New Delhi Current Affairs 2018 by AffairsCloud

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New Delhi Current Affairs – January 2018
World Book Fair begins in New Delhi with focus on environment

New Delhi World Book Fair 2018 began on January 6, 2018 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Highlights of 45th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair:
This fair is being jointly organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and India Trade
Promotion Organisation(ITPO). It is spread over 30000 sq m space and has more than 1500
stalls.
• 'Environment and Climate Change' is the main theme of New Delhi World Book
Fair 2018. The theme pavilion (made from environmental-friendly material like bamboo,
cane and jute) highlights various environment-related issues like global warming, climate
change, water pollution and other relevant matters.
European Union (EU) is the Guest of Honour for this edition of New Delhi World Book
Fair. Being the Guest of Honour, EU member states will exhibit select publications in English and
other European languages. Besides, EU member states will also organise panel discussions,
workshops, talks, children's activities, special photo exhibits, screening of short films as well as
cultural and musical performances during the course of this book fair.
New Delhi hosted Conference on Transformation of Aspirational Districts

On 5th January 2018, Conference on Transformation of Aspirational Districts was held at
the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, in New Delhi.
i. The Conference on Transformation of Aspirational Districts was organized by NITI Aayog. The
conference focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India by 2022.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with officials in-charge of transformation of around
100 districts.
Delhi govt launches common card for bus, metro rides

On January 8, 2018, Delhi Chief Minister, ArvindKejriwal launched a common card for rides on
public buses and the metro.
i. Delhi is thus the first city in India to have such common mobility card.
ii. This card can be used at on 200 Delhi transport Corporation (DTC) and 50 cluster buses
running on different routes as well as on metro trains.
iii. The common card can also function like a debit card. It will be operational in all DTC and
cluster buses from April 1, 2018.
3rd Meeting of Council of Trade Development and Promotion held in New Delhi
On 8th January 2018, the 3rd meeting of Council of Trade Development and Promotion was held at
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VigyanBhavan, in New Delhi.

i. The 3rd Meeting of Council of Trade Development and Promotion was chaired by Suresh
Prabhu, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry.
ii. Suresh Prabhu unveiled a study named “LEADS-Logistics Ease Across Different
States”. This is the first ever sub-national logistics performance index.
iii. He also unveiled a compendium named the “State Exports Booklet”.
First ever 'Khaadi Haat' inaugurated in Delhi

On 25th January 2018, the first Khadi Haat of India was launched by Khadi and Village
Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), in Connaught
Place, New Delhi.
i. The Khadi Haat was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises Giriraj Singh.The Khadi Haat will act as a platform for artisans and help then earn
better.
ii. Entrepreneurs under Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP)can
display and sell their products in the Khadi Haat.
India International Garment Fair (IIGF) held in New Delhi

On January 17, 2018, Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta inaugurated 60th edition of
India International Garment Fair (IIGF) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
i. The International Garment Fair, which started in 1988 is a B2B (business-to-business) fair for
conducting quality business. Business worth US $200 million was conducted in the previous
edition of this fair.
ii. It is being organized by Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), in association with
International Garment Fair Association and four major Garment Exporters’ Associations, viz.
Garment Exporters Association (GEA), Apparel Exporters & Manufacturers Association
(AEMA),Garment Exporters of Rajasthan (GEAR) and The Clothing Manufacturers Association of
India (CMAI).
25th GST Council meet held in New Delhi

25th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council was held in New Delhi on
January 18, 2018.
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GST Meeting:
i. The meeting was chaired by Union Finance Minister, ArunJaitley
ii .Highlight of the 25th GST Council meet was the reduction of tax rates on 29 goods and 53
categories of service.
iii .The new rates will be applicable from January 25, 2018.
Some of the services for which the rates have been cut:
Service Reduced Rate Previous Rate
Tailoring 5% 18%
Admission to Theme Parks 18% 28%
Mining & Exploration of Petroleum and Natural 12% 18%
Gas
Some of the services for which the rates have been cut:
Goods Reduced Rate Previous Rate
Biodiesel buses used for public transport 18% 28%
Sugar boiled confectionery, drinking water packed in 20 12% 18%
litre containers, biodiesel
LPG supplied to domestic consumers by private 5% 18%
distributors
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Bharat-ASEAN Maitri Park in Delhi

On 24th January 2018, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the Bharat-
ASEAN Maitri Park in Delhi.
i. The Bharat-ASEAN Maitri Park was inaugurated a day before the ASEAN-India Commemorative
Summit.
ii. The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit will enhance India-ASEAN cooperation in areas such
as counter-terrorism, security and connectivity.
5th Bilateral Meeting between India and Malaysia held in New Delhi
On 10th January 2018, the 5th Bilateral Technical Meeting on cooperation in the field of Traditional
Systems of Medicine between Government of India and Malaysia was conducted at New Delhi.
i. 5th Bilateral Meeting between India and Malaysia was presided by Pramod Kumar Pathak,
Joint Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, India and Deputy Director General Health (Medical),
Ministry of Health from Malaysia.
4th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry held in New Delhi
4th ASEAN-INDIA Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry was held in New Delhi on
January 12, 2018. Abbreviation ASEAN stands for Association of SouthEast Asian Nations.
i. The Meeting was Co-chaired by Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture &
Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India and GrisadaBoonrach, Minister of Agriculture
and Cooperatives, Thailand
ii. Objective of the meeting was to promote joint research for development of technologies for
increasing production and productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries, and natural resources
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management in the ASEAN region.

iii. 5th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry will be held in Brunei
Darussalam in 2019.
Union Home Minister inaugurates IWDRI 2018 in New Delhi

On January 15, 2018, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh inaugurated the International
Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) in New Delhi.
i. This workshop was organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in
collaboration with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
ii. Deliberations at the workshop focused on global cooperation for developing Disaster Resilient
Infrastructure. The workshop also served as a platform for exchange of experiences, lessons and
solutions in the area of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
65th meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) held in New Delhi
65th meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) was held in New Delhi on January 15,
2018. CABE is the highest advisory body to advise the Central and State Governments in the field
of education.
i. While speaking at the meeting, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister
PrakashJavadekar stated that Centre and state governments have resolved to identify the
number of children out of school in the country. Scheme to identify ‘out of school children’ will
start from September, 2018.
ii. However, sub-committee on out of school children, which will submit its final report on January
31, 2018, has recommended the need to have a standardised definition of out of school children.
iii. Centre and State Governments have also resolved to launch ‘Operation Digital Board’.
14th Meeting of Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers held in New Delhi
14th meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers was held on January 17, 2018 in
New Delhi.
i. The meeting was attended by Nitin Gadkari – Union Minister of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Arjun Ram Meghwal – Union Minister of State for
Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Dharam Pal Singh –
Irrigation Minister of UP, T Harish Rao – Irrigation Minister of Telangana and senior
officials from the centre and state governments.
ii. Main topics that were taken up during the meeting included the status of clearance of Ken-
Betwa Link Project, Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Projects.
India to host 16th International Energy Forum meet

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has announced that
16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi from
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10th– 12th April 2018.

i. This event will be hosted by Government of India and co-hosted by the Government
of China and South Korea.
International Conference on ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Election

Process’ in New Delhi
On January 24, 2018, Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted a one-day International
Conference on ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Election Process’ in New Delhi.
i. The Conference was organized under the VoICE.NET platform, a common
knowledge/resource sharing network for 25 Election Management Bodies and International
Organisations.
ii. On the sidelines of the Conference, ECI signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for
cooperation in the field of election management with Central Election Commission of
Moldova, with National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) of Guinea and also
with International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
Delhi is the richest state, Bihar the poorest: NFHS-4

As per data collected through National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted among
more than 6 lakh households in 2015-16, Delhi is the richest state while Bihar is the poorest.
i. The report outlines that poverty is widespread in rural India as 29% of the rural
population has wealth levels equivalent to bottom 20% of the country’s population.
While for urban India, the figure is just 3.3%.
ii. Delhi is the richest states with 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile. Bihar is the
poorest state having more than 50% households in the bottom wealth quintiles.
MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) launches "311 app" to improve civic services
On 30th January 2018, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal launched the ‘311 app’ at the Raj
Niwas, in Delhi.
i.This app aims to increase involvement of citizens in resolving grievances and improving civic
services in Delhi.
ii. The app will provide users the locations of nearby public toilets, police stations, metro stations,
petrol pumps, parking, hospitals, bus stands, veterinary clinics, libraries, gyms, markets, etc.
iii. Users can check the complaint status. The 311 app is integrated with the Swachhta App
of the Ministry of Urban Affairs.
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Delhi most polluted among 280 cities, UP most polluted state - Greenpeace Report
As per Airpocalypse II, a report by environmental Non-governmental organization
(NGO) Greenpeace India, 47% of the population in India is living in areas where there is no air
quality monitoring.
i. This report analysedPM10 (inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 10
micrometers and smaller) annual averages for 280 cities monitored by the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) under its national air quality monitoring programme.
ii. Out of 630 million people living in 280 cities where air quality is monitored by CPCB, nearly 550
million live in areas exceeding national safe standards for PM10.
Most Polluted Cities – Top 5
City PM10 Concentration
Delhi 290
Faridabad, Haryana 272
Bhiwadi, Rajasthan 262
Patna, Bihar 261
Dehradun, Uttarakhand 238
ASSOCHAM-Football Delhi MoU to strengthen commercial profile

On January 12, 2018, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
(ASSOCHAM) and Football Delhi, governing body for football in Delhi signed a
memorandum of understanding for the development of the sport in the Capital.
i. Under this MoU, ASSOCHAM will help Football Delhi to connect with corporate and industry.
Delhi thrash Rajasthan to lift Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in style

On 26th January 2018, Delhi won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Eden Gardens, in
Kolkata.
i. Delhi defeated Rajasthan by 41 runs in the finals and won their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
ii. Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi was declared Man of the Match. Unmukt Chand scored a half
century and Delhi set a target of 154 runs for Rajasthan. But Rajasthan was dismissed at 112
runs.
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New Delhi Current Affairs – February 2018

National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 held in New Delhi
National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 is being held from 8th – 10th February
2018 in New Delhi.
i. It has been organised by National Informatics Centre (NIC).The event was inaugurated
by Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad.
ii. VIVID 2018 would serve as an extensive platform for knowledge sharing among 240 NIC
District officials from across India.
iii. During the course of this event, NIC District officials would give presentations on their portals,
will showcase their applications and contribution towards implementation of the Digital India
initiative of Central Government.
iv. Theme for VIVID 2018 is “Cyber Security and Innovation”.
"Swachh Bharat Sanitation Park” inaugurated in Delhi

On February 9, 2018, Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ms. Uma Bharti
inaugurated Swachh Bharat Sanitation Park in Delhi.
i. This park has been developed by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in
collaboration with the Environmental Sanitation Institute and Tata Trust.
ii. Objective behind developing this park is to create awareness on various safe technological
options related to Sanitation.
iii. Various options pertaining to toilet technologies and solid and liquid waste management
technologies are being demonstrated at this Sanitation Park.
Vice President Naidu Inaugurates First International Kala Mela in New Delhi
On February 4, 2018, Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the First
International Kala Mela (Art Festival) at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi.
i. This festival has been organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, India’s premier institution for the
promotion of Art and Culture.
ii. During the course of this festival (4th – 18th February, 2018), around 800 artists will showcase
their art works.
iii.Main objective of this festival is to facilitate direct interaction between artists and the
experts of the art forms and also to raise awareness about the art.
India's first Radio Festival held in Delhi

On 15th February 2018, India's first Radio Festival was held in New Delhi, commemorating the
World Radio Day which was celebrated on 13thFebruary.
i. The Radio festival was organised by International Association of Women in Radio and
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Television along with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization).
ii. Paralympian Deepa Malik spoke at the inaugural session of the event, on the role of radio in
sports.
Pon.Radhakrishnan inaugurates Third Global Procurement Summit in New Delhi

On February 8, 2018, Union Minister of State for Finance & Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan
inaugurated the two-day Third Global Procurement Summit in New Delhi.
i. This Summit was organized by Government of India, All India Management Association
(AIMA) and World Bank.
ii. Theme of Third Global Procurement Summit was ‘New Frontiers faced in the
Transformation process of Procurement Today’.
iii. During the course of this two-day Summit, various sessions focusing on key facets of strategic
sourcing, application of digital technologies in procurement, prevention of contractual disputes
and project delays and the latest global innovations in public procurement were conducted.
First International Solar Alliance Summit to be held in New Delhi

India is to host the first International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit on 11th March 2018, in
Delhi.
i. French President Emanuel Macron will participate in the First International Solar Alliance
Summit.
ii. The International Solar Alliance is a treaty based inter-governmental alliance. It comprises of
121 solar energy abundant nations located between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.
iii. The aim of ISA is to make solar energy affordable, develop solar grids and solar credit
mechanism.
India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit held in New Delhi

On 13th February 2018, India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit was held in New Delhi.
i. India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare.
ii. Gajender Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Sergey Beletskiy,
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Russia, spoke at the summit.
iii. This summit would strengthen business ties between India and Russia.
PM Modi inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi

On February 16, 2018, Prime Minister, NarendraModi, inaugurated the 2018 edition of the
World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018) at VigyanBhawan in New Delhi.
i. This Summit has been organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
ii. The three-day Summit will serve as a common platform for global leaders and thinkers in the
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fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors to come together and
deliberate on contemporary issues.
iii. Theme of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018) is ‘Partnerships for a
Resilient Planet’.
PM addresses Economic Times Global Business Summit in New Delhi

On February 23, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at the 4th
Global Business Summit in New Delhi.
i. During the address, PM Modi outlined that Indian government is taking stringent action
against financial irregularities and will not accept unlawful acquisition of public money.
ii. Global Business Summit, is a flagship initiative of the Times Group. The first edition was held in
January 2015.
iii. It brings together, visionaries, heads of state, thought leaders, policy makers, academicians
and corporate heads for discussing current macroeconomic issues and share their views on the
same.
iv. Theme for Global Business Summit 2018 was ‘New Economy, New Rules’. This year’s
Summit was presented by Yes Bank and Economic Times.
India-Korea Business Summit 2018 held in New Delhi

On February 27, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 2nd India-Korea Business
Summit in New Delhi.
i. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and Minister of
Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad, also addressed the summit.
ii. Theme of India-Korea Business Summit 2018 was "India-Korea: Scaling up the Special
Strategic Relationship through Trade and Investments".
7th edition of the Youth Festival held in New Delhi

On 22nd February 2018, the 7th edition of Youth Festival began at Central Park, New Delhi.
i. The 7th edition of Youth Festival is themed: 'Let Love Live'. This year’s Youth Festival
celebrates the freedom to love. It will be conducted till 27th February 2018.
ii. The Youth Festival is organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad and the Department of Art,
Culture and Languages, Delhi Government.
iii. The festival features dance, music and special acts conveying a message of love and harmony.
Delhi government, MoEF jointly launch ‘Clean Air Campaign’

On 10th February 2018, Delhi government and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and
Climate Change (MoEF&CC) together launched the ‘Clean Air Campaign’ for Delhi.
i. The ‘Clean Air Campaign’ campaign will be carried out for two weeks till 23rd February
2018. This campaign will focus on improvement of air quality in Delhi. 70 teams have been
formed as a part of the campaign.
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ii. As a part of the campaign, interactions will be held with Non-Government Organisations
(NGOs), civil society citizens, academic and R&D institutions.
v. A workshop on vehicular pollution and traffic management will be conducted. Resident Welfare
Associations will be encouraged to plant saplings in open areas.
Delhi govt launches 'Mission Buniyaad' to improve learning skills of students

In April 2018, Delhi government will implement ‘Mission Buniyaad’ to improve learning levels of
students attending primary classes in the state government and municipal schools.
i. Announcement in this regard was made by Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia.
ii. ’Mission Buniyaad’, which is to be implemented from next academic session will focus on
students of Class 3 to Class 8.
iii. This programme has been planned in wake of results of National Achievement Survey
(NAS) conducted by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), to find out
the learning standards of schoolchildren.
7th India Energy Congress begins in New Delhi

7th India Energy Congress focusing on the theme 'Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards
2030' begun in New Delhi on February 1, 2018.
i. India Energy Congress is the flagship event of World Energy Council India (WEC India),
which functions under the Union Power Ministry.
ii. 7th India Energy Congress has been jointly organised by Union Ministries of Power, Coal, New
& Renewable Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas, External Affairs and Department of
Atomic Energy.
International Conference on 'Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy' begins in New Delhi
International Conference on 'Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy’ was inaugurated at Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi on February 3, 2018.
i. Demetrios Galanos was a Greek scholar who came to India to study in the nineteenth
century. He stayed in India for 47 years (for 40 years he lived in the city of Varanasi).
ii. During the course of his stay, Demetrios Galanos compiled a Sanskrit-English-Greek lexicon of
about 9000 words. He also translated the Bhagvad Gita into Greek.
iii. IGNCA’s ‘Bharat Vidya Prayojana’ project, under which, attempts are being made to
reconceive Indology from Bharat perspective is the principle host of this conference.
South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference held in New Delhi

5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference is being held in New Delhi from 5th –
7th February, 2018.
i. The Conference was inaugurated by Union Finance Minister, ArunJaitley. It is being hosted
by government of India through the Public Procurement Division (PPD) of the Ministry of Finance
and All India Management Association (AIMA).
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ii. It is being held under the auspices of the South Asia Region Public Procurement
Network (SARPPN).
iii. Theme of 5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference is “Public Procurement and
Service Delivery”.
R.K. Singh inaugurates International Conference on Operations and Maintenance held in

New Delhi
On February 13, 2018, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable
Energy, R.K. Singh inaugurated the 'Indian Power Stations 2018', a three-day International
Conference on Operations and Maintenance.
i. This conference is being held from 13th – 15th February 2018, in New Delhi.
ii. It is being hosted by NTPC Limited to commemorate synchronization of its first Thermal
plant at Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station, on February 13, 1982.
iii. Theme of the Conference is "Technological Challenges: Risks and Challenges in Power
Generation"
National Conference on “Agriculture 2022- Doubling Farmers' Income” to be held in

New Delhi
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is organizing a National Conference under the title
of “Agriculture 2022 – Doubling Farmers’ Income” in New Delhi on 19th and 20th February,
2018.
i. The main objective of this conference is to build a consensus and arrive at actionable points on
measures to be taken for shaping and sharpening Central Government’s vision on Doubling
Farmers’ Income by 2022.
ii. Seven broad themes have been identified for this conference. Some of these themes also have
sub-themes.
R.K. Singh inaugurates ‘International R&D Conclave’ in New Delhi

On 20th February 2018, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable
Energy, R.K. Singh inaugurated the ‘International R&D Conclave’ in New Delhi.
i. The International R&D Conclave is a two day conference. It is organised by Central
Electricity Authority (CEA).
ii. It focuses on Emerging Opportunities and Challenges of R&D in Indian Power Sector. Sessions
of the conference will be mainly related to R&D activities in Thermal Generation, Hydro
Generation, Renewable Energy, Transmission, Grid Operation, Distribution, Trading, Marketing
and Tariff.
International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels, 2018 to be held in New Delhi

International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels, ICSB 2018 will be held in New Delhi on 26th and
27th February, 2018.
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i. This conference is being jointly organised by Mission Innovation – India Unit and
Biofuture Platform and will be hosted by Department of Biotechnology under Union
Ministry of Science and Technology.
ii. Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Union to
accelerate global clean energy innovation, while Biofuture Platform is a multi-stakeholder
mechanism for policy dialogue and collaboration among leading countries to increase the use of
low carbon sources as the feedstock for the production of energy, chemicals and materials.
First Khelo India School Games organised in New Delhi

1stKhelo India School Games were held in New Delhi from 31st January 2018 to 8th February
2018.The inaugural Khelo India School Games were a part of revamped ‘Khelo India’
Programme, the National Programme for development of sports in India.
• Mascots of Khelo India School Games were ‘Vijay the tiger’ and ‘Jaya the black buck’.
• “Aurkhelnachahtehain hum…...” was the official anthem of Khelo India School Games.
i.Anu Kumar of Uttarakhand won the first gold medal of the Khelo India School Games at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
ii. Karnataka swimmer SrihariNatraj won Gold in the 100m boys' backstroke event at Khelo India
School Games.
iii. Haryana topped the overall medal tally with 38 gold medals. Haryana was followed by
Maharashtra and Delhi with 36 and 25 Gold respectively.
Gopi Thonakal and Monika Athare retain New Delhi Marathon titles
On 25th February 2018, Gopi Thonakal and Monika Athare won titles in the men’s and
women’s category respectively, at the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon and
retained the titles they won last year.
i. In the women's category, Monika Athare won the title with a timing of 2:43:46. She
was followed by JyotiGawte in second position with 2:50:12 and Monica Raut in the third position
with 2:55:02.
ii. The marathon was flagged off at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by Sachin Tendulkar. Nearly 65
elite Indian athletes participated in the full marathon of 42.195km.
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New Delhi Current Affairs – March 2018
Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Delhi Energy Dialogue (DED) 2018

