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www.crackclat.com CLATFOCUS (October -2018)
© This module is part of copyrighted material, any replica by any one may invite penal action. 1
Chief Editor
Dr. Kanchan Deep Chaudhary
________________________________________
Edited, Owned,
Printed & Published By
CCT
CRACK CLAT TUTORIALS
F-1/5, West Patel Nagar, Near LIC Office,
Circuit House Road, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Tel.0291-2512639, 2511077, 099290-74123
E-mail: info@crackclat.com
Website: www.crackclat.com
OCTOBER-2018
CONTENTS
The Inauguration of Statue of Unity..2
Current Affairs Bullets………..3
Latest in General Knowledge…5
Appointments
Awards & Honors
Books & Authors
Constitutional/Law
Defense
Economic Scenario
Ecology & Environment
Places
Report & Index
Software & Telecom
Persons in News………………13
Current Topics – India………..14
Current Topics – World……....18
Static GK Capsules……............22
Latest in Sports………………..24
Current Affairs MCQs………...27
Answer Key of MCQs………...36
________________________
CRACK CLAT TUTORIALS Study Material is for
internal circulation. This booklet is not for sale
separately, and is only for our registered students.
All rights reserved. No part of this issue can be
reprinted in whole or in part without the written
permission of the publishers.
The editors and publishers of this magazine do their
best to verify the information published, but do not take
responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the
information.
All disputes subject to Jodhpur jurisdiction only.
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Current Affairs Bullets
Winner of the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for
his contribution to international cooperation
and fostering global economic growth-
Narendra Modi
The joint training exercise between Russia and
Pakistan held in Pakistan recently- Druzhba-
III
The country with which India inked an MoU
for the appointment of a private operator of the
Sittwe Port- Myanmar
The military exercise between the US and UAE
held recently – Iron Magic 19
The South Korea-based UN-backed fund which
has approved more than $1 bn for 19 new
projects to help developing countries tackle
climate change- Green Climate Fund
The US-based Dalit writer whose debut book
Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable
Family and the making of Modern India has
been named the winner of 2018 Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize –Sujatha Gidla
The venue of the 27th
Fusion Energy
Conference – Gandhinagar
Winner of the 19th
Lal Bahadur Shastri
National Award For Excellence in Public
Administration – Fali S Nariman
The river on which India‘s longest river bridge
(19.3 km long) will be built connecting Dhubri
in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalya –
Brahmaputra
The country where Hong Kong-zhuhai-Macau
bridge, dubbed the longest bridge-cum-tunnel
sea crossing in the world, was inaugurated
recently – China
The President of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa party
which won the third general election in Bhutan
recently – Dr Lotay Tshering
The joint opposition candidate in the recent
Maldivian presidential election who defeated
Abdulla Yameen – Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
The person appointed the interim Director of
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
recently – M Nageswar Rao
The payments bank which is a 70 : 30 Joint
venture between RIL and SBI – Jio Payments
Bank
Winner of the Hridaynath Award for Lifetime
Achievement this year – Mohammed Zahur
Khayyam Hashmi
Winner of the International Olympic
Committee‘s Sport and Active Society
Commission‘s Grant Award – Suheil F
Tandon
The new chief of the National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights- Priyank Kanoongo
The co-founder of Microsoft who passed away
recently - Paul G Allen
The rate of interest for General Provident Fund
(GPF) for the Oct-Dec quarter – 8 per cent
Winner of the 2018 Sultan Johar Cup Junior
Hockey – Great Britain
The city where India‘s first crypto currency
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) was set up
recently – Bengaluru
The joint military drill to be held between the
armies of India and Japan in Mizoram –
Dharma Guardian
Winner of the women‘s singles title of the
Denmark Open badminton tournament – Tai
Tzu Ying
The venue of the ASEAN Defence Ministers‘
Meetings (12th
ADMM and 5th
ADMM-Plus)
held recently – Singapore
The professional boxer who has signed the
richest contract in sport history (worth $ 365
mn) with streaming service DAZN – Canclo
Alvarez
The country which will launch three artificial
moons in space in 2022 – China
The cleanest govt varsity in the country as
declared by the HRD Ministry – Maharshi
Dayanand University (Haryana)
The venue of the joint multi-national maritime
exercise between India, Brazil and South Africa
held recently – IBSAMAR
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The first chief of National Financial Reporting
Authority (NFRA)- Rangachari Sridharan
The country to which the IMF has given the
biggest-ever loan ($57bn) – Argentina
The state govt which has launched wage
compensation scheme for pregnant women in
tea garden districts – Assam
Winner of the 2018 Asia Cup cricket
tournament – India
The bank on which the RBI recently imposed a
penalty of RS 5 cr for noncompliance – Karur
Vyasa Bank
The country where India has set up an Ayush
Information Cell at its embassy premises –
Romania
The flag – bearer of the Indian contingent at the
3rd
Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires
– Manu Bhaker
Winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize for her
novel Milkman – Anna Burns
The bank to which the appointment of Sandeep
Bakhshi as the Managing Director and was
approved by the RBI recently – ICICI Bank
The decade which the United Nations has
declared as the ―Nelson Mandela Decade of
Peace‖ – 2019-2028
The hurricane which hit the US recently –
Michael
The world‘s first country to successfully land
two robotic rovers on an asteroid – Japan
The head of the committee formed by the
Supreme
Court on Prison Reforms – Justice Amitava
Roy
India‘s ranking as the most competitive
economy on the World Economic Forum‘s
global competitiveness index for 2018 topped
by the US – 58th
The state which has announced that
sportspersons would be given three per cent
sub-quota in recruitments Tamil Nadu
The country where the festival of Fulpati was
celebrated recently – Nepal
The venue of the 12th
Asia Europe Meeting
(ASEM) summit – Brussels (Belgium)
The present chairman of the Central Vigilance
Commission (CVC) – KV Chowdary
The city with which the Delhi govt recently
signed a twin-city agreement – Moscow
The wholesale price inflation (WPI) in Sep
2018 – 5.13%
The state where Central Govt‘s health
insurance scheme ‗Ayushman Bharat‘ has been
merged with State govt‘s ‗Swasthya Sathi‘-
West Bengal
The new global chief executive officer of the
US – based direct selling company Amway –
Milind Pant
The storm which hit UK recently – Callum
The state where the Union Textile Ministery
will construct textile tourism complex in
Nangpoh Meghalaya
The person elected as the chairperson of the
industry body Association of Mutual Funds in
India (Amfi) – Nimesh Shah
The place where the annual meeting of the
International Monetary Fund and World Bank
was held recently – Bali (Indonesia)
The state which has won the top prize at the
UN-backed Future Policy Awards for organic
farming – Sikkim
The legendary musician who passed away
recently – Annapurna Devi
India‘s overall ranking on the Global Hunger
Index 2018 topped by Belarus – 103rd
The Geneva-based UN institution to which
India was elected recently – UN Human
Rights Council
The Nepalese institute with which SBI has
signed an MoU for the development of human
resources – National Banking Institute
India‘s ranking among 157 countries on the
World Bank‘s first-ever Human Capital Index
(HCI) – 115TH
The city where country‘s first India Israel
Innovation Centre (IIIC) was launched recently
– Bangaluru
Retail inflation as measured by the Consumer
Price Index (CPI), in Sep 2018 – 3.77 per cent
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The industrial production measured in terms of
Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in Aug
2018 – 4.3 per cent
The country which has announced to sell 48
high-end armed drones Wing Loong II to
Pakistan – China
The state where PM Narendra Modi unveiled a
64-feet-tall statue of peasant leader late Sir
Chhotu Ram in Garhi Sampla village –
Haryana
The chief of the recently reconstituted Strategic
Policy Group (SPG) – Ajit Doval
The university which has been ranked first on
Reuters‘ list of the World‘s Most Innovative
Universities 2018- Stanford University
The state where the Inland Waterways
Authority of India (IWAI) launched a Roll off
(Ro Ro) service recently from Neamati to
Manjuli island – Assam
The bank which has launched India‘s first 2
EMV chip debit-cum-credit card – IndusInd
Bank
The new chief executive officer (CEO) of Air
Asia India – Sunil Bhaskaran
The country which was hit by a major 7
magnitude earthquake recently Papua New
Guinea
The venue of the 32nd
world conference of the
World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM)
held recently – Gurugram
India‘s ranking on Commitment to Reducing
Inequality (CRI) Index 2018‘ – 147th
The social networking platform which was
recently found with a bug that exposed private
data of up to 500,000 users – Google+
The US ambassador to the United Nations who
resigned recently – Nikki Haley
The cyclonic storms which hit the coastal
region of Odisha recently – Titli
The item from Ratnagiri Sindhudurg Palaghar,
Thane and Raigad districts of Maharashtra
which has got Geographical Indication tag –
Alphonso mango
The partner state at Goal International Film
Festival 2018 – Jharkhand
Winner of the girls‘ title of IBSF World U – 16
Championships – Keerthanan Pandian
Winner of the 2018 Sultan of Johor Cup
Hockey tournament – UK
The city ranked as the best district as per the
ranking undertaken by Swachh Survekshan
Grameen 2018 – Satara
Winner of the 2018 ACC Under -19 Asia Cup
in Dhaka – India
Latest In General Knowledge
Anniversaries & Days
October 1 -- International Day for the Elderly
October 2 -- Gandhi Jayanti
October 3 -- World Habitat Day
October 4 -- World Animal Welfare Day
October 5 -- World Teacher's Day
October 8 -- Indian Air Force Day
October 9 -- World Post Office Day
October 10 -- National Post Day
October 2nd Thursday -- World Sight Day
October 13 -- UN International Day for Natural
Disaster Reduction
October 14 -- World Standards Day
October 15 -- World White Cane Day (guiding
the blind)
October 16 -- World Food Day
October 24 -- UN Day; World Development
Information Day
October 30 -- World Thrift Day
October 31 -- National Integration Day, Rashtriya
Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)
Appointments
Sahle-Work Zewde appointed as first female
President of Ethiopia: Ethiopia appointed
diplomat Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde as its first-
ever female President on October 25, 2018. Ms.
Zewde was appointed by the Ethiopian
lawmakers through a unanimous vote. She
replaces Mr. Mulatu Teshome Wirtu who
resigned on October 24, 2018. Prior to her
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appointment, Ms. Zewde was serving as the
UN's top official at the African Union. She is
expected to serve two six-year terms as
President. The position of the President is
largely ceremonial in the nation.
Nguyen Phu Trong becomes President of
Vietnam: Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General
Secretary of ruling Communist Party of
Vietnam (CPV), was elected President of the
country at the sixth session of the National
Assembly on October 23, 2018. Mr. Trong will
hold the post (that had been vacant since the
death of Mr. Tran Dai Quang on September 21,
2018) until 2021. Vice President Mr. Dang Thi
Ngoc Thinh had been acting President since
then. Mr. Phu Trong has been a member of the
PCV Central Committee's Political Bureau
since 1997 and served as the Chairman of the
National Assembly from 2007 to 2011.
Maeen Abdulmalik sworn in as new PM of
Yemen: Mr. Maeen Abdulmalik was sworn in
as the Prime Minister of Yemen on October 18,
2018 to lead the internationally-backed
government in the war-torn Arab country. Mr.
Maeen was appointed as Prime Minister by
President of Yemen Mr. Abdu-Rabbu Mansour
Hadi, replacing his sacked predecessor Mr.
Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr. Mr. Maeen holds a
PhD in philosophy of architecture and design
theories. He had assumed the post of Minister
of Public Works in Mr. Bin Dagher's cabinet.
He has worked in an advisory group in Cairo in
the field construction.
Pankaj Sharma appointed' India's
Ambassador to UN Conference on
Disarmament: Mr. Pankaj Sharma was
appointed as the Ambassador and India's
Permanent Representative to the United
Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva
on October 6, 2018. Pankaj Sharma Mr.
Sharma' has been serving as the Joint Secretary
(Disarmament and International Security
Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
He replaces Mr. Amandeep Gill.
Tushar Mehta appointed as Solicitor
General of India: Senior Advocate Mr. Tushar
Mehta was appointed as the Solicitor General
of India on October 10, 2018 with effect from
the date of assumption of charge of the office
for a period till June 30, 2020 or until further
orders. Mr. Mehta had been serving as the
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India
since 2014. The post had been lying vacant for
the last 11 months after Senior Advocate Mr.
Ranjith Kumar resigned on October 20, 2017.
