Current Affairs Daily Digest – October 16 2019
1. Kiran Uniyal sets Guinness World record
Kiran Uniyal, the wife of a serving Colonel of Indian Army, has created Individual Guinness World Records for The most full contact knee strikes in three minutes (one leg) (female) with 263 strikes and The most full contact knee strikes alternate legs in one minute(female) with 120 strikes. The previous records were of 177 strikes and 102 in the female category, respectively.
2. ISRO to develop Reusable Launch Vehicles
The Indian Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is currently developing a space program for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). The Indian space agency has been testing the RLV since 2016.
Aim:
The RLV program aims to reduce the launch costs by, well, reusing the spacecraft. Currently, ISRO’s project is using a hybrid design type launch vehicle.
3. Chawla appointed as new Controller General of Accounts
Central government appointed Shri J. P. S. Chawla as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA) for the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. The appointment with effect from 15 October 2019 on a regular basis.
Shri J. P. S. Chawla:
Shri Chawla is a 1985-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer. He graduated from the Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in mechanical engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi.
4. Program GOAL: Young Tribal Women to Receive Digital Training
The GOAL (Going Online As Leaders) program aims to inspire, guide and encourage tribal girls across India to become village level digital leaders for their community. The program was launched by Facebook to empower women by providing digital literacy, leadership, life skills and entrepreneurship skills.
In order to become a beneficiary of the program the girls should be above 18 years of age and should have dropped out of school. Also, it is important that the girl is of tribal origin.
5. CBIC launches programme to strengthen Make in India
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), India’s nodal national agency responsible for administering Central Excise, Service Tax, Customs, GST, & Narcotics has launched a revamped and streamlined programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in India through manufacture and other operations.
The programme is launched under bond scheme of Customs Act, 1962 as this section enables conduct of manufacture and other operations in a customs bonded warehouse.
6. Global Hunger Index, 2019 October 16,
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is jointly published by Concern worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. The score if the index is calculated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It measures and tracks hunger at regional, national and global levels.
The 2019 Global Hunger Index measures hunger of 117 countries. India was ranked 102nd and was the lowest ranked among ranked among South Asian countries. The rest were ranked 66, 94, etc. Especially, India was far behind as compared to the BRICS nations.
7. Shinyuu Maitri-2019: Indo-Japan Joint Air Force Exercise October 16, 2019
The Indian Air Force will be carrying out a joint military exercise called ‘Shinyuu Maitri’ with Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) from 17 to 23 October 2019. The joint exercise will be held at Air Force Station, Arjan Singh in Panagarh town, West Bengal.
Within few days of India and Japan Air Force joint exercise, another drill between armies of same countries will also get underway in eastern theatre.
8. IMF: World Economic Outlook, 2019
The World Economic Outlook is a biennial report that is released in April and October. According the report released recently on October 15, 2019, the global economy is at its slowest pace of growth at 3%. This is a serious climb down from 3.8% in 2017.
9. IMF lowers growth estimate to 6.1%
The International Monetary Fund cut its estimate for India’s growth this year to 6.1% from 7% projected in July, calling on the country to use monetary policy and broad-based structural reforms to address cyclical weakness and strengthen confidence.
10. Air India becomes first airline to use Taxibot on A320 aircraft
Air India became the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A320 aircraft with passengers onboard. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice versa.
11. Elgi wins CII Design Excellence award
Coimbatore-headquartered air compressor manufacturer Elgi Equipments said in a release it has bagged the 2019 CII Design Excellence Award. “ELGi’s AB ‘Always Better’ series, a disruption in oil-free compressed air technology, won the CII Design Excellence Award in the Industrial Design, capital goods category,” it said. The CII Design Excellence Awards is endorsed by the India Design Council.
12. Fujifilm India signs pact with Max Healthcare
Imaging solutions company Fujifilm India has inked a partnership with Max Healthcare to train doctors in early detection of breast cancer and advance diagnostics at its super-specialty hospital in Saket, New Delhi.
Under this partnership, Fujifilm will be sponsoring an advanced fellowship in breast imaging with Max Healthcare.
13. World white cane day observed on October 16
On October 15, White Cane Safety Day is observed around the world.White Cane Safety Day celebrates the achievements of blind or visually impaired people. A white cane is an important mobility tool for such people as well as the symbol of their independence. Canes have been used by blind people for centuries, but the white cane was introduced in the early 20th century. Canes were painted white to be more easily visible.
14. World Food Day observed on October 16
World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Theme 2019: “Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World”
15. World Anaesthesia Day observed on October 16
World Anesthesia Day commemorates the first successful demonstration of ether anesthesia on October 16, 1846. This ranks as one of the most significant events in the history of medicine and took place at the Massachusetts General Hospital, home of the Harvard School of Medicine. The discovery made it possible for patients to obtain the benefits of surgical treatment without the pain associated with an operation.
