October

OCTOBER

ABBRIVIATION

INDC : Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

UNFCCC : UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

MID : Mid Day Meal.

ICDS : Integrated Child Development Services.

EBIDITA: Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization.

FICCI : Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

SEPC : Services Export Promotion Council.

PMSSY :Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna.

FIPB : Foreign Investment Board.

PMKSY : Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna.

ISDS : Indian Skill Development Service.

MSD&E : Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

IPR : Intellectual Property Rights.

SAAP : State Level Annual Action Plan.

ASEM : Asia Europe Meeting.

JETCO : Joint Economic and Trade Committee.

HRA : High Risk Area.

CGPCS : Chair of the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

CII : Confederation of Indian Industry.

JNPT : Jawahrlal Neheru Port Trust.

MAMCO : Mizoram Agriculture Marketing Corporation.

NBCC : National Building Construction Corporation.

GIM :Green India Mission.

CVCF : Central Victim Compensation Fund.

GCA : Gas Cooperation Agreement.

TRAI : Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

MSMEs : Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

ITM : International Tourism Mart.

RCE : Revised Cost Estimate.

PETA : People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PRP : Performance Related Pay.

RTI : Right To Information.

NITRA : Northern India Textile Research Association.

NJAC : National Judicial Appointments Commission.

APCESS : Asia Pacific Conference on Exercise and Sports Sciences.

DRDO : Defence Research and Development Organisation.

EBC : Economically Backward Classes.

IRCTC : Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

NES : Night Eatery Street.

GAAP : Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

AMRUT : Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.

IAFS : India Africa Forum Summit.

CBEC : Central Board of Excise and Customs.

PMAY : Prime Minister’s Awas Yojona.

HUPA : Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

WEF : World Economic Forum.

BBBP : Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

LOB : Limitation Of Benefit.

DTAC : Double Taxation Avoidance Convention.

CIPS : China International Payment System.

ITBA – PAN : Income Tax Business Application – Permanent Account Number.

GMS : Gold Monetisation Scheme.

AMFI : Association of Mutual Funds in India.

KISAN : C(K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoiNformatics.

MNCFC : Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre.

CCAFS : Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.

RCE: Revised Cost Estimate.

GIFT: Gujarat International Finance Tec City.

APPOINTED AND RESIGNED

Union Government has appointed senior IRS officer Najib Shah as the chairman of

Central Board of Excise and Customers (CBEC).

Economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das nominated on RBI Central Board of

Directors.

Samiran Chakraborty appointed as Chief Economist of Citibank India.

Sylvie Lucas appointed as Chair of IGN of UNSC Reforms.

Retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua has been appointed as the new

National Security Advisor (NSA) of Pakistan.

Alok Rawat becomes first male member of National Commission for Women.

Samardeep Subandh has been appointed as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of

homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart.

Reva Khetrapal selected as Lokayukta of Delhi.

Union Government appoints VK Malhotra as President of All India Council of

Sports.

Kundhavi Kadiresanwas appointed as the Assistant Director (AD) of United Nations

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Regional Representative for Asia and

the Pacific.

Infosys appoints Ranganath D Mavinakere as new CFO.

Shekhar Basu appointed as Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission.

Hoesung Lee of South Korea has been elected Chairman of Inter-governmental

Panel for Climate Change (IPCC).

Jack Dorsey appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter.

Shashank Manohar elected unopposed as BCCI president.

Indian-American associate professor Kartik Chandran has been named as a 2015

MacArthur Fellow.

AB de Villiers named brand ambassador of MRF.

ART AND CULTURE

China abandons its decades old One Child Policy.

Khadi Utsav launched in Ahmedabad by Gujarat Govt.

Union Government has approved the construction of a war memorial and war

museum at India Gate, New Delhi that has been pending since 1960s.

OUTLAY – Rs 500 crore.

• The structure will take 5 years to complete which will be built in 14 acre of land.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference to be held in New Delhi Jan 2016.

The SAARC Sufi festival, a three-day carnival of Sufi dance, music and poetry was

organised at Diggi Palace, Jaipur.

100 food streets to be adopted during first phase of Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan.

• Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan – An initiative to develop a culture of food safety in the

country.(Rolled out in July 2015).

Australia to return 2000 year old Buddha idol to India. Buddha idol is currently

retain with the national art gallery in Canberra, Australia.

Mahatma Gandhi Street inaugurated in Amman by President Shri Pranab

Mukherjee.

• Shri Pranab Mukherjee was presented with golden key of Amman

commemorating his historic visit and as a token of friendship.

• President also planted an olive tree in the Peace Park in Amman, the capital

city of Jordan.

4th International Tourism Mart Inaugurated in Gangtok, Sikkim.

Delhi gets its second monumental national flag measuring 30×20 ft. at the rotary

junction connecting Shantipath, Niti Marg and Nyaya Marg.

Kerala Gender Park to launch “Food on Wheels” to serve safe food.

• Food on Wheels is an initiative is taken by Gender Park to provide healthy,

hygienic and delicious food.

• At night time these mobile units provide “Night Eatery Street’ (NES)” service will

provide tasty foods for late diners.

• Aim: Food safety & women empowerment.

Doordarshan emerged as most watched Hindi channel.

Amrita Sher-Gil self-portrait sold for 17 crore rupees in London.

Union Government released commemorative postal stamp on Dr BR Ambedkar.

Indian short film An Old Dog’s Diary wins award at 2015 London Film Festival.

• The 11-minute film has been directed by Shai Heredia and Shumona Goel.

• It story of film reveals the cultural conditions of Indian avant-garde painter Francis

Newton Souza’s work and its institutionalization by assembling the puzzle-piece

evocations of his portrait.

IS militants blows up Palmyra’s iconic Arc of Triumph.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launches website in memory of

cartoonist RK Laxma.

No service tax on “charitable” yoga income.

Sushma Swaraj inaugurates India-Africa Friendship Rose garden in New Delhi. The

3 acre park dedicated to the friendship of India and Africa has been planted with

over 6,000 rose saplings of 65 varieties collected from all parts of the country.

Nation celebrates Sardar Patel Jayanti as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, PM flags off ‘Run

for Unity’ at Rajpath.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in association with Radio Mirchi launched

the India’s first airport radio, Mirchi T3.

Archaeologists unearth 3,500-year-old warrior’s grave in Greece.

AWARDS

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has been selected for European Union’s prestigious

Sakharov Prize for human rights for year 2015.

AR Rahman conferred with 2015 Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe awarded 2015 Confucius Peace Prize by

China.

Noted criminologist K Chockalingam wins 2015 Paul H Appleby Award.

Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been selected for the prestigious 2015

Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Jamaican author Marlon James has won the prestigious 2015 Man Booker Prize for

his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings. With this, he became first Jamaican to win

Man Booker Prize.

Inuit and Arctic activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier of Canada has won the 2015 Right

Livelihood Award.

UK city of Coventry honours Ratan Tata.

FILA event 2015 – Salute to Indian Business Leaders

• Best CEO (Public Sector): Arundhati Bhattacharya.

• Best CEO (Private Sector): CP Gurnani(Tech Mahindra Ltd).

• Best CEO (MNC): Uday Shankar(Star India Pvt. Ltd).

• Entrepreneur for the Year: Uday Kotak(Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd).

• Entrepreneur with Social Impact: Samit Ghosh(Ujjivan Financial Services Pvt.Ltd).

• NextGen Entrepreneur for the Year: Siddhartha Lal(Eicher Motors).

• Outstanding Startup for the Year: Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati(OLA).

• Lifetime Achievement Award: RC Bhargava(Maruti Suzuki India Ltd) .

• Conscious Capital for the Year: Godrej Consumer Products Ltd & Gujarat

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation.

Nobel Prize Chemistry 2015: Cell’s Tool Box for Repairing DNA.

• The winners of the Nobel Prize 2015 in chemistry are Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich

and Aziz Sancar.The Nobel prize was awarded “for mechanistic studies of DNA repair”

• Mr. Lindahl demonstrated that DNA decays at a rate that ought to have made the

development of life on Earth impossible.

• Mr. Modrich demonstrated how the cell corrects errors that occur when DNA is

replicated during cell division.

• Mr. Sancar mapped nucleotide excision repair, the mechanism that cells use to

repair UV damage to DNA.

Kajita and McDonald Won Nobel Physics Prize for Work on Neutrinos.

• Takaaki Kajita of Japan and Arthur McDonald of Canada won the Nobel Prize in

physics for their work on neutrinos.

• Neutrinos are the second most abundant subatomic particles in the universe, after

photons, which carry light.