The Solicitor General is the second highest
ranking law officer of the Union Government
after the Attorney General.
Shekhar Mande appointed as Director-
General of CSIR: The Union Government
appointed Mr. Shekhar C. Mande, the Director
of the Pune-based National Centre for Cell
Science and a top functionary of Vijnana
Bharati, a swadeshi science movement
affiliated with the RSS, as the Director-General
of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research on October
13, 2018. A fellow of all three major science
academies, the 56-year-old Mr. Mande is a
recipient of the coveted S.S. Bhatnagar Prize,
most prestigious science honour in the country
in 2005. The position of the DG of CSIR fell
vacant with its previous chief Mr. Girish Sahni
superannuating on August 31, 2018.
Books And Authors
Kama: The Riddle of Desire – By Gurcharan Das,
Penguin
Red Birds – By Mohammad Hanif, Bloomsbury
The Rabbit & The Squirrel – By Siddharth
Dhanvant Shanghvi; illustrated By Stina Wirsen,
Penguin
Bostar Dispatches: A Passage through the Wild –
By Narendra, Harper Collins
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Maharana Pratap, The Invincible Warrior – By
Rima Hooja
The RSS: A View to the Inside – By Andersen and
Shridhar D. Damle
Acid – By Sangeetha Sreenivasan, Penguin
Defense
India conducts successful night trial of Agni-
1 Ballistic Missile: A night trial of India's
indigenously developed nuclear-capable Agni-1
ballistic missile with a strike range of 700 km
was successfully conducted from a test range
off Odisha coast on October 30, 2018, as a part
of a user trial by the Army. The launch of the
surface-to-surface missile was undertaken as a
part of periodic training activity by the
Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Dr.
Abdul Kalam Island to consolidate operational
readiness. Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-
long Agni-I, which can carry payload up to
1000 kg, has already been inducted into the
Indian Army. While the sophisticated missile
has been test-fired many times from the same
base since 2002, the night that was conducted
only for the second time to reconfirm its
technological parameters.
Indian Navy inducts first deep submergence
rescue vessel to rescue distressed
submarines: Enhancing its operational
capabilities, the Indian Navy inducted its first
Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) at
its base in Mumbai on October 13; 2018. With
the move, India joins a select list of
international navies with the ability to search,
locate and provide assistance to downed or
disaster-struck submarines at high sea. The
DSRV can reportedly be deployed at short
notice for providing assistance to submarines in
distress. The rescue vessel, complete with an
associated kit in fly-away configuration, can be
crucial in locating submarines quickly through
the vast expanse of sea and can be mobilised by
air and water for rapid rescue.
32nd edition of India-Indonesia coordinated
patrol held in Indonesia: The 32nd edition of
India-Indonesia coordinated patrol (IND-INDO
CORPAT) was held in Belawan, Indonesia
from October 11 to 27, 2018. The ships and
aircraft from both countries undertook
patrolling on respective sides of 236 nautical
miles long International Maritime Boundary
Line. The patrolling was conducted in three
phases, followed by closing ceremony at Port
Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indian
Naval Ship (INS) Kulish, a Kora-class missile
corvette and Dornier naval maritime patrol
aircraft from Andaman and Nicobar Command
participated in the patrol. It aimed to contribute
to Indian Navy's efforts to forge strong bonds
of friendship across seas and consolidate inter-
operability.
India-Japan hold bilateral maritime exercise
‘JIMEX 18’: The third edition of Japan-India
Maritime Exercise (JIMEX), JIMEX 18, was
held al: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from
October 7 to 15, 2018. The Japanese Maritime
Self Defence Force (JMSDF Ships participated
in the exercise along with the ships of Eastern
Fleet of the Indian Navy. The Japanese fleet
included JMSDF Ships Kaga, an Izumo Class
Helicopter Destroyer; and Inazuma, a Guided
Missile Destroyer. The Indian Navy was
represented by multipurpose stealth frigate INS
Satpura; Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette,
Missile Corvette INS Kadmatt; and the Fleet
Tanker INS Shakti. In addition to these, one
submarine, P81 Long Range Maritime Patrol
Aircraft and a number of integral helicopters
also participated in the exercise.
Ecology & Environment
SC prohibits plying of 15-year-old petrol, 10-
year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR: The
Supreme Court on October 29, 2018 prohibited
the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old
diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR region in a
move to deal with the prevailing "very critical"
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and "horrible" pollution situation in Delhi-
NCR. A bench of Justices Mr. Madan B. Lokur,
Mr. S. Abdul Nazeer and Mr. Deepak Gupta
also clarified that such vehicles would be
seized, if found on roads in Delhi-NCR. The
apex court directed that a list of 15-year-old
petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles Will be
published on the website of the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and transport
departments of the NCR area.
No sale of Bharat Stage-IV vehicles across
the country from April 1, 2020: SC: The
Supreme Court on October 24, 2018 ruled that
no Bharat Stage-IV vehicles shall be sold
across the country with effect from April 1,
2020. The Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission
norm would come into force from April 1, 2020
across the country. The ruling was given by a
three-judge bench headed by Justice Mr. Madan
B. Lokur. The bench clarified that only BS-VI-
compliant vehicles will be sold in India from
April 1, 2020. Earlier, advocate Aparajita
Singh, assisting the apex court as amicus
curiae, had opposed the Union Government's
move to give time till June 30, 2020 to
automobile manufacturers to sell their BS-VI
non-compliant four-wheelers manufactured till
March 31, 2020. Green Fund approves $1
billion to assist poor countries to tackle climate
change : Green Climate Fund, the UN-backed
fund, has approved more than $1 billion for 19
new projects to help developing countries
tackle climate change. The decision was taken
during a four-day meeting in Manama, Bahrain
that ended on October 20, 2018. The officials
overseeing the Climate Fund also agreed to
start seeking fresh money in 2019 as its initial
capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used
up. The funding was approved for projects
linked to geothermal energy in Indonesia,
greener cities in Europe and the Middle East
and protection for coastal communities in India.
The Green Fund was originally meant to
receive over $10 billion from rich countries by
2018. However, US President Mr. Donald
Trump's decision to withhold $2 billion of the
$3 billion pledged by his predecessor, Mr.
Barack Obama, has contributed to a shortfall in
its projected assets.
Economic Scene
Financial Stability and Development Council
meeting held in New Delhi: The Financial
Stability and Development Council (FSDC)
meeting was held in New Delhi on October 30,
2018. The high-level meeting chaired by
Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley discussed
liquidity issues being faced by the non-banking
financial companies. Headed by the Finance
Minister, the FSDC includes RBI Governor,
SEBI Chairman, and heads of other regulators
like PFRDA, IRDAI, and also Chairman of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board. RBI
Governor Mr. Urjit Patel said that the liquidity
problem in NBFCs is not as severe as is being
projected, but assured the government that it
would ensure adequate liquidity in the system.
The meeting assumed significance as the FSDC
met for the first time after RBI Deputy
Governor Mr. Viral Acharya raised the issues
regarding independence of the central bank.
Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank to
set up internal committees to merge
operations: Bank of Baroda (BoB), Dena Bank
and Vijaya Bank on' October 24, 2018 decided
to constitute internal committees to help
integrate the functions of the banks before the
merger takes place. These include committees
on credit, human resources (HR) and
information technology. The committees will
comprise the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
and Executive Directors of all the three banks.
The banks also decided to appoint three
separate valuers to fix the swap ratios of
merger. The valuer appointed by one bank will
also evaluate the other two banks, before a
common ratio is arrived at. The Union Finance
Ministry had announced on September 17, 2018
the proposal to merge three public sector
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lenders—Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and
Vijaya Bank.
Government notifies special courts for trial
of benami transaction cases: The Central
Government has issued a notification stating
that Sessions Courts in 34 States and Union
Territories, will act as special courts for the trial
of offences under the benami transaction law.
The Union Ministry of Finance stated in its
notification that the Sessions Courts were
notified of the same after consultation with
Chief Justices of High Courts under the
Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions
Act, 1988 for the trial of offences punishable
under the provision of the Act.
In the case of the National Capital Territory of
Delhi, the courts of Additional Session's Judge
in each district have been designated as the
special court. Further, under the Prohibition' of
Benami Property Transactions Act, every trial
should be conducted as expeditiously as
possible. The law also prescribes that every
endeavour should be made by the special court
to conclude the trial within six months from the
date of filing of the complaint.
IMF predicts India to grow at 7.3% in 2018-
19: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
released the latest World Economic Outlook
report on October 9, 2018. According to the
report, India's growth rate is predicted to
increase to 7.3% in 2018-19 and 7.4% in 2019-
20. In 2017-18, India had recorded a growth
rate of 6.7%. The latest growth prediction for
India, however, is slightly lower than what was
predicted in April 2018 World Economic
Outlook for 2019 due to the recent increase in
oil prices and tightening of global financial
conditions. The report states that India's
medium-term growth prospects remain strong
at 7.75%, benefiting from ongoing structural
reform, but have been marked down by just
under 0.5 percentage point relative to the April
2018 WEO.
Honours & Awards
NATIONAL
27th Vyas Samman: Renowned Hindi author
Ms. Mamta Kalia was presented the 27th Vyas
Samman—an annual literary award given by
the KK. Birla Foundation—for her novel
`Dukkham Sukkham'. Governor of Goa Ms.
Mridula Sinha presented the award plaque and
Rs. 3.5 lakh prize money to Ms. Kalia at an
event in New Delhi on October 17, 2018. Ms.
Kalia is known for her literary works in Hindi
and English including Beghar', lanch Abhi Jaari
Hai', `Ninnohi', and Bolne Wali Aurat'. She has
earlier been awarded the Tashpal Katha
Samman' from the UP Hindi Sansthan and
`Sahitya Bhushan Samman' and 'Ram Manohar
Lohia Samman'.
Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony: The
Tagore Awards for Cultural Harmony for the
years 2014, 2015 and 2016 were announced on
October 25, 2018. The award jury was headed
by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and
included Chief Justice of India Justice Mr.
Ranjan Gogoi, former Chief Election
Commissioner Mr. N. Gopalaswami and
national vice president of the BJP Mr. Vinay
Sahasrabuddhe. The award for 2014 was given
to Mr. Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, a doyen of
Manipuri dance who is also a teacher,
performer and choreographer. Chhayanaut,
established in 1961, which has played a leading
role in promoting Tagore's works in Bengali
culture, won the award for 2015. For 2016, the
award was given to sculptor Mr. Ram Vanji
Sutar, whose first notable work was the 45-feet
Chambal monument at the Gandhi Sagar Dam
in Madhya Pradesh.
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for
Excellence in Public Administration:
Eminent jurist Mr. Fali S. Nariman (89) was
awarded 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National
Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
He was presented the award by Vice-President
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Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu at a function held in
New Delhi on October 22, 2018. Mr. Fali S.
Nariman is one of the most distinguished
constitutional lawyers of India. He was the
senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India
since 1971 and has remained President of Bar
Association of India since 1991.
1st World Agriculture Prize: Professor M.S.
Swaminathan, founder of the M.S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF),
was awarded the first World Agriculture Prize
at the 11th Global Agriculture Leadership
Summit in New Delhi recently. He received the
award from Vice-President Mr. M. Venkaiah
Naidu at the event hosted by the Indian Council
of Food and Agriculture. The M.S.
Swaminathan Junior Research Fellowship, to
be awarded from 2019 onwards, was also
instituted on the occasion.
Hridaynath Award for Lifetime
Achievement: Renowned National Award
winning music Director Mohammed Zahur
Khayyam Hashmi, better known as
"Khayyam", was conferred the prestigious
Hridaynath Award for Lifetime Achievement in
Mumbai on October 26, 2018. Chief Minister
of Maharashtra Mr. Devendra Fadnavis gave
away the award, comprising a cash prize of Rs.
1,00,000 and a memento, named after the
famous Hridaynath Mangeshkar on his 81st
birthday.
INTERNATIONAL
UN Human Rights Prize: Asma Jahangir, the
late Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer,
was posthumously announced as one of the
winners of the UN Human Rights Prize on
October 26, 2018. The announcement was
made through the official Twitter account of
President of the UN General Assembly Ms.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa Games. Jahangir was
chosen for the prize along with three others
including Ms. Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania, the
first indigenous lawyer of Brazil Ms. Joenia
Wapichana and human rights organisation
Front Line Defenders of Ireland.
