02-03 October 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

02-03 October 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Surjit Bhalla Appointed as Executive Director for India at IMF

• The government has appointed an eminent economist Surjit S Bhalla as the Executive Director for India on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointment of Bhalla for a period of three years.
• Surjit S Bhalla will succeed former RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn who died in the US on July 30 after a brief illness.
• In December last year, he resigned as a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
• He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, a Masters in Public and International Affairs from Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and a BSEE degree from Purdue University.

Note:

• Former Deputy Governor of RBI Subir Gokran was appointed as the executive director for India on the board of the IMF in November 2015.

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

• Air Marshal SK Ghotia has been appointed as the chief of South Western Air Command. He replaced Air Marshal H S Arora, who moved to Air Headquarters as the Vice-Chief of Air Staff.
• Prior to assuming the present appointment, Air Marshal Ghotia was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command.
• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Ghotia was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in December 1981.
• He has held various posts including Chief Operations Officer and Station Commander of a forward base in SWAC, Director Intelligence at Air Headquarters, Air Attache at Embassy of India in Paris, Air Officer Commanding COBRA Group and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) at Air HQ, among others

source: Indian Express

3. Home Minister Amit Shah flags off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on 3rd October, flagged off the Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express from the New Delhi Railway Station to Katra in Jammu.
• Train number 22439 New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express will depart from the New Delhi Railway Station at 6 am to reach Katra at 2 pm.
• En route, the train will halt at Ambala Cantt, Ludhiana and Jammu Tawi for two minutes each.
• On the return journey the same day, train number 22440 Katra-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express will leave from the Katra Railway Station at 3 pm to reach the New Delhi Railway Station at 11 pm.
• This is the second Vande Bharat Express, the first runs between Delhi and Varanasi.

Source: Businessline

4. 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was observed

• On 2^nd October, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated across the country. Every year on 2 October, the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is observed with prayer services and tributes across the nation.
• Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. This day is also celebrated as World Non-Violence Day.
• On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to him at Rajghat, the memorial site of the Father of the Nation.
• Various programs are organized in schools and offices across the country on the occasion of Bapu's birthday.
• Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948

5. 115th birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri observed today

• On 2^nd October, 115th birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India was celebrated all across the country.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 October 1904 in Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh.
• Under Shastri's leadership, India won the 1965 war against Pakistan.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a third cardiac arrest on 11 January 1966 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award posthumously in 1966.
• A memorial "Vijay Ghat" was built for him in Delhi.

Lal Bahadur Shastri gave the slogan of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'

• When Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Prime Minister in 1964, there was a war between India and Pakistan in 1965, the very next year. There was also a severe drought in the country.
• To avert the financial crisis, he appealed to the countrymen for a day's fast. Such was the image of Shastriji that the whole country accepted his decision.
• On this occasion, he gave the slogan, 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan', emphasizing the country's agricultural self-reliance.

6. IRCTC Tejas Special: Passengers will get compensation if the train runs late

• Tejas, the country's first corporate sector train, will provide compensation to the passengers on late arrival.
• Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will pay compensation of 100 rupees if the train is late for more than one hour and 250 rupees for more than two hours.
• The Railway Board also issued an order of compensation on 1st October.
• This will be the first time that the railway will compensate passengers on the delay of the train.
• The train will be flagged off on 4 October. The train is scheduled to make its first commercial run on 5 October.

Note:

• The new Tejas Express will run between New Delhi-Lucknow route for six days a week.
• The fare for Lucknow to New Delhi Tejas Express will be ₹1,125 for AC chair car and ₹2,310 for executive chair car.
• The New Delhi to Lucknow Tejas Express ticket will be priced at ₹1,280 for AC chair car passengers and ₹2,450 for executive chair car. The train will operate on a dynamic fare scheme.

Award and Honours

7. Sachin Tendulkar honored with Swachhata Ambassador Award

•  On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the President Ram Nath Kovind honoured veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar with the most effective Swachchta Ambassador Award.
• The award was presented to the master blaster Sachin for utilizing his popularity and fame to ensure India achieves its goal of a Swachh Bharat.
• The award was presented during the President at the India Today Safaigiri Summit in New Delhi.

Note:

• In 2014, Sachin Tendulkar was honoured with Bharat Ratna becoming the youngest recipient of the highest civilian award in the country.

Summit and Conference

8. The World Economic Forum (WEF) is organizing India Economic Summit (IES) in New Delhi

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is organizing a two-day India Economic Summit (IES) from 3rd - 4th October 2019 in New Delhi.
• The summit is being hosted in collaboration with Industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• The summit will have special focus on collaboration with South Asia and ASEAN countries.
• The summit will be co-chair by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheiikh Hasina along with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
• Tennis star Sania Mirza representing UN Women in the Summit.
• The aim of the summit is to accelerate the 4th Industrial Revolution by focusing on emerging technologies like Blockchain technology, 3 – D printing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nanotechnology, quantum computing and energy storage.

