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MONTHLE
SEPTEMBER 2017

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 Current Affairs Timeline
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APPOINTMENTS, REMOVALS
AND RESIGNATIONS
Former Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi was sworn
in as new Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG)
of India. He was administered oath of office and
secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind. He
succeeded Shashi Kant Sharma.
Commemorative coins of Rs 100 and Rs 10
denomination were released on the occasion of
101st Birth Centenary of noted Carnatic musician
Dr. MS Subbulakshmi by Vice President M.
Venkaiah Naidu.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) has appointed senior IPS officer Rajni Kant
Mishra (58) as new Director General of Sashastra
Seema Bal (SSB). He will succeed Archana
Ramasundaram, who holds distinction of being
first woman IPS officer to head a para-military
force in the country.
Senior IAS officer Inder Jit Singh was given the
additional charge of post of Chairperson of
National Authority Chemical Weapons
Convention (NACWC).
Viveck Goenka, chairman and managing director
of Express Group was unanimously elected as
Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI). N Ravi,
former editor-in-chief of The Hindu was elected
vice-chairman.
Nirmala Sitharaman (58) became first full time
woman Defence Minister of India after she was
promoted to the Union Cabinet. She takes charge of
the crucial ministry from Union Finacne Minister
Arun Jaitley.
Noted economist Rajiv Kumar took over as the
Vice-Chairman of government National Institution
for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. He succeeds
Indian- American economist Arvind Panagariya
who had resigned to return to academia.
Senior IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi was appointed as
the next Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
of India. He will succeed Shashi Kant Sharma.
The Union Government has appointed former
Information and Broadcasting secretary Sunil
Arora (61) as Election Commissioner. His
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appointment comes to fill the vacancy created by
former CEC Nasim Zaidi’s retirement in July 2017.
SPORTS
Asian champion Govindan Lakshmanan of
Services cruised to victory in the men's 5000-metre
race on the opening day of the 57th National Open
Athletics Championships at the Nehru Stadium. He
has recently won gold in the 3,000m event at the
Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Olympic silver medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu
recommended for the prestigious Padma Bhushan,
country’s third highest civilian award, by the
Sports Ministry.
India beat Australia by 5 wickets in the third ODI
played between the two sides at Indore, making
India No. 1 in the International Cricket Council
(ICC) One-Day International (ODI) rankings. This
is India’s ninth consecutive ODI win while it is
Australia 11th successive defeat.
India announced their 21-member squad for first
ever participation in FIFA U-17 World Cup event.
India will host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup,
scheduled to kick off in October 24.
Indian professional badminton player, Rio
Olympic silver medalist PUSARLA V. Sindhu has
jumped two places to the second spot in the BWF
(Badminton World Federation) women's singles
ranking. This is the second time that Sindhu is
world number two after being at the position for a
week in April 2017.
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) invited Australia
to compete at Asiad (Asian Games) in 2022, for the
first time. The invite is for selected sports like
football and basketball to enable athletes to qualify
for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Official emblem and slogan for FIFA Women's
World Cup France 2019 were unveiled at the Musee
de l'Homme, Paris, France.
Emblem: To symbolise the eighth edition of the
FIFA Women's World Cup, competition trophy
wrapped in blue and white, with eight shards of
light around football at the top of the trophy.
Slogan: "Dare To Shine".
Page 3 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
The BCCI has nominated former Indian cricket
team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) for
Padma Bhushan, country’s third highest civilian
award for his contribution to game. He is only
cricketer nominated by BCCI for this year’s Padma
Awards.
Mark Beaumont broke the world record for cycling
around the world - by 44 days. The 34-year-old,
from Perthshire, arrived in Paris one day ahead of
schedule having cycled the 18,000-mile route in 79
days.
Mercedes' British Formula One driver Lewis
Hamilton registered his 60th career won at the
Singapore Grand Prix.
PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win Gold
Medal at the Korea Open Superseries Competition.
She defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the
women's singles final.
India finished fifth in the medals tally with one
gold and two silver medals at the Moscow Shotgun
World Championships.
World number one Rafael Nadal (Spain) won the
2017 US Open title in men’s single category. It was
his overall 16th Grand Slam title and third US Open
title (2010 and 2013).
In the final match played at USTA Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center in New York City, Nadal
defeated world number 32, Kevin Anderson from
South Africa’s by 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Women’s singles: Sloane Stephens (US) won the
title by defeating Madison Keys (US) by 6–3, 6–0.
Men’s doubles: Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) and
Horia Tecau (Romania) pair won the title by
defeating Spanish pair of Feliciano López and Marc
López by 6–4, 6–3.
Women’s doubles: Chan Yung-jan (Chinese Taipei)
and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) pair defeating
Lucie Hradecká and Kateřina Siniaková from
Czech Republic by 6–3, 6–2.
Mixed doubles: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) and
Jamie Murray (United Kingdom) pair defeated
Chan Hao-ching (Chinese Taipei) and Michael
Venus (New Zealand) by 6–1, 4–6, [10–8].
