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Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors
Compendium-September, 2018
National
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: PM Launches World’s Largest Healthcare Scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
(PMJAY), under Ayushman Bharat umbrella at Ranchi, Jharkhand. The scheme aims to
provide annual health
insurance cover of Rs 5
lakh to 10.74 crore
beneficiary families i.e.
over 50 crore
beneficiaries across India.
It is touted as world’s
largest healthcare scheme
that will serve beneficiary
population that equals 27-
28 European countries
and almost equal to
population of Canada,
Mexico and US put
together. The scheme will
become operational from
September 25, 2018 i.e. on
birth anniversary of
Deendayal Upadhyay.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)
PMJAY is government-sponsored health insurance scheme, that will provide free coverage
of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year in any government or empanelled private hospitals all
over India. It will cover beneficiaries families identified on the basis of Socio Economic
Caste Survey (SECC) 2011 in 444 districts of 30 states/Union Territories.
Note: Telangana, Odisha, Kerala, Punjab and Delhi (UT) are the states which have still not
signed MoUs for joining this schemes.
National Health Agency (NHA) is the apex body for implementing this scheme. States will be
required to form State Health Agency (SHA) to implement scheme and at the district level
also structure for its implementation will be set up. Around 13000 hospitals both public
and private in the country have been coordinated for implementation of the scheme.
PMJAY will be funded with 60% contribution from Centre and remaining from the states.
NITI Aayog will be working as partner for this scheme for operationalizing robust, modular
and interoperable IT platform which will involve a paperless and cashless transaction.
Key Features of PMJAY
PMJAY is entitlement based scheme with entitlement decided on basis of deprivation
criteria in the SECC database. There will be no cap on family size and age under this
scheme. The benefit cover under it also includes pre and post-hospitalisation expenses.
It also takes into consideration all pre-existing medical conditions. It will provide
reimbursement for bed charges and drugs and diagnostics two days before, during and 15
days after hospitalisation. Beneficiary will be also paid transport allowance for
hospitalisation defined under it.
The payment for treatment will be done on package rate which will be defined by
Government in advance basis. The package rates will include all costs associated with
treatment. States and UTs have flexibility to modify these rates within limited bandwidth.
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Compendium-September, 2018
PMJAY allows national portability i.e. resident of any part of country is entitled for free
hospitalization at empaneled hospital anywhere in the country. It will strengthen
healthcare services in India by targeting poor and vulnerable population of the country.
The scheme allows beneficiary to take cashless benefits from any public or private
empanelled hospitals across the country. ID documentation required for verifying
beneficiary under this scheme may be Aadhaar card or election ID card or ration
card. Aadhaar is not mandatory. Beneficiaries will QR codes having letters for verification
through scanning.
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Compendium-September, 2018
selection committee comprising of Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Lok Sabha
Speaker, Leader of Opposition Party (LoP) and an eminent jurist chosen by them.
Supreme Court’s historic verdict on Section 377 - the colonial law criminalizing
homosexuality
India's apex court SC on 6 September 2018 gave its historic verdict on Section 377 - the
colonial law criminalizing homosexuality in India by decriminalizing it.
In the year 2013 a Supreme Court bench had overturned a
Delhi High Court order that had ruled in favour of
decriminalizing section 377.
Section 377 criminalises sexual intercourse that is penile
and non-vaginal, deeming it “against the order of nature”.
The law affects the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) population, in particular, but its
provisions can also be applied to heterosexual citizens.
In 2009, the Delhi High Court had ruled in favour of decriminalising section 377, a decision
which was overturned only to by a two-judge Supreme Court bench in 2013, in the Suresh
Kumar Koushal versus Naz Foundation case.
In a historic order on 6 September 2018, the Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra said
the LGBT community has same fundamental rights as other citizens.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The bench headed by him, however, made it clear that no one should be under the
impression that it will scrap section 377 altogether as it will lead to anarchy and rise in
crimes relating to forced unnatural acts.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Just as Parliament has two Houses, the states can, if they choose, have a Legislative Council
in addition to the Legislative Assembly.
The Constitution provides for this option under Article
171.
As in Rajya Sabha, members of a Legislative Council are
not directly elected by voters.
Opinion in the Constituent Assembly was divided on
the idea.
Among the arguments in its favour, a second House can
help check hasty actions by the directly elected House,
and also enable non-elected individuals to contribute to the legislative process.
The arguments against the idea: a Legislative Council can be used to delay legislation, and
to park leaders who have not been able to win an election.
Bengaluru airport become Asia's first Airport set to use face recognition as ‘boarding
pass’
Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru
is set to become the first airport in Asia next year to use
face recognition as the boarding procedure for
passengers to board flights and move across different
sections of the airport.
The Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), which
operates KIA, and Miguel Leitmann, CEO of Vision Box,
a Portuguese software firm, signed an agreement to
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Compendium-September, 2018
this effect in Lisbon on September 5 to introduce face recognition technology at the airport
from 2019.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Indian-origin Portuguese Prime Minister
Antonio Costa and India’s Ambassador to Portugal Nandini Singla.
Voice Box, according to its website, showcased the face recognition-based passage system
for the first time for Lufthansa passengers at kiosks at the Los Angeles airport in March this
year – Lufthansa passengers there used a biometric boarding procedure instead of
boarding passes.
The goal of the programme is to simplify the journey by making it paperless from
registration to boarding.
Biometric technology will identify passengers by their face as they move across the airport,
avoiding stops and the repeated presentation of boarding passes, passports or other
physical identity documents.
The first implementation milestone at Kempegowda will be completed in the first quarter
of 2019, with Jet Airways, Air Asia and SpiceJet passengers as first users, Vision Box stated.
This is the first end-to-end face recognition-based walk through experience in Asia and the
largest in the world.
