis and Microsoft join forces to develop drugs using AI
Novartis will combine its expertise in deep life sciences with Microsoft’s
knowledge of artificial intelligence technology. The Collaboration will
address research, clinical trials, manufacturing, operations and finance.
Environment
1. PM Modi sets 2022 as deadline to eradicate single-use plastic from

India
PM Narendra Modi has set a deadline to achieve the target of eradicating
single-use plastic from India by 2022. The initiative will benefit the
environment, decongest roads and sewer lines, and protect biodiversity.
2. Prakash Javadekar launches first national protocol to enumerate
snow leopard population
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change launched the 1st
national protocol to enumerate the snow leopard population in India on
International Snow Leopard Day(October 23). The Day is celebrated
to protect the snow leopards & preserve the Himalayan wildlife.
3. Intense cyclonic storm, 'Kyarr' brews over Arabian Sea, moves
towards Oman
Kyarr -The cyclone formed over the east-central Arabian Sea is likely to
gain strength and become a severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone will
continue moving west-north westwards towards Oman coast over the next
five days away from the Indian coast.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Govt launches eco-friendly crackers to fight air pollution

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs have been
successful in developing various environment-friendly fireworks such as
sound emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers,
announced by Union Minister Harsh Vardhan. Green logo & QR code
system launched to track its manufacturing.
News: Others
1. Typhoon Hagibis hits Japan

Typhoon Hagibis ripped through Japan including Tokyo's metropolitan
area, causing multiple rivers to overflow, deaths, injuries & power
blackouts. It is the biggest typhoon hit in last 60 years. Most train
services resumed operations due to floodwaters.
2. Ramesh Pandey selected for Asia Environmental Enforcement
Award by UNEP
Indian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey has been selected for the
Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by the United Nations
Environment Programme. His work in combating trans-boundary
environmental crime has been recognised by the selection panel.
3. India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up in Bhopal
The Bhopal Municipal Corporation & the Central Pollution Control Board
have joined hands to set up the country’s first e-waste clinic. It would
enable segregation, processing & disposal of waste from both household
and commercial units.
Apps & Portals

1. SuM4All launches sustainable mobility tool

The Global Roadmap of Action toward Sustainable Mobility (GRA) tool,
launched by the SuM4All initiative, aims to guide country decision-makers
on how to achieve mobility that is efficient, accessible, safe and green.
2. ICICI Bank UK PLC launches digital account opening on mobile for
Indians migrating to UK
ICICI Bank UK PLC announced the launch of a digital account opening
facility using the ICICI Bank UK iMobile app. The App allows an Indian,
moving to the UK for work, to open a personal current account in the UK
while they are in India itself.
3. IRCTC introduces OTP-based refund system for booking through
travel agents
Railways have implemented a new OTP based refund system for tickets
booked through authorised IRCTC ticketing agents. Its aim is to bring a
transparent & customer-friendly refund system wherein the passenger will
come to know about the exact refund amount.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
4. Telangana Police ‘Hawk-Eye’ integrated with cab apps

The Telangana Police have made it compulsory to link its “Hawk-Eye” app
containing an “emergency button” to every company or individual offering
Internet-based cab service. The emergency button will be integrated in
such a way as to alert police patrol system.
5. AIIMS, Health ministry launch 'eDantSeva' website and app
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Union
Health Ministry launched the first-ever website 'eDantSeva' and mobile
application on oral health awareness. Braille booklet and voice-over on
oral health education for visually impaired were also released.
6. Indian Railway launches One Touch ATVM for fast ticketing
Indian Railways has launched ‘one touch ATVM’ at 42 suburban stations of
Central Railway to render fast ticketing over Mumbai Suburban Network.
New machine will reduce the waiting time of the passengers & allow
passenger to avoid standing in long queues. A total of 92 ATVMs has
been installed at 42 suburban stations.
7. Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated CCRT e-portal and YouTube
Channel
Union Minister of state for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel
inaugurated portal of Centre for Cultural Resources & Training & YouTube
Channel with an aim to take India to a newer digital pinnacle & to
promote Indian culture. He also attended “Digital Bharat - Digital
Sanskriti” program.
News: Others
1. Union HRD Minister launches "DHRUV"