Sjoerd Marijne appointed as the new Chief Coach
of India Men's Senior Hockey team, replacing the
sacked Roelant Oltmans. World Cup-winning
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Junior team coach Harendra Singh was appointed
High Performance Specialist coach of the senior
women's team.
Tottenham's new stadium will include the world's
first retractable pitch, which is due to open in 2018,
allowing the venue to hold both football and NFL
matches. Sheffield engineering company SCX have
been recruited to build the retractable pitch.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is appointed as the
new Youth Affairs and Sports Minister. The 47-
year-old Rathore was up until now serving as the
Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting.
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
became the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to
attain 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals
(ODIs). Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
NATIONAL NEWS
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate
Change (MoEFCC) has notified new Wetland
(Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 to
prohibit range of activities in wetlands. The new
rules will replace earlier rules notified in 2010.
According to recently released Sample Registration
Bulletin (SRS), India has registered a significant
decline of 8% in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in
2016. IMR in India has declined by three points
from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 34 per 1000
live births in 2016.
An expert committee headed by former Lok Sabha
secretary general TK Viswanathan to deal with
cybercrimes especially online hate speech has
submitted its report to Union Home Ministry. The
committee was formed after Supreme Court struck
down Section 66 A of the Information Technology
(IT) Act, 2000 in Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India.
Section 66 A of IT Act was added to criminalize
sending of offensive messages through a computer
or other communication devices.
India has signed Letter of Intent (LoI) with Norway
to extend cooperation within health sector through
Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) for
period of three years starting from 2018.
Gujarat will become first big state to use Electronic
Voting Machine (EVMs) equipped with Voter
Page 4 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in coming
Assembly elections to make election process more
transparent. It was announced by Election
Commission of India. Gujarat will be second state
after Goa to use VVPAT system for the Assembly
elections in entire state.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
launched monthly Jan Sampark program to enable
public to interact with its officials to obtain
information related to child adoption. The first of
its kind programme under it was held recently in
New Delhi. Nearly 150 Prospective Adoptive
Parents (PAPs), adoptive parents and
representatives of agencies participated in session.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided
to increase its annual lending to India to maximum
of $4 billion between 2018 and 2022 to help fasten
inclusive economic transformation towards upper
middle income status.
The 13th Formation Day of National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) was celebrated
across the country. The theme of this year’s
Formation Day was School Safety. On this occasion,
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh released
National Disaster Management Guidelines on
School Safety Policy with an aim to strengthen the
risk resilience of schools across the country.
Moreover, National Disaster Management
Guidelines on Boat Safety and Cultural Heritage
Sites & Precincts, and a study report on Chennai
Floods of 2015 were also released.
The Union Cabinet has approved signing and
ratification of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)
between India and Belarus on Investments. The
Cabinet also approved Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed between India and
Belarus in oil and gas sector.
The Union Cabinet has approved signing of
memorandum of understanding (MoU) between
India and Afghanistan on Technical Cooperation
on Police Training and Development.
The Union Ministry of Shipping has renamed
Kandla Port Trust as Deendayal Port Trust, by
exercising powers conferred on it under Indian
Ports Act, 1908.
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The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment
launched Platform for Effective Enforcement for
No Child Labour (PENCIL) Portal at National
Conference on Child Labour.
The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment
has launched Divyang Sarathi—The accessible and
comprehensive mobile application for easy
dissemination of information to ‘Divyangjans’.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution launched web portal of Warehousing
Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA)
& Electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-
NWR) System under Digital India mission.
According to World Nuclear Industry Status
Report 2017, India with six installed nuclear
reactors ranks third in world, while China is
leading at 20 installed nuclear reactors.
Ministry of Power launched Pradhan Mantri Sahaj
Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –“Saubhagya” with an aim at
providing last mile electricity connectivity to all
rural and urban households.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
(EAC-PM). The five member of council will be
headed by Niti Aayog member Dr Bibek Debroy.
Other members are Dr Surjit Bhalla, Dr Rathin Roy,
Dr Ashima Goyal and Ratan Watal. The committee
will analyse any issue economic or otherwise
referred to it by the Prime Minister.
Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development
Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) has inked
MoU with e-commerce giant Amazon for selling
tribal products. The aim of initiative is to promote
tribal handicrafts like handloom products, cane
and bamboo products, tribal jewellery, Dhokra
craft, tribal weaves and embroidery, tribal
paintings etc. TRIFED already has tied-up with
Snapdeal.
Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna Prof C.N.R. Rao
was awarded 2017 Von Hippel Award, the highest
international prize in materials research. He is the
first Indian and first Asian to win this honour.
