October 15, 2017 Orissa Govt Signs MOU with State Bank of India The Odisha government's Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection and the State Bank of India have signed an MOU for integration of SBI e-pay with the cyber treasury. The MoU is a landmark initiative by the state government to facilitate revenue collection from citizens through digital banking platform. The SBI e-pay is the payment aggregator service wing of the bank which will facilitate online payment of government dues by the customers of any public/ private sector banks by using the payment gateway of SBI. Chennai Metro Rail introduces Free Bicycle Scheme Chennai Metro Rail has introduced a Free Bicycle Ride Scheme for its customers. For this purpose, it has tied up with a private agency to provide for upto 100 hours of free bicycle rides every month. Commuters of Chennai Metro Rail can avail of this scheme in four metro stations to begin with. www.talentsprint.com 1
UNESCO gets A new Director General UNESCO s executive board chose former French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay to be the UN cultural agency s next leader. Azoulay succeeds outgoing Director-General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria. She was in the post since the last eight-years. Mitra Shakti 2017 India Sri Lanka joint military exercise held Between 13th and 15th October 2017, the joint military exercise between India and Sri Lanka, called the Mitra Shakti, was held at the Aund Military Ground in Pune. This is in response to China s growing presence in the South Asian and Indian Ocean Regions. The aim is to exchange the best military practices of the two countries and build a strong relationship between the two armies. Five Telengana Students selected for NASA Rover Challenge Five students from Telengana State have been chosen for this year s NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. The Challenge will be held in April 2018 in the United States of America. For selection in the final challenge, these students www.talentsprint.com 2
had to submit a moon buggy design report that make their buggy work on the surface of the moon, ensuring the safety of its passengers. IIT Madras develops world s largest combustion centre The world s largest combustion research center was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) in Tamil Nadu. The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) was inaugurated by NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat. The establishment of the center will give a major boost to the Indian scientific community and will provide an impetus to research in Alternative Energy and Environmental Protection by focusing on effective utilization of combustion as a means of thermo chemical energy conversion. IIT-M was established in 1959. Pawan Kumar Goenka is the Chairman of IIT-M. Centenary Award for Literature given to Namita Gokhale Writer Namita Gokhale has bagged the first Centenary Award for Literature for her outstanding contribution to the world of literature. The Award has been instituted by the Assam Sahitya Sabha, which is recognized as the one of the most prestigious literary bodies in India. The Award has been instituted as part of the centenary celebrations of the Assam Sahitya Sabha. www.talentsprint.com 3
First female referee to officiate in FIFA under 17 World Cup Match Switzerland's Esther Staubli has become the first female referee to officiate a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. She was the referee in the match between Japan and New Caledonia in the final round group E match. This is in line with FIFA's objective to further develop women's football as the 38-year-old is one of seven women referees invited to the tournament in India. The final Match of FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held in Kolkata on the 28th October. Jackson Singh scores India s first ever World Cup Football Goal Jackson Singh Thounaojam created history at Delhi s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium by scoring India s first goal in a FIFA U-17 World Cup during India s match against Colombia. The moment for which the entire country was waiting with baited breath, came in the 82nd minute of the match when Jackson headed home from a corner and the 48000 odd-crowd erupted in sheer joy. www.talentsprint.com 4
First Ever Four Day Cricket Test Match approved by ICC The International Cricket Council has approved the first ever Four Day Test Match to be played on a trial basis, between South Africa and Zimbabwe to be played in South Africa between 26th and 29th December 2017. This is a part of the revamping exercise being undertaken by the ICC in the game of cricket. www.talentsprint.com 5