On March 14, 2018, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra
Pradhan inaugurated the first edition of Delhi Energy Dialogue (DED) 2018 in New Delhi
i. The dialogue was organised by Ashden India Collective (AIC) in alliance with the Climate
Parliament and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
ii. The dialogue served as a platform for stakeholders in the field of energy and power to
deliberate on key developments and challenges for ‘energy for all’ in India.
iii. He also added that by 2040, India’s energy consumption will grow by compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 4 per cent and India currently offers 1 lakh crore of bio-fuel and bio-
energy business to the world.
First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction inaugurated in New Delhi

On March 19, 2018, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar inaugurated the First
India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi.
i. This workshop has been jointly organised by the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA), Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Japan.
ii. It is the first formal initiative under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Disaster Risk
Reduction signed between India and Japan in September 2017.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Festival of Innovation and

Entrepreneurship (FINE) in New Delhi
On 19th March 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a Festival of Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (FINE) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
i. Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) is organised by Rashtrapati Bhavan
along with the Department of Science and Technology and the National Innovation
Foundation-India from 19th March 21st March 2018.
ii. Ram Nath Kovind also presented the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards.
iii. FINE aims to recognise, display and reward innovations and to create a supportive ecosystem
for innovators.
Delhi govt launches app 'Delhi's Date with Democracy' to scout singing, dancing talent
On March 19, 2018, Delhi Government launched 'Delhi's Date with Democracy', a mobile
application that will serve as a platform for aspiring singers and dancers in the city to
showcase their talent on a big stage.
i. 'Delhi's Date with Democracy' is an initiative of Delhi Government’s department of art, culture
and languages.
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ii. Sahitya Kala Parishad and Delhi Kalyan Samiti have collaborated with the Delhi
Government for this initiative
Three day International Yoga Fest begins in Delhi

On 21st March 2018, International Yoga Fest was inaugurated by Union minister
Jitendra Singh at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, as a curtain raiser for the International Yoga
Day (IYD) The Fest is held for 3 days.
i. Four cities namely Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mysore have been shortlisted
for conducting the main function of International Yoga Day 2018.
Delhi government to set up State Sanskrit Education Council

Delhi government has decided to establish State Sanskrit Education Council to improve formal
education of Sanskrit in Delhi.
i. Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia said that, the education department will
study the representations and take necessary steps to form a Delhi State Sanskrit Education
Council.
Delhi govt approves delivery of ration at doorsteps of PDS beneficiaries

On March 6, 2018, Delhi government approved a proposal for delivering rations in sealed packets
at the doorstep to Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries.Currently,there are around
72 lakh PDS beneficiaries in Delhi.
i. The proposal was put forth by Department of Food, Supply and Consumer Affairs for providing
doorstep delivery of wheat/flour, rice and sugar for eligible PDS beneficiaries.
ii. This initiative will address problems such as theft of ration, poor quality of supplies
and shops remaining closed.
‘Vision for Future’ event marks 70 years of Indo-Russia ties held in New Delhi
On 6th to 8th March 2018, ‘Vision for Future’ event is conducted to celebrate the 70 years
of successful Indo-Russia ties, in New Delhi.
i. The Vision for Future event is organised by Ministry of External Affairs of India (Eurasian
Division). It is co-organised by International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs
and BRICS International Forum.
ii. This event is aimed at strengthening strategic partnership between India and Russia. Mains
events of this programme are: First India-Russia Youth Parliament and India-Russia Excellence
Award Ceremony & launch of Youth Festival Calendar.
First Interaction of 15th Finance Commission with Parliamentarians held in New Delhi
First Interaction of 15th Finance Commission with the Members of Parliament was held on March
14, 2018 in New Delhi.
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i. The meeting was held to convey the proposed schedule of the Commission’s work and its
Terms of Reference (TOR) as well as to seek suggestions of Parliamentarians.
ii. In context of this news, it is important to note that unlike previous Finance Commissions, the
15th Finance Commission will function in a different scenario wherein there is no Planning
Commission and Government has removed the distinction between Plan and Non Plan grants.
Three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela begins in Delhi

Three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela, focusing on ‘doubling farmers’ income’ began in New
Delhi on March 16, 2018.
i. The objective of Krishi Unnati Mela is to create awareness among farmers about latest
agriculture related developments.
ii. A theme pavilion on doubling of farmers income, organic farming, cooperatives, farm inputs,
has also been set up to familiarise farmers with the latest developments in the farming
techniques.
Curtain Raiser for ‘3rd National Conclave on Mines and Minerals’ to be held in New Delhi
On 20th March 2018, the 3rd National Conclave on Mines & Minerals will be held at
Convention Hall in Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi &it is organized by the Ministry of Mines.
Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) partners the event.
i. Public and private mining companies will participate in the conclave. Minister of Mines,
Narendra Singh Tomar will present the awards for ‘5 Star’ rating to the 20 best performing
mines.
ii. Technical sessions will be conducted on the following topics: Auction of Mineral Blocks &
Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY), Impetus on
Exploration, Sustainable Development Framework – Sharing of Best Practices.
Third edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals held in Delhi

On 20th March 2018, the 3rd edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals was held
in New Delhi.
i. It acts as a platform to display the recent policy initiatives by the Indian government.
Discussion on the issues, challenges and opportunities in the mining sector were conducted.
ii. Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented awards to 20 best performing mines
with '5-Star' rating.
Delhi government presents 'green budget’ aims at controlling pollution

On March 22, 2018, Delhi government presented a 'green budget' aimed at controlling pollution
and monitoring its impact on the environment.
i. Rs. 53000 crore Budget for fiscal 2018-19 was unveiled by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister
Manish Sisodia (Aam Aadmi Party).
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ii. Mr. Sisodia highlighted that, under Delhi Budget 2018-19, 26 programmes and schemes of
transport, power, environment and PWD will be threaded togetherfor devising a unified
system of pollution control.
1st Print Biennale India – 2018 exhibition begins in New Delhi

‘Print Biennale India 2018’, the first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints was
inaugurated in New Delhi on March 25, 2018.
i. The exhibition is being hosted by India’s National Academy of Art, the Lalit Kala
Akademi. Eminent Artist-Printmaker, Shakti Barman was the Chief Guest at the inaugural
ceremony.
ii. The exhibition has brought together participants from 17 countries such as USA, UK,
Sri Lanka, Mexico, China, Sweden, Poland, Argentina, Greece, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.
iii. An exhibition ‘Eminent Printmakers of India’ showcasing master Indian printmakers, was
also inaugurated on March 26th, 2018 at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi.
SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 held in New Delhi

On 23rd March to 1st April 2018, SARAS AajeevikaMela 2018 is held in Hall No. 7,
PragatiMaidan, New Delhi.
i. The SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 is organized by DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission).
ii. SHG (Self Help Group) women from all states of India display and sell their products in the
SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018. More than 350 stalls have been set up.
First National Conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection, and Mental Illnesses
held in New Delhi
On 27th and 28th March 2018, First National Conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child
Protection, and Mental Illnesses was held in J L N Auditorium, AIIMS, New Delhi.
i. Organised by: The conclave was organized by Ministry of Women & Child Development, in
collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical
Sciences).
ii. Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Dr. Virendra Kumar, inaugurated
the conclave.
iii. The conclave aimed to provide a gist of research, service provision, and clinical practice
involved in psychological trauma and mental illnesses in Indian children and adolescents.
Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of IACP held in New Delhi

On 14th March 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day Asia-Pacific
Regional Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) at Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi.
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i.Theme of the conference: Challenges to Policing in 2020 - How is Cyber Space shaping our
approach to Cybercrime and Terrorism, how do we perform within it and take advantage of it.
ii. The conference was organised by the Asia-Pacific World Regional Office (APWRO) of
IACP along with Intelligence Bureau.Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain was the host
of the conference.
iii. Main focus of the conference: discussions on exploitation of cyber space by terrorist or
organized groups for committing crimes and illegal activities. Ways to prevent such activities was
discussed.
First ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit held in New Delhi

First ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit was held in New Delhi from 10th to 11th March 2018
and coincided with the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.
• The objective of this Summit was to design a roadmap of Franco-India university,
scientific and technology cooperation for the next five years.
• The Summit ended with a landmark agreement on mutual recognition of educational
qualifications between India and France.
• The summit was organized by the French Embassy in India and was co-hosted by
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
26th GST Council meeting held in New Delhi

On 10th March 2018, the 26th meeting of the GST Council was held at Vigyan Bhawan,
New Delhi.
Recommendations on Data Analytics:
The GST council was informed that CBEC and GSTN have begun detailed data analytics on the
available data sets. Outcomes of the preliminary data analysis are:
• There is difference in the amount of IGST & Compensation Cess paid by importers at
Customs ports and input tax credit of the same claimed in GSTR-3B.
• There is great difference in self-declared liability in FORM GSTR-1 and FORM GSTR-3B.
Return filing System:
• The present system of filing of GSTR 3B and GSTR 1 is extended for 3 more months: April
to June, 2018 untill new return system is finalized.
Reverse charge mechanism:
• Liability to pay tax on reverse charge basis has been deferred till 30.06.2018.
TDS/TCS:
• The provisions for deduction of tax at source (TDS) under section 51 of the CGST Act and
collection of tax at source (TCS) under section 52 of the CGST Act will be suspended
till 30.06.2018.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism:GST implementation Committee (GIC) will work on redressing
the grievances caused to the taxpayers due to IT glitches.
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e-Wallet scheme:
• It has been decided to extend the available tax exemptions on imported goods for 6 more
months beyond 31.03.2018. Exporters currently utilizing export promotion schemes can
continue to use such exemptions on their imports till 01.10.2018, by then an e-Wallet
scheme will be introduced to continue the benefits in future.
Recommendations regarding E-way Bill:
• The council recommended the introduction of e-way bill for inter-State movement of goods
all over India from 01st April 2018.
1st Meeting of Working Group to make India USD 5 Trillion Economy held in New Delhi
1st meeting of the Working Group on making India, USD 5 Trillion Economy was held on March 15,
2018 in New Delhi.The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry,
Suresh PrabhuThe objective of Working Group is to chart out a timeline for achieving the goal of
making Indian economy a USD 5 trillion economy from the current USD 2.6 trillion economy.
Informal WTO Ministerial Meet held in New Delhi

Informal meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministers was held in New Delhi on
March 20, 2018.This meeting was called by India to explore options to reinvigorate the
World Trade Organisation (WTO), by engaging in free and frank discussions.
Seventh India-Egypt Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi

On 23rd March 2018, the 7th Session of India Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was held in New
Delhi.External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj & Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh
Shoukry lead the meeting
15th Meeting of India-US Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held in New Delhi
On 27th March 2018, the 15th meeting of the India-US Counterterrorism Joint Working Group was
held in New Delhi.
i. The India delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Mahaveer
Singhvi. US delegation was led by U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Coordinator
for Counterterrorism, Alina L. Romanowski.
ii.The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be hosted by the United States in
2019.
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Fourth India-Europe 29 Business Forum held in New Delhi

Fourth India-Europe 29 Business Forum (IE29BF) was held in New Delhi on 5th and 6th March
2018.
i. IE29BF was created in 2014 by Union Ministry of External Affairs and Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
ii. The forum serves as platform for promoting business exchanges between India and the twenty
nine countries of Central Europe region.
iii. Theme of IE29BF 2018 was ‘Synergising Economic Vision for Expanded Relations’
while Czech Republic was the ‘Focus Country’
Delhi End TB Summit, PM Modi launches campaign to eradicate TB from India by 2025
On March 13, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘End TB Summit’ in New Delhi
and launched ‘Tuberculosis Free India Campaign’.
• It is to be noted that over 10 million people contract TB every year. TB was
responsible for 1.7 million deaths in 2016, despite most cases being curable.
• ‘Delhi End TB Summit’ is being co-hosted by Union Health Ministry, World Health
Organisation (WHO) South East Asia Regional Office and Stop TB Partnership.
• Delhi End TB Summit would set the stage for the September 2018 United Nations (UN)
High-Level Meeting on TB. At this meeting, for the first time, TB would be discussed in
the UN General Assembly at the Heads of State level.
Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 held in New Delhi

On 16th and 17th March 2018, the Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 is held in
New Delhi.
i. This is the first edition of News18 Rising India Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered
keynote address at the summit.
ii. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, is the guest of honour. The summit focuses on
strategic affairs, sports, entertainment and defence.
About Network 18:
♦ President - Avinash Kaul
♦ Corporate Office – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
First National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement held in New Delhi

Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir inaugurated the first National
Conference on Drug Law Enforcement in New Delhi on March 23, 2018.It is organised by
the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
More than 110 delegates from nearly 50 State and Central law enforcement agencies involved in
combating drug trafficking viz. State Police forces, State Excise departments, Central Armed
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Police Forces (CAPF), Border Guarding Forces, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) will be participating in this
two-day conference.
5th India Maize Summit held in New Delhi

On 23rd March 2018, the 5th India Maize Summit was held in Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi.
i. The India Maize Summit 2018 was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The India Maize Summit has been conducted since 2013.
ii. The India Maize Summit aims to provide a common platform to all stakeholders to highlight the
opportunities in maize and discuss on actions that are required to improve the market.
National Conference on Down Syndrome’ held in New Delhi

A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was held in New Delhi on March 26, 2018. This
conference was organised by the National Trust under Union Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
i. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey, the Chairman of
National Trust.
ii. Objective of this conference was to seek commitments of various stakeholders and increase
awareness about Down Syndrome. Besides, it served as an opportunity for parents of individuals
having Down syndrome, to obtain information about latest development in education and skilling
and inclusive living of persons with Down Syndrome.
iii. A book entitled “Twilights Children” based on the lives of person suffering from Down
Syndrome was released during the course of the conference.
Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 held in New Delhi

On 16th and 17th March 2018, the Rising India Summit organized by Network 18 is held in
New Delhi.
i. This is the first edition of News18 Rising India Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered
keynote address at the summit.
ii. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, is the guest of honour. The summit focuses on
strategic affairs, sports, entertainment and defence.
About Network 18:
♦ President - Avinash Kaul
♦ Corporate Office – Noida, Uttar Pradesh
First National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement held in New Delhi

Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir inaugurated the first National
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Conference on Drug Law Enforcement in New Delhi on March 23, 2018.It is organised by
the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
More than 110 delegates from nearly 50 State and Central law enforcement agencies involved in
combating drug trafficking viz. State Police forces, State Excise departments, Central Armed
Police Forces (CAPF), Border Guarding Forces, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) will be participating in this
two-day conference.
5th India Maize Summit held in New Delhi

On 23rd March 2018, the 5th India Maize Summit was held in Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi.
i. The India Maize Summit 2018 was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The India Maize Summit has been conducted since 2013.
ii. The India Maize Summit aims to provide a common platform to all stakeholders to highlight the
opportunities in maize and discuss on actions that are required to improve the market.
National Conference on Down Syndrome’ held in New Delhi

A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was held in New Delhi on March 26, 2018. This
conference was organised by the National Trust under Union Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
i. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey, the Chairman of
National Trust.
ii. Objective of this conference was to seek commitments of various stakeholders and increase
awareness about Down Syndrome. Besides, it served as an opportunity for parents of individuals
having Down syndrome, to obtain information about latest development in education and skilling
and inclusive living of persons with Down Syndrome.
iii. A book entitled “Twilights Children” based on the lives of person suffering from Down
Syndrome was released during the course of the conference.
IGI Airport adjudged world best in ACI survey

As per a survey by Airports Council International (ACI), Delhi's Indira Gandhi
International (IGI) Airport has been rated as the world number one among airports
handling more than 40 million passengers per annum.
i.IGI Airport handled 63.5 million passengers in 2017. It has surpassed Singapore’s Changi
Airport, South Korea’s Incheon and Thiland’s Bangkok airports in terms of passenger growth.
ii. Currently, IGI Airport is the 7th busiest airport in Asia and among the top 20 busiest airport
across the world.
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iii. Among other Indian Airports, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has
been ranked as the World’s Best Airport for customer experience.
Delhi’s first Commissioner of Police Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi passes away

On 12th March 2018, Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi, first Commissioner of Delhi Police and
former Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police, died in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
i. Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi is a 1951 batch officer. He served as Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh
Public Service Commission (UPPSC).
ii. He was the first Commissioner of Police in Delhi during the 1978 to 1980 period.
Delhi’s first Commissioner of Police Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi passes away

On 12th March 2018, Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi, first Commissioner of Delhi Police and
former Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police, died in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
i. Jayendra Nath Chaturvedi is a 1951 batch officer. He served as Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh
Public Service Commission (UPPSC).
ii. He was the first Commissioner of Police in Delhi during the 1978 to 1980 period.
New Delhi Current Affairs – April 2018

Suresh Prabhu inaugurates Delhi-Pathankot flight under UDAN scheme
On April 5, 2018, Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated first flight
from Delhi to Pathankot (in Punjab), at a ceremony held at the Indira Gandhi International
Airport in Delhi.
i. Pathankot airport has been opened by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to improve regional
connectivity as per the UDAN (‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’) Scheme.
ii. Civil Aviation Ministry launched Regional Connectivity Scheme ‘UDAN’ (‘Ude Desh ka Aam
Nagrik’) in October 2016.It aims at making flying a reality for common people residing in
Tier-II and Tier-III towns by providing air connectivity to currently underserved and
unserved airports.
Dharmendra Pradhan launches PMUY scheme in Delhi

On April 8, 2018, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra
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Pradhan launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme in Delhi.

i. During the launch event, Mr. Pradhan distributed about 400 LPG connections to families
belonging to below poverty line category.
ii. PMUY was launched in May 2016. The objective of this scheme is to provide deposit-
free LPG connections with monetary assistance to women from below poverty line (BPL)
households, thereby preventing health hazards emanating from usage of unclean cooking fuel and
fossil fuel for domestic cooking purpose.
iii. PMUY is administered by Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
iv. PMUY has so far transformed the lives of more than 3.5 crore women. Target under this
scheme has been increased from the existing 5 crore connections to 8 crore connections
by 2020.
Delhi becomes first city to roll-out Euro VI fuel

On 1st April 2018, Delhi started supplying Ultra-clean Euro-VI or Bharat Stage (BS)-VI
grade petrol and diesel without any additional cost in order to curb air pollution.It is
the first city in India.
i. Cities in the national capital region like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad and 13
major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune will switch to Euro-VI grade
fuel from 1st January 2018.
ii. Rest of India will switch to Euro-VI grade fuel from April 2020. Euro-VI grade fuel is estimated
to cost nearly 50 paisa a litre more. But customers are not charged any additional cost.
iii. The Euro-VI or BS-VI grade fuel contains 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur whereas Euro-
IV or BS-IV grade fuel contains 50 ppm of sulphur.
IIT-Delhi installs India’s first 5G lab

Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology lab, India’s first-of-its-kind 5G
radio laboratory will be inaugurated at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on April 13,
2018.
i. The Massive MIMO Technology Lab has been set up at the Bharti School of
Telecommunication Technology and Management, at IIT Delhi.
ii. Most important feature of Massive MIMO is the deployment of several antennas as compared to
only a few antennas in 3G/4G. Having several antennas improves system power efficiency,
as the mobile terminals would be required to radiate ten times lesser power than in
3G/4G systems.
India hosts 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial Meeting

16th International Energy Forum Ministerial (IEF16) Meeting was held on 10th -12th April 2018 in
New Delhi.
i. This meeting was hosted by India and co-hosted by China and South Korea.
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ii. IEF16 was the largest gathering of Energy Ministers from across the globe. From the
Indian side, the ministerial was attended by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan.
iii. Along with Energy Ministers from across the globe, the event also brought together, industry
leaders and heads of key international organizations to debate the future of global energy
2nd India Mobile Congress to be held in New Delhi in October 2018

Union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha has announced that second edition of India
Mobile Congress (IMC) will be held in New Delhi from 25th – 27th October.
i. Second edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) will be hosted by the Department of
Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
ii. The event will serve as a platform for policy makers, regulators and other industry stakeholders
to engage in meaningful deliberations on contemporary issues and futuristic aspects of the sector.
iii. The three-day event will be attended by nearly 200000 professionals from the telecom
industry, delegates from US, Canada, European Union, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.
First International SME Convention 2018 to be held in New Delhi

The Four day first International SME (Small,Medium Enterprises) convention 2018 is
being held in New Delhi from 22ndto 24th April 2018. The main focus of this convention is on
inclusion of MSMEs in the Make in India program & empowering women entrepreneurs. It has
been engaged by Minister of MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) with 35 International
Trade Development organizations.
Participants: - 150 participants from 31 countries and 400 entrepreneurs from India.
i. It helps our Indian SMEs in collaborating with International Companies for setting up
manufacturing operations in India.
ii. It will allow Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur exchange of ideas, free and fair business
discussions, mutual sizing of opportunities and ways to address them.
Indian MSME
i. India has more than 60 million MSMEs, especially majority of who are in low-tech areas and
serve the local domestic markets.
ii. Few of MSMEs have the ability and capability to derive access to International Markets. Highly
developed economies have banked on their small and medium enterprises for both GDP Growth as
well as higher employment resulting in higher per capita incomes.
Two day Secure India Conclave underway in New Delhi