Multi-Agency humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief exercise Pralay Sahayam was
recently held in Hyderabad to create public
Page 5 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
awareness about man-made and natural climate
change and urban disasters including flooding.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
launched country-wide Pradhan Mantri LPG
Panchayat scheme to distribute LPG connections
among rural areas where conventional fuel is used
for domestic purposes. The scheme was launched
by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan at Mota Ishanpur village in
Gandhinagar district in Gujarat. It is backup
scheme to existing Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
The Ministry of Science & Technology has launched
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram
Sankul Pariyojana to formulate and implement
appropriate S&T interventions for sustainable
development through cluster approach in
Uttarakhand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
Deendayal Hastkala Sankul, a trade facilitation
centre and Crafts Museum for handicrafts at
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The centre and Crafts
Museum was proposed by Union Finance Minister
in his 2014-15 Budget speech to develop and
promote handlooms, handicrafts and silk products.
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog’s SATH (Sustainable Action for
Transforming Human capital) Program was
launched in in Guwahati, Assam. The SATH
program aims to provide structured support to
Assam in identifying key health priorities and
implement the solutions towards transforming the
health and improving the well-being of people of
the state.
The Film Federation of India (FFI) has selected
Hindi film Newton, a black comedy on foibles of
democracy to represent India in Best Foreign
Language category at 90th Academy Awards
(Oscars) to be held in February 2018. It was
unanimously chosen by FFI’s selection committee,
headed by Telugu producer C V Reddy from 26
entries received this year.
The National Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog and International Road Federation
(IRF), Geneva have signed Statement of Intent (SoI)
to cooperate in field of Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS).
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The 6th edition of VASTRA– An International
Textile and Apparel Fair 2017 (VASTRA 2017) was
recently held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was jointly
organised by Rajasthan State Industrial
Development and Investment Corporation Ltd.
(RIICO) and Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI). More than 50
countries and 13 Indian States participated in
VASTRA 2017.
The Union Government is planning to safeguard
fast-eroding Majuli island — world’s largest
riverine island using research carried out on
floating Brahmaputra Biodiversity and Biology
Boat (B4) labs along Brahmaputra River.
The Union Cabinet has approved introduction of
Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Parliament
subject to modifications of drafting as may be
considered necessary by Legislative Department.
The Bill seeks to amend the Dentists Act, 1948 to
include certain modifications in order to reduce the
redundancy.
India is collaborating with Russia to build Rooppur
nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. It will be first
initiative under an India-Russia nuclear deal to
undertake atomic energy projects in third
countries. It will also be India’s first atomic energy
venture abroad.
The Union Government is hopeful that strategic
Chabahar Port in Iran will be operational by end of
2018. Iran is expected to send application to EXIM
Bank of India for providing first tranche of loan
from the $150 million credit line to activate the
contract between India and Iran for Chabahar Port.
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
(ONGC) has made oil discovery in WO-24-3 well
located west of Mumbai High fields in Arabian Sea.
The well is estimated to hold in-place reserve of
about 20 million tonnes.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) extended time period “Special Industry
Initiative for J&K” (Sll J&K)- Udaan Scheme till
December, 2018 without any modification and cost
escalation.
The Union Cabinet approved revamped Khelo
India programme that aims at mainstreaming sport
as tool for individual development, community
Page 6 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
development, economic development and national
development.
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for
rationalization/merger and modernization plan of
17 Government of India Presses (GIPs)/Units into
5 GIPs. The five GIPs are located at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, Minto Road and Mayapuri in New Delhi;
Nashik (Maharashtra) and Temple Street (Kolkata,
West Bengal).
India is going to conduct first BIMSTEC Disaster
Management Exercise- 2017 (DMEx-2017) from
October 10-13, 2017. It will be conducted by
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as the
lead agency in the National Capital Region (NCR).
India’s ambitious Zero Hunger Programme
through interventions in farm sector will be
launched on occasion of World Food Day (October
16) with focus on agriculture, nutrition and health
in a symbiotic manner. The Programme will be
initiated by Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) in association with Indian Council
of Medical Research (ICMR), MS Swaminathan
Research Foundation and Biotechnology Industry
Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
The Ministry of Development of Northeast has
invited start-ups from all over country to avail
benefits of Northeast Venture Fund in a bid to make
Northeast India favourite destination for young
Startups.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has launched
full-fledged intelligence wing of Sashastra Seema
Bal (SSB). SSB is paramilitary force that guards
India’s borders with Bhutan and Nepal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated interstate
multi-purpose Sardar Sarovar Dam (Narmada dam
project) at Kevadia, Gujarat to the nation on the
occasion of his 67th birthday.
India and Japan have signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to set up India Japan Act
East Forum to enhance connectivity and promote
developmental projects in NE India.
The Union Government has launched Swachhta Hi
Seva’ (cleanliness is service), a nation-wide
fortnight-long sanitation campaign to highlight the
government’s flagship cleanliness initiative
Swachh Bharat Mission. It was launched by
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President Ram Nath Kovind from Ishworiganj
village in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It will run from
September 15 to October 2, 2017.
The Union Government signed $76 million loan
deal with Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) for starting upgradation project related to
envir onment management plan at Alang-Sosiya
ship recycling shipyards in Gujarat. The project will
be executed by Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and
is likely to be completed by 2022.