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal will launch Pradhan Mantri Innovative
Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’. It helps talented students to realize their
full potential and contribute to society. Programme is called after the Pole
Star.
2. Railways launch Sahyatri app to facilitate passengers
The Indian Railways has launched a website
www.railways.delhipolice.gov.in and the app Sahyatri. This will facilitate
the railway police in addressing complaints of passengers from across
India and crime detection by integrating the criminal database online.
3. IT Ministry launches performance smart-board for monitoring key
programmes
IT Ministry launched an automated real-time performance smart-board
which will act as single-window access for Centre/state/district-specific
projects. It will enhance analysis via data integration by consolidating
multiple data sources into one platform.
4. Ministry of Tourism launches Audio Guide facility App "Audio
Odigos"
Min of Tourism has launched the Audio Guide facility Audio Odigos for 12
sites of India (Including Iconic sites). The app contains an inbuilt map of
site for smooth navigation during the tour. The audio can be chosen in
their preferred language & version.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Quick Revision
App/Portal/Platform Launched By
Sustainable Mobility (GRA) tool SuM4All
OTP-based refund system for booking IRCTC
Hawk-Eye Telangana Police
eDantSeva AIIMS, Health ministry
One Touch ATVM Indian Railways
CCRT e-portal and YouTube Channel Prahlad Singh Patel
DHRUV Union HRD Minister
Sahyatri app Indian Railways
Audio Odigos Ministry of Tourism
Acquisitions & Mergers

1. PayPal to enter China through GoPay acquisition

The People’s Bank of China has approved PayPal’s acquisition of a 70%
equity stake in GoPay, which will make PayPal the first foreign payment
platform to provide online payment services in China.
2. SoftBank and Oyo in $100m plus deal for Japan apartment
operator
SoftBank Group and Indian hotel start up Oyo have jointly acquired an
80% stake in Japanese rental apartment operator MDI. After the
acquisition, Oyo plans to list some of the 37,000 rooms under MDI
management on its Oyo Life room rental platform.
3. Wipro completes acquisition of International TechneGroup
Wipro signed a definitive agreement to acquire ITI for $45 million (about
₹318 crore). ITI, a digital engineering & manufacturing solutions
company, is said to be a leader in Computer Aided Design (CAD) &
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) interoperability.
4. Mahindra to acquire 100% stake in French Peugeot Motocycles
Mahindra Two Wheelers Europe, a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, will
acquire 100 per cent ownership of Peugeot Motocycles (PMTC) to drive
future growth in core European markets and expand into new
geographies, including select Asian markets. It acquired 51% equity stake
in Peugeot Motorcycles in 2015.
5. Union Cabinet approves merger of BSNL & MTNL
Union Cabinet approved merger of loss-making telecom firms BNLL &
MTNL as part of a revival package. Package includes raising of ₹15,000
cr sovereign bonds and monetising ₹38,000 cr of assets in next 4 years.
MTNL will act as a subsidiary of BSNL.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
News: Others
1. Grasim forms new JV for composite hollow core insulators

Grasim Industries Limited has formed a joint venture in India with
Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH of Germany for manufacturing and
sale of composite hollow core insulators. They are used by the power
transmission & distribution industry globally. Grasim Industries is a
flagship Aditya Birla Group Company.
2. RBI approves merger of district co-operative banks to form Kerala
Bank
RBI has given the final approval for the merger of district co-operative
banks in Kerala. The combined entity will be called as ‘Kerala Bank'.
District co-operative banks will be amalgamated with Kerala State Co-
operative Bank to form the Kerala Bank.
3. Lakshmi Vilas Bank-Indiabulls Housing Finance merger plan shot
down by RBI
RBI rejected the proposed merger between Lakshmi Vilas Bank &
Indiabulls Housing Finance, scuppering the first ever attempt by a non-
bank lender to merge with a bank. LVB will now have to independently
explore options for raising capital.
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Important Static and Current info-
State Capital Chief Minister Governor
Andhra Amaravati Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy Biswa Bhusan

Pradesh Harichandan
Arunachal Itanagar Pema Khandu Brigadier BD
Pradesh Mishra (retd)
Assam Dispur Sarabananda Sonowal Jagdish Mukhi
Bihar Patna Nitish Kumar Phagu Chauhan