Two day Secure India Conclave, organised by Global Counter Terrorism Council began in
New Delhi on April 24, 2018.
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i. The conclave has been organised keeping in view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘New
India : Secure India 2018”.
ii. Several sessions on internal security situation on Jammu & Kashmir, Left wing
Extremism and cyber security, chaired by eminent personnel will be held during the course of
this two day conclave.
Delhi govt to set up Rogi Kalyan Samiti in every Assembly constituency

Delhi government will set up ‘Rogi Kalyan Samitis’ in each Assembly constituency and ‘Jan
Swasthaya Samitis’ in state-run dispensaries, poly clinics and mohalla clinics in order to
provide support to the health institutions in the national capital.
i. An official order in this regard was issued by Delhi Health and Family Welfare Department on
April 26, 2018.
ii. As per the order, 'Assembly Rogi Kalyan Samitis' will have an advisory role in assisting
health facilities, develop and customise strategies. The 'Jan Swasthaya Samitis' will be set
up as its sub-committee.
iii. Each 'Assembly Rogi Kalyan Samiti' and 'Jan Swasthaya Samiti' will receive Rs 3 lakh as
grand-in aid every year.
114th Indus Commission meet held in New Delhi

114th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) took place in New Delhi on
29th and 30th March, 2018 & the meeting focused on technical deliberations on various issues
related to Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan.
i. Indian side that took part in this meeting comprised Indus water commissioner P.K.
Saxena, technical experts and a representative of the Union Ministry of External Affairs, while
Pakistani delegation was led by Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah.
ii. Last PIC meeting was held in Islamabad, Pakistan in March 2017.
Facts about Indus Waters Treaty (IWT):
IWT is a bilateral treaty between India and Pakistan that lays out terms and conditions for sharing
waters of Indus River System.It was signed in year 1960 between the then Prime Minister
of India Jawaharlal Nehru and the then President of Pakistan Ayub Khan. The World Bank
played a crucial role as a mediator.
India-Japan-US 9th Trilateral Meeting held in New Delhi

India - Japan - United States 9th Trilateral Meeting at Joint Secretary/Director General/Assistant
Secretary level was held in New Delhi on April 4, 2018.
i. During the course of this meeting, the officials discussed practical steps to enhance
cooperation in the areas of counter-proliferation; connectivity and infrastructure
development, counter-terrorism; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime
security and maritime domain awareness.
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ii. Outcomes of the Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group that met in Washington, US in
February 2018 were also reviewed.
POSHAN Abhiyaan: 1st meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges held
in New Delhi
On 18th April 2018, the first meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges
under POSHAN Abhiyaan was held at Vigyan Bhawan, in New Delhi.
i. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, Dr V K Paul, Member (Health & Nutrition) NITI Aayog,
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, and representatives of several ministries of the Central and State
Governments participated in the meeting.
ii. Mandate of the National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges is as follows:
Provide policy directions to address India’s nutritional challenges through coordinated inter-
sectoral action.
Coordinate and review convergence between Ministries.
Review programmes for nutrition on a quarterly basis.
Global Logistics Summit held in New Delhi

On 5th and 6th April 2018, Global Logistics Summit was held in New Delhi.
i. The Global Logistics Summit was organised by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, along with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &
Industry) and the World Bank Group.
ii. The Summit acts as a platform to hold discussions for global experts, academics, government
officials and private sector and industry representatives.
Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference to commence in New Delhi

On 16th April 2018, the biannual Indian army commanders' conference began in New
Delhi.
i. The Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference is held for 6 days. Discussions will be made on
management of the extant security dynamics, mitigation of future security threats and
enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries.
ii. The opening address was delivered by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre.
iii. The conference is chaired by General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff. Senior
commanders will also discuss issues related to Army formations and Army as a whole.
Radha Mohan Singh’s addresses the National Kharif Conference 2018 in New Delhi
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh addressed the National
Kharif Conference 2018 in New Delhi on April 25, 2018.
i. While addressing the conference, Mr. Singh outlined that the Central Government is working
towards making agriculture policy and programs 'income-oriented' rather than
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'production-oriented'.
ii. PM Modi’s multi-dimensional Seven-point Strategy: In order to achieve this objective,
government is encouraging the adoption of 'multi-dimensional seven-point' strategy suggested
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which includes enhancing irrigation coverage focusing on ‘More
crop per drop', provision of quality seeds, large investments in warehouses and cold chains,
promotion of value addition through food processing, Implementation of National Agricultural
Markets and e-platforms (e-NAM), introduction of crop insurance and promotion of allied activities
such as Dairy-Animal husbandry, Poultry, Horticulture, and Fisheries.
iii. Mr. Singh added that farmers should be encouraged to participate in the ongoing Rashtriya
Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, in which every block will organize Kisan Kalyan Karyashala on May 2,
2018 wherein Agriculture officers and scientists will discuss ways to increase income through new
technology and progressive farmers will also narrate their success stories.
Delhi’s IGI Airport ranked among World’s Top 20 Busiest Airports

As per Airport Council International’s preliminary report on airport traffic for 2017, Delhi’s
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has ranked as 16th busiest airport in the world.
i. With traffic increasing at the rate of 14.1%, IGI Airport climbed six spots to 16th from 22nd for
previous year.
ii. The 14.1% increase has also made IGI Airport, the fastest-growing airport among the
Top 20 busiest airports.
iii. The tag of World’s Busiest Airport went to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport in the
United States, which served 10.4 crore passengers during 2017.
iv. Four other airports in India too registered a double digit growth in 2017 and ranked among
fastest growing airports in the world – Kolkata (26.9%), Hyderabad (19.6%), Bengaluru (12.9%)
and Chennai (10.5%).
World’s Busiest Airports, 2017 – Top 5:
Airport Passenger Traffic
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, US 10.4 crore
Beijing Capital International Airport, China 9.6 crore
Dubai International Airport, UAE 8.8 crore
Tokyo International Airport (Haneda 8.5 crore
Airport), Japan
Los Angeles International Airport, US 8.4 crore
Dalmia Bharat Adopts Red Fort, Delhi

Dalmia Bharat Limited has signed a MoU with the Tourism Ministry to take up Red Fort
and Gandikota Fort (Andhra Pradesh) under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project.
i. Dalmia Bharat Limited has become the first corporate to be part of the ‘Adopt a Heritage’
project.
ii. Dalmia Bharat will look after the operations and the maintenance of Red Fort and Gandikota
Fort for the next five years.
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iii. The MoU was signed in the presence of K J Alphons, Minster of State for Tourism
(Independent Charge).
New Delhi Current Affairs – May 2018
‘India and the world: a history in nine stories’ inaugurated at national museum in New
Delhi
On 5th May 2018, ‘India and the world: a history in nine stories’ exhibition was inaugurated by the
President, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, (IGNCA), Raam Bahadur Rai, at National
Museum, New Delhi.
i. The Exhibition marks the collaboration in museum exhibition with the British Museum, London;
National Museum, New Delhi and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS),
Mumbai. It is supported by the Culture Ministry.
ii. This exhibition is a part of commemoration of 70 years of India’s independence and a year of
major cultural exchange between India and the UK (UK/India 2017).
iii. A special postal cover was introduced by the Department of Post. It was launched by L.N.
Sharma, Chief Postmaster General (Delhi Circle).
iv. Also, theatre workshops, guided tours, thematic walks for kids, treasure hunt and online
weekly quiz on the event’s website (https://www.indiaandtheworld.org) are conducted.
3rd edition of UNPCAP held in New Delhi

3rd edition of the United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) was
inaugurated in New Delhi on May 7, 2018.
Highlights of 3rd edition of UNPCAP:
i. The course in geared to build and enhance the capacity of the African Troop
Contributing Countries to the UN.
ii. It is being conducted by the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in
partnership with the US.
iii. During the course of this training, sessions covering various topics viz. operational and
logistical matters, thematic topics, humanitarian issues, table top exercises and mission briefs
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would be conducted.The 3rd edition of UNPCAP will conclude on May 25, 2018.
iv. It is to be noted that first and second editions of the course were also held in New Delhi, in
2016 and 2017.
Inauguration of the 5 day ASEAN India Film Festival by the MoS of Information and
Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore
On May 26,2018, Minister of State (I/C) for information and broadcasting and Sports & Youth
Affairs , Col Rajyavardhan Rathore inaugurated the ASEAN India Film Festival in New Delhi .
The tagline for this festival is : ‘Friendship through Films’ .
i. Around 32films from 11 countries ill be featured in this festival.
The opening film of this festival was : ‘Sinjar’in Jasari language.
ii. The Directorate of Film Festival is organizing ASEAN film festival for 25th to 30 th May with
Ministry of External Affairs for commemorating 25 years of Asian and Indian Relations.
President clears Delhi govt's amendment in Minimum Wages Act

President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to Delhi government's proposed Bill to amend the
Minimum Wages Act.
i. As per the amended act, employers violating labour rules in Delhi will now face fine ranging
from Rs 20000-50000 and jail term between one to three years.
ii. In March 2017, Delhi’s Lt. Governor Anil Baijal had approved Delhi Government's decision to
hike the minimum wages of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers by 37 per cent.
iii. Minimum wages for an unskilled worker in Delhi is Rs 13350 per month, for semi-skilled, it is
Rs 14698 and for skilled persons is Rs 16182.
Smart Cities India 2018 Expo begins in New Delhi today

On 23rd May 2018, the 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo began at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
i.Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu, was the Chief Guest at the opening
ceremony.
ii.CR Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food
and Public Distribution, and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Health and
Family Welfare were the guests of honour.
iii.The Smart Cities India 2018 Expo is held for 3 days till 25th May 2018. It is co-organised by the
India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the NASSCOM Center of Excellence - IoT and
Exhibitions India Group.
Shri J P Nadda holds high level review meeting on Vector Borne diseases in Delhi
On 12th May 2018, J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired a high level
meeting to review the preparedness of various agencies for prevention and management of vector
borne diseases, in New Delhi.
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i. J P Nadda asked the agencies to develop a separate registry for cases originating and being
treated in Delhi.
ii. He added that there should be no shortage of diagnostic kits, drugs, testing labs, manpower
and funds.
iii. He highlighted the importance of conducting focused and intensive IEC (Information,
Education & Communication) campaigns and continuing them through the monsoon season.
iv. He directed the officers to perform supervisory visits to various hospitals in Delhi to assess the
situation, preparedness and to offer on the spot technical guidance to the health authorities.
13th Inter-State Council Standing Committee under the chairmanship of Union Home
Minister Shri Rajnath Singh
On 25th May 2018, the Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council (ISC) headed by the Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting in New Delhi
i. Discussions were conducted on all 273 recommendations of the Punchhi Commission.
ii. This was the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee of the ISC. The meeting focused
on volume VI & VII of the Punchhi Commission’s Report. They had 88 recommendations in total.
iii. The recommendations in Volume VI of the Punchhi Commission report are related to:
Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure.
iv. The recommendations in Volume VII are related to: Socio-economic Development, Public
Policy and Good Governance.
India to Host 15th Asia Media Summit from 10-12 May in New Delhi
Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced that India will host the 15th Asia
Media Summit from 10th to 12th May, 2018.
i. The summit will be jointly hosted by the Information and Broadcasting (I-B) Ministry, Indian
Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and public sector firm Broadcast Engineering Consultants
India Ltd (BECIL).
ii.This is the first time that India is hosting the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Institute for
Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Kuala Lumpur.
iii.Theme of the summit will be ‘Telling Our Stories - Asia and More'.
iv. The inaugural ceremony of the summit will be presided over by Union Information
and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani.
v. Over 200 foreign delegates representing 39 countries and over 100 Indian delegates would
participate in this Summit.
vi. The summit would serve as a platform for broadcasters in the Asian region to share their
thoughts on various aspects of broadcasting and discuss challenges to the broadcasting sector in
the region.
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Naval Commander’s conference to begin at New Delhi

On 8th to 11th May 2018, the first edition of 2018 Bi-annual Naval Commander’s Conference is
held in New Delhi.
i. Navy will review its new Mission-Based Deployments philosophy to ensure peace and stability,
during the conference.
ii. The new deployment philosophy, in furtherance of the Prime Minister’s vision of Security and
Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), aims to attain sustained, peaceful and responsive presence
of Indian Naval ships in critical areas and choke points.
iii. Combat Efficiency and Materiel Readiness, and upkeep of 131 ships and submarines has been
the Navy’s focus in the past year.
iv. Various measures taken to improve Combat Efficiency, like new Transition Cycle for ships for
transition from maintenance periods through a training phase and full scale operations will be
reviewed at the conference.
v. Advanced technologies for ‘Made-in-India’ will also be a focus area for the Commanders.
vi. Initiatives like ‘Indian Naval Indigenisation Plan 2015-30’ aimed at improving indigenous
defence industrial capability involving the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will be
discussed.
Seminar on Humanitarian and Disaster Relief held in Delhi

On 14th and 15th May 2018, Head Quarter Western Air Command conducted a seminar on
Humanitarian and Disaster relief (HADR) at Subroto Park, Delhi.
i. The seminar was held to focus on effective measures to manage HADR situations in North India.
ii. Representatives from Indian Air Force (IAF), NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority),
NDRF (National Disaster Response Force, ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police), secretary level
delegations from Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu &
Kashmir took part in the seminar.
CIPAM-DIPP organizes a conference on National IPR Policy

On May 16, 2018, Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) organised a conference on
successful completion of two years of the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy
adopted by the Government of India in New Delhi.
i. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu, launched the IP Mascot at the event.
ii. In a bid to involve eminent personalities as ambassadors to spread awareness and importance
of IP in India, an anti-piracy video featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was also launched at the
event.
iii. Focused sessions on women in innovation and creativity, commercialization and enforcement
of IPRs were also held during the course of this conference.
Quick facts about CIPAM:
♦ Created in – 2016
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♦ Operates under the aegis of – Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of
Commerce & Industry
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh addresses
National Conference of Fisheries Ministers of Coastal states
On 17th May 2018, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh
addressed the National Conference of Fisheries Ministers of Coastal states, in New Delhi.
i. Radha Mohan Singh said that, during the last decade, India has attained first position with 14%
average annual growth in the export of fish & fishery products.
ii. He added that, Fish production in India has also grown by 27% in 2014-18 compared to 2010-
14.
iii. He said that, the government has decided to promote deep sea fishing and has launched a
sub-component 'Assistance for Deep Sea Fishing' under the Blue Revolution.
IMD partnered with BSNL for sending extreme weather warnings in Delhi
On May 28,2018, the Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) is joining hands with Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for sending extreme weather warnings .To send extreme
weather warnings to the public.
i. Under harsh weather conditions IMD will send alerts to the BSNL and BSNL with the help of its
technology will send the alerts to the registered numbers in the Delhiregion.
ii. Area specific alerts will be given as well to other telecom circle subscribers belonging to the
area.
iii. It is in an experimental stage and on successful operation will rope in other weather
organizations as well.
iv. The government agencies have limits to which they can spread alerts especially for
thunderstorms.
Delhi to Nanda Devi East base camp : Joint Indo-Bangladesh Army Trekking Expedition
On May 28,2018, joint Indo-Bangladesh Army Trekking Expedition to Nanda Devi has started
from New Delhi.
i. This joint expedition will further strengthen the relations of the two concerned countries .The
team has a 16-member Indian Army team and a 10-member Bangladesh Army team.
ii. Mt Nanda Devi east base camp is located 4300m from the sea level and has a very challenging
trekking route.
India’s highest decorated general Zorawar Chand Bakshi passes away at 97

On 24th May 2018, General, Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, also known as Zoru Bakshi passed
away in New Delhi.
i. Zorawar Chand Bakshi was 97 years old. He had received Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), Vir Chakra,
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Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).He had played a major role in
the capture of the Haji Pir pass from Pakistan army.
New Delhi Current Affairs – June 2018
European Union Film Festival (EUFF) starts in New Delhi; I&B Minister inaugurates it
From 18th to 24th June 2018, European Union Film Festival (EUFF) 2018 is held in Siri Fort
Auditorium, New Delhi.
i. European Union Film Festival (EUFF) will be held from 18th June to 31st August 2018 in 11 Indian
cities: New Delhi, Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam,
Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa.
ii. 24 latest European films from 23 European Union (EU) Member States have been selected for
EUFF 2018.
iii. On 18th June 2018, the Festival was inaugurated at the Siri fort auditorium in Delhi by Union
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
iv. Movies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden will be screened.
7th India Minerals and Metals forum inaugurated in New Delhi

On June 21, 2018, 7th India Minerals and Metals forum was inaugurated in New Delhi.The forum
seeks to come up with solutions to consolidate small players for strengthening of overall health of
the industry.
Shri RK Singh inaugurates 1500kWP solar plant by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management
Committee (DSGMC) at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib
On June 21, 2018, Shri R.K Singh, Minister of State(IC) for Power and New & Renewable
Energy was the chief guest in the inauguration of 1500 kWP capacity solar plant developed
by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) at the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib.
i. The solar plant was inaugurated by Sant Balbir Singh Ji Seechewal and Baba Sewa Singh Ji.
ii. It was announced that 20 cities in India are ranked among the most polluted in the world.
About India’s renewable energy targets:
♦ The 2022 electrical power targets include achieving 175 GW of energy from renewable sources -
nearly 100 GW through solar power, 60 GW from wind power, 10 GW from biomass power and
5GW from small hydro power.
♦ India is the 7th largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world.
♦ The fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world.
♦ The Largest wind farm of India is in Muppandal , Tamil Nadu.
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About Solar Mission:

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, also known as the National Solar Mission, is an
initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote solar power. The mission
is one of the several initiatives that are part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The
program was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 11 January 2010 with a
target of 20GW by 2022 which was later increased to 100 GW .
India achieved 20MW of solar power by Jan31, 2018.
PM inaugurates 11.2km long Delhi Metro's Mundka-Bahadurgarh section

On June 24, 2018, PM inaugurated the Delhi Metro's Mundka-Bahadurgarh section .
i. The 11.2-km-long fully-elevated Mundka-Bahadurgarh corridor is part of the Delhi Metro's
Green Line.
ii. The Mundka-Bahadurgarh stretch, with seven stations, would be an extension of the existing
Green Line (standard-gauge tracks) from Inderlok to Mundka the entire Inderlok-Bahadurgarh
section would become 26.33 km long.
NIMHANS Digital Academy: for training medical professionals inaugurated by Shri JP

Nadda
On June 27, 2018, Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated
the NIMHANS Digital Academy and addressed the first batch of professionals enrolled for
undergoing courses in the fields of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Social Work in New Delhi.
Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare also graced the occasion.
i. This will enhance the skill and potential of healthcare professionals and also serve the purpose
of mental healthcare needs.
ii. Especially with the passing of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 brings forth a stronger and more
robust legal scaffold and humane and patient-centric rights based approach for mental healthcare
in our country.
About NIMHANS:
i.Ministry of Health, through National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences,
Bengaluru (Institute of National Importance), is initiating programmes for training of healthcare
service providers across the country to deliver quality mental healthcare services. It has the
infrastructure for starting a Digital Academy to provide large scale training to healthcare service
providers like Medical Officer, Psychologists, Social Workers and Nurses.
ii. The participants will be awarded “Diploma in Community Mental Health” by NIMHANS,
Bengaluru.
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NMCG undertakes cleanliness drive at Kalindi Kunj Ghat in Delhi

On 2nd June 2018, as a part of activities for the World Environment Day 2018, National Mission for
Clean Ganga (NMCG) along with Yes Bank organised a cleanliness drive at Kalindi Kunj ghat
on river Yamuna in New Delhi.
‘Taj Mahal Declaration to beat Plastic Pollution’ adopted to clean Taj Mahal premises
around 500m radius
On June 4, 2018, World Environment Day is celebrated annually worldwide on June 5 and to
support it this year , the Union Minister of Culture and Environment Mr. Mahesh
Sharma announced the ‘Taj Mahal Declaration’ called as ‘Taj Declaration to Beat Plastic Pollution’.
i. Under this declaration, Agra residents would take pledge to keep 500 m around Taj Mahal
plastic free and reduce the use of polythene and plastic products in the vicinity.
ii. This decision was taken by the Union and State government and applies to the 100
‘Adarsh’ monuments across the country.
Geo-Intelligence Asia – 2018 for providing insight of the latest technology in the
GeoSpatial field
On June 6,2018, The 11th edition of Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 was organized at Manekshaw
Centre in New Delhi. This event was organized by Geo Spatial Media and Communication in
association with Directorate General of Information System as knowledge partners.
i. The theme of this year’s event : ‘GeoSpatial : A Force Multiplier for Defence and Industrial
Security’.
ii. The session covered subjects like Enhanced Situational Awareness for Combat,
Smart Cantonments, GIS and Logistics, Cyber Security and LIDAR .
Delhi to get India’s first-ever national police museum in Chanakyapuri area, New Delhi
On June 10,2018, the central government has decided to establish India’s first ever National
Police Museum in Lutyens’ Delhi.
i.It is expected to be inaugurated in October 21 in honor of ‘Police commemoration Day’.
ii.The artifacts would include brass insignia, ceremonial and operational head gears and uniforms,
batons, belts, distinctive photographs of dog squads, mounted columns and old copies of the
Indian Police Act.
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NCST to organise “National Seminar on Conservation of Particularly Vulnerable Tribes of