2018 Seoul Peace Prize: The Seoul Peace
Prize Committee conferred the 2018 Seoul
Peace Prize on Prime Minister Mr. Narendra
Modi on October 24, 2018 for his contribution
to world peace through his economic vision,
‗Modinomics‘. The Committee recognised Mr.
Modi's contributions to the growth of the Indian
and global economies, crediting ‗Modinomics‘
for reducing social and economic disparity
between the rich and the poor. With this, Mr.
Modi became the 14th recipient of this coveted
award. The award will be presented by the
Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a mutually
convenient time.
CAPAM International Innovations Awards
2018: India won the Commonwealth
Association for Public Administration and
Management Award (CAPAM) 2018 for an
initiative that envisages quality education for
all. The initiative entitled ‗Unnayan Banka—
Reinventing Education Using Technology of
Banka District', by State of Bihar has been
awarded under the category 'Innovation
Incubation'. The awards were announced during
the Annual General Members Meet at
Georgetown, Guyana on October 23, 2018. The
CAPAM is a non-profit association
representing an international network of over
1100 senior public servants, Heads of
Government, leading academics and
researchers located in over 50 countries across
the Commonwealth.
Man Booker Prize 2018: Irish author Ms.
Anna Burns won Britain's renowned Man
Booker Prize 2018 on October 16, 2018, for her
third novel `Milkman'. Ms. Burns received the
award from Prince Charles' wife Camilla, the
Duchess of Cornwall, as well as 50,000 pounds
($65,900) as the prize money. ‗Milkman' is an
exploration of Northern Ireland's three decades
of violence told through the voice of a young
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woman. The judges of the annual award praised
Ms. Anna Burns' work as utterly distinctive.
Ms. Burns has become the first writer from
Northern Ireland to win the Booker Prize.
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's
Future Policy Award 2018: North-eastern
State Sikkim won the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation's (FAO) Future Policy Award
2018 for being the world's first 100% organic
State. The award was received in a ceremony
on October 15, 2018 at FAO headquarters
during the celebrations of the World Food
Week in Rome. Sikkim defeated 51 nominated
policies from 25 countries, winning the Gold
Prize of the Future Policy Award 2018, also
known as "Oscar for Best Policies".
New Academy Prize in Literature: Ms.
Maryse Conde, one of the Caribbean's most
renowned authors, won the New Academy
Prize in Literature, an award created to replace
the Nobel Prize for Literature 2018, on October
12, 2018.
The Guadeloupian author, 81, said that she was
very happy and proud to win the alternative
version. The Nobel Prize for Literature was
suspended after a crisis over its handling of
allegations against Frenchman Mr. Jean-Claude
Arnault, the husband of one of the academy's
members. The New Academy is a provisional
self-organised group of over 100 volunteers
that emerged to provide an alternative global
literature prize in 2018.
Inventions & Discoveries
IIT Guwahati uses aloe vera to remove oil from
water: Researchers have for the first time used a
naturally occurring material—aloe vera gel—which
inherently has superior oil repelling (oleophobic)
property to separate oil from water. So far
researchers have only been mimicking the
structure of naturally existing materials such as
fish scales to achieve super oleophobicity. The
team led by Dr. Uttam Manna from the
Department of Chemistry at IIT-Guwahati used
the thick gel contained in the leaves of aloe
vera plant to convert a commercially available
porous material that is oil-loving (oleophilic) to
become extremely oil-repelling by coating it
with the gel.
World's smallest optical gyroscope
developed: Researchers from the California
Institute of Technology in the US have
developed the world's smallest optical
gyroscope—a device that helps vehicles, drones
and handheld electronic devices know their
orientation in 3D space. The new gyroscope,
described in Nature Photonics, is 500 times
smaller than the current best device. The
researchers said that today's cellphones have
microelectromechanical sensor, the modern-day
equivalent, which measures changes in the
forces acting on two identical masses that are
oscillating and moving in opposite directions.
These MEMS gyroscopes are limited in their
sensitivity, so optical gyroscopes have been
developed to perform the same function but
with no moving parts and a greater degree of
accuracy.
Places
Kevadiya, Gujarat: Prime Minister Mr.
Narendra Modi unveiled the Statue of Unity in
Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat on
October 31, 2018. Built at a cost, of about Rs
3,000 crore, and standing at a height of 182
metres, Vallabhbhai Patel‘s statue is the tallest
in the world and has, surpassed the Spring
Temple Buddha (128 metres) of China. Mr.
Modi dedicated the statue to the nation on the
143rd birth anniversary of the country's first
Home Minister. Sardar Patel played a major
role in integrating the princely states into the
Indian Union after Partition in 1947. Air jets
flew over the statue, helicopters showered
flowers on it with fireworks in the green,
orange and white colours as PM Mr. Modi
dedicated it to the nation. The statue has been
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designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor
Mr. Ram V. Sutar and has been by Larsen and
Toubro and the state-run Sardar Sarovar
Narmada Nigam Ltd. It took about 250
engineers and 3,400 labourers to construct the
statue in 33 months. The statue has a viewing
gallery which can accommodate 200 visitors at
a time. The gallery offers a view of the Sardar
Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and
Vindhya mountain ranges.
Reports & Indexes
World Bank launches first Human Capital
Index, Singapore tops list: The World Bank
launched its first Human Capital Index (HCI) in
Bali, Indonesia on October 11, 2018, as a part
of the World Development Report 2019. The
index ranks countries based on their success in
developing human capital. The index ranks 157
countries based on their education and health
outcomes and the impact they are having on
productivity. While Singapore tops the
rankings, African countries occupy the bottom
spots. Overall, the index found that on an
average 56% of children born today will forego
more than half their potential lifetime earnings
because governments were not investing
adequately to ensure that their people are
healthy, educated and ready for an evolving
workplace. Singapore topped the rankings list,
followed by South Korea, Japan and Hong
Kong On the other hand, African countries with
high childhood stunting rates and low access to
formal education fared the worst in the rankings
Space
NASA's Kepler space telescope to retire: The
Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel and
will be retired after a 91/2-year mission in
which it detected thousands of planets beyond
our solar system and boosted the search for
worlds that might harbour alien life, NASA
said on October 30, 2018. Currently orbiting
the Sun 156 million km from the earth, the
spacecraft will drift further from our planet
when mission engineers turn off its radio
transmitters. The Kepler telescope discovered
more than 2,600 of the roughly 3,800
exoplanets, the planets outside, our solar
system, that have been documented in the past
two decades.
Europe, Japan send spacecraft on 7-year
journey to Mercury: European and Japanese
space agencies said that an Ariane 5 rocket
successfully lifted a spacecraft carrying two
probes into orbit on October 20, 2018 for a
joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to
the Sun. The European Space Agency and the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said that
the unmanned BepiColombo spacecraft
successfully separated and was sent into the
orbit from French Guiana as planned to begin a
seven-year journey to Mercury. The spacecraft
is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe "Bepi"
Colombo. ESA said that the 1.3 billion-euro
($1.5 billion) mission is one of the most
challenging in its history.
Space travel can alter the brain: study:
Spending long periods in space may not only
lead to muscle atrophy and reductions in bone
density but also have lasting effects on the
brain, the first long-term study on Russian
cosmonauts has warned. Researcher from
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
(LMU) in Germany said that it remains unclear
whether and to what extent the neuroanatomical
changes so far observed persist following return
to normal gravity. The study, which appeared in
the New England Journal of Medicine, shows
that differential changes in the three main tissue
volumes of the brain remain detectable for at
least half a year after the end of their last
mission.
Software & Telecom
New artificial intelligence bot can recognise
galaxies: An artificial intelligence (AI)
programme used to recognise faces on
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Facebook can also identify galaxies in deep
space, scientists said on October 31, 2018. The
AI bot named ClaRAN scans images taken by
radio telescopes, said researchers from the
International Centre for Radio Astronomy
Research (ICRAR) in Australia. Its job is to
spot radio galaxies—galaxies that emit
powerful radio jets from supermassive black
holes at their centres, according to the research
published in the journal Monthly Notices of the
Royal Astronomical Society. Black holes are
found at the centre of most, if not all, galaxies.
Airtel has highest 3G/4G download speeds,
Idea leads upload speeds in India: Bharti
Airtel has recorded the highest download
speeds in India for 3G and 4G combined at 7.53
Mbps where Reliance Jio, Vodafone, Idea and
BSNL recorded speeds of 5.47 Mbps, 5.20
Mbps, 4.92 Mbps and 2.70 Mbps respectively,
according to OpenSignal's November 2018
report When only 4G download speeds of the
operators were compared, Airtel led with 9.96
Mbps speed where Vodafone and Idea's 4G
download speeds were faster than Jio's speed of
5.47 Mbps. In the upload speeds comparison of
3G and 4G in India, Idea won with 2.88 Mbps
speed while being 15% faster than its closest
rival Vodafone in 3G and 30% faster in 4G.
Vodafone, Airtel; Jio and BSNL recorded
overall upload speeds of 2.31 Mbps, 1.90
Mbps, 1.58 Mbps and 0.76 Mbps respectively.
Persons in News
Ram Nath Kovind: Hon'ble President Mr.
Ram Nath Kovind was on a three-day visit to
Tajikistan where he met President of Republic
of Tajikistan Mr. Emomali Rahmon in
restricted and extended formats. They had
delegation-level talks on October 8, 2018 and
discussed a number of issues of bilateral
cooperation, as well as regional and
international cooperation. During the meeting,
nine MoUs were signed in a number of areas.
The President also announced allocation of a
grant of $20 million to Tajikistan for the
implementation of mutually identified and
viable development projects.
Jair Bolsonaro: Former army captain Mr. Jair
Bolsonaro was elected as the 38th President of
Latin America's largest democracy, Brazil on
October 29, 2018. 'With 96% of the votes
counted, Mr. Bolsonaro secured 55.13% of the
votes while leftist Mr. Fernando Haddad of the
Workers' Party received 44.87% votes. Dubbed
as "Trump of the Tropics", Mr. Bolsonaro will
take office on January 1, 2019 and replace Mr.
Michel Temer.
Nirmala Sitharaman: Defence Minister Ms.
Nirmala Sitharaman actively participated in the
5th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting on
Preventing and Countering Terrorism held in
Singapore on October 19, 2018. She held a
series of bilateral meetings with the Defence
Ministers of the US, Australia, Malaysia,
Vietnam and Philippines. Earlier in the month,
she had visited Kazakhstan and met her
counterpart Mr. Nurlan Yermekbayev and
agreed to step up military cooperation,
especially in the areas of defence production.
Zhao Kezhi: The Minister of Public Security
of China, Mr. Zhao Kezhi, visited India to
participate in a high-level meeting on bilateral
security cooperation. He met Union Home
Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh on October 23,
2018 and discussed counterterrorism
cooperation and welcomed increased
cooperation between the two countries in the
areas of security. They also signed an
agreement on internal security cooperation,
which aims to strengthen and consolidate
assistance in counterterrorism, organised
crimes, drug control, human trafficking and
exchange of information, etc.
Mukesh Ambani: An Indian business
magnate, the Chairman, Managing Director and
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the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries
Limited (RIL), Mr. Mukesh Ambani emerged
as the richest Indian for the 11th year in a row,
with a net worth of $47.3 billion, according to
'Forbes India Rich List 2018' which features
100 of India's richest people released by Forbes
magazine on October 4, 2018. He is also the
year's biggest gainer in terms of dollar, adding
$9.3 billion to his wealth amid the continuing
success of his Reliance Jio broadband telcom
service.
Cristiano Ronaldo The great Portuguese
professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo
scored a goal against Geneva and established a
record on October 20, 2018. Ronaldo, who
plays as a forward for Italian dub Juventus and
the Portugal national team, holds the records
for most official goals scored in the top five
European leagues (400). Often considered the
best player in the world and regarded as one of
the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has a
record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards.
Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli scored 107 runs
against the West Indies in the third of five-
match ODI series in Pune on October 27, 2018,
thereby becoming the 10th man overall and first
Indian to score three centuries in a row. Earlier
in the series, Virat Kohli had reached the
10,000-run mark in the 50-over format in style
with 157 not out from 129 balls in the second
match in Visakhapatnam. He also scored 140 in
India's series-opening eight-wicket victory. The
29-year-old surpassed fellow Indian batsman
Sachin Tendulkar, who first crossed the 10,000-
run mark in 259 innings in 2001.
