Daily news will speed up the preparation for the Civil Services Examination and it also plays a crucial role to grasp the current affairs topic comprehensively. Here we have covered most of the topics related to various categories including National, International, Sports, Science and Technology, and so on.
1. 5th Joint Working Group on Coal
-5th Joint Working Group (JWG) on Coal between India and Indonesia scheduled to be held on 5th November 2020 through Video conference from New Delhi due to COVID-19 pandemic. India will host it.
– From the Indian side, this will be co-chaired by Shri Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India and by Dr Ir. Ridwan Djamaluddin, Director General of Mineral and Coal Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia, from the Indonesian side.
– The meeting will focus on the Indian Coal Policy Reforms – recent updates; Coking Coal Exploration and Commercial Coal Mining in India; Research and Development of CCT in India and Potential of Indonesia – India Business Cooperation on Coal Post Covid-19.
– From both the sides, the B2B session will bring together the industries for discussing the issues that pave an impact on business opportunities in the backdrop of the regulatory framework.
– Between the two countries, the deliberations will guide the Coal business.
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2. 6th India International Science Festival (IISF)
– The 6th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2020 will be held from 22ndto 25th December, 2020.
– Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that it will be a reflection on Indian Science & Technology Innovations for Atmanirbhar Bharat and Global welfare.
– CSIR to spearhead the IISF 2020 with support of all other concerned ministries and departments.
– The first and second IISF was held in New Delhi, the third in Chennai, the fourth in Lucknow, and the fifth IISF were held in Kolkata. All these IISFs had generated a huge response from people in India and also from abroad.
About India International Science Festival (IISF)
– It is an annual event that is organised jointly by science & technology-related Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha).
– It is a festival to celebrate the achievements of India’s scientific and technological advancements with students, innovators, craftsmen, farmers, scientists and technocrats from India and abroad.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 20 October, 2020
3. Diamond Jubilee Lecture Hall Complex
– Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually inaugurated the newly built Diamond Jubilee Lecture Hall Complex of National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur.
– According to Ramesh Pokhriyal, India will become a leader in the educational field and students in future from different countries that would come to India for higher education like in the past era of Nalanda & Takshshila Universities.
– The Minister also said that Institute has adopted various local villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan.
– There are several facilities provided namely state-of-the-art facilities in the Lecture Hall Complex like Ultra HD Projectors, Virtual Class Rooms, Smart Class Rooms, facilities for differently-abled students, proposed Griha rating, use of energy-saving LED and Electrical fixtures etc.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 17 October, 2020
4. CSIR partnered clinical trials website “CUReD”
– Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences, launched a website that provides comprehensive information regarding the numerous COVID-19 clinical trials