1) World Thrift Day observed on 31st October
•World Thrift Day is celebrated every year on October 31, across the world, but in India, the day is celebrated annually on October 30. This day is celebrated to promote the importance of savings and how saving money is important in today’s world. It is an important day to be remembered for individuals as well as the country’s economy. Savings, as we all know, is a necessity for every depositor who contributes to economic development.
2) Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day: 31st October
•In India, the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day is observed every year on October 31 since 2014, to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This year marks the 146th anniversary of the great leader who played an instrumental role in India’s struggle for independence, and later during the integration of the country.
3) World Cities Day observed on 31st October
•The United Nations General Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World Cities Day. The Day is celebrated to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.
•The global theme of World Cities Day 2021 is “Adapting cities for climate resilience”, acknowledging that integrated climate resilience policies and action plans will greatly reduce climate-related risks for urban populations.
4) Karnataka tops State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2020
•Karnataka has topped the State Energy Efficiency Index 2020 (SEEI), scoring 70 points out of 100 on the back of several initiatives to improve energy efficiency in the state. Rajasthan is on second rank followed by Haryana on third. Last year i.e in SEEI 2019 ranking, Rajasthan was on top. The State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI) 2020 was released under the Ministry of Power.
5) Centre approves reappointment of Shaktikanta Das as Governor of RBI
•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the reappointment of Shaktikanta Das as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) for a further period of three years with effect from December 10, 2021. He assumed the charge as the 25th governor of RBI on December 12, 2018, for three years. Before his appointment at RBI, Das served as a member of the 15th Finance Commission. He is a 1980 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre.
6) South Korea inaugurated World’s Largest Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant
•The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea held that the ‘Shinincheon Bitdream Fuel Cell Power Plant’ at the Shinincheon Bitdream headquarters of Korea Southern Power in Seo-gu, Incheon has been completed and inaugurated. The power plant is operated by South Korea’s independent power production company, POSCO Energy and Doosan Fuel Cell. It has a capacity of 78 MW constructed in four stages from 2017. The project cost about 340 billion won ($292 million).
7) THE’s World Reputation Rankings 2021 announced
•4 Indian institutes have made it to the Times Higher Education (THE)’s World Reputation Rankings 2021, the annual ranking of THE that features the top 200 universities based on the votes from leading academics across the globe. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru ranked among the top 100 (91-100) has topped the Indian Institutes. The other 3 Indian institutes are the IIT Bombay, the IIT Delhi, and the IIT Madras.
•Harvard University of the United States of America (USA) has topped the 2021 ranking. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and University of Oxford from the United Kingdom (UK) has secured the 2nd and 3rd rank respectively.
8) Uttarakhand gets country’s largest aromatic garden
•Uttarakhand gets India’s largest aromatic garden in the Nainital district. The research wing of the Uttarakhand forest department inaugurated the biggest aromatic garden of India in Lalkuan of Nainital district. Established in an area of over 3 acres, the garden has 140 different species of aromatic species from across India. The project was initiated in the year 2018-19 after approval of the Research Advisory Committee in June 2018.
9) CBSE launches Veer Gatha project in schools
•CBSE launches Veer Gatha project in schools to raise awareness on Gallantry Awards. Schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been asked to prepare projects and engage in activities based on the Gallantry Award winners. The Veer Gatha project aims to raise awareness about the brave acts and sacrifices of the Gallantry Award winners among school students. The Veer Gatha project is being conducted from October 21- November 20. The projects can be interdisciplinary & in various formats such as poems, essays, etc.