It is also one of the most significant steps towards the Digital India campaign endorsed by
the Government.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Cabinet approves 4 New National Institutes Of Design
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved proposal for
introduction of Bill in Parliament for amendment of National
Institute.of Design (NID) Act, 2014 for establishing four new NIDs
across the country.
Four new NIDs:
Institute of Design, Amaravati/Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
National Institute of Design, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
National Institute of Design, Jorhat,
Institute of Design, Kurukshetra, Haryana.
The amendment will bring these four new NIDs within ambit NID Act, 2014 and to declare
them as Institutions of National Importance (INIs) at par with NID, Ahmedabad.
The proposed Bill also brings makes some minor amendments to this Act such as to include
consequential amendments considered necessary to re-name NID Vijayawada as NID
Amaravati and nomenclature of Principal Designer as equivalent to Professor.
Establishment of new NIDs as Institutions of National Importance in different geographical
regions of country will help produce highly skilled manpower in design sector which in
turn,.
It will create job opportunities, both direct and indirect.
It will also provide sustainable design interventions for crafts, handloom, rural technology,
small, medium and large scale enterprises; and outreach programmes for capacity,
capability and institution building.
Tamil Nadu Government Announces Scheme for Protection of Exotic Neela Kurinji Plants
Tamil Nadu government has announced Scheme for protection of
exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only
once in 12 years. This scheme comes following complaints that these
rare and ecologically unique flowers are being packaged and sold on
the commercial basis.
Neelakurinji plant
Neelakurinji is a tropical plant species. It is native to Shola forests in
Western Ghats. It is also seen in Shevroys Hills in Eastern Ghats,
Anamalai hills and Agali hills in Kerala and Sanduru hills in Karnataka.
It grows at height of 30 to 60 cm on hills slopes at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters where
there is no tree forest. The flowers of Neelakurinji are purple-blue in colour and blooms
once in 12 years.
The flower has no smell or any medicinal value. It is because of these flowers, Nilgiri hills in
southern tip of Western Ghats are called Blue Mountains. It is rarest of rare plant species
that grows in Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world.
It has been categorized as endangered species. In ancient Tamil literature, kurinji flowers
symbolize love. Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu use this flower bloom as reference
to calculate their age
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Compendium-September, 2018
The first commercial Remotedly Operated Vehicle (ROV)/underwater drone, named
EyeROV TUNA, was developed by EyeROV Technologies, a company incubating at
Kalamassery-based Maker Village, Kochi.
It is to be the largest hardware incubator in the
country.
NPOL, a laboratory of Delhi-headquartered Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),
made the first order of the product.
Features:
The robotic drone, developed by Johns T Mathai and
Kannappa Palaniappan P of EyeROV Technologies.
It can be navigated up to a depth of 50 metres to take real-time HD video images to examine
ship hulls or undersea cables or bridge moorings, eliminating the need for costlier and
riskier manual inspection by divers.
The remotely operated underwater vehicle, EyeROV TUNA, weighs less than 10 kilogram
and can be used for inspection of ship hulls, ports, dams and nuclear power plants
EyeROV is a light rover which can be easily accessed and controlled with the supporting
attached and connected hardware such as laptops and joysticks.
Purpose:
The drone will be used by NPOL for research and development activities which in turn
would result in a commercial product for defense purposes.
The product is also useful in various underwater research operations and is expected to be
sold to research institutes in this field.
The development of the product of EyeROV was largely supported by Kerala Start Up
Mission (KSUM) through various schemes.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Country's biggest Cyclotron facility becomes operational in Kolkata
India’s largest Cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator that produces radioisotopes, for
medical applications became operational last week in
Kolkata.
According to the Department of Atomic Energy, the
facility called Cyclone-30 at the Variable Energy
Cyclotron Centre (VECC) in Kolkata will provide
affordable radioisotopes and related
radiopharmaceuticals.
Cyclone-30 is in the first phase of production
generating Flourodeocyglucose (FDG), a radioisotope
used for date imaging and oncological tissue imaging.
While the Dhruva reactor at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai also
produces this radioisotope, it is difficult to be transported to hospitals in far-off areas.
This radioisotope can be used for imaging of lungs, brain and heart and gives more accurate
images. Since the radioisotope has a half-life of 110 minutes.
It is economically viable to have such a machine close to the hospital.
With the Cyclone-30 machine in VECC, it will be able to cater to all the cancer hospitals in
Kolkata and some in eastern India.
The machine has a capacity of catering to 60 to 90 patients in a day.
Health Ministry notifies HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued notification for bringing Human
Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 in force from 10th September,
2018.
The Act safeguards rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV.
It also addresses HIV-related discrimination, strengthen existing
programme by bringing in legal accountability and establish formal
mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances.
Key Provisions of the Act
The Act seeks to prevent and control spread of HIV and AIDS, prohibits discrimination
against persons with HIV and AIDS. It lists various grounds on which discrimination against
HIV positive persons and those living with them is prohibited.
These discrimination grounds include denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair
treatment with regard to (i) employment (ii) educational establishments (iii) health care
services, (iv) standing for public or private office, (v) residing or renting property and (vi)
provision of insurance.
It also prohibits requirement for HIV testing as pre-requisite for obtaining employment or
accessing health care or education. It mentions that every HIV infected or affected person
below age of 18 years has right to reside in shared household and enjoy facilities of
household.
It also prohibits any individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of
hatred against HIV positive persons and those living with them. It gives right to every
person in care and custody of the state to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and counseling
services.
It mentions that person between 12 to 18 years of age having sufficient maturity in
understanding and managing affairs of his HIV or AIDS affected family will be competent to
act as guardian of another sibling below 18 years of age.
This will be applicable in matters relating to admission to educational establishments,
operating bank accounts, managing property, care and treatment, amongst others.
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Compendium-September, 2018
India only SAARC country to have a quit-line number for tobacco users
India has become the first and only SAARC country to have a quit-line number on tobacco
products. The Union Health Ministry has already made 85% pictorial health warning
mandatory on both sides of packets containing cigarettes, bidis, and chewing tobacco.