Andaman & Nicobar Islands: The Way Forward” in New Delhi on June 27-28,2018
On June 25, 2018, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced that National
Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) is organizing a National Seminar on “Conservation of
Particularly Vulnerable Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The Way Forward” on 27th and
28th June, 2018 at Kamaladevi Multipurpose Hall, India International Centre, Max Mueller Marg,
New Delhi.
i.The Objective is to discuss strategies for conservation of Particularly Vulnerable Tribes in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
ii.This Seminar is being organized in collaboration with Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI)and
Directors of 18 Tribal Research Institutes in different States have also been invited.
TECH-THON: Seminar on Technology Partnership for POSHAN Abhiyaan in New Delhi;

organized by WCD Ministry
On June 28, 2018, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India organized
a day-long Seminar on Technology Partnerships for Steering POSHAN Abhiyaan called ‘TECH-
THON’ for POSHAN Abhiyaan - PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment at Pravasi
Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.To showcase and initiate a ‘Peoples Movement’ or Jan Andolan
towards Nutrition.
Renewable Energy Dialogue-2018 held in New Delhi ; focus on India’s energy expansion
On June 29, 2018, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, addressed
the Renewable Energy Dialogue in New Delhi. He announced that India is running one of the
largest and most ambitious renewable energy capacity expansion programmes in the world.
Shri Thawarchand Gehlot chairs ‘3rdMeeting of National Council of Senior Citizens’ in

New Delhi
On 13th June 2018, Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment
chaired the “3rdMeeting of National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC)” conducted by the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi.
i.The NCSrC meets at least two times a year. Its first meeting was held on 30th August 2016. The
second meeting was held on 19th June 2017.
ii. Thaawarchand Gehlot said that the recently launched “Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojana” offers
Physical Aids and Assisted Living Devices to Senior citizens in the BPL category.
iii. VayoshreshthaSamman/National Awards are awarded in 13 categories to institutions and
senior citizens for their outstanding contribution for the cause of elderly persons from 2013.
About National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC):
♦ National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was reconstituted and renamed as National Council of
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Senior Citizens (NCSrC) in 2012

♦ Chairperson - Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot.
11 countries awarded for elimination of LF in 10th Meeting of Global Alliance to

Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis
On June 13, 2018, Union Minister of Health and Family WelfareShri J P Naddainaugurated
the 10th meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) in New Delhi.
i. ShriNadda also gave away the GAELF awards to 11 countries- Cambodia, Cook Islands, Egypt,
Maldives, Marshall Islands, Niue, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Togo, Tonga and Vanuatu, for successfully
interrupting the transmission.
ii.He also released the Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) 2018 for India.
222nd Meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, EPFO held in New Delhi
On June 27, 2018, The 222nd meeting of the Central Board of Trustees, EPFO was held under the
chairmanship of Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment (Independent Charge) Shri
Santosh Kumar Gangwar at New Delhi.
i. The Central Board approved the proposal for insertion of Paragraph 68HH in EPF Scheme, 1952
provisioning advance from the fund to a member who ceases to be in employment for a
continuous period not less than one month.
ii. Under this proposal a member can avail 75% of the total fund (including employee as well as
employer share) standing to the member’s credit with interest there on.
President of India to preside over two-day Conference of Governors and Lt. Governors
on June 4-5, 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan
On June 2,2018, the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind would preside over the two-
day 49th Conference of Governers and Lt. Governers which will be held in June 4-5 2018 at
Rashtrapati Bhavan .With an Objective to discuss various important issues .
i.The first day would be the inauguration day. The second day will be regarding the presentations
of the schemes and flagship programs of the government .
ii.The presentations would be made by Vice Chairman and CEO of NITI Aayog and National
Security Advisor.
Shripad Yesso Naik to inaugurate National Health Editors’ Conference on Yoga in New
Delhi on 5th June
On 5th June 2018, Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), Shripad Yesso Naik will
inaugurate the 3rd National Health Editors’ Conference on Yoga at Morarji Desai National
Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) in New Delhi.
i. The conference is organized by the Ministry of AYUSH along with the Press Information Bureau
(PIB) and Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY).
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ii. This Conference on ‘Evidence Based Recent Innovative Research on Yoga – A Review of Yoga
Research’ is conducted to mark the beginning of International Day of Yoga (21st June).
iii. The conference aims to enlighten the media persons on the scientific aspects of yoga & its
benefits for human health.A Workshop on “How to Manage Stress through Yoga” will be a main
highlight of the conference.
State Environment Ministers Conference Inaugurated

On 4th June 2018, the State Environment Ministers Conference in the run-up to World
Environment Day was held in New Delhi.
i. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan delivered the
inaugural address at the conference. He said that, 25, 000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated
every day.
ii. E.K. JanakiAmmal National awards on taxonomy were also presented on the occasion. The
awards comprises Rs. 5 lakh cash, a scroll and a medallion.The awards were presented to:
 Dr. S.R Yadav for Plant Taxonomy
 Dr. P.T Cherian for Animal Taxonomy
 Dr. S. Sivaji for Microbial Taxonomy
Delhi most vulnerable UT in India’s first disaster risk index, Maharashtra leads states
A national disaster risk index currently in the form of a draft report prepared by the Union home
ministry with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has ranked Delhi as
the most vulnerable Union Territory to risk) and Maharashtra has topped the high risk states list.
Disaster risk index of states:
Rank State
1 Maharashtra
2 West Bengal
3 Uttar Pradesh
4 Madhya Pradesh
5 Rajasthan
6 Karnataka
7 Assam
8 Andhra Pradesh
9 Gujarat
10 Bihar
High Risk districts on disaster:
1.Pune, Maharashtra
2.North 24 Parganas, West Bengal
3.South 24 Parganas, West Bengal
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4.Thane, Maharashtra
5.Hooghly, West Bengal
6.Howrah, West Bengal
7.Bengaluru, Karnataka
8.Nashik, Maharashtra
9.Gulbarga, Karnataka
10.Mumbai, Maharashtra
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
♦ UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in India - Yuri Afanasiev
♦ UNDP India Country Office – New Delhi.
GAIL India to import 1st Russian LNG shipment from Gazprom

On June 3, 2018, India would import its first ever LNG from Russia on June 4, 2018.
India considered the fourth largest buyer of Liquefied Natural gas.i. GAIL India Ltd. will be
importing the LNG from Gazprom at Petronet LNG.
i. The supply between GAIL and Gazprom is a 20 year deal of import of 2.5 million tonnes of
LNG a year.
ii. The further break up of the 2.5 million tonnes is : 0.5 MT in 2018-19 , 0.75 in 2019-20,
and 1.5 MT in 2020-21.
Virat Kohli's statue unveiled at Madame Tussauds

On 6th June 2016, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli's wax statue was unveiled at Madame
Tussauds in New Delhi.
i.Virat Kohli's statue was crafted using more than 200 measurements and photographs obtained
during the sitting session.
ii. Wax statues of other sport legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Lionel Messi are also
present in Madame Tussauds.
‘Sagarmala’ receives Gold Award at the 52nd Skoch Summit 2018

The Ministry of Shipping’s ‘Sagarmala’ programme was awarded the ‘Gold Award’ in infrastructure
sector in the 52nd Skoch Summit 2018 that recently ended in New Delhi.
i.The award was presented in recognition of the programme’s contribution to India’s socio-
economic transformation and in enhancing fast-track growth and infrastructure development.
ii.The Sagarmala Programme was also awarded the ‘Order of Merit’. The Secretary (Shipping)
Gopal Krishna shared the award with Minister for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari.
iii.The ‘Order of Merit’ was received by Abhishek Chandra, Deputy Secretary (Sagarmala) Ministry
of Shipping.
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NTPC ranked 25th in India’s Great Place to Work list

On 29th June 2018, NTPC announced that it has been ranked 25th in the list of India’s Great Place
to Work for 2018.
i. NTPC is the only public sector undertaking in the top 25 of the India’s Great Place to Work for
2018 list. It has improved from the 38th position it had secured in 2017.
ii. NTPC has also been recognised as the Laureates for consistently getting featured in the list for
10 consecutive years.
iii. NTPC has been included in this list for successfully building and sustaining high trust-high
performance culture. Only 5 companies have been given this recognition.
iv. The award was received by Rajesh Kumar, RED, West-I, NTPC at an an award ceremony held
on 28th June 2018 in Mumbai.
v. The annual Best Workplaces List of the Great Place to Work institute is considered the gold
standard certification for defining, assessing and recognising great workplaces.
US team of experts in Delhi to discuss key military agreements of 2016

On June 18, 2018, US officials from Pentagon will meet the Indian experts on negotiation
of communications military agreements.The US had granted India the status of a ‘Major Defence
Partner’ in 2016.
i. The talks are based on the military agreement between India and US in 2016
on Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).
ii. The agreements consist of COMCASA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-
spatial Cooperation (BECA) and singing of the Indian counterparts are required for this to take
shape.
iii.It is meant to facilitate the use of high-end secured communication equipment to be installed
on military platforms being sold to India.
About COMCASA:
COMCASA essentially provides a legal framework for the transfer of communication security
equipment from the US to India that would facilitate “interoperability” between Indian and US
forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links. It
was called the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA)
before the name was changed to reflect its India-specific nature.
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Senior Cong leader L P Shahi dies at 98

On June 9, 2018, Senior congress Leader Mr. L P Shahi dies at 98 in All India Institute of Medical
Sciences in New Delhi.He was a freedom fighter and a former CWC member.He was first elected
to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1980 and became an MP from Muzaffarpur in Bihar in 1984.
Nitin Gadkari Releases ‘Water productivity mapping of major Indian crops’ book
published by NABARD
On 14th June 2018, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation, Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari released a book ‘Water
productivity mapping of major Indian crops’ published by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development) at an event in New Delhi.
i. The book ‘Water productivity mapping of major Indian crops’ is about a study on 10 major crops
done by a team lead by eminent agricultural economist Dr. Ashok Gulati.
ii. The 10 major crops are: rice, wheat, maize, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton and potato etc.
iii. The book recommends to realign cropping pattern with focus on water scarcity of irrigation,
ration irrigation supplies in canal irrigation system, enhance micro-irrigation and invest in water
harvesting and artificial recharge and promote participatory irrigation management through water
user association and farmer’s producer organisation.
iv. He said that, proposal for three projects at Tuticorin, Paradip and Kandla for desalination of
sea water for irrigational and other uses is under consideration.
New Delhi Current Affairs – July 2018

Cabinet approves exemption from charging commercial rates for the plot of land
allotted to the High Commission of Fiji in New Delhi
On July 4, 2018, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved
an exemption from charging commercial rates at the time of acquisition for the plot No. 31-B,
measuring 2800 sq.meter in Chanakyapuri, Diplomatic Area to the Fijian High Commission in New
Delhi.
 He also has approved to extend the same terms and conditions as offered by Fiji for the
land offered to the High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji.This is in line of the offering of a
plot of land measuring 6695 sq. meters, by the Government of Fiji in August 2015, at a
special lease of 99 year period with a rent of FJ $ 100 per annum to be assessed every 5
years for construction of the High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji and proposed exchange
of land on reciprocal basis.
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‘Mukhyanmantri Kisan Aaye Badhotri Solar Yojna’ : scheme launched by Delhi CM to

increase the income of farmers by three to five times.
On July 25, 2018, Chief Minister of Delhi Mr. Arvind Kejriwal launched the ‘Mukhyanmantri
Kisan Aaye Badhotri Solar Yojna’.With an Objective to increase the income of farmers by
three to five times in the national capital.
Key Points:
i. Without affecting the agricultural activity maximum one-third of the land would be used for
installation of solar panels.
ii. The minimum height for installing solar panels will be 3.5 metres.
iii. Electricity from the solar panel installed by the private companies will be bought by the
government at Rs.4 per unit which will save Rs. 400 to Rs.500 crore.
iv. The scheme would increase the income of the farmers by 3 to 5 times from the present
Rs.20,000 to Rs.30,000 per acre per year. Farmers will not invest in the solar installations.
‘Happiness Curriculum’ for Delhi government schools launched by Delhi CM and Dalai
Lama
On July 3, 2018, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the “Happiness Curriculum” for
students of nursery to Class 8 in government schools . The curriculum was launched in the
presence of the Dalai Lama.With an Objective to target modern day problems like terrorism,
corruption and pollution and solve them through human-centric education.
i. The new subject was designed and prepared by a team of 40 Delhi government teachers,
educators and volunteers over a period of six months.
ii. According to the curriculum, Students across schools can expect a ‘happiness’ period of 45
minutes. Each class will begin with a five-minute meditation .
iii. It would also include value education and mental exercises.
iv. It would be beneficial for 10 lakh students with the help of around 50,000 teachers.
Minister of State for Culture (I/c) Dr. Mahesh Shrama Inaugurates exhibition titled
“Arth – art for earth” at IGNCA, New Delhi
On 5th July 2018, Union Minister of State for Culture (I/c), Dr. Mahesh Shrama, inaugurated an
exhibition named “Arth – art for earth” at IGNCA, New Delhi.
i. ‘Arth – Art For Earth’ by Manav Gupta comprises “Excavations in Hymns of Clay”. It is a suite
of environmental art installations created by Manav Gupta with a storyline and poetry.
ii. Manav Gupta has used Indian potter’s produce of clay objects like the earthen lamps (diyas),
local cigar (chilam), earthen cups (kullar) etc. The exhibition will be available for public view till
22nd October 2018.
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First Cyber Forensic van of Delhi Police launched by Minister of State for Home Affairs
Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir
On July 7, 2018, The Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir launched
the first Cyber Forensic van of Delhi Police and an online cyber crime portal where people can file
complaint online regarding such crimes . This was announced at the “Cyber Safety and Digital
awareness programme for senior citizens” organized by Delhi Police.
i.Objective of this launch is to make citizens are more aware and responsible while making digital
transactions especially senior citizens.
ii. The Van has been developed keeping in mind the need for a portable/mobile system in view of
increasing number of digital crimes. It will be available on call in all districts/units on 24×7
basis.It will be used for on-the-spot police investigations at crime scene.
iii. It was also announced that the Ministry has earmarked Rs 25,000 crore for Police
modernization and to deal with increasing rate of cyber crime in the country.
iv. Delhi Police has established Cyber Cells in 14 districts of Delhi working under the command of
a Special Cyber Unit at Headquarter level. 800 Police officers have already been trained specially
to deal with cyber crimes.About 2,500 senior citizens participated in the programme.
Ministry of Home Affairs:
♦ Union Minister: Rajnath Singh.
♦ Minster of State: Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Kiren Rijiju.
♦ Nickname of Delhi: City of Rallies.
♦ Unesco Heritage Sites of Delhi: Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Red Fort
PM inaugurates ‘Dharohar Bhawan’ the new Headquarters of Archaeological Survey of

India in New Delhi
On 12th July 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Dharohar Bhawan’, the new
Headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at 24, Tilak Marg in New Delhi.
i.Minister of State for Culture(I/c) Dr. Mahesh Sharma praised ASI that takes care of nearly 3686
monuments in India.
ii. It also provides conservation services in countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cambodia.
iii. He said that, in recent times 40 antiquities from Foreign countries have been retrieved and
efforts to bring back 8 to 9 more antiquities are in process.
iv. The new Headquarters building has advanced facilities like energy efficient lighting and
rainwater harvesting.
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v. It has a Central Archaeological Library with a collection of nearly 1.5 lakh books and journals.
vi. The library will be a treasure for people who perform research work in Archaeology, Religious
and Cultural perspective of India, India’s ancient past and related subjects.
vii. The Library has Authentic records related to Archaeology, like ASI reports, etc., Diary of
Alexander Cunningham(founder of ASI), John Marshall, etc.
viii. The Library has Original collection of religious books and books on cultural heritage of India,
like the sacred books on the Hindus, Manusmiti, Kautilya’s Athasastra, etc.
ix.It also has original, specific and holistic collection on places of India, like Kalhan’s Rajtarangini,
on Kashmir, History of Gujarat, etc. are also available.
x. Also, original and rare books on inscriptions, like Kharosti, Brahmi etc. and collection of
Tibetan manuscripts (rare) are also available.Rare portfolios related to Ajanta, Ellora and other
sites of archaeological importance, collection of books on Archaeology, Epigraphy, Indology,
Indian culture and its past, etc. are also present.
Govt launched a new technology called the MicroDot technology to check vehicle thefts
On July 18, 2018, Government has announced the launch of a new MicroDot Technology that
would help check on vehicle thefts.
i. Under this thousands of small dots laser etched will be sprayed with a vehicle identification
number on all over the vehicle’s body including its engine.
ii. This technology is yet to be finalized by the highest automobile technical standard making body
CMVR-TSC.
iii. Delhi Police officials has been associated with this project as per transport ministry’s order.
iv. 2.14 lakh vehicles are stolen across India annually.Delhi tops the list with 38,644 in 2016
which is 100 on a daily basis.
v. The state of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra follows the list with 34,480 and 22,435 number of
vehicles, respectively.
vi. 41,000 vehicles were stolen in 2017 that is 30 vehicles a month.The auto-lifters take out the
engines along with the other valuable parts and thereafter, they destroy the vehicle. Thus, most
of the vehicles stolen go untraced.
System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR): First of its kind 24×7 air
qualityindex inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan at Chandi Chowk
On July 22, 2018, Science& Technology, Earth Sciences; Environment, Forest & Climate Change
Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated first of its kind Air Quality and Weather Forecast System–
SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting) at Chandni Chowk in Delhi.It will give out
real-time air quality index on 24×7 basis with colour coding along with 72-hour advance forecast.
i. It is a giant true color LED display that gives out real-time air quality index on a daily basis.
ii. It has been developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and
operationalized by India Meteorological Department (IMD).
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iii. It will be an integral part of India’s first Air Quality Early Warning System.
iv. It will be implemented in four cities of India – Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad as an
operational service.
v. Implementing it in the right way (even by 5% of citizens ) would save nearly Rs. 2,500 crores
in terms of health-related cost.
vi. It would also benefit cost savings to several other sectors like agriculture, aviation,
infrastructure, disaster management skill, tourism and many others.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates National Traders’ Conclave in New
Delhi
On 23rd July 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the three day National
Traders’ Conclave at Constitution Club of India, in New Delhi.
i.National Traders’ Conclave is organised by the Confederation of All-India Traders.He said that, in
the next two-three years India’s economy will be among the top five. Also, by 2030 India would
enter the world’s Top Three economies.
ii. He said that, India is the most attractive destination for foreign investors and received more
than $150 billion FDI in last four years.
iii. In ‘Ease of Doing Business’, India’s ranking has improved from 142 to 100. In 2014, there
were only two mobile phone factories in India. Now we have 120 handset manufacturing units.
iv. He mentioned the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Goods & Services Tax (GST), amendment to
the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code and the historic Demonetization, and said India’s GDP growth
rate in the last 4 years has outpaced the inflation rate every year since 2014.
v. He said that the GST rates have been modified on several items recently. Many items have
been brought under 0 % and 5% slabs.
vi. He added that, the Government is open to further review of GST slabs.
vii. He said that, out of 6.5 crore traders and shopkeepers, nearly 1.25 crores have registered
under the GST.
“Mission Satyanishtha” a Program on Ethics in Public Governance launched by Ministry

of Railways
On July 28, 2018, Indian Railways organized a programme on Ethics in Public Governance and
Launched “Mission Satyanishtha” at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.
i.The objective is to bring transperancy and ethics in the work culture and among all railway
employees.
ii. It would train every employee to understand the need and value of ethics in Personal and
Public life.
iii. It would help to deal with ethical dilemmas in life and Public Governance.It would help
understand the policies of Indian Railways on ethics and integrity.It would develop inner
governance through tapping inner resources.
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E-Aksharayan a desktop software to enable editing of text printed on scanned