Note:

• World Economic Forum is an international organization founded in 1971.
• Its headquarter is situated in Cologny – Geneva, Switzerland.
• Reports published by WEF are:

1. Global Competitiveness Report
2. Global Gender Gap Report
3. Global Risks Report
4. Global Travel and Tourism Report

Obituaries

9. Doyen of nutrition research Dr. Colathur Gopalan passes away

• The doyen of nutrition research in India, Colathur Gopalan (100), passed away in Chennai. Gopalan was a recipient of the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan.
• Dr Gopalan held eminent positions, including being the Director of the National Institute of a Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, and the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) from 1973-79.
• As an institution builder, he helped to set up three national institutes for research in Malaria, Leprosy and Vector Control Research.
• The Nutritive Value of Indian Foods is his brainchild.

Source: Businessline

 Books and Authors

10. New book titled “The Tech Whisperer” written by Jaspreet Bindra released

• A new book titled “The Tec Whisperer” which features chapters on Artificial Intelligence is released. This book is written by digital transformation expert Jaspreet Bindra. The book has been published by Penguin India.
• The book will describe and simplify “emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality,” and talk about how companies can employ these to drive their digital transformation.

Source: National Herald

11. Book by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands released

• A book written by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony titled 'India and the Netherlands - Past, Present and Future,' was released in Amsterdam.
• The book gives an insight into the cross-cultural legacy between the two countries and was released at a function attended by the king and queen of the Netherlands.
• The seminar, jointly organized by the Embassy of India and the Royal Asian Art Society, was held at the Rijksmuseum (National Museum), Amsterdam.
• The book highlights the significant place India occupied in the Dutch worldview and the relationship between the two nations secured by strong economic ties and vibrant exchanges in culture, sports, and yoga.
• It also emphasizes the bilateral strength of present-day ties, and the infinite mutual potential that the future holds for India and the Netherlands, the release added.

Source: Business Standard
Sports News

12. Kapil Dev resigns as BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee chief

• World Cup-winning former India captain Kapil Dev has resigned from the Cricket Advisory Committee of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
• Kapil Dev resigned as the chief of the CAC days after Shanta Rangaswamy stepped down from the 3-member committee.
• Kapil did not reveal the reason for his resignation but wrote an email to the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), informing them about his decision.
• The CAC was tasked with the role of picking the head coaches of India women's and men's cricket teams. Kapil-led CAC had conducted interviews and re-appointed Ravi Shastri as head coach of the senior national team.
• Notably, Shanta Rangaswamy stepped down from the post after she along with Kapil Dev and Anshuman Gaekwad was served Conflict of Interest notice by BCCI's ethics officer DK Jain on September 2019.

Source: India Today

 Economy and Banking Affairs

13. SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank

• SS Mallikarjuna Rao has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Punjab National Bank.
• Presently, Mr. Rao is the chief executive of Allahabad Bank, which is going to be merged with the Indian Bank.
• Mr Rao will head the Delhi-based PNB till September 18, 2021.
• He will replace Sunil Mehta in PNB, which is currently under a process of three-way amalgamation with the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and the United Bank of India.
• Rao started his career as a probationary officer in Bank of Maharashtra in 1985 and had also worked in Global Trust Bank before its merger with OBC. He also worked in Syndicate Bank as Executive Director.

Source: Economic Times

14. Bank of Baroda signs MoU with the Indian Army for customized services

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army, under which the bank will offer customized services, along with a host of facilities to account holders.
• The MoU includes free personal accident insurance cover, free air accident insurance cover of ₹15 lakh to ₹50 lakh, and an overdraft facility up to three times the monthly net salary.
• The features are also applicable for pensioners of the Indian Army up to the age of 70 years.

Source: Business line

15. CBDT launches unique document identification number for taxpayers

• On 1st October, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) launched a computer-generated Document Identification Number (DIN) to ensure greater transparency and accountability in tax administration.
• According to the CBDT, the DIN system becomes operative from 1 October 2019.
• This system will apply to all kinds of communications from the income tax department, whether it is related to assessment, appeals, investigation, penalty, and rectification among other things.
• According to the CBDT circular, on the first day of implementation, about 17,500 communications have been generated with DIN.
• This system would also help taxpayers detect fake notices and letters as the notice would be verifiable on the department's e-filing portal.

International Affairs

16. China debuts DF-41 missile, capable of 'targeting the US in 30 minutes', on National Day

• China unveiled the DF-41 intercontinental-range ballistic missile, touted to be the most powerful missile on the planet at the National Day parade in Beijing on 2^nd October 2019.
• DF-41 has a range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometers), more than any missile on Earth.
• According to the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the missile is capable of carrying 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads and could theoretically, hit the United States in 30 minutes.
• The DF-41 was unveiled during the National Day parade, as China observed its 70th anniversary of Communist rule.
• China has the world's largest standing army and the world's third-largest air force.

Source: Economic Times