The quit-line number will be printed on all tobacco products manufactured after September
1, 2018.
India is the fourth country in Asia after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to have this
government helpline for those looking at quitting tobacco.
At least 46 countries have quit-line numbers as part of health warning labels on tobacco
product packaging.
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Compendium-September, 2018
For smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco products, the words ‘Tobacco causes cancer’
and ‘Tobacco causes painful death’ shall appear in white font on a red background and the
words ‘Quit today call - 1800-11-2356’ shall appear in white font on a black background.
The current pictorial warnings on both sides of packages of cigarettes, bidis and all forms of
chewing tobacco products in India came into effect from April 2016, following the direction
of the Rajasthan High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court.
A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court held that scheduled castes or tribes can avail
benefit of reservation in government jobs only in their home states and can’t access quotas
in other states where they might have migrated.
Election Commission (EC) has announced that Model Code of Conduct comes into force
immediately in states where legislative assemblies have been dissolved prematurely.
It also held that after dissolution caretaker government as well as the central government is
barred from announcing new schemes in particular state from date of dissolution of
legislative assembly till new House is elected.
National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM) launched on 5th September 2018 to
accelerate the adoption and use of GeM by major central Ministries, State Governments and
their agencies. The aim of the National Mission is to promote inclusiveness, transparency
and efficiency in public procurement and achieve cashless, contactless and paperless
transaction
Citing health hazards, the Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacturing, sale
distribution and use or possession of e-cigarettes under the category of Electronic Nicotine
Delivery Systems (ENDS).
The Maharashtra Government has taken the first step towards setting up a varsity
dedicated to mitigating cyber threats. It has set aside Rs. 80 crore for the first round of its
funding and the proposal. The project will be tabled in the State cabinet’s consideration in
the first week of October. The new Cyber University will train 3,000 professionals to fight
online space cyber attacks, internet crimes, and conduct cyber forensics.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The government of India launched two separate portals to strengthen Women Safety. The
portal “cybercrime.gov.in” will receive complaints from citizens on objectionable online
content related to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, sexually explicit material
such as rape and gang rape.
Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government has launched scheme for doorstep delivery of 40
essential government services like caste and marriage certificates, driving license and new
water connections. It is fist home delivery scheme of various essential government services
in the country.
National Informatics Centre (NIC) & National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated
(NICSI) jointly set up a Centre of Excellence for data analytics to support Government
departments to unlock the hidden potential of the data that they are generating as part of
the governance processes & use it to improve the overall governance.
India & UN signed the Government of India-United Nations Sustainable Development
Framework (UNSDF) for 2018-2022. It outlines the work of UN agencies in India, to
support the achievement of key development outcomes.
Cabinet approved the new telecom policy, now named National Digital Communications
Policy (NDCP) 2018, which aims to attract USD 100 billion investment & create 4 million
jobs in the sector by 2022. According to the draft of the policy, NDCP is focused on
increasing high-speed broadband penetration, with use of modern technologies like 5G &
optical fibres across the country at affordable rates.
India & France have signed implementation agreement on 'Mobilise Your City' (MYC) in the
presence of Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep
Singh Puri & Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India.
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Compendium-September, 2018
International
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Compendium-September, 2018
efforts to eliminate it.
Theme: The theme of 3-day event is “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment”.
Objectives: The main objective of the summit is to bring together achievers, women
business leaders, professionals, international service providers, resource organizations,
experts, government representatives and other stakeholders with a focus on innovative
economic transformation through discussions and collaborations.
According to organizers the delegates from the SAARC, ASEAN, EU, Africa, Arab countries
and China participating in the summit.
The event is organised by the South Asian Women Development Forum.
SAWDF is an autonomous, nonprofit organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was
granted the status of SAARC Recognized Body by 36th Session of SAARC Council Ministers
at 18th SAARC Summit held in Kathmandu in 2014.
It is first SAARC Recognized Body organisation working on women entrepreneurs issues.
It represents national women entrepreneurs’ associations or organization.
Sixth East Asia Summit and 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting held in
Singapore
The 6th East Asia Summit-Economic Ministers’
Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) was held in Singapore.
Singapore is currently holding the Chair of
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Sixth EAS-EMM :
It was attended by Economic Ministers from 10
ASEAN countries and their 8 dialogue partners –
Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and United States.
The meeting recognized importance of ongoing work to maximize opportunities of and
address challenges presented by digital economy and rise of regional and global value
chains as part of their efforts to promote economic growth and integration in the region.
EMM was followed by the 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting.
It was co-chaired by Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing and
India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu,.
The meeting attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Jebi had originated as the twenty-first named storm of the annual typhoon season on 28
August 2018 and is known as Typhoon Maymay in the Philippines.
The highest speed attained by this typhoon in Japan was around 280 km/hr.
Qatar became the first Gulf country to make permanent residency an option for
foreigners
Qatar became the first Gulf country to make permanent residency an option for foreigners,
after such decree was issued during September 2018.
Qatar has officially made permanent residency an
option for a limited number of foreigners.
This step is seen as a landmark development in the
energy-rich Gulf.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on 4
September 2018 issued a decree allowing a maximum
of 100 expatriates to gain permanent residency each
year, giving them access to a generous welfare system and commercial rights.
Expatriates make up more than 90% of Qatar’s 2.7 million people.
It is worth mentioning that these rights were till now reserved only for citizens of Qatar. It
is the world’s biggest exporter of natural gas.
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Compendium-September, 2018
variety of spheres, including economic, education, media, organizational, and political, as
well as the unique leadership and contributions of Hindu women and youth.
WHC also serves as a platform to address critical issues impacting Hindus worldwide,
including human rights, discrimination, and cultural assaults.
WHC 2018:
The second World Hindu Congress will be held in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. from September 7 -
9, 2018.
