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Indian Navy approves new deployment plan for warships in Indian Ocean
The Indian Navy on 25 October 2017 approved a new mission-based deployment plan that involves deploying mission- ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications in the Indian Ocean region.
The Navy in an official release stated that Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had approved the plan on the second day of the four-day naval commanders' conference that was held in New Delhi.
The warships have been deployed to tackle any possible event ranging from acts of maritime terrorism and piracy to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. The deployments are supposed to be maintained round-the-

clock.

Environment Ministry issues stage-I forest clearance for Kaleswaram project construction
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has given its in-principle stage-I forest clearance for the construction of the Kaleswaram project stage-one.
The ministry has approved the diversion of about 3,200 hectares of forest land for the project construction based on the recommendations of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC).
The ministry has allowed diversion of the forest land spread over eight forest divisions — Mahadevpur, Karimnagar- Sircilla, Siddipet, Yadadri, Medak, Nizamabad, Banswada and Nirmal — for taking up the project work.

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SC to form Constitutional bench to hear petitions against Aadhar SC to form Constitutional bench to hear petitions

against Aadhar
The Supreme Court on 30 October 2017 decided to form a constitutional bench to hear petitions against Union

Government's decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing various services and government welfare schemes.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, announced that a larger bench would be formed to hear these petitions.
On 24 August 2017a nine-judge Constitution bench held that the Right of Privacy was a Fundamental Right under the Constitution. Petitioners are challenging the validity of Aadhaar raising the issue that the scheme violates rights of privacy.


India, Japan begin anti-submarine warfare exercise
The naval forces of India and Japan initiated an intensive air anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Indian Ocean on 29 October 2017. The exercise will conclude on 31 October 2017.
The exercise would witness participation from a P-8 I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti Submarine Warfare aircraft of Indian Navy and two P-3 Orion Anti Submarine Warfare aircraft of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMDSF).
The P-3 Orion aircraft reached the Naval Air Station INS Hansa in Goa on 29 October for the exercise.

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Bharat Net project: Phase 1 to be completed by December 2017
The first phase of the national optic fibre network, also known as Bharat Net project, is expected to be completed by December 2017.
The project mainly aims to deploy high-speed optical fibre cables across rural areas. Hence, its completion will provide internet access to around 100,000 gram panchayats.
The information was shared by Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, while she was speaking at the fourth edition of 'i-Bharat 2017' conference, which was organised in New Delhi by FICCI in association with the ministry of electronics and information technology. The theme of the conference was 'ICT Elucidations for Unserved and Unsolved'.


India to host UN wildlife summit CMS COP13 in 2020
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 28 October 2017 announced that India will host the next CMS Conference of the Parties 13 (CMS COP13) in the year 2020. CMS COP is a global wildlife conference.
The announcement was made during the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties 12 (COP12) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in Manila, the Philippines.


Vrindavan, Barsana declared as Sacred Sites, no meat and liquor shops allowed
The Uttar Pradesh government on 27 October 2017 issued an order notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura district as 'sacred pilgrimage sites' ('pavitra teerth sthals').
With this, Vrindavan and Barsana became the first two places to be notified as teerth sthal in government records. No meat and liquor shops will be allowed in these towns anymore.
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The Paik Rebellion to be named 'First War of Independence' in history books
The Paik Rebellion of 1817, also called the Paika Bidroha, will be known as the 'First War of Independence' in the history books of students from the next academic session onwards.
The information was shared by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar on 22 October 2017 while attending a function marking the bicentenary of Paika Rebellion in Bhubaneswar.


India's first indigenously built offshore patrol vessel handed to Coast Guard
OPV Vikram, the first-ever defence vessel to be entirely built in a private shipyard, was handed over by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) to the Indian Coast Guard, ahead of the March 2018 delivery schedule.
The vessel was indigenously developed in-house at L&T's Kattupalli shipyard. Its entire design and construction processes have undergone dual certification from American Bureau of Shipping and Indian Registrar of Shipping.
OPV Vikram is the first of the seven vessels for which Ministry of Defence had awarded Rs 1,432 Cr contract to L&T in March 2015.


Union Minister launches Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana in Mumbai

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Union Minister for state for social justice and empowerment, Ramdas Athawale on 30 October 2017 launched the

Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana during the fourth workshop of ''Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana'' in Mumbai.

The workshop was organised by Pratishtha and Sanjivani trust. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister stated that generic drugs for one and all are the need of the hour and we are glad to launch the same in our state. "This will be a revolutionary step in healthcare and we will also urge doctors to prescribe for generic drugs. This will help people save money and bring relief to the public," he added.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an objective of making high-quality medicines available to all at affordable prices, especially to the poor and underprivileged, through exclusive outlets such as Jan Aushadhi Medical store.


India tops list of new tuberculosis cases in 2016: WHO
The World Health Organisation on 31 October 2017 released Global TB Report 2017, according to which, India has topped the list of seven countries that account for almost 64 per cent of the 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases

worldwide in 2016.

India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa. The report stated that an estimated 1.7 million people died from TB in 2016, including nearly 400,000 people who were co-infected with HIV,

recording a drop of 4 per cent in comparison to 2015.

India along with China and Russia accounted for almost of half of the 490,000, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat.


Carbon-free tourism initiative to be launched in Assam's Majuli district
www.exampundit.in The Assam Tourism Development Corporation(ATDC) announced to launch the Majuli Sustainable Tourism Development Project (MSTDP) on 2 November 2017 to encourage carbon-free tourism experience in the country's largest river island, Majuli.
Thirty cycles painted in orange will be launched as part of the carbon-free travel experience at Majuli. The objective behind the project is to create an environmental protocol for tourism industry in the island.
The MSTDP will be managed by Root Bridge Foundation which is an NGO promoting sustainable tourism practices in northeast India.