Chhattisgarh Raipur Bhupesh Baghel Anusuiya Uikey
Goa Panaji Pramod Sawant S.P Malik
Gujarat Gandhi Nagar Vijaybhai R. Rupani Acharya Devvrat
Haryana Chandigarh Manohar Lal Khattar Satyadev Narayan

Arya
Himachal Shimla Jai Ram Thakur Bandaru
Pradesh Dattatraya
Jharkhand Ranchi Raghubar Das Draupadi Murmu
Karnataka Bengaluru B S Yediyurappa Vajubhai Rudabhai
Vala
Kerala Thiruvananthapuram Pinarayi Vijayan Arif Mohammed
Khan
Madhya Bhopal Kamal Nath Lalji Tandon
Pradesh
Maharashtra Mumbai Devendra Fadnavis Bhagat Singh
Koshyari
Manipur Imphal N Biren Singh Padmanabha
Balkrishna Acharya
(Add. Charge)
Meghalaya Shillong Conrad Sangma Tathagata Roy
Mizoram Aizawl Pu Zoramthanga P S Sreedharan
Pillai
Nagaland Kohima Neiphiu Rio RN Ravi
Odisha Bhubaneshwar Naveen Patnaik Ganeshi Lal
Punjab Chandigarh Amarinder Singh V P Singh Badnore
Rajasthan Jaipur Ashok Gehlot Kalraj Mishra
Sikkim Gangtok Prem Singh Tamang(PS Ganga Prasad
Golay)
Tamil Nadu Chennai Edappadi K. Palaniswami Banwarilal Purohit
Telangana Hyderabad K. Chandrasekhar Rao Tamilisai
Soundararajan
Tripura Agartala Biplab Kumar Deb Ramesh Bais
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Yogi Adityanath Anandiben Patel
Uttarakhand Dehradun Trivendra Singh Rawat Baby Rani Maurya
West Bengal Kolkata Mamata Banerjee Jagdeep Dhankhar
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Complete List of Union Ministers
Union Minister Portfolio Constituency

Narendra Modi Ministry of personnel, public Varanasi, UP
grievances and pensions
Rajnath Singh Ministry of Defence Lucknow, UP
Amit Shah Ministry of Home Affairs Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Nitin Gadkari Ministry of Road Transport and Nagpur, Maharashtra
Highways & Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium enterprises
DV Sadananda Ministry of Chemical and Bangalore North,
Gowda Fertilizers Karnataka
Nirmala Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Rajya Sabha
Sitharaman Corporate Affairs
Ram Vilas Paswan Ministry of Consumer affairs, food NA
and public distribution
Narendra Singh Ministry of agriculture and farmers Morena, M.P
Tomar welfare, Ministry of Rural
Development & Ministry of
Panchayati Raj
Ravi Shankar Ministry of Law and Justice, Patna Sahib, Bihar
Prasad Ministry of communications &
Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology
Harsimrat Kaur Ministry of Food Processing Bathinda, Punjab
Badal Industries
Thaawar Chand Ministry of Social justice and Rajya Sabha(M.P)
Gehlot empowerment
Dr Ministry of External Affairs Rajya Sabha
Subrahmanyam (Gujarat)
Jaishankar
Ramesh Pokhriyal Ministry of Human Resource Haridwar,
‘Nishank’ Development Uttarakhand
Arjun Munda Ministry of Tribal Affairs Khunti, Jharkhand
Smriti Zubin Irani Ministry of Women and child Amethi, UP
Development & Ministry of Textiles
Dr Harsh Vardhan Ministry of Health and Family Chandni Chowk, Delhi
Welfare, Ministry of Science and
Technology & Ministry of Earth
Sciences
Prakash Ministry of environment, forest Rajya Sabha(M.P)
Javadekar and climate change & Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting
Piyush Goyal Ministry of Railways & Ministry of Rajya
Commerce and Industry Sabha(Maharashtra)
Dharmendra Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Rajya Sabha(M.P)
Pradhan Gas & Ministry of Steel
Mukhtar Abbas Ministry of Minority Affairs Rajya
Naqvi Sabha(Jharkhand)
Pralhad Joshi Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Dharwad, Karnataka
Ministry of coal & Ministry of Mines
www.oliveboard.in
www.oliveboard.in
Dr Mahendra Nath Ministry of Skill Development and Chandauli, UP