Inspired by the Hindu principle, Sumantrite Suvikrante or THINK COLLECTIVELY, ACHIEVE
VALIANTLY, the World Hindu Congress 2018 promises to be a movement not to be missed.
On the eve of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic address to the
Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, Hindus from around the world and of all
backgrounds are invited to actively participate.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Hindus constitute about 12 % of Sri Lanka's 21 million population, which is mainly
Buddhist.
Muslims, the third largest religious group in the country, also conduct ritualistic animal
sacrifices - although it appears the law would apply only to Hindus.
The country has experienced waves of religious tension in recent years, with anti-Muslim
riots in March leaving three people dead and hundreds of mosques, homes and businesses
reduced to ashes.
Germany Rolls Out World's First Hydrogen Train on Steam and Water
Germany has rolled out the world's first hydrogen-powered train.
It has signalled the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with
costlier but more eco-friendly technology.
Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French
TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 100-kilometre
(62-mile) route between the towns and cities of
Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and
Buxtehude in northern Germany - a stretch normally
plied by diesel trains.
It plans to deliver another 14 of the zero-emissions
trains to Lower Saxony state by 2021, with other
German states also expressing an interest.
Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination
of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions.
Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train.
The Coradia iLint trains can run for around 1,000 kilometres on a single tank of hydrogen,
similar to the range of diesel trains.
Alstom is betting on the technology as a greener, quieter alternative to diesel on non-
electrified railway lines - an attractive prospect to many German cities scrambling to
combat air pollution.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Other countries are also looking into hydrogen trains, including Britain, the Netherlands,
Denmark, Norway, Italy and Canada.
France wants the first hydrogen train to be on the rails by 2022.
WWF Tx2 Programme: Nepal Becomes First Country to Double Its Tiger Population
Nepal become first country in the world to double its tiger population in a decade as part of
World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) ‘Tx2’ programme which aims to double number of
tigers in the world all over the world by 2022.
There are now estimated 235 wild tigers in Nepal in comparison to an estimated 121 back
in 2009. This trend is against global tend where number of tigers in many countries is
witnessing a decline.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Key Facts
The success of Nepal in doubling tiger numbers has been largely attributed to its political
commitment and adoption of innovative tools and approaches towards tiger conservation.
Nepal was the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation
areas, an accreditation scheme governed by Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS).
Tx2 programme
It was launched by World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger
Summit held in Russia. Under it, 13 tiger range countries had agreed to double the world
tiger population by 2022, which is the year of tiger in Chinese calendar. These 13 countries
are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
It aims at driving political momentum to ensure tigers remain top priority for world
leaders, professionalise wildlife protection by training rangers, developing conservation
standards (CA|TS) and technology (SMART) to achieve zero poaching, tackle illegal wildlife
trade through partnership with TRAFFIC, focus efforts in key tiger landscapes and ensure
there is space for both tigers and people in future.
President Ram Nath Kovind will hand-over the India- developed Sittwe port in Rakhine to a
state-designated operator in Myanmar in December. The port has been waiting for nearly
two decades for launching.
Canada agreed to sign a trade deal with the United States & Mexico, revamping the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new deal has been named the United States-
Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Argentina has received $57.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the
biggest loan package ever from the global body aimed at boosting the country's struggling
economy.
India has contributed one million US dollars for the installation of solar panels on the roof
of the imposing UN building at the world body's headquarters in New York.
PM Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, & CMs of West Bengal Mamata
Banerjee & Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb jointly inaugurated three projects in Bangladesh via
video conferencing. These include: 500 MW additional power supply from India to
Bangladesh, Akhaura – Agartala Rail Link, & Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur
section of Bangladesh Railways. Note: Akhaura-Agartala rail project is about 12 km long of
which 5.5 km would be laid in India while 6.5 km would be in Bangladesh.
India, Iran & Afghanistan held their first tripartite meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan during
which implementation of the Chabahar port project & a host of other issues including ways
to deepen counter-terror cooperation were discussed.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Economics & Financial Awareness
Vodafone Idea Ltd. replacing Bharti Airtel became India’s mobile space
Vodafone Idea Ltd. telecom entity became the new leader in India’s mobile space with an
effective customer base of 408 million and thus replacing Bharti Airtel.
India now has a new leader in the mobile operator segment with the merger of Vodafone
India and Idea Cellular officially announced on 31 August 2018.
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Compendium-September, 2018
This merger became effective after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) gave its
approval to this mega-merger.
To be called Vodafone Idea Ltd, the operator has a subscriber base of over 408 million
overtaking Bharti Airtel.
The new board of directors of the company comprises
of 12 directors (including 6 independent directors) has
been constituted, with Kumar Mangalam Birla as the
Chairman.
The board has appointed Balesh Sharma as the CEO.
The merged entity has a pan India revenue market share of 32.2%.
It has a large spectrum portfolio of ~1850 MHz and an adequate number of broadband
carriers and distribution reach with over 1.7 million retailers and around 15,000 branded
stores to service customers.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The annual FII will be released by Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of
Finance. It will be measure of access and usage of basket of formal financial products and
services that includes savings, remittances, credit, insurance and pension products.
The index has three measurement dimensions (i) Access to financial services (ii) Usage of
financial services and (3) Quality.
It will serve as single composite index that will give snap shot of level of financial inclusion
which will guide Macro Policy perspective.
Significance of index: Its various components will help to measure financial services for
use of internal policy making. It can be used directly as composite measure in development
indicators. It will also enable to fulfil G20 Financial Inclusion Indicators requirements.
It will also facilitate researchers to study the impact of financial inclusion and other macro-
economic variables.
India has third highest number of family-owned mega businesses: Credit Suisse
According to Credit Suisse Research Institute’s latest CS Family
2018 report, India has the third highest number of publicly-
listed family-owned companies in the world.
India has 111 listed family-owned companies.