• Discovery: Neutrino oscillations which shows that neutrinos have mass.

Journalist Wins 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

• The Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich has won the 2015 Nobel Prize for

Literature.

• Her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time made her

to win the award.

• She was the first journalist to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

• First writer from Belarus to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Nobel Prize for Peace – 2015

• Winner of 2015 Nobel Prize for Peace: Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet

•Award for: Its contribution to the Tunisia’s transition to democracy in the wake of the

Jasmine Revolution 2011.

Angus Deaton wins Nobel Prize in Economics 2015.

•The winner of Nobel Prize in Economics 2015 – Angus Deaton.

•Award for: His analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare.

• Book of Angus Deaton – The Great Escape: Health, Wealth and the Origins of

Inequality.

A Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who has been jailed and flogged for insulting Muslim

clerics was awarded a major free-speech prize on 6 Oct. Raif Badawi shares the PEN

Pinter Prize with British poet James Fenton.

Indian firm Nualgi won Popular Choice Award at Climate CoLab of MI.

Vayalar Rama Varma Literary Award 2015 winner – Subhash Chandran(Malayalam

Writer.

ISO 9001:2008 Certificate bagged by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Filmmaker I V Sasi bagged J C Daniel award.

Vishnudas Bhave Award Winner – Noted marathi Actor. The award will be given on 5th

November 2015 on the eve of Marathi Rangbhumi Din.

Honoured for: His outstanding contribution to Marathi theatre.

Arun Jaitley Bags Best FM of Asia Award.

RBI governor Raghuram Rajan recognized as the Central Bank Governor of the Year

award for Asia 2014 by the Emerging Market.

Marlon James Wins Man Booker Prize 2015.

• Winner of Man Booker Prize 2015 – Marlon James.

• Name of the award winning book: A Brief History of Seven Killings (Novel).

• The book mentions about the real life attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the

1970s and it explores Jamaican politics through the lens of reggae music.

During the first Kolkata International Wildlife & Environment Film Festival (KIWEFF)

elephant specialist Parbati Barua has been honoured with lifetime achievement award

for her stupendous contribution in wildlife conservation.

Bharti Airtel wins Asia top treasury team award for 2015.

Tata steel conferred with Golden peacock award.

Being a leader in league goal scoring charts of season 2014-15, the 30 years old

Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the European Golden Boot in Madrid.

Shah Rukh Khan receives honorary doctorate from Edinburgh University.

Delhi Metro’s bagged with best in-train information system.

Asian Cricket Awards has bestowed its Lifetime Achievement award to London based

NRI journalist Mihir Bose, in a ceremony at Lord’s Ground in London for his

contribution to cricket journalism.

Actress Urvashi Rautela crowned Miss Diva 2015.

G P Hinduja and his brother S P Hinduja (London based NRI Businessmen) judged as

the second most influential Asians in Britain in the GG2 Power 101 list compiled by

the Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG).

• UK Business Secretary Sajid Javid is in the first position. He is described as the

determined Youngman as he maintained his top position in the list.

Kerala’s Thekkady has been named as the “world’s top emerging destination” in the

inaugural Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Challenge 2015 in Bangkok.

An Indian national Easwari Shellaiah (47) working in Singapore as maid has been

awarded by Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA) for her dedicated service to

bed-ridden employer.

Angry Indian Goddesses bagged People’s Choice Award at Rome Film Festival.

Activist Bindeshwar Pathak to get top US humanitarian award.

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) were

selected as the best hospitals by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) for having the best

medicine experts in South Asia.

BANKING & FINANCE

The ambitious scheme of Modi Govt “Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana” has now

crossed the mark of Rs 25000 crore with zero balance accounts have reduced to

less than 40% and the accounts that are having balances has exceed 60%.

Drought calamity – MCA providing Rs 1 crore to Maharashtra Govt.

RBI allows Indian corporate to issue offshore rupee-denominated bonds outside

India.

RBI, UAE Central Bank ink MoU for supervisory information exchange.

RBI formed Financial Inclusion Fund with Rs. 2000 crore corpuses.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to provide 120 million dollars loan to

upgrade the India-Bangladesh electricity network.

8 PSU banks backed with Government infusion of Rs 13,955 crore.

Card-less mVisa launched by ICICI.

UCO Bank lodged with highest number of NPAs.

Dena Bank ties up with bankbazaar.com.

Telenor launches free insurance for mobile phone users. In a first from a telco in

India, Telenor will begin offering life insurance to its new and existing customers,

with covers starting from Rs 5,000 going up to Rs 50,000, while consumers don’t

need to pay any premium.

Go digital nationwide campaign by HDFC Bank.

• CAMPAIGN NAME – Har Zaroorat Poori Ho Chutki Mein, Bank Aapki Mutthi Mein.

• CAMPAIGN THEME – Digital banking is enabling customer convenience as never

before.

• TIME DURATION – 3 months.

Yes Bank has got the permission of RBI to sponsor a mutual fund and also to set up

an asset management company (AMC) and a trustee company.

From 9th October to 11th October 2015 the Annual meeting of the World Bank

Group and the International Monetary Fund were held at Lima, Peru.

RBI sub-office unlocked in Imphal.

NABARD sanctions Rs 135-crore loan to Haryana for rural development.

Yes Bank inks partnership with Snapdeal and Blue Dart to facilitate faster seller

payments.

Private sector lender Yes Bank has started operations from its IFSC banking unit at

the Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT).

Arun Jaitley launched two taxpayer eSahyog and PAN camps friendly measures

with a view to streamlining the taxation procedure.

• e-Sahyog : e-Sahyog is aimed at reducing compliance cost, especially for small

taxpayers. It is to provide an online mechanism to resolve mismatches in I-T returns

of taxpayers whose returns have not been selected for scrutiny, without visiting the

I-T Office.

• PAN camps: PAN camps are aimed at expanding the coverage of number of

people through Permanent Account Number (PAN). While 23 crore PAN card have

been issued, only 5 crore people file income tax returns.

• The expansion of Number of PAN card holders would help the government

implement the budget proposal of mandatory quoting of PAN for cash transaction of

Rs 1 lakh.

LIC – Indian Railways develop a bond of Rs 2,000 cr.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Dreaming Big – My Journey To Connect India: Sam Pitroda. [Autobiography of Sam

Pitroda ].

Gandhian Philosophy with A Handwritten Note: J B Kriplani.

Gandhi Ke Paath Par: Bharat Sahai.

Ruled or Misruled – Story and Destiny of Bihar: Santosh Singh.

Clintons’ War on Women: Roger Stone and Robert Morrow.

The Courage to Act – A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath: Ben S. Bernanke.

Neither a Hawk nor a Dove – An Insider’s Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy:

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

Smita Patil – A Brief Incandescence: Maithili Rao.

Indian Family Business Mantra: Mr. Peter Leach and Mr. Tatwamasi Dixit.

A Brief History of Seven Killings: Marlon James.

War’s Unwomanly Face: Svetlana Alexievich [First Book ].

Voices from Chernobyl : Svetlana Alexievich.

Zinky Boys – Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War: Svetlana Alexievich.

BUSINESS

Adani Ports signed pact with L&T for Kattupalli Port.

India transcends China by becoming world’s largest producer in cotton output. India

became the world’s largest producer of cotton by overtaking China in the season

ended September 30, 2015 with a production of 6.51 million tonnes (as per Cotton

Association of India) of fibre in the year 2014-15, while China was with a registered

production of 6.48 million tonnes.

40% escalation of import duty on ghee and butter.

Protocol for establishment of the India-Ecuador Joint Economic and Trade Committee

(JETCO) signed.

Rajasthan Startup Policy 2015

• Rajasthan Startup Fest – National level startup event for boosting entrepreneurship

in the state.

• 5-Year Targets identified by the Rajasthan Startup Policy 2015.

• Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced a Rs. 2,000 crore fund to

support startups in the country in august 2015.

On 15th October 2015 a Gas Cooperation Agreement (GCA) was signed between

Jharkhand and GAIL (India) Limited.

• This agreement is for creation of Natural Gas and City Gas Distribution

infrastructure.

• The infrastructure will assist the construction of Urja Ganga Jagdishpur-Haldia

Pipeline project in Jharkhand.

Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) -Tajikistan MoU to boost

bilateral trade.

AIM OF MoU

• To promote textile enterprises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

• To allow India’s small and medium enterprises to explore new markets in Central

Asia.

Govt makes Aadhaar number compulsory to register new business.

Gujarat-based Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Pulses and Grains Association

(IPGA) to handle import and exports of pulses across its ports in the country.