Kohli, playing his 213th ODI, went on to score
157 off 129 deliveries to register his 37th ODI
century.
Prithvi Shaw: An Indian cricketer and former
India national under-19 cricket team captain
who played for Middle Income Group (MI G)
Cricket Club in Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw made
his Test debut against West Indies on October
4, 2018. In that match, he scored his maiden
century in Tests and became the youngest
batsman to make a Test century on debut for
India (18 years and 329 days). He completed
his century in 99 balls. India won the second
Test by ten wickets, with Shaw being named
the Player of the Series.
CURRENT TOPICS: INDIA
India, Bangladesh Sign Agreements To
Boost Waterways Connectivity
India and Bangladesh signed three agreements,
including one to use Chattogram and Mongla
Ports in Bangladesh for goods movement, for
enhancing inland and coastal waterways
connectivity between the two countries on
October 25, 2018. The two countries also
signed a standard operating procedure (SOP)
for movement of passenger and cruise services.
They also signed an addendum to Protocol on
Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT)
between Dhubri in India and Pangaon in
Bangladesh as new ports of call. During the
secretary-level talks headed by Shipping
Secretary Mr. Gopal Krishna and his
Bangladesh counterpart Md. Abdus Samad, the
two countries also finalised the SOP for
movement of passengers and cruise vessels on
inland protocol route and coastal shipping
routes which would enable river cruise services
between Kolkata-Dhaka-Guwahati-Jorhat arid
back. The two nations also agreed to include
Rupnarayan river (National Waterway-86) from
Geonkhali to Kolaghat in the protocol route and
to declare Kolaghat in West Bengal and
Chilmari in Bangladesh as new ports of call.
The new arrangement will facilitate movement
of fly ash, cement and construction materials
from India to Bangladesh on Rupnarayan river.
Both the countries also agreed to declare
Badarpur on river Barak (NW 16) as an
Extended Port of Call of Karimganj in Assam
and Ghorasal of Ashuganj in Bangladesh on
reciprocal basis. The two countries also arrived
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at an agreement to open a new route to land-
locked Tripura by making Gomti and Haora
rivers navigable for which dredging would be
required in 20 kms on Indian side and 75-80
kms on Bangladesh side. Both sides have also
agreed for development of Jogighopa as a
hub/trans-shipment terminal for movement of
cargo to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland
and Bhutan and notifying Munsiganj River
terminal by Bangladesh Customs for routing
third party Exim cargo through Kolkata Port.
HRD Minister Javadekar Launches Web
Portal For SPARC
Union HRD Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar
launched the web portal for a research-oriented
scheme, Scheme for Promotion of Academic
and Research Collaboration (SPARC) on
October 25, 2018 with an aim to build a
research ecosystem of India‘s higher
educational institutions by facilitating academic
and research collaborations between Indian
Institutions [overall top-100 or category-wise
top-100 in NIRF (including such Private
Institutions which are recognized under 12(B)
of UGC Act] and the best institutions in the
world (top-500 overall and top-200 subject-
wise institutions listed in QS World University
Ranking) from 28 selected nations to jointly
solve problems of national and international
relevance. These nations are Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel,
Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South
Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom (UK),
United States of America (USA).
Government Forms GoM To Look Into
Sexual Harassment At Workplace
A Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Home
Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, was constituted on
October 24, 2018, by the government to
strengthen the legal and institutional
frameworks to deal with and prevent sexual
harassment at workplace. The members of the
GoM include Road Transport Minister Mr.
Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Mr. Nirmala
Sitharaman and Women and Child
Development Minister Ms. Maneka Gandhi.
The GoM will recommend action required for
effective implementation of the existing
provisions, as well as for strengthening the
existing legal and institutional frameworks for
addressing issues related to sexual harassment
of women at workplace. The GoM has been set
up in the wake of #MeToo movement where
several women have publicly named people
who had harassed them at their workplace.
Former editor Mr. M.J. Akbar had to resign as
Minister of State for External Affairs following
allegations of sexual harassment against him by
former colleagues.
The Ministry of Women and Child
Development has also launched an Electronic
Complaints Box that enables women,
irrespective of their work status, to raise their
voice against sexual harassment at workplace.
Cabinet Increases Supervisory Visit Charges
For ASHA Facilitators
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
chaired by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi
on October 24, 2018 approved the increase in
supervisory visit charges for ASHA facilitators
from Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 per visit for 2018-19 to
2019-20 with effect from October 2018 (to be
paid in November). With the proposed increase,
accredited social health activists (ASHA)
facilitators will now receive about Rs. 6,000
against Rs. 5,000 per month for 2018-19 and
2019-20. The move is aimed at motivating the
workers to perform better and will benefit
41,405 ASHA facilitators. The existing
institutional mechanism for the National Health
Mission (NHM) will be utilized to implement
the decision as a part of the ASHA Benefit
Package approved in September, 2018.
India, China Ink Pact On Security
Cooperation
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India and China, on October 22, 2018, inked a
first-ever agreement on security cooperation
which will strengthen and consolidate
assistance in counter-terrorism, organized
crimes, drug control, human trafficking and
exchange of information, marking a new
beginning between the two countries. The
agreement was signed by Union Home Minister
Mr. Rajnath Singh and State Councillor of
China and Minister of Public Security Mr. Zhao
Kezhi, a move that came just a year after the
two-month-long border stand-off between the
Indian Army and the China‘s People‘s
Liberation Army at Doklam on the India-
Bhutan-China tri-junction in 2017.
The agreement followed the first high-level
meeting on bilateral security cooperation co-
chaired by Mr. Rajnath Singh and Mr. Zhao,
who was heading a delegation of over 30
Chinese diplomats. Mr. Zhao was on a visit to
India from October 21 to 25, 2018.
CBI Director And Joint Director Sent On
Forced Leave
Stepping in to douse an unprecedented war
within the CBI, the Union Government, on
October 23, 2018, forced warring Director Mr.
Alok Verma and his second-in-command Mr.
Rakesh Asthana to go on leave while
appointing senior IPS officer Mr. M.
Nageshwar Rao as interim chief of the premier
investigating agency. The move, described by
several officers as a first in the agency, was
immediately resisted by Mr. Verma, who sent
an unambiguous signal that he will fight it out
by rushing to the Supreme Court seeking relief.
The offices of both Mr. Verma and Mr.
Asthana in the CBI headquarters were sealed
and their drivers withdrawn after the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)
headed by PM Mr. Narendra Modi cleared the
file to remove the top-two from the office.
Mr. Rao, a 1986-batch officer of Odisha cadre,
―shall look after duties and functions of CBI
Director and shall take over the duties and
functions of the CBI Director with immediate
effect‖, the order issued by the Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. While
appointing Mr. Rao, the government also
overlooked his three seniors in Additional
Director rank, including Mr. A.K. Verma who
is accused by Mr. Asthana of wrongdoing.
Mr. Verma and Mr. Asthana, whom the
government intended to appoint as CBI
Director but could not due to the opposition,
were at loggerheads for long. The Director had
opposed Mr. Asthana‘s promotion as Special
Director in 2017 citing investigations against
him. Mr. Verma also wrote to the Central
Vigilance Commission that he cannot represent
the CBI Director in his absence in meetings
called to discuss appointments in the agency.
Hitting back, Mr. Asthana approached the CVC
with a complaint against Mr. Verma citing
charges like putting pressure on him at work
while the CBI issued a press statement to rebut
the charges. The CBI then went to make it
public that Mr. Asthana was being investigated
in six cases.
PM Modi, Ranil Wickremesinghe Discuss
India-Assisted Development Projects In
Lanka
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his Sri
Lankan counterpart Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe
held talks on October 20, 2018, covering the
entire gamut of bilateral relations and discussed
ways to deepen the ―historically close‖
relations between the two countries. The
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a
statement, said that the two leaders also
exchanged views on regional and global issues
during their meeting on the third and final day
of the Sri Lankan leader‘s visit to India from
October 18 to 20, 2018. During the talks, Mr.
Modi and Mr. Wickremesinghe reviewed the
progress in implementation of various decisions
taken during the high-level exchanges in the
recent past, including Mr. Modi‘s visit to Sri
Lanka in May 2017. They also discussed the
progress of India-assisted development projects
in the island nation.
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Mr. Wickremesinghe‘s visit came in the
backdrop of controversial media reports that the
Lankan President has accused Indian
intelligence agency Research and Analysis
Wing of plotting his assassination, a claim
firmly rejected as ―false‖ by Colombo.
Number Of Crorepati Taxpayers Rises By
60%
The number of taxpayers earning above Rs. 1
crore per annum has risen to over 1.40 lakh in
the country in the last four years, depicting a
growth of about 60%, as revealed by the
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on
October 22, 2018. CBDT Chairman Mr. Sushil
Chandra said that the number of taxpayers grew
from 3.79 crore in FY 2013-14 to 6.85 crore in
FY 2017-18.
Mr. Chandra added that the Direct Tax GDP
ratio of 5.98% in FY 2017-18 is the best in the
last ten fiscal years. The total number of
taxpayers (corporate, firms, Hindu undivided
families among others) showing income of
above Rs. 1 crore has registered a sharp
increase. While 88,649 taxpayers had disclosed
income above Rs. 1 crore in assessment year
(AY) 2014-15, the figure was 1,40,139 for AY
2017-18, which is a growth of about 60%.
Similarly, the number of individual taxpayers
disclosing income above Rs. 1 crore had
increased during the same period from 48,416
to 81,344, which translated into a growth of
68%. In September 2018, Mr. Chandra had
expressed confidence in exceeding Rs. 11.5
trillion direct tax collection target in current
fiscal. In 2018-19 budget, the government had
projected a 14.3% rise in direct tax collections
to Rs. 11.5 trillion.
PM Modi Hoists Tricolour At Red Fort On
75th Anniversary Of Azad Hind
Government
PM Mr. Narendra. Modi hoisted the national
flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi on October
21, 2018 morning to commemorate the 75th
anniversary of Azad Hind government formed
by freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose during the freedom movement The
decision to hoist the national flag at the Red
Fort was taken because it was the same place
where soldiers of the Indian National Army
(Azad Hind Fauj) faced trials by the British.
The nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,
Mr. Chandra Kumar Bose, INA veteran Mr.
Lain Rain, and Brigadier R.S. Chikkara were
also present at the event.
The Azad Hind Government was founded on
October 21, 1943, by Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose who was also the Head of State of this
Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
Netaji had promised an India where everyone
had equal rights and equal opportunities. He
had promised a prosperous nation which was
proud of its traditions, development in all areas.
He had promised to uproot 'divide & rule'.
"Even after so many years those dreams remain
unfulfilled," PM Mr. Modi said at the event
UP Cabinet Approves Changing ‘Allahabad’
To ‘Prayagraj’
Mr. Yogi Adityanath announced a proposal to
rename the historic city of Allahabad and make
it Prayagraj on October 16, 2018, ahead of the
2019 Kumbh Mela. He had said that the
Governor had given his nod and in case of a
consensus, the name will be changed soon. The
Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the CM's
proposal to rename Allahabad.
According to multiple reports, Mr. Yogi wants
to rename the city ahead of the 2019 Kumbh
Mela that will draw seers, pundits, tantrics and
others from across the country. "Prayag is
where Lord Brahma performed the first yagna.
The confluence of two rivers is a 'prayag', and
in Allahabad three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and
Saraswati meet. Hence, it is the king of
'prayags'. That is why it is `Prayagraj'," the
Chief Minister said, explaining the root of the
name, as mentioned in agency reports. Prayag
is the erstwhile name of Allahabad that was
changed after Mughal emperor Akbar built a
fort near Sangam, where the holy rivers of
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Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati met. He named
the fort and its neighbouring area Ilahabas,
which was later changed by his son Shah Jahan
to Allahabad. However, the area near the
confluence where Kumbh Mela is held is still
called Prayag.
The UP government recently renamed the
historic Mughalsarai Railway Station as well. It
has been renamed Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
junction.
Foundation Stone Laid For 'Museum Of
Prime Ministers' At Teen Murti Estate
The foundation stone for the 'Museum of Prime
Ministers' was laid on October 15, 2018 by
Culture Minister Mr. Mahesh Sharma and
Minister of State for Housing and Urban
Affairs Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri at the Teen
Murti estate. Mr. Sharma conducted the
Bhoomi Poojan for the proposed museum and
said the museum will depict modern India
through 'the collections relating to each Prime
Minister of India, their lives, works and
significant contributions made towards nation
building'. Teen Murti Estate was the official
residence of the first Prime Minister Mr.
