Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
KS Dhatwalia, the senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer,  has been appointed as the Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB).  Mr. Dhatwalia  will continue to hold the additional charge of Director General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). 

Notes:
In Swimming, Indian duo of N Wilson Singh and Satish Kumar Prajapati produced impressive performances to win a gold in 10m platform synchronized event at the ongoing 10th Asian Age Group Championships 2019 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Therefore, India extended their total tally to 60 medals (17 gold, 23 silver and 20 bronze) in the prestigious championships, which is the largest aquatic event in Asia.

Notes:
Kerala has topped the NITI Aayog’s report titled ‘The Success of Our Schools-School Education Quality Index’ (SEQI) in list of 20 states, followed by Rajasthan and Karnataka. While the most-populous state Uttar Pradesh was ranked at the bottom position during 2016-17. The report is based on indexing of states and Union Territories (UTs) on the learning outcomes for school-going children. Of the 7 UTs, Chandigarh came at the top position, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Puducherry, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. This school education report has considered 2015-2016 as the base year and 2016-2017 as the reference year.

Notes:
Suresh Chitturi, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Hyderabad-based Srinivasa Farms, has become the first Indian and Asian to be elected as Chairman of the International Egg Commission (IEC) for 2 years. The London-based organisation ‘IEC’was established at the 2nd International Egg Conference in Bologna, Italy in 1964.

Notes:
Abhishek Singh, the 1995-batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MyGov India, the government’s citizen-centric online platform. He succeeded tech entrepreneur Arvind Gupta.  The aim of MyGov India is to empower people to connect with the government and contribute towards good governance.

Notes:
The State Bank of India (SBI) has opened its Melbourne office & became the first Indian bank to have a branch in the Australian state of Victoria. The Melbourne office will assist the growing trade and investment relations between Victoria and India and is the outcome of the state’s 10-year India Strategy – our shared future.

Notes:
Annu Rani has become the first Indian to qualify for Women’s Javelin Throw final at World Athletics Championships (WAC) in Doha. She smashed her own national record during the qualification round of the Championships with best attempt of 62.43 metres.

Notes:
According to a report ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat 2019’ released by Ministry of Railways, the Jaipur station  has topped the list of cleanest railway stations in the non-suburban group of stations with a total score of 931.75, followed by Jodhpur, Durgapura, Jammu Tawi, Gandhinagar-Jp, Suratgarh, Vijayawada, Udaipur city, Ajmer and Haridwar. In the suburban group of stations, Maharashtra’s Andheri station has topped the list. The cleanest railway zone 2019 award has been given to the North Western Railway Zone under which the Jaipur railway station falls. The survey has been carried out by the Quality Council of India (QCI).

Notes:
In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 in Ahmedabad & declared India as Open Defecation Free (ODF) country.  He also released postage stamp and silver coin to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. PM Modi also underlined that the government would achieve its target of single-use plastic-free India by 2022.

Notes:
The book titled ‘India and the Netherlands – Past, Present and Future’ has been penned by Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony. The book highlights the significant place India occupied in the Dutch worldview and the relationship between the two nations secured by strong economic ties and vibrant exchanges in culture, sports, and yoga.