Aditya Birla Group launches online fashion portal www.abof.com.

Australia approves Carmichael coal mine project of Adani Group.

Vodafone wins transfer pricing tax dispute case.

Google officially becomes Alphabet Inc.

Finmin has imposed “sin tax” for Alcohol and tobacco industries under the proposed

GST structure that seeks to bring in a uniform indirect tax regime across the country.

14 Indian kinsfolk glittered in Forbes 50 Asian Richest Families list

Ranking Name Source of Founded (YO F) Net Worth

1. Lee (Byung-Chull) family Samsung(1938) $26.6 Billion

2. Lee (Shau Kee) family Henderson(1973) $24.1 Billion

3. Ambani family Reliance Group(1966) $21.5 Billion

4. Chearavanont family Charoen Pokphand(1921) $19.9 Billion

5. Kwok family Sun Hung Kai & Co(1969) $19.5 Billion

6. Kwek / Quek family Hong Leong group(1941) $18.9 Billion

7. Premji family Wipro(1945) $17 Billion

8. Tsai (Wan-Tsai) family Cathay Financial(1962) $15.1 Billion

9. Hinduja family Hinduja Group(1914) $15.4 Billion

10. Mistry family Shapoorji(1865) $14.9 Billion

China launched the first phase of its much anticipated China International Payment

System (CIPS), a milestone in bolstering yuan’s global usage.

14 Indian energy companies listed in Platts Global Energy Firm Ranking

Top 5 Energy Firms : 1.Exxon Mobil Corp

2.Chevron Corp 3.Royal Dutch Shell plc. 4.CNOOC Ltd 5.PetroChina.

Indian Firms in list with ranking

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) – 14

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) – 17

Coal India – 38

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) – 56

Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd – 59

Indian Oil Corp – 66

Western Digital to buy SanDisk for 19 billion US dollar.

COMMITTEE

Achary Panel Recommendation – 400% Hike in Basic Salary of Delhi MLA.

Recommendations made by the panel

• A 400 percent hike in basic salary of MLAs ( ie from Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 per

month).

• Total salary and allowances of MLA – Raised to Rs. 2.10 lakh per month(Present

Amount – Rs 88,000 per month).

• Monthly conveyance allowance – Rs 30,000 for each MLA.

Union Government constituted RV Easwar Committee to simplify The Income Tax

Act, 1961

NITI Aayog panel on Innovation submitted its report recommending private funding for

R&D.

Union Government appoints 5 members committee to review research grants offered

by UGC.

DAYS

1 Oct: International Day of Older Persons. Organization: UN.

Theme: Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment.

1 Oct: World Vegetarian Day. Organization: International Vegetarian Union.

2 Oct: International Day of Non – Violence. Organization: UNESCO.

2 Oct: National Anti-Drug Addiction Day. Organization: India Govt.

5 Oct: World Habitat Day. Organization: UN. Theme: Public Spaces for All.

8 Oct: World Sight Day. Organization: WHO. Theme: To banish causes of

blindness and visual impairment.

9 Oct: World Post Day. Theme: Tell us about the world you want to grow up in.

9 Oct: World Egg Day. Theme: One Ingredient, Many Regional Dishes.

10 Oct: World Day against the Death Penalty. Theme: The Death Penalty does not

stop drug crime.

10 Oct: World Mental Health Day. Organization: WHO. Theme: Dignity in mental

health.

11 Oct: International Day of the Girl Child. Organization: UN. Theme: The Power of

the Adolescent Girl – Vision for 2030.

12 Oct: World Arthritis Day. Organization: UN. Theme: It’s in your hand, take action.

13 Oct: International Day for Disaster Reduction. Organization: UN.

14 Oct: World Standards Day. Theme: Standards, the World’s Common Language.

15 Oct: International Day of Rural Women. Organization: UN.

15 Oct: Youth Awakening Day. Organization: Tamilnadu.

16 Oct: World Food Day. Organization: UN. Theme: Social Protection and

Agriculture – Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty.

17 Oct: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Organization: UN.

Theme: Building a Sustainable Future – Coming Together To End Poverty and

Discrimination.

20 Oct: World Statistics Day. Organization: UN. Theme: Better Data Better Live.

21 Oct: Global Iodine Deficiency Disorders Prevention Day. Organization: UNICEF.

Theme: Keep Iodine Intake at a Healthy Level to Ensure Good Mental

Development.

22 Oct: Car Free Day. Organization: Delhi.

24 Oct: United Nation Day. Organization: UN. Theme: Strong UN Better World.

24 Oct: World Development Information Day. Organization: UN.

24 Oct: World Polio Day. Organization: WHO.

27 Oct: World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. Organization: UNESCO.

Theme: Archives at Risk – Protecting the World’s Identities.

28 Oct: International Animation Day. Organization: UNESCO.

31 Oct: World Cities Day. Organization: UN. Theme: To promote togetherness and

harmony, making our cities and neighborhoods inclusive and livable.

31 Oct: World Saving Day. Organization: WSBI.

31 Oct: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas / National Unity Day. Organization: India Govt.

DEFENSE

Indian Air Force celebrated 83rd anniversary 8th October.

Induction of women in fighter aircraft stream: IAF Chief Arup Raha.

Indo-China Joint Military Exercise HAND IN HAND in Kunming Military Academy,

Yunnan, China.

During the 5th meeting of India-Maldives Joint Commission which held after 15

years in Male, Maldives both nations marked cooperation in various fields including

defence, security, energy and health. India will host the next meeting of the India-

Maldives Joint Commission in 2017.

High-risk area boundary shifted from India’s coastline. The High Risk Area (HRA)

is shifted from 78 degrees East to the 65 degrees East longitude off India’s

western coastline. This new boundary will be effective from 1st December 2015.

The fifth annual anti terrorism exercise (10 day drill) of Indian and Chinese armies

kicked off in Kunming City, China.

Indian Navy signs Rs 5,000 crore Pacts with Russian Shipbuilder Zvezdochka.

4th edition India, Sri Lanka bilateral naval exercise SLINEX 15 begins in Sri Lanka.

Union Government approves induction of women fighter pilots in Indian Air Force.

US President appoints Brett McGurk as Special Envoy to US-led coalition for

fighting IS.

Government divides Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Areas into two Separate

Headquarters.

Russia, US ink MoU to avoid deconfliction between their air forces over Syrian

skies.

NATO launches biggest Trident Juncture Military Exercise in Italy.

US to extend military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016.

India, United States and Japan navies have started 2015 Malabar Naval Exercise

of the eastern coast in Bay of Bengal and India Ocean.

The third edition of India- Sri Lanka Joint Training Exercise Mitra Shakti-2015

concluded at Aundh Military Camp in Pune, Maharashtra.

Indigenously built INS Astradharani commissioned into Indian Navy.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the

world’s Highest Terrestrial Research Centre near Pengong Lake at Changla in

Ladakh.

China launched Typhoon detecting missile.

NATO to set up 2 more small headquarters in Hungary and Slovakia.

Pakistan set to become fifth largest n-power by 2025: report.

A new generation of surface to surface ballistic missile called Emad (Pillar) was

test fired by Iran.

EDUCATION

Common entrance test for MBBS, PG courses gets Medical Council of India (MCI)

nod.

Dr. D. P. Rastogi Central Research Institute for Homeopathy in Noida.

SP Jain School of Management is the only school of Indian origin is ranked as 95th

on the list by The Economist MBA rankings Financial Times and Forbes.

Tunnel Technology Institute at Margao in Goa by Konkan Railway. The proposed

institute is first of its kind in the nation. The institute will be named as ‘George

Fernandes Institute of Tunnel Technology’, after former Railway Minister George

Fernandes.

India, France ink MoU on preserving Written Heritage at National Library in Kolkata.

Rajasthan Govt has decided to introduce a new syllabus from class I to XII in

government schools from next academic session with a greater focus on lives of

country’s “Mahapurush”(great leaders) and history of the state.

India is third-largest student market in London.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced to open a Sanskrit

University for Schedule Castes (SCs) in Mundri village which will be named after

Sanskrit poet Maharishi Valmiki.

ENVIRONMENT

Six waste-to-energy plants to be set up under Swachh Bharat Mission.

Government has launched waste-to-wealth scheme for generating power from

garbage under the Swachh Bharat Mission. As a part of this scheme six waste-to-

energy plants will set up with a capacity of about 74 MW which are expecting to

start their operations in 2016.(Union Minister of power – Piyush Goyal)

LOCATIONS WHERE PLANT TO BE SET UP : Two plants will set up in New Delhi

One at Ghazipur to produce 12 MW power by processing 2,000 tones waste per

day and another at Narela-Bawana to generate 24 MW power from waste.