Government de-affiliates 400 Industrial Training Institutes for failing quality norms
The Union Government has de-affiliated around 400 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) following quality inspections that revealed that the institutes lacked requisite infrastructure and trainers for imparting vocational training to

students.

The information was shared by Rajesh Agarwal, the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Agarwal stated that if an institute has to be an ITI at the National Council for Vocational Training

level, there are certain minimum conditions that need to be followed.

"We get them inspected, we see the quality of infrastructure, the trainers that should be there as per the guidelines," explained Agarwal. He further said that the skill development ministry has begun monitoring the ITIs with a view of

maintaining their quality standards and also introduced voluntary self-grading by the institutes.

Meghalaya Election department to feature in Limca Book of Records

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The Election department of Meghalaya state has won an entry in the Limca Book of Records for forming a human logo

with newly-enrolled young voters of Meghalaya on 1 July 2017.

The information was shared by Limca official Garima Manon with the office of Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer on 24 October 2017.
A total of 2870 students from 113 schools, 3 colleges falling between the age group of 18-19 enrolled as new voters and formed a 75 feet by 120 feet size human logo that read Mission Unite- You 'N' I (towards Enrolment).


India's Space mission to Moon 'Chandrayaan- II' in 2018: Dr Jitendra Singh
Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Atomic Energy and Space announced on 23 October 2017 that India's second space mission to moon, 'Chandrayaan-II', will take place in 2018, most likely in the first quarter of the

year.
The Minister announced this while addressing the inaugural session of the 38th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing at New Delhi. Singh said that India has emerged as the world's frontline nation in the field of Space Technology and this in itself is a glorious vindication of the dream seen by the founding fathers of India's Space Programme, like Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan.

Recalling India's achievements in space technology, Singh said it was during the last three years that India could launch a South Asian Satellite that would also provide inputs and benefits to the neighbouring countries.


CVC to develop 'Integrity Index' to rank govt depts on anti-corruption measures
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) will rank and give a score to the central government organisations on anti- corruption measures being taken by them.
The rationale behind this move is to make systematic change through the tool of Integrity Index.
www.exampundit.in In order to make that systematic change the CVC has decided to develop the Integrity Index-based on bench-marking of internal processes and controls within an organisation as well as management of relationships and expectations of outside stakeholders.


Madras HC bans photographs of living persons on sign-boards and banners
The Madras High Court on 24 October 2017 banned the use of photographs or pictures of living persons on banners, flex boards and sign-boards across the state of Tamil Nadu.
The court stated in its ruling, "If at all any permission is given by the authority concerned for erecting banners, flex boards, sign-boards, the authority concerned shall ensure that the photographs/pictures of such persons, who are alive, shall not be depicted by way of those banners, flex boards, sign-boards.


Andhra Pradesh CM launches 'Swachh Andhra Mission'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched 'Swachh Andhra Mission' on 2 October 2017, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
Ace shuttler PV Sindhu was appointed as the brand ambassador of the mission. She along with the state minister for Information Technology and Rural Development Nara Lokesh and public representatives was present at the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu praised Singhu and said that it is a proud moment for the state that Sindhu is the brand ambassador for Swachh Andhra.

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India, Bangladesh to hold bi-annual border talks on Rohingyas, fake currency smuggling
The Chiefs of the border guarding forces of India and Bangladesh would be holding bi-annual talks to discuss a host of issues including movement of Rohingya immigrants across the border on 3 October 2017 at New Delhi.
The Director General-level talks, the 45th between the two sides, will be held between a 24-member delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) led by Director General Maj Gen. Abul Hossain and Border Security Force (BSF) of India led by its chief KK Sharma. The talks will be held at a BSF camp for the duration of 4 days.
Following are some of the issues that would be discussed during the talks:
 The movement of Rohingya refugees

 Smuggling of fake Indian currency notes

 Smuggling of drugs and narcotic substances

 Human trafficking

 Trans-border crimes including cattle smuggling


First Woman Chief Justice of Delhi HC to head panel on OBC Sub Categorisation
Retired justice G Rohini would head the 5-member commission to examine the politically-sensitive issue of sub- categorisation of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and give in its report within 3-months.
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed the commission under Justice G Rohini, who has the distinction of being first woman Chief Justice of Delhi high court and had retired earlier this year.
The decision to select the commission takes after the August 23 Cabinet decision to analyze the degree of biased dispersion of benefits of reservation among caste, communities, incorporated into the general class of OBC.


All cities and towns in five more States declared Open Defecation Free

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The Union government declared 5 more states- Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana , Jharkhand and Chattisgarh as 'Open Defecation Free' on 2 October 2017, the same day when Swacch Bharat Mission completed three years.
This was declared by the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs on the occasion of the third anniversary of the mission. The Minister said that all the five states have reached the milestone of making all its cities and towns open defecation free.
Swacch Bharat Mission Report after 3-years
 The target was to build about 66 lakh individual household toilets in urban areas, against that 38 lakh toilets

have already been built and building of another 14 lakh toilets is in progress.

 Over 2-lakh community and public toilet seats have been constructed as against the mission target of 5-lakh

toilet seats.

 For Solid Waste Management, efforts are on to produce over 500 MW of electricity and over 50 lakh tons of

compost from municipal solid waste to allow dispensation of the entire solid waste being generated in urban areas.

Turtle Sanctuary to be set up in Allahabad
The Union government has approved the development of a Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad along with a River Biodiversity Park at Sangam under Namami Gange programme to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga from growing anthropogenic pressures.

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