Jawaharlal Nehru.
The museum will be completed within a year.
The 10,975.36 sqm museum will showcase the
life and works of all Prime Ministers of India. It
will have a basement, ground floor and first
floor with galleries at all three levels. The
proposed museum will depict modern India
through the collections related to each Prime
Minister and it has been designed in such a way
that the Chakra with its 24 spokes will take
centre stage. Mr. Mahesh Sharma said that no
part of the Nehru Memorial Museum and
Library (NMML) which exists on a two-acre
land on the premises will be touched during the
construction of the new museum.
CURRENT TOPICS: WORLD
Far-right Candidate Jair Bolsonaro Wins
Presidential Race In Brazil
Brazil became the latest country to drift
towards the far right on October 29, 2018,
electing a strident populist as President in the
nation's most radical political change since
democracy was restored more than 30 years
ago. The President-elect, Mr. Jair Bolsonaro,
won by tapping into a deep well of resentment
at the status quo in Brazil—a country
whiplashed by rising crime and two years of
political and economic turmoil—and by
presenting himself as the alternative. With 96%
of the votes counted, the former army captain
secured 55,13% of the votes while leftist Mr.
Fernando Haddad of the Workers' Party
received 44.87/o votes. Mr. Bolsonaro had
received 46% of the vote in contrast to Mr.
Haddad's 29% in the first round of the election
on October 6, which had 13 contenders.
In an acceptance address in which he vowed to
carry out his campaign promises to stamp out
corruption after years of leftist rule, Mr.
Bolsonaro said: "We cannot continue flirting
with communism. We are going to change the
destiny of Brazil." Thousands of supporters of
Mr. Bolsonaro, who has been dubbed "Trump
of the Tropics", cheered and set off fireworks
outside his home in Rio de Janeiro's Barra de
Tijuca beachfront neighbourhood as his victory
was announced.
Many Brazilians are concerned that Mr.
Bolsonaro—who has spoken fondly of Brazil's
military dictatorship in 1964-1985 and who has
defended its use of torture on leftist
opponents—will trample on human rights,
curtail civil liberties and muzzle freedom of
speech. The 63-year-old congressman has
vowed to crack down on crime in Brazil and
farm belt by granting police more autonomy to
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shoot at criminals. Mr. Bolsonaro, who has a
long history of offensive remarks about
immigrants, black Brazilians and gay people,
has reportedly referred to black activists as
"animals" who should "go back to the zoo".
Ex-Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa
Becomes New PM Amid Political Drama
The former President of Sri Lanka, Mr.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, staged a dramatic political
comeback on October 26, 2018, becoming the
country‘s new PM after President Mr.
Maithripala Sirisena sacked Premier Mr. Ranil
Wickremesinghe triggering angry reactions
from the Finance Minister who termed the
former strongman‘s return as an ―anti-
democratic coup‖.
The sudden development came after Mr.
Sirisena‘s broader political front United
People‘s Freeedom Alliance (UPFA)
announced that it had decided to quit the
current unity government with PM Mr.
Wickremesinghe‘s United National Party
(UNP). The unity government was formed in
2015 when Mr. Sirisena was elected President
with Mr. Wickremesinghe‘s support, ending a
nearly decade-long rule by Mr. Rajapaksa. The
sudden political development ends an over
three-year-old coalition government that was
formed by Mr. Sirisena and Mr.
Wickremesinghe on a promise to combat
corruption and financial irregularities. Mr.
Sirisena, who was Mr. Rajapaksa‘s minister of
health, broke away from him to contest the
presidential election. According to the political
analysts, the move of Mr. Sirisena to install Mr.
Rajapaksa as the PM could lead to a
constitutional crisis as the 19th
Amendment to
the constitution would not allow the sacking of
Mr. Wickremesinghe as the Premier without a
majority.
India Signs $777 Million Deal With Israel
For Missile Defence Systems
Israeli arms manufacturer Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI) announced on October 24,
2018 that it had signed a contract worth $777
million to supply the Barak-8 surface-to-air
missile system to the Indian Navy. The Barak-8
missile (known in India as the LRSAM) was
jointly developed by IAI, DRDO and other
organizations in the two countries. The contract
has been finalized with Bharat Electronics Ltd.,
the main Indian contractor for the project.
Providing details of the deal, the IAI said the
new contract provides for supplying seven
Indian warships with the Barak-8 missile
system. IAI also noted that the latest deal brings
the value of Barak-8 sales to over $6 billion in
the past few years.
US Threatens To Withdraw From INF
Treaty
The National Security Adviser of the US Mr.
John Bolton met Russian President Mr.
Vladimir Putin on October 24, 2018 and
discussed the issue of withdrawal of the US
from a Cold War-era arms control treaty citing
Russia‘s violations of the treaty and China‘s
missile arsenal as reasons for ditching the
accord. The signing of the treaty in 1987 was
seen as a watershed moment during the end
days of the Cold War, helping to eliminate
thousands of land-based missiles with ranges
between approximately 300 and 3,400 miles.
Russia was long in violation of the deal, Mr.
Bolton said – citing the testing and deployment
of a ground-based cruise missile by Moscow.
Signed by Mr. Ronald Reagan and Mr. Mikhail
Gorbachev, the treaty led to nearly 2,700 short-
and medium-range missiles being eliminated,
and an end to a dangerous stand-off between
US Pershing and cruise missiles and Soviet SS-
20 missiles in Europe.
Saudi Arabia Offers Pakistan $6 Billion To
Ease Economic Crisis
Saudi Arabia stepped forward with a $6 billion
bailout package for the ailing economy of
Pakistan on October 23, 2018. The package
includes $3 billion in foreign currency support
for a year and a further loan worth up to $3
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billion in deferred payments for oil imports to
help Pakistan stave off a current account crisis.
The $6 billion total exceeds the forecasts by
analysts and is likely to reduce the size of any
bailout Pakistan receives from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), with whom it is
currently engaged in talks on a rescue package.
The Saudi agreement came as the new Pakistani
PM Mr. Imran Khan attended Saudi investment
conference that was boycotted by several other
leaders over the death of a dissident Saudi
writer at the country‘s consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi Arabia has in the past also helped rescue
the economy of Pakistan from dire situations on
a number of occasions. In 2014, it had gifted
Pakistan $1.5 billion to beef up its foreign
exchange reserves. The Saudi package may
provide breathing space to the government for
dealing with economic challenges, but would
not be enough to avoid the IMF facility. It is
believed that improved foreign exchange
reserves would strengthen Pakistan‘s
negotiating position in talks with the IMF. The
situation could further improve if China also
makes some commitments to rescue its ‗all-
weather friend‘.
India, Myanmar Sign MoU On
Operationalisation Of Sittwe Port
India and Myanmar inked a crucial MoU on
October 22, 2018, for the appointment of a
private operator of the Sittwe Port that will
boost connectivity and help in creating local job
opportunities as the two sides discussed
bilateral issues as well as topics of common
interest, including developments in the strife-
torn Rakhine state. The MoU was signed by
Foreign Secretary Mr. Vijay Gokhale after his
meetings with the State Counsellor of Myanmar
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and Union Minister of
Transport and Communications Mr. U. Thant
Sin Maung in Nay Pyi Taw. Mr. Gokhale met
Mr. Maung and discussed issues related to
connectivity and transport infrastructure being
developed by India in Myanmar.
After the meeting Foreign Secretary Mr.
Gokhale and Mr. U. Win Khant, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Transport and
Communications, signed the MoU for the
appointment of a private Port Operator for the
operation and maintenance of Sittwe Port,
Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated
facilities that are a part of the Kaladan Multi
Model Transit Transport Project. The Sittwe
Port in Myanmar will connect India‘s
landlocked north-east region to the Bay of
Bengal through Mizoram. It will also provide
an alternate route to Kolkata.
India has an overall commitment of $1.75
billion for developmental programmes in
Myanmar.
China’s President Inaugurates World’s
Longest Bridge
Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping officially
opened the world‘s longest sea bridge linking
Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China on
October 23, 2018. The bridge will significantly
cut the travel time between the three territories
from three territories from three hours to just 30
minutes. The 55-km-long crossing that cost a
whopping $20 billion is dubbed as an
engineering feat carrying economic and
political significance at a time when Beijing is
seen tightening its grip over its semi-
autonomous territories. The bridge, which
connects the financial hub of Asia, Hong Kong,
with the southern mainland city of Zhuhai and
the gambling enclave of Macau, across the
waters of the Pearl River Estuary with a
snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel,
took nine years to complete.
Though supporters of the bridge promote it as
an engineering marvel that will boost business
and cut travel time, but critics termed it as a
―white elephant‖ and said it is one more way to
integrate Hong Kong into China as fears grow
that the city‘s cherished freedoms are being
eroded, according to a media report.
It is the second major infrastructure project
tying Hong Kong to mainland China, after the
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opening of a high-speed rail link last month that
sparked criticism Hong Kong was giving away
territory-with part of the terminus coming
under mainland jurisdiction.
To get to either side of the bridge, vehicles will
have to drive through the two man-made
islands and the 6.7 kilometre underwater tunnel
and back out again. To construct the submerged
tunnel, engineers had to drive more than 100
huge steel cylinders into the sandy bottom to
form the foundations for the islands. Without
the tunnel, the bridge would have been so tall
its pylons would exceed the height limits for
structures near Hong Kong International
Airport.
Sushma Swaraj Calls Terrorism The Most
Overwhelming Threat
External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj
called terrorism the most overwhelming threat
to the common goals of development and
prosperity while speaking at the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation SCO meeting of the
Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe,
Tajikistan held on October 11-12, 2018. As the
footprint of terrorism expands, governments
must assume their national responsibility and
cooperate with each other, she said in the
presence of Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mr.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi. She further said, ―We
have all benefited from globalization. We must
further develop our trade and investment
cooperation. We support an open, stable
international trade regime based on centrality of
the World Organization.‖ In an apparent
reference to the $50 billion China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), she said that
connectivity initiatives must be based on
respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,
consultations, good governance, transparency,
viability and sustainability.
India became a full member of the China-
dominated grouping in 2017 and New Delhi‘s
entry into it is expected to increase the bloc‘s
heft in regional geo-politics and trade
negotiations besides giving it a pan-Asian hue.
British PM Theresa May Appoints First-ever
Minister For Suicide Prevention
British Prime Minister Ms. Theresa May
signaled a renewed determination to confront
the suicide rate in UK by appointing a Health
Minister on October 10, 2018, to take charge of
reducing the number of suicides, and overcome
the stigma that stops people seeking help. With
this, Britain becomes the first country in the
world to appoint a minister for suicide
prevention. The appointment was made ahead
of the World Mental Health Day on October 10,
a day for global mental health education,
awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
According to the British government, around
4,500 people take their own lives each year in
England and suicide remains the leading cause
of death for men under 45.
The PM also announced other plans to tackle
suicide problems in Britain. New government
funding up to 1.8 million pounds (around $2.4
million) will be raised to help ensure that the
charity can continue to provide immediate and
life-saving support to everyone who needs it,
24 hours a day. The government has also
promised to train a million people in mental
health awareness, publish a ―State of the
Nation‖ report every year starting in 2019, and
provide tools to help schools measure their
students‘ mental well-being Ms. May twittered,
―We can end the stigma that has forced too
many to suffer in silence. We can prevent the
tragedy of suicide taking too many lives. And
we can give the mental well-being of our
children the priority it so profoundly deserves.‖
5th
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting On
Preventing And Countering Terrorism
The 5th
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Defence Ministers‘ Meeting
(ADMM)-Plus wrapped up on October 20,
2018, with Chinese State Councillor and
Defence Minister Mr. Wei Fenghe being one of
its participants. The meeting was attended by
the Defence Ministers of ASEAN member
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countries as well as ASEAN‘s eight Plus
partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan,
New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and
the United States. It was chaired by Mr. Ng Eng
Hen, the Defence Minister of Singapore who
takes over the chairmanship of ASEAN in
2018.
The 5th
ADMM-Plus Defence Ministers issued
two Joint Statements on Preventing and
Countering the Threat of Terrorism and on
Practical Confidence Building Measures. On
the sidelines of the meeting, the Chinese
Defence Minister met separately with the
Defence Ministers of Singapore, the United
States, Laos, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan,
Australia and the Republic of Korea, with
whom Mr. Wei exchanged views on issues of
common concern.
