Current Affairs in English – October 18 2022

National Events:

ORS:

Doctor Dilip Mahalanobis (88), who played a key role in the discovery of salt-sugar solution popularly known as ‘ORS’, passed away in Kolkata due to ill health. He is known as the father of ORS solution.

3 – day ‘ Indian Urban Housing Conclave ‘:

PM Modi will inaugurate a 3 – day ‘ Indian Urban Housing Conclave ‘ on 19th Oct 2022 in Gujarat’s Rajkot. It is being organized by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
Aim : to showcase best practices adopted by states and UTs in the successful implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban ( PMAY – U ) along with the achievements of other urban missions.

MPI:

The number of people living below the poverty line in India decreased by 415 million between 2005-06 & 2019-21 , according to a Multidimensional Poverty Index ( MPI ) released on 17th Oct 2022.
The index has been released jointly by the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ) and the Oxford University. However , the index has stated that India still has the world’s highest number of poor at 228.9 mil.

ISA:

Union Minister R.K. Singh on 18th Oct 2022 inaugurated the 5th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance ( ISA ) in New Delhi. Ministers and delegates from 110 member countries are attending the Assembly.
Presently , India holds the office of the President of the ISA Assembly.ISA HQ : Gurugram. ISA is an international organisation , which works to improve energy access & promote solar power.

CASHe & IRCTC:

CASHe has partnered with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation ( IRCTC ) to provide a ‘ travel now pay later ‘ payment option on its travel app , IRCTC Rail Connect.
This will enable travellers of Indian Railways to book their rail tickets instantly and pay for it later in EMIS.
More than 1.5 million railway tickets are booked on the IRCTC travel app per day. IRCTC Founded : 1999.

CJI:

President Droupadi Murmu on 17th Oct 2022 appointed Justice D Y Chandrachud as the new Chief Justice of India ( CJI ). Justice Chandrachud will assume charge as the 50th CJI on 9th Nov 2022.
He will succeed present CJI Justice U U Lalit. Justice Chandrachud was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court in 2016. His father , Justice YV . Chandrachud , was the 16th Chief Justice of India.

2 – day PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022:

PM Modi on 17th Oct 2022 inaugurated the two – day PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022 at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.
The event is aimed at making lives of farmers easier , boost their capabilities and promote advanced agricultural techniques.
The PM also launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana – One Nation One fertiliser during the event.

First SemiconIndia Future Design roadshow:

Union MoS for Electronics & Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar flagged off the first SemiconIndia Future Design roadshow in Gujarat on 17th October 2022.
The roadshow has been launched as part of the efforts to give a boost to the semiconductor design industry in India.
The minister also launched the ISRO tested and qualified NavIC Receiver Chipsets at the event.

Bandhan Bank:

Bandhan Bank has announced that it has roped in Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador. Bandhan Bank is a pan India bank that provides banking services through its 5,644 banking outlets spread across 34 of the 36 states & UTs in the country.
Apart from this Dreamsetgo recently announced him as the first brand ambassador. Founded : 2015. Founder & CEO : Chandra Shekhar Ghosh. HQ : Kolkata.

Gujarat & EC:

For the first time , over 1,000 corporate houses in Gujarat have signed agreements with the Election Commission ( EC ) , to monitor the ” electoral participation of their workforce “.
As part of the agreement , these firms will help to enforce the guidelines of the Election Commission & will also publish the names of those who don’t vote , on their websites or office notice boards.

Google & Assam:

Google has signed an MoU with the Assam govt in order to promote digital growth and development in the state.
Google will collaborate with the Assam government’s Skill , Employment & Entrepreneurship Dept ( SEED ) to strengthen their school digitization efforts with digital learning tools and solutions.
Google will also extend scholarships for Google Career Certificates to Assam’s youth.

” Sree Chithra Conclave 2022 “:

Union MoS for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on 17th oct 2022 inaugurated the 2 – day ” Sree Chithra Conclave 2022 ” in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala.
It has been organized by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.
Objective : to bring together various professionals on a single platform to address the technological challenges in the healthcare sector in the country.

CCMB:

The Hyderabad – based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology ( CCMB ) has become part of the world’s largest and most diverse genomic study covering 54 lakh individuals. It identified 12222 places in the human genome that are associated with human height.
The findings from the path – breaking study have the potential to help researchers worldwide understand how the human body grows.

International Events:

Booker Prize:

Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka on 17th October 2022 won the 2022 Booker Prize for his second novel ‘ The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida ‘.
47 – year – old Karunatilaka has become the 2nd Sri Lankan to win the prestigious literary prize after Michael Ondaatje.
The Booker Prize is awarded annually to a book published in English in the United Kingdom & Ireland. First awarded : 1969.

World Trauma Day : 17th October:

Every year , 17th October is celebrated as World Trauma Day. This day highlights the increasing rate of accidents and injuries causing death and disability across the world and the need to prevent them. Trauma means ” any injury caused to the body “.
Every year , about 5 million people die from injuries across the world. World Trauma Day started in 2011 in New Delhi.

Sweden:

Conservative leader Ulf Kristersson was on 17th Oct 2022 elected as Sweden’s new Prime Minister . Kristersson , 58 , was elected with 176 votes in favour and 173 against , after announcing a deal to form a three – party government.
Kristersson will succeed Magdalena Andersson as Sweden’s new Prime Minister. Andersson became Sweden’s first female prime minister in 2021. Sweden Capital : Stockholm.

NATO:

NATO on 17th Oct 2022 began its long – planned annual nuclear exercise ” Steadfast Noon ” in northwestern Europe. 14 of the 30 NATO members are participating in this exercise which is being hosted by Belgium in 2022.
The exercise will run until 30th October. The main part of the drill will be conducted more than 1,000 km from Russia. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. ( NATO ) HQ : Brussels , Belgium.

Sports Events:

BCCI:

Former cricketer Roger Binny has been elected as the 36th President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ). He replaces Sourav Ganguly , who held the post since 2019.
Binny , 67 , was one of the architects of India’s 1983 World Cup triumph and president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. Jay Shah will continue for a second term as the secretary of the BCCI.

Jyothi Yarraji:

Jyothi Yarraji on 17th Oct 2022 became the first Indian woman to finish the 100m hurdles race in under 13 seconds at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru.
Her earlier national record was 13.04 seconds set in May 2022. National Open Athletics Championships first held : 1961.