Notes:
Noted Indian-American attorney Ajay Raju has been honoured with the 3rd American Bazaar Philanthropy award in recognition of his philanthropic activities in the US. Asif Ismail, publisher of The American Bazaar, an online ethnic news publication about Indian-Americans stated that Raju was honoured for his commitment to revive Philadelphia through the Germination Project. 

Notes:
The AYUSH Festival of Stamps 2017 was inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar at Maquinez Palace in Panaji, Goa on October 17, 2017. The two-day exhibition event is being jointly organised by the Goa Postal Region, Indian postal department and the Ministry of AYUSH. The objective of the first-of-its-kind festival is to promote healthy hobbies such as stamp collection among students and healthy lifestyle habits. He said the event should initiate a movement of philately at schools. Stamps related to ayurveda, yoga and related traditional practices from India and abroad are being displayed at the event. About 150 schools and 5,000 students have registered for the festival.

Notes:
The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India has signed an investment agreement worth $1 billion with a wholly owned unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). As part of the partnership agreement, ADIA will become the first institutional investor in NIIF’s Master Fund and a shareholder in NIIF’s investment management company. The agreement marks the culmination of an extensive process of collaboration with ADIA to develop an investment structure that is attractive to international investors while remaining closely aligned with the NIIF’s objectives.The Indian government has set up NIIF in 2015 with the aim to attract investments from both domestic and international sources for infrastructure development in commercially viable projects.

Notes:
The Karera Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) is located at the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh and is spread over an area of 202 km2, of which as much as 146 km2 is privately owned land. It is established in 1981 to protect a population of the great Indian bustard in the region, it is now in the process of being denotified due to opposition by the local people and the extinction of the bird locally. The decision is now awaiting a final approval from the Supreme Court of India (SCI) and should it come through, the sanctuary will become India’s first such reserve to lose its official recognition.

Notes:
India’s first-ever All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi on the occasion of 2nd National Ayurveda Day (NAD) i.e. on 17 Oct 2017. It has been set up along the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The purpose of AIIA is to integrate traditional Ayurveda with new diagnostic tools and technology. It will offer postgraduate and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Ayurveda. Currently, the AIIA’s hospital block includes neurological and degenerative disease care unit, diabetes and metabolic disorders care unit, Yoga, Panchakarma, diabetic retinopathy and infertility clinics. Pathology, biochemistry, microbiology and radiology laboratories and diagnostic facilities are also available in the hospital, which has provision of 200 beds.

Notes:
The World Spine Day (WSD) is observed every year on October 16 to raise awareness about spinal disorders as part of the Bone and Joint Decade’s Action Week. The 2017 theme “Your Back In Action” is highlighting the importance of physical activity and improving posture as part of good spinal health and prevention of injury.

Notes:
The first-ever International tri services joint exercise “INDRA – 2017” will be conducted between Indian and Russian Armed Forces in the Eastern Military District of Russia from 19 to 29 Oct 2017. the INDRA-2017 will strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operability and enable sharing of best practices between both the armed forces. It will be a landmark event in the history of Indo-Russian defence cooperation. It must be noted that Exercise INDRA in its previous nine avatars has been conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. The year 2017 marks a major milestone as this Exercise has been upgraded to involve all the three Services of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy & Air Force), which further accentuates the importance of Joint Services in the present world environment.

Notes:
Lekh Raj Tandon (88), the renowned Indian filmmaker and actor, has passed away in MUmbai, Maharashtra on October 16, 2017. He was best known for films like Amrapali, Agar Tum Na Hote and Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye. He is credited with discovering Shahrukh Khan by casting him his TV serial ‘Dil Dariya’ in 1988. He also directed TV serial Farmaan, broadcast on Doordarshan in early 1990s.

Notes:
The biography of actress and BJP MP Hema Malini “Beyond the Dream Girl” has been authored by veteran journalist Ram Kamal Mukherjee, which is recently launched on October 16, 2017. The book is published by HarperCollins India and will give readers an in-depth look into her life. It is divided into 23 chapters, covering her childhood, teens, Bollywood, rise as an actor, romance, colleagues, marriage, her second innings, launching Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Aashna Hai — which she directed — her ballet, her political journey and spiritual journey. This book will also have Hemaji’s family tree, which has not been published earlier, and there will be a lot of exclusive unseen photographs from her personal, professional and political spheres.

Notes:
The Global Handwashing Day(GHD) is observed every year on October 15 as an annual global advocacy day to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. The day is an opportunity to design, test, and replicate creative ways to encourage people to wash their hands with soap at critical times. The 2017 theme “Our hands, our future!” reminds us that handwashing protects our own health, but also allows us to build our own futures, as well as those of our communities, and the world.