Current Affairs 17th October 2018
NATIONAL
- Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, inaugurated the 6th edition of India International Silk Fair (IISF) in New Delhi. Minister of State for Textiles, Ajay Tamta was also present on the occasion.
- The government has announced 100 crore rupee award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme.
- IRCTC has launched a new AI-based assistant, ‘Ask Disha’ for its website. This new assistant will be prompt in answering generic queries about most frequently asked questions on the ticket booking platform.
- Uttar Pradesh Cabinet led by CM Yogi Adityanath has approved the proposal to rename Allahabad, which will be called Prayagraj with immediate effect.
- Minister of state for culture, Mahesh Sharma and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri jointly laid the foundation stone for proposed Museum on Prime Ministers of India at Teen Murti Estate, New Delhi.
INTERNATIONAL
APPOINTMENTS
- Nimesh Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, has been elected as Chairman of trade body, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)
- Priyank Kanoongo appointed to the post of Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India for a period of 03 years.
AWARDS
- Prema Gopalan, founder of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), was awarded the 8th Social Entrepreneur of the Year award, 2018, for her work in promoting women’s entrepreneurship at the grassroots and ensuring rural livelihood.
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a biography of late Anumolu Ramakrishna, a pioneer in the application of innovative systems and construction techniques in the Indian construction sector.
BANKING & ECONOMY
- The government has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4% points to 8% for the October-December quarter.
SPORTS
- The third Asian Para Games took place in Jakarta, Indonesia. Around 3000 athletes from 43 countries took part in 15 Paralympic and three non-Paralympic sports.
- Suraj Panwar won India’s first medal in athletics at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 after claiming the silver medal in the men’s 5000m race walk event Buenos Aires, Argentina
OBITUARIES
- Environmentalist G.D. Agarwal, who was on a fast for the last 111 days demanding a clean Ganga, died after a heart attack in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
- Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft in 1975 passed away aged 65 after battling cancer. Allen was the childhood friend of Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates.