Programme on conservation of Eastern Hoolock Gibbon species launched by

Arunachal Pradesh.

Tata Power launches LED lights scheme for households in Mumbai. Under this

scheme Tata Power will provide five lights to each household at Rs 525 per piece

against market price of Rs 1,325. The consumer can register online for the scheme

and the LED tube light fittings will be home delivered.

“Ketoprofen” non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used for veterinary

purposes has got banned by Tamil Nadu Govt in Erode, Coimbatore and The

Nilgiris, the areas having endangered vulture population.

Sikkim is soon to become the first 100% organic state in the country. The Prime

Minister will declare Sikkim as a full organic state on his visit to the state next year

in January 2016.

Science Express Special Train on Climate Change. On 15th October 2015

Dr. Harsh Vardhan along with Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu and Shri Prakash

Javadekar flagged off the special train named ‘Science Express Climate Action

Special’.

• Theme: Climate Change.

• Aim of SECCS: To create awareness among various sections of the society,

especially the students, about various issues & challenges associated with Climate

Change and how it can be combated through mitigation and adaptation.

The broad theme covered in each coach is as follows (total 16 coaches):

Coach 1 – Understanding Climate Change.

Coach 2 – Impact of Climate Change.

Coach 3 – Adaptation-concepts.

Coach 4 – Adaptation-India’s action.

Coach 5 – Mitigation-concepts.

Coach 6 – Mitigation- India’s action.

Coach 7 – International negotiation on Climate Change.

Coach 8 – Handprint.

Sweet banana species with orange pulp, Musa Indandamanensis, discovered in

tropical rain forest of Andaman Islands.

V20 Group launched by Vulnerable Nations to Foster Greater Investment in Climate

Resiliency.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed commercial vehicles entering Delhi to pay

Pollution Tax in addition to toll.

• Two-axle vehicles will have to pay 700 rupees, three-axle vehicles will have to pay

1000 rupees while four-axle vehicles will have to 500 rupees as an environmental

tax charge.

• These vehicles usually use Delhi as cheap transit point as the toll tax levied on

the heavy vehicles in Delhi is 600 rupees while it varies from 930 rupees to 1550

rupees in Haryana, depending on the kind of trucks entering the state.

WWF Report Hidden Himalayas: Asia’s Wonderland released.

• As per the report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 200 new species discovered in

the Eastern Himalayas which includes 133 plants, 26 species of fish, 10 new

amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal.

KEY DISCOVERIES

• Snub-nosed monkey that sneezes when it rains.

• Vibrant blue dwarf “walking” snakehead fish which can breathe atmospheric air

and survive on land for up to four days.

• Striking blue-eyed frog.

• Lance-headed pit viper snake with an ornate yellow, red and orange pattern.

• Fresh-water “dracula” fish with fangs.

• Three new types of bananas.

7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Hindu Kush Region of Afghanistan.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has partnered with about 30 Public

Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to jointly tackle and mitigate man-made or natural

disasters or emergencies.

Researchers have discovered four new crab species namely Paguristes

luculentus, Diogenes canaliculatus, Pagurus spinossior and Afropinnotheres

ratnakara in Kerala.

Hurricane Patricia makes landfall near Mexico’s Pacific coast.

US, Spain ink new accord to cleanup nuclear accident site at Palomares(in Spain)

contaminated by plutonium radiation from undetonated US nuclear bombs.

Powerful Typhoon Koppu (also known as Lando) has hit the northern Philippines

battering the coast with powerful winds with speed of 240 kph.

China has operationalised the Zam Hydropower Station built on Brahmaputra River

which has raised concerns in India over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies

of River.

Key facts

• The dam is considered to be the world’s highest-altitude hydropower station and

largest of its kind.

• Annually it will produce 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

• The power station is located in the Gyaca County of Tibet and is considered as

the largest in this region.

• It has six stations to harnesses the rich water resources of Brahmaputra River

which is known as Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet and flows through Tibet into India

and later into Bangladesh.

India’s first Dolphin Community Reserve to come up in West Bengal.

Validity of environment clearance (EC) has been extended by the Government from

5 years to 7 years.

Odisha gets its First 100% solar-powered village-Baripath.

INTERNATIONAL

BRICS nations ink Moscow Declaration for supporting Multilateral Science

Projects.

India, Sweden Agree to Cooperate in Urban Sector Initiatives.

India and Mozambique inked agreement for technical bilateral cooperation and

investment promotion in the area of new and renewable energy has been approved

by the Union Cabinet.

• MoU was signed during the Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi to India.

Portugal signs the MoU on the Establishment of Nalanda University. MoU was

signed by Portuguese Ambassador Ana Martinho and Jitendra Nath

Misra,Ambassador of India to Portugal.

India-Taipei Pact for Cooperation in MSME Sector.

Objective of the MoU

• Promote the cooperation between the micro, small & medium enterprises between

the two parties.

• Provides a structured framework and enabling environment to the MSME sector of

the two parties to understand each other’s strengths, markets, technologies,

policies.

• Enabling of their respective MSMEs to participate in each other’s trade

fairs/exhibitions and to exchange business delegations with the other party

Flight 7K9268 of Russian Airbus A321 crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Nepal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China in order to

import all kinds of fuel in order to ease fuel crisis in the country. It was signed by

Nepal Oil Corp (NOC) and China National United Oil Corporation (PetroChina) in

Beijing to supply all kind of the petroleum products for Nepal needs.

Conservative Right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) Party and Eurosceptic led by

Jaroslaw Kaczynski has won the 2015 Parliamentary elections of Poland.

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing a Mutual Legal Assistance

Treaty (MLAT) between India and Maldives in case of Criminal Matters.

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of an agreement on Maritime

Transport between India and Egypt.

Pakistan and Russia have signed a major agreement to build a 1,100-km North-

South gas pipeline from Lahore to Karachi. In this project, Russia will invest 2 billion

dollars and it will be built by Russian company RT Global Resources, a subsidiary

of Russian state corporation Rostec.

Myanmar Government inks peace pact with 8 ethnic rebels groups.

Iran’s Parliament gives Preliminary approval for Nuclear Deal.

India gives $ 5 million grant to Palestine.

India, Ecuador ink Protocol to establish Ecuador Joint Economic and Trade

Committee.

Union Cabinet gives nod to amendments to tax avoidance pacts with Israel,

Vietnam.

India, Germany ink 18 MoUs and agreements in various sectors.

Some important agreements signed are –

• Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Languages: It seeks to promote German as a

foreign language in India and promote modern Indian Languages in Germany.

• MoU on Solar Energy: Seeks to promote Indo-German Development Cooperation

for Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership.

• Joint MoU on Skill Development: Boost cooperation in the Field of Skill

Development and Vocational Education and Training.

• MoU on Security Cooperation: It was signed between Union Ministry of Home

Affairs (MHA) and Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany.

• MoU on Aviation Security: It was signed between Union Ministry of Civil Aviation

and Federal Ministry of the Interior.

• JDI on Disaster Management: It was signed between Union Ministry of Home

Affairs (MHA) and Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany.

• Joint Declaration on IGSTC: It was signed between Union Ministry of Science and

Technology and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for extending the

tenure of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC).

• MoU on Higher Education: seeks to promote Indo-German Partnerships in Higher

Education (IGP).

• JDI on Plant Protection Products: It was signed between Union Ministry of

Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) and the Federal Office of Consumer

Protection and Food Safety (BVL).

• JDI in the field of Railways: Seeks further Development of the Cooperation in the

Field of Railways both countries.

• MoU in the field of manufacturing: It was signed between Department of Heavy

Industries & Public Enterprises and Fraunhofer Society of Germany.

Nepal turns to UN over ‘obstruction’ of trade point with India.

Germany celebrates 25 years of unity.

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has unanimously adopted US-

sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka on the report submitted by UN High

Commissioner for Human Rights on Sri Lanka.

France to introduce biometric visas to Indians.

Egypt ,Japan ,Senegal Ukraine,and Uruguay are elected as the non permanent

members by the UN General Assembly.

The non-permanent members that will remain on the Council until the end of 2016:

Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela

Current Holders of the Seats in the Group

African Group – Chad and Nigeria.

Asia – Pacific Group – Jordan.

Latin America and Caribbean States Group – Chile.

Eastern European Group – Lithuania.

European and Others Group – New Zealand and Spain.

The five permanent Council members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom

and the United States (Veto power).

