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OCTOBER-2018

CONTENTS

The Inauguration of Statue of Unity..2

Current Affairs Bullets………..3

Latest in General Knowledge…5

Appointments

Awards & Honors

Books & Authors

Constitutional/Law

Defense

Economic Scenario

Ecology & Environment

Places

Report & Index

Software & Telecom

Persons in News………………13

Current Topics – India………..14

Current Topics – World……....18

Static GK Capsules……............22

Latest in Sports………………..24

Current Affairs MCQs………...27

Answer Key of MCQs………...36

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All disputes subject to Jodhpur jurisdiction only.



Current Affairs Bullets

Winner of the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for

his contribution to international cooperation

and fostering global economic growth-

Narendra Modi

The joint training exercise between Russia and

Pakistan held in Pakistan recently- Druzhba-

III

The country with which India inked an MoU

for the appointment of a private operator of the

Sittwe Port- Myanmar

The military exercise between the US and UAE

held recently – Iron Magic 19

The South Korea-based UN-backed fund which

has approved more than $1 bn for 19 new

projects to help developing countries tackle

climate change- Green Climate Fund

The US-based Dalit writer whose debut book

Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable

Family and the making of Modern India has

been named the winner of 2018 Shakti Bhatt

First Book Prize –Sujatha Gidla

The venue of the 27th

Fusion Energy

Conference – Gandhinagar

Winner of the 19th

Lal Bahadur Shastri

National Award For Excellence in Public

Administration – Fali S Nariman

The river on which India‘s longest river bridge

(19.3 km long) will be built connecting Dhubri

in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalya –

Brahmaputra

The country where Hong Kong-zhuhai-Macau

bridge, dubbed the longest bridge-cum-tunnel

sea crossing in the world, was inaugurated

recently – China

The President of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa party

which won the third general election in Bhutan

recently – Dr Lotay Tshering

The joint opposition candidate in the recent

Maldivian presidential election who defeated

Abdulla Yameen – Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

The person appointed the interim Director of

the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

recently – M Nageswar Rao

The payments bank which is a 70 : 30 Joint

venture between RIL and SBI – Jio Payments

Bank

Winner of the Hridaynath Award for Lifetime

Achievement this year – Mohammed Zahur

Khayyam Hashmi

Winner of the International Olympic

Committee‘s Sport and Active Society

Commission‘s Grant Award – Suheil F

Tandon

The new chief of the National Commission for

Protection of Child Rights- Priyank Kanoongo

The co-founder of Microsoft who passed away

recently - Paul G Allen

The rate of interest for General Provident Fund

(GPF) for the Oct-Dec quarter – 8 per cent

Winner of the 2018 Sultan Johar Cup Junior

Hockey – Great Britain

The city where India‘s first crypto currency

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) was set up

recently – Bengaluru

The joint military drill to be held between the

armies of India and Japan in Mizoram –

Dharma Guardian

Winner of the women‘s singles title of the

Denmark Open badminton tournament – Tai

Tzu Ying

The venue of the ASEAN Defence Ministers‘

Meetings (12th

ADMM and 5th

ADMM-Plus)

held recently – Singapore

The professional boxer who has signed the

richest contract in sport history (worth $ 365

mn) with streaming service DAZN – Canclo

Alvarez

The country which will launch three artificial

moons in space in 2022 – China

The cleanest govt varsity in the country as

declared by the HRD Ministry – Maharshi

Dayanand University (Haryana)

The venue of the joint multi-national maritime

exercise between India, Brazil and South Africa

held recently – IBSAMAR



The first chief of National Financial Reporting

Authority (NFRA)- Rangachari Sridharan

The country to which the IMF has given the

biggest-ever loan ($57bn) – Argentina

The state govt which has launched wage

compensation scheme for pregnant women in

tea garden districts – Assam

Winner of the 2018 Asia Cup cricket

tournament – India

The bank on which the RBI recently imposed a

penalty of RS 5 cr for noncompliance – Karur

Vyasa Bank

The country where India has set up an Ayush

Information Cell at its embassy premises –

Romania

The flag – bearer of the Indian contingent at the

3rd

Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires

– Manu Bhaker

Winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize for her

novel Milkman – Anna Burns

The bank to which the appointment of Sandeep

Bakhshi as the Managing Director and was

approved by the RBI recently – ICICI Bank

The decade which the United Nations has

declared as the ―Nelson Mandela Decade of

Peace‖ – 2019-2028

The hurricane which hit the US recently –

Michael

The world‘s first country to successfully land

two robotic rovers on an asteroid – Japan

The head of the committee formed by the

Supreme

Court on Prison Reforms – Justice Amitava

Roy

India‘s ranking as the most competitive

economy on the World Economic Forum‘s

global competitiveness index for 2018 topped

by the US – 58th

The state which has announced that

sportspersons would be given three per cent

sub-quota in recruitments Tamil Nadu

The country where the festival of Fulpati was

celebrated recently – Nepal

The venue of the 12th

Asia Europe Meeting

(ASEM) summit – Brussels (Belgium)

The present chairman of the Central Vigilance

Commission (CVC) – KV Chowdary

The city with which the Delhi govt recently

signed a twin-city agreement – Moscow

The wholesale price inflation (WPI) in Sep

2018 – 5.13%

The state where Central Govt‘s health

insurance scheme ‗Ayushman Bharat‘ has been

merged with State govt‘s ‗Swasthya Sathi‘-

West Bengal

The new global chief executive officer of the

US – based direct selling company Amway –

Milind Pant

The storm which hit UK recently – Callum

The state where the Union Textile Ministery

will construct textile tourism complex in

Nangpoh Meghalaya

The person elected as the chairperson of the

industry body Association of Mutual Funds in

India (Amfi) – Nimesh Shah

The place where the annual meeting of the

International Monetary Fund and World Bank

was held recently – Bali (Indonesia)

The state which has won the top prize at the

UN-backed Future Policy Awards for organic

farming – Sikkim

The legendary musician who passed away

recently – Annapurna Devi

India‘s overall ranking on the Global Hunger

Index 2018 topped by Belarus – 103rd

The Geneva-based UN institution to which

India was elected recently – UN Human

Rights Council

The Nepalese institute with which SBI has

signed an MoU for the development of human

resources – National Banking Institute

India‘s ranking among 157 countries on the

World Bank‘s first-ever Human Capital Index

(HCI) – 115TH

The city where country‘s first India Israel

Innovation Centre (IIIC) was launched recently

– Bangaluru

Retail inflation as measured by the Consumer

Price Index (CPI), in Sep 2018 – 3.77 per cent



The industrial production measured in terms of

Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in Aug

2018 – 4.3 per cent

The country which has announced to sell 48

high-end armed drones Wing Loong II to

Pakistan – China

The state where PM Narendra Modi unveiled a

64-feet-tall statue of peasant leader late Sir

Chhotu Ram in Garhi Sampla village –

Haryana

The chief of the recently reconstituted Strategic

Policy Group (SPG) – Ajit Doval

The university which has been ranked first on

Reuters‘ list of the World‘s Most Innovative

Universities 2018- Stanford University

The state where the Inland Waterways

Authority of India (IWAI) launched a Roll off

(Ro Ro) service recently from Neamati to

Manjuli island – Assam

The bank which has launched India‘s first 2

EMV chip debit-cum-credit card – IndusInd

Bank

The new chief executive officer (CEO) of Air

Asia India – Sunil Bhaskaran

The country which was hit by a major 7

magnitude earthquake recently Papua New

Guinea

The venue of the 32nd

world conference of the

World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM)

held recently – Gurugram

India‘s ranking on Commitment to Reducing

Inequality (CRI) Index 2018‘ – 147th

The social networking platform which was

recently found with a bug that exposed private

data of up to 500,000 users – Google+

The US ambassador to the United Nations who

resigned recently – Nikki Haley

The cyclonic storms which hit the coastal

region of Odisha recently – Titli

The item from Ratnagiri Sindhudurg Palaghar,

Thane and Raigad districts of Maharashtra

which has got Geographical Indication tag –

Alphonso mango

The partner state at Goal International Film

Festival 2018 – Jharkhand

Winner of the girls‘ title of IBSF World U – 16

Championships – Keerthanan Pandian

Winner of the 2018 Sultan of Johor Cup

Hockey tournament – UK

The city ranked as the best district as per the

ranking undertaken by Swachh Survekshan

Grameen 2018 – Satara

Winner of the 2018 ACC Under -19 Asia Cup

in Dhaka – India

Latest In General Knowledge

Anniversaries & Days

October 1 -- International Day for the Elderly

October 2 -- Gandhi Jayanti

October 3 -- World Habitat Day

October 4 -- World Animal Welfare Day

October 5 -- World Teacher's Day

October 8 -- Indian Air Force Day

October 9 -- World Post Office Day

October 10 -- National Post Day

October 2nd Thursday -- World Sight Day

October 13 -- UN International Day for Natural

Disaster Reduction

October 14 -- World Standards Day

October 15 -- World White Cane Day (guiding

the blind)

October 16 -- World Food Day

October 24 -- UN Day; World Development

Information Day

October 30 -- World Thrift Day

October 31 -- National Integration Day, Rashtriya

Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)

Appointments

Sahle-Work Zewde appointed as first female

President of Ethiopia: Ethiopia appointed

diplomat Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde as its first-

ever female President on October 25, 2018. Ms.

Zewde was appointed by the Ethiopian

lawmakers through a unanimous vote. She

replaces Mr. Mulatu Teshome Wirtu who

resigned on October 24, 2018. Prior to her



appointment, Ms. Zewde was serving as the

UN's top official at the African Union. She is

expected to serve two six-year terms as

President. The position of the President is

largely ceremonial in the nation.

Nguyen Phu Trong becomes President of

Vietnam: Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General

Secretary of ruling Communist Party of

Vietnam (CPV), was elected President of the

country at the sixth session of the National

Assembly on October 23, 2018. Mr. Trong will

hold the post (that had been vacant since the

death of Mr. Tran Dai Quang on September 21,

2018) until 2021. Vice President Mr. Dang Thi

Ngoc Thinh had been acting President since

then. Mr. Phu Trong has been a member of the

PCV Central Committee's Political Bureau

since 1997 and served as the Chairman of the

National Assembly from 2007 to 2011.

Maeen Abdulmalik sworn in as new PM of

Yemen: Mr. Maeen Abdulmalik was sworn in

as the Prime Minister of Yemen on October 18,

2018 to lead the internationally-backed

government in the war-torn Arab country. Mr.

Maeen was appointed as Prime Minister by

President of Yemen Mr. Abdu-Rabbu Mansour

Hadi, replacing his sacked predecessor Mr.

Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Mr. Maeen holds a

PhD in philosophy of architecture and design

theories. He had assumed the post of Minister

of Public Works in Mr. Bin Dagher's cabinet.

He has worked in an advisory group in Cairo in

the field construction.

Pankaj Sharma appointed' India's

Ambassador to UN Conference on

Disarmament: Mr. Pankaj Sharma was

appointed as the Ambassador and India's

Permanent Representative to the United

Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva

on October 6, 2018. Pankaj Sharma Mr.

Sharma' has been serving as the Joint Secretary

(Disarmament and International Security

Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

He replaces Mr. Amandeep Gill.

Tushar Mehta appointed as Solicitor

General of India: Senior Advocate Mr. Tushar

Mehta was appointed as the Solicitor General

of India on October 10, 2018 with effect from

the date of assumption of charge of the office

for a period till June 30, 2020 or until further

orders. Mr. Mehta had been serving as the

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India

since 2014. The post had been lying vacant for

the last 11 months after Senior Advocate Mr.

Ranjith Kumar resigned on October 20, 2017.

The Solicitor General is the second highest

ranking law officer of the Union Government

after the Attorney General.

Shekhar Mande appointed as Director-

General of CSIR: The Union Government

appointed Mr. Shekhar C. Mande, the Director

of the Pune-based National Centre for Cell

Science and a top functionary of Vijnana

Bharati, a swadeshi science movement

affiliated with the RSS, as the Director-General

of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

(CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of

Scientific and Industrial Research on October

13, 2018. A fellow of all three major science

academies, the 56-year-old Mr. Mande is a

recipient of the coveted S.S. Bhatnagar Prize,

most prestigious science honour in the country

in 2005. The position of the DG of CSIR fell

vacant with its previous chief Mr. Girish Sahni

superannuating on August 31, 2018.

