Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, brides from economically backward sections under the ”Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah / Nikah Yojna” are being eligible to receive Rs 51,000 provided they prove that the groom’s house has a toilet before the wedding. And for that, it has been made mandatory for the groom to click a selfie while standing in the toilet in his residence. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that toilets are constructed in every household in the state.

Notes:
The World Bank has recently released its report titled ‘South Asia Economic Focus, Making (De) Centralization Work’. As per report, Bangladesh has become the 2nd fastest growing economy in south Asia after Bhutan. The report point out that Bangladesh’s economy is likely to maintain growth above 7% i.e. supported by a robust macroeconomic framework, political stability, and strong public investments. However, the report stated that the financial sector vulnerability, fiscal pressures and loss of external competitiveness pose challenges to its growth rate.

Notes:
On 13th October 2019, the noted director and producer Priyadarshan has been conferred the National Kishore Kumar Samman for 2018-19 in Khandwa, the birthplace of the legendary singer- actor. According to the official, the Kishore Kumar Samman jury selected noted actor Waheeda Rehman for the award for 2017-18. The award was  instituted by the Madhya Pradesh  Department of Culture. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. Kishore Kumar, who passed away on 13th October 1987, is considered as one of the most popular and successful singers of Hindi film industry and from soft numbers to peppy tracks to romantic moods.

Notes:
Ashleigh Barty has won ‘The Don’ award at the annual Sport Australia Hall of Fame and was recognized as currently the top Australian athlete. She won the 2019 French Open tennis tournament and is currently the top-ranked WTA player in the world. Barty became only the 2nd tennis player to win the prestigious award after  Pat Rafter in 2001. ‘The Don’ award is Australian sport’s highest individual honour.

Notes:
Air India has become the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A-320 aircraft with passengers on board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice-versa. Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani flagged off flight AI665 and it was carried to runway using Taxibot at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport – to Mumbai. It is a pilot controlled semi-robotic towbar-less aircraft tractor used as alternate taxiing equipment.

Notes:
Indian shuttler Priyanshu Rajawat has won the men’s singles title at the 2019 Bahrain International Series Badminton at Isa Town. He beat top-seed Jason Anthony Ho-Shue from Canada in the finals 16-21, 21-7, 21-12 in the summit clash. Top-seeded Indian mixed double pair of Juhi Dewangan and Venkat Gaurav Prasad also finished at the top. In women’s singles, Ira Sharma finished second best.

Notes:
The International Day of Rural Women is celebrated every year on 15th of October to recognize the critical role and contribution of rural women (including indigenous women) in increasing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty”. The 2019 theme is “Rural women and girls building climate resilience”.

Notes:
Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer have jointly won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Mr Banerjee was educated at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D in 1988. He is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ms Duflo is the 2nd woman to be awarded a Nobel in economics after Elinor Ostrom (2009) and  is also the youngest person-ever to receive the Economics Prize. The prize amount of 9 million Swedish krona will be shared equally between the three Laureates.

Notes:
The Culture Department of Uttar Pradesh government has decided to organise India’s first training and performance programme of world famous KHON (खोन) Ramlila. The artists will get training from experts of Thailand as part of cultural exchange programme between two nations. Then, they will perform at Grand Deepotsav function which will be organised on 26th of October 2019 in Ayodhya. The KHON Ramlila of Thailand is included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible cultural heritage and it’s a form of masked dance depicting the scenes of Ramlila. It has no dialogues and background voices narrate the whole story of Ramayana. KHON Ramlila’s performance is also a visual delight famous for its beautiful attire and golden masks

Notes:
The 2nd edition of Indo-French Knowledge Summit was held at University of Lyon in France on October 17-18.  It is dedicated to higher education, research and innovation. The summit was organised by the Embassy of France in India in association with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the HRD Ministry.