Current Affairs Current Affairs October 2018

 The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘TITLI’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal moved northwards with a speed of about 14 kmph over Westcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.5°N and longitude 85.8°E, about 320 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha)and 270 km southeast of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is very likely to intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. 
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

 The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the merger of the existing regulatory institutions in the skills space – National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). NCVET will regulate the functioning of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both long-term and short-term and establish minimum standards for the functioning of such entities.
The primary functions of NCVET will include –
  • recognition and regulation of awarding bodies, assessment bodies and skill related information providers; 
  • approval of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs); 
  • indirect regulation of vocational training institutes through awarding bodies and assessment agencies; 
  • research and information dissemination; 
  • grievance redressal.
  • Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

     External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj participated in the 17th Council of Heads of Government, CHG, meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This was the second CHG meeting since India became a full member of SCO in June 2017.  Last year, CHG meeting was held in Sochi, Russia and was also attended by EAM. The SCO CHG meeting is a forum that enables India to engage with SCO member countries and Observer states of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia. It is the first major meeting since Kyrgyzstan took over as chair of the Organisation.
    Source- AIR World Service

     Well-known Malayalam poet M N Paloor passed away at the age of 86-year due to age-related ailments. Paloor won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, the state’s highest literary honour, in 1983 for his collection ‘Kalikalam’.  He also received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography ‘Kathayillathavante Katha’ in 2013. Some of his major collections include ‘Kalikalam’, ‘Pedithondan’, ‘Theerthayathra’and ‘Bhangiyum Abhangiyum’. 
    Source- Business-Standard

     Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has left for Paris on a three-day visit to France. Ms Sitharaman will hold wide-ranging talks with her French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries and also deliberate on major regional and global issues of mutual interests. During the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, the two countries decided to expand strategic ties and deepen counter-terror cooperation. The two sides also inked a strategic pact providing for the use of each other’s military facilities including opening naval bases to warships. 
    Source- News On AIR

      Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The theme for International Day of the Girl Child 2018 is ‘With Her: A Skilled Girl Force’.  The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
    Source- The United Nations

     IIT-Madras will collaborate with Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to enhance data-driven governance. Through this engagement, the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC DSAI ) at IIT-Madras has agreed to support the State government on various data science and ICT-related challenges. The collaboration is expected to contribute towards various aspects of governance, including (but not limited to) education, healthcare, and agriculture, says a press release from IIT-Madras.
    Source- The Indian Express

     Coal India and NLC India (NLCIL), formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation, will jointly set up 5000 MW of power generation capacity of which 3000 MW would be solar powered while the rest 2000 MW would be coal-fuelled. CIL and NCIL  signed an MoU for setting up a 50:50 joint venture company that would undertake the projects. Coal India has been tasked to become a net zero emission energy company by the ministry of coal, a move which requires it to generate 3,000 MW of solar power. The MoU also extends for setting up of 2,000 MW of thermal power generation across CIL’s subsidiaries. 
    Source- The Economic Times

     State-run IDBI Bank has announced that Rakesh Sharma has taken charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of the bank. He has replaced B Sriram. Mr Sharma has been appointed for the period of six months. He retired from Canara Bank as the MD and CEO after serving for a period of three years. 
    Source- The Financial Express

     PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has announced that Mahesh Y Reddy has taken over as its Secretary General with immediate effect. He holds 28 years of experience in national level trade, infrastructure and industry bodies in various capacities, the chamber said in a statement. Earlier, Reddy served as Director General of Infrastructure Industry and Logistics Federation of India for eight years. 
    Source- Business-Standard


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