Current Affairs

Prime Minister stated that Ayurveda experts need to find medicines which give immediate relief to patients and also keep side effects at bay.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation All India Institute of Ayurveda at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi. According to reports, the first phase of the project has been completed at a cost of 157 crore rupees and its campus is spread over 10 acres and its has both hospital and academic blocks. Prime Minister stated that there should be an Ayurveda hospital in every district of the country and AYUSH Ministry is working in this direction. Mr Modi said that in the last three years, more than 65 Ayush Hospitals have been opened in the country.

On the occasion of World food day, the Minister also launched a mobile app IFRA (Indian Food Recovery Alliance) to prevent food wastage. The app is created by Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to manage surplus food recovery and stop food waste in the country. The App also creates a network of food recovery agencies and bring together donating bodies, beneficiaries, and volunteers. 

The minister also stated that there is a need to raise awareness about the food loss and waste amongst citizens and bring about behavioral change to prevent food waste at home, school or at the workplace.

According to reports, Centre has directed the food safety commissioners of all the states to take strict action against those involved in food adulteration. This was informed by Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey. He had also ordered concerned officials to be vigilant for adulteration during the festive season.

The Government has launched the Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana and an initiative for expansion of clientele base of Postal Life Insurance. The Scheme was launched by Communications Minister Manoj Sinha. The minister stated that the government plans to bring all the villages under Saansad Adasrh Gram Yojna under Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana.

Under the Yojana, government plans to identify villages with a minimum of 100 households in every revenue district of the country. Government will make effort to cover all households of that identified village with a minimum of one Rural Postal Life Insurance policy each. 

It is also decided that Postal Life Insurance (PLI) will no more be confined to Government and semi-Government employees. It will also be available to professionals such as Doctors, Engineers, Management Consultants, Charted Accountants, Architects, Lawyers, and Bankers.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched gold options trading on the leading commodity bourse MCX. MCX is the leading commodity bourse in the country with a market share of over 90 per cent. Options are derivatives which give a buyer the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset or instrument at a specific price on or before a certain date.This is the first product for options trading that the regulator Sebi has allowed after 14 years of commencement of commodity exchanges in the country.The gold options contract launched today allows trading in 1kg gold.

The data released by Central Statistical Organization shows that India's Industrial production is showing a nine-month high of four point three percent in August 2017. This has been due to robust performance of the mining and power sectors. Factory output had grown 4 percent in August 2016.

During August 2017, Manufacturing sector output grew 3.1 percent, mining sector output surged 9.4 percent, and electricity generation increased 8.3 percent.

Production of capital good rose 5.4 per cent in August. Consumer durables output increased 1.6 percent, and consumer non-durables output rose 6.9 percent during the month.

According to reports, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that India will send three lakh youth to Japan for on-job training for 3-5 years as part of the government's skill development programme.

Japan will bear the financial cost of the skill training of Indian technical interns. This is as per the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on the 'Technical Intern Training Program (TITP)'.

The minister stated that the agreement is expected to be signed during his three-day visit to Tokyo starting October 16.

According to reports, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has stated that innovative techniques will be introduced to eliminate rail accidents. These techniques include revamping the existing signalling system by use of TPWS - Train protection and Warning System and MTRC, Mobile Train Radio Communication. Railway will be eliminating existing 5000 unmanned level crossings in a time bound manner.

According to the Minister, about 20 stations will be modernised in an expedited manner with superior infrastructure and passenger facilities, including disabled-friendly, by December 2018. It is also proposed to increase speed of around 700 trains with effect from November this year.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) also called as Mangalyaan completes three years in space. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)spacecraft was successfully placed in the Martian orbit in its very first attempt by the ISRO. MOM was successfully inserted into Mars' orbit on 24 September 2014. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is only the fourth space agency in the world to send a mission to Mars. ISRO is the first space agency to do so in its first attempt. On completion of Magalyaan's three years in Martian orbit, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) released MOM's second year science data.

Google has forayed in the payment segment with the launch of Tez. Tez is an app and is available in both android and iOS platforms. Tez uses the government's Unified Payments Interface. The app was launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Tez allows users to do financial transactions like sending money, receiving payments directly into their bank accounts and paying bills. The users can link the app to their bank accounts as the platform is built on the government's Unified Payment Interface.

Google Tez supports several local languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu.

As stated in a media release, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that India will play three Test Matches against South Africa in a tour beginning on January 5th. The BCCI acting secretary stated in a media release, “ India will play South Africa in a three match 'Mahatma Gandhi Nelson Mandela' Test Series, six-match One Day Internationals (ODI) Test series followed by three Twenty20 Internationals.” Initially Indian Cricket Team was supposed to play 4 Tests, 3ODIs and 3 Twenty20 Internationals. Indian Cricket team last toured South Africa in 2013.

In an exciting and hard fought final on Sunday, India's ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu had to settle with silver medal. The final lasted for about one hour forty nine minutes. Sindhu lost to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 19-21,22-20,20-22. Their match was the longest in the World Championships. India's ace shuttlers P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal made India proud at the World Championship by bagging a silver and a bronze medal. For the first time India has bagged two medals in the World Badminton Championship.

On day two of the third and final test of India vs Sri Lanka series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pandya smashed a maiden test hundred in 86 balls. In the first innings, Sri Lanka was bowled by the Indian bowlers at 135 wherein Kuldeep Yadav took 4 for 40 and Shami claimed two wickets. Pandya's aggressive knock aided India to 487 runs at the end of the day. Pandya scored 26 runs off Malinda Pushpakumara's over smashing 3 sixes and 2 fours. His 26 runs off an over were the most runs scored by an Indian batsman in an over in Test Cricket.



Heavy rain is lashing many parts of Odisha due to a deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal. The system, which lay centered over northwest Bay of Bengal, has crossed Odisha's coast Paradip. The Meteorological department has warned fishermen not to venture into the sea due to sea condition, which is likely to be rough. The meteorological department has also stated that heavy to very heavy rain and thundershowers will continue to occur at a few places in southern and coastal Odisha and heavy rain at interior districts for the next 24 hours. It said strong and gusty surface winds, reaching up to 65 kilometres per hour, will blow along the coast.  In view of the weather conditions, the local cautionary signal Number Three (LC-III) has been hoisted at Paradip and Gopalpur Ports.

INDRA-2017, the first-ever Tri-Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces, began on Thursday near Vladivostok in Russia. The Exercise INDRA was previously held as single service exercise. Two indigenously built Indian Naval ships INS Satpura and INS Kadmatt reached Vladivostok Port yesterday and were given a traditional ceremonial welcome. The Indian contingent for the Exercise is led by the Task Force Commander Major General ND Prasad.

According to reports, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reached Port Blair for a 2 day visit of Andaman and Nicobar Island.During her stay, Sitharaman will celebrate Diwali with the troops of Andaman and Nicobar Command and interact with their families during various events.The Minister will also visit the operational area of the Command and Air Force Station Car Nicobar. The Minister will lay wreaths at the Swatantra Jyoti in Cellular Jail and Tsunami Memorial at Car Nicobar.