1) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty : 17 October
•The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
•2019 Theme: Acting Together to Empower Children, their Families and Communities to End Poverty.
2) Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains
•Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off 9 ‘Sewa Service’ trains. These trains are connecting small towns to major cities and one of those, the Vadnagar-Mehsana train, was the railways’ gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sold tea at the Vadnagar station during his younger days. The 9 “Sewa Service” trains were launched without any additional investment by the railways and it was an example of how to use existing resources to the maximum.
•The trains are – Delhi to Shamli, Bhubaneswar to Nayagarh town, Murkongselek to Dibrugarh, Coimbatore to Palani, Coimbatore to Pollachi, Vadnagar to Mehsana, Asarya to Himmatnagar, Karur to Salem, Yesvantpur to Tumkur.
3) Shirui Lily Festival inaugurated in Manipur
•Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated Shirui Lily Festival, 2019 at Shirui Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur. Mr Patel along with State Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also inaugurated the Strength of Unity Statue as a mark of opening the third edition of the four-day state festival. This joint efforts of the State Government and Central Government can only promote tourism and culture of a region to the level of people’s expectation.
4) J&K’s Chenani-Nashri Tunnel to be renamed after Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
•India’s longest Tunnel Chenani- Nashri on NH 44, in Jammu and Kashmir will be named after Bhartiya Jansangh Founder Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 had dedicated to the nation this 9.2 km long tunnel that reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 31 km.
5) UAE announces establishment of world’s 1st AI university
•UAE announced the establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence( MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi. This is the first graduate-level, research-based AI university in the world. MBZUAI will enable graduate students, businesses and governments to advance the artificial intelligence field.
•MBZUAI will introduce a new model of academia and research to the field of AI, providing students and faculty access to some of the world’s most advanced AI systems to unleash its potential for economic and societal development.
•The University is named after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who has long advocated for the UAE’s development of human capital through knowledge and scientific thinking to take the nation into the future.
6) India hands over 2nd pair of Mi-24V helicopters to Afghan Air forces
•India handed over the second pair of Mi-24V helicopters to war-torn Afghanistan, boosting the capability of the Afghan Air forces. The helicopters were officially handed over by Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar to Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid at a ceremony held in the military airport, Kabul.
•These helicopters are a replacement for the four attack helicopters previously gifted by India to Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016. The combat performance and offensive firepower that the helicopters provide will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in ensuring that the ANDSF maintain an agile and robust Counter-Terrorism capability.
7) India ranked 82 in the 2019 World Giving Index
•India ranked 82 spots among the 128 countries surveyed in the World Giving Index (WGI). The average figures for India over the past decade show that 34 per cent people helped a stranger, 24 per cent donated money and 19 per cent volunteered or donated their time. According to the WGI, the USA stood at the top followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia.
8) India Post launches mobile banking facility for savings accounts
•The Department of Post announced that it has launched mobile banking for its savings account customers. The facility will be available all the post office savings account holders of the CBS (core banking solutions) post offices. The launch of the mobile banking facility comes almost a year after the Department of Post launched Internet banking facility for its savings account holders.