MOBILE APPS

Hailstorm App: Hailstorm App which will help in the real time data collection about

hailstorm occurrences along with photographs and geographical coordinates

(longitude and latitude).

Shubh Badrinath Yatra App : Uttarakhand Govt launched Mobile App named

“Shubh Badrinath Yatra” which will enable all the pilgrims to access all important

information during their travel between 44 km stretch Joshimath and Badrinath.

M Cessation App: Union Health Ministry will launch “Mobile (M) Cessation”, a

mobile based intervention for the people who want to quit habits of tobacco. Govt

had already set a target of reducing tobacco use by 20% by 2020 and 30% by

2025.

M – Sehat App: UP Government launched mobile app M – Sehat for health

workers to record maternal and infant data in real – time and thereby providing best

health care.

CPGRAMS App: Mobile app for CPGRAMS portal to provide citizens with a

platform for redressal of their grievences.

Kotak Bharat App: Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the Kotak Bharat App in

Kannada that requires no Internet connectivity and also enables customers to

manages their savings accounts, current accounts and credit cards. With this Kotak

Mahindra Bank(KMB) becomes the first Indian Bank to enables customers to do

cashless transactions by transfer up to Rs.2000/- per day and at a time.

Delhi Public Transport Offline App : An app launched by the Google India for

the easiest public transport of New Delhi.This app will help users to get directions

for transportation, easily even when the connection is slow and data is difficult to

access. Its first time google is targeting a specific city.It is currently available with

Android only.

Road Asset Management System App : A mobile app will be launched by the

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in December.By using this app people

can make complaints against rash driving ,over speed and other similar acts.

Indian Railways launches app to book unreserved tickets.

Customs Traveler Guide-India App: This is a mobile based application which

gives information to people about all Indian customs rules including those related

to import of pets and goods. Developer of the App – Nihit Mohan Johari.

NATIONAL

RBI allows NRIs to subscribe to National Pension System (NPS).

India committed 35% emission reduction by 2030.

Maharashtra imposes tax to tackle drought: Maharashtra government has decided

to impose drought tax for raising funds around Rs 1,600 crore in the next 5 months

to cope with a drought situation. This tax is temporary.

ITEMS ON WHICH TAX WILL IMPOSED

Petrol, Diesel, Alcohol, Cigarettes, Cold drinks, Diamond and Gold jewellery

• Surcharge of Rs 2 will impose on petrol and diesel.

• Alcohol, cigarettes and cold drinks will imposed by 5% VAT.

• There will also 20% increase in VAT on Gold and diamond jewellery.

•This is the first time after 1973 disastrous famines that state government had

levied a tax to tackle with crisis.

West Bengal launched 1000 Days campaign for mother.

• TIME PERIOD – 12 Months

• OUTLAY – Rs 1,474 crore.

• Currently malnutrition among children in the state is 19.84%.

• On the commemoration of “1000 Days” 40 years of Integrated Child Development

Services Scheme (ICDS)campaign launched by West Bengal Department of Child

Development and Social Welfare and UNICEF.

Andhra Pradesh set to allot 2,720 acres to DRDO for missile testing project near

Orvakallu in Kurnool district for DRDO’s missile testing project.

Odisha’s Police-Citizen portal – Lodge complaint from home. As a part of “Crime

and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems” Odisha Government started off the

online state – police citizen portal to enable general public to register their

complaints with police by sitting at home with just click of a mouse. The 531 police

stations of the state have been linked with this quick delivery system which will

provide a superior base for keeping an eye on criminals and larger crimes.

WEBSITE ADDRESS : www.citizenportal-op.gov.in

SOS “CGI Dubai” launched for Indian workers in distress. AIM: To distressed

workers mainly blue-collar labourers working in Dubai and Northern Emirates.

12.5% food items contain illicit pesticides as per Govt report.

Amo doli Programme Launched by Odisha Government.

• Aim of the Programme: To help patients and pregnant women from inaccessible

areas to reach their nearest hospital or motorable road.

• By this programme 183 remote villages will be provided with a specially designed

sling.

•The slings will be kept either at village welfare committees or with ASHA workers.

Hyderabad hosted International conference on women in law enforcement.

Centre clears proposal for 3 new AIIMS. As a part of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya

Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY) Union government cleared a proposal for setting up of

three new AIIMS.

• OUTLAY OF PROJECT – Rs. 4,949 crore.

• Nagpur in Maharashtra – Financed with Rs. 1,577 crore.

• Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh – Financed with Rs. 1,618 crore.

• Kalyani in West Bengal – Financed with Rs. 1754 crore.

Rail Coach Interiors: Innovation, Safety, Comfort – International Technical

Conference

National Watershed Management Project – Neeranchal.

• The Total cost of the Project – Rs. 2142.30 crore (Government’s share – Rs.

1071.15 crore (50 percent), Rest of the amount – loan component from the World

Bank.)

• Project Implementing States (9 States) : Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,

Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and

Telangana.

• The project aim: Fulfill the watershed component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi

Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) to reduce surface runoff of rainwater, increase

groundwater levels and better water availability in rainfed areas.

Govt approves formation of Indian Skill Development Service.

India to be in Top-3 pharma manufacturing countries by 2020.

SC Refuses to Modify Order Restricting Use of Aadhaar Cards.

UD Ministry approved 673 crore for Andhra Pradesh 31 towns as a part of

AMRUT scheme.

By next year, the centre will launch a unique Identity card for differently abled

persons. Centre is also planning to increase the number of categories of

disabilities. (Autism is also a category)The category number will be increased

from 7 to 19.For this purpose centre will introduce a new Bill.

“Operation Valsalya” to track missing children launched in Kerala.

Karnataka announced relief package for distressed farmers.

• There will be hike in compensation from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to families of

farmers who had committed suicide, even to landless labourers.

• For the farmers who had committed suicide there will also the increment in

monthly widow pension from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 and will bear expenses of

children up to post-graduation level.

PM lays foundation stone for 4th container terminal of Jawaharlal Nehru Port

Trust.

• The Project will be done in two phases. And it requires an investment of Rs

4,719 crore and Rs 3,196 crore, for the first and second phases respectively.

• The project is expected to be completed in 2017.

• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust is in 31st position globally.

Mission Abaas launched in Odisha to provide affordable houses to urban poor.

Mizoram govt. has recommended abolishing the Mizoram Agriculture Marketing

Corporation (MAMCO) by the recommendations of the Deloitte and Touche India

Pvt Limited.

Rajasthan First State to Firm up Private Investments in Affordable Housing. An

MoU was signed between the state government and Mahima Real Estate Private

Ltd for affordable housing and group housing by investing an amount of

Rs.1,700cr.

• Rajasthan – The first state to submit AMRUT action plan to the Ministry of Urban

Development.

Green Indian Mission plans approved for 4 states.

Ministry of Environment and forest has approved Perspective Plans (PP) and

Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) for Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur and Jharkhand

as a part of Green India Mission (GIM) during National Executive Council (NEC)

chaired by Union Environment Secretary Ashok Lavasa in New Delhi.

• OUTLAY – Rs. 90,202.68 lakh

• APOs – Rs. 11,195.32 lakh for 2015-16

National Minimum Wage Act to be launched soon.

• Minimum wages will be fixed by the State governments.

• Currently the Minimum wage base is Rs160 which was increased from Rs 137.

Adoption of railway stations for makeover – spreading wings of Swachh Bharat.

As a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan social organisations, NGOs and charitable

institutes adopted 29 Central and 11 Western Railway stations to keep them neat

and clear.

• It is a new concept of “Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” initiated by

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

Maharashtra cabinet approved a new procurement policy to ensure transparency

in purchases made by various departments.

Greenfield Expressway between Delhi and Jaipur.

• Estimated Cost: Rs 32,800 crore.

• Land has to be acquired: Almost 2,800 hectares. (An estimated cost of Rs

18,000 crore).

• The Proposed expressway starting point – South of Indira Gandhi Airport in

Delhi.

• End point – Daulatpura on the existing NH 8.

Voluntary use of Aadhaar cards in welfare schemes approved.

• Addition have been made to LPG and PDS schemes as SC authorizes the

voluntary use of Aadhaar cards in welfare schemes of MGNREGA, all pension

schemes and provident fund aimed at reaching to the door steps of the “poorest

of the poor”.

Rajasthan inked 13 agreements worth Rs 50,527 crore.

SC rejected National Judicial Appointments Commission(NJAC) Act as

“unconstitutional and void”.

Drought in 14708 Villages of Maharashtra.

5% reservation to Special Backward Class (SBC) and 14% reservation to

Economically Backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories in Rajasthan.

