Current Affairs - October 4, 2017 Current Affairs

The World Health Organization (WHO) appointed Soumya Swaminathan one of two Deputy Directors General. This is the first time such a post has been ever created within the organization. The position is also the highest post held by an Indian in the WHO. She is currently the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Satya Pal Malik sworn in as the Governor of Bihar at the Raj Bhavan. He administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of the Patna High Court Justice Rajendra Menon, in presence of a host of dignitaries including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modiinaugurated the Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). Originally set up as not-for-profit organisation on October 4, 1968, the institute was in 1980 converted into a statutory professional body under an Act of Parliament - The Company Secretaries Act 1980.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Switzerland on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector. The MoU will enable technical cooperation in the traction rolling stock, EMU and train sets, traction propulsion equipment, freight and passenger cars and tilting trains. It will also cover railway electrification equipment, train scheduling and operation improvement, railway station modernization, multimodal transport and tunneling technology.

The Union Ministry of Water Resources approved a project to set up Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad along with River Biodiversity Park at Sangam in Allahabad. The purpose of the Turtle sanctuary is to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga from escalating anthropogenic pressures. This project will provide a platform to make the visitors aware of their place in the ecosystem, their roles, and responsibilities, improve their understanding of the complexity of co-existence with the environment.

The Queen's Baton for the 2018 Commonwealth Games arrived in New Delhi, India. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held in Australia. The Baton was received by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) joint secretary Rakesh Gupta and it will travel to Agra.

State Bank of India has pared the interest rate on retail term-deposits of one-year maturity by 25 basis points, to 6.50 per cent. The highest interest rate that India's largest bank is offers on retail terms deposits (of below 1 crore) is now 6.50 per cent, compared to 6.75 per cent earlier. SBI now offers 6.50 per cent interest on retail term deposits in six maturity buckets (starting from 46 days to less than two years).

The Union Government launched SECURE Himalaya, a six-year project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity and land. The Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states namely Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. The system was launched by Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Pakistan appoints Vice Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi to be new Chief of the Naval Staff. He succeeding Chief of Naval Staff (CONS) Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah after President Mamnoon Hussain approved his elevation to the office.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley signing the third line of credit (LoC) agreement involving $4.5 billion to be spent on infrastructure and social sector development. The two agreements for the implementation of the third LoC and the 'Joint Interpretative Notes on the Agreement between India and Bangladesh for the Promotion and Protection of Investments' would also be signed in the presence of Mr. Jaitley and his Bangladesh counterpart A.M.A. Muhith.

The Chairman of National Highways Authority of India Shri Deepak Kumar launched a world-class, new multilingual website of the organization. He also launched a Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS) Moblie App that will facilitate close, in-house monitoring of NHAI projects on a mobile phone. The system is now digitally monitoring them through a state-of-the-art Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS) which has been developed in-house along with The Boston Consulting Group.

The Union Government waived service charges in November last year after demonetization to encourage digital modes of booking. The facility had been extended from June 30 and then to September 30. The Railway Board directed Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) that the benefits be extended till March next year. The Service charges on booking train tickets online through IRCTC ranges from Rs 20 to 40 per ticket.