documents launched by IT Ministry
On July 31, 2018, The IT ministry launched a desktop software e-Aksharayan in a
conference for Indian Languages Technology Industry ‘Bhashantara’, in New Delhi.With an
Objective to enable editing and printing of text in scanned documents
i. The software e-Aksharayan was launched in 7 Indian languages.
ii. They are namely: Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Kannada & Assamese.
iii. This software would scanned printed Indian language documents into a fully editable text
format in Unicode encoding.
iv. This would cease the gap in Internet accessibility due to non-availability of content in Indian
languages.
v. Mobile Testing Data in all 22 Indian languages in mobile handsets IS standard 16333 (Part
3) was released.
vi. It would help in message readability and inputting of text in the phones for all 22 Indian
official languages.Development of text to speech tech in 12 Indian languages is underway.
vii. Development of technology that will allow people to select complete name of website in any
script is also underway between Data Xgenplus and ICANN.
Fourth National Consultation of Ministers of States & UTs In-charge of Food, Civil
Supplies & Consumer affairs chaired by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan was held in New Delhi
On June 29, 2018 ,The fourth National Consultation Meeting of Ministers of States & UTs, in-
charge of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs was held in New Delhi and was chaired
by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, and Food & Public Distribution.
i.With an Objective to improve consumer protection and welfare including availability of essential
food items at stable prices, Public Distribution System etc., and chart a future course of action.
ii. Discussion on measures required to maintain and manage prices of essential food items at
reasonable level through appropriate policy intervention.
iii. Improving the spread, coverage and strength of price reporting centres, which report the
prices of 22 essential food items daily for robust submission of data.
iv. The need for setting up of State Level PSF for addressing the state-specific concerns. Price
Stabilisation Fund (PSF) as an instrument to tackle inflationary trends in important agri-
horticultural commodities.
v. Dicsussions would also include issues like :
 Issues like enforcement of the provisions of Essential Commodities Act and Prevention of
Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act;
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 modernization and reform of the Legal Metrology Departments in the States for effective
implementation of Legal Metrology Act & Rules;
 redressal of the concerns raised by the 3 Member Committee of Supreme Court for
facilitating the functioning of State Commissions and Consumer Forum;
 integration of National Building Code brought out by BIS in building by-laws of State/UTs
and local-bodies .
 Functioning of grievance redressal and monitoring mechanism of National Food Security will
be dicsusssed.
 Progress in the scheme of end-to-end computerisation of TPDS operations of State/UT
level, including Aadhar seeding and installation of e-PoS devices at Fair Price Shops for
authentication of beneficiaries and electronic capturing of transactions.
 Status of implementation of the revamped scheme for SC/ST hostels and welfare
institutions so that all the States/UTs avail benefit of the schemes targeted at the most
vulnerable sections of society.
Election Commission of India to hold a National Consultation on Accessible Elections

with focus on Persons with Disabilities (PwD)
On July 2, 2018, The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that it has organized a two-
day “National Consultation on Accessible Elections,” from the 3rd July, 2018 in New Delhi.
Dignitaries to be present in the event are:
Chief Electoral Officers of all states, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the area of
empowerment of the differently abled Union Ministries of Social Justice & Empowerment,
Information & Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology, Youth Affairs and Sports,
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Central Public Works Department and the National
Literacy Mission Authority.
Objective:
The event is a part of the ECI’s pursuit of its mission ‘leave no voter behind,’ with special focus on
“Persons with Disabilities” (PwD).
i. The “National Consultation on Accessible Elections,” will be having three technical sessions over
the course of the two days. The best practices on ‘Accessible Elections’ that were practiced in six
states during their last Assembly Elections will be shared in the meeting.
ii. The meet is expected to contribute significantly to evolve a policy on “Accessible Elections,”
that will help in making electoral processes more accessible.
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iii. The national event is the culmination of a nearly three-month long series of district and state
level consultations aiming to identify the barriers or gaps in the inclusion of PwD’s in the electoral
process.
iv. The theme of “Inclusion of PwD’s” has been given a special focus in the ECI’s Strategic Plan
2016-2025. Besides, “Accessible Elections” has been adopted as its central theme for this year’s
National Voters’ Day celebrations.
v. Additionally, a dedicated portal for the ECI’s ‘Systematic Voters Education and Electoral
Participation’ (SVEEP) initiative will also be launched.
M/o Social Justice & Empowerment organizes “National Workshop on Skill Development
for Persons with Disabilities”
On 3rd July 2018, “National Workshop on Skill Development for Persons with Disabilities
(Divyangjan)” was held in New Delhi.
i.The workshop was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
(DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
ii. The workshop acted as a platform to all stakeholders like training partners, policy makers and
employers.
iii. Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the
workshop. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was the
Guest of Honour.
iv. Thaawarchand Gehlot said that the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016 directs
the Government to frame schemes to promote Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities to
increase their scope of employability.
v. DEPwD along with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship introduced the National
Action Plan for Skill Development of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in March 2015.
vi. DEPwD implements the Scheme for Implementation of Right of Persons with Disabilities Act
(SIPDA) which involves Skill Development of PwDs.
vii. The Skill Development programme for PwDs is implemented through training Partners, its
National Institutes, their Composite Regional Centres and National Handicapped Finance &
Development Corporation (NHFDC).
viii. The workshop had an Inaugural Session, three technical sessions and an Interactive session.
ix. India is a signatory to the UNCRPD which came to effect from May 2018. The Indian
Government has enacted the RPwD act that came to effect in 2017. It is in line with spirit of
UNCRPD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).
Nitin Gadkari flags off taxi ambulance services

On 4th July 2018, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off Wagon Cab’s taxi ambulance services in
New Delhi.
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i.Wagon Cab claims to be India’s first road emergency cab services provider. Wagon Cab provides
medically-trained drivers in its ambulance-taxis.
ii. In the initial phase, Wagon Cab will launch 200 cabs. The drivers will be trained to handle
critical situations and provide first-aid. They will be paid additional Rs 500 for this.
iii. NGO Das Foundation supports this initiative. After implementation in Delhi NCR, Wagon Cab is
planning to launch this initiative throughout India.
6 public and private institutes granted the title of ‘Institutions of Eminence’ status :HRD
On July 9, 2018, The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that the HRD
Ministry granted “Institutions of Eminence” status to three public and three private institutes.
i. The institutions are: IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) in the public sector, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS
Pillani and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation in the private sector.
ii. Former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami was appointed chairperson of
the empowered expert committee (EEC) to select the institutes.
iii. Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will grant Rs 1,000 crore funds to the three
public institutions in the next five years, the private institutes, however, will not be eligible for
government funding.
iv. This is in reference to the HRD ministry’s move on select 20 IoEs : 10 public and
10 private that will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
About the Institute of Eminence:
i. India has 800 univ, but not a single university in top 100 or even 200 in the world ranking.
ii. This decision of the ministry would help the IoEs to get greater autonomy to start new courses,
admit foreign students, hire foreign faculty, and collaborate with foreign educational institutions
without the need for government approval.
iii. As many as 114 institutes had applied for the tag. These include 11 central universities, 27
institutes of national importance’, top IITs and NITs, 27 state universities, 10 private universities,
and four greenfield institutes.
iv. Top corporates competing for the private institutes category are: Reliance
Foundation Institution & Research in Maharshtra, Airtel for Bharti University (Satya Bharti
Foundation) in Delhi, and Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta University in Odisha, KREA university, ndian
School of Business, Hyderabad, Indus Tech University in Delhi and Acharya
Institutes of Bangalore.
Workshop on financial management in New Delhi organized by NMDFC

On July 17, 2018, The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, NMDFC,
organized a workshop on financial management in New Delhi.
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i. The workshop had the heads of states for NMDFC.

ii. Minority affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced that awareness programmes will be
run by the institution.
iii. NMDFC provides financial assistance by giving loans to minorities at affordable interest rate.
iv. It has over 6 lakh 37 thousand beneficiaries for various programmes.
Swaraj hosted 10th edition of 2 day Delhi Dialogue in New Delhi

On July 19, 2018, External Affairs minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj is hosting the 10th edition
of Delhi Dialogue (DD X) from July 19th to July 20,2018 in New Delhi
i. Political leadership, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders, think-tanks and
a cademicians from India and ASEAN member states.
ii. Chief ministers from the North-Eastern states are also invited to participate in the event.
iii. The theme of this year’s DD X will be “Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”.
iv. DD X is being organised in partnership with the Research and Information System for
Developing Countries (RIS).
v. This will be the first major event to be organised after the ASEAN-India commemorative
Summit, which was held in New Delhi in January 2018.
vi. It will comprise of six plenary and four parallel sessions, with each session followed by open
discussions.
vii. The Discussions are as follows:
 The sessions on the first day will discuss – Role of North East in Act East, Forging
Connectivity with ASEAN, Strengthening Socio-Cultural Links and India-ASEAN Partnership
and Emerging Global Order.
 In the second-day session, there will be discussions on – Maritime Cooperation: A New
Framework for India-ASEAN Partnership, Development Cooperation and ASEAN-India
Trade, Investment and Technology.
 The four parallel sessions will discuss – Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Regional
Development, e-Commerce and Digital Connectivity, Tourism Cooperation and Building
Smart Cities.
Other Important Discussions:
i. Main focus was given to ASEAN India maritime cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-
Pacific region and special focus on North east and India’s Act East Policy.
ii. ASEAN lies in the heart of Indo-Pacific policy so North Eastern states are active partners in
developing linkages with the region.
iii. Discussions with Chief Ministers of North Eastern states happened where the Ministers of North
Eastern states requested access to Chittagong port as it is the closest port to the North Eastern
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region.
iv. Recommendation of opening Consulates of ASEAN countries in the North East was suggested
by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma as people from North East have to travel all the way
to Kolkata to get visas.
Gajyatra” begins in Delhi on August 1 to raise awareness on conservation of elephants

From 1st August 2018, the “Gaj Yatra” exhibition will be conducted to raise awareness about
conservation of elephants at the Mandi House metro station in Delhi.
i. Gaj Yatra will be conducted for 2 months. It is conducted as part of India Habitat Centre’s year-
long multi-media festival on sustainable development named “Habitat Photosphere”.
ii. It is organised by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
iii. It is curated by Alka Pande, an art consultant and cultural theorist. It will feature illustrations
on elephant, which is India’s national heritage animal.
First meeting of Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on using MGNREGA to improve agriculture

held at NITI Aayog
On July 12,2018, The First Meeting of Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on coordination between
MGNREGA and Agriculture was held at NITI Aayog.This group has been constituted by PM
Narendra Modi.
i. The Convener of the Sub-Group Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh,
and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,West Bengal.
ii. Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog Prof. Ramesh Chand, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog;
Secretary, Rural Development; Chief Executive Officer, NRAA, Senior Officers of NITI Aayog,
Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Agriculture and State Government of Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh attended the deliberations.
i. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh suggested use of MGNREGA funds in supplementing labour costs
in agriculture and fencing of farm land to protect it from wild animals, etc.
ii. Discussions on 5 critical areas of:
reducing the cost of cultivation,
enhancing the production through efficient use of water or other inputs,
providing remunerative price to farmers by incentivizing aggregation and market infrastructure,
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rehabilitation of agricultural land and assets after natural hazards or re-plantation using
MGNREGA fund ,
bringing diversity in agriculture to help occupational diversification and maximizing profit.
iii. These areas were to be enhanced using the MGNREGA Fund.
iv. For discussion of these issues with stakeholders, 5 regional meetings/workshops would be
organized one each at Patna, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Guwahati and New Delhi.
v. NITI Aayog, in consultation with Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture and
State Governments will finalize the regional meetings.
vi. These regional meetings will be completed before 15th of August, 2018.
vii. The next meeting of the Sub-Group will be held on 31st August,2018.
viii. In the 4th Meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister on June 17th, 2018 at Rastrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, a major decision was taken
for constitution of Sub group committee.
ix. This consists of Chief Ministers of 7 States viz. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Sikkim and Member, NITI Aayog with the Chief Minister
of Madhya Pradesh as the convener of the Sub-Group.
x. Aim of the group is to work on policy coordination between agriculture sector and Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) particularly in pre-sowing and
post-harvest activities at the farmers’ fields.
7th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative : Indo-US delegation meeting on Defence
Cooperation held in New Delhi
On July 18, 2018, The ministry of Defence announced that Indo-US Bilateral Defence Cooperation,
the 7th Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting was held between India and the
US delegation in New Delhi.Aim is to bring focus to the bilateral defence trade relationship and for
co-production and co-development of defence equipment.
i.The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary, Defence Production, Dr Ajay Kumar (From the Indian
Side) and Ellen M Lord , Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, US
Government (From the US side).
ii. US has designated India as a ‘Major Defence Partner’. Discussions on the formulation of a
Standard Operating Procedure and the Industrial Security Annex under DTTI was held.
iii. Establishment of Joint Working Groups has been made under DTTI to progress mutually
agreed projects for the armed forces.The joint working group under the Air Force is working on
the surveillance platform .
About Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) meeting :
i. DTTI is an important forum leading to the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries.
ii. The meetings are held twice a year, alternately in India and the USA.
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India-US resolve to enhance cooperation in counter-terror, aviation security

On 18th July 2018, senior security officials of India and the United States held a meeting on
Homeland Security Dialogue in Delhi.
i. India and United States resolved to improve cooperation in counter-terror, immigration and
aviation security.
ii. The Homeland Security Dialogue focused on issues related to security cooperation, customs
and immigration, aviation security, capacity building.
iii. India and United decided to work on addressing these issues. The discussions were held in a
friendly atmosphere.
iv. It was agreed to maintain sustained interactions to improve security cooperation between
India and United States.
v. The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Rajni Sekhri Sibal.
vi. The US delegation was led by James McCament, Deputy Under Secretary, Department of
Homeland Security.
vii. India and US are in the process of creating a list of terror fugitives. They have agreed on the
names of individuals for the Global Entry Programme (GEP) under the Homeland Security
Presidential Directive-6 (HSPD-6) Agreement.
viii. The HSPD-6 pact enables sharing of terror-related information. The GEP exempts important
citizens from immigration checks.
7th Annual General Body Meeting of Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development
(ITRHD)was held in New Delhi
On July 21, 2018, The 7th Annual General Body Meeting of Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and
Development (ITRHD), took place in New Delhi.
i. This meeting was aimed at recognizing efforts of preservation of Indian Heritage and Culture in
Rural India and working in about 7 states of India by ITRHD.
ii. ITRHD is an NGO who has done conservational work on 17th -19th century village of terracotta
temples, Maluti, dumka, in Jharkand, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Shri
Narendra Modi.
iii. The project involved conserving 62 temples of the 108 temples.
iv. The project costed about Rupees 6.57 Crores.
2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN

Abhiyaan held in New Delhi
On 24th July 2018, the 2nd meeting of National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges under
POSHAN Abhiyaan was held in New Dehli.
i. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). It was
held under the Chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
ii. The programme uses technology to reduce the level of Stunting, Under-nutrition, Anemia and
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Low Birth Weight in Children. It also focuses on Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women & Lactating
Mothers.
iii. Ministry of Women and Child Development along with National Institute of Nutrition is
developing an on-line course for nutrition.These courses will be hosted independently by Ministry
of Women and Child Development (POSHAN Abhiyaan) and National Institute of Nutrition portals.
iv. POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to assure service delivery and interventions through
technology.POSHAN Abhiyaan has created a peoples’ movement named Jan Andolan on Nutrition.
v. The caller tune and ringtone of the POSHAN Abhiyaan to popularize POSHAN Abhiyaan’s goal
of Sahi Poshan Desh Roshan was released during the meeting.
vi. 4 protocol booklets of Yoga were prepared with help of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga
(MDNIY).
vii. It was informed that an MoU would be signed between NASSCOM Foundation and Ministry of
Women and Child Development to launch and execute POSHAN Abhiyaan in all 36 States/UTs.
viii. Also, Dr.Vinod K Paul, Member, Health & Nutrition, NITI Aayog mentioned National Nutrition
Month will be celebrated in September annually.
About POSHAN Abhiyaan:
Full form of POSHAN – Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonize Actions for
Nutrition in India
Launched – 8th March 2018 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
6th India-UK Science & Innovation Council (SIC) Meeting held in New Delhi
On July 28, 2018, The 6th India-UK Science & Innovation Council (SIC) meeting was held
in New Delhi.With an Objective to discuss about the bilateral S&T cooperation between the two
countries.
i. After Newton Bhabha partnership , new partnerships may happen in areas of: Cyber Physical
System- Artificial Intelligence, digital Economy, health technologies, cyber security and promoting
clean growth, smart urbanization, future mobility and environment.
ii. Dicsussion on UK proposal for FutureTech Festival scheduled at New Delhi in 2018.
iii. Indian side was represented by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Earth
Sciences & Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India.
iv. UK’s side had Mr. Sam Gyimah, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation,
UK as the representative.Last SIC meeting was held in London on June 15, 2016.
India’s First Global Mobility Summit To Be Organized By NITI Aayog In 7th-8th

September 2018
On July 4, 2018, the think tank NITI Aayog announced that it is organising ‘MOVE: Global Mobility
Summit’ in New Delhi on 7th and 8th September, 2018 in association with various ministries and
industry partners.
i.This summit will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi .
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The Conclave would include global CEOs and transport ministers from across the world. It will
also see participation from countries like Netherlands, Slovakia, USA, UK, Netherlands, China,
South Korea, Australia etc. and special Track sessions with Mayors and Governors from various
major cities and capitals
ii.It will help drive Government’s goals for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration
and job growth and India’s transition to a clean energy economy.
iii.The summit will take place over 50,000 sq. meters of premium space across India Gate Lawns,
New Delhi.
iv.It will have over 1,200 expected participants from across the world including Government
leadership, Industry leaders, Research Organizations, Academia ,Think Tanks and Civil Society
Organisations.
v.The Summit will constitute of three designated components – The Conclave, the Expo and the
Featured Events.
vi.The six tracks or themes for the Summit will focus on: Asset Utilization and Services,
Comprehensive Electrification, Alternative Energy, Reinventing Public Transit, Logistics and Goods
Transport, Data Analytics and Mobility.
vii.‘MOVEMENTUM’, the Expo will feature exciting future technologies and cutting edge
innovations in transformative mobility solutions.The Expo with be set within a futuristic ‘Smart
City’, presenting an immersive experience of future mobility.
viii.It would also include Featured Events such as Breakout sessions, Fireside chats, Innovation
spotlights, Hackathons, Mobility Pitch Competitions and Networking Sessions, ‘NITI Talks’,
showcasing successful entrepreneurs from across the country.
ix.NITI Aayog has also been working towards evolving a National Strategy for Transforming
Mobility, in the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism, urging all States and Union
territories to formulate state-specific comprehensive strategies by constituting respective State
Task Forces.
x.The Summit, hence, aims to encourage cooperation between indigenous industries such as
Automobile Manufacturing, Information Technology, Electronics, Telecommunications and others,
to integrate with global supply chains.
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3 day long 9th Heads of Mission Conference themed ‘Unprecedented

Outreach:Unparalleled Outcomes’ inaugurated by MEA Sushma Swaraj
On June 30, 2018, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated a three day 9th Heads of
Mission Conference of all Indian ambassadors and high commissioners in New Delhi.
i. The theme of this year’s conference is : Unprecedented Outreach: Unparalleled Outcomes.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the heads of missions.
iii.The conference will brief the top diplomats on economic reform initiatives and measures taken
for improving ease-of-doing business.
iv.Discussions on key foreign policy issues and goals will also take place.This conference is aimed
at the time of Chinese Indo-pacific expansion and the various bans being imposed by the US.
International Round Table Conference on “Data for New India’’

On 9th and 10th July 2018, a 2 day International Round Table Conference is organized by the
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in New Delhi.
i. The objective of this Conference is to identify innovative ideas to enhance the statistical system
in India.
ii. For this the best practices followed in advanced countries like Canada, UK and Australia will be
learned.
iii. This kind of Conference is organized for the first time in India. The Conference was
inaugurated by D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister of Statistics & Programme
Implementation.
iv. Anil Arora, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada, Jonathan Palmer, former Deputy Statistician,
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director for India, statistical
experts and senior officers in the Government take part in this conference.
v. Also, Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairperson of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and Member
NITI Aayog, Dr. R.B. Barman, Chairperson, National Statistical Commission, Dr. Pronab Sen,
former Chairperson, National Statistical Commission, and Prof. T.C.A. Anant, former Chief
Statistician of India are also participating in this conference.
vi. Discussions will be held on major statistical issues like data governance structure and
capabilities, organizational issues, managing data systems in a federal structure and resource
mobilization for quality of statistical products.
vii. The conference aims to suggest measures for initiating reform process in the Indian Statistical
System.
International conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering Entrepreneurship,

Innovation and Sustainability” organized by NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship
Platform
On 16th and 17th July 2018, a 2 day International conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability” was organized by NITI Aayog’s Women
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Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Office of
International Programmes (OIP) University of Delhi.
i. The Inaugural event was presided by Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India as Chief Guest.
ii. Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry was the Guest of Honor. Amitabh Kant, CEO,
NITI Aayog, and Ajay S. Shri Ram, Chairman, Governing Body, SRCC were also present.
iii. After the inaugural event, a Plenary Session and Panel Discussions were held. Discussions
were held on topics like, how women-led enterprises enable change, how innovation can
contribute to societal good and how technology and sustainability are complementary etc.
iv. Eminent personalities both from India and other countries took part in the conference.
v. Representatives were from Canada, United States of America, Australia, Ethopia, Cameroon,
Ghana, and Nigeria, Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh and Thailand etc.
vi. Paper presentations were conducted on ‘Empowering Women’. Business and entrepreneurship
oriented competitions were also conducted.
International conference on India-Vietnam economic ties held in New Delhi