UP Govt to give Rs 50,000 in pension to Yash Bharti awardees.

Union Government increased import duty on wheat to 25% from 10%.

Govt doubles monthly bonus calculation ceiling to Rs 7,000.

Govt allows blood transfer between blood bank. There will be no exchange of

cash as exchange value is fixed at Rs 1600 per litre of plasma and the blood

banks with surplus plasma can exchange it for consumables, equipments etc. or

plasma derived products, as per their need.

Andhra Pradesh announces Rs 15 crore for welfare of police families.

India is changing its accounting standards from Generally accepted accounting

principles (GAAP) to Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) from April 2016.

UD Ministry Clears First Batch of AMRUT Projects in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat

and Rajasthan.

Madhya Pradesh government has decided to provide 33 percent reservation to

women in government jobs.

Union Government launches e-Sahyog Pilot Project to facilitate Taxpayers.

Union Government imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese auto parts.

PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for mobile manufacturing facility in

Tirupati.

Government inaugurate Indian Police Foundation and Indian Police Institute in

New Delhi.

Maharashtra Government has decided to use stringent Maharashtra Control of

Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) law against the hoarders and black marketers.

Supreme Court has declared National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)

Act, 2014 and 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014 unconstitutional and

void.

Ministry of HUPA(Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation) clears first affordable

housing projects under Housing for All by 2022 Mission,Prime Minister’s Awas

Yojana (PMAY) for Chattisgarh by Central Sanctioning-cum-Monitoring

Committee chaired by Dr.Nandita Chatterjee.

OBITUARY

British Director John Guillermin passes away. His super hit movies are King Kong

(1976) and The Towering Inferno John Guillerminhas .

Former Australian cricketer Lindsay Kline passed away.

Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao passes away.

Swedish crime writer Mankell passes away.

Vicco chairman Gajanan Pendharkar passed away.

Veteran music director Ravindra Jain passed away.

Flautist N Ramani passed away in Chennai on 9th october 2015.

Legendary Veteran Tamil Actor, comedian and singer Manorama passes away.

BIRTHNAME – Gopishantha & NICKNAME – Aachi (Mother)

Hindutva leader Himani Savarkar passes away.

Former Maharashtra Minister Madan Patil passes away.

11th chief of Naval Staff Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani passed away.

Egyptian writer Gamal al-Ghitani dies aged 70.

Actress Pat Woodell dies at 71.

Veteran film-maker K.S.L. Swamy passes away.

Renowned marine biologist Syed Zahoor Qasim passes away.

IOC honorary member Ashwini Kumar passes away.

Singer Labh Janjua Found Dead.

Telugu Actor Mada Venkateswara Rao passes away.

Popular actor Pijush Ganguly passes away.

Hollywood legend Maureen O’ Hara dies at 95.

Star Wars’ sound mixer Bob Minkler dies at 78.

British Actor and Tommy Hilfiger Model Sam Sarpong dies at 40.

Mumbai born Britain’s Curry King Lord Gulam Noon passes away.

PERSONS IN NEWS

Three Maharashtra women appointed as “Swachhata Doots”. On the first

anniversary of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Maharashtra Government appointed three

women as “Swachhata Doots” or “cleanliness ambassadors” from the state’s rural

areas who have showed commitment towards sanitation needs including building of

toilets.

Women named Chaitali Rathod, Sangeeta Awahade and Suvarna Lokhande were

appointed “Swachhata Doots” and appreciated by Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis.

WORK DONE BY 3 AMBASSADORS

• Chaitali asked for a prefabricated toilet as a wedding gift from her parents over

jewellery and other items.

• Sangeeta sold her mangalsutra and other jewellery for constructing a toilet at her

home.

• Suvarna took a loan of Rs 50,000 from a SHG (Self Help Group) to build a toilet

in her house and then repaid the amount. She even laid the foundation of 7000

toilet blocks. It is part of Maharashtra’s target of building 56 lakh toilets in next five

years.

Adilabad Police officer G.R. Radhika became first Indian woman to climb Kun

Mountain.

Akshay Kumar Donates Rs. 50 Lakh for Water Conservation Scheme “Jalyukt

Shivar Abhiyaan”.

Indian diaspora launched ‘Modi Express’ bus.

. • Ahead of NaMo’s visit to UK Indian fraternity launched “Modi express bus” that

will take the travelers on a tour around iconic landmarks.

• The first stop of bus is at Ealing Road, Wembley also known as “Little India”

followed by Trafalgar Square to celebrate Diwali.

• 400 community organisations have registered as ‘welcome partners’ of an

Olympics style reception planned for Modi at Wembley Stadium on November 13,

2015.

The country’s prestigious Missile Complex in Hyderabad will be renamed as Dr

APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex.

IIM – Shillong announced that to honour the former president A.P.J.abdul Kalam ,

they will launch a centre for policy research .

To honour the people President APJ Abdul Kalam and also to inspire the future

generations a memorial will be built in his birthplace –Rameswaram .And

Rameswaram will be developed as an AMRUT city.This announcement was made

by the PM Narendra Modi on the 84th birth anniversary of APJ Abdul Kalam(15th

October 2015).

John Magufuli elected as President of Tanzania.

Bidhya Devi Bhandari elected as first female President of Nepal.

South Korea’s Seong-Jin Cho has won the prestigious 17th international Frederic

Chopin Piano competition.

Justin Trudeau elected as Canada’s new PM.

Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)-

CPN-UML was elected as new Prime Minister of Nepal. With this victory, he

became first Prime Minister of Nepal under the newly adopted secular, republic and

federal Constitution of Himalayan country. It was adopted in 20 September 2015.

A.R. Rahman named Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles.

Governing Centre Right coalition parties led by Prime Minister Pedro Passos

Coelho have won the Portugal’s 2015 general election.

Mountaineers Arjun Vajpai and Bhupesh Kumar from Noida and Bulandshahr, UP

respectively marked their names as the first person to climb a “six thousander” high

unnamed peak in Himachal’s Spiti Valley. After scaling an unexplored 6180m high

peak, they dubbed it as “Mount Kalam” in honour of Late “People’s President” Dr.

APJ Abdul Kalam.

Al-Quds University conferred Honorary Doctorate to Shri Pranab Mukherjee and

also named him as “a valiant knight of peace” during the ceremony held in

Ramallah.

Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the first Indian President to visit Jordan.

Jimmy Morales elected as President of Guatemala.

Actor Sidharth Malhotra appointed as New Zealand tourism ambassador.

PS Jayakumar has been designated as managing director (MD) and CEO of Bank

of Baroda (BoB).

Jioji Konrote elected as Fiji’s President.

P K Gupta elevated as SBI Managing Director.

Ashok-Alexander Sridharan sworn in as Mayor of Bonn in Germany.

PERSON ON VISIT

President Pranab Mukherjee concluded his 3-nation tour to Jordan, Palestine and

Israel.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited to India.

PLACES IN NEWS

A national conference on Anti Human Trafficking was inaugurated by the Union

Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh on 7th october 2015 in New Delhi.

• Operation Smile: A campaign launched in January 2015 to rescue the missing

children and reunite them with their families. During the conference the top

performers of the “Operation Smile” was awarded by the Union Home Minister.

• Operation Muskaan: A campaign launched throughout the country in the month of

July, 2015.19,000 missing children were rescued during Operation Smile and

Operation Muskaan.

First Arab-India Economic Forum to be held in Dubai.

Agartala-Kolkata bus service via Dhaka.

PM to inaugurate 10th Annual Convention-2015 of Central Information Commission

(CIC) in New Delhi which aimed at the importance of Right to Information Act and

importance of transparency in governance.

• Theme: RTI: Outlook for the future – Trust through Transparency.

India to present Indo-Africa Summit in New Delhi.

International Civil Helicopters Conclave 2015 inaugurated in New Delhi.

1st National Tribal Carnival to be held in New Delhi.

8th Edition of National Seed Congress begins in Hyderabad.

Himachal Pradesh to host India’s first Paragliding World Cup.

First World Indigenous Games begins in Palmas, Brazil.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone Amaravati, a new capital

city of Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashmi.

Mumbai – Goa track to get India’s first double-decker Shatabdi train.

SCHEME

Delhi Govt’s “Bill Banvao, Inaam Pao” scheme. Delhi department of trade and

taxes has introduced a new scheme named as “Bill Banvao, Inaam Pao” which will

encourage customers to buy goods and services from registered dealers and take a

receipt of bill/ cash memo/ retail invoice against their purchases.