Books And Authors

Kama: The Riddle of Desire – By Gurcharan Das,

Penguin

Red Birds – By Mohammad Hanif, Bloomsbury

The Rabbit & The Squirrel – By Siddharth

Dhanvant Shanghvi; illustrated By Stina Wirsen,

Penguin

Bostar Dispatches: A Passage through the Wild –

By Narendra, Harper Collins



Maharana Pratap, The Invincible Warrior – By

Rima Hooja

The RSS: A View to the Inside – By Andersen and

Shridhar D. Damle

Acid – By Sangeetha Sreenivasan, Penguin

Defense

India conducts successful night trial of Agni-

1 Ballistic Missile: A night trial of India's

indigenously developed nuclear-capable Agni-1

ballistic missile with a strike range of 700 km

was successfully conducted from a test range

off Odisha coast on October 30, 2018, as a part

of a user trial by the Army. The launch of the

surface-to-surface missile was undertaken as a

part of periodic training activity by the

Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Dr.

Abdul Kalam Island to consolidate operational

readiness. Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-

long Agni-I, which can carry payload up to

1000 kg, has already been inducted into the

Indian Army. While the sophisticated missile

has been test-fired many times from the same

base since 2002, the night that was conducted

only for the second time to reconfirm its

technological parameters.

Indian Navy inducts first deep submergence

rescue vessel to rescue distressed

submarines: Enhancing its operational

capabilities, the Indian Navy inducted its first

Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) at

its base in Mumbai on October 13; 2018. With

the move, India joins a select list of

international navies with the ability to search,

locate and provide assistance to downed or

disaster-struck submarines at high sea. The

DSRV can reportedly be deployed at short

notice for providing assistance to submarines in

distress. The rescue vessel, complete with an

associated kit in fly-away configuration, can be

crucial in locating submarines quickly through

the vast expanse of sea and can be mobilised by

air and water for rapid rescue.

32nd edition of India-Indonesia coordinated

patrol held in Indonesia: The 32nd edition of

India-Indonesia coordinated patrol (IND-INDO

CORPAT) was held in Belawan, Indonesia

from October 11 to 27, 2018. The ships and

aircraft from both countries undertook

patrolling on respective sides of 236 nautical

miles long International Maritime Boundary

Line. The patrolling was conducted in three

phases, followed by closing ceremony at Port

Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indian

Naval Ship (INS) Kulish, a Kora-class missile

corvette and Dornier naval maritime patrol

aircraft from Andaman and Nicobar Command

participated in the patrol. It aimed to contribute

to Indian Navy's efforts to forge strong bonds

of friendship across seas and consolidate inter-

operability.

India-Japan hold bilateral maritime exercise

‘JIMEX 18’: The third edition of Japan-India

Maritime Exercise (JIMEX), JIMEX 18, was

held al: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from

October 7 to 15, 2018. The Japanese Maritime

Self Defence Force (JMSDF Ships participated

in the exercise along with the ships of Eastern

Fleet of the Indian Navy. The Japanese fleet

included JMSDF Ships Kaga, an Izumo Class

Helicopter Destroyer; and Inazuma, a Guided

Missile Destroyer. The Indian Navy was

represented by multipurpose stealth frigate INS

Satpura; Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette,

Missile Corvette INS Kadmatt; and the Fleet

Tanker INS Shakti. In addition to these, one

submarine, P81 Long Range Maritime Patrol

Aircraft and a number of integral helicopters

also participated in the exercise.

Ecology & Environment

SC prohibits plying of 15-year-old petrol, 10-

year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR: The

Supreme Court on October 29, 2018 prohibited

the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old

diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region in a

move to deal with the prevailing "very critical"



and "horrible" pollution situation in Delhi-

NCR. A bench of Justices Mr. Madan B. Lokur,

Mr. S. Abdul Nazeer and Mr. Deepak Gupta

also clarified that such vehicles would be

seized, if found on roads in Delhi-NCR. The

apex court directed that a list of 15-year-old

petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles Will be

published on the website of the Central

Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and transport

departments of the NCR area.

No sale of Bharat Stage-IV vehicles across

the country from April 1, 2020: SC: The

Supreme Court on October 24, 2018 ruled that

no Bharat Stage-IV vehicles shall be sold

across the country with effect from April 1,

2020. The Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission

norm would come into force from April 1, 2020

across the country. The ruling was given by a

three-judge bench headed by Justice Mr. Madan

B. Lokur. The bench clarified that only BS-VI-

compliant vehicles will be sold in India from

April 1, 2020. Earlier, advocate Aparajita

Singh, assisting the apex court as amicus

curiae, had opposed the Union Government's

move to give time till June 30, 2020 to

automobile manufacturers to sell their BS-VI

non-compliant four-wheelers manufactured till

March 31, 2020. Green Fund approves $1

billion to assist poor countries to tackle climate

change : Green Climate Fund, the UN-backed

fund, has approved more than $1 billion for 19

new projects to help developing countries

tackle climate change. The decision was taken

during a four-day meeting in Manama, Bahrain

that ended on October 20, 2018. The officials

overseeing the Climate Fund also agreed to

start seeking fresh money in 2019 as its initial

capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used

up. The funding was approved for projects

linked to geothermal energy in Indonesia,

greener cities in Europe and the Middle East

and protection for coastal communities in India.

The Green Fund was originally meant to

receive over $10 billion from rich countries by

2018. However, US President Mr. Donald

Trump's decision to withhold $2 billion of the

$3 billion pledged by his predecessor, Mr.

Barack Obama, has contributed to a shortfall in

its projected assets.

Economic Scene

Financial Stability and Development Council

meeting held in New Delhi: The Financial

Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

meeting was held in New Delhi on October 30,

2018. The high-level meeting chaired by

Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley discussed

liquidity issues being faced by the non-banking

financial companies. Headed by the Finance

Minister, the FSDC includes RBI Governor,

SEBI Chairman, and heads of other regulators

like PFRDA, IRDAI, and also Chairman of the

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board. RBI

Governor Mr. Urjit Patel said that the liquidity

problem in NBFCs is not as severe as is being

projected, but assured the government that it

would ensure adequate liquidity in the system.

The meeting assumed significance as the FSDC

met for the first time after RBI Deputy

Governor Mr. Viral Acharya raised the issues

regarding independence of the central bank.

Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank to

set up internal committees to merge

operations: Bank of Baroda (BoB), Dena Bank

and Vijaya Bank on' October 24, 2018 decided

to constitute internal committees to help

integrate the functions of the banks before the

merger takes place. These include committees

on credit, human resources (HR) and

information technology. The committees will

comprise the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)

and Executive Directors of all the three banks.

The banks also decided to appoint three

separate valuers to fix the swap ratios of

merger. The valuer appointed by one bank will

also evaluate the other two banks, before a

common ratio is arrived at. The Union Finance

Ministry had announced on September 17, 2018

the proposal to merge three public sector



lenders—Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and

Vijaya Bank.

Government notifies special courts for trial

of benami transaction cases: The Central

Government has issued a notification stating

that Sessions Courts in 34 States and Union

Territories, will act as special courts for the trial

of offences under the benami transaction law.

The Union Ministry of Finance stated in its

notification that the Sessions Courts were

notified of the same after consultation with

Chief Justices of High Courts under the

Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions

Act, 1988 for the trial of offences punishable

under the provision of the Act.

In the case of the National Capital Territory of

Delhi, the courts of Additional Session's Judge

in each district have been designated as the

special court. Further, under the Prohibition' of

Benami Property Transactions Act, every trial

should be conducted as expeditiously as

possible. The law also prescribes that every

endeavour should be made by the special court

to conclude the trial within six months from the

date of filing of the complaint.

IMF predicts India to grow at 7.3% in 2018-

19: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

released the latest World Economic Outlook

report on October 9, 2018. According to the

report, India's growth rate is predicted to

increase to 7.3% in 2018-19 and 7.4% in 2019-

20. In 2017-18, India had recorded a growth

rate of 6.7%. The latest growth prediction for

India, however, is slightly lower than what was

predicted in April 2018 World Economic

Outlook for 2019 due to the recent increase in

oil prices and tightening of global financial

conditions. The report states that India's

medium-term growth prospects remain strong

at 7.75%, benefiting from ongoing structural

reform, but have been marked down by just

under 0.5 percentage point relative to the April

2018 WEO.

Honours & Awards

NATIONAL

27th Vyas Samman: Renowned Hindi author

Ms. Mamta Kalia was presented the 27th Vyas

Samman—an annual literary award given by

the KK. Birla Foundation—for her novel

`Dukkham Sukkham'. Governor of Goa Ms.

Mridula Sinha presented the award plaque and

Rs. 3.5 lakh prize money to Ms. Kalia at an

event in New Delhi on October 17, 2018. Ms.

Kalia is known for her literary works in Hindi

and English including Beghar', lanch Abhi Jaari

Hai', `Ninnohi', and Bolne Wali Aurat'. She has

earlier been awarded the Tashpal Katha

Samman' from the UP Hindi Sansthan and

`Sahitya Bhushan Samman' and 'Ram Manohar

Lohia Samman'.

Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony: The

Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony for the

years 2014, 2015 and 2016 were announced on

October 25, 2018. The award jury was headed

by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and

included Chief Justice of India Justice Mr.

Ranjan Gogoi, former Chief Election

Commissioner Mr. N. Gopalaswami and

national vice president of the BJP Mr. Vinay

Sahasrabuddhe. The award for 2014 was given

to Mr. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, a doyen of

Manipuri dance who is also a teacher,

performer and choreographer. Chhayanaut,

established in 1961, which has played a leading

role in promoting Tagore's works in Bengali

culture, won the award for 2015. For 2016, the

award was given to sculptor Mr. Ram Vanji

Sutar, whose first notable work was the 45-feet

Chambal monument at the Gandhi Sagar Dam

in Madhya Pradesh.

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for

Excellence in Public Administration:

Eminent jurist Mr. Fali S. Nariman (89) was

awarded 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National

Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

He was presented the award by Vice-President



Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu at a function held in

New Delhi on October 22, 2018. Mr. Fali S.

Nariman is one of the most distinguished

constitutional lawyers of India. He was the

senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India

since 1971 and has remained President of Bar

Association of India since 1991.

1st World Agriculture Prize: Professor M.S.

Swaminathan, founder of the M.S.

Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF),

was awarded the first World Agriculture Prize

at the 11th Global Agriculture Leadership

Summit in New Delhi recently. He received the

award from Vice-President Mr. M. Venkaiah

Naidu at the event hosted by the Indian Council

of Food and Agriculture. The M.S.

Swaminathan Junior Research Fellowship, to

be awarded from 2019 onwards, was also

instituted on the occasion.

Hridaynath Award for Lifetime

Achievement: Renowned National Award

winning music Director Mohammed Zahur

Khayyam Hashmi, better known as

"Khayyam", was conferred the prestigious

Hridaynath Award for Lifetime Achievement in

Mumbai on October 26, 2018. Chief Minister

of Maharashtra Mr. Devendra Fadnavis gave

away the award, comprising a cash prize of Rs.

1,00,000 and a memento, named after the

famous Hridaynath Mangeshkar on his 81st

birthday.

INTERNATIONAL

UN Human Rights Prize: Asma Jahangir, the

late Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer,

was posthumously announced as one of the

winners of the UN Human Rights Prize on

October 26, 2018. The announcement was

made through the official Twitter account of

President of the UN General Assembly Ms.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa Games. Jahangir was

chosen for the prize along with three others

including Ms. Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania, the

first indigenous lawyer of Brazil Ms. Joenia

Wapichana and human rights organisation

Front Line Defenders of Ireland.

2018 Seoul Peace Prize: The Seoul Peace

Prize Committee conferred the 2018 Seoul

Peace Prize on Prime Minister Mr. Narendra

Modi on October 24, 2018 for his contribution

to world peace through his economic vision,

‗Modinomics‘. The Committee recognised Mr.

Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian

and global economies, crediting ‗Modinomics‘

for reducing social and economic disparity

between the rich and the poor. With this, Mr.

Modi became the 14th recipient of this coveted

award. The award will be presented by the

Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually

convenient time.