According to UNCTAD’s recently released Trade
and Development Report (TDR) 2017, India and
China at their current levels of growth will not
serve as “growth polls” for global economy in near
future. TDR is flagship report of the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) and is treated as a barometer for
assessing the global economic climate.
India and Japan have agreed to ink open sky
arrangement to allow airlines from both countries
to operate unlimited number of flights.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) have signed
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for
automatic and regular exchange of tax information.
The Union Home Ministry will soon grant
citizenship to nearly one lakh Chakma and Hajong
refugees, who came from erstwhile East Pakistan
(now Bangladesh) five decades ago and are living
in northeast.
Foundation stone of India’s first high-speed rail
project (bullet train) project was jointly laid by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese
cou nterpart Shinzo Abe at Sabarmati Station
ground in Ahmedabad. The 508km-long Mumbai
to Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project
will be built at the cost of Rs 1.10 lakh crore. It is
expected to be completed by 2022. The train will
cover distance of over 508 km from Sabarmati
(Gujarat) to Bandra (Mumbai, Maharashtra) in
around 2.58 hours at high speed of 320 kph from
the existing 7-8 hours. In case of rapid high-speed,
it will cover the distance in 2.07 hours.
The Ministry of External Affairs has started
Operation Insaniyat to provided assistance to
Bangladesh in response to humanitarian crisis
Page 7 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
being faced by it due to large influx of Rohingya
refugees from Myanmar.
India ranked low 103rd out of 130 countries
surveyed on World Economic Forum’s (WEF)
Global Human Capital Index (GHCI) 2017. In the
previous edition, India ranked 105th. The GHCI
measures countries’ ability to nurture, develop and
deploy talent for economic growth against four key
areas of human capital development.
Top 10 countries: Norway (1st), Finland (2nd),
Switzerland (3rd), United States (4th), Denmark
(5th), Germany (6th), New Zealand (7th), Sweden
(8th), Slovenia (9th) and Austria (10th).
Among BRICS: India is ranked lower than its
BRICS peers. Russia (16th), China (34th), Brazil
(77th) and South Africa (87th).
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) approved Dairy Processing &
Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) Scheme
with an outlay of Rs 10,881 crore to boost the dairy
sector.
India and Belarus have inked 10 agreements to
expand cooperation in range of areas including oil
and gas, education and sports and also decided to
explore joint development and manufacture of
military platforms.
India’s first state of art virology laboratory was
inaugurated at Dr. Anjali Chatterjee Regional
Research Institute for Homoeopathy in Kolkata,
West Bengal.
The Union Cabinet has given approved
introduction of the Payment of Gratuity
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the Parliament. The Bill
seeks to amend Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.
The Union Cabinet has approved proposal for
hiving off mobile tower assets of Bharat Sanchar
Nigam Limited (BSNL) into a separate tower
infrastructure company, fully owned by BSNL.
Decision in this regard was taken in the Union
Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Japan for
collaborative research in the field of silkworm and
silk industries. The MoU was signed between
Central Silk Board (CSB), India and National
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Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Japan
in November 2016.
The Union Government has reconstituted six
Committees of the Cabinet after recent ministry
reshuffle. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
who was ele vated in recent Cabinet restructuring
process was inducted as full time member of
Cabinet Committee on Security, Cabinet
Committees on Economic and Po litical Affairs.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra
Pradhan were also included as permanent
members of the Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA).
The six Committees of the Cabinet are-
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC):
It is responsible for all appointments of higher
ranks in the Central Secretariat, Public Enterprises,
Public Enterprises and Financial Institutions.
Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA): It
is responsible for the allotment of accommodation
for various top positions in the Government of
India.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA):
It deals with the activities pertaining to the
economics of the country.
Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs
(CCPA): It looks into the matters related to the
progress of government business in the Parliament
of India. It is headed by Union Home Minister.
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA): It
is responsible for all issues related to domestic and
foreign affairs. It is most powerful cabinet
committee and is described as Super Cabinet.
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS): It is one of
the most important committees in India, it looks
into the matters of defece expenditures and
National Security.
Note: All Committees of Cabinet except Cabinet
Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) is
chaired/headed by Prime Minister. CCPA is
headed by Union Home Minister.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) has launched ‘FoSCoRIS’, a nationwide
online platform to bring in transparency in food
safety inspection and sampling.
Page 8 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
The second edition of India-Afghanistan Strategic
Partnership Council was held in New Delhi. The
meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign
Minister Salahuddin Rabbani.
The Union Finance Ministry is planning to launch
‘Project Insight’ from October 2017 to monitor high
value transactions and detect tax evaders using t
echnology with a view to curbing circulation of
black money. To implement the project
government has signed contract with Information
Technogolgy Major L&T Infotect Ltd.
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries
has set up Contact@DGFT, an online service facility
for effective resolution of foreign trade-related
issues of importers and exporters. The facility was
activated on Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT) website.
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has successfully twice flight
tested indigenously developed 3rd generation
Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) Nag in
Rajasthan.