China tops the list with 159 companies, followed by the US at
121.
Family Businesses are based on two criteria:
Direct shareholding by founders or descendants is at least 20%,
and voting rights held by the founders or descendants are at
least 20%.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The survey looks at 1,015 family-owned companies around the world with a minimum
market capitalization of $250 million.
By that measure, over 50% of the companies in the BSE 100, the top 100 companies by
market capitalization listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, are family-owned.
That includes Reliance Industries Ltd, Dabur India Ltd and Emami Ltd.
Almost 20% of the companies are government-owned.
The number of Indian companies in the report increased from 108 in 2017 to 111 this year,
while in the case of China, the number declined to 159 in 2018 from 167 in the previous
year.
The average market capitalisation of the family-owned companies was $7.6 billion
compared to $6.5 billion a year ago.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) barred Bandhan Bank from opening new branches without
its approval and ordered the bank to freeze the
salary of its chief executive Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
over its failure to meet shareholding rules.
This information was disclosed by the bank on 28
September 2018.
According to RBI’s new bank licencing guidelines, the
bank’s promoter, Bandhan Financial Holdings Ltd,
has to reduce its stake from 82% to 40% within three years of commencing the business.
The deadline for Bandhan Bank was on 23 August 2018.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a penalty of Rs. 1 crore each on Union Bank of
India (UBI), Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra three banks for delay in fraud
detection. A total penalty of Rs. 3 crore (Rs. 1 crore each) on three state-run banks.
Hyderabad Metro Rail is now become second largest metro network in India. Governor
E.S.L. Narasimhan flagged off the metro train from the Ameerpet metro interchange station
towards L.B.Nagar in the city suburb. With the opening of this 16 km stretch, the entire
Corridor One of Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project of 29 km from Miyapur to L.B.Nagar
has been completed.
Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance & National Informatics Centre
(NIC) jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial
inclusion (FI) initiative. This app will act as a guide for the common people in locating a
financial service touch point at a given location in the country.
FDI in the telecom sector has jumped nearly five times in the last three years – from USD
1.3 Billion in 2015-16 to USD 6.2 Billion in 2017-18.
Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a new scheme- Atal Bimit
Vyakti Kalyan Yojna for Insured Persons covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) announced that no withholding tax will apply on
interest payments made by an Indian company or a business trust to a non-resident in
respect of offshore rupee-denominated bonds issued between September 17, 2018 & March
31, 2019.
Union Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) approved a proposal by the
Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to increase the wages of artisans by over
36%. With this, the wages will be increased from Rs 5.50 per hank previously to Rs 7.50 per
hank.
State-run telecom firm BSNL has inked a pact with Japan’s Softbank & NTT
Communications to roll out 5G & internet of things (IoT) technology in India.
Infosys has acquired Finnish company Fluido, a top consulting partner of Salesforce, for 65
million euros (about Rs 545 crore).
After launching the world's largest mobile phone-manufacturing factory in Noida in July
2018, Samsung has now opened its biggest experience centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Defence & Security - National/International
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Compendium-September, 2018
Aviaindra 18: India, Russia Air Force Joint Exercise Commences
India and Russia joint air exercise Aviaindra 18 was held in Lipetsk, Russia from September
17 to 28, 2018. The second session of Aviaindra 18 will be conducted in Jodhpur, Rajasthan
(India) from December 10 Dec to 22, 2018
Exercise Aviaindra-18
Exercise Aviaindra is Air Force level exercise between
India and Russia. It was conducted for first time in
2014 and since then it is conducted bi-annually (twice
a year) in both countries.
The aim of this exercise is focused towards anti-
terrorist operations in bi-lateral scenario. It also seeks
to further enhance co-operation and understanding between Air forces of both countries in
each other’s Concept of Operations.
Aviaindra-18 saw participation of Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent comprising of 30
officers from different branches and streams of IAF including four women officers of Flying,
Admin and Medical Branch.
IAF’s aircraft that participated in the exercise included Su-30 SM, Mig-29, Su-25, Mi-8 and
An-26. Apart from flying exercise, formal interactions, discussions, exchange of ideas and
friendly sports matches were also held to enhance bonhomie between two Air Forces.
India third worst hit in world by terror, after Iraq and Afghanistan: US data
According to the data released by US department of
state, for second year in a row, India is the third
largest victim of terror attacks across the world after
Iraq and Afghanistan while CPI- Maoists, which
carried out 53% of the total attacks in India
CPI- Maoists is the fourth deadliest terror group after
Islamic State, Taliban and Al-Shabaab, Till 2015,
Pakistan was the third most affected country in the
world.
The national consortium for the study of terrorism and responses to terrorism, contracted
by the US department of state, has claimed that Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a 24%
increase in terror attacks in 2017 and an 89% increase in the number of people killed in
those attacks.
Out of a total 860 terror attacks across India in 2017, 25% were reported from J&K alone.
Maoists as the fourth deadliest terror group in the world, the US study has stated that it was
responsible for 53% attacks in India in 2017.
The frequency of terrorist violence by Maoist extremists in India declined between 2016
and 2017 with respect to number of attacks (from 338 in 2016 to 295 in 2017); however,
the number of people killed increased 16%, and the number of people injured increased
50%.
While Maoists were involved in 295 total attacks in India, only global outfits ahead of them
are Al-Shabaab with 353 attacks, Taliban with 703 attacks and Islamic State with 857
attacks.
Abhilash Tomy an Indian naval officer second Asian complete a solo, unassisted, non-
stop circumnavigation under sail
Indian naval officer Abhilash Tomy was rescued hundreds of kilometers
off the coast of Western Australia in his yacht by a French fishing vessel
after being injured while taking part in a solo yachting race.
Abhilash Tomy is an Indian naval officer and is the first Indian, second
Asian, and seventy-ninth person to complete a solo, unassisted, non-stop
circumnavigation under sail.