CAPAM International Innovations Awards

2018: India won the Commonwealth

Association for Public Administration and

Management Award (CAPAM) 2018 for an

initiative that envisages quality education for

all. The initiative entitled ‗Unnayan Banka—

Reinventing Education Using Technology of

Banka District', by State of Bihar has been

awarded under the category 'Innovation

Incubation'. The awards were announced during

the Annual General Members Meet at

Georgetown, Guyana on October 23, 2018. The

CAPAM is a non-profit association

representing an international network of over

1100 senior public servants, Heads of

Government, leading academics and

researchers located in over 50 countries across

the Commonwealth.

Man Booker Prize 2018: Irish author Ms.

Anna Burns won Britain's renowned Man

Booker Prize 2018 on October 16, 2018, for her

third novel `Milkman'. Ms. Burns received the

award from Prince Charles' wife Camilla, the

Duchess of Cornwall, as well as 50,000 pounds

($65,900) as the prize money. ‗Milkman' is an

exploration of Northern Ireland's three decades

of violence told through the voice of a young



woman. The judges of the annual award praised

Ms. Anna Burns' work as utterly distinctive.

Ms. Burns has become the first writer from

Northern Ireland to win the Booker Prize.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's

Future Policy Award 2018: North-eastern

State Sikkim won the UN Food and Agriculture

Organisation's (FAO) Future Policy Award

2018 for being the world's first 100% organic

State. The award was received in a ceremony

on October 15, 2018 at FAO headquarters

during the celebrations of the World Food

Week in Rome. Sikkim defeated 51 nominated

policies from 25 countries, winning the Gold

Prize of the Future Policy Award 2018, also

known as "Oscar for Best Policies".

New Academy Prize in Literature: Ms.

Maryse Conde, one of the Caribbean's most

renowned authors, won the New Academy

Prize in Literature, an award created to replace

the Nobel Prize for Literature 2018, on October

12, 2018.

The Guadeloupian author, 81, said that she was

very happy and proud to win the alternative

version. The Nobel Prize for Literature was

suspended after a crisis over its handling of

allegations against Frenchman Mr. Jean-Claude

Arnault, the husband of one of the academy's

members. The New Academy is a provisional

self-organised group of over 100 volunteers

that emerged to provide an alternative global

literature prize in 2018.

Inventions & Discoveries

IIT Guwahati uses aloe vera to remove oil from

water: Researchers have for the first time used a

naturally occurring material—aloe vera gel—which

inherently has superior oil repelling (oleophobic)

property to separate oil from water. So far

researchers have only been mimicking the

structure of naturally existing materials such as

fish scales to achieve super oleophobicity. The

team led by Dr. Uttam Manna from the

Department of Chemistry at IIT-Guwahati used

the thick gel contained in the leaves of aloe

vera plant to convert a commercially available

porous material that is oil-loving (oleophilic) to

become extremely oil-repelling by coating it

with the gel.

World's smallest optical gyroscope

developed: Researchers from the California

Institute of Technology in the US have

developed the world's smallest optical

gyroscope—a device that helps vehicles, drones

and handheld electronic devices know their

orientation in 3D space. The new gyroscope,

described in Nature Photonics, is 500 times

smaller than the current best device. The

researchers said that today's cellphones have

microelectromechanical sensor, the modern-day

equivalent, which measures changes in the

forces acting on two identical masses that are

oscillating and moving in opposite directions.

These MEMS gyroscopes are limited in their

sensitivity, so optical gyroscopes have been

developed to perform the same function but

with no moving parts and a greater degree of

accuracy.

Places

Kevadiya, Gujarat: Prime Minister Mr.

Narendra Modi unveiled the Statue of Unity in

Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat on

October 31, 2018. Built at a cost, of about Rs

3,000 crore, and standing at a height of 182

metres, Vallabhbhai Patel‘s statue is the tallest

in the world and has, surpassed the Spring

Temple Buddha (128 metres) of China. Mr.

Modi dedicated the statue to the nation on the

143rd birth anniversary of the country's first

Home Minister. Sardar Patel played a major

role in integrating the princely states into the

Indian Union after Partition in 1947. Air jets

flew over the statue, helicopters showered

flowers on it with fireworks in the green,

orange and white colours as PM Mr. Modi

dedicated it to the nation. The statue has been



designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor

Mr. Ram V. Sutar and has been by Larsen and

Toubro and the state-run Sardar Sarovar

Narmada Nigam Ltd. It took about 250

engineers and 3,400 labourers to construct the

statue in 33 months. The statue has a viewing

gallery which can accommodate 200 visitors at

a time. The gallery offers a view of the Sardar

Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and

Vindhya mountain ranges.

Reports & Indexes

World Bank launches first Human Capital

Index, Singapore tops list: The World Bank

launched its first Human Capital Index (HCI) in

Bali, Indonesia on October 11, 2018, as a part

of the World Development Report 2019. The

index ranks countries based on their success in

developing human capital. The index ranks 157

countries based on their education and health

outcomes and the impact they are having on

productivity. While Singapore tops the

rankings, African countries occupy the bottom

spots. Overall, the index found that on an

average 56% of children born today will forego

more than half their potential lifetime earnings

because governments were not investing

adequately to ensure that their people are

healthy, educated and ready for an evolving

workplace. Singapore topped the rankings list,

followed by South Korea, Japan and Hong

Kong On the other hand, African countries with

high childhood stunting rates and low access to

formal education fared the worst in the rankings

Space

NASA's Kepler space telescope to retire: The

Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel and

will be retired after a 91/2-year mission in

which it detected thousands of planets beyond

our solar system and boosted the search for

worlds that might harbour alien life, NASA

said on October 30, 2018. Currently orbiting

the Sun 156 million km from the earth, the

spacecraft will drift further from our planet

when mission engineers turn off its radio

transmitters. The Kepler telescope discovered

more than 2,600 of the roughly 3,800

exoplanets, the planets outside, our solar

system, that have been documented in the past

two decades.

Europe, Japan send spacecraft on 7-year

journey to Mercury: European and Japanese

space agencies said that an Ariane 5 rocket

successfully lifted a spacecraft carrying two

probes into orbit on October 20, 2018 for a

joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to

the Sun. The European Space Agency and the

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said that

the unmanned BepiColombo spacecraft

successfully separated and was sent into the

orbit from French Guiana as planned to begin a

seven-year journey to Mercury. The spacecraft

is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe "Bepi"

Colombo. ESA said that the 1.3 billion-euro

($1.5 billion) mission is one of the most

challenging in its history.

Space travel can alter the brain: study:

Spending long periods in space may not only

lead to muscle atrophy and reductions in bone

density but also have lasting effects on the

brain, the first long-term study on Russian

cosmonauts has warned. Researcher from

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

(LMU) in Germany said that it remains unclear

whether and to what extent the neuroanatomical

changes so far observed persist following return

to normal gravity. The study, which appeared in

the New England Journal of Medicine, shows

that differential changes in the three main tissue

volumes of the brain remain detectable for at

least half a year after the end of their last

mission.

Software & Telecom

New artificial intelligence bot can recognise

galaxies: An artificial intelligence (AI)

programme used to recognise faces on



Facebook can also identify galaxies in deep

space, scientists said on October 31, 2018. The

AI bot named ClaRAN scans images taken by

radio telescopes, said researchers from the

International Centre for Radio Astronomy

Research (ICRAR) in Australia. Its job is to

spot radio galaxies—galaxies that emit

powerful radio jets from supermassive black

holes at their centres, according to the research

published in the journal Monthly Notices of the

Royal Astronomical Society. Black holes are

found at the centre of most, if not all, galaxies.

Airtel has highest 3G/4G download speeds,

Idea leads upload speeds in India: Bharti

Airtel has recorded the highest download

speeds in India for 3G and 4G combined at 7.53

Mbps where Reliance Jio, Vodafone, Idea and

BSNL recorded speeds of 5.47 Mbps, 5.20

Mbps, 4.92 Mbps and 2.70 Mbps respectively,

according to OpenSignal's November 2018

report When only 4G download speeds of the

operators were compared, Airtel led with 9.96

Mbps speed where Vodafone and Idea's 4G

download speeds were faster than Jio's speed of

5.47 Mbps. In the upload speeds comparison of

3G and 4G in India, Idea won with 2.88 Mbps

speed while being 15% faster than its closest

rival Vodafone in 3G and 30% faster in 4G.

Vodafone, Airtel; Jio and BSNL recorded

overall upload speeds of 2.31 Mbps, 1.90

Mbps, 1.58 Mbps and 0.76 Mbps respectively.

Persons in News

Ram Nath Kovind: Hon'ble President Mr.

Ram Nath Kovind was on a three-day visit to

Tajikistan where he met President of Republic

of Tajikistan Mr. Emomali Rahmon in

restricted and extended formats. They had

delegation-level talks on October 8, 2018 and

discussed a number of issues of bilateral

cooperation, as well as regional and

international cooperation. During the meeting,

nine MoUs were signed in a number of areas.

The President also announced allocation of a

grant of $20 million to Tajikistan for the

implementation of mutually identified and

viable development projects.

Jair Bolsonaro: Former army captain Mr. Jair

Bolsonaro was elected as the 38th President of

Latin America's largest democracy, Brazil on

October 29, 2018. 'With 96% of the votes

counted, Mr. Bolsonaro secured 55.13% of the

votes while leftist Mr. Fernando Haddad of the

Workers' Party received 44.87% votes. Dubbed

as "Trump of the Tropics", Mr. Bolsonaro will

take office on January 1, 2019 and replace Mr.

Michel Temer.

Nirmala Sitharaman: Defence Minister Ms.

Nirmala Sitharaman actively participated in the

5th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting on

Preventing and Countering Terrorism held in

Singapore on October 19, 2018. She held a

series of bilateral meetings with the Defence

Ministers of the US, Australia, Malaysia,

Vietnam and Philippines. Earlier in the month,

she had visited Kazakhstan and met her

counterpart Mr. Nurlan Yermekbayev and

agreed to step up military cooperation,

especially in the areas of defence production.

Zhao Kezhi: The Minister of Public Security

of China, Mr. Zhao Kezhi, visited India to

participate in a high-level meeting on bilateral

security cooperation. He met Union Home

Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh on October 23,

2018 and discussed counterterrorism

cooperation and welcomed increased

cooperation between the two countries in the

areas of security. They also signed an

agreement on internal security cooperation,

which aims to strengthen and consolidate

assistance in counterterrorism, organised

crimes, drug control, human trafficking and

exchange of information, etc.

Mukesh Ambani: An Indian business

magnate, the Chairman, Managing Director and



the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries

Limited (RIL), Mr. Mukesh Ambani emerged

as the richest Indian for the 11th year in a row,

with a net worth of $47.3 billion, according to

'Forbes India Rich List 2018' which features

100 of India's richest people released by Forbes

magazine on October 4, 2018. He is also the

year's biggest gainer in terms of dollar, adding

$9.3 billion to his wealth amid the continuing

success of his Reliance Jio broadband telcom

service.

Cristiano Ronaldo The great Portuguese

professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo

scored a goal against Geneva and established a

record on October 20, 2018. Ronaldo, who

plays as a forward for Italian dub Juventus and

the Portugal national team, holds the records

for most official goals scored in the top five

European leagues (400). Often considered the

best player in the world and regarded as one of

the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a

record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards.

Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli scored 107 runs

against the West Indies in the third of five-

match ODI series in Pune on October 27, 2018,

thereby becoming the 10th man overall and first

Indian to score three centuries in a row. Earlier

in the series, Virat Kohli had reached the

10,000-run mark in the 50-over format in style

with 157 not out from 129 balls in the second

match in Visakhapatnam. He also scored 140 in

India's series-opening eight-wicket victory. The

29-year-old surpassed fellow Indian batsman

Sachin Tendulkar, who first crossed the 10,000-

run mark in 259 innings in 2001.

Kohli, playing his 213th ODI, went on to score

157 off 129 deliveries to register his 37th ODI

century.

Prithvi Shaw: An Indian cricketer and former

India national under-19 cricket team captain

who played for Middle Income Group (MI G)

Cricket Club in Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw made

his Test debut against West Indies on October

4, 2018. In that match, he scored his maiden

century in Tests and became the youngest

batsman to make a Test century on debut for

India (18 years and 329 days). He completed

his century in 99 balls. India won the second

Test by ten wickets, with Shaw being named

the Player of the Series.