• MINIMUM PURCHASE – Purchased goods should have min taxable value of

Rs.100

• PRIZE AMOUNT – 5 times the taxable value of product purchased and maximum

cash prize would be Rs.50, 000

Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) is a new scheme initiated by Ministry

of Home Affairs to support the victims of rape, acid attacks, human trafficking and

women killed or injured in cross border firing.(Minister of Home Affairs – Rajnath

Singh)

• SCHEME OUTLAY – Rs. 200 crores.

• States and UTs are also requested to implement the scheme under the provisions

of Section 357A.

Haryana govt. Launched ‘Swadhar Greh’ Scheme for Women.

HRIDAY scheme launched in Warangal.

RBI allows banks to fix interest rates on gold deposit scheme.

• Banks are free to set interest rate such as principal and interest on the deposit

denominated in gold.

• Designated banks will accept gold deposits under the Short Term Bank Deposit

(1-3 years), Medium (5-7 years) and Long term (12-15 years) Government Deposit

Schemes.

• There is no bar for maximum gold deposit but the minimum deposit at one time

should be raw gold equivalent to 30 grams of 995 fineness standards.

• Short term bank deposits will be applicable cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory

liquidity ratio (SLR).

• The raw gold should be in the form of coins, bars, jewellery excluding stones and

other metals.

• Individual banks will determine the provision for premature withdrawal subject to a

minimum lock-in period and along with the penalty.

• The designated banks may sell or lend the gold accepted under the deposit to

Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) of India for minting India Gold

Coins (IGC) and to jewellers or sell it to other designated banks.

Union Government launches 2nd phase of Mission Indradhanush.

• Mission Indradhanush depicts 7 colours of the rainbow which aims to cover all

those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated

against 7 vaccine preventable diseases.

• These 7 diseases are Diphtheria, Whooping cough, Tetanus, Polio, Tuberculosis,

Measles and Hepatitis B.

• The mission was launched in December 2014 on the occasion of National Good

Governance Day. The first phase drive was started in April 2015 in 201 districts

covering 45 lakh children and immunizing 20 lakh children.

• The second phase of Mission Indradhanush to achieve full immunisation of

children below two years. In the second phase, the week-long programme will be

implemented in 352 districts of the country.

Union Government notifies mid-day meal(MDM) rules under National Food

Security Act, 2013

New Rules are

• Temporary utilization of other funds available with the school for MDM in case

school exhausts funds meant for meal for any reason.

• Food security allowance will be paid to beneficiaries under the temporary fund

utilization in case of non-supply of meal for specified reasons.

• To check meal quality provided in the rules, it will be tested on randomly on

monthly basis by accredited Labs.

•If meals are not provided on 3 consecutive school days or five days in a month

state government will fix responsibility on the person or agency to check it.

• Every child between the age group of 6 to 14 years old studying in classes from I

to VIII standard will be provided hot cooked meal having nutritional standards.

• It is mandatory for schools shall have the facility for cooking meal in hygienic

manner. Schools located in urban areas may use the facility of centralised kitchens.

Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi: Increase of Financial Assistance from Rs. 2 Lakhs to 5

Lakhs

• Government has decided to enhance the financial powers delegated to

designated Central Government hospitals/institutes from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh

under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) for providing financial assistance in cases

where emergency surgery is to be conducted.

• For Whom : Who are suffering from major life threatening diseases related to

heart, liver, kidney and cancer cases, etc.

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Harsh Vardhan

SCINENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Compensation for Call Drops from 1 January 2016 – TRAI.

•TRAI(Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) on 16th October 2015 made it

compulsory that telecom operators should give a compensation of one rupee for

consumers on call drops.

• Compensation Limit: Three dropped calls in a day.

Tripura Police to accept FIR through SMS or e-mail.

IRCTC launches pilot project on ‘e-catering’ service.

• A pilot project of a station based e-catering service helping the passengers to

order meals of their choice was launched by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and

Tourism Corporation). This is only for stations and not on moving trains.

• The service will allow passengers to either order meals online or by calling toll

free no or by sending SMS with details of PNR and seat number and the meals will

be delivered at their berth. In the first phase of the project 45 stations are included

in the list.

M-commerce Paytm has tied up with the Mumbai metro to offer online ticketing and

recharges on the “Paytm platform” which will be very useful for customers as it will

their frequent need of recharging a Metro Card. Facility is available across the

Paytm app, website and mobile site.

As a part of PM Modi’s vision “ART of Governance” Minister of State for Personnel,

Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh launched mobile application for

Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal

which enables general public to register their governance-related grievances

through mobile phones.

Aim – To provide citizens with a platform for redressal of their grievances

• “ART of Governance” – A for Accountability, R – Responsibility and

T- Transparency, forming the bedrock of the government.

• CPGRAMS was launched by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public

Grievances (DARPG) in 2007.

Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs developed ‘Pruthvi’ chip to power

White-Fi devices.

Russia to launch manned moon missions by 2029.

China launched third mapping satellite of Tianhui-1 series .

Indian Railways developed warning system for unmanned level crossings.

NASA released Plan outlining Next Steps in the Journey to Mars with an aim to

establish colonies by 2030s.

USFDA approved Keytruda drug to treat advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

WHO removed all limitations on eligibility for Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV

infected people.

China launched 20th satellite for its BeiDou Navigation System.

China’s first lunar rover Yutu sets record for longest stay on Moon. With working on

the Moon for almost two years it has surpassed previous record of Soviet Union’s

(USSR’s) 1970 launched rover Lunokhod 1, which had spent 11 months on the

Moon.

Tsunami early Warning system successfully tested in Mumbai.

Scientists detect Ethyl Alcohol and Simple Sugar from gas emitted by Comet

Lovejoy.

Japan has offered soft loan of 15 billion dollars (Rs 90,000 crore) at an interest rate

of less than 1 per cent to India’s ambitious first bullet train project viz. Mumbai-

Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor along with technology.

Odisha Government has launched citizen portal www.citizenportal-op.gov.in to

facilitate citizens with various services.

Railways launch ‘Vikalp’ scheme for waitlisted passenger.

Japan offers to finance India’s first bullet train.

• As per Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) report travel between 505-

kilometre corridors linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad would be reduced to 2 hours

from existing 7 hours.

• The bullet train is expected to have speeds between 300km/h and 350km/h.

NASA spacecraft New Horizons finds blue skies, water ice on Pluto.

ASTROSAT spots Crab Nebula, the brightest X-ray source.

In India UC topped in mobile browser while Google Chrome leads in PC.

Facebook has partnered state owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to create

100 Wi-Fi hotspots in rural India to drive digital penetration in the

country.Facebook is investing Rs 5 crore per annum for buying bandwidth from

BSNL.

SPORTS

Former cricketer Laxman joins PETA campaign.

New sponsor of Indian Premier League(IPL) : Chinese smartphone maker Vivo.

Deepika Kumari wins silver medal in 2015 Archery World Cup Final.

Lewis Hamilton wins 2015 US Grand Prix of F1 to clinch third world title.

Rankings after 2015 US Grand Prix

• 1st position: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) of Mercedes.

• 2nd position: Nico Roseberg (Germany) of Mercedes.

• 3rd position: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of Ferrari.

• 4th position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) of Toro Rosso.

• 5th position: Sergio Perez (Mexico) of Force India.

Abhishek Verma wins Silver medal at Archery World Cup Final.

Virender Sehwag announces retirement from International Cricket.

• ODI Career: He had played 251 ODI matches and scored 8273 runs with batting

average of 35.05. It includes 15 centuries including the second-highest individual

ODI score of 219 after Rohit Sharma.

• Test Career: He had played 104 test matches and scored 8,586 runs with batting

average of 49.34. His score stands at fifth position in India’s all-time list. It includes

23 centuries and highest score of 319 (against South Africa). It was also the fastest

triple century in the history of international cricket reached 300 off only 278 balls.

• Awards and Honours: Arjuna Award (2002), ICC Test Player of the Year 2010,

Padma Shree (2010).

China’s Xuerui Li wins 2015 Denmark Open Title of Badminton. In the final match

played at Odense, Denmark, she defeated P V Sindhu of India by 19-21, 12-21

score.

Great Britain won the 2015 Sultan of Johor Cup under-21 field hockey tournament

by defeating defending champions India at Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Saketh Myneni wins 2015 Vietnam Open Tennis Trophy.

Cricketer Zaheer Khan announces retirement from International cricket

• Test matches: He had played in 92 Test matches and was left-arm pacer. He had

taken 311 wickets. He is 4th highest wicket-taker in India after Anil Kumble (619),

Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (417).

• One Day Internationals (ODIs): He had played in 200 ODIs and had taken 282

wickets.