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Addresses
12th
ASEM Summit In Belgium
Vice-President Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu
inaugurated the 12th
Asia-Europe Meeting
(ASEM) Summit that began on October 18,
2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The summit,
chaired by European Council President Mr.
Donald Tusk, was attended by the heads of 51
European and Asian countries, representatives
of European Union and Secretary General of
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN). The summit prioritized troubles
linked to connectivity, trade and financial
commitment, sustainable improvement, climate
adjust, terrorism, migration, maritime
protection and cyberspace.
The biennial event with the theme ―Global
Partners for Global Challenges‖, is the highest
platform for dialogue and cooperation between
Asian and Europe in the areas of trade,
investment, security and tourism. Mr. Naidu
spoke at the 1st Plenary Session of the summit
in which he called for the global response to the
global challenges of terrorism, economic
offences and climate change. Mr. Naidu also
had bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers
of Portugal, Spain and Greece besides calling
on King of Belgium King Philippe. He also
addressed the Indian diaspora at Antwerp in
Brussels and offered floral tribute at a sculpture
of Mahatma Gandhi in the Provincial House in
the Governorate of Antwerp.
ASEM is a platform for the countries in Asia
and Europe to exchange views on regional and
global issues and strengthen cooperation on a
wide range of areas emanating from its three
pillars – political and security, economic and
financial and socio-cultural. The ASEM
grouping comprises 51 member-countries and 2
regional organizations – European Union and
ASEAN. Countries in the grouping represent
55% of global trade, 60% global population,
65% of global GDP and 75% of global tourism.
Static GK Capsule
Indian Polity and Constitution
Which article of the Constitution of India deals
with the ‗Promotion of International Peace and
Security‘? —Article 51
Which article of the Constitution of India deals
with the 'Special address' by the President in
both the houses of Parliament ? —Article 87
The feature of 'Advisory jurisdiction of the
Supreme Court' has been taken in the Indian
Constitution from —The Canadian
Constitution
The feature of Bi-Cameral Parliamentary
System in India is inspired from - The British
Constitution
Which part of the Constitution of India deals
with the services under the -Union and the
States ? —Part XIV
Which Constitutional Amendment Act brought
abo an amendment Article 326 for the reduction
of voting age from 21 years to 18 years in
India? —61st Constitutional Amendment Act
Which part of the Indian Constitution is also
referred to as ‗instrument of instructions'? —
The Directive Principles
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State Legislatures do not take part in the
election of —Vice-President
West Bengal and Bihar have equal number of
members in the Rajya Sabha. It is – 16
members for each state
The Rajya Sabha and no power to reject or
amend a —Money Bill
Indian National Movement
The three great nationalist leaders who were
called ‗Bombay Triumvirate‘, are – K.T.
Tailang, Pherozeshah Mehta and Badruddin
Tyabji
The Royal Indian Navy revolted in 1946 in –
Bombay
‗Satyagraha at Champaran' and ‗India Divided‘
are some great books written by – Dr
RajendraPrasad
Who become first Indian woman president of
the Indian National Congress in 1925 at its
Kanpur session? – Sarojini Naidu
Who was the founder of Indian home rule
Society (India house) in London? – Shyamji
Krishna Verma
Mangal Pandey was a young officer of – 34th
Native Infantry
Who was the Governor-General of Indian Bank
Subhash Chandra Bose founded the ‗Forward
Bloc‘? – Lord Linlithgow
Which great Nationalist leader who was also
known as ‗Patriot of Patriots' - Subhash
Chandra Bose
Which Indian national leader was popularly
known as ‗Lokhitwadi‘? - Gopal Hari
Deshmukh
When was the Gandhi Irwin pact signed? –
March 5, 1931
History of culture of India
Boghazkoi Inscription mentions the name of
four vedic gods. They are – Indra, Mitra,
Varuna and Nasatya
How many hymns are there in the Rig Veda? –
1028 hymns
Kalhan‘s Raj Tarangini ends with the
description of – King Jay Singh of Lohar
dynasty of Kashmir
‗Miftah-ul-Futuh‘, ‗Nuh Sipar‘ and
‗Tughlaqnama‘ are famous literary Works by –
Amir Khusrau
According to Megasthenese, the administration
of Pataliputra was mainly in the hands of a
commission during the Mauryan age. The
commission consisted of – 30 members
Prince Dara Shikoh translated many
Upanishads from Sanskrit to Persian under the
name of – Sirr-e-Akbar
Who wrote Humayun‘s biography named
Himayunama? – His sister Gulbadan Begum
‗Diwan-e-Kohi‘, a separate department for
agriculture was launched by – Sultan
Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq
Who was the founder and man guiding figure
of The ‗Young Bengal Movement‘? –Henry
Vivian Derozio
Who was the founder of ‗Tattvabodhini Sabha‘
in Calcutta (now Kolkata)? – Debendranath
Tagore
Geography (India and the World)
Chiquicamata is a famous copper producing
place in – Chile
Where is the Doldrums belt located? – Near
the equator
The Taylor Valley in lies in – The USA
The Temperature Grasslands in the USA and
Canada are known as – Prairies
There are no layers and fossils in the – Igneous
rocks
The Delta formed by the Ganga river is an
example of – Acruate delta
The depression formed at the mouth of a
volcanic vent is called – Crater
The headquarter of South East Central Railway
is located in – Bilaspur
Mount Abu, a famous pilgrimage place, is
located in – Guru Shikhar
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Ladakh plateau receives very low rainfall
because – It lies in the rain Shadow area of
the Himalayas
Latest in Sports
CRICKET
India win U19 Asia Cup Final: India beat Sri
Lanka in the finals of ACC U 19 Asia Cup
2018 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium,
Dhaka to clinch the Asia Cup title. It was a
complete performance by the boys in blue as
they score 304/3 in 50 overs. Chasing 305 in
the final of the tournament was never going to
be easy and Sri Lankan youngsters buckled
under pressure. Tyagi was the man who
absolutely choked them with his superb 6-
wicket haul. Although Paranavithana played
like a warrior towards the end it wasn‘t enough
to overhaul the huge score put up by India.
Virat Kohli scores fastest 10,000 runs: A
remarkable day in Visakhapatnam. Virat Kohli
hit another ODI century. Maybe that was not so
surprising since he has hit 36 other hundreds in
204 innings. Despite Kohli‘s unbeaten 157 out
of a total of 321 for six, the match against West
Indies ended in a thrilling tie, which was a bit
of a shock, with Shai Hope hitting the last ball
of a grand game for four. But the most arresting
realization was that when Kohli reached 81 in
the first innings of the match he had compiled
10,000 ODI run so much faster than any other
batsman in the history of the game, outstripping
even Sachin Tendulkar.
Pakistan whitewash Australia in Twenty20
Series: Australia slumped to a grim whitewash
defeat in the T20 series against Pakistan, losing
the third and final game in Dubai by 33 runs.
Chasing 151 to win in the dead rubber, the
tourists were bowled out for 117 with five balls
to spare in a dismal ending to the tour of the
UAE, where they again proved no match for the
world‘s No 1 ranked T20 side, failing to build
any substantial batting partnerships.
FORMULA-ONE
Lewis Hamilton takes fifth title as Max
Verstappen wins in Mexico: Lewis Hamilton
celebrated his fifth Formula One world
championship and joined an elite trio of greats
on October 28, 2018 after a Mexican Grand
Prix won by Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen for the
second year in a row. The Mercedes driver,
who equaled the five titles of late 1950s
Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio with only
seven times champion Michael Schumacher
above them, finished fourth while Ferrari rival
Sebastian Vettel was second.
Hamilton had needed only five points to be sure
of the title while four times champion Vettel
had to win to have any hope of denying the
Briton. ―It‘s something I dreamed of, but I
never in a million years thought I‘d be stood
here as a five-time champion,‖ the 33-yeat-old
told Sky Sports television.
Maverick Vinales wins Australian MotoGP:
Maverick Vinales ended his and Yamaha‘s
lengthy droughts when he won the Australian
MotoGP on October 28, 2018 as newly-
crowned world champion Marc Marquez failed
to finish after starting from pole for the fifth
straight year.
Vinales started in second place on the grid after
finishing 0.3 second behind Marquez in
qualifying and was able to control the race after
Marquez came into contact with Johann Zarco
on the 22nd
lap.
He overcame a poor start to lead by more than
four seconds before easing down to win by 1.54
seconds from ‗Suzuki‘s Andrea Iannone and
Andrea Dovizioso, who helped Ducati narrow
Honda‘s lead in the constructor‘s
championship.
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OLYMPICS
Youth Olympic Games 2018: India‘s
campaign at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic
Games in Buenos Aires ended with 13 medals
(three gold medals, nine silvers and one
bronze).
This is India‘s best medal haul at the Summer
Youth Olympic Games India had won 8 medals
in 2010 and 2 in 2014.
Jeremy Lalrinnunga became the first-ever
Indian gold medalist at the Youth Olympics in
boys‘ 62 kg weightlifting category. 16-year-old
Manu Bhaker won the girls‘ 10 metre air pistol
gold. Her fellow shooter Saurabh Chaudhary
won the 10 metre air pistol in the boys
category.
India won four (2 gold, 2 silver) medals in
shooting, one gold medal in wrestling, two
silver medals in hockey, one silver and one
bronze in athletics and one silver medal each in
archery, badminton, wrestling and judo at the
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Games 2018.
Indian players also won three medals in mixed
events.
Manu Bhaker wins India’s first ever gold in
shooting at Youth Olympics: Manu Bhaker
became the first shooter from India to claim a
gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games taking
place in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a
spectacular performance in what is being seen
as a comeback after a disappointing Asian
Games.
The 16-year old sensation shot 236.5 to stand at
the top of the points table in the women‘s 10m
air pistol event. Meanwhile, lana Enina from
Russia won the silver medal with a score of
235.9 and Nino Khutsiberidze settled for the
bronze medal.
TENNIS
Novak Djokovic wins Shanghai Masters:
Novak Djokovic continued his scintillating run
of form as he breezed past the Croatian Borna
Coric 6-3, 6-4 to win the Shanghai Masters title
for the fourth time.
With a clever mix of groundstrokes the 31-
year-old Serb broke Coric‘s serve in the sixth
game and made a series of forays to the net as
he consolidated his lead.
The Serb grabbed the opening set with a hold to
love, having dropped just four points on his
serve overall.
HOCKEY
Asian Champions Trophy: India, Pakistan
share title, Akashdeep Singh named best
player: India‘s Akashdeep Singh was adjudged
player of the tournament but the team had to
share the Asian Champions Trophy with
Pakistan after the much-anticipated summit
clash was abandoned due to heavy downpour
Heavy rain delayed the start of the final on
October 28 night and even though the skies
relented later, the damage had already been one
by then.
The turf was completely waterlogged because
of thunderstorm and heavy showers and after
discussion with both the coaches of India and
Pakistan, the tournament director decided to
call off the match and declare both the teams as
joint winners. India won the toss of coin and
earned the right to take home the trophy of the
biennial tournament for the first year. It will be
given to Pakistan for the next year.
Since the Indians took home the trophy, the
tournament gold medals were presented to the
Pakistani players. Asian Hockey Federation
Chief Executive Dato Tayyab Ikram said gold
medals will soon be sent for the Indian players.
Akashdeep was adjudged Player of the
Tournament while P R Sreejesh was declared
best goalkeeper. Pakistan‘s Abu Bakkar
Mahmood was named Emerging Player of the
Tournament while Malaysia‘s Faisal Saari
emerged highest scorer.
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MISCELLANEOUS
Asian Para Games 2018: India records best-
ever show with 72 medals: India on October
13, 2018 concluded its campaign at the 2018
Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia with
record medal haul, winning a total of 72 medals
that included 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze
medals. India was placed ninth in the overall
tally.
In the last edition in 2014, India had won 33
medals including 3 gold, 14 silver, 16 bronze
medals.
Key Highlights
India recorded its best-ever show in the Asian
Para Games by bagging 72 medals, including
15 gold. On the concluding day of the
competition, Indian shuttlers added two gold
and 3 bronze medals.
With a total of 15 gold, 24 silver and 33 bronze
medals, India was placed ninth in the overall
tally. This was India‘s best-ever performance at
the Asian Para Games, as in the last edition at
Incheon it had won 33 medals including 3 gold,
14 silver, 16 bronze medals.
