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Current Affairs Updates - 20th October 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 20th October 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 20th October 2017

New Appointments: National
WPP Appoints CVL Srinivas As Country Manager, India
  • CVL Srinivas has been appointed country manager for WPP in India. He has taken over the new role from Ranjan Kapur who will continue as Chairman of WPP India.
  • The responsibility has come as an additional charge along with his role as CEO, South Asia, GroupM
Naresh Gupta appointed MP Lokayukta
  • The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed Naresh Kumar Gupta as the Lokayukta (Ombudsman) of the state, a top official said.
  • The post of Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta had been lying vacant since June 2016 after the retirement of PP Naolekar, former Justice of Supreme Court.
New Appointments: International
Jacinda Ardern named next New Zealand PM
  • Jacinda Ardern has been named the next Prime Minister of New Zealand, two and a half months after becoming the leader of the Labour Party. Ardern will be New Zealand's third woman Prime Minister, after Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark. It is the first time that a party without the highest vote share has formed the government.
Rankings
Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport ranks No. 1 in service quality by ACI
  • Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) was ranked No. 1 in the Airports Council International’s service quality in the category of 5 to 15 million passengers per annum.
  • GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) CEO S G K Kishore received the trophy from ACI’s Director General Angela Gittens and CEO of Airports Company South Africa, Bongani Maseko, during the 27th ACI Africa/world annual general assembly at Port Louis in Mauritius on Tuesday.
Asian University Rankings 2018: IIT Bombay top among Indian universities, IISc slips in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings for 2018
  • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay emerged the best Indian university in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings for 2018, which saw most of the top Indian schools slipping in their rankings in Asia.
  • IIT Bombay was ranked 34th in Asia, followed by IIT Delhi (41), IIT Madras (48) and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc) at 51. The 2018 rankings by QS made available to public on Tuesday showed that IISc, which was the best institution from India in 2016 and 2017, slipped the most among top Indian schools.



National Affairs
Maharashtra government releases Rs 4,000 crore in phase 1 of loan waiver scheme
  • The Maharashtra government has released a sum of Rs 4,000 crore under the first phase of the over Rs 34,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on October 18.
  • Disbursal, in the first phase, will cover more than 8 lakh farmers, Fadnavis said as he listed initiatives taken by his government towards increasing investment in the agriculture sector.
  • “Today we have released Rs 4,000 crore of which Rs 3,200 crore will be for writing off the loans of 4.62 lakh farmers. The remaining Rs 800 crore will be in the form of incentive for 3.78 lakh farmers who are paying their loans on time,” he said.
US to Provide EMALS Technology to India for Aircraft Carriers
  • The US will provide the crucial Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for the Indian Navy's future aircraft carrier, the Trump administration has informed India.
  • This gesture ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit to India is another indication of the strategic alliance the US wants to foster with India, informed sources said.
Andhra CM Naidu lays foundation stone for TU142M aircraft museum in Visakhapatnam
  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the TU142M aircraft museum in Visakhapatnam.
  • The chief minister along with Eastern naval command chief Vice Admiral H. C. S. Bisht laid the foundation stone of the museum, being built at the Beach Road.
  • Speaking at the event, Naidu said: "I have seen TU 142M aircraft and can proudly say that it is going to inspire the future generations."
Chandigarh government reduces interest on loan under Saksham Yojna
  • Chhattisgarh government has reduced the rate of interest on loan given to women and their self help groups (SHGs) under 'Saksham Yojna' from 6.5 per cent to 5 per cent. 
  • State's Women and Child Development Minister Ramsheela Sahu took decision in this regard today while chairing a meeting ofthe governing body of 'Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh' (CMK) here at Mantralaya, a government official said. 
Application / Portal 
Odisha unveils portal www.odisha.data.gov.in. for easy access to government data
  • Accessing government data just got easier with the Odisha government today unveiling the State Open Government Data Platform www.odisha.data.gov.in. 
  • Inaugurating the platform today, Odisha's Chief Secretary A P Padhi asked the data officers of all departments to upload information of their respective departments on the website within a week. 
Agreements (MoU)
India, Brazil, South Africa sign IBSA Trust Fund agreement
  • India, Brazil and South Africa signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement that seeks to fight poverty in developing countries, here today. 
  • The agreement was signed by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh who led the Indian side at the 8th IBSA trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting in Durban. 
Awards & Honours
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas conferred with Swachh Bharat Inter-Ministerial Award on October 2, 2017 
  • Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) has been awarded with Swachh Bharat Inter-Ministerial Award by Minister of State, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri S.S. Ahluwalia in the presence of Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, and Minister of State, Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri R.C. Jigajinagi in recently held Swachh Bharat National Award ceremony on Gandhi Jayanti, 02nd October 2017 in New Delhi. The award in the inter-Ministerial category was presented to MoPNG on the basis of the activities undertaken in the past three years and was received by Senior Adviser (PNG). This event was organized to mark the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Swachh Bharat Diwas, and the conclusion of Swachhata Hi Seva fortnight.
Javed Akhtar to Be Honoured With Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award
  • The programme is being presented to acknowledge his contribution in her 75-year-old career on October 26, read a statement.
  • Veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar is being honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award on the 28th anniversary of Hridayesh Arts and the 80th birthday of veteran music composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
  • Akhtar will receive Rs 100,000 along with a memento, read a statement.
Sports: Awards & Honours
Veda 3rd Indian woman cricketer to sign for Big Bash League
  • Indian woman cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has become only the third player from India to sign up for Women's Big Bash League after Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. The 25-year-old, who represented India in the 2017 World Cup, has signed a one-year deal with Hobart Hurricanes and will be available for 10 matches of the tournament, starting December 9.
Saina Nehwal beats Olympic champion Marin in straight sets to knock her out of the Denmark Open
  • Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal defeated Rio Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin in straight sets to knock her out of the Denmark Open in the first round on Wednesday. World number 12 Nehwal, who won the match with the scoreline of 22-20, 21-18 in 46 minutes, registered her fifth victory over the world number four Spaniard in nine matches.
South Africa pips India to become number one ranked ODI team
  • South Africa overtook India to reclaim the number one spot in the ODI rankings after defeating Bangladesh by 104 runs in the second ODI on Wednesday. India had reclaimed the number one rank after beating Australia in the five-match ODI series 4-1 on October 1. With the win, South Africa also took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Obituary 
Congress MLA Ram Singh Yadav passes away
  • Congress MLA Ram Singh Yadav passed away on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack, a party leader said. He was 74.
  • The legislator is survived by wife and two children. Yadav was the MLA from Kolaras Vidhan Sabha seat in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh.
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