The Union Finance Ministry has imposed 18.95%
countervailing duty (CVD) on certain Chinese flat
steel products for period of five years to protect
domestic players from cheap subsidised imports.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises has extended the Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
(FAME)-India scheme by six months to promote
electric and hybrid vehicles.
India’s zero-subsidy UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by
Affordable Lighting for All) Scheme was launched
in Melaka State of Malaysia by Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL), under Union Ministry of Power.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) retained top
position among Indian Universities in the Times
World University Rankings 2018, but its position
fell from the 201-250 band to the 251-300 one due to
drop in its research influence score and research
income.
Top 10 in Universities - are Oxford University (1st,
UK), Cambridge University (2nd, UK), California
institute of Technology (3rd, US), Stanford
University (4th, US), Massachusetts Institute of
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Technology (5th, US), Harvard University (6th,
US), Princeton University (7th, US), Imperial
College London (8th, UK), University of Chicago
(9th, US), ETH-Zurich (10th, Switzerland).
IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur, which were among best
Indian institutions, slipped down from previous
year’s position of the 401- 500 club to 501-600 band.
IIT Bombay was placed in t351-400 club, same as in
2017 ranking and. IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee
also retained their positions in 501-600 bracket.
The National Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog has constituted Expert Task Force to
provide major thrust to job creation by enhancing
India’s exports. It will be headed by NITI Aayog
Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource and
Development (HRD) has launched Diksha Portal
(diksha.gov.in) for providing digital platform to
teacher to make their lifestyle more digital.
The National Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog launched National Nutrition Strategy
aimed at Kuposhan Mukt Bharat.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
launched two new free contraceptives Antara and
Chayya in 10 states under Mission ParivarVikas, a
central family planning initiative. These 10 states
are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, West Bengal,
Odisha, Delhi and Goa.
The Union Government has accepted
recommendations of National Anomaly
Committee (NAC) to maintain disability pension
for defence forces in parity with civilians under 6th
Central Pay Commission (CPC).
The Cell for IPR Promotions & Management
(CIPAM) under Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion (DIPP) has launched social media
campaign to pro mote Indian Geographical
Indications (GIs). It has been launched under
CIPAM’s ongoing campaign #LetsTalkIP to make
more people aware about importance of
Intellectual Property Rights.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-In) has issued an alert about spread of new
ransomware (malicious software) ‘Locky’ that can
Page 9 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
lock computers and demand ransom for unlocking
them.
Nine new members were inducted into Council of
Ministers of NDA Government led by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in the recent reshuffle.
The aim was to reinforce the 4Ps — passion,
proficiency, professional and political acumen in
Government.
The 9 new members inducted are –
Hardeep Singh Puri: Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Satya Pal Singh: MoS Human Resource
Development and MoS Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Shiv Pratap Shukla: MoS Finance Ministry.
Alphons Kannanthanam: MoS (Independent
Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and MoS in
Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology.
Raj Kumar Singh: MoS (Independent Charge) of
Ministry of Power; and MoS (Independent Charge)
of Ministry of Power; and MoS (Independent
Charge) of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Virendra Kumar: MoS in Ministry of Women and
Child Development; and MoS in Ministry of
Minority Affairs
Anantkumar Hegde: MoS in Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship
Besides, four senior ministers were elevated to the
cabinet rank.
Piyush Goyal: Railway Ministry.
Nirmala Sitharaman: Defence Ministry.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minority Affairs Ministry.
Dharmendra Pradhan: Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship Ministry.
The 12th edition of India-Nepal joint military
exercise- Surya Kiran XII was held at Nepal Army
Battle School (NABS) in Saljhandi, Nepal. The 14
day exercise (from 3 to 16 September 2017) focused
on skills required counter-terrorism and counter-
terror, forest fighting and natural disaster
management.
India and European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
will meet shortly in an attempt to conclude their
long pending negotiations on Free Trade
Agreement.
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Assam Government has extended term of Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 and
declared entire state a Disturbed Area for six more
months under Section 3 of AFSP Act. This is for first
time state government has extended AFSPA and
Disturbed Area provision on its own. In the past,
AFSPA provisions in state were always extended
by the Centre.
The 2017 Rajaswa Gyan Sangam, a two-day annual
conference of senior tax administrators was held at
Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. It was inaugurated by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The conference
was jointly organised by Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT) and Central Board of Excise &
Customs (CBEC).
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has
approved constitution of 13-member Empowered
Steering Committee (ESC).It will shape and
influence India’s preparation for multi-disciplinary
events, including 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The National Nutrition Week will be observed
throughout the country from 1st to 7th September.
The theme of for year 2017 is “Optimal Infant &
Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child
Health”.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed every
year on September 28 to highlight importance of
shipping safety, maritime security and marine
environment and to acknowledge maritime
industry. The 2017 theme of the day is ‘Connecting
Ships, Ports and People’.
The World Rabies Day is observed every year on 28
September across the world to raise awareness
about rabies disease and its preventable measures.