CURRENT TOPICS: INDIA

India, Bangladesh Sign Agreements To

Boost Waterways Connectivity

India and Bangladesh signed three agreements,

including one to use Chattogram and Mongla

Ports in Bangladesh for goods movement, for

enhancing inland and coastal waterways

connectivity between the two countries on

October 25, 2018. The two countries also

signed a standard operating procedure (SOP)

for movement of passenger and cruise services.

They also signed an addendum to Protocol on

Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT)

between Dhubri in India and Pangaon in

Bangladesh as new ports of call. During the

secretary-level talks headed by Shipping

Secretary Mr. Gopal Krishna and his

Bangladesh counterpart Md. Abdus Samad, the

two countries also finalised the SOP for

movement of passengers and cruise vessels on

inland protocol route and coastal shipping

routes which would enable river cruise services

between Kolkata-Dhaka-Guwahati-Jorhat arid

back. The two nations also agreed to include

Rupnarayan river (National Waterway-86) from

Geonkhali to Kolaghat in the protocol route and

to declare Kolaghat in West Bengal and

Chilmari in Bangladesh as new ports of call.

The new arrangement will facilitate movement

of fly ash, cement and construction materials

from India to Bangladesh on Rupnarayan river.

Both the countries also agreed to declare

Badarpur on river Barak (NW 16) as an

Extended Port of Call of Karimganj in Assam

and Ghorasal of Ashuganj in Bangladesh on

reciprocal basis. The two countries also arrived



at an agreement to open a new route to land-

locked Tripura by making Gomti and Haora

rivers navigable for which dredging would be

required in 20 kms on Indian side and 75-80

kms on Bangladesh side. Both sides have also

agreed for development of Jogighopa as a

hub/trans-shipment terminal for movement of

cargo to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland

and Bhutan and notifying Munsiganj River

terminal by Bangladesh Customs for routing

third party Exim cargo through Kolkata Port.

HRD Minister Javadekar Launches Web

Portal For SPARC

Union HRD Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar

launched the web portal for a research-oriented

scheme, Scheme for Promotion of Academic

and Research Collaboration (SPARC) on

October 25, 2018 with an aim to build a

research ecosystem of India‘s higher

educational institutions by facilitating academic

and research collaborations between Indian

Institutions [overall top-100 or category-wise

top-100 in NIRF (including such Private

Institutions which are recognized under 12(B)

of UGC Act] and the best institutions in the

world (top-500 overall and top-200 subject-

wise institutions listed in QS World University

Ranking) from 28 selected nations to jointly

solve problems of national and international

relevance. These nations are Australia, Austria,

Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel,

Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand,

Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South

Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom (UK),

United States of America (USA).

Government Forms GoM To Look Into

Sexual Harassment At Workplace

A Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Home

Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, was constituted on

October 24, 2018, by the government to

strengthen the legal and institutional

frameworks to deal with and prevent sexual

harassment at workplace. The members of the

GoM include Road Transport Minister Mr.

Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Mr. Nirmala

Sitharaman and Women and Child

Development Minister Ms. Maneka Gandhi.

The GoM will recommend action required for

effective implementation of the existing

provisions, as well as for strengthening the

existing legal and institutional frameworks for

addressing issues related to sexual harassment

of women at workplace. The GoM has been set

up in the wake of #MeToo movement where

several women have publicly named people

who had harassed them at their workplace.

Former editor Mr. M.J. Akbar had to resign as

Minister of State for External Affairs following

allegations of sexual harassment against him by

former colleagues.

The Ministry of Women and Child

Development has also launched an Electronic

Complaints Box that enables women,

irrespective of their work status, to raise their

voice against sexual harassment at workplace.

Cabinet Increases Supervisory Visit Charges

For ASHA Facilitators

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

chaired by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi

on October 24, 2018 approved the increase in

supervisory visit charges for ASHA facilitators

from Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 per visit for 2018-19 to

2019-20 with effect from October 2018 (to be

paid in November). With the proposed increase,

accredited social health activists (ASHA)

facilitators will now receive about Rs. 6,000

against Rs. 5,000 per month for 2018-19 and

2019-20. The move is aimed at motivating the

workers to perform better and will benefit

41,405 ASHA facilitators. The existing

institutional mechanism for the National Health

Mission (NHM) will be utilized to implement

the decision as a part of the ASHA Benefit

Package approved in September, 2018.

India, China Ink Pact On Security

Cooperation



India and China, on October 22, 2018, inked a

first-ever agreement on security cooperation

which will strengthen and consolidate

assistance in counter-terrorism, organized

crimes, drug control, human trafficking and

exchange of information, marking a new

beginning between the two countries. The

agreement was signed by Union Home Minister

Mr. Rajnath Singh and State Councillor of

China and Minister of Public Security Mr. Zhao

Kezhi, a move that came just a year after the

two-month-long border stand-off between the

Indian Army and the China‘s People‘s

Liberation Army at Doklam on the India-

Bhutan-China tri-junction in 2017.

The agreement followed the first high-level

meeting on bilateral security cooperation co-

chaired by Mr. Rajnath Singh and Mr. Zhao,

who was heading a delegation of over 30

Chinese diplomats. Mr. Zhao was on a visit to

India from October 21 to 25, 2018.

CBI Director And Joint Director Sent On

Forced Leave

Stepping in to douse an unprecedented war

within the CBI, the Union Government, on

October 23, 2018, forced warring Director Mr.

Alok Verma and his second-in-command Mr.

Rakesh Asthana to go on leave while

appointing senior IPS officer Mr. M.

Nageshwar Rao as interim chief of the premier

investigating agency. The move, described by

several officers as a first in the agency, was

immediately resisted by Mr. Verma, who sent

an unambiguous signal that he will fight it out

by rushing to the Supreme Court seeking relief.

The offices of both Mr. Verma and Mr.

Asthana in the CBI headquarters were sealed

and their drivers withdrawn after the

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)

headed by PM Mr. Narendra Modi cleared the

file to remove the top-two from the office.

Mr. Rao, a 1986-batch officer of Odisha cadre,

―shall look after duties and functions of CBI

Director and shall take over the duties and

functions of the CBI Director with immediate

effect‖, the order issued by the Department of

Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. While

appointing Mr. Rao, the government also

overlooked his three seniors in Additional

Director rank, including Mr. A.K. Verma who

is accused by Mr. Asthana of wrongdoing.

Mr. Verma and Mr. Asthana, whom the

government intended to appoint as CBI

Director but could not due to the opposition,

were at loggerheads for long. The Director had

opposed Mr. Asthana‘s promotion as Special

Director in 2017 citing investigations against

him. Mr. Verma also wrote to the Central

Vigilance Commission that he cannot represent

the CBI Director in his absence in meetings

called to discuss appointments in the agency.

Hitting back, Mr. Asthana approached the CVC

with a complaint against Mr. Verma citing

charges like putting pressure on him at work

while the CBI issued a press statement to rebut

the charges. The CBI then went to make it

public that Mr. Asthana was being investigated

in six cases.

PM Modi, Ranil Wickremesinghe Discuss

India-Assisted Development Projects In

Lanka

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his Sri

Lankan counterpart Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe

held talks on October 20, 2018, covering the

entire gamut of bilateral relations and discussed

ways to deepen the ―historically close‖

relations between the two countries. The

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a

statement, said that the two leaders also

exchanged views on regional and global issues

during their meeting on the third and final day

of the Sri Lankan leader‘s visit to India from

October 18 to 20, 2018. During the talks, Mr.

Modi and Mr. Wickremesinghe reviewed the

progress in implementation of various decisions

taken during the high-level exchanges in the

recent past, including Mr. Modi‘s visit to Sri

Lanka in May 2017. They also discussed the

progress of India-assisted development projects

in the island nation.



Mr. Wickremesinghe‘s visit came in the

backdrop of controversial media reports that the

Lankan President has accused Indian

intelligence agency Research and Analysis

Wing of plotting his assassination, a claim

firmly rejected as ―false‖ by Colombo.

Number Of Crorepati Taxpayers Rises By

60%

The number of taxpayers earning above Rs. 1

crore per annum has risen to over 1.40 lakh in

the country in the last four years, depicting a

growth of about 60%, as revealed by the

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on

October 22, 2018. CBDT Chairman Mr. Sushil

Chandra said that the number of taxpayers grew

from 3.79 crore in FY 2013-14 to 6.85 crore in

FY 2017-18.

Mr. Chandra added that the Direct Tax GDP

ratio of 5.98% in FY 2017-18 is the best in the

last ten fiscal years. The total number of

taxpayers (corporate, firms, Hindu undivided

families among others) showing income of

above Rs. 1 crore has registered a sharp

increase. While 88,649 taxpayers had disclosed

income above Rs. 1 crore in assessment year

(AY) 2014-15, the figure was 1,40,139 for AY

2017-18, which is a growth of about 60%.

Similarly, the number of individual taxpayers

disclosing income above Rs. 1 crore had

increased during the same period from 48,416

to 81,344, which translated into a growth of

68%. In September 2018, Mr. Chandra had

expressed confidence in exceeding Rs. 11.5

trillion direct tax collection target in current

fiscal. In 2018-19 budget, the government had

projected a 14.3% rise in direct tax collections

to Rs. 11.5 trillion.

PM Modi Hoists Tricolour At Red Fort On

75th Anniversary Of Azad Hind

Government

PM Mr. Narendra. Modi hoisted the national

flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi on October

21, 2018 morning to commemorate the 75th

anniversary of Azad Hind government formed

by freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra

Bose during the freedom movement The

decision to hoist the national flag at the Red

Fort was taken because it was the same place

where soldiers of the Indian National Army

(Azad Hind Fauj) faced trials by the British.

The nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,

Mr. Chandra Kumar Bose, INA veteran Mr.

Lain Rain, and Brigadier R.S. Chikkara were

also present at the event.

The Azad Hind Government was founded on

October 21, 1943, by Netaji Subhash Chandra

Bose who was also the Head of State of this

Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.

Netaji had promised an India where everyone

had equal rights and equal opportunities. He

had promised a prosperous nation which was

proud of its traditions, development in all areas.

He had promised to uproot 'divide & rule'.

"Even after so many years those dreams remain

unfulfilled," PM Mr. Modi said at the event

UP Cabinet Approves Changing ‘Allahabad’

To ‘Prayagraj’

Mr. Yogi Adityanath announced a proposal to

rename the historic city of Allahabad and make

it Prayagraj on October 16, 2018, ahead of the

2019 Kumbh Mela. He had said that the

Governor had given his nod and in case of a

consensus, the name will be changed soon. The

Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the CM's

proposal to rename Allahabad.

According to multiple reports, Mr. Yogi wants

to rename the city ahead of the 2019 Kumbh

Mela that will draw seers, pundits, tantrics and

others from across the country. "Prayag is

where Lord Brahma performed the first yagna.

The confluence of two rivers is a 'prayag', and

in Allahabad three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and

Saraswati meet. Hence, it is the king of

'prayags'. That is why it is `Prayagraj'," the

Chief Minister said, explaining the root of the

name, as mentioned in agency reports. Prayag

is the erstwhile name of Allahabad that was

changed after Mughal emperor Akbar built a

fort near Sangam, where the holy rivers of



Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati met. He named

the fort and its neighbouring area Ilahabas,

which was later changed by his son Shah Jahan

to Allahabad. However, the area near the

confluence where Kumbh Mela is held is still

called Prayag.

The UP government recently renamed the

historic Mughalsarai Railway Station as well. It

has been renamed Deen Dayal Upadhyaya

junction.

Foundation Stone Laid For 'Museum Of

Prime Ministers' At Teen Murti Estate

The foundation stone for the 'Museum of Prime

Ministers' was laid on October 15, 2018 by

Culture Minister Mr. Mahesh Sharma and

Minister of State for Housing and Urban

Affairs Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri at the Teen

Murti estate. Mr. Sharma conducted the

Bhoomi Poojan for the proposed museum and

said the museum will depict modern India

through 'the collections relating to each Prime

Minister of India, their lives, works and

significant contributions made towards nation

building'. Teen Murti Estate was the official

residence of the first Prime Minister Mr.

Jawaharlal Nehru.

The museum will be completed within a year.

