1) Nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv 2019’ to promote tourism kicks off
•The nationwide Paryatan Parv, 2019 kicked off to promote tourism in the country. The aim is to propagate the message of Dekho Apna Desh to encourage people to visit tourist destinations of the country and also spread the message of Tourism for All. This year’s event is dedicated to 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
2) Amit Shah flags off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express
•Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express from the New Delhi Railway Station. The first commercial run of the train will start from 5th October. Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express is a big gift for Jammu and Kashmir’s development and for promoting religious tourism. This is the second Vande Bharat Express. The first one runs in between Delhi and Varanasi.
3) Rajasthan becomes the third state to ban certain categories of pan masala
•Rajasthan became the third state in India after Maharashtra and Bihar to ban certain categories of pan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, mineral oil and flavoured ‘supari’. All such products will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act.
4) Smriti Irani Inaugurates India’s Largest ‘Charkha’ Made of Waste Plastic in Noida
•Union Minister Smriti Irani Inaugurates India’s Largest ‘Charkha’ made of Waste Plastic in Noida. This ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) made of used plastic waste was inaugurated the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. The ‘charkha’, which symbolises Gandhi’s dream of Swadeshi (self-sufficing and self-reliance), measures 14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic.
5) Palestine issues commemorative stamp to honour Gandhi on 150th birth anniversary
•Palestine has released a commemorative postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi, honouring his legacy and values, to mark the 150 birth anniversary of the world leader. Palestinian Authority’s Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology Ishaaq Seder released the stamp in Ramallah. Palestine’s issuance of the commemorative stamp comes in honour of Gandhi’s memory, legacy, and values that guided and shall continue to guide humanity.
6) China unveiled DF-41 the most powerful intercontinental-range ballistic missile on the planet
•China unveiled the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental-range ballistic missile, touted to be the most powerful missile on the planet at the National Day parade, as China observed its 70th anniversary of Communist rule. DF-41 has a range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometres), more than any missile on Earth.
•The missile capable of carrying 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads and could theoretically, hit the United States in 30 minutes, according to the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China has also displayed its underwater vehicles and new stealthy DR-8 drones thought to be able to fly up to five times the speed of sound.
7) President Kovind to confer Vayoshreshtha Samman-2019
•President Ram Nath Kovind will confer the Vayoshreshtha Samman-2019 on the eminent senior citizens and institutions in recognition of their services towards the cause of the elderly persons. The Vayoshreshtha Samman is a Scheme of awards instituted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry and gradually upgraded to the status of National Awards for institutions involved in rendering distinguished service for the cause of elderly persons.
8) Sachin Tendulkar gets most effective Swachhata Ambassador award
•President Ram Nath Kovind presented the most effective Swachchta Ambassador award to Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
9) Air Marshal S K Ghotia appointed as chief of South Western Air Command
•Air Marshal S K Ghotia has taken over as the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the South Western Air Command (SWAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He replaced Air Marshal H S Arora, who moved to Air Headquarters as the Vice-Chief of Air Staff. Prior to assuming the present appointment, Air Marshal Ghotia was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command.
•Air Marshal Ghotia was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in 1981. He has held various posts including Chief Operations Officer and Station Commander of a forward base in SWAC, Director Intelligence at Air Headquarters, Air Attache at Embassy of India in Paris, Air Officer Commanding COBRA Group and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Intelligence) at Air HQ.
10) SS Mallikarjuna Rao appointed MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank
•SS Mallikarjuna Rao was appointed as the Managing Director(MD)and Chief Executive of the Punjab National Bank(PNB). He is currently serving as chief executive of the Allahabad Bank. He will replace Sunil Mehta of PNB.
11) Axis Bank launches short-term online fixed deposits “Express FD”
•Axis Bank, India’s third-largest private sector bank has launched the ‘Express FD’, a digital fixed deposit (FD) product that allows a customer to open an FD account in 3 minutes through the digital mode without opening a savings account with the bank.
•‘Express FD’ offers attractive interest rates, zero issuance fees and no penalty on pre-mature withdrawal of up to 25% of the amount, the bank said. A customer can open an Express FD account by investing a minimum Rs 5,000 up to Rs 90,000, for a tenure of 6 to 12 months.
12) Book by India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, titled ‘India and the Netherlands – Past, Present and Future” released
•A book penned by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony titled ‘India and the Netherlands – Past, Present and Future,’ was released in Amsterdam. The book gives an insight into the cross-cultural legacy between the two countries and was released at a function attended by the king and queen of the Netherlands. The first copy of the book was received by Dutch King Willem-Alexander in presence of all high officials. The book has been published by Bombay Ink.
13) A new book titled “The Tech Whisperer” penned by Jaspreet Bindra released
•A new book entitled “The Tech Whisperer”, written by digital transformation expert Jaspreet Bindra, features a chapter on AI (Artificial Intelligence). The book has been published by Penguin India. The book will describes and simplify “emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, Internet of things, virtual reality,” and talk about how companies can employ these to drive their digital transformation.