The 2017 theme is ‘Rabies: Zero by 30’.
The International Day of Peace is observed across
the world on 21 September to acknowledge efforts
of those who have strived to end conflict and
promote peace. This day is also observed as a day
of ceasefire.
Tech Giant Google’s Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) based digital payment service Tez was
launched by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
New Delhi....
Page 10 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
The International Day for Preservation of Ozone
Layer (or World Ozone Day) is observed every year
on September 16 for the preservation of the Ozone
Layer. This year, the theme for the Day is ‘Caring
for all life under the sun’.
The ASEAN Computer Emergency Response Team
Incident Drill (ACID) was recently held in Hanoi,
Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has
unanimously passed new set of tougher sanctions
against North Korea over its sixth and most
powerful nuclear test (claimed to be Hydrogen
bomb). It was overall the ninth sanctions resolution
unanimously adopted by UNSC since 2006 over
North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear
programs. The new sanctions imposes ban on
North Korea’s textile exports and capping imports
of crude oil.
Jordan, a water-poor country that is 90% desert, has
launched Sahara Forest Project near the southern
port city of Aqaba to turn desert land into farming
land to produce food using sun and sea water. It is
funded by Norway and European Union.
The International Literacy Day (ILD) is being
observed every year on 8 September to emphasize
the importance of literacy to individuals, society
and communities. The day was established in 1966
by United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The theme
announced by UNESCO for this year is `Literacy in
a digital world’.
The 9th BRICS summit was held in Xiamen, China.
The theme of the summit was “Stronger
Partnership for brighter Future”. At the end of
summit, BRICS leaders adopted Xiamen
declaration.
Four documents were signed in presence of BRICS
Leaders. They are-
Strategic Framework of BRICS Customs
Cooperation
BRICS Action Plan for Innovation
Cooperation(2017-2020)
BRICS Action Agenda on Economic and Trade
Cooperation
MoU between BRICS Business Council and New
Development Bank on Strategic Cooperation.
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Five banks of BRICS Interbank Cooperation
Mechanism (ICM) have agreed to establish local
currency credit lines and develop cooperation on
credit ratings - Brazilian Development Bank,
Russia’s Vnesheconombank, Export-Import Bank
of India (EXIM), China Development Bank and
Development Bank of South Africa.
India and China have jointly submitted proposal to
World Trade Organisation (WTO) calling for
elimination of most trade-distorting farm subsidies
by developed countries. These farm subsidies are
known as known as Aggregate Measurement of
Support (AMS) or ‘Amber Box’ support.
ECONOMICS
India was placed at 40th spot among 137 countries
in World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global
Competitiveness Index (GCI) 2017-18. India has
slipped by one position compared to 39th spot in
2016 GCI.
Top 5 Countries: Switzerland (1st), United States
(2nd), Singapore (3rd), Netherlands (4th) and
Germany (5th).
BRICS Countries: China (27th), Russia (38th), India
(40th), South Africa (61st) and Brazil (80th).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased
corporate bond investment limit for foreign
investors by taking out Masala bonds (rupee-
denominated bonds) from ambit of total debt
investment limit. They will be considered as part of
External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) and will
be monitored accordingly.
State Bank of India (SBI) along with FTSE Russell,
global index and data provider launched FTSE SBI
Bond Index series at London Stock Exchange (LSE).
It is India’s first bond index series for overseas
investors.
The Union Government has issued gazette
notification, notifying that Peer-to-peer lending
(P2P) platforms will be treated as non-banking
financial companies (NBFCs) and thus regulated by
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Capital markets regulator SEBI (Securities and
Exchange Board of India) amended guidelines of
Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) and
Infrastructure Investments Trusts (InvITs) in order
Page 11 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
to broaden scope of fund raising by such
instruments.
The GST Network (GSTN) has reopened
composition scheme window facility for small
taxpayers with turnover of up to Rs.75 lakh to opt
for composition scheme, which offers easy
compliance for business as returns are to be filed
only quarterly. The window will be open for those
taxpayers who have migrated from earlier excise,
service tax or VAT regime as well as for the newly
registered taxpayers.
According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s
foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have crossed
$400 billion mark for the first time. The increase
was due sharp rise in foreign currency assets. India
is now at sixth position in forex reserves ranking
behind China (3,053 billion reserves), Japan ($1,188
billion), Switzerland ($743 billion), Saudi Arabia
($489 billion) and Taiwan ($441 billion).
London has topped in the 2017 Global Financial
Centres Index (GFCI) among 92 financial centres
released by the Z/Yen and China Development
Institute. India’s financial capital Mumbai was
ranked at 60th position, up by three positions
compared to previous edition. London and New
York remain in first and second places. Hong Kong
has moved just ahead of Singapore. Tokyo remains
in fifth.