The 10,975.36 sqm museum will showcase the

life and works of all Prime Ministers of India. It

will have a basement, ground floor and first

floor with galleries at all three levels. The

proposed museum will depict modern India

through the collections related to each Prime

Minister and it has been designed in such a way

that the Chakra with its 24 spokes will take

centre stage. Mr. Mahesh Sharma said that no

part of the Nehru Memorial Museum and

Library (NMML) which exists on a two-acre

land on the premises will be touched during the

construction of the new museum.

CURRENT TOPICS: WORLD

Far-right Candidate Jair Bolsonaro Wins

Presidential Race In Brazil

Brazil became the latest country to drift

towards the far right on October 29, 2018,

electing a strident populist as President in the

nation's most radical political change since

democracy was restored more than 30 years

ago. The President-elect, Mr. Jair Bolsonaro,

won by tapping into a deep well of resentment

at the status quo in Brazil—a country

whiplashed by rising crime and two years of

political and economic turmoil—and by

presenting himself as the alternative. With 96%

of the votes counted, the former army captain

secured 55,13% of the votes while leftist Mr.

Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party

received 44.87/o votes. Mr. Bolsonaro had

received 46% of the vote in contrast to Mr.

Haddad's 29% in the first round of the election

on October 6, which had 13 contenders.

In an acceptance address in which he vowed to

carry out his campaign promises to stamp out

corruption after years of leftist rule, Mr.

Bolsonaro said: "We cannot continue flirting

with communism. We are going to change the

destiny of Brazil." Thousands of supporters of

Mr. Bolsonaro, who has been dubbed "Trump

of the Tropics", cheered and set off fireworks

outside his home in Rio de Janeiro's Barra de

Tijuca beachfront neighbourhood as his victory

was announced.

Many Brazilians are concerned that Mr.

Bolsonaro—who has spoken fondly of Brazil's

military dictatorship in 1964-1985 and who has

defended its use of torture on leftist

opponents—will trample on human rights,

curtail civil liberties and muzzle freedom of

speech. The 63-year-old congressman has

vowed to crack down on crime in Brazil and

farm belt by granting police more autonomy to



shoot at criminals. Mr. Bolsonaro, who has a

long history of offensive remarks about

immigrants, black Brazilians and gay people,

has reportedly referred to black activists as

"animals" who should "go back to the zoo".

Ex-Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa

Becomes New PM Amid Political Drama

The former President of Sri Lanka, Mr.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, staged a dramatic political

comeback on October 26, 2018, becoming the

country‘s new PM after President Mr.

Maithripala Sirisena sacked Premier Mr. Ranil

Wickremesinghe triggering angry reactions

from the Finance Minister who termed the

former strongman‘s return as an ―anti-

democratic coup‖.

The sudden development came after Mr.

Sirisena‘s broader political front United

People‘s Freeedom Alliance (UPFA)

announced that it had decided to quit the

current unity government with PM Mr.

Wickremesinghe‘s United National Party

(UNP). The unity government was formed in

2015 when Mr. Sirisena was elected President

with Mr. Wickremesinghe‘s support, ending a

nearly decade-long rule by Mr. Rajapaksa. The

sudden political development ends an over

three-year-old coalition government that was

formed by Mr. Sirisena and Mr.

Wickremesinghe on a promise to combat

corruption and financial irregularities. Mr.

Sirisena, who was Mr. Rajapaksa‘s minister of

health, broke away from him to contest the

presidential election. According to the political

analysts, the move of Mr. Sirisena to install Mr.

Rajapaksa as the PM could lead to a

constitutional crisis as the 19th

Amendment to

the constitution would not allow the sacking of

Mr. Wickremesinghe as the Premier without a

majority.

India Signs $777 Million Deal With Israel

For Missile Defence Systems

Israeli arms manufacturer Israel Aerospace

Industries (IAI) announced on October 24,

2018 that it had signed a contract worth $777

million to supply the Barak-8 surface-to-air

missile system to the Indian Navy. The Barak-8

missile (known in India as the LRSAM) was

jointly developed by IAI, DRDO and other

organizations in the two countries. The contract

has been finalized with Bharat Electronics Ltd.,

the main Indian contractor for the project.

Providing details of the deal, the IAI said the

new contract provides for supplying seven

Indian warships with the Barak-8 missile

system. IAI also noted that the latest deal brings

the value of Barak-8 sales to over $6 billion in

the past few years.

US Threatens To Withdraw From INF

Treaty

The National Security Adviser of the US Mr.

John Bolton met Russian President Mr.

Vladimir Putin on October 24, 2018 and

discussed the issue of withdrawal of the US

from a Cold War-era arms control treaty citing

Russia‘s violations of the treaty and China‘s

missile arsenal as reasons for ditching the

accord. The signing of the treaty in 1987 was

seen as a watershed moment during the end

days of the Cold War, helping to eliminate

thousands of land-based missiles with ranges

between approximately 300 and 3,400 miles.

Russia was long in violation of the deal, Mr.

Bolton said – citing the testing and deployment

of a ground-based cruise missile by Moscow.

Signed by Mr. Ronald Reagan and Mr. Mikhail

Gorbachev, the treaty led to nearly 2,700 short-

and medium-range missiles being eliminated,

and an end to a dangerous stand-off between

US Pershing and cruise missiles and Soviet SS-

20 missiles in Europe.

Saudi Arabia Offers Pakistan $6 Billion To

Ease Economic Crisis

Saudi Arabia stepped forward with a $6 billion

bailout package for the ailing economy of

Pakistan on October 23, 2018. The package

includes $3 billion in foreign currency support

for a year and a further loan worth up to $3



billion in deferred payments for oil imports to

help Pakistan stave off a current account crisis.

The $6 billion total exceeds the forecasts by

analysts and is likely to reduce the size of any

bailout Pakistan receives from the International

Monetary Fund (IMF), with whom it is

currently engaged in talks on a rescue package.

The Saudi agreement came as the new Pakistani

PM Mr. Imran Khan attended Saudi investment

conference that was boycotted by several other

leaders over the death of a dissident Saudi

writer at the country‘s consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia has in the past also helped rescue

the economy of Pakistan from dire situations on

a number of occasions. In 2014, it had gifted

Pakistan $1.5 billion to beef up its foreign

exchange reserves. The Saudi package may

provide breathing space to the government for

dealing with economic challenges, but would

not be enough to avoid the IMF facility. It is

believed that improved foreign exchange

reserves would strengthen Pakistan‘s

negotiating position in talks with the IMF. The

situation could further improve if China also

makes some commitments to rescue its ‗all-

weather friend‘.

India, Myanmar Sign MoU On

Operationalisation Of Sittwe Port

India and Myanmar inked a crucial MoU on

October 22, 2018, for the appointment of a

private operator of the Sittwe Port that will

boost connectivity and help in creating local job

opportunities as the two sides discussed

bilateral issues as well as topics of common

interest, including developments in the strife-

torn Rakhine state. The MoU was signed by

Foreign Secretary Mr. Vijay Gokhale after his

meetings with the State Counsellor of Myanmar

Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and Union Minister of

Transport and Communications Mr. U. Thant

Sin Maung in Nay Pyi Taw. Mr. Gokhale met

Mr. Maung and discussed issues related to

connectivity and transport infrastructure being

developed by India in Myanmar.

After the meeting Foreign Secretary Mr.

Gokhale and Mr. U. Win Khant, Permanent

Secretary, Ministry of Transport and

Communications, signed the MoU for the

appointment of a private Port Operator for the

operation and maintenance of Sittwe Port,

Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated

facilities that are a part of the Kaladan Multi

Model Transit Transport Project. The Sittwe

Port in Myanmar will connect India‘s

landlocked north-east region to the Bay of

Bengal through Mizoram. It will also provide

an alternate route to Kolkata.

India has an overall commitment of $1.75

billion for developmental programmes in

Myanmar.

China’s President Inaugurates World’s

Longest Bridge

Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping officially

opened the world‘s longest sea bridge linking

Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China on

October 23, 2018. The bridge will significantly

cut the travel time between the three territories

from three territories from three hours to just 30

minutes. The 55-km-long crossing that cost a

whopping $20 billion is dubbed as an

engineering feat carrying economic and

political significance at a time when Beijing is

seen tightening its grip over its semi-

autonomous territories. The bridge, which

connects the financial hub of Asia, Hong Kong,

with the southern mainland city of Zhuhai and

the gambling enclave of Macau, across the

waters of the Pearl River Estuary with a

snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel,

took nine years to complete.

Though supporters of the bridge promote it as

an engineering marvel that will boost business

and cut travel time, but critics termed it as a

―white elephant‖ and said it is one more way to

integrate Hong Kong into China as fears grow

that the city‘s cherished freedoms are being

eroded, according to a media report.

It is the second major infrastructure project

tying Hong Kong to mainland China, after the



opening of a high-speed rail link last month that

sparked criticism Hong Kong was giving away

territory-with part of the terminus coming

under mainland jurisdiction.

To get to either side of the bridge, vehicles will

have to drive through the two man-made

islands and the 6.7 kilometre underwater tunnel

and back out again. To construct the submerged

tunnel, engineers had to drive more than 100

huge steel cylinders into the sandy bottom to

form the foundations for the islands. Without

the tunnel, the bridge would have been so tall

its pylons would exceed the height limits for

structures near Hong Kong International

Airport.

Sushma Swaraj Calls Terrorism The Most

Overwhelming Threat

External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj

called terrorism the most overwhelming threat

to the common goals of development and

prosperity while speaking at the Shanghai

Cooperation Organisation SCO meeting of the

Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe,

Tajikistan held on October 11-12, 2018. As the

footprint of terrorism expands, governments

must assume their national responsibility and

cooperate with each other, she said in the

presence of Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mr.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi. She further said, ―We

have all benefited from globalization. We must

further develop our trade and investment

cooperation. We support an open, stable

international trade regime based on centrality of

the World Organization.‖ In an apparent

reference to the $50 billion China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC), she said that

connectivity initiatives must be based on

respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,

consultations, good governance, transparency,

viability and sustainability.

India became a full member of the China-

dominated grouping in 2017 and New Delhi‘s

entry into it is expected to increase the bloc‘s

heft in regional geo-politics and trade

negotiations besides giving it a pan-Asian hue.

British PM Theresa May Appoints First-ever

Minister For Suicide Prevention

British Prime Minister Ms. Theresa May

signaled a renewed determination to confront

the suicide rate in UK by appointing a Health

Minister on October 10, 2018, to take charge of

reducing the number of suicides, and overcome

the stigma that stops people seeking help. With

this, Britain becomes the first country in the

world to appoint a minister for suicide

prevention. The appointment was made ahead

of the World Mental Health Day on October 10,

a day for global mental health education,

awareness and advocacy against social stigma.

According to the British government, around

4,500 people take their own lives each year in

England and suicide remains the leading cause

of death for men under 45.

The PM also announced other plans to tackle

suicide problems in Britain. New government

funding up to 1.8 million pounds (around $2.4

million) will be raised to help ensure that the

charity can continue to provide immediate and

life-saving support to everyone who needs it,

24 hours a day. The government has also

promised to train a million people in mental

health awareness, publish a ―State of the

Nation‖ report every year starting in 2019, and

provide tools to help schools measure their

students‘ mental well-being Ms. May twittered,

―We can end the stigma that has forced too

many to suffer in silence. We can prevent the

tragedy of suicide taking too many lives. And

we can give the mental well-being of our

children the priority it so profoundly deserves.‖

5th

ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting On

Preventing And Countering Terrorism

The 5th

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) Defence Ministers‘ Meeting

(ADMM)-Plus wrapped up on October 20,

2018, with Chinese State Councillor and

Defence Minister Mr. Wei Fenghe being one of

its participants. The meeting was attended by

the Defence Ministers of ASEAN member



countries as well as ASEAN‘s eight Plus

partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan,

New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and

the United States. It was chaired by Mr. Ng Eng

Hen, the Defence Minister of Singapore who

takes over the chairmanship of ASEAN in

2018.

The 5th

ADMM-Plus Defence Ministers issued

two Joint Statements on Preventing and

Countering the Threat of Terrorism and on

Practical Confidence Building Measures. On

the sidelines of the meeting, the Chinese

Defence Minister met separately with the

Defence Ministers of Singapore, the United

States, Laos, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan,

Australia and the Republic of Korea, with

whom Mr. Wei exchanged views on issues of

common concern.