• He had played a major role in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph by taking 21

wickets.

Winners of 2015 China Open (tennis)

• Men’s Singles title : Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Rafael Nadal.

•.Women’s Singles title : Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain defeated Tímea Bacsinszky

of Switzerland.

• Men’s Doubles title: Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US) .In the final

match they defeated Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Édouard Roger-Vasselin

(France).

• Women’s Doubles title: Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

defeated Chinese pair Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan.

Ajay Jayaram wins 2015 Dutch Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament.

Punjab National Bank wins Beighton Cup of Hockey.

The Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis has won the 2015 Women’s

Doubles Title of China Open.

Sergey Karjakin wins 2015 World Cup Chess Championship.

Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis win 2015 Wuhan Open Women’s Doubles Title of

Tennis.

Portugal’s Luis Leao Pinto wins 2015 MTB Himalaya Title.

Heena Sidhu wins gold medal at Asian Air Gun Championships.

Himachal Pradesh to host India’s first Paragliding World Cup.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has purchased a franchise in the UAE-based Masters

Champions League (MCL) for an undisclosed sum.

India is going to be the host of combined shotgun/rifle/pistol World Cup in 2017.

Boxer Sarita Devi, who completed her one-year ban on Wednesday, is looking

forward to resuming her international career.

2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship Won by China. With this China qualified

for the basketball tournament on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

Russia’s Sergey Karjakin wins Chess World Cup.

Arjuna Award Winning Boxer Jai Bhagwan suspended for taking bribe.

During Taiwan Cup Track International Classic event Indian cyclist 20 years old

Deborah created history by winning five medals, including gold which she bagged

by defeating Malaysian rider.

Melbourne, Australia is going to be the host for the 2016 World Cup and the 2019

Presidents Cup golf tournaments.

New national tennis champions – Sriram Balaji & Prerna Bhambri.

Vietnam Open Tennis Trophy is clinched by Indian tennis player Saketh Mynen.

FIFA suspended Kuwait Football Association.

Lahiri wins Asian Tour Golfer of the month award.

Abhijeet Gupta wins Hoogeveen International Chess Tournament 2015.

Guwahati & Shillong to host South Asian Games.

Virat Kohli became the fourth player to register hundred in ODIs : Virat Kohli

became the fourth player to register hundred against all the Test countries in ODIs,

joining Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Herschelle Gibbs and Hashim Amla.

Abhishek Verma & Deepika Kumari creates history by winning silver medal in

Archery World Cup Final.

Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen notched her maiden Ladies European Tour title

in a dramatic fashion at 9th Edition Of Hero Womens Indian Open Golf

Championship.

Hashim Amla breaks Virat Kohli’s record, becomes fastest to reach 6000 ODI runs.

Swiss pilot Kuffer wins AAI Paragliding World Cup.

SURVEY

India’s Poverty Rate Lowest among Nations with Poor Population: World Bank.

India stood at last in global pension index.

Freedom on the Net 2015 report released

• Top & Bottom 3 countries: While citizens of Iceland (score-6), Estonia (7) and

Canada (16) enjoy the most freedom in the online space, in Syria (87), Iran (87)

and China (88) the freedom is sparse.

• Position of India: With respect to India, the report found that freedom on the

internet is partly free with a total score of 40 on a 0 to 100 scale with 0 representing

the best level of freedom on the net progress and 100 the worst.

Global Tuberculosis Report 2015 released by WHO

• Globally, TB prevalence in 2015 was 42% lower than in 1990.

• The TB prevalence also halved in nine high-burden countries, namely Brazil,

Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Uganda and

Viet Nam.

•About 1.5 million people (890000 men, 480000 women and 140000 children) died

from TB in 2014, of which most of the deaths could have been prevented.

•More than half of the world’s TB cases (54%) occurred in China, India, Indonesia,

Nigeria and Pakistan.

• India, Indonesia and China had the largest number of cases: 23%, 10% and 10%

of the global total, respectively.

• India is one of three countries wherein more than half (54%) TB cases that were

notified in 2014 had Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR) – TB.

Asia Pacific region most disaster prone part of the world: UN Report.

India ranks 130 in World Bank’s 2016 rankings of Ease of Doing Business.

Key highlights of report

• Top 10 Countries: Singapore (1st), New Zealand (2nd), Denmark (3rd), South

Korea (4th), Hong Kong (5th), United Kingdom (6th), United States (7th), Sweden

(8th), Norway (9th) and Finland (10th).

• BIRCS Nations: India ranks lowest in Doing Business among the BRICS nations.

Russia (51), South Africa (73), China (84), Brazil (116) and India (130).

• India’s Neighbours: Bhutan (71), China (84), Nepal (99), Sri Lanka (107), Maldives

(128), Pakistan (138), Bangladesh (174).

Mortality rate among Indian girls below age of five higher than the boys: UN

Report.

India ranks 55th on 2015 Global Competitiveness Index: WEF Report.

• Top 10 countries are: Switzerland, Singapore, United States, Germany,

Netherlands, Japan, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden and United Kingdom.

• Ranking among emerging economies: China (28th), South Africa (49th) and India

(55th).

• India moved up 16 positions in this edition of index as compared to 71th position

in 2014.

India 2nd Most Optimistic In Biz Optimism Globally – International Business Report.

Mumbai World’s 11th Best Bed-n-Breakfast Value Destination.

According to Thomson Reuters report, India moved up at top position as the

biggest overall consumer of gold in the first nine months of 2015 with total

consumption of 642 tonnes while China was recorded with 579 tonnes of

consumption.

Gandhiji & NaMo named in Top 10 WEF’s Most Admired Personality Globally

• The list has been topped by the late South African First President Nelson

Mandela.

• Father of the Nation is ranked 4th most admired leader and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi ranked 10th in the list.

SUMMITS

The International summit “Advantage Healthcare India, 2015” was inaugurated by

Commerce Secretary Ms. Rita A Teaotia on 5th October 2015.It’s an international

summit on Medical Value Travel.

• Aim: Promoting healthcare services exports from India.

• 5 T’s: Talent, Tradition, Technology, Tourism and Trade.

11th Asia Europe Meeting begins in Panaji.

• Inaugurated By: Najeeb Shah( Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and

Customs).

• Aim of the meeting: Review the progress achieved after the ASEM held in Vienna

(Austria) in 2013 and also to outline the future course of action until the next

meeting.

• Next meeting to be held in Germany in 2017.

The 7th Asia Pacific Conference on Exercise and Sports Sciences (APCESS) was

held in India for the first time at Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad.

• Theme: Interdisciplinary Applied Approach to Health and Performance

Enhancement through Sports Science.

Global Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2015 held in Mexico City.

2015 Annual meetings of World Bank Group and IMF held in Peru.

India is going to chair Group of Twenty (G20) nation’s forum in year 2018 and New Delhi could be the host of the prestigious annual G20 summit.

• This decision was taken by G20 forum earlier in September 2015 which was chaired by Turkey. • Turkey will hand over the Chair for the next year i.e. 2016 to China and in 2017 Germany is going to chair it.

Thailand tourism partners Cinema Tourism Summit 2015 to attract Bollywood.

BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) was held in Moscow, Russia

• The Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan was

led an Indian delegation.

Earlier each BRICS country was given leadership in thematic areas

Brazil Climate change

Russia Water resources and pollution

India Geospatial technologies

China New and renewable energy

South Africa Astronomy

Term of This Month

White-Fi: It uses the unused spectrum in frequencies utilized for broadcasting of

television signals and uses it for the internet. In technology parlance, these unused

spectrum spaces are called White Space and thus it is also called TV White Space

technology. The 200-300 MHz spectrum in the white space can reach up to 10 km

as compared to current Wi-Fi technology that allows you a range of about 100

metres.

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT): MLAT is an agreement signed

between two or more countries for the purpose of exchanging and gathering

information to enforce criminal laws or public laws. Provide a broad legal

framework for bilateral cooperation in the context of transnational crime and its

linkages to terrorism. The bilateral cooperation will mainly focus on investigation

and prosecution of crime.

Transfer pricing: Transfer pricing is referred to the fixing of the price for goods

and services sold between related legal subsidiaries (entities) within an enterprise.

This is to ensure fair pricing of the asset transferred without any manipulation of

reduce tax liability. For example, if a subsidiary company sells goods to a parent

company, then the cost of those sold goods is deemed as transfer price.

Sin Tax: It is an excise tax that is levied on products and services considered to

be bad for health or society such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Sin tax is a

globally prevalent practice under which sin industries like alcohol and tobacco

attract higher rates of tax.