Rajni Kant Mishra is appointed as the new chief of BSF
The government appointed Rajni Kant Mishra as the Director-General of Border Security Force (BSF) in the place of K.K. Sharma. He is a 1984 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. Mr.Mishra is currently the head of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). He is to head the BSF till August 31, 2019. Special D-G (BSF) S.S.Deswal, will replace Mr.Mishra in SSB.
Anil Khosla appointed as new Vice Chief of Indian Air Force
Eastern Air Command chief Anil Khosla will take over as the new vice chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with Air Marshal SB Deo set to retire. According to other approved postings by the Indian Air force, new Deputy Chief of Air Force will be Air Marshal VR Chaudhari, New DG of Air operations’ post went to Air Marshal Amit Deo.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev to invite India to help with its key rail link in Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is to invite India to help with a key rail link in Afghanistan during his visit to India. The rail link is approximate of length 650 km. It connects the Afghan cities of Mazaar-e-Sharif and Herat, which may later be extended to Kabul. Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs Ilhom Nematov said Afghanistan welcomes India if it gets involved in the rail link construction project it has a proven record and experience, and because of its contribution to bringing peace to Afghanistan. India is also committed to building another rail route, from Chabahar to Zahedan on the Iran-Afghan border. The Afghanistan President Mirziyoyev is keen to join the transit trade agreement signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.
India ranks 96th on Economic Freedom Index; Hong Kong, Singapore retain top spot
As per the 2018 report on Economic Freedom in the World, released by the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in conjunction with Canada’s Fraser Institute, India stands at 96th rank out of 162 countries in economic freedom. Last year, India’s rank was 98. Hong Kong and Singapore again topped the index ranking first and second respectively. The other countries in the top 10 were: New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, the US, Georgia, Mauritius, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada (tied for 10th) respectively.
Supreme Court lifts the ban on entry of women in Sabarimala temple
The Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years in Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple, thereby allowing women of all ages to enter the 800-year-old temple. Kerala government supported the entry while the temple board opposed it, as women of menstruating age on grounds will disturb the celibacy of temple deity, Lord Ayyappa. The petitions were filed by Indian Young Lawyers Association (IYLA) and others. This is one of the multiple landmark judgments the Supreme court has passed this week before Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra’s retirement on October 2. A five-judge bench heared the case headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra with Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud, and Indu Malhotra. Quotes by judges regarding the Sabarimala Case ♦ “Women are not inferior to men” ♦ “Biological reason can’t be accepted in faith” ♦ “Relationship with God can’t be defined by biology” ♦ “Patriarchal ideas cannot trump over devotion”.
Centre appointed search committee for Lokpal and Lokayuktas
The Centre suggested an eight-member search committee for Lokpal and Lokayuktas. The step came after the Supreme Court’s order to appoint Lokpal at the earliest. The search committee was appointed by the selection committee. The Search committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The Selection committee constituted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Leader of the largest Opposition party, i.e, Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, Jurist Mukul Rohatgi. Search committee members: Head: Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai – Former Supreme Court judge Members: Arundhati Bhattacharya – Former SBI Chief A. Surya Prakash – Chairperson of Prasar Bharati A.S. Kiran Kumar – Former ISRO Head Sakha Ram Singh Yadav – Former judge of the Allahabad HC Shabbirhusein S Khandwawala – Former Gujarat Police Head Lalit K Panwar – Retired IAS Officer of Rajasthan cadre Ranjit Kumar – Retired IAS Officer of Rajasthan cadre
IISc Bangalore named India’s Best University in Times World University rankings 2019
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has been named the top Indian institute for the fifth straight year in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and was placed in the 251-300 bracket. IIT Indore (351-400) was placed second, ahead of IIT Bombay and IIT Roorkee. Globally, Oxford University continues to hold the first place, followed by Cambridge, Stanford, and MIT.
USAID-India End TB Alliance formed between India, United States to combat tuberculosis
The main aim is to achieve a TB-free India by 2025. The Alliance members include industry and civil society leaders, academics, scientists, innovators, investors, and members of the diaspora.
Indo-Bangla border conference held in Mizoram
A joint border conference was held between India and Bangladesh at Aizawl and delegates from both sides deliberated on the border issues between the two countries Brigadier General Zakir Ahmed, the Surveyor General of Bangladesh told media persons that a discussion was held regarding the demarcation of border between the two countries along Mizoram.
World Tourism Day 2018 celebrated on September 27
Started in 1980 by The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated worldwide annually on September 27. The theme of this year – ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation’ The official celebrations this year took place in Budapest, Hungary. In India, the celebrations begun in Goa and are organised by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
Indian railways to launch Smart coaches
The Indian Railways is set to launch the ‘Make in India’ Smart coaches. The smart coaches have several new features like black box and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CCTVs, matching international standards, Wi-Fi hotspot information system. The coaches have been equipped with sensors that can detect defects on bearings, wheels, and the railway track and gives constant inputs to those in the control room to avoid accidents, carry out maintenance, and to improve the efficiency of operations. A water-level indicator technology to know whether the water in the coach is sufficient and when it needs to be filled is also available. The maiden smart coach was unveiled at the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh as part of launching 100 such trains in a pilot project to improve the safety and security of commuters and to boost efficiency.
4-day Lok Manthan 2018 national literary and intellectual conference inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah
4-day Lok Manthan 2018 national literary and intellectual conference inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in Ranchi
The four-day event was organised by the Department of Culture of Jharkhand Government in association with an NGO. The event witnessed discussions on present social and cultural issues facing the country. About Ranchi Ranchi is the state capital of Jharkhand in northeast India. At the top of central Ranchi Hill, Pahari Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, with panoramic city views.
.PV Sindhu only sportsperson in Forbes India’s Maiden List of 22 ‘Tycoons of Tomorrow’
Badminton player and Olympian PV Sindhu is the only sportsperson featuring in the Forbes India’s maiden ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports. Other prominent names in the list are ♦ Karan Adani, chief executive of Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone; ♦ Anant Goenka, group executive director of Indian Express; ♦ Ashni Biyani, managing director of Future Consumer; ♦ Birla scion Ananya Birla, founder of Svatantra Microfinance, co-founder, CuroCarte and co-founder of Mpower; ♦ Radha Kapoor Khanna, the daughter of Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor; ♦ Ritesh Agarwal of Oyo Rooms.
India and Oman Agree To Enhance Bilateral Cooperation
The Ministers undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral defence cooperation and discussed measures to further enhance bilateral exchanges. The three wings of the Armed Forces hold staff talks and advanced joint exercises with each other. Several enabling agreements and Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between the two countries pertaining to defence related issues.
Campco to enter into coconut processing and marketing
The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco) is to enter into coconut processing and marketing. This sudden move of Campco is to help farmers to get better prices for coconuts. Campco president S.R.Satishchandra said that the cooperative has expanded to coconut, as it is committed to better the economic stability of farmers. He also said that Campco has recorded an all-time high turnover of Rs.1,742 crore in 2017-18 and added that the net profit was Rs.41 crore. In 2018, Campco purchased areca nut worth Rs.1,452.92 crore, cocoa at Rs.₹55.75 crore and rubber at Rs.48.87 crore.