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Addresses

12th

ASEM Summit In Belgium

Vice-President Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu

inaugurated the 12th

Asia-Europe Meeting

(ASEM) Summit that began on October 18,

2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The summit,

chaired by European Council President Mr.

Donald Tusk, was attended by the heads of 51

European and Asian countries, representatives

of European Union and Secretary General of

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN). The summit prioritized troubles

linked to connectivity, trade and financial

commitment, sustainable improvement, climate

adjust, terrorism, migration, maritime

protection and cyberspace.

The biennial event with the theme ―Global

Partners for Global Challenges‖, is the highest

platform for dialogue and cooperation between

Asian and Europe in the areas of trade,

investment, security and tourism. Mr. Naidu

spoke at the 1st Plenary Session of the summit

in which he called for the global response to the

global challenges of terrorism, economic

offences and climate change. Mr. Naidu also

had bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers

of Portugal, Spain and Greece besides calling

on King of Belgium King Philippe. He also

addressed the Indian diaspora at Antwerp in

Brussels and offered floral tribute at a sculpture

of Mahatma Gandhi in the Provincial House in

the Governorate of Antwerp.

ASEM is a platform for the countries in Asia

and Europe to exchange views on regional and

global issues and strengthen cooperation on a

wide range of areas emanating from its three

pillars – political and security, economic and

financial and socio-cultural. The ASEM

grouping comprises 51 member-countries and 2

regional organizations – European Union and

ASEAN. Countries in the grouping represent

55% of global trade, 60% global population,

65% of global GDP and 75% of global tourism.

Static GK Capsule

Indian Polity and Constitution

Which article of the Constitution of India deals

with the ‗Promotion of International Peace and

Security‘? —Article 51

Which article of the Constitution of India deals

with the 'Special address' by the President in

both the houses of Parliament ? —Article 87

The feature of 'Advisory jurisdiction of the

Supreme Court' has been taken in the Indian

Constitution from —The Canadian

Constitution

The feature of Bi-Cameral Parliamentary

System in India is inspired from - The British

Constitution

Which part of the Constitution of India deals

with the services under the -Union and the

States ? —Part XIV

Which Constitutional Amendment Act brought

abo an amendment Article 326 for the reduction

of voting age from 21 years to 18 years in

India? —61st Constitutional Amendment Act

Which part of the Indian Constitution is also

referred to as ‗instrument of instructions'? —

The Directive Principles



State Legislatures do not take part in the

election of —Vice-President

West Bengal and Bihar have equal number of

members in the Rajya Sabha. It is – 16

members for each state

The Rajya Sabha and no power to reject or

amend a —Money Bill

Indian National Movement

The three great nationalist leaders who were

called ‗Bombay Triumvirate‘, are – K.T.

Tailang, Pherozeshah Mehta and Badruddin

Tyabji

The Royal Indian Navy revolted in 1946 in –

Bombay

‗Satyagraha at Champaran' and ‗India Divided‘

are some great books written by – Dr

RajendraPrasad

Who become first Indian woman president of

the Indian National Congress in 1925 at its

Kanpur session? – Sarojini Naidu

Who was the founder of Indian home rule

Society (India house) in London? – Shyamji

Krishna Verma

Mangal Pandey was a young officer of – 34th

Native Infantry

Who was the Governor-General of Indian Bank

Subhash Chandra Bose founded the ‗Forward

Bloc‘? – Lord Linlithgow

Which great Nationalist leader who was also

known as ‗Patriot of Patriots' - Subhash

Chandra Bose

Which Indian national leader was popularly

known as ‗Lokhitwadi‘? - Gopal Hari

Deshmukh

When was the Gandhi Irwin pact signed? –

March 5, 1931

History of culture of India

Boghazkoi Inscription mentions the name of

four vedic gods. They are – Indra, Mitra,

Varuna and Nasatya

How many hymns are there in the Rig Veda? –

1028 hymns

Kalhan‘s Raj Tarangini ends with the

description of – King Jay Singh of Lohar

dynasty of Kashmir

‗Miftah-ul-Futuh‘, ‗Nuh Sipar‘ and

‗Tughlaqnama‘ are famous literary Works by –

Amir Khusrau

According to Megasthenese, the administration

of Pataliputra was mainly in the hands of a

commission during the Mauryan age. The

commission consisted of – 30 members

Prince Dara Shikoh translated many

Upanishads from Sanskrit to Persian under the

name of – Sirr-e-Akbar

Who wrote Humayun‘s biography named

Himayunama? – His sister Gulbadan Begum

‗Diwan-e-Kohi‘, a separate department for

agriculture was launched by – Sultan

Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq

Who was the founder and man guiding figure

of The ‗Young Bengal Movement‘? –Henry

Vivian Derozio

Who was the founder of ‗Tattvabodhini Sabha‘

in Calcutta (now Kolkata)? – Debendranath

Tagore

Geography (India and the World)

Chiquicamata is a famous copper producing

place in – Chile

Where is the Doldrums belt located? – Near

the equator

The Taylor Valley in lies in – The USA

The Temperature Grasslands in the USA and

Canada are known as – Prairies

There are no layers and fossils in the – Igneous

rocks

The Delta formed by the Ganga river is an

example of – Acruate delta

The depression formed at the mouth of a

volcanic vent is called – Crater

The headquarter of South East Central Railway

is located in – Bilaspur

Mount Abu, a famous pilgrimage place, is

located in – Guru Shikhar



Ladakh plateau receives very low rainfall

because – It lies in the rain Shadow area of

the Himalayas

Latest in Sports

CRICKET

India win U19 Asia Cup Final: India beat Sri

Lanka in the finals of ACC U 19 Asia Cup

2018 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium,

Dhaka to clinch the Asia Cup title. It was a

complete performance by the boys in blue as

they score 304/3 in 50 overs. Chasing 305 in

the final of the tournament was never going to

be easy and Sri Lankan youngsters buckled

under pressure. Tyagi was the man who

absolutely choked them with his superb 6-

wicket haul. Although Paranavithana played

like a warrior towards the end it wasn‘t enough

to overhaul the huge score put up by India.

Virat Kohli scores fastest 10,000 runs: A

remarkable day in Visakhapatnam. Virat Kohli

hit another ODI century. Maybe that was not so

surprising since he has hit 36 other hundreds in

204 innings. Despite Kohli‘s unbeaten 157 out

of a total of 321 for six, the match against West

Indies ended in a thrilling tie, which was a bit

of a shock, with Shai Hope hitting the last ball

of a grand game for four. But the most arresting

realization was that when Kohli reached 81 in

the first innings of the match he had compiled

10,000 ODI run so much faster than any other

batsman in the history of the game, outstripping

even Sachin Tendulkar.

Pakistan whitewash Australia in Twenty20

Series: Australia slumped to a grim whitewash

defeat in the T20 series against Pakistan, losing

the third and final game in Dubai by 33 runs.

Chasing 151 to win in the dead rubber, the

tourists were bowled out for 117 with five balls

to spare in a dismal ending to the tour of the

UAE, where they again proved no match for the

world‘s No 1 ranked T20 side, failing to build

any substantial batting partnerships.

FORMULA-ONE

Lewis Hamilton takes fifth title as Max

Verstappen wins in Mexico: Lewis Hamilton

celebrated his fifth Formula One world

championship and joined an elite trio of greats

on October 28, 2018 after a Mexican Grand

Prix won by Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen for the

second year in a row. The Mercedes driver,

who equaled the five titles of late 1950s

Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio with only

seven times champion Michael Schumacher

above them, finished fourth while Ferrari rival

Sebastian Vettel was second.

Hamilton had needed only five points to be sure

of the title while four times champion Vettel

had to win to have any hope of denying the

Briton. ―It‘s something I dreamed of, but I

never in a million years thought I‘d be stood

here as a five-time champion,‖ the 33-yeat-old

told Sky Sports television.

Maverick Vinales wins Australian MotoGP:

Maverick Vinales ended his and Yamaha‘s

lengthy droughts when he won the Australian

MotoGP on October 28, 2018 as newly-

crowned world champion Marc Marquez failed

to finish after starting from pole for the fifth

straight year.

Vinales started in second place on the grid after

finishing 0.3 second behind Marquez in

qualifying and was able to control the race after

Marquez came into contact with Johann Zarco

on the 22nd

lap.

He overcame a poor start to lead by more than

four seconds before easing down to win by 1.54

seconds from ‗Suzuki‘s Andrea Iannone and

Andrea Dovizioso, who helped Ducati narrow

Honda‘s lead in the constructor‘s

championship.



OLYMPICS

Youth Olympic Games 2018: India‘s

campaign at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic

Games in Buenos Aires ended with 13 medals

(three gold medals, nine silvers and one

bronze).

This is India‘s best medal haul at the Summer

Youth Olympic Games India had won 8 medals

in 2010 and 2 in 2014.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga became the first-ever

Indian gold medalist at the Youth Olympics in

boys‘ 62 kg weightlifting category. 16-year-old

Manu Bhaker won the girls‘ 10 metre air pistol

gold. Her fellow shooter Saurabh Chaudhary

won the 10 metre air pistol in the boys

category.

India won four (2 gold, 2 silver) medals in

shooting, one gold medal in wrestling, two

silver medals in hockey, one silver and one

bronze in athletics and one silver medal each in

archery, badminton, wrestling and judo at the

2018 Summer Youth Olympics Games 2018.

Indian players also won three medals in mixed

events.

Manu Bhaker wins India’s first ever gold in

shooting at Youth Olympics: Manu Bhaker

became the first shooter from India to claim a

gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games taking

place in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a

spectacular performance in what is being seen

as a comeback after a disappointing Asian

Games.

The 16-year old sensation shot 236.5 to stand at

the top of the points table in the women‘s 10m

air pistol event. Meanwhile, lana Enina from

Russia won the silver medal with a score of

235.9 and Nino Khutsiberidze settled for the

bronze medal.

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic wins Shanghai Masters:

Novak Djokovic continued his scintillating run

of form as he breezed past the Croatian Borna

Coric 6-3, 6-4 to win the Shanghai Masters title

for the fourth time.

With a clever mix of groundstrokes the 31-

year-old Serb broke Coric‘s serve in the sixth

game and made a series of forays to the net as

he consolidated his lead.

The Serb grabbed the opening set with a hold to

love, having dropped just four points on his

serve overall.

HOCKEY

Asian Champions Trophy: India, Pakistan

share title, Akashdeep Singh named best

player: India‘s Akashdeep Singh was adjudged

player of the tournament but the team had to

share the Asian Champions Trophy with

Pakistan after the much-anticipated summit

clash was abandoned due to heavy downpour

Heavy rain delayed the start of the final on

October 28 night and even though the skies

relented later, the damage had already been one

by then.

The turf was completely waterlogged because

of thunderstorm and heavy showers and after

discussion with both the coaches of India and

Pakistan, the tournament director decided to

call off the match and declare both the teams as

joint winners. India won the toss of coin and

earned the right to take home the trophy of the

biennial tournament for the first year. It will be

given to Pakistan for the next year.

Since the Indians took home the trophy, the

tournament gold medals were presented to the

Pakistani players. Asian Hockey Federation

Chief Executive Dato Tayyab Ikram said gold

medals will soon be sent for the Indian players.

Akashdeep was adjudged Player of the

Tournament while P R Sreejesh was declared

best goalkeeper. Pakistan‘s Abu Bakkar

Mahmood was named Emerging Player of the

Tournament while Malaysia‘s Faisal Saari

emerged highest scorer.



MISCELLANEOUS

Asian Para Games 2018: India records best-

ever show with 72 medals: India on October

13, 2018 concluded its campaign at the 2018

Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia with

record medal haul, winning a total of 72 medals

that included 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze

medals. India was placed ninth in the overall

tally.

In the last edition in 2014, India had won 33

medals including 3 gold, 14 silver, 16 bronze

medals.

Key Highlights

India recorded its best-ever show in the Asian

Para Games by bagging 72 medals, including

15 gold. On the concluding day of the

competition, Indian shuttlers added two gold

and 3 bronze medals.

With a total of 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze

medals, India was placed ninth in the overall

tally. This was India‘s best-ever performance at

the Asian Para Games, as in the last edition at

Incheon it had won 33 medals including 3 gold,

14 silver, 16 bronze medals.

