First Rafale Fighter Jet Delivered to India

NATIONAL NEWS

Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express, India’s ‘first private train’ flagged off

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, flagged the country’s first private semi-high-speed train, Tejas Express from Lucknow. The corporate train will run from Lucknow to Delhi six days a week.
• While flagging off the train, Mr. Adityanath thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for gifting the train on the route. The train was an example of modern technology in railways.
• Tejas Express would only have two halts — Kanpur and Ghaziabad.

Govt launches portal for monitoring coal supply to power plants

• The government has launched a portal for better coordination among the ministries of power, coal and Indian Railways for coal supply to power plants.
• The Prakash portal – ‘Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony’ – will enable all stakeholders to monitor coal right from mines to transportation.
• This is a laudable project in ensuring adequate availability optimum utilisation of coal at thermal power plants.

Andhra Pradesh: CM Reddy launches YSR Vahana Mitra scheme

• Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday launched the YSR Vahana Mitra scheme which provides Rs 10,000 allowance to self-employed drivers of autos, taxis and maxi cabs.
• the amount of Rs 10,000 is for the recurring expenses like insurance and maintenance of the vehicle to procure fitness certificate that those who could not make it on time can apply till month-end and their applications would be considered.

First Rafale Fighter Jet Delivered to India

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets and flew a sortie in the MMRCA fighter jet from a French airbase in Paris to gain first-hand experience of the aircraft. Rafale is handed over to Singh on the foundation day of the Indian Air Force.
• The first Rafale bears a tail number ‘RB 01', where 'RB' stands for Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, who played an important role in negotiations for procuring 36 Rafale jets in the flyaway condition.

ECONOMICS

RBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate cut, GDP forecast lowered

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the repo rate or key lending rate by 25 basis points while maintaining an accommodative stance. This is the fifth consecutive rate cut by the apex bank this year, aggregating to 135 bps.
• After a three-day meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the apex bank also cuts GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal year 2019-20 to 6.1% from 6.9% earlier.
• Eventually the Repo rate is likely to settle at 5.15% percent in this rate cut cycle.
• The reverse repo rate was reduced to 4.90%.
• The Marginal Standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate is received to 5.40%

FACTS

Governor of RBI-Shaktikant Das

Headquarters-Mumbai

BANKING

UCO Bank launches UCash, Digilocker and an App

• UCO Bank has launched three new digital products called, UCash, Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West Bengal. A new current account facility has also been launched by the bank.
• UCash enables customers to withdraw money from ATMs through mobile banking without using a debit card.
• Digilocker aims to eliminate the use of physical documents and enables sharing of verified electronic documents.
• The third product, the new mobile app, integrates four existing apps of the bank - UCO Mbanking, UCO UPI, UCO Mpassbook and UCO Secure- in a single interface.

FACTS

MD & CEO of Bank- Atul Kumar Goel

Headquarters-Kolkata

AWARD

Nobel Prize in Physics winners forever changed our conceptions of the world

• The Nobel Prize in Physics has been jointly awarded to James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for their work in furthering our understanding of the universe.
• The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019 was awarded "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth's place in the cosmos" with one half to James Peebles "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology", the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queluz "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star."

APPOINTMENT

Sushil Chandra Mishra Appointed as New CMD Oil India

• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved a proposal to appoint Sushil Chandra Mishra as the Chairman and Managing Director of Oil India Ltd.
• The proposal was moved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Mishra is currently an Executive Director at OIL.
• Mishra will take charge on October 1, 2019 and will hold his post till June 30, 2022.
• In another approval, Alok Kumar Gupta, an Executive Director at ONGC, has been appointed to the post of Director (Operations) at ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of the oil and gas major. He has also been appointed till June 30, 2022.

Vijay Patil elected president, Naik chosen BCCI AGM representative

• Vijay Patil has been elected the president of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) unopposed, while Sanjay Naik and Amol Kale were elected as secretary and vice-president respectively.
• The polling was held for only a few posts as the president, vice-president and secretary -- all part of the Bal Mahaddalkar group -- were already elected unopposed, with the opposition pulling out their nominations for those positions.

OBITUARY

Noted Nephrologist and Padma Shri Awardee HL Trivedi Passes Away

• Renowned kidney transplant surgeon and Padma Shri recipient Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi died due to age-related illnesses, said a medical institute set up by him. He was 87.
• Trivedi, hailed as an expert in handling kidney transplant surgeries, was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, in 2015 for his contribution to society as a nephrologist.

Indian-Origin Journalist Who Started Miss India South Africa Pageant Dies

• Farook Khan, a prominent Indian-origin journalist in South Africa and cultural activist who received fame for his investigative reporting during apartheid, has died in his hometown Durban after battling cancer.
• He was 77.
• A journalist for six decades, Farook Khan died.

Centenarian philatelist Krishna Kadekodi passes away

• Centenarian philatelist and coin collector Krishna Gopalkrishna Kadekodi passed away at his residence at Sadashiv Nagar in Belagavi.
• He started his career as a revenue inspector and retired as a special deputy commissioner at the Regional Commissioner’s Office in Belagavi. He was the first tahsildar of Panaji after the liberation of Goa from Portuguese occupation.

SPORTS

Maj AQ Khan Won Silver Medal in 53rd Asian Body Building and Physique Sports

• Maj Abdul Quadir Khan of the Corps of Signals brought laurels to India by winning a Silver Medal at the prestigious 53rd Asian Body Building and Physique Sports Championship held at Batam, Indonesia on 02 Oct 19.

India's First-Ever Floating Basketball Court Opens in The Arabian Sea

• The National Basketball Association brought to India the first-ever Floating Basketball Court in the Arabian Sea near Bandra Worli Sealink