1) 21st October 2017: The National Police Commemoration Day
•The National Police Commemoration Day is observed every year on 21st October remembering the brave policemen who sacrificed their lives while discharging their duties. Rich tributes are paid to the martyrs on this day.
•On October 21st 1959, twenty Indian soldiers were attacked by the Chinese troops in Ladakh. This altercation between the troops led to the death of ten policemen. Seven of the others who were also imprisoned, managed to escape from the Chinese troops.
2) Most Pollution-linked Deaths Occur in India
•With 2.51 million deaths in 2015, India has been ranked No. 1 in pollution-related deaths, according to a report by The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. China recorded the second highest number of such deaths (1.8 million).India accounted for about 28 percent of an estimated nine million pollution linked deaths worldwide in 2015.
•The Lancet Commission on pollution and health is a two-year project in which more than 40 international health and environmental authors led by environmental scientist Philip Landrigan were involved.
3) GSTN Launches excel-based offline tool to file initial GSTR-3B Returns
•Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has launched an excel-based offline tool for businesses to file initial GSTR- 3B returns. GSTN, in a statement in New Delhi, stated that taxpayers can download the offline utility from the GSTN portal and after fill in the data the file can be uploaded on GST portal.
•After uploading of the return to the GST Portal, the taxpayer has to preview the form, complete formalities like submit, offset the liability and file their GSTR-3B Return using digital signature or electronic verification code.
4) Hirasar Greenfield Airport Project in Gujarat gets Green Clearance
•The Centre has given green clearance for a greenfield airport project at Hirasar, about 28 km from Rajkot in Gujarat,at a cost of over Rs. 1,400 crores.
•The state government has proposed a new airport in Rajkot district as the existing one is small and the earlier plan to extend the current runway could not materialise because of high land cost. The Environment Ministry has given the environment clearance to the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Ltd (GSAICL) for development of a greenfield airport at Rajkot.
5) Cleaning Ganga: Varanasi to get 2 new STPs by March Next Year
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi will soon get two sewage treatment plants as part of the government's bid to curb Ganga water pollution.
•The sewage treatment plants, having a total 260 million litres daily capacity, will be commissioned at Varanasi's Dinapur and Goitha before March next year. The government had recently awarded the contract for constructing 50 MLD (million litres daily) capacity STP at Ramana in Varanasi.
6) 5-member Committee formed to Select Candidate for Post of Editor-in-Chief of RSTV
•A five-member committee, headed by Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash, has been formed to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). Rajya Sabha Secretariat stated in an order that other members of the Search-cum-Selection Committee are Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, Additional Secretary (Personnel) in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat PPK Ramacharyulu and journalist Rahul Srivastava.
•Rajya Sabha TV is owned and operated by the Upper House of Parliament and the vice-president is its chairman.