China finished at the top with 319 medals

including 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze,

followed by South Korea at the second place

with 53 gold, 25 silver and 47 bronze and then

Iran with 51 gold, 42 silver and 43 bronze.

India won around half of its medals in Para-

athletics with the tally reading 36 medals

including 7 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze.

While the sporting categories of Badminton and

chess contributed nine medals each to India‘s

medal tally, para-swimming contributed eight

medals.

Asian Para Games 2018 Medal Tally

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

China

Republic of

Korea

Iran

Japan

Indonesia

Uzbekistan

Thailand

Malaysia

India

Hongkong

172

53

51

45

37

35

23

17

15

11

88

45

42

70

47

24

33

26

24

16

59

46

43

83

51

18

50

25

33

21

319

144

136

198

135

77

106

68

72

48

Government to set up National Sports

Stadium for differently-abled in Meghalaya :

The Union Minister of Social Justice and

Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot,

announced on October 25, 2018 that a stadium

of international standard for differently abled

persons will be set up in Meghalaya. The

stadium will be constructed at an estimated cost

of over Rs 200 crore. The announcement was

made by the Minister while speaking at the

Samajik Adhikarita Shivir, aids and assistive

devices distribution camp, for differently-abled

persons.



Current Affairs MCQs

1. Consider the following statements regarding

hydrogen-powered train:

I. Germany has become the world's first

country to launch the hydrogen-powered train.

II. The train is equipped with fuel cells that

produce electricity through a combination of

hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves

steam as the only emission. Which of the above

statements is/are not correct?

(a) only I (b) only II

(c) Both I and II (d) None of these

2. Which of the following pairs are not matched

correctly?

(a) Staphylococcus epidermidis: MRSA

Superbug

(b) Cassini Mission: Probe to study the planet

Saturn and its system

(c) Gaganyan Mission: To study the earth's

environment

(d) None of the above

3. Consider the following pairs:

I. ICESAT-2: to measure changes in the height

of Earth's polar ice cover

II. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite:

NASA's orbital telescope Dickinsonia: Speciei

of Ebola virus Which of the above statements

is/are correct?

(a) I and II only (b) only I

(c) I and III only (d) All of these

4. IOWavel8 is

(a) Naval exercise between India and Russia

(b) Naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka

(c) Naval exercise between India and Thailand

(d) Tsunami mock drill conducted by India

along with other countries


impact of El Nino on Indian Weather:

I. El Nino during winter causes warm

conditions over the Indian subcontinent and

during summer, it leads to dry conditions and

deficient monsoon.

II. It causes better than normal monsoon in

India

Which of the above statements is/are correct?




Green Agriculture project:

I. It is being implemented by the Indian

government 'and the United Nations

Environment Program (UNEP).

II. Landscapes adjoining Protected

Areas/Biosphere Reserves: Madhya Pradesh,

Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan and Kerala have

been selected for the implementation of this

project.


(a) only I (b) only It



AYUSH:

I. In the number of patients treated with

AYUSH systems of Medicine through AYUSH

Hospitals and Dispensaries in the last four

years.

II. Ministry of AYUSH has signed MoU with

Ministry of MSME to develop entrepreneurs in

AYUSH sector and to strengthen the existing

AYUSH Industry sector including

manufacturing.

III. Even though there is 100% FDI in health

sector, there is currently less global demand for

AYUSH and Herbal products which has led to

reduction in their exports. Which of the above

statements are true?

(a) I and II only (b) II and III

(c) I and III (d) All of these

8. Which of the following statements regarding

CAMPA( Compensatory Afforestation and

Management Planning Authority) funds are not

true?

I. The idea of having CAMPA funds and

authority was introduced by the Supreme Court

which finally led to the birth of The

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act of 2016.

II. No State government can use the funds for

any activity other than afforestation

III. CAMPA funds can be used only for

environmental protection purpose only.

Code

(a) only I (b) II and III



(c) only III (d) I and II

9. Mount Vesuvius, sometimes in the news due

to excavations of an ancient city that was

buried under volcanic debris and lava following

its eruption, is situated in

(a) Italy (b) Japan

(c) Greece (d) Chile

10. NASA's premier X-Ray Observatory was

named the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in

honour of

(a) An Indian-American Nobel laureate

(b) The creator of medieval Indian astronomical

observatories

(c) Ancient Indian astronomers


11. Where was the 6th Regional

Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

Trade Ministers' Meeting held on August 2018?

(a) United States (b) China

(c) South Korea (d) Singapore

12. Where is the 'Rapid Trident' joint military

exercise among Ukraine, US and NATO (North

Atlantic Treaty Organisation) nations held?

(a) United States (b) Ukraine

(c) Russia (d) France


I. Yudh Abhyas: Military exercise between

India and US

II. Nomadic Elephant: Indo-Mongolia joint

exercise

III. SLINEX: India Sri Lanka joint military

exercise

IV. KAKADU: India- Australia joint naval

exercise

Which of the above pairs is/are not correctly

matched?

(a) I and II (b) III and IV

(c) I and IV (d) II and III

14. National Technical Research Organisation

works directly under

(a) Prime Minister‘s Office

(b) Home Ministry

(c) Intelligence Bureau


15. The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched

a portal for grant of Security Clearance. What is

the name of that portal?

(a) e- Suraksha (b) e- Mitra

(c) Nikasi (d) e-Sahaj


I. World Ozone Day: 16 September

II. International Day for the Total Elimination

of Nuclear Weapons: 26 September

III. World Maritime Day: 27th

September

Which of the above pairs are correctly

matched?

(a) I, II and III (b) I and II

(c) only III (d) II and III

17. 7th UN World Tourism Organisation

Global Surnmit on Urban Tourism was held in

(a) Seoul, South Korea

(b) Gurugram, India

(c) New Delhi, India

(d) Geneva, Switzerland

18. Consider the following statements

regarding 'Exporting Corruption Report':

I. The report has been published by

anticorruption organisation Transparency

International.

II. The 2018 report has categorized India as a

country having Little or No Enforcement

against foreign bribery. Which of the above

statements is/are correct?




regarding International Criminal Court:

I. The court has been established by Rome

statute and is located in Geneva

II. It is a specialised judicial body of United

Nation.



(c) Both I and 11 (d) None of these

20. Which bank has retained its top spot for the

5th consecutive year, in the ‗WPP and Kantar

Millward Brown's 75 Most Valuable Indian

Brands' ranking?

(a) ICICI Bank

(b) Axis Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) State Bank of India (SBI)



21. Where is India's first all women SWAT

team launched?

(a) Mumbai (b) Delhi

(c) Bangalore (d) Hyderabad

22. Which city topped the in EIU's Global

Liveability Index?

(a) Melbourne (b) Sydney

(c) Vienna (d) Osaka

23. What is Innocenti Declaration about?

(a) promotion of homoeopathy medicine

(b) prevent sexual violence against women at

workplaces

(c) protection, promotion and support of

breastfeeding

(d) conference to commemorate first World

Aids Day

24. Scrub Typhus is-caused by

(a) Virus (b) Bacteria

(c) Both (d) None of these

25. International Buddhist Conclave is

organised by

(a) Ministry of Culture

(b) Ministry of Tourism

(c) Ministry of Minority Affairs

(d) Ministry of External Affairs

26. 11th Hindi World Conference was held in

(a) Mauritius (b) Malaysia

(c) Bhutan (d) Nepal

27. Consider the following statement regarding

Zika Virus:

I. It is a vector borne disease transmitted

primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

II. Researchers have identified Zika proteins

responsible for microcephaly in infants.

Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?



28. Which of the following pairs are not

correctly matched?

(a) Gaofen-11: Satellite Launched by NASA to

probe Sun

(b) The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

(TESS): Planet Hunting Probe

(c) CRISPR-Cas9: Genome editing

(d) RISECREEK: Microprocessor developed

by IIT

29. The Laboratory for the Conservation of

Endangered Species (LaCONES) is situated in

(a) Hyderabad (b) New Delhi

(c) Gurugram (d) None of the above


regarding India's Ballistic Missile Defence

System:

I. The Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO) is developing a twotier Ballistic Missile

Defence (BMD) system that provides a multi-

layered shield against ballistic missile attacks.

II. The two-tier system consists of a Prithvi Air

Defence (Pad. missile which can intercept the

incoming missile in endosphere and Advanced

Air Defence (AAd) for exo-sphere interception.


(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

(c) Both 'a' and ‗b‘ (d) None of these

31. In which of the following states Defence

Industrial Corridor Projects have been

launched?

(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Uttar Pradesh

(c) Both 'a' and 'b' (d) None of these

32. India has decided to participate in the

Programme for International Student

Assessment (PISa) after a gap of 9 years.

Which organisation conducts PISA?

(a) United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

(b) Organisation for Economic Cooperation

Development (OECD).

(c) United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP)

(d) International Monetary Fund (IMF)

33. Who was appointed as head of the panel to

select the next Chief Economic Adviser in the

finance ministry, on 8 September, 2018?

(a) Bimal Jalan (b) Rajiv Menon

(c) Gautam Charan (d) Prithvi Raj

34. National Rail and Transportation Institute

(NRTI), the first of its kind university on the

transport sector in India, has started functioning

from which city?

(a) Bengaluru (b) Chennai

(c) Vishakapatnam (d) Vadodara



35. External Affairs Ministry of India has

signed an agreement with Telecommunications

Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) to launch e-

VidyaBharati and e-ArogyaBharati Network

Project?

(a) Africa (b) Sri Lanka

(c) Nepal (d) Seychelles

36. Which of the following is not correctly

matched?

(a) Tejas: Indigenous fighter aircraft

(b) BrahMos: Subsonic cruise missile

(c) Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP):

Remotely operable microscope


37. Assertion (A): A lunar eclipse is also called

blood moon.

Reason (R): The moon when eclipsed by the

Earth takes on a reddish hue as the Sunlight

falling on it gets filtered by the atmosphere of

the Earth.

(a) A is correct R is not correct

(b) Avis not correct, R is correct

(c) Both A and R is correct, and R is the proper

explanation of A

(d) Both A and R is incorrect


regarding Meghalayan Age

I. The Meghalayan Age began with a mega

global drought that devastated ancient

agricultural civilizations from Egypt to China.

II. It is part of a longer period known as the

Pleistocene Epoch.


(a) Only I (b) Only II



I. Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska):

Critically Endangered

II. Clouded Leopard: Vulnerable

III. Red Panda: Threatened

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly

matched according to IUCN red list?


(c) Only III (d) II and III


regarding Wildlife Trust of India (WTI):

I. It is a statutory body formed in November,

1998

II. Its mission is to conserve wildlife and its

habitat and to work for the welfare of

individual wild animals.





regarding The National Air Quality Index

(AQI).

I. It was launched in 2014 under the Swachh

Bharat Abhiyan.

II. AQI considers six pollutants namely PM2.5,

NO2, SO2 O3, NH3, and Pb




42. Consider the following statements:

I. IndARC is an underground Indian

observatory in Arctic circle.

II. India is already an observer at the Arctic

Council.




43. In which of the following countries India

assisted emergency ambulance service has been

started?

(a) Rwanda (b) Uganda

(c) Sri Lanka (d) Oman


regarding European Bank for Reconstruction

and Development (EBRd):

I. The EBRD is a multilateral development

bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin

Wall to promote private and entrepreneurial

initiative in emerging Europe.

II. India is yet to become a member of EBRD.





regarding Student Police Cadet (SPC)

programme.

I. it has been launched by Ministry of Human

Resource Development.



II. The programme does not have any

prescribed textbook nor is any exam envisaged.




46. Pitch Black is the name of

(a) An astronomical phenomena

(b) The name of a newly found satellite of

Jupiter

(c) A multinational air exeroise



regarding Global Innovation Index (GII):

I. GII is being developed jointly by Cornell

University, the Paris-based business school

Insead and the World Intellectual Property

Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva.

II. GII has ranked India as the 57th

most

innovative nation in the world.

Which of the above statements is/are Correct?




regarding Ease of Doing Business of States:

I. Andhra Pradesh topped a list of states in

implementing reforms.

II. Meghalaya has been placed at 36th

rank in

the index.




49. Name the new swimming pool type

research reactor that became operational at

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), in

Trombay, Maharashtra?