China finished at the top with 319 medals
including 172 gold, 88 silver and 59 bronze,
followed by South Korea at the second place
with 53 gold, 25 silver and 47 bronze and then
Iran with 51 gold, 42 silver and 43 bronze.
India won around half of its medals in Para-
athletics with the tally reading 36 medals
including 7 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze.
While the sporting categories of Badminton and
chess contributed nine medals each to India‘s
medal tally, para-swimming contributed eight
medals.
Asian Para Games 2018 Medal Tally
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
China
Republic of
Korea
Iran
Japan
Indonesia
Uzbekistan
Thailand
Malaysia
India
Hongkong
172
53
51
45
37
35
23
17
15
11
88
45
42
70
47
24
33
26
24
16
59
46
43
83
51
18
50
25
33
21
319
144
136
198
135
77
106
68
72
48
Government to set up National Sports
Stadium for differently-abled in Meghalaya :
The Union Minister of Social Justice and
Empowerment, Thaawarchand Gehlot,
announced on October 25, 2018 that a stadium
of international standard for differently abled
persons will be set up in Meghalaya. The
stadium will be constructed at an estimated cost
of over Rs 200 crore. The announcement was
made by the Minister while speaking at the
Samajik Adhikarita Shivir, aids and assistive
devices distribution camp, for differently-abled
persons.
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Current Affairs MCQs
1. Consider the following statements regarding
hydrogen-powered train:
I. Germany has become the world's first
country to launch the hydrogen-powered train.
II. The train is equipped with fuel cells that
produce electricity through a combination of
hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves
steam as the only emission. Which of the above
statements is/are not correct?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
2. Which of the following pairs are not matched
correctly?
(a) Staphylococcus epidermidis: MRSA
Superbug
(b) Cassini Mission: Probe to study the planet
Saturn and its system
(c) Gaganyan Mission: To study the earth's
environment
(d) None of the above
3. Consider the following pairs:
I. ICESAT-2: to measure changes in the height
of Earth's polar ice cover
II. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite:
NASA's orbital telescope Dickinsonia: Speciei
of Ebola virus Which of the above statements
is/are correct?
(a) I and II only (b) only I
(c) I and III only (d) All of these
4. IOWavel8 is
(a) Naval exercise between India and Russia
(b) Naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka
(c) Naval exercise between India and Thailand
(d) Tsunami mock drill conducted by India
along with other countries
5. Consider the following statements regarding
impact of El Nino on Indian Weather:
I. El Nino during winter causes warm
conditions over the Indian subcontinent and
during summer, it leads to dry conditions and
deficient monsoon.
II. It causes better than normal monsoon in
India
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
6. Consider the following statements regarding
Green Agriculture project:
I. It is being implemented by the Indian
government 'and the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP).
II. Landscapes adjoining Protected
Areas/Biosphere Reserves: Madhya Pradesh,
Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan and Kerala have
been selected for the implementation of this
project.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b) only It
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
7. Consider the following statements regarding
AYUSH:
I. In the number of patients treated with
AYUSH systems of Medicine through AYUSH
Hospitals and Dispensaries in the last four
years.
II. Ministry of AYUSH has signed MoU with
Ministry of MSME to develop entrepreneurs in
AYUSH sector and to strengthen the existing
AYUSH Industry sector including
manufacturing.
III. Even though there is 100% FDI in health
sector, there is currently less global demand for
AYUSH and Herbal products which has led to
reduction in their exports. Which of the above
statements are true?
(a) I and II only (b) II and III
(c) I and III (d) All of these
8. Which of the following statements regarding
CAMPA( Compensatory Afforestation and
Management Planning Authority) funds are not
true?
I. The idea of having CAMPA funds and
authority was introduced by the Supreme Court
which finally led to the birth of The
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act of 2016.
II. No State government can use the funds for
any activity other than afforestation
III. CAMPA funds can be used only for
environmental protection purpose only.
Code
(a) only I (b) II and III
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(c) only III (d) I and II
9. Mount Vesuvius, sometimes in the news due
to excavations of an ancient city that was
buried under volcanic debris and lava following
its eruption, is situated in
(a) Italy (b) Japan
(c) Greece (d) Chile
10. NASA's premier X-Ray Observatory was
named the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in
honour of
(a) An Indian-American Nobel laureate
(b) The creator of medieval Indian astronomical
observatories
(c) Ancient Indian astronomers
(d) None of the above
11. Where was the 6th Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Trade Ministers' Meeting held on August 2018?
(a) United States (b) China
(c) South Korea (d) Singapore
12. Where is the 'Rapid Trident' joint military
exercise among Ukraine, US and NATO (North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation) nations held?
(a) United States (b) Ukraine
(c) Russia (d) France
13. Consider the following pairs:
I. Yudh Abhyas: Military exercise between
India and US
II. Nomadic Elephant: Indo-Mongolia joint
exercise
III. SLINEX: India Sri Lanka joint military
exercise
IV. KAKADU: India- Australia joint naval
exercise
Which of the above pairs is/are not correctly
matched?
(a) I and II (b) III and IV
(c) I and IV (d) II and III
14. National Technical Research Organisation
works directly under
(a) Prime Minister‘s Office
(b) Home Ministry
(c) Intelligence Bureau
(d) None of the above
15. The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched
a portal for grant of Security Clearance. What is
the name of that portal?
(a) e- Suraksha (b) e- Mitra
(c) Nikasi (d) e-Sahaj
16. Consider the following pairs:
I. World Ozone Day: 16 September
II. International Day for the Total Elimination
of Nuclear Weapons: 26 September
III. World Maritime Day: 27th
September
Which of the above pairs are correctly
matched?
(a) I, II and III (b) I and II
(c) only III (d) II and III
17. 7th UN World Tourism Organisation
Global Surnmit on Urban Tourism was held in
(a) Seoul, South Korea
(b) Gurugram, India
(c) New Delhi, India
(d) Geneva, Switzerland
18. Consider the following statements
regarding 'Exporting Corruption Report':
I. The report has been published by
anticorruption organisation Transparency
International.
II. The 2018 report has categorized India as a
country having Little or No Enforcement
against foreign bribery. Which of the above
statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
19. Consider the following statements
regarding International Criminal Court:
I. The court has been established by Rome
statute and is located in Geneva
II. It is a specialised judicial body of United
Nation.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and 11 (d) None of these
20. Which bank has retained its top spot for the
5th consecutive year, in the ‗WPP and Kantar
Millward Brown's 75 Most Valuable Indian
Brands' ranking?
(a) ICICI Bank
(b) Axis Bank
(c) HDFC Bank
(d) State Bank of India (SBI)
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21. Where is India's first all women SWAT
team launched?
(a) Mumbai (b) Delhi
(c) Bangalore (d) Hyderabad
22. Which city topped the in EIU's Global
Liveability Index?
(a) Melbourne (b) Sydney
(c) Vienna (d) Osaka
23. What is Innocenti Declaration about?
(a) promotion of homoeopathy medicine
(b) prevent sexual violence against women at
workplaces
(c) protection, promotion and support of
breastfeeding
(d) conference to commemorate first World
Aids Day
24. Scrub Typhus is-caused by
(a) Virus (b) Bacteria
(c) Both (d) None of these
25. International Buddhist Conclave is
organised by
(a) Ministry of Culture
(b) Ministry of Tourism
(c) Ministry of Minority Affairs
(d) Ministry of External Affairs
26. 11th Hindi World Conference was held in
(a) Mauritius (b) Malaysia
(c) Bhutan (d) Nepal
27. Consider the following statement regarding
Zika Virus:
I. It is a vector borne disease transmitted
primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
II. Researchers have identified Zika proteins
responsible for microcephaly in infants.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
28. Which of the following pairs are not
correctly matched?
(a) Gaofen-11: Satellite Launched by NASA to
probe Sun
(b) The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS): Planet Hunting Probe
(c) CRISPR-Cas9: Genome editing
(d) RISECREEK: Microprocessor developed
by IIT
29. The Laboratory for the Conservation of
Endangered Species (LaCONES) is situated in
(a) Hyderabad (b) New Delhi
(c) Gurugram (d) None of the above
30. Consider the following statements
regarding India's Ballistic Missile Defence
System:
I. The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) is developing a twotier Ballistic Missile
Defence (BMD) system that provides a multi-
layered shield against ballistic missile attacks.
II. The two-tier system consists of a Prithvi Air
Defence (Pad. missile which can intercept the
incoming missile in endosphere and Advanced
Air Defence (AAd) for exo-sphere interception.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 'a' and ‗b‘ (d) None of these
31. In which of the following states Defence
Industrial Corridor Projects have been
launched?
(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Both 'a' and 'b' (d) None of these
32. India has decided to participate in the
Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISa) after a gap of 9 years.
Which organisation conducts PISA?
(a) United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
(b) Organisation for Economic Cooperation
Development (OECD).
(c) United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)
(d) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
33. Who was appointed as head of the panel to
select the next Chief Economic Adviser in the
finance ministry, on 8 September, 2018?
(a) Bimal Jalan (b) Rajiv Menon
(c) Gautam Charan (d) Prithvi Raj
34. National Rail and Transportation Institute
(NRTI), the first of its kind university on the
transport sector in India, has started functioning
from which city?
(a) Bengaluru (b) Chennai
(c) Vishakapatnam (d) Vadodara
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35. External Affairs Ministry of India has
signed an agreement with Telecommunications
Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) to launch e-
VidyaBharati and e-ArogyaBharati Network
Project?
(a) Africa (b) Sri Lanka
(c) Nepal (d) Seychelles
36. Which of the following is not correctly
matched?
(a) Tejas: Indigenous fighter aircraft
(b) BrahMos: Subsonic cruise missile
(c) Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP):
Remotely operable microscope
(d) None of the above
37. Assertion (A): A lunar eclipse is also called
blood moon.
Reason (R): The moon when eclipsed by the
Earth takes on a reddish hue as the Sunlight
falling on it gets filtered by the atmosphere of
the Earth.
(a) A is correct R is not correct
(b) Avis not correct, R is correct
(c) Both A and R is correct, and R is the proper
explanation of A
(d) Both A and R is incorrect
38. Consider the following statements
regarding Meghalayan Age
I. The Meghalayan Age began with a mega
global drought that devastated ancient
agricultural civilizations from Egypt to China.
II. It is part of a longer period known as the
Pleistocene Epoch.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
39. Consider the following pairs:
I. Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska):
Critically Endangered
II. Clouded Leopard: Vulnerable
III. Red Panda: Threatened
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly
matched according to IUCN red list?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Only III (d) II and III
40. Consider the following statements
regarding Wildlife Trust of India (WTI):
I. It is a statutory body formed in November,
1998
II. Its mission is to conserve wildlife and its
habitat and to work for the welfare of
individual wild animals.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
41. Consider the following statements
regarding The National Air Quality Index
(AQI).
I. It was launched in 2014 under the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan.
II. AQI considers six pollutants namely PM2.5,
NO2, SO2 O3, NH3, and Pb
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
42. Consider the following statements:
I. IndARC is an underground Indian
observatory in Arctic circle.
II. India is already an observer at the Arctic
Council.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
43. In which of the following countries India
assisted emergency ambulance service has been
started?
(a) Rwanda (b) Uganda
(c) Sri Lanka (d) Oman
44. Consider the following statements
regarding European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRd):
I. The EBRD is a multilateral development
bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin
Wall to promote private and entrepreneurial
initiative in emerging Europe.
II. India is yet to become a member of EBRD.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
45. Consider the following statements
regarding Student Police Cadet (SPC)
programme.
I. it has been launched by Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
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II. The programme does not have any
prescribed textbook nor is any exam envisaged.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
46. Pitch Black is the name of
(a) An astronomical phenomena
(b) The name of a newly found satellite of
Jupiter
(c) A multinational air exeroise
(d) None of the above
47. Consider the following statements
regarding Global Innovation Index (GII):
I. GII is being developed jointly by Cornell
University, the Paris-based business school
Insead and the World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva.
II. GII has ranked India as the 57th
most
innovative nation in the world.
Which of the above statements is/are Correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
48. Consider the following statements
regarding Ease of Doing Business of States:
I. Andhra Pradesh topped a list of states in
implementing reforms.