On July 26, 2018, an international conference on India-Vietnam economic ties was held in New
Delhi.Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Ton Sinh Thanh was present at the
inauguration of the international conference.With an Objective to enhance the economic ties with
Vietnam and enable government’s Act East Policy
i. Vietnam and India has extensive economic ties in oil exploration, agriculture, manufacturing
and defence .
ii. India will extend ties in services sector.Both nations have agreed on a trade target of USD 15
billion by 2020.
iii. As Vietnam is a member of ASEAN, it can help on the growth of India’s ties with other ASEAN
countries.
iv.The Objective of ”Act East Policy” is to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop
strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at
bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.
v.Focus is on:
 Infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, skills, urban renewal, smart cities, Make in India and
other initiative.
 Connectivity projects, cooperation in space, S&T and people-to-people exchanges.
 Enhanced connectivity to the States of North Eastern Region including Arunanchal Pradesh
with other countries in our neighbourhood. Therefore, the North East of India has been a
priority in our Act East Policy (AEP).
Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 in New Delhi

On 30th and 31st July 2018, Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 is held in New Delhi.
i. Unified Commanders’ Conference (UCC) 2018 is conducted under the guidance of Headquarters
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Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). It aims to review external security challenges and the
preparedness of India.
ii. This conference creates a platform for discussions at the top Level on all joint issues among the
three Services and Ministry of Defence.
iii. It also enables stock taking of the previous year and planning for the next year. Under the
chairmanship of the Chief of Integrated Staff (CISC), various Tri Services issues will be discussed.
iv. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre,
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force etc, are taking part in
the conference.
Chiefs of Indian Armed Forces:
♦ Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) – General Bipin Rawat
♦ Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Sunil Lanba
♦ Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) – Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.
2nd Conference of Young Superintendent of Police held in New Delhi

On 26th July 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, inaugurated the 2nd Conference of Young
Superintendent of Police, organized by Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), in New
Delhi.
i. The conference is held for 2 days. The conference was attended by more than 100
Superintendents of Police and senior officers from the States and CAPFs (Central Armed Police
Forces).
ii. Theme of the Conference was: “Predictive Policing and Contemporary Challenges for Indian
Police Forces”.
iii. Aim of the conference was: to create awareness among young Superintendents of Police and
Commandants about latest technologies in Artificial Intelligence, Predictive Policing/ Crime
Analytics/ Big data Analytics, Geospatial Technology, Cyber Crime, Surveillance Tracking & UAVs,
CCTV Equipment, to efficiently deliver the Police Services to citizens.
iv. A National Level Police Expo was also organized along with the conference, in association with
several knowledge partners and stakeholders.
v. BPR&D has the mandate to develop an interface between technology developers (Industry,
Academia and Govt. Technical Institutions) and representatives of law enforcement agencies by
means of expositions & demonstrations of latest technologies/gadgets related to police
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modernisation.
vi. Closing address of the conference was delivered by Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Dr. Kiran Bedi.
Bengaluru, Delhi top in startup funding : report by CB Insights

On July 10, 2018, according to a report by US venture capital and startup data base CB
Insights, New Delhi and Bengaluru had among the highest number of startup investment rounds
greater than $100 million since 2014.
i. Bengaluru had (21) and New Delhi (18).Each of the Indian cities had about the same number as
London(19), and significantly higher numbers than Boston (13) and Tel Aviv (2), cities that are
often regarded as strong startup hubs.
ii. Some of the big-ticket deals in India included those to Flipkart, Ola and Paytm, and to those
like online grocer Bigbasket ($300 million in series-E funding led by Alibaba) and Swiggy’s $100-
million fund-raise led by South African internet and media giant Naspers.
iii. The big acceleration for Indian companies came from Japanese internet giant SoftBank that
has invested more than $7 billion in the Indian ecosystem, including in Flipkart and Ola.
The Rounds greater than $100 M since 2014 are:
Startup Hubs Number of investment round
> $100 million since 2014
Silicon Valley 158
Beijing 128
Shanghai 58
New York 40
Los Angeles 30
Bengaluru 21
London 19
New Delhi 18
4th Maritime Affairs Dialogue between India and Japan held in New Delhi
On July 20, 2018, The Ministry of External Affairs announced the fourth round of Maritime Affairs
Dialogue between India and Japan that was held in New Delhi.Pankaj Sharma, Joint
Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) in the MEA.Ambassador Kansuke
Nagaoka, Policy Planning and International Security Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.With
an Objective to discuss key issues related to the Indo-Pacific region and maritime security.
i. Key issues were : maritime security, cooperation in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
(HADR), Search and Rescue (SAR).
ii. Also means of further strengthening the bilateral cooperation in the above areas were
discussed.
iii. Apart from the Dialogue , the seventh round of the India-Japan Bilateral Consultations were
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held.
iv. The Indian delegation was led by Pankaj Sharma,Joint Secretary(Disarmament and
International Security Affairs) in the MEA.
v. The Japanese side was led by Tomoyuki Yoshida, Director-General, Disarmament, Non-
Proliferation and Science Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
vi. The key areas discussed were: Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control.
2 day Air Defence India – 2018 Seminar & Exhibition, organised by Centre for Joint
Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) inaugurated by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre
On July 27, 2018, Minister of State for Defence , Dr. Subhash Bhamre inaugurated a two-day Air
Defence India – 2018 Seminar & Exhibition in New Delhi.
i. It was organised by Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS) .
ii. Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and Director General Army Air Defence Lt Gen AP
Singh were present at the function.
About Air Defence Corps:
♦ The Corps of Army Air Defence (abbreviated as AAD), is an active corps of the Indian Army.
♦ It is responsible for the protection of Indian air space from enemy aircraft and missiles,
especially below 5,000 feet.
NASAMS-II: India plans to procure advanced air defence system from US worth $1
billion to defend NCR of Delhi.
On July 31, 2018, Defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by India’s Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, approved the acquisition of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II
(NASAMS-II) worth around $1 billion.With an Objective to defend National Capital Region (NCR)
from aerial attacks.
i. This is a US-built advanced air defence system.
ii. It is an upgraded version of the NASAMS and features new 3D mobile surveillance radars and
12 missile launchers for quicker reaction.
iii. It has been developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and Aerospace of
Norway.
iv. It has 3D Sentinel radars, short and medium-range missiles, launchers, fire-distribution
centers and command-and-control units to quickly detect, track and shoot down multiple airborne
threats.
v. India is in talks with Russia to procure long range S-400 Triumf air defence systems for INR
400 billion.
vi. $2 billion procurement of 24 MH-60 ‘Romeo’ helicopters from US will be revived after the
inaugural “two-plus-two” dialogue between the two countries.
vii. India will induct the first batch of its intercontinental ballistic missile system — Agni V.
viii. DRDO is developing two tier Phase-I of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD).
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New Delhi Current Affairs – August 2018

President inaugurated “International Buddhist Conclave 2018”
On 23rd August 2018, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the “International Buddhist
Conclave (IBC), 2018” at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
i. The Minister of State (Independent charge), K.J. Alphons presided over the inaugural function.
The Conclave is held for 4 days till 26th August 2018.
ii. It is organized by the Ministry of Tourism along with the State Governments of Maharashtra,
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
iii. The conclave is held in New Delhi and Ajanta (Maharashtra). Site visits will be held in Rajgir,
Nalanda and Bodhgaya (Bihar) and Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh).
iv. Ram Nath Kovind launched the Ministry of Tourism website on important Buddhist
sites: indiathelandofbuddha.in. A new film on Buddhist sites in India was also launched.
v. Delegates from 29 countries are taking part in the Conclave: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Mangolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Slovak Republic,
Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.
vi. This is the 6th International Buddhist Conclave. Theme of this conclave is: “Buddha Path – The
Living Heritage”. Partner Country for IBC 2018 is Japan.
vii. This conclave aims to project the Buddhist Heritage in India and enhance tourism in Buddhist
sites of India and develop friendly ties with countries and communities interested in Buddhism.
viii. An ‘Investors’ Summit’ is also organized by the Ministry of Tourism during the Conclave to
attract investments to develop world class infrastructure at Buddhist sites.
ix. The Ministry of Tourism, India, organises the International Buddhist Conclave biennially.
India Banking Conclave 2018 held in New Delhi

On 23rd and 24th August 2018, India Banking Conclave 2018 was held in New Delhi.
i. The India Banking Conclave 2018 was organized by Centre for Economic Policy Research
(CEPR). Knowledge Partner of the conclave was NITI Aayog.
ii. The conclave focused on reforming the banking sector. The following topics were discussed:
 Indian Debt, Indian Problem Indian Solution
 Small is good, Experience of Small Funding
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 India and Resurging need of Development Banks

 FinTech for Financial participation
 Biting the Bullet: Privatisation vs Mergers
 Dawn of Tomorrow: Banking in Future
iii. Politicians, Industrialists, Bureaucrats, Analysts, Academicians, Chartered Accountants,
Company Secretary, Corporate Lawyers, top bankers and ministers participated in the conclave.
About Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR):
♦ Type – independent think tank
♦ Works in – macro-economy, politico-economy, public policy, banking, agriculture, infrastructure,
energy, international trade, manufacturing sectors
♦ Locations – Noida and Chandigarh
India, Singapore signed second protocol amending Comprehensive Economic

Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
On 24th August 2018, India and Singapore signed the Second Protocol amending
the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in New Delhi.
i. The Protocol was signed by Deputy Chief Negotiators, Rajneesh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, India and Francis Chong, Senior Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry,
Singapore.
ii. CECA was the 1st comprehensive agreement covering trade in goods, services and
investments, signed by India with any of its trade partners.
iii. CECA was signed on 29th June 2005. Its first review concluded on 1st October 2007. Signing of
the Second Protocol concludes the negotiations on 2nd review of CECA that started on 11th May
2010.
iv. India and Singapore have reached mutual understanding and agreement in closing the second
review of CECA. Conclusion of the Second Review was announced during Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore on 1st June 2018.
v. Provisions of the Second Protocol will come to effect on 14th September 2018. Both the
countries have agreed to expand the coverage of tariff concessions, liberalize the Rules of Origin,
rationalize Product Specific Rules and include provisions on Certificate of Origin and Cooperation
on its verification.
vi. Signing of the Second Protocol amending CECA will enhance bilateral trade between India and
Singapore.
vii. India and Singapore are planning to launch the 3rd Review of India-Singapore CECA in
September 2018.
About India Singapore trade relations:
♦ Singapore is the second largest trading partner of India within ASEAN
♦ India is the largest trading partner of Singapore in South Asia
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NITI Aayog to host Investors’ Conference for the Holistic Development of Islands
On 10th August 2018, NITI Aayog is set to host an Investors’ Conference for the Holistic
Development of Islands, at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi.
i. This Conference will be inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. It is expected to
gain investment for the sustainable development of eco-tourism projects in Andaman & Nicobar
and Lakshadweep islands.
ii. The Conference is organized by NITI Aayog along with the respective UT Administration.
iii .NITI Aayog has been mandated to look over the Holistic Development of Islands program,
along with the respective UT administration and State Governments.
iv. Under the first phase of this program, 10 Islands in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep
have been considered for holistic development.
v. 11 anchor tourism projects are proposed to be implemented with private sector participation
under risk-sharing model through open-competitive bidding.
vi. The 11 anchor tourism projects have been reviewed by Island Development Agency
(IDA). They include 6 projects in Andaman & Nicobar and 5 in Lakshadweep.
About Island Development Agency (IDA):
♦ Constituted – June 2017
♦ Chairman – Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
International Conference on Sustainable Growth through Material Recycling

inaugurated by Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari: NITI Aayog
On August 6, 2018, NITI Aayog’s International Conference on “Sustainable Growth through
Material Recycling: Policy Prescriptions” was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Road
Transport, Highways & Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri. Nitin Gadkari at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra
in New Delhi.
i.Objective is to Develop and grow material recycling in India, creating jobs , reducing exports
and protecting the environment.
ii. It had 5 technical sessions on:
 Circular Economy in Material Recycling,
 Infrastructural Issues in Recycling Industry,
 Standardization and certification in Recycling Industry,
 Environmental Benefits of Material Recycling,
 Financial and Taxation issues in Recycling Industry.
ii. This will help in policy formulation on various aspects related to material recycling.
Delhi topped the N-SIPI to be the top ‘most investor-friendly’ destination list: NCAER
On August 4, 2018, according to a report called N-SIPI (State Investment Potential Index)
series by economic think-tank NCAER, Delhi has topped the list and has replaced Gujarat.
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i. Delhi jumped one spot from 2017 .

ii. The ranking was done of 20 states and one Union Territory of Delhi.
iii. It was done based on 6 parameters: land, labour, infrastructure, economic climate,
governance and political stability and business perceptions.
About the Index:

i. Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar are ranked among the least favourable states for investment.
ii. The Index was first launched in 2016 and Gujarat had topped it in 2016 and 2017.
The Top 10 of the List are:
Rank State/UT
1 Delhi
2 Tamil Nadu
3 Gujarat
4 Haryana
5 Maharashtra
6 Kerala
7 Andhra Pradesh
8 Telangana
9 Karnataka
10 West Bengal
Javed Akhtar bestowed with Shalaka Samman, highest honour of Hindi Sahitya
Academy
Hindi Academy Delhi has given its highest Shalaka Samman for 2017-18 to bollywood lyricist
and poet Javed Akhtar.He is a father of Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar.
i. The scriptwriter, lyricist and poet has five National Awards for Best Lyricist to his name for
works such as Border, Refugee and Lagaan.
ii. The lyricist has also been honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in
2007.He is also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for his collection of poems
entitled Lava.
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Delhi government’s additional director of health S.K. Arora bags WHO World No Tobacco
Day 2018 Award
Delhi government’s additional director of health S.K. Arora has been awarded the WHO World
No Tobacco Day 2018 Award for his remarkable contribution towards tobacco control.He was
presented the award by Henk Bekedam, WHO India country head.
i. Tobacco prevalence in Delhi has reduced by 6.5% in the last 6 years. This is more than the rest
of India average figures.
ii. National Health Policy 2017 has fixed targets of relative reduction in tobacco prevalence by
15% by 2020 and 30% by 2025. These targets have already been achieved by Delhi before 2017.
Rajendra Menon appointed as Chief Justice Of Delhi High Court

On August 11, 2018, Justice Rajendra Menon was sworn in as Chief Justice of Delhi High
Court. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal administered the oath of office to Justice Menon.He was
earlier the Chief Justice of Patna High Court. He had also served as a judge in the Gwalior Bench
of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Veteran Congress leader Rajinder Kumar Dhawan passes away

On 6th August 2018, former Congress MP, Rajinder Kumar Dhawan, passed away due to old
age related ailments, at a hospital in Delhi.
i. Rajinder Kumar Dhawan was 81 years old. He was personal secretary to Indira
Gandhi when she was Prime Minister of India from 1962 to 1984.
ii. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1990. He was also a member of the Congress Working
Committee.
iii. He was made minister of state (independent charge) Housing and Urban Development during
1995-1996.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister, passes away at 93

On 16th August 2018, former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, passed away
following a long term illness, at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
 He became the president of Jan Sangh in 1968 following the death of Deendayal
Upadhyaya.
 He was elected 10 times to the Lok Sabha from 4 different States from 1957 to 2009. He
was the Member of the Rajya Sabha twice.
 From 1966 to 1967 he was the Chairman of Committee on Government Assurances. From
1967 to 1970 he was Chairman of Public Accounts Committee.
 In 1975, he was arrested during the Emergency period declared by then Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi.Click here to read more.
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Veteran journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayar dies at 95

On August 23, 2018, renowned journalist, author and human rights activist Kuldip Nayar passed
away in Delhi at 95.
i. He was a former editor at The Indian Express.
ii. He also served as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.
iii. He served as a press information officer to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri and
former Union Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant.
iv. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1997.
v. In 2015, he was honoured with the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award for his
contribution to journalism.
vi. He authored 15 books including “Beyond the Lines”, “India after Nehru” and “Emergency
Retold”, Between the Lines’, ‘Scoop! – Inside stories from Partition to the present’, ‘Distant
Neighbours: A tale of the Subcontinent’.
vii. He was born in 1923 and graduated in law and began his career with an Urdu newspaper
called Anjam.
viii. In his honour Meera Dewan, a filmmaker, had also made a film called : “ In his inner voice:
Kuldip Nayar”.
New Delhi Current Affairs – September 2018
Piyush Goyal launches “AAPOORTI” mobile app of ‘Indian Railways e-procurement

system’ at “Leveraging IT for Mobility” seminar in New Delhi
On 6th September 2018, Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal launched a new mobile app
named “AAPOORTI” of ‘Indian Railways e-procurement system’ (IREPS), at the seminar on
“Leveraging IT for Mobility” in New Delhi.
Key Points:
i. The seminar was organised by: Ministry of Railways and Centre for Railway Information
Systems (CRIS). Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal was the Chief Guest.
ii. The seminar had 4 sessions on: Mobility for Passenger Business; Continuous Cargo Visibility;
Network Optimisation; IoT (Internet of Things) and Mobile Data in Maintenance, Repair and
Operations.
iii.About AAPOORTI app:
 Offers information and data related to e-tendering and e-auction activities of Indian
Railways.
 For e-tendering activities, users can see details related to tenders published, tenders
closed, purchase orders placed.
 For e-auction of scrap sale activities, users can see upcoming auctions, auction schedules,
sale conditions, details of material available for e-auction, auctioning units.
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 Contains user manuals of IREPS.

About Indian Railways e-procurement system (IREPS) portal:
♦ Type – official website of Indian Railways for procurement of Materials
♦ Largest such G2B (Government to Busines) portal in India
6th edition of Bengaluru Space Expo inaugurated by ISRO Chairman.

On September 6, 2018, the 3-day 6th edition of the biennial Bengaluru Space Expo was
inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Dr.K Sivan in Bengaluru.The theme of the three day International
conference on Space Technology,which held during the Expo is “Creating dynamism in Indian
space ecosystem”.
Objective:
To showcase industry participation in Indian space programme
Key Points:
i. It was organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) along with ISRO and Antrix.
ii. ISRO offered manufacturing of PSLV and small satellite launch vehicles along with small
satellites to private industries.
iii. For this a total of 10,400 crore rupees has been earmarked out of which Rs. 9000 crore rupees
worth production will be given to private industries.
iv. ISRO and French agency CNES signed MoUs :
 For development of space missions and
 Space medicines for Indian astronautsfor Gaganyaan mission.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Launches Doorstep Delivery Service of 40 services
in Delhi
On 10th September 2018, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the doorstep delivery of 40
services in Delhi.
Key Points:
i. To avail the services, citizens have to dial 1076 and place a request. They will be informed of
the documents required.
ii. They can specify a time for a “Mobile Sahayak” to come and collect them. The services will be
offered for an extra fee of Rs. 50.
iii. The services include: Passport help, caste certificates, income certificates, driving licence,
ration card, marriage certificates, domicile and duplicate registration papers, water connection
documents, etc.
iv. The government has involved VFS Global, a private company, to facilitate the services.
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WAYU : An air pollution control device inaugurated by Dr Harsh Vardhan in Delhi

On September 25, 2018, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and
Environment, Forest and Climate change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution control
device WAYU (Wind Augmentation PurifYing Unit) in New Delhi.
i. This device is meant for traffic junctions at ITO intersection and Mukarba Chowk.
ii. It has been developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research –National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI).
iii. It is a part of Technology Development Project that is being funded by Department of Science
and Technology.
iv. The ministry would install 54 more WAYU devices at various traffic intersections across Delhi
by 15th of October, 2018.
About the Device:

i. The device purify air in an area of 500 meter square.
ii. It would only consume half a unit of electricity for 10 hours of running and would have a
maintenance cost of only Rs. 1500 per month.
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched Centre of Excellence for
Data Analytics (CEDA)
On September 28, 2018, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched Centre
of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA) in New Delhi.
i. This Centre of Excellence was set up by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and National
Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI) jointly.
ii. This would help the centre to:
 Adopt the advanced analytics technology for better data analytics and better governance.
 Data-driven solution for complex policy issues,
 Understand the business requirements of departments and define their analytic needs.
Other News:
i. NIC also will play an important part in the establishment of judicial data collection.
ii. The minister also launched an app named Digi VAARTA (Vehicle to Accelerate Access and Reach
to Transformational Action ) for this purpose.
iii.It is a platform designed to enable Financial and Social Inclusion by educating citizens on
various schemes and programmes.
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iv. The interactive inclusion thourgh Digi VAARTA would be available in two channels and two
languages (Hindi and English and a toll free number: 14444.
President of India Inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation

Convention in New Delhi
On September 29, 2018, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Mahatma
Gandhi International Sanitation Convention in New Delhi.
Objective:
To mark the beginning of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi and Swachh
Bharat Mission.
i. It was organised by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
ii. It aimed to focus on India’s target towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 by
2030, especially targets 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Target 6.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, to
end open defecation.
iii. 5 themes were suggested by the President in the conference. They were:
 Ensuring people lead the planning, implementation and management of sanitation
programmes,
 Use smart and affordable technologies for effective and efficient service delivery,
 Eliminate all forms of inequalities in service delivery,
 Create innovative financing instruments to fund and sustain the sanitation movement and
 Develop capacities within the government to plan, implement and monitor sanitation
programmes.
About Swachh Bharat Mission:
i. Launched in 2014, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) (or Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean
India Mission in English) is a campaign in India that aims to eliminated open defecation through
the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets.
ii. Run by the Government of India, the mission aims to achieve an Open-Defecation Free (ODF)
India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, by constructing
90 million toilets in rural India at a projected cost of Rs.1.96 lakh crore (US$30 billion).
iii.Till now 8.64 crore toilets have been built.
iv. The other name of the campaign is ‘Satyagrah se Swachhagrah’.
v. Slogan is ‘One step towards cleanliness’.
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation:
♦ Union Minister: Uma Bharti.
♦ Minister of State: Ramesh C Jigajinagi.
♦ Secretary (DWS): Shri. Parameswaran Iyer.
Railway Board Chairman, Ashwani Lohani launched Swacchta Hi Sewa Pakhwara at New
Delhi Railway Station
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On September 15, 2018, Railway Board Chairman, Ashwani Lohani launched Swacchta Hi Sewa
Pakhwara at New Delhi Railway Station.
i. It was launched by the Ministry of Railways as a part of Swachhta Hi Sewa Abhiyaan’ .
ii. All Zones, Divisions, Production Units & Workshops and Railway PSUs were included in the
celebration from 15th September to 2nd October 2018 to commemorate the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
India, US hold 2+2 dialogue concluded in New Delhi.