He was severely injured while participating in Golden Globe Race - the
nonstop, 30,000-mile solo yachting competition that started on 1 July
2018 from France.
SLINEX-2018: India And Sri Lanka Conducts Joint Naval Exercise At Trincomalee
India, Sri Lanka joint naval exercise SLINEX-2018 was held at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from
September 7 to 13, 2018. SLINEX exercise started in 2005 was previously held once in two
years and now it has been converted to annual event this year onwards.
SLINEX-2018
The exercise was conducted in two phases, namely Harbour and Sea
Phase. These exercises involved joint training, exchange of expertise,
helicopter and maritime patrol aircraft operations, search and rescue,
and maneuvers at sea.
The exercise also involved sports fixtures and cultural events to provide
opportunity for personnel from both navies to learn from each other
and to build individual bonds of friendship and camaraderie.
The scope of exercise was significantly increased this year, as it saw participation of three
ships, two maritime patrol aircraft and one helicopter participating from Indian side. In
addition, Sri Lanka Air Force personnel also participated in the exercise for first time.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Parakram Parv exhibition at the military station in Jodhpur
to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army
across the LoC.
Indian Air Force successfully test fired the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range
Air-to-Air Missile Astra from a Su-30 aircraft.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 1,000 engines for fitment
in T-72 tanks of the Army at an approximate cost of over 2,300 crore rupees.
DRDO successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface tactical
missile ‘Prahar’, from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Balasore, Odisha.
Indigenously developed weapon system Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile
(MPATGM), was successfully flight tested for the second time from the Ahmednagar range,
Maharashtra.
Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh inaugurated two Comprehensive Integrated
Border Management System (CIBMS) pilot projects along the India-Pakistan border in
Jammu region.
The second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise (JME) named Mt Everest
Friendship Exercise-2018 (Sagarmatha Friendship-2018) commenced in China’s
southwestern Sichuan province.
As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training Exercise Yudh
Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in
Uttarakhand. This will be the 14th edition of the joint military exercise.
Indo-Mongolia joint exercise Nomadic Elephant-2018, commenced at Mongolian Armed
Forces (MAF) Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with a brief opening
ceremony.
The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas
successfully carried out, placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-air
refuelling capacity for military planes.
India along with 23 other nations participated in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock
drill which will involve evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in over half a
dozen coastal states. The exercise, known as 'IOWave18', is being organised by the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
Ukraine launched annual joint military exercise named Rapid Trident with the United
States & other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries. Its main goal
is to practice countering armed aggression in conditions of the hybrid war.
Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Army Exercise 'KAZIND' will be conducted between the Indian &
Kazakhstan Army in Otar region, Kazakhstan. This is the third joint military exercise
between the two countries which have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence
arena.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Appointments-National/International
Bimal Jalan heading the committee to select next Chief Economic Adviser (CEA)
The Union Govt. appointed a committee under Bimal
Jalan to select the next Chief Economic Adviser (CEA)
in the Finance Ministry.
He was the former Governor of RBI, the apex
regulatory body of India's finance sector.
This committee was constituted two months after it
sought applications for the post.
Apart from Jalan, secretary of the Department of
Personnel and Training C. Chandramouli and
Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg
are the other two members of the committee.
It is noted that Arvind Subramanian resigned from his post before his tenure ended in May
2019 citing personal reasons.
He has since joined as a visiting professor at Harvard University.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Mr Vyas is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from MS University, Vadodara. After
completion of training in BARC training school in 1979.
He joined Fuel Design and Development Section of Reactor Engineering Division of BARC.
Mr Vyas has worked for design and analysis of nuclear reactor fuels.
He was also responsible for design and development of a novel fuel for strategic
applications.
Mr Vyas has worked extensively in thermal hydraulics and stress analysis of critical reactor
core components.
He has been conferred several awards, which include Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding
Service Award 2011, Homi Bhabha Science and Technology Award 2006, Department of
Atomic Energy Awards in the years 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
Mr Vyas is also a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineers.
N. Ravi elected the new Chairman of Press Trust of India, the country’s largest news agency,
on 29 September 2018. N Rav is the publisher of The Hindu Group of Newspapers, the
country’s largest news agency. He succeeded Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing
Director of the Express Group.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani has been renominated as the chairman of the Ethics
Committee of the Lok Sabha by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The Committee examines
complaints related to any unethical conduct by members of the Lower House.
BJP MP and former Minister Major General B.C. Khanduri was on 18 September 2018
removed as Chairman of the Standing committee on Defence. Former Union Minister Kalraj
Mishra replaced B.C. Khanduri as Chairman of the standing committee.
Ajit Mohan was appointed the new Managing Director and Vice-President (MD &VP) of
Facebook India by Facebook Inc. Facebook Inc. announced the appointment of Ajit Mohan
as Managing Director and Vice-President (MD &VP) of Facebook India.
Technology giant Google has appointed its privacy lawyer, Keith Enright, as Chief Privacy
Officer.
Actors Varun Dhawan & Anushka Sharma has been signed on to promote & endorse the
Skill India Mission, chaired by PM Narendra Modi.
Moutaz Mousa Abdallah has become Sudan’s new PM.
India retained the top WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr Poonam Khetrapal
Singh unanimously re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term beginning
February 2019.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mary Kom as its brand
ambassador for two years.
State Bank of India (SBI) has appointed Anshula Kant as Managing Director of the Bank. She
has been appointed to the post for 2 years. With this appointment, SBI now has four MDs -
PK Gupta, DK Khara & Arijit Basu.
Axis Bank announced that Amitabh Chaudhry has been appointed as its managing director
& CEO from January 1, 2019, for a period of three years. Mr. Chaudhry, the MD & CEO of
HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company at present.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Sports
US Open 2018
Organised by United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis
Centre in Queens, New York City.
First held in 1881.
US Open 2018 was the 138th edition of the tournament.
This tournament is run by International Tennis
Federation.