II. Meghalaya has been placed at 36th
rank in
the index.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
49. Name the new swimming pool type
research reactor that became operational at
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), in
Trombay, Maharashtra?
(a) Apsara-U (upgraded reactor)
(b) Brahma II reactor
(c) Rishi IV reactor
(d) Shakthi V reactor
50. Name the triple jumper who became the
first Indian to win a medal at the IAAF
Continental Cup?
(a) Arpinder Singh (b) Neeraj Chopra
(c) Vijendra Singh (d) Manveer Singh
51. India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) has tied up
with which payments technology company for
providing banking solutions to unorganized
sector?
(a) PayPal (b) Paytm
(c) Financial Software and Systems (FSS)
(d) Citrus Pay
52. Union Cabinet has approved new umbrella
scheme, which aims to ensure remunerative
prices to farmers. Name the scheme.
(a) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan
Abhiyan
(b) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Samriti
Abhiyan
(c) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Subiksha
Abhiyan
(d) Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Suraksha
Abhiyan
53. What is the rank of India out of 189
countries in the latest human development
rankings released by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), on 2018?
(a) 142 (b) 110
(c) 130 (d) 150
54. Consider the following statements
regarding Dam Rehabilitation and
Improvement Project (DRIP):
I. DRIP is a state sector scheme with central
component to improve safety and operational
performance of selected dams.
II. It was launched with the help of World Bank
in 2013.
Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
55. Which of the following pairs is/are matched
correctly?
(a) June 8: World Oceans Day
(b) March 8: World Women Day
(c) June 5: World Environment Day
(d) All of the above pairs are correctly matched
56. Consider the following statements
regarding Composition Water Management
Index:
I. The index has been prepared by NITI Ayog.
II. Gujarat was ranked as the best state in the
newly launched index.
III. Uttar Pradesh has been ranked lowest on the
index.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
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(a) I and II only (b) I and III Only
(c) II and III only (d) Only I
57. Which of the following statements is/are
correct regarding oxytocin?
I. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone
produced in the hypothalamus.
II. It plays a role in the female reproductive
functions from sexual activity to childbirth and
breast feeding
Code
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
58. Which of the following pairs are Not
Correctly Matched?
(a) ReUnite app: to track and trace missing and
abandon children in India
(b) RemoveDEBRIS: Mission to clean up space
debris
(c) Dhanush: An artillery gun
(d) AGNI 5: PSLV Rocket of ISRO
59. Consider the following statements
I. University Grants Commission (UGC) was
set up in 1953 and became a statutory body
through an Act of Parliament in 1956.
II. The Ministry of Women and Child
Development (MWCD) has released a report
titled ‗Women in Prisons‘.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
Consider the following pairs: I. 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme:
Haryana
II. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: June 15
III. Ambubachi Mela: Manipur
Which of the above pairs is/are not correctly
matched:
(a) I and III only (b) II and III Only
(c) only III (d) Only I
61. Operation NISTAR is
(a) A swift Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
Operation conducted by Indian Navy.
(b) Joint Military Exercise between India and Iran
(c) Joint Military Exercise between India and
Oman.
(d) None of the above
62. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly
matched?
(a) Assumption Island : Mauritius
(b) Agalega Islands : Seychelles
(c) Aceh Island : Indonesia
(d) Aleutian Islands : Canada
63. Consider the following statements:
I. SURYA KIRAN is a joint military training
exercise between India and Nepal.
II. SURYA KIRAN-XIII was held at Pithoragarh,
Uttarakhand.
III. 22nd
edition of the Malabar trilateral naval
exercise of the US, Japan and India took place at
Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) I, II and III (b) I and III
(c) II and III (d) I and II
64. Which of the following pairs are not correctly
matched?
I. Rani Rashmoni: Fast Patrol Vessel project of
Indian Coast Guard
II. COP CONNECT: Mobile app launched by
Telangana
III. Pinaka rocket system: ISRO
Code:
(a) I and III (b) Only III
(c) Only I (d) II and III
65. Consider the following statements regarding
Global Peace Index
I. It has been published by a think tank ―The
Institute for Economics and Peace‖.
II. India has been ranked at 136th in the 2018 Index.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b) only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
66. Consider the following countries:
I. Belgium II. The Dominican Republic,
III. Germany IV. Indonesia V. Maldives
Which of the above Countries have been elected as
non-permanent members on the Security Council
for two years starting in January 2019?
(a) I, II, III and IV (b) I, II, III and V
(c) I, III, IV and V (d) II, III, IV and V
67. Consider the following statements regarding
United Nations Human Rights Council
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I. The Human Rights Council is an
intergovernmental body within the United Nations
system
II. It was created in March 2006
III. Recently Russia has withdrawn from the
council.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) I and III only (b) II and III
(c) I, II and III (d) I and II
68. Ministry of External Affairs and Uttar Pradesh
Government inaugurated the website for the 15th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2019 with the
theme?
(a) Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India
(b) Indian Diaspora – Pride of India
(c) India‘s growth and support of Indian Diaspora
(d) Indian Diaspora and Indian Culture
69. The first ever dedicated dog park in India has
been set up in which city?
(a) Bengaluru (b) New Delhi
(c) Mumbai (d) Hyderabad
70. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) has approved …….
Rupees loan so far, under Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)?
(a) Rs. 26563.45 crore (b) Rs. 65634.93 crore
(c) Rs. 78563.65 crore (d) Rs. 45453.25 crore
71. Which space agency launched Ice, Cloud and
land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESAT-2) to estimate
the annual height change of the Greenland and
Antarctic ice sheets?
(a) National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)
(b) Roscosmos State Corporation for Space
Activities
(c) China National Space Administration (CNSA)
(d) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
72. Who won the women‘s singles title of BWF
World Championships 2018, held in Nanjing,
China?
(a) Carolina Marin (b) PV Sindhu
(c) Naomi Okura (d) Mayu Matsumoto
73. Name the Indian who won gold medal in 10m
Air Pistol Men Junior event and also beat his own
world record?
(a) Arjun Singh Cheema
(b) Vijayaveer Singh
(c) Udayaveer Singh
(d) Saurabh Chaudhary
74. Where was the G-20 Trade and Investment
Ministerial Meeting, held on 14th and 15
th
September, 2018?
(a) Metro Manila, Philippines
(b) Mar del Plata, Argentina
(c) Hanoi, Vietnam
(d) Jakarta, Indonesia
75. Name the rocket launched by (ISRO) Indian
Space Research Organisation that carried two U.K.
satellites named NovaSAR and S1-4 into space?
(a) PSLV-C-42 (b) PSLV-C-21
(c) PSLV-C-16 (d) PSLV-C-34
76. Where did DRDO successfully test a low-
weight indigenously developed man-portable anti-
tank guided missile (MPATGM)?
(a) Nagpur, Maharashtra
(b) Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
(c) Rohtak, Haryana
(d) Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir
77. Which of the following payment company
received approval from RBI to operate its own non-
banking financial company (NBFC)?
(a) PayU India (b) Indi Pay
(c) Money Pay (d) Naggle Pay
78. Name the two Indians who created history by
climbing Asia's highest volcanic peak Mount
Damavand in Iran?
(a) Satyarup Siddhanta and Bhaswati Chatterjee
(b)Bhaswati Chatterjee and Mousumi Khatua
(c) Mousumi Khatua and Arunima Rao
(d) Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua
79. Which city has been confirmed as the host of
the 4th edition of Asian Para Games in 2022?
(a) Tokyo, Japan (b) Doha, Qatar
(c) Hangzhou, China (d) Hanoi, Vietnam
80. Where is the newly Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) Technology Incubation
Centre, inaugurated?
(a) Kolkata (b) Mumbai
(c) Pune (d) Agartala
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81. Name the monthly e-newsletter launched by
Union Ministry of Ministry, of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises?
(a) MSME Alert (b) MSME Insider
(c) MSME News (d) MSME Circular
82. Name the new scheme approved by Employees'
State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) through which
it will pay cash relief to insured persons during the
period of unemployment?
(a) Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna
(b) Atal Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
(c) Atal Suraksha Bima Yojana
(d) Life Cover under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojana
83. Who has been newly appointed as MD and CEO
of Syndicate Bank?
(a) Mrutyunjay Mahapatra
(b) Padmaja Chundru
(c) Pallav Mohapatra
(d) J. Packirisamy
84. Name the indigenously developed surface-to-
surface short-range ballistic missile successfully test
fired by DRDO in September, 2018?
(a) Vihar (b) Prahar
(c) Kiran (d) Surya
85. Name the weightlifter who was conferred the
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2018 for her excellent
performance in the Sports arena?
(a) Vijay Sharma
(b) Pooja Kadian
(c) Chougale Dadu Dattatray
(d) S. Mirabai Chanu
86. Who was appointed the new chairman of the
Steel Authority of India on September, 2018?
(a) Surendra Chaudhary
(b) Rohit Chauhan
(c) Pradeep Tanvir
(d) Anil Kumar Chaudhary
87. Which state has topped the 'Ease of Living
Index' rankings launched by the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under
AMRUT?
(a) Telangana (b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Gujarat (d) Karnataka
88. Name Sikkim's first airport and India's 100th
operational airport that was inaugurated by Prime
Minister?
(a) Palling Airport (b) Pakyong Airport
(c) Yuksom Airport (d) Gyalshing Airport
89. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has
inked a pact with which bank and NTT
Communications to roll out 5G and interne of things
technology in India?
(a) State Bank of India (SBI) (b) ICICI Bank
(c) Axis Bank (d) Softbank
90. Which country has become the only South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) country to have a quit-line number on
tobacco products?
(a) Malaysia (b) Sri Lanka
(c) Singapore (d) India
91. Which has become the world's first country to
land 2 robotic rovers MINERVA-II1 Rover-lA and
Rover-lB in asteroid Ryugu?
(a) United States (b)China
(c) Japan (d) Russia
92. Name the head of the three-member committee
constituted by Supreme Court for suggesting Jail
reforms across India?
(a) Justice Ajay Mishra
(b) Justice Amit Payal
(c) Justice Amitava Roy
(d) Justice Rangaraj Desai
93. Name the chairman of the High Level
Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility -
2018 (HLC- 2018) formed by the government?
(a) Rajiv Gauba (b) Injeti Srinivas
(c) Ranjan Gauba (d) Amit Pandey
94. Which Indian golf player has won his first
European Tour title at the Fiji International, at
Natadola Bay in Fiji?
(a) Ajeetesh Sandhu (b)Navjeet Siddhu
(c) Gaganjeet Bhullar (d) Pranesh Mathur
95. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed non-
fund-based at State levels to revive India's co-
operative banking sector?
(a) Umbrella organisations (UO)
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(b) Prime organisations (PO)
(c) Terminal organisations (CO)
(d) Central Organisations (CO)
96. Which Indian state unveiled the world's first-
ever thermal battery unit?
(a) Telangana (b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Chhattisgarh
97. Which country won the Women's Hockey
World Cup 2018 that concluded in London for a
record 8th time?
(a) Iran (b) Ireland
(c) The Netherlands (d) South Korea
98. Consider the following statements regading
Smart Anti Airfield Weapon (SAAW):
I. It is India's first fully indigenous antiairfield
weapon project.
II. It was indigenously developed by staterun
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) in collaboration with IAF and the
Research Centre Imarat (RCI).
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) only I (b)only II
(c) Both I and II (d) None of these
99. Consider the following pairs:
I. Aeolus: First wind-sensing satellite launched by
EU
II. Bennu: Near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid
III. OSIRIS-Rex: Satellite to study the atmosphere
of Mars
IV. HELINA: Anti-tank guided missile
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) I, II and III (b)I, II and IV
(c) II, Ill and IV (d) I, II, Ill and IV
100. Which of the following pairs are not correctly
matched?
(a) International Tiger Day: 29 July
(b)World Food Day: 9 October
(c) World Earth Day: 22 April
(d) World Environment Day: 5 June
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Answer Key CLATFOCUS October - 2018
Q. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Ans. B A A D A D A C A A
Q. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Ans. D B B A D B A C D C
Q. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
Ans. B C C B B A D A A C
Q. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
Ans. C B A D A B C A D B
Q. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Ans. A D C B A C C D A A
Q. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
Ans. C A C B D A C D C C
Q. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
Ans. A C A B C A D A D B
Q. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80.
Ans. A A D B A B A D C D
Q. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90.
Ans. B A A B D D B B D D
Q. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100.
Ans. C C B C A A C C B B
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