(a) Apsara-U (upgraded reactor)

(b) Brahma II reactor

(c) Rishi IV reactor

(d) Shakthi V reactor

50. Name the triple jumper who became the

first Indian to win a medal at the IAAF

Continental Cup?

(a) Arpinder Singh (b) Neeraj Chopra

(c) Vijendra Singh (d) Manveer Singh

51. India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) has tied up

with which payments technology company for

providing banking solutions to unorganized

sector?

(a) PayPal (b) Paytm

(c) Financial Software and Systems (FSS)

(d) Citrus Pay

52. Union Cabinet has approved new umbrella

scheme, which aims to ensure remunerative

prices to farmers. Name the scheme.

(a) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan

Abhiyan

(b) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Samriti

Abhiyan

(c) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Subiksha

Abhiyan

(d) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Suraksha

Abhiyan

53. What is the rank of India out of 189

countries in the latest human development

rankings released by the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP), on 2018?

(a) 142 (b) 110

(c) 130 (d) 150


regarding Dam Rehabilitation and

Improvement Project (DRIP):

I. DRIP is a state sector scheme with central

component to improve safety and operational

performance of selected dams.

II. It was launched with the help of World Bank

in 2013.




55. Which of the following pairs is/are matched

correctly?

(a) June 8: World Oceans Day

(b) March 8: World Women Day

(c) June 5: World Environment Day

(d) All of the above pairs are correctly matched


regarding Composition Water Management

Index:

I. The index has been prepared by NITI Ayog.

II. Gujarat was ranked as the best state in the

newly launched index.

III. Uttar Pradesh has been ranked lowest on the

index.




(a) I and II only (b) I and III Only

(c) II and III only (d) Only I

57. Which of the following statements is/are

correct regarding oxytocin?

I. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone

produced in the hypothalamus.

II. It plays a role in the female reproductive

functions from sexual activity to childbirth and

breast feeding

Code



58. Which of the following pairs are Not

Correctly Matched?

(a) ReUnite app: to track and trace missing and

abandon children in India

(b) RemoveDEBRIS: Mission to clean up space

debris

(c) Dhanush: An artillery gun

(d) AGNI 5: PSLV Rocket of ISRO


I. University Grants Commission (UGC) was

set up in 1953 and became a statutory body

through an Act of Parliament in 1956.

II. The Ministry of Women and Child

Development (MWCD) has released a report

titled ‗Women in Prisons‘.




Consider the following pairs: I. 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme:

Haryana

II. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: June 15

III. Ambubachi Mela: Manipur

Which of the above pairs is/are not correctly

matched:

(a) I and III only (b) II and III Only

(c) only III (d) Only I

61. Operation NISTAR is

(a) A swift Humanitarian and Disaster Relief

Operation conducted by Indian Navy.

(b) Joint Military Exercise between India and Iran

(c) Joint Military Exercise between India and

Oman.


62. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly

matched?

(a) Assumption Island : Mauritius

(b) Agalega Islands : Seychelles

(c) Aceh Island : Indonesia

(d) Aleutian Islands : Canada

63. Consider the following statements:

I. SURYA KIRAN is a joint military training

exercise between India and Nepal.

II. SURYA KIRAN-XIII was held at Pithoragarh,

Uttarakhand.

III. 22nd

edition of the Malabar trilateral naval

exercise of the US, Japan and India took place at

Guam in the Pacific Ocean.


(a) I, II and III (b) I and III

(c) II and III (d) I and II

64. Which of the following pairs are not correctly

matched?

I. Rani Rashmoni: Fast Patrol Vessel project of

Indian Coast Guard

II. COP CONNECT: Mobile app launched by

Telangana

III. Pinaka rocket system: ISRO

Code:

(a) I and III (b) Only III

(c) Only I (d) II and III


Global Peace Index

I. It has been published by a think tank ―The

Institute for Economics and Peace‖.

II. India has been ranked at 136th in the 2018 Index.




66. Consider the following countries:

I. Belgium II. The Dominican Republic,

III. Germany IV. Indonesia V. Maldives

Which of the above Countries have been elected as

non-permanent members on the Security Council

for two years starting in January 2019?

(a) I, II, III and IV (b) I, II, III and V

(c) I, III, IV and V (d) II, III, IV and V


United Nations Human Rights Council



I. The Human Rights Council is an

intergovernmental body within the United Nations

system

II. It was created in March 2006

III. Recently Russia has withdrawn from the

council.


(a) I and III only (b) II and III

(c) I, II and III (d) I and II

68. Ministry of External Affairs and Uttar Pradesh

Government inaugurated the website for the 15th

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2019 with the

theme?

(a) Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India

(b) Indian Diaspora – Pride of India

(c) India‘s growth and support of Indian Diaspora

(d) Indian Diaspora and Indian Culture

69. The first ever dedicated dog park in India has

been set up in which city?

(a) Bengaluru (b) New Delhi

(c) Mumbai (d) Hyderabad

70. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural

Development (NABARD) has approved …….

Rupees loan so far, under Pradhan Mantri Krishi

Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)?

(a) Rs. 26563.45 crore (b) Rs. 65634.93 crore

(c) Rs. 78563.65 crore (d) Rs. 45453.25 crore

71. Which space agency launched Ice, Cloud and

land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESAT-2) to estimate

the annual height change of the Greenland and

Antarctic ice sheets?

(a) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA)

(b) Roscosmos State Corporation for Space

Activities

(c) China National Space Administration (CNSA)

(d) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

72. Who won the women‘s singles title of BWF

World Championships 2018, held in Nanjing,

China?

(a) Carolina Marin (b) PV Sindhu

(c) Naomi Okura (d) Mayu Matsumoto

73. Name the Indian who won gold medal in 10m

Air Pistol Men Junior event and also beat his own

world record?

(a) Arjun Singh Cheema

(b) Vijayaveer Singh

(c) Udayaveer Singh

(d) Saurabh Chaudhary

74. Where was the G-20 Trade and Investment

Ministerial Meeting, held on 14th and 15

th

September, 2018?

(a) Metro Manila, Philippines

(b) Mar del Plata, Argentina

(c) Hanoi, Vietnam

(d) Jakarta, Indonesia

75. Name the rocket launched by (ISRO) Indian

Space Research Organisation that carried two U.K.

satellites named NovaSAR and S1-4 into space?

(a) PSLV-C-42 (b) PSLV-C-21

(c) PSLV-C-16 (d) PSLV-C-34

76. Where did DRDO successfully test a low-

weight indigenously developed man-portable anti-

tank guided missile (MPATGM)?

(a) Nagpur, Maharashtra

(b) Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

(c) Rohtak, Haryana

(d) Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir

77. Which of the following payment company

received approval from RBI to operate its own non-

banking financial company (NBFC)?

(a) PayU India (b) Indi Pay

(c) Money Pay (d) Naggle Pay

78. Name the two Indians who created history by

climbing Asia's highest volcanic peak Mount

Damavand in Iran?

(a) Satyarup Siddhanta and Bhaswati Chatterjee

(b)Bhaswati Chatterjee and Mousumi Khatua

(c) Mousumi Khatua and Arunima Rao

(d) Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua

79. Which city has been confirmed as the host of

the 4th edition of Asian Para Games in 2022?

(a) Tokyo, Japan (b) Doha, Qatar

(c) Hangzhou, China (d) Hanoi, Vietnam

80. Where is the newly Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) Technology Incubation

Centre, inaugurated?

(a) Kolkata (b) Mumbai

(c) Pune (d) Agartala



81. Name the monthly e-newsletter launched by

Union Ministry of Ministry, of Micro, Small and

Medium Enterprises?

(a) MSME Alert (b) MSME Insider

(c) MSME News (d) MSME Circular

82. Name the new scheme approved by Employees'

State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) through which

it will pay cash relief to insured persons during the

period of unemployment?

(a) Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna

(b) Atal Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

(c) Atal Suraksha Bima Yojana

(d) Life Cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan

Yojana

83. Who has been newly appointed as MD and CEO

of Syndicate Bank?

(a) Mrutyunjay Mahapatra

(b) Padmaja Chundru

(c) Pallav Mohapatra

(d) J. Packirisamy

84. Name the indigenously developed surface-to-

surface short-range ballistic missile successfully test

fired by DRDO in September, 2018?

(a) Vihar (b) Prahar

(c) Kiran (d) Surya

85. Name the weightlifter who was conferred the

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2018 for her excellent

performance in the Sports arena?

(a) Vijay Sharma

(b) Pooja Kadian

(c) Chougale Dadu Dattatray

(d) S. Mirabai Chanu

86. Who was appointed the new chairman of the

Steel Authority of India on September, 2018?

(a) Surendra Chaudhary

(b) Rohit Chauhan

(c) Pradeep Tanvir

(d) Anil Kumar Chaudhary

87. Which state has topped the 'Ease of Living

Index' rankings launched by the Ministry of

Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under

AMRUT?

(a) Telangana (b) Andhra Pradesh

(c) Gujarat (d) Karnataka

88. Name Sikkim's first airport and India's 100th

operational airport that was inaugurated by Prime

Minister?

(a) Palling Airport (b) Pakyong Airport

(c) Yuksom Airport (d) Gyalshing Airport

89. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has

inked a pact with which bank and NTT

Communications to roll out 5G and interne of things

technology in India?

(a) State Bank of India (SBI) (b) ICICI Bank

(c) Axis Bank (d) Softbank

90. Which country has become the only South

Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

(SAARC) country to have a quit-line number on

tobacco products?

(a) Malaysia (b) Sri Lanka

(c) Singapore (d) India

91. Which has become the world's first country to

land 2 robotic rovers MINERVA-II1 Rover-lA and

Rover-lB in asteroid Ryugu?

(a) United States (b)China

(c) Japan (d) Russia

92. Name the head of the three-member committee

constituted by Supreme Court for suggesting Jail

reforms across India?

(a) Justice Ajay Mishra

(b) Justice Amit Payal

(c) Justice Amitava Roy

(d) Justice Rangaraj Desai

93. Name the chairman of the High Level

Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility -

2018 (HLC- 2018) formed by the government?

(a) Rajiv Gauba (b) Injeti Srinivas

(c) Ranjan Gauba (d) Amit Pandey

94. Which Indian golf player has won his first

European Tour title at the Fiji International, at

Natadola Bay in Fiji?

(a) Ajeetesh Sandhu (b)Navjeet Siddhu

(c) Gaganjeet Bhullar (d) Pranesh Mathur

95. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed non-

fund-based at State levels to revive India's co-

operative banking sector?

(a) Umbrella organisations (UO)



(b) Prime organisations (PO)

(c) Terminal organisations (CO)

(d) Central Organisations (CO)

96. Which Indian state unveiled the world's first-

ever thermal battery unit?

(a) Telangana (b) Andhra Pradesh

(c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Chhattisgarh

97. Which country won the Women's Hockey

World Cup 2018 that concluded in London for a

record 8th time?

(a) Iran (b) Ireland

(c) The Netherlands (d) South Korea

98. Consider the following statements regading

Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW):

I. It is India's first fully indigenous antiairfield

weapon project.

II. It was indigenously developed by staterun

Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) in collaboration with IAF and the

Research Centre Imarat (RCI).


(a) only I (b)only II



I. Aeolus: First wind-sensing satellite launched by

EU

II. Bennu: Near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid

III. OSIRIS-Rex: Satellite to study the atmosphere

of Mars

IV. HELINA: Anti-tank guided missile

Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) I, II and III (b)I, II and IV

(c) II, Ill and IV (d) I, II, Ill and IV

100. Which of the following pairs are not correctly

matched?

(a) International Tiger Day: 29 July

(b)World Food Day: 9 October

(c) World Earth Day: 22 April

(d) World Environment Day: 5 June



Answer Key CLATFOCUS October - 2018

Q. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Ans. B A A D A D A C A A

Q. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Ans. D B B A D B A C D C

Q. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Ans. B C C B B A D A A C

Q. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Ans. C B A D A B C A D B

Q. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

Ans. A D C B A C C D A A

Q. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.

Ans. C A C B D A C D C C

Q. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.

Ans. A C A B C A D A D B

Q. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80.

Ans. A A D B A B A D C D

Q. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90.

Ans. B A A B D D B B D D

Q. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100.

Ans. C C B C A A C C B B

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