Current Affairs Update 16 October 2018
Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 16 October 2018
Foundation Stone for “Museum on Prime Ministers of India” Laid in New Delhi
- The Union Minister for Culture Dr. Mahesh and Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri laid the Foundation stone for proposed “Museum on Prime Ministers of India” at Teen Murti Estate, in New Delhi.
- The Museum Building Complex shall be constructed at a cost of Rs.271 crores.
- The museum will depict modern India through collections relating to the 14 Prime Ministers of India, including PM Modi, their lives, works and significant contributions made towards nation building.
Govt to Award Rs 100 cr to State That Achieves Early Household Electrification Under Saubhagya Scheme
- The Central Government has announced Rs 100 crore award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme.
- Apart from discoms, employees would also collectively get 50 lakh rupees award for completing the task of electrifying households under the scheme which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year.
- The government launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’ (Saubhagya) in September 2017 to achieve the goal of universal household electrification in the country by March 31, 2019. The scheme envisages providing last mile connectivity and electricity
UP Government Approves Renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj
- The Uttar Pradesh cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has approved to officially rename the historic city of Allahabad as Prayagraj with effect from October 16, 2018.
Govt Hikes GPF Interest Rate to 8% for Oct-Dec quarter
- The union government has increased the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes by 0.4 percentage points to 8 percent with effect from October 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018 of current financial year.
- The interest rate on GPF was 7.6 percent for the July-September quarter.
Stanford University Tops Reuters World’s Most Innovative Universities 2018 List
- Stanford University has taken the top position in the Reuters’ ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Universities for the fourth consecutive year.
- The list identifies and ranks the educational institutions doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies and power new markets and industries.
- None of the Indian Universities has found place in the list
- The top 5 World’s Most Innovative Universities 2018 are:
- Stanford University, USA
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
- Harvard University, USA
- University of Pennsylvania, USA
- University of Washington, USA
RBI Approves Sandeep Bakshi’s Appointment as MD, CEO of ICICI Bank for 3 years
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved Sandeep Bakshi’s appointment as Managing Director and CEO of the ICICI Bank for a period of three years.
- The Chief Operating Officer Bakshi was elevated as the new managing director and CEO after resignation of Chanda Kochhar on October 4, six months before her current tenure was to end.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Appoints Priyank Kanoongo As Chairman
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Priyank Kanoongo as the new Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for a period of three years.
- His tenure as chairperson will begin from the day he assumes charge. Kanoongo will be the fifth NCPCR chief since the commission was formed.
- The post of chairperson fell vacant last month after Stuti Kacker’s tenure ended on September 16.
Nimesh Shah Is New Chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)
- Nimesh Shah, MD and CEO, ICICI Prudential AMC, has taken over as Chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India, the industry body of asset management companies.
- Shah takes over from A Balasubramanian, CEO of Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company.
- Kailash Kulkarni, MD & CEO of L&T Investment Management will continue as the Vice-Chairman of AMFI.
Vice Prez Releases Biography ‘Building a Legacy’ of Anumolu Ramakrishna
- Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a biography of late Anumolu Ramakrishna, titled ‘Building a Legacy’ authored by Chennai based Chartered Accountant V Pattabhi Ram.
- Ramakrishna, former President and Managing Director at Larsen and Toubro, was a pioneer in the application of innovative systems and construction techniques in the Indian constuction sector.
- He was posthumously awarded Padma Bhushan in 2014.
Garcia Beats Pliskova to Take Tianjin Trophy
- The 2018 Tianjin Open was a women’s professional tennis tournament that took place in Tianjin, China between 8 and 14 October 2018.
Winners
| Event | Winner | Runner Up |
| Single’s | Caroline Garcia (France) | Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) |
| Double’s | Nicole Melichar (USA) and Czech’s Kveta Peschke | Monique Adamczak and Jessica Moore (Australia) |
Yastremska Defeats Wang to Claim Hong Kong Open Title
- The 2018 Hong Kong Tennis Open was a professional tennis tournament held from October 8 to 14, 2018.
- Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska crushed Chinese number one Wang Qiang 6-2, 6-1 in singles at the Hong Kong Open to claim her first ever title.
- In double’s event, Australia’s Samantha Stosur and China’s Zhang Shuai defeat Shuko Aoyama of Japan and Lidziya Marozava of Belarus 6–4, 6–4, to clinch the title.
Philanthropist & Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen Passes Away
- Paul Allen, the billionaire philanthropist and the co-founder of Microsoft passed away from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Cancer). He was 65 years old.
- He co-founded the technology company Microsoft alongside his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975 before becoming a billionaire philanthropist.
World Students’ Day: October 15
- World Students’ Day is observed every year on October 15 to mark the birth anniversary of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
- In 2015 the United Nations declared 15 October “World Students’ Day”.
- 2018 marked 87th birth anniversary of the former president and ‘Missile Man’ Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
- As a tribute, Indian Defence Minister Nimala Sitharaman dedicated a DRDO website ‘The Kalam Vision – Dare to Dream’ to the former President.
- The website focuses on subjects such as artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems and cyber security.It will also facilitate an open competition for students and startups, and it is available at drdo.gov.in/drdo/kalam/kalam.html.
World Food Day: October 16
- The 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 theme for the World Food Day 2018 is: “Our Actions Are Our Future”