Only Grand Slam that uses tiebreakers in every set of a match.
3. Men’s Doubles Jack Sock (USA) & Mike Bryan Łukasz Kubot (Poland) &
(USA) Marcelo Melo (Brazil)
Vijay Hazare Trophy-2018: Shahbaz Nadeem breaks List a record with figures of 8/10
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem broke the List-A record for best bowling figures with an
astonishing 10-4-10-8 against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Nadeem bettered Rahul Sanghvi’s 8/15 for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh (1997-98).
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Compendium-September, 2018
Both the bowlers had an identical number of wickets, Nadeem gave away five runs fewer
than Sanghvi’s 15.
The record in ODI cricket still remains intact with
Chaminda Vaas who bagged 8/19 against Zimbabwe in
2001.
Keith Boyce (8 for 26) was the first to take an eight-
wicket haul, back in 1971, in the early days of limited-
overs cricket.
Courtesy of Nadeem’s stellar performance, Jharkhand
beat Rajasthan by seven wickets. Chasing a paltry 74,
Jharkhand reached the target in 15th over to claim four points.
Shahbaz Nadeem has remained on the fringes for quite some time.
Despite enjoying tremendous success in Ranji Trophy where he picked up more than 50
wickets in 2015-16 and 2016-17, he is yet to receive a national call-up.
Ankur Mittal claimed the men’s double trap gold medal in the ISSF World Championship in
Changwon . The multiple World Cup medallists shot 140 out of 150 to go into a shoot-off for
gold with China’s Yiyang Yang and Slovakia’s Hubert Andrzej.
Yuvraj Wadhwani has won the 25th Asian junior individual squash championship title. He
defeated Anas Ali Shah of Pakistan.
India has defeated Bangladesh to win the Unimoni Asia Cup Title 2018. This was India's
seventh Asia Cup triumph. Liton Das was the Player of the Match & Shikhar Dhawan was
declared as the Player of the Series.
8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship organised by Asian Yoga Federation held in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
In Badminton, Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting beat Japan's Kento Momota to take the
Men's singles China Open title in Changzhou. Spain's Carolina Marin beat China's Chen Yufei
to take the women's singles title.
The Women’s Boxing World Championships, to be hosted by India after more than a
decade, will be held from November 15-24, 2018, in New Delhi.
India won 3 Gold, 3Silver & a Bronze on the opening day of the 5th Track Asia Cup Cycling
in New Delhi. Mayuri Lute won the country's first Gold in the Women's Junior 500 metres
race.
India settled for the silver medal after losing to Pakistan 2-3 in the final of the Asian Team
Snooker Championship. Pankaj Advani & Malkeet Singh represented India.
Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed that Hangzhou in China will host the fourth
edition of Asian Para Games in 2022.
Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Indian five-time world boxing champion M C Mary Kom clinched her third gold medal of the
year in 48 kg category, while Jyoti Gulia picked up the country’s lone gold in 51 kg of the
youth category of the Silesian Open boxing Tournament for women in Gliwice, Poland.
Maldives have lifted the 2018 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new marathon world record in Berlin (Germany), smashing
the previous best as he clocked 2 hours 1 minute 39 second.
Simranjit Kaur (64kg), Monika (48kg) & Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) claimed gold medals at
the Ahmet Comert Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.
Sardar Singh has announced his retirement from international hockey.
Sixteen-year-old Udhayveer Singh has won an individual Gold Medal in Junior Men’s 25
metre pistol event in the World Shooting Championships in South Korea.
Triple jumper Arpinder Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in
the IAAF Continental Cup. At Ostrava in the Czech Republic, he clinched a bronze.
England’s highest Test run-scorer Alastair Cook announced his retirement from
International cricket after final Test against India. He has scored 12,254 runs & made 32
centuries in 160 Tests all England records.
Indian Pacer RP Singh announced his retirement from International Cricket, exactly 13
years after making his international debut.
India’s Saurabh Chaudhary continued his brilliant run of form as he clinched the 10 metres
Air Pistol Junior gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World
Championship in Changwon, South Korea.
Indian shooter Hriday Hazarika notched up a gold medal in the 10 m air rifle junior men's
event of the ISSF World Championships in South Korea. The women's 10m air rifle team of
Elavenil Valarivan, Shreya Agarwal & Manini Kaushik then produced a sensational
performance to total 1880.7 for a gold with a world record to boot.
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for
2017/18.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Honours / Awards
Arjuna Award
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Compendium-September, 2018
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Compendium-September, 2018
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2017-18: Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar, Panjab.
Narendra Modi, Emmanuel Macron Jointly Awarded UN’s Champions of Earth Award
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly awarded
2018 Champions of the Earth award, UN’s highest
environmental honour.
They were chosen in Policy Leadership category of the
award for their pioneering work in championing
International Solar Alliance (ISA) and promoting new
areas of levels of cooperation on environmental
action. It also PM Modi’s unprecedented pledge to
eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022.
Background
This year six of the world’s most outstanding
environmental changemakers were recognised with
the Champions of the Earth Award by United Nations
Environment Programme.
They were recognised for combination of bold, innovative and tireless efforts to tackle
some of most urgent environmental issues of our times. The awards will be presented
during the Champions of the Earth Gala in New York City, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN
General Assembly.
Other winners of 2018 Champions of Earth awards
India’s Cochin International Airport: It was awarded in Entrepreneurial Vision category
for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. It is world’s first fully solar-powered
airport.
Joan Carling: She was awarded lifetime achievement award for her work as one of the
world’s most prominent defenders of environmental and indigenous rights.
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods: They were jointly recognised in Science and
Innovation category for their revolutionary development of a popular, plant-based
alternative to beef, and for their efforts to educate consumers about environmentally
conscious alternatives.
China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme: It was awarded in inspiration and
action category for transformation of once heavily polluted area of rivers and streams in
East China’s Zhejiang province.
