Infosys bags digital transformation services deal from Volvo

NATIONAL NEWS

Infosys bags digital transformation services deal from Volvo

• Tech major Infosys has been selected as the main supplier to deliver Volvo Cars’ digital transformation services for its enterprise digital commercial operations applications and products.
• Infosys will offer next generation application services leveraging its global delivery model (GDM), agile delivery, automation and other service optimisation levers to deliver effective service operations.
• Based on the Scale Agile Framework (SAFe), Infosys will enable transformation of application management and application development deliveries to a 100% agile operating model.

India slips 10 places to 68th on global competitiveness index

• India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on the annual global competitiveness index, largely due to improvements witnessed by several other economies. Singapore, meanwhile, has replaced the US as the world’s most competitive economy.
• India, which was ranked 58th in the annual Global Competitiveness Index, compiled by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil (ranked even lower than India at 71 this year).
• India is also ranked high — at 15th place — in terms of corporate governance, while it is ranked second globally for shareholder governance, the WEF study showed. In terms of the market size, India is ranked third, while it has got the same rank for renewable energy regulation.
• In the overall ranking, India is followed by some of its neighbours including Sri Lanka at 84th place, Bangladesh at 105th, Nepal at 108th and Pakistan at 110th place.
• The WEF said the drop of 10 places in India’s position to 68th place may look dramatic, but the decline in the country’s competitiveness score is relatively small.

AIIMS, Health ministry launch 'eDantSeva' website and app

• The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry of launched the first-ever website and mobile application on oral health awareness.
• The digital platform, 'e-DantSeva', contains information about the National Oral Health Programme, a detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material and a unique feature called the 'Symptom Checker'.
• The website also provides GPRS route and satellite images of the facility for easier access to the people.

1st Day Care Recreation Centre inaugurated for senior citizens in Leh

• The first Government-sponsored and operated day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens was inaugurated by Supreme Court judge, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer in presence of Chief Justice J&K, Gita Mittal in Leh.
• The day care Centre, co-sponsored by Government and the District Legal Service Authority will provide a raft of medical facilities including geriatric care, health consultations and check-ups, physiotherapy as well legal service the senior citizens would require on various legal issues.

Govt launches Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan, a month long exploratory open water rafting expedition

• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched a unique initiative called 'Ganga Aamantran' to connect with the stakeholders of the river.
• It is a pioneering exploratory open- water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river to begin on coming and will continue till 11th of next month.
• The expedition will start at Devaprayag and culminate at Ganga Sagar covering the entire stratch of over 25,000 kilometres of the River.
•  This is the first ever effort by National Mission for Clean Ganga to raft across the entire stretch of the river and also the longest ever social campaign undertaken through an adventure sporting activity to spread the message of River Rejuvenation and Water Conservation on a massive scale. 

ECONOMIC AND FINANCE

Reliance Mutual Fund renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund

• Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund.
• The asset management company that Sundeep Sikka will continue to lead the company with the same management team.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund becomes the largest foreign-owned AMC in India, wherein Japan’s largest life insurance company Nippon Life Insurance currently holds 75 per cent stake.

I-T dept launches faceless e-assessment scheme for taxpayers

• Dubbed as a major initiative in the direction of taxation reform, the income tax (I-T) department launched a faceless e-assessment scheme to eliminate interface between an assessing officer and a taxpayer.
• NeAC will be an independent office that will look after the work of e-assessment scheme which is recently notified for faceless e-assessment for income tax payers.
• There would be NeAC in Delhi to be headed by the principal chief commissioner of income tax.
• There are eight Regional e-Assessment Centres (ReAC) set up in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad which would comprise assessment unit, review unit, technical unit and verification units. Each ReAC will be headed by the chief commissioner of income tax.

Consumer confidence dips to 6-year low in September, reveals RBI survey; people less confident about income, jobs

• Consumer confidence dipped to a six-year low in September as sentiment around jobs, income and discretionary spending declined, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s survey released. The survey was conducted in 13 major cities.
• Both the current situation index and the future expectations index recorded declines, the RBI said in its consumer sentiment survey report. The Current Situation Index (CCI) dropped to 89.4 in September from 95.7 recorded in the July round of survey, the RBI data showed.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday (4 October) cut interest rates for a record fifth straight time to almost a decade low as it moved aggressively to revive economic growth languishing at six-year lows.

APPOINTMENT

Portugal president asks Antonio Costa to form government

• President has invited caretaker Prime Minister Antonio Costa to form a new government after his centre-left Socialists won Sunday's election, expanding their parliamentary representation but landing just shy of a full majority.

FACTS

Capital-Lisbon

Currency-Euro

Bastian Schweinsteiger announces retirement from football at age of 35

• The former Bayern Munich, Germany and Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.

AWARD

“Spirit of Kerala” wins people’s choice Award

• Short film from Kerala “Spirit of Kerala” has won the People’s Choice Award at the recently concluded My Rode Reel film competition. The film won the honour beating 1,680 entries. The short film is based on a boat race and directed by Arun Joseph.
• My Rode Reel film competition is touted as the ‘world’s largest short film competition’.

2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for work that led to smartphone batteries

• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino "for the development of lithium-ion batteries", the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced.
• John B. Goodenough was born in Germany in 1922 and is currently at the University of Texas in the US. M. Stanley Whittingham was born in 1941 in the UK and currently teaches at the Binghamton University in the US. Akira Yoshino was born in 1948 in Japan and is currently a professor at the Meijo University in Japan.
• Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised the world of technology. The batteries power everyday products such as smartphones, laptops and even electric vehicles.

2019 Nobel Prize: Kaelin, Ratcliffe, Semenza jointly awarded for work on cells, oxygen

• The 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to scientists William G Kaelin, Jr, Peter J Ratcliffe and Gregg L Semenza.
• They received the award jointly for their discoveries of "how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability," the Nobel Committee announced on Monday.
• It is the 110th prize in the category that has been awarded since 1901.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Space Week

• The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
• The 2019 theme is “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars.”