The People’s Bank of China (PBC), central bank of
China has banned individuals and organisations
from raising funds through initial coin offerings
(ICO) saying that practice constituted illegal fund-
raising.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has added HDFC
Bank, the second largest private sector lender of
country in list of Domestic Systemically Important
Banks (D-SIBs). HDFC Bank is third bank in
country to be added in list of D-SIBs after State
Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank which were
added in 2016 and continue to be in that category.
DEFENCE AND SPACE
The Diamond Jubilee of Directorate General of
Quality Assurance (DGQA) was observed on 28
September 2017 as it completed 60 years of its
existence. To commemorate the occasion, Minister
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of State (MoS) for Defence, Dr Subhash Bhamare
released the ‘First Day Cover’ of DGQA. He also
launched portal for e-registration of vendors.
INS Tarasa (T94), the fourth and last ship in series
of Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was
commissioned into Indian Navy at Naval
Dockyard, Mumbai. It is an improved variant of
Car Nicobar-class high-speed offshore patrol
vessels (OPVs) built indegenously by Kolkata
(West Bengal) based Garden Reach Shipbuilders &
Engineers Ltd (GRSE), for the Indian Navy.
The second edition of DRUZBA 2017 (Friendship-
2017), a joint military exercise between special
forces of Pakistan and Russia was held in
Minralney Vody, Russia. The exercise set the stage
for translating political goodwill between both
countries into a substantial partnership especially
in the field of defence.
Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) new interceptor boat
V-409 was launched in Mangaluru, Karnataka by
Bharathi Defence and Infrastructure Limited
(BDIL). The vessel will be inducted into service by
mid-October 2017 to give boost to coastal security
and national security.
India’s first ingenuously built INS Kalavari
submarine was handed over to Indian Navy by
state-owned Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned two
high-speed interceptor boats C-433 and C-434 boats
at the Dighi Port in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The 13th edition Yudh Abhyas 2017, a joint military
training exercise between India and United States
was held at Joint Base Lewis McChord,
Washington, US. Yudh Abhyas is annual bilateral
military exercise, alternately held by the two
countries. In this edition of exercise, armies of both
countries honed tactical skills in counter-
insurgency and counter-terrorist operations (CICT
ops) under UN charter.
The advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS)
has set a world record in terms of range by hitting
targets at distance of 48 km during trial firings at
Pokhran, Rajasthan. The record of longest ever
distance of 48.074 km was achieved by ATAGS
Page 12 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
with special ammunition high explosive – base
bleed” (HE – BB) developed by Kalyani Group.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted
developmental trials of indigenously developed
Astra beyond visual range air-to-air missile
(BVRAAM) over the Bay of Bengal, off the coast of
Chandipur in Odisha.
India and Russia have begun discussions to work
out modalities for conducting their first tri-service
military exercise INDRA 2017 in October 2017 in
Russia. It will be India’s first bilateral military
exercise with any country involving all three
services.
India’s first all-women crew circumnavigation
expedition named as Navika Sagar Parikrama was
flagged off by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman in Goa. The crew belongs to Indian
Navy and is sailing Indian Naval Sailing Vessel
Tarini (INSV Tarini). It will circumnavigate globe
in approximately 165 days and is expected to return
to Goa in April 2018.
The Indian Army has finalised plan to induct
women in military police. The plan is seen as major
step towards breaking gender barriers in force.
Under this plan 800 women will be inducted
initially with yearly intake of 52. The decision to
induct women in Corps of Military Police will help
in investigating allegations of gender specific
crimes. Currently, women are allowed in select
areas such as medical, educational, legal, signals
and engineering wings of Indian Army.
The seventh edition of India-Sri Lanka joint
maritime naval exercise SLINEX 2017 was held
near Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) in Bay of
Bengal. It will be conducted from 7th to 14th
September 2017.
Swedish defence and security company SAAB and
Indian conglomerate Adani Group have
announced collaboration in defence manufacturing
entailing billions of dollars of investment. The
partnership was announced mainly for design,
development and production of single engine
Gripen fighter jets under ‘Make in India’ if they win
government contract to equip Indian Air Force
(IAF) with new jets. They will compete with
collaboration of US aircraft major Lockheed Martin
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and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) which
are planning to manufacture F-16 fighter aircrafts
in India.
OBITUARIES
French businesswoman and heiress of cosmetics
giant L'Oreal Liliane Bettencourt, 94, has died. In
March 2017, Forbes ranked Bettencourt the world's
richest woman, putting her net worth at $39.5
billion.
The sole Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF)
Arjan Singh passed away following cardiac arrest
in New Delhi. He was 98. He was known for
shaping IAF in its early years as well as during
some of its most difficult junctures.
AWARDS AND PROMINENT
RECORDS
The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
ceremony honouring best US prime time television
programming was held at the Microsoft Theater in
Downtown Los Angeles, California. The
Handmaid’s Tale became first web television series
to win award for Outstanding Drama Series. HBO’s
science fiction western drama Westworld and
NBC’s sketch comedy Saturday Night Live were
the most nominated programs for awards, each
with 22 nominations.