Champions of the Earth award
It is UN’s highest environmental recognition celebrating exceptional figures from public
and private sectors and from civil society, whose actions have had transformative positive
impact on the environment.
It was established in 2005 by United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).
This award programme is successor to UNEP’s Global 500 Roll of Honour.
Past laureates include: Afroz Shah, who led world’s largest beach cleanup (2016), Rwandan
President Paul Kagame (2016), Ocean Cleanup CEO Boyan Slat (2014), scientist-explorer
Bertrand Piccard, developer of Google Earth Brian McClendon (2013), and former US Vice-
President Al Gore (2007).
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Compendium-September, 2018
This announcement was made by SpaceX owner Elon Musk in
presence of Maezawa.
The 42-year old Maezawa will be the first lunar traveller since
the last US Apollo mission in 1972.
He paid an unspecified amount of money for the privilege.
He is chief executive of Japan's largest online fashion mall, and is
the 18th richest person in Japan with a fortune of $3 billion.
Village Rockstars: Assamese Movie Is India’s Official Entry For Oscars 2019
Assamese movie ‘Village Rockstars’ was selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars 2019
(91st Academy Awards) under Foreign Language Film category.
It was selected by 12-member jury of Film Federation of India (FII),
led by Kannada producer-director SV Rajendra Singh Babu from 29
other films.
Village Rockstars
The film is written, edited, co-produced, and directed by Rima Das,
who is a self-taught filmmaker. It has been set in Das’ own village
Kalardiya in Chaygao district of Assam.
Its story revolves around 10-year-old girl, Dhunu (played by child
actor Bhanita Das), who dreams to form her own rock band and goes
in search of electric guitar in her village.
The film was made over period of four years, and was shot on hand-held camera and shoe-
string budget in rural Assam. Its casts include non-professional actors, sourced mostly from
Kalardiya village.
Note: Norway has officially chose Bollywood actor Adil Hussain starrer What Will People
Say as its entry to Oscars in Foreign language film category. Hussain is from Goalpara
district in Assam. The 91st Academy Awards is scheduled to be held in February 2019.
Kerala Tourism confers two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association
(PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns.It got the first gold for its 'Yalla Kerala'
travel advertisement print media campaign in the Gulf countries and second for an
innovative poster for Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The awards were presented at a glittering
function in Langkawi, Malaysia during PATA Travel Mart 2018.
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Compendium-September, 2018
The Nobel Medicine or Physiology Prize has been awarded to James P Allison & Tasaku
Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.”
This is for the first time that no Literature Prize will be given in 70 years because of a
#MeToo scandal.
Tourism Minister K J Alphons presented National Tourism Awards 2016-17 in New Delhi.
Andhra Pradesh bagged the first prize in state category for comprehensive development of
tourism.
Union Transport Minister felicitated Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma during the 34th
anniversary of Priyadarshni Academy Global Award, in Mumbai. She received the Smita
Patil award for best actor.
Chairman & MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Dr Raghupati Singhania has been conferred with
'Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle', the highest honour accorded to non-nationals by the
Government of Mexico.
All-women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National
Adventure award for beating the odds in water with their enduring skills & sailing across
the world for eight long months.
Actress Aishwarya Rai was honoured with the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the
Women in Film & Television (WIFT) India Award.
Noted Odia poet Satrughna Pandav will be honoured with the prestigious 'Sarala Puraskar'
for his poetry collection 'Misra Dhrupad'.
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Compendium-September, 2018
Obituaries
Anna Rajam Malhotra India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence passed away
India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra, passed away in
Mumbai at the age of 91.
She joined the civil services in 1951 and opted for the Madras
cadre.
She had served in the Madras State under then Chief Minister C.
Rajagopalachari and at the Central government.
She also successfully executed the construction of India’s first
computerised port Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in
Mumbai as its chairperson.
She was born in Kerala’s Ernakulam district in July 1927.
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Compendium-September, 2018
She moved to Chennai after her schooling in Kozhikode to pursue higher education at the
University of Madras.
She later married R.N. Malhotra, who served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from
1985 to 1990.
The Mumbai-based artist, Mehlli Gobhai has died at the age of 87 in a city hospital. He was
one of the last great original characters [in the art world].
Renowned harmonium player Pandit Tulsidas Borkar passed away in Mumbai. He was 84.
Legendary Chicago blues guitarist Otis Rush, whose passionate, a jazz-influenced sound
influenced generations of musicians, has died. He was 84.
Former BCCI president Biswanath Dutt, best known in the Indian cricket fraternity as
Jagmohan Dalmiya’s mentor, passed away aged 92.
Noted freedom fighter & former Odisha Minister Dolagobinda Pradhan passed away in
Bhubaneswar.
Bhagwati Kumar Sharma, noted Gujarati language author & poet passed away in Surat at
the age of 84 years.
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of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.
Compendium-September, 2018
Important Days
September 5 : Teacher's Day (Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's Birth Day)
Theme of 2018 : No Theme
September 16 : International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (UN)
Theme of 2018 : Keep Cool and Carry On
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of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.
Compendium-September, 2018
Foreign Visits / Foreign Visitors
Visit of External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj to New York, USA for 73rd UNGA in
between September 22-27, 2018.
Visit of Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu to Serbia, Malta and Romania in between Sep
14-20, 2018.
Visit of Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu to USA in between September 8-9, 2018.
State Visit of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic in
between September 02-09, 2018.
State Visit of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev to India in
between September 30 - October 01, 2018.
Visit of Secretary of State of the United States of America Mr. Michael R. Pompeo to India in
between September 05-06, 2018.
Source of Information
http://pib.nic.in
http://india.gov.in
http://www.ibef.org
http://thehindu.com
http://jagranjosh.com
http://gktoday.in
49 |
© Clat Possible. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, sale, distribution or circulation
of any of the contents of this work is a punishable offence under the laws of India.