Pandey Entrepreneurship
Arvind Ganpat Ministry of Heavy Industries and Mumbai South,
Sawant Public Enterprise Maharashtra
Giriraj Singh Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Begusarai, Bihar
dairying and fisheries
www.oliveboard.in
FREE Ebooks Current Affairs
Download Now Explore Now
FREE MOCK TESTS + TOPIC TESTS + SECTIONAL TESTS
For Banking, Insurance, SSC & Railways Exams

Web APP
BLOG FORUM
Your one-stop destination Interact with peers & experts,

for all exam related exchange scores
information & preparation & improve your preparation.
resources.
Explore Now Explore Now
www.OliveBoard.in

10-October 2019 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

10-October 2019 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

oliveboard

Monthly Current Affairs

CLICK HERE TO PREPARE FOR

1. Monetary policy committee (MPC) cuts repo rate by 25 bps to

9. RBI raises withdrawal limit to Rs 40,000 for PMC bank account

1. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches first overseas branch at Dubai

Policy/Exchange rate & Percentage

1. Nippon Life invests Rs 6,000 cr to emerge largest shareholder in

1. Bajaj Allianz Life launches video calling service ‘i-SERV’

1. Fitch slashes India's FY20 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% from

6. Credit growth slows to 8.74% in HI

5. Current Situation Index (CCI) fell into 89.4 in September

1. Gandhinagar becomes first kerosene-free district of Gujarat

4. West Bengal to invest Rs 540 Cr for Calcutta Leather Complex

12. UP CM flags off country's first corporate train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas

1. Karnataka tops in first ever India Innovation Index launched by

1. Women in Delhi gets free rides in public buses from 29 October

9. Government accords 'Maharatna' status to PowerGrid Corporation

1. CII adopts 100 villages in Punjab & Haryana to curb stubble

4. Govt constitutes committee to suggest measures to augment GST

1. Microsoft beats Amazon to win $10 bn Pentagon cloud computing

4. Sri Lankan Cabinet approves MCC grant of 480 million from US

1. Sri Lanka removed from FATF’s Grey List

India & world

1. India signs Strategic Partnership Council Agreement with Saudi

8. India & Saudi Arabia to establish Strategic Partnership Council

1. India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet held in Guwahati

6. India & Bangladesh inked 7 pacts & launched 3 projects

Country Capital Head of State /Govt. Currency

Appointments & Resignations

News: Most Important

1. SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed new CMD of Punjab National Bank

9. Ajit Kumar Saxena takes charge as RINL Director of Operations

17. Kais Saied sworn in as Republic of Tunisia's president

26. Centre appoints SSC, UIDAI Chiefs In major bureaucratic

1. J.P.S. Chawla assumes charge as new Controller General of

7. Air Marshal S K Ghotia takes over as chief of South Western Air

Ranks & Reports

1. Biocon number six in top 10 Global Biotech Employers ranking for

1. India's rank jumps 14 places in World Bank's ease of doing

1. International Day of Older Persons: 1 October

9. 20 October: World Osteoporosis Day

17. World Food Day : 16 October

1. World Habitat Day - 7 October

6. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction - October 13

Date Day Theme

1. Novak Djokovic clinches Japan Open title

1. Indian boxers clinched 21 medals at Asian Junior Championships

4. Ravinder settles for silver at U-23 World Wrestling Championship

1. William Kaelin, Gregg Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe win Nobel Medicine

7. Sachin Tendulkar gets most effective Swachhata Ambassador

1. Elgi wins CII Design Excellence award

6. India wins four UNESCO heritage awards

1. Opera legend Jessye Norman dies at 74

1. Indian-Origin Journalist Farook Khan passed away

Obituary (Name) Related Field

3. Delhi Govt agrees to implement Central scheme PM-KISAN

1. Andhra Pradesh CM launches scheme for MSMEs

9. Mithali Raj becomes 1st female player to complete 20 years in

6. Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run marathon in under two

Summits & Conference

1. Second Informal Summit between Modi & Xi Jinping to be held in

7. 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet on Climate Change