Winners –
 Outstanding Comedy Series: Veep
 Outstanding Drama Series: The Handmaid’s
Tale
 Outstanding Variety Talk Series: Last Week
Tonight with John Oliver
 Outstanding Variety Sketch Series: Saturday
Night Live
 Outstanding Limited Series: Big Little Lies
 Outstanding Television Movie: Black Mirror
(“San Junipero”)
 Outstanding Reality-Competition Program:
The Voice
 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Donald Glover as Earnest “Earn” Marks on
Atlanta Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Page 13 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on
Veep
 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson on This
Is Us Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Series: Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne /
Offred on The Handmaid’s Tale
 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or
Movie: Riz Ahmed as Nasir “Naz” Khan on
The Night Of
 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
or Movie: Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright on
Big Little Lies
 Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series:
Master of None (Episode: “Thanksgiving”),
Written by Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe
Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail (74)
was bestowed with prestigious Saraswati Samman
2016. He was awarded for his novel “Hawthan
(हावटण)” that captures cultural lives of traditional
potter community in Goa. He was presented the
award, comprising plaque and a cash purse of
Rs.15 lakh by Union minister for commerce and
industry Nirmala Sitharaman at event held in New
Delhi.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Scientists have successfully detected gravitational
waves for fourth time coming from merger of two
massive black holes. It was for first time, these
waves were simultaneously detected by US-based
Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory (LIGO) and Italy-based Virgo
detectors. The first two detection were made in
September and December 2015 in quick succession
and for third time it was detected in January 2017.
ISRO’s globally acclaimed Mars Orbiter Mission
(MOM) also known as Mangalyaan completed
three years in Martian orbit. It has outlived its
original lifespan and is still in good health and
continues to work as expected. On the occasion of
completion of three years, ISRO released MOM
second year science data from September 24, 2014
to September 23, 2016.
The world’s largest all-composite airplane
Stratolaunch in terms of wingspan successfully
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completed its initial engine tests. It is designed for
launching for sending satellite-carrying rockets
into low-Earth orbit. The plane hasbiggest
wingspan ever built, measuring 118 m from one
end to the other, longer than a professional football
field. It weighs about 227,000 kg.
NASA’s asteroid-chasing spacecraft Osiris-Rex
successfully swung by Earth to put it on desired
trajectory towards near earth asteroid Bennu using
Earth’s gravity. It passed within 17,237 kilometres
from Earth above Antarctica. During closest flyby,
Osiris-Rex’s science instruments were tested by
scanning Earth and moon as a practice for its
operations at Bennu.
Scientists from University of Manchester have
created world’s first ‘molecular robot’ — millionth
of a millimetre in size. It can be used to build
molecules and may help discover novel drugs.
International team of astronomers using NASA’s
Hubble Space Telescope have spotted an unusual
object called 2006 VW139/288P having two
asteroids orbiting each other with comet-like
features. These include bright halo of material,
called a coma, and long tail of dust. The odd object
is first known binary asteroid that is also classified
as a main-belt comet.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST)
is planning to fund project to develop quantum
computers in order to tap into the next big advance
in computing technology.
Scientists for first time have observed Optical
polarisation phenomenon (polarised light emitted
by rapidly rotating stars) after it was predicted by
Indian astrophysicist and Nobel laureate
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar 70 years ago.
Optical polarisation phenomenon is a measure of
the orientation of the oscillations of a light beam to
its direction of travel.
Scientists from Brown University in US have
created first map of water trapped in uppermost
layer of Moon’s soil. The was build using NASA’s
Moon Mineralogy Mapper onboard of India’s
Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has
named two mountain ranges on icy dwarf planet
Page 14 of 14 | MonthLE September 2017
Pluto as Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes after
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.
Researchers have discovered new species of edible
freshwater fish in Pampa river in Pathanamthitta,
Kerala. It has been named as Labeo filiferus
(L.filiferus) and belongs to Labeo genus.
Scientists from Cardiff University, UK have
discovered a new way to produce methanol from
methane using oxygen from the air. Methanol is an
important chemical often used as fuel in vehicles.
India’s first Hyperloop project will come up in
Andhra Pradesh, connecting its city centres,
Vijayawada and Amaravati. In this regard, Andhra
Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB)
has inked memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
(HTT) for developing the project.
CSIR scientists have developed an ultra-thin
wireless device that mimics plant leaves to produce
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energy using water and sunlight. The artificial leaf
absorbs sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from
water.
Breakthrough Listen project has detected 15 fast
radio bursts (FRBs) coming from a dwarf galaxy
about 3 million light years away from earth. The
new detection was made with help of Green Bank
Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia. It was emitted
from FRB 121102, a mysterious source associated
with galaxy in the distant universe. This detection
brings the total of known FRBs from this strange
object to more than 150.
According to international team of astronomers,
earth-sized planets orbiting ultracool TRAPPIST-1
dwarf star may have substantial amounts of water
and could be habitable.
The world’s largest and powerful X-ray laser-
European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) was
unveiled in Hamburg, Germany.