On September 6, 2018, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Defence
Nirmala Sitharaman welcomed Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of
Defence James N. Mattis to India for the inaugural India-U.S. Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue.
i. The next 2+2 meeting is to be held in the United States in 2019.
Objective:
Strengthening the Defence and Security Partnership.
Key Points:
i. The following took place in the meeting:
 Negotiations on an Industrial Security Annex (ISA)to support defence industry cooperation
and collaboration,
 Signing of a Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA),
 Decision on exchanges between the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and
the Indian Navy,
 Memorandum of Intent between the U.S. Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian
Defence Innovation Organization – Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX) for co-
development projects through the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).
 Exchanges between the Ministry of Commerce of India and the Office of the United States
Trade Representative
 Collaboration between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Company for the establishment of 6 nuclear power
plants in India.
 Other collaboration in health, space, oceans, and other areas of science and technology.
 To grow the bilateral trade to $500-600 billion from the current $125 billon,
 Discussion on H1B Visa,
 A tri-Services joint exercise with the United States off the eastern coast
of India in 2019 was decided.
Other News:
i. US announced its support for India’s membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
ii. India welcomed the recent U.S.-North Korea summit.
iii. United States welcomed India’s accession to the Australia Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement,
and the Missile Technology Control Regime.
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iv. US acknowledged India’s economic assistance to Afghanistan.

v. US decided to elevate India to STA Tier 1 status for access to advanced technologies, especially
in the defence field.
PM laid the foundation stone of world class convention centre in Dwarka,NewDelhi

On September 20, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of India International
Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in Dwarka,Delhi.
i. The estimated cost of the project is: Rs 25,703 crore.
ii. It will have an area of 221.37 acre and will be constructed in 2 phases.
iii. Phase-I and II will be completed by December 2019 and December 2024, respectively.
iv. It will be used for offering setting for international and national events, meetings, conferences,
exhibitions and trade shows.
v. It will have facilities like exhibition halls, convention centre, open exhibition spaces, mixed use
commercial spaces like star hotels (5, 4 and 3 star).
Conference on E-Mobility in Indian Railways held in New Delhi

On 4th September 2018,Minister of State of Communication (I/C) and Minister of State of
Railways, Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated a 1-day conference on “E-Mobility in Indian
Railways” organized by Ministry of Railways, Institution of Railways Electrical Engineers (IREE)
and NITI Aayog.
i. The conference was held to discuss strategies for future of mobility in India and to make Indian
Railways more efficient, greener and a preferred mode of transport. It acted as a common
platform for project developers and other stakeholders.
ii. Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha was the chief guest of the conference. Minister of
State for Railways, Rajen Gohain, was the Guest of Honour.
iii. This conference was conducted by Indian Railways, in partnership with NITI Aayog, as part of
the ‘Mobility Week’ observed from 31 August to 6 September 2018.
International Aviation Summit held in New Delhi

On 3rd and 4th September 2018, International Aviation Summit was held in New Delhi.
i. Organized by: India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Airports Authority of India (AAI)
and (International Air Transport Association) IATA to commemorate the 50th consecutive month
of double-digit market growth in India.
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ii. Focused on: growth and challenges for Indian aviation Industry in the next 20 years and
maximizing the economic and social benefits of the potential growth.
iii. Discussions were held on:
 optimal regulatory and policy landscape for aviation in India
 future airport infrastructure roadmap for India
 developments across the related and supporting industries for aviation in India in the
future
 best practices and innovative approaches for sustainable aviation growth
iv. Some forecasts shared:
 By 2026,India is expected to be the third largest air transport market in the world (current
rank – 7).
 By 2037, nearly 500 million people are expected to fly to, from or within India.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates Defence & Homeland Security Expo and
Conference – 2018 in New Delhi
On 6th September 2018, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Defence & Homeland
Security Expo and Conference – 2018, in New Delhi.
i. Organized by: PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME).
ii. The Expo is held for 3 days. It is organised for the first time to bring together leading policy
makers and influencers from various defence segments.
iii. Major Focus: MSMEs in defence production and procurement and issues related to Homeland
Security and Defence Modernisation.
iv. Rajnath Singh announced technological upgradation and modernization to monitor and check
activities related to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Assam.
6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Conference inaugurated by Shri Rajnath Singh

at AIIMS, Delhi
On September 8, 2018, the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated
the 6th International Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India Conference at the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences , New Delhi.
i. The theme of the conference is: “Increased Longevity with Reduced Fragility and
Enhanced Mobility”.
ii. This was organized by Geriatric Orthopaedic Society of India.
iii. He acknowledged Ayushman Bharat scheme and announced that the Government will establish
around 1,50,000 Wellness Centres and Sub Centres across the country.
iv. He emphasized that health facilities for elderly population be increased as their population is
expected to be 30 crore by 2050.
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1st 2-day MOVE: Global Mobility Summit 2018 organized by NITI Aayog held in New
Delhi
i. On September 7, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated MOVE: India’s ever
first Global Mobility Summit organized by NITI Aayog at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
ii. The summit focused on five themes: electrification, alternative fuels, reinventing public
transport, goods transport and logistics through data analytics.
iii. From 31 August to 6 September 2018, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr.Rajiv Kumar, and Chief
Executive Officer Shri. Amitabh Kant, started the ‘Mobility Week’ .
iv. Focus would be given on ‘Clean Kilometers’ and he declared the 7Cs of future mobility. They
are:
 Common
 Connected
 Convenient
 Congestion-free
 Charged
 Clean
 Cutting-edge
iv. On September 7, 2018, during the Global Mobility Summit, PM Modi met the global leaders of
companies like Toyota, SAIC Motor Corporation Shanghai, Bosch, ABB Limited, Hyundai Motor
Company, Ford Smart Mobility LLC and Uber Aviation…………………………..Click here to Read more
2-day 4thWorld Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) inaugurated by HRD minister

Shri Prakash Javadekar
On September 7, 2018, Union Minister for HRD Shri Prakash Javadekar inaugurated 2-day 4th
World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018) organized by NBA in New Delhi .
Objective:
To encourage ‘Ratings and Rankings’ for educational institutions.
Key Points:
i. The theme of WOSA 2018 was “CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN OUTCOME BASED
ACCREDITATION”.
ii. Government will increase the strength of NBA and NAAC so that more number of institutions
can be accredited.
iii. The summit focused on the following:
 Achieving Excellence through Learning Outcomes,
 Role of Industry in Technical Education,
 Ranking and Rating of Higher Education Institutions for Quality improvement,
 Linking Government Funding with Quality and
 Use of ICT in Accreditation in Large Jurisdictions.
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About NBA:
The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of
Human Resource Development that assesses the programs offered by the professional and
technical institutions in India through accreditation.
About WOSA 2018:
♦ World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA) is a biennial Summit organised by NBA, which provides
platform to stakeholders to share their knowledge and information on accreditation.
♦ Earlier, three Summits in 2012, 2014 and 2016 were organized.
7th National Conference on Excellence in Workplace Safety and Occupational Health in

New Delhi
On 26th September 2018, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar
inaugurated the 7th National Conference on Excellence in Workplace Safety and Occupational
Health in New Delhi.
i. He also conferred FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) safety
systems excellence awards for the industry to various units, like power generation,
manufacturing, construction, Mining etc.
ii. Discussions were held on subjects like: best practices in workplace safety, importance of
lighting in workplace safety, occupational health and working conditions, risk assessment
strategies for accident prevention etc.
IGI Airport 16th busiest in the world: ACI report on Airport Traffic
On September 20, 2018, according to ‘The Annual World Airport Traffic Report 2018’ by Airport
Council International (ACI), Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is the 16th busiest in the
world.
i. It jumped 6 places from 22nd position in 2016.
ii. In 2017, IGI has handled 63.4 million passengers accounting for 14 per cent more passengers
than in 2016.
Highlights of the report:
i. The first place was held by Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson in the US handling 103.9
million passengers in 2017, followed by Beijing with 95.8 million passengers.
ii. The other 3 consisting of the top 5 are:
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Dubai International Airport handling 88.2 million passengers at third position.

Tokyo and Los Angeles dealing with 85.4 million and 84.5 million passengers stood at 4th and
5th place.
iii. Passenger traffic in advanced economies grew 5.2 per cent while in emerging economies it
rose 10.3 per cent in 2017.
iv. Traffic was measured on three thematic areas: passengers, cargo (freight and mail) and
aircraft movements in 2500 airports of 175 countries.
New Delhi Current Affairs – October 2018
EAM Sushma Swaraj launched ‘India for Humanity’ initiative in New Delhi
On October 9, 2018, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched ‘India for
Humanity’ initiative in New Delhi.
i. It is a part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next
one year.
ii. For this, MEA had collaborated with charitable organization Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang
Sahayata Samiti, BMVSS.
iii.This initiative comprises of a year-long series of artificial limb fitment camps in a number of
countries spanning the globe fully sponsored by Ministry.
iv. Initially,the camps will be held in 12 countries identified through the Missions with financial
support of Indian government.
About Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, BMVSS:
♦ Founded in 1975.
♦ Famous for: trademark limb Jaipur Foot.
♦ Till date it has served over 1.73 million amputees.
♦ Founder: DR Mehta.
13th Annual Convention of Central Information Commission inaugurated by President

On October 12, 2018, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 13th Annual
Convention of the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi.Measures to improve the
transparency and accountability of information for better governance.
i. It consisted of the Annual Convention on the topic “Data privacy and Right to information,
Amendment in the RTI Act and Implementation of the RTI Act”
The Convention will have three specific subjects:
 “Data privacy and Right to Information”,
 “Amendment in the RTI Act” and
 “Implementation of the RTI Act.”
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ii. The convention focused on discussions of free flow and availability of information to the
citizens.
iii. For this reason, the Government is committed to strengthening the RTI Act and Institutions.
iv. Also, the government has already initiated the process of selection of Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioner (ICs).
Central Information Commission (CIC):
Current CIC: Shri RK Mathur.
Youth Road Safety Learners Licence Programme launched by MoS Road Transport Shri
Mansukh L. Mandaviya
On October 15, 2018, Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Minister of State for Road Transport and
Highways and Chemical & Fertilizer launched the Youth Road Safety Learners Licence
programme in New Delhi.
i. This programme will be run in collaboration with Diageo India and the Institute of Road Traffic
Education (IRTE).
ii. It will provide structured training program for young, first-time drivers.
iii. In the first year, the programme will cover 20 universities with a total of 400 programme
across the country.
New Delhi to host 6th India International Silk Fair

On October 14, 2018, the Textile ministry announced that the Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti
Zubin Irani, will inaugurate the 6th edition of India International Silk Fair (IISF) in New
Delhi on October 16, 2018.
i. The International Silk fair will be organised by the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council
(ISEPC) at Pragati Maidan.
ii. Over 108 exhibitors of silk and blended silk products and over 218 buyers from various
countries will participate in the fair.
iii. The IISF-2018 is expected to generate business of over USD 20 million for the small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in producing silk and blended silk products.
iv. Also, the Central Silk Board will put up a Theme Pavilion showcasing the future vision of Indian
Silk Industry.
Background:
India is the 2nd largest producer of silk in the world. The silk industry is agriculture based
and labour intensive and provides gainful employment to around 8 million artisans and weavers in
rural areas.
Chief Minister’s Urban Leaders Fellowship Programme launched by Delhi government

On October 14, 2018, the Delhi government announced Chief Minister’s Urban Leaders Fellowship
Programme.With an Objective to attract young leaders to address serious urban challenges.
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i. Under this, a total of 30 young professionals, under 35 years age, have been invited
with #DelhiGovernanceRevolution.
ii. Accoding to the scheme, the selected candidates will work with Ministers or Senior Officials of
Education, Health, Water, Environment, Transport, etc.
iii. The remuneration for:
 Fellowswill be Rs. 1,25,000 per month and
 Associate Fellowswill be Rs. 75,000 p.m.
Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurates two-day Agri-startup and

Entrepreneurship event in New Delhi
On 16th October 2018, on the occasion of World Food Day, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated a two-day Agri-startup and Entrepreneurship event,
in New Delhi.
i. The theme of the event was Unleashing potentials in agriculture for young agri-preneurs. More
than 100 agri-preneurs participated in the event.
ii. Several issues faced by young agri-preneurs in production of seasonal crops were discussed in
the conclave.
iii. Radha Mohan Singh announced that 45 models on integrated farming for 15 different climate
zone in India have been developed.
iv. These models would help in increasing agricultural production and farmer’s income in spite of
adversity of climate change.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched Air Quality early warning system for Delhi to combat
worsening air pollution
On October 15, 2018, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh
Vardhan launched the air quality early warning system for Delhi.
i. It has been designed with the help of American and Finnish models to predict extreme air
pollution levels.
ii.A 41 member-team constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board has been deployed
in Delhi and NCR cities of Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Gurugram and Faridabad to monitor and supervise
dust mitigation and other air pollution.
iii. It is a part of the new Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 1151.80 crore.
iv. Additionally, for the promotion of agricultural mechanization for in-situ management of crop
residue, the Centre has already released Rs. 591.65 crore to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
NCT of Delhi.
v. The number of mechanized road sweeping machines in Delhi will be increased from 52 to 64 by
the end of November 2018.
Achievements:
i. The number of Good, Satisfactory And Moderate days is 157 in 2018 (Up to October 13)
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compared to 150 in 2017 and 107 in 2016.

ii. The number of Poor, Very Poor and Severe days have come down from 167 in 2016 to 136 in
2017 to 129 in 2018 (Up to 13th October).
iii. There is a reduction of 46% in the PM10 levels in Sept 2018 and 28 % in the PM2.5 levels in
Sept 2018.
iv. The number of fire detection are 75% lower than last year in Punjab and 40% lower in case of
Haryana.
v. Also, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway has been operational since last week of May 2018 to
diversify non- destined trucks entering Delhi.
vi. Badarpur thermal power plant is being closed from October 15, 2018.
Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates 10th Nuclear Energy Conclave in New Delhi

On 25th October 2018, the 10th Nuclear Energy Conclave was inaugurated by Union Minister of
State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO,
Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, in New
Delhi.
i. Theme of the conclave was: “Nuclear Power: Towards A Clean And Base Load Energy”.
ii. It was organized by Indian Energy Forum (IEF). A roundtable on “Growth of Nuclear Power:
Fleet Mode Implementation” and 2 sessions titled ‘Nuclear Energy Applications in Medical and
Agriculture’ and ‘Long term perspective of Nuclear Power’ were conducted.
iii. Industry leaders and scholars from nuclear energy and medicine field, from India and other
countries, participated.
iv. Dr Jitendra Singh announced that, “Hall of Nuclear Power”, India’s first permanent exhibition
on nuclear power, has been built in New Delhi.
v. Chairman, AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy
(DAE) Dr K N Vyas, announced that, Kaiga Atomic Power Station has set a new world record
among Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) with one of its units operating uninterrupted
for 895 days.
The 5-days extravaganza ‘Experiencing North East’ festival began in New Delhi
On October 27, 2018, the 5-day ‘Experiencing North East’ festival was launched at India
International Centre (IIC), New Delhi which will continue from 27th-31st October, 2018.
It was inaugurated by Shri N.N. Vohra, Former Governor and President, IIC.
i. It was organized by North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of Development of North Eastern
Region (DoNER) in collaboration with India International Centre.
ii. It is a part of Destination North East series.
iii. The festival will showcase art, handicraft, handlooms, tourism, food, culture etc. of the North-
East.
iv. 5 workshops focusing on various themes like Adventure Tourism in NER, Science & Technology
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Interventions in North East Region (STINER), Act East & NER will be constructed.
v. A Festival of Films from the region will also be organised on the occasion.
10-member government panel set to probe e-commerce firms’ big discounts

On October 8, 2018, the Corporate affairs ministry set up a 10-member panel to check on the
discounts offered by the online retailers.
i. The panel will set probe to:
 Practices in the digital economy,
 Backlog of competition cases to be resolved and
 The fee structure followed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
ii. These came to the forefront as traditional retailers requested the commerce minister to impose
a ban on discounted sales by online sellers.
iii. This is possible due to access of e-retailers to foreign direct investment (FDI) which allows
them t offer discounts.
Background:
Earlier in 2015, Retailers Association of India (RAI) and the All India Footwear Manufacturers and
Retailers Association (AIFMRA), had approached the Delhi High Court on this topic.
Indus Food-II to be held in January, 2019, in Greater Noida

Indus Food-II tradeshow, will be held in Greater Noida on January 14-15, 2019.
i. Indusfood-II is an export focused annual F&B (Food and Beverage) trade fair. It will exhibit
India’s best food, beverages and agri products to global buyers.
ii. It is organized by Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) along with commerce and industry
ministry.
iii. Over 600 global buyers from nearly 50 countries will participate in Indusfood-II.
iv. Delegations from various countries will be involved in strategic purchase of food commodities
through investments or long-term purchase agreements to achieve the food security of their
country or to supply their food processing industries.
v. Indusfood-I, the first edition of this trade show, was held in early 2018.
About Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI):
♦ President – Prashant Garg
♦ Location – New Delhi
NITI Aayog & ICC(ICA) held Workshop on Best Practices in International Arbitration
On October 10, 2018, the NITI Aayog and ICC International Court of Arbitration organized a
workshop on Best Practices in International Arbitration in New Delhi.
i. It was inaugurated by the chief guest, Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri, Judge, Supreme Court.
ii. It was presided over by MoS for Law and Justice P P Chaudhary.
iii. It would help in institutionalising and streamlining dispute resolution to make India a hub for
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doing business.
iv. Also, the key priority of this being moving towards a ‘New India’ by 2022.
v. It was an inaugural Training-cum-Brainstorming Workshop which emphasizes in ‘Make in India’
vision & ‘Resolve in India’ which encourage the Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living in
India.
vi. The workshop covered basic concepts of international arbitration, selection of arbitrators,
enforcement of arbitral awards and the role of courts before, during and after the arbitration.
vii. These concepts were delivered by world class faculty from United Kingdom, Singapore, Paris
and India with over 200 participants.
Background:
i. Earlier, in 2016, NITI Aayog had held two-day conference on international arbitration presided
by President of India and Prime Minister of India with participation of the Chief Justices of all
SAARC countries.
ii. In 2017, NITI Aayo again organized the two-day National Law Day Conference with the Law
Commission of India which discussed on a multitude of legal aspects, including dispute resolution.
2nd Japan-India Act East Forum held in New Delhi

On October 8, 2018, India and Japan held their 2nd edition of ‘Japan-India Act East Forum’ in New
Delhi.
i. The meeting was co-chaired by Japan’s Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu and Foreign
Secretary Vijay Gokhale.
ii. In the meeting, both sides agreed to boost cooperation on connectivity projects in the
northeast including connectivity to people-to-people exchanges and concrete projects.
iii. The projects include:
 Road and bridge connectivity projects,
 Forest management projects in states of Tripura and Meghalaya,
 A new initiative to utilise bamboo,
 To enhance people-to-people exchanges.
About the Forum:
i. It aims to identify specific projects for economic modernization of India’s North-East region.
ii. It provides a platform for India-Japan collaboration under India’s “Act East
Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”.
iii. It comprises of :
 Embassy of Japan and other government-affiliated Japanese organizations based in New
Delhi from Japan’s side and
 Ministry of External Affairs and State governments of the north eastern region and
Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways, Ministry of Home Affairs from India’s side.
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Background:
A MoU was inked in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe in Sept 2017 at the end of the annual summit had agreed to establish the
India-Japan Act East Forum.
Minister Mahesh Sharma and Hardeep Sing laid the foundation stone of the India Prime
Ministers’ Museum
On October 15 2018,Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma and Minister of Housing and
Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh laid foundation for the construction of a museum for all Prime
Ministers of the country at the Teen Murti Estate in New Delhi.
i. This expected to finish within a year with a cost 271 crore rupees. It will represent the works
and contributions of all prime ministers for our country.
ii. The new museum will incorporate the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML)at the Teen
Murti estate, the official residence of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Prime Minister dedicates National Police Memorial to the Nation; announces an award in
the name of Subhash Chandra Bose
On October 21, 2018, on Police Commemoration Day, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,
dedicated the National Police Memorial to the nation in NewDelhi.
i. He also announced an annual award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, to honour
the police and paramilitary personnel, involved in disaster response operations.
ii. He also inaugurated the Museum of National Police memorial.
iii. He urged the police forces to adopt technology and innovation in their daily discharge of
duties.
iv. This is why, he mentioned about the Modernization of Police Forces Scheme (MPF), which
modernized the police forces through technology, modern communication systems and modern
weapons.
Other News:
i. PM Modi also commemorated the 75th anniversary of Netaji’s declaration of the formation of
India’s first independent government- the Azad Hind Government on October 21, 1943.
ii. He hoisted the National Flag at Red Fort and announced that the annual award n the name of
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose would be announced on January 23, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s
birthday.
The National Police Memorial:
♦ It consists of Central Sculpture, a Wall of Valour-engraved with the names of police personnel
who laid down their lives in the line of duty and
♦ A State of Art Museum dedicated to the memory of the martyred police personnel.
♦ Located: New Delhi.
♦ Police Commemoration Day: October 21.
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4th Edition of NITI Lecture Series held on 22nd October, 2018

On 22nd October 2018, NITI Aayog organized the 4th edition of NITI Lecture Series at Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi.
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Lecture series. Key note address was delivered by
Jensen Huang, President and Co-Founder, NVIDIA Corporation.
ii. The theme for 2018 was “AI for ALL: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Growth”.
iii. Union Ministers, policy makers, experts from various fields, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman,
Members, CEO and Senior officials participated.
iv. The ‘NITI Lectures: Transforming India’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
August 26, 2016. It is held every year.
v. The lecture series aims to enable learning from successful development practice throughout the
world at the Centre and States.
Orientation workshop on Health and Nutrition Initiatives under Aspirational District

Programme & launch of e-MitraMobile app
On 22nd October 2018, a one-day National Workshop for Orientation of District Officials of
Aspirational Districts on Health and Nutrition, was held in New Delhi.
i. It was organized by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Women and Child
Development (MoWCD).
ii. It was inaugurated by Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Anupriya Patel, Ministers of State for Health
and Family Welfare.
iii. State Health Ministers launched the Operational Guidelines on Aspirational Districts for Health
and Nutrition and the e-Mitra mobile application.
iv. The e-Mitra (Mobile Integrated Toolkit RMNCH+A) app has been designed to complement the
Aspirational District Programme.
v. It will offer one stop solution to access RMNCH+A related statistics from various sources.
vi. The workshop was attended by senior officers from the Ministry of Health, MoWCD, NHSRC,
WHO, UNICEF, USAID, BMGF, TATA Trust, UNFPA and representatives from 28 States and 117
Aspirational Districts.
High level Vietnamese delegation in Delhi for trade talks with TPCI
On 24th October 2018, a high level Vietnamese delegation from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development of Vietnam met a Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) delegation, in Delhi.
i. Vietnamese delegation was led by: Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam. It consisted of senior government officials and
businessmen from the agriculture sector. Vietnamese ambassador to India Mr. Pham Sanh Chau
also participated.
ii. TPCI delegation was led by TPCI Chairman: Mohit Singla.
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iii. Discussions were held to: enhance bilateral trade and future cooperation between India and
Vietnam, business opportunities and promotion of Indusfood in Vietnam.
2018 edition of India-EU dialogue on cooperation in the field of Digital Communications

held in New Delhi
On October 27, 2018, India and European Union (EU) decided to cooperate on Digital
communications, Digital economy and society.
i. This decision was taken by:
The Minister of State for Communications (Independent Charge) Government of India, Mr Manoj
Sinha and the H.E. Mr Andrus Ansip, European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice
President of the European Commission in their meeting in New Delhi.
ii. Under this, technical cooperation will take place between:
The Indian and European Telecom Standardization Development Organizations – TSDSI
(India) and ETSI (European Union).
iii. This was a part of annual India-EU co-operation dialogue on Digital Communications set up
in 2011. The next India-EU dialogue on cooperation in the field of Digital Communications will be
held in the first half of 2019.
3-day India Mobile Congress held at Aerocity, New Delhi

On October 27, 2018, the 3-day long 2nd edition of India Mobile Congress concluded
at Aerocity, New Delhi.It is a regular platform for exploring area of digital communications with
specific focus on South and South-East Asia.
i. It was inaugurated by Shri Manoj Sinha,Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Communications.
ii. It was organized by the Department of Telecommunications, GOI and Cellular Operators
Association of India (COAI).
iii. The theme for this year was: “ New Digital Horizons. Connect. Create. Innovate.” .
iv. More than 5,000 delegates, delegations from 20 countries and more than 300
companies participated in the event.
v. Also, delegations from several BIMSTEC and ASEAN countries such as Ministers from the
European Commission, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Lao PDR led their respective delegations.
vi. Among the companies, Samsung, Intel, Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco, NEC, Accenture, KPMG, E&Y,
Facebook, Huawei, Sterlite, Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and BSNL were present. Also 200
start-ups participated in this event.
vii. The exhibition covered a variety of topics like:
5G, Internet of Things, Augmented and Virtual Reality,Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Smart City
Solutions, Fintech, Health-Tech, Autonomous Cars, and Cyber Security, amongst others.
Announcements in the Event:
i. Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated release of 250 start-up applications at the IMC 2018.
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ii. The Government of India announced the commitment of the industry to rollout One Million
WiFi Hotspots in the Country by December 2019.
iii. The National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) 2018 was also unveiled. This would free
up a total of 605 MHz spectrum in the 5-GHz band for Wi-Fi services.
iv. Several spectrum bands for Short Range Devices and Ultra Wide Band Devices were
madelicense exempt.
v. These were all part of Centre’s recently released National Digital Communications Policy
(NDCP) 2018.
Background:
Shri. Sinha also participated in the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona in early 2018.
Delhi, Moscow sign twin-city agreement

On 5th October 2018, Delhi government signed a twin-city agreement with the government
of Moscow for cooperation in various fields like environment, culture and education, for the next 3
years.
i. The agreement was signed by Minister of the Moscow City government and head of its
international relations Sergey Cheremin and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
ii. The two governments have mutually agreed to extend the Twining Agreement for a period of 3
years, from November 1, 2018, in environmental protection and air pollution control, cultural and
tourism, healthcare, education, sports, transport management and e-governance.
iii. The agreement will also help in enhancing friendship and cooperation between the two cities
and maintain regular contacts between the two governments.
First assembly of ISA, Second ministerial of IORA and Second REINVEST meet held in
India
On October 2, 2018, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the First Assembly of International Solar
Alliance (ISA), 2nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Energy Ministerial Meet, 2nd Global RE-
Invest Meet & Expo, hosted by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, in the presence of
Secretary General, United Nations Mr Antonio Guterres in New Delhi.
Welcome Address by EAM at the the First General Assembly of the International Solar
Alliance, Second IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting and the Second Global
REINVEST
On October 2, 2018, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the leaders from across
the globe who came to participate in the following meetings:
 The First General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance,
 The Second Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting
and
 The Second Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (REINVEST- 2018).
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All the 3 meetings were hosted by: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy .
i.The ISA came onto being after being launched in 2015 to implement the Paris Climate
Agreement through rapid deployment of solar energy.
ii.68 countries have already signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA, while 45 of these have
ratified it.
iii.Since the Indian Ocean is at the centre of the emerging age of Asia, the IORA helps in
rebuilding the region by involving in activities including Blue economy, renewable energy,
maritime safety and security, besides the development of regional HADR capacity to tackle mutual
interest.
iv.These 3 high level meetings are aimed at implementing the Delhi Solar Agenda and meeting
‘New India’s desire to achieve 175GW renewable power installed capacity by the end
of 2022,including 60GW from Wind power and 100GW from solar power.
First ISA Assembly
On October 2, 2018, the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, inaugurated the first 3-dayAssembly
of the International Solar Alliance at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
It was co-chaired by French Minister Brune Poirson.From 3rd to 5th October 2018, it took place
in India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, UP for 3 days.
i.The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, was present on the occasion.
ii.PM Modi announced the plan to launch a National Energy Storage Mission that will look at
manufacturing, deployment, technology development and policy framework.
iii.A short film on the ‘Journey of Renewable Energy in India” and film on Student Initiative on
Solar Lamp was screened.
iv.100 students from various schools lit the Solar Study Lamp.
v.UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres announced to convene a Climate
Summit inDecember 2019 to bring climate action to the top of international agenda.
vi.ISA’s 5th program on Scaling-up Solar E-Mobility and Storage was also launched. It aims
topromote, assess potential, harmonize demand and pool resources to implement and upgrade
solar e-mobility and associated Storage infrastructure in urban and rural areas of ISA member
countries
vii.Coal India Limited (CIL), Power Finance Corporation (PFC) contributed US $ 1 million andIndia
Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) contributed US $ 2 million to the Corpus Fund of ISA.
Other News:
i.India is working on biomass, biofuel and bio-energy besides solar energy.
ii.It has a target to generate 40 percent of India’s total energy requirements in 2030.
iii.Of the 1 billion euros of investments to be made by 2022 in ISA as announced by President
Emmanuel Macron, 800 million euros have already been committed.
iv.The Government of India has committed Rs.175 crore for setting up of ISA and till date
released a sum of Rs 145 crore .
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Background:
International Solar Alliance could replace OPEC as the key global energy supplier in the future.
About ISA:
International Solar Alliance (ISA), an alliance of 121 solar resource rich countries that was jointly
launched by the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, and the then President of France, Mr. François
Hollande, on November 30, 2015 in Paris, France. It was launched during the 21st Conference of
Parties (CoP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Till date, out of 121 prospective member countries, 70 countries have signed the Framework
Agreement of the ISA. 44 of these countries have ratified the ISA treaty.
Paris Agreement: Target of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and striving
for 1.5 degrees.
2nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting:
On October 2, 2018, the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, inaugurated the 2nd 3-day IORA
Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, in presence of UN
Secretary-General.
It took place in India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, UP, from 3rd to 5th October 2018 along side the
2nd edition of RE-Invest 2018.
This event was jointly organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
andMinistry of External Affairs (MEA) of the Government of India, the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association IORA.
i.21 countries adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy.
ii.The Delhi Declaration calls for:
 Collaboration among IORA member for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean region,
 Promote regional capacity building,
 Promotion of technology development and transfer,
 Strengthening of public private partnerships in renewable energy,
 Collaboration among the IORA and ISA nations,
iii.IORA member countries also resolved to collaborate with the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA).
iv.2 MOUs were signed – one with IORA and the other with United Nations Environment.
3-day 2nd Global RE-Invest Meet & Expo
On October 2, 2018, the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, inaugurated the 3-day 2nd Global RE-
Invest Meet & Expo at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, in presence of UN Secretary-General.The
2nd edition took place in India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, UP, from 3rd to 5th October 2018.
i.It was attended by Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Uttar
Pradesh showcasing their renewable energy policy initiatives.
ii.9 country sessions were organised by leading RE countries such as France, USA, European
Union, Australia, UK, Finland.
iii.Also, Chief Executive Officer, Soft Bank Group, Mr Masayoshi Son, addressed the plenary
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session of the 2nd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo, (REINVEST- 2018)
called ‘#RENNOVATE’.
iv.He announced free power from solar power projects after 25 years of PPA to all ISA member
countries.
Other News:
India was invited to take part in the Peru World and Sun Expo in November 2019 by
theEnergy Minister, Peru Mr. Francisco Ismodes Mezzano.
About 2nd Global RE-Invest India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investors Meet &
Expo:
 RE-Invest is a global platform to explore strategies for development and deployment of
renewables.
 This platform aims to bring forth the policies and targets of India regarding the renewable
energy market including 100% foreign direct investment in renewable energy development.
 The 1st REINVEST was held from 15 – 17 February 2015 in New Delhi, India.
Preparatory Meeting for the First National Summit on Invest in AYUSH held in New Delhi
On 16th October,Preparatory Meeting for the First National Summit on Invest in Ayush is held in
New Delhi,which is Presided by the Union Minister of State(Independent Charge) of Ayush Shripad
Yesso Naik.
Objective:
This Summit is to encourage all the Departments of the Government and Private Companies to
invest in AYUSH.
KeyPoints:
i. Many Initiatives are taken by Ministry to increase the market size of AYUSH for this they had a
close relationship with FICCI,CII,PHD Chambers and ASSOCHAM etc.
ii. To strengthen the existing AYUSH Industry sector including manufacturers of AYUSH drugs,
cosmetics, food supplements, hospital industry, etc.
iii. Under the Champion Sector Scheme the Ministry has taken a challenge to create one lakh job
opportunities in AYUSH Sector .
iv. The Ministry tied up with Ministry of railways has agreed to set up AYUSH wing in 5 railway
hospitals.
MOU’s Signed:
To achieve this,AYUSH minister signed an MOU with the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium
Enterprises(MSME) to develop entrepreneurs in AYUSH Sector.
Initiative taken by the Government:
The Government of India allowed hundred percent Foreign Direct Investment
Achievement:
There is a global demand in the AYUSH and Herbal Product and the Export of the product has
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been increased from USD 354.68 million in the year 2014-15 to USD 401.68 million in the
year 2016-17.
‘2nd World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030’
inaugurated by Shri J P Nadda
On October 9, 2018, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda inaugurated ‘2nd
World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGs 2030’ in New Delhi.
i. The objectives of the conference is:
Working on recommendations from the 1st World Conference 2017 ,
Work on medical products in the context of SDGs (including trade agreements) in line with GPW
13 of WHO,Accelerating research and innovation.
ii. The following was released:
 Position Paper,
 Information Sharing Platform Gateway for South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN)
developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
iii. It also highlighted the importance of traditional medical system in achieving the health goals.
iv. The National Health Policy 2017 was also discussed.
v. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization announced the
release of 13th Global Programme of Work (GPW13) for strategic direction in Sustainable
Development Agenda 2030 (SDG).
vi. It is built around “triple billion” goal of strategic priorities of Healthy Lives, Universal Health
Coverage and health emergencies.
President of India Inaugurates 29th Accountants General Conference

On 10th October 2018, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 29th Accountants General
Conference at the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) building, at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg,
in New Delhi.
i. The conference is held for two days. It is organised by the Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) of India.
ii. The theme of this year’s conference is: “Auditing and Accounting in a Digital Era”. Accountants
General from all over India are taking part in the conference
iii. This conference provides an opportunity to discuss on efforts needed to enhance
accountability, transparency and good governance.
About Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG):
♦ CAG of India – Rajiv Mehrishi
♦ CAG was established by Article 148 of the Indian Constitution.
♦ It is mandated to monitor the system of governance in India to ensure the best use of
taxpayer’s money.
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Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 held in New Delhi

On October 25, 2018, the 2-day 11th Global Agriculture Summit 2018 concluded in New Delhi.It
aimed to provide the platform towards facilitating farmers connect with the technologies, markets,
industry, institutions and the Governmental programs.
i. The Global Summit and Award ceremony was organized by Indian Council of Food and
Agriculture (ICFA) with support of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Food
Processing Industries and Ministry of Commerce.
ii. It was inaugurated by Secretary Agriculture and Co-operation, Sanjay Agrawal.
iii. The theme of the summit was: ‘Connecting Farmers to Market’.
iv. It was convened by:
 Dr. M J Khan, Chairman, ICFA,
 Mr. Alok Sinha, Director General, ICFA,
 Mr. C P Shoran, Executive Director, ICA.
v. The chairman of the summit was: Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, Architect of India’s Green
Revolution.
vi. Prof. M.S. Swaminathan was presented with first World Agriculture Prize by Vice-President
Venkaiah Naidu.It is instituted by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) at a special
session, named Swaminathan Global Dialogue on Climate Change and Food Security.
vii. Along with the summit, the presentation of 11th Global Leadership Awards and the launch
of Agriculture Year Book 2018 was also done.
The awards:
i. The institution of the Agriculture Leadership Awards was done in 2008 and is given annually in
different categories to individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions in their
respective fields.
ii. The National Awards Committee is headed by the world renowned agriculture scientist,
Prof. MS Swaminathan, with twenty six persons of national eminence as its members.
iii. The awardees are as follows:
Award Category Winner
Life Time Achievement Award for Padamsree Dr. KH Gharda
2018
International Leadership Award Prof. Rudy Rabbinge, Special
Envoy – Food Security,
Government of Netherlands
Research Leadership Award National Research Development
Corporation
Policy Leadership Award Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, CM of
Andhra Pradesh
Academic Leadership Award Indian Institute of
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Management,Ahmedabad
Best Fisheries State Award State of Jharkhand
Best Animal Husbandry State State of Bihar
Award
Best Horticulture State Award State of Nagaland
Best Agriculture State Award State of Gujarat
Program Leadership Award The State Horticulture Mission,
Govt. of Haryana
Union HRD Minister launches web portal of the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and
Research Collaboration (SPARC) in New Delhi
On 25th October 2018, Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar launched
the web portal of the “Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)” in
New Delhi.
i. The web portal is available at: www.sparc.iitkgp.ac.in. SPARC scheme aims to improve the
research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by enabling academic and research
collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
ii. Under this Scheme, 600 joint research proposals will be awarded for 2 years to enable strong
research collaboration between Indian research groups with the best in class faculty and
renowned research groups in the top universities of the world.
iii. The areas involved will be advanced fields in science or areas with direct social relevance to
the mankind, especially India.
About Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC):
♦ Sanctioned in – August 2018
♦ Total cost – Rs.418 Crore
♦ Implementation period – up to 31.3.2020
♦ National Coordinating Institute – Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
Deborah Herold wins gold medal in elite women’s 40 km competition at Saksham Pedal
Delhi
On 7th October 2018, Deborah Herold won gold medal in the elite women’s 40 kilometre
competition at Saksham Pedal Delhi, India’s Premier Cyclothon.
i. Shreedhar Savanur won gold medal in men’s 50 kilometres. Silver and bronze medals were won
by Manjeet Singh and Krishna Nakaodi.
ii. In the women’s elite race, Sonali Chanu won silver, and Swasti Singh won the bronze medal.
Khalin Joshi wins Panasonic Open India for his maiden Asian Tour title
On 28th October 2018, Indian golfer Khalin Joshi won the Panasonic Open India title at the Delhi
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Golf Club, in New Delhi.

i. Khalin Joshi, the 26-year-old golfer, secured a record-equalling winning score of 17-under 271
in the final. He won a cash prize of $72,000.
ii. This is his first Asian Tour title. He also became the 7th Indian to win the Panasonic Open India
title in the last 8 editions of the tournament.
iii. Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman finished second with a par on the 18th and won a cash prize of
$44,000.
iv. India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, and Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai shot a 70 and a 69 and
shared the third spot. They received a cash prize of $22,600 each.
v. Total prize money of the Panasonic Open was $400,000.
Veteran BJP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana passes away
On 27th October 2018, former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana passed away following a
long term illness, in New Delhi.
i. Madan Lal Khurana was 82 years old. He belonged to the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) party.
ii. He was the chief minister of Delhi from 1993 to 1996. He was the governor of Rajasthan in
2004.
Urdu writer Qazi Abdussattar passes away

On 29th October 2018, Professor and Urdu writer Qazi Abdussattar, died following a long term
illness, in Delhi.
i. Qazi Abdussattar was 85 years old. He was the former head of Aligarh Muslim University’s Urdu
department.
ii. He had won Padma Shri in 1974. He was the first recipient of Ghalib Academy Award in 1978.
iii. He was born in Machretta village of Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh in 1933. In 1954, he joined
the Aligarh Muslim University as a researcher.
iv. He wrote short stories and historical novels. Some of his important works are: “Peetal Ka
Ghanta”, “Darashiko”, “Khalidbinwalid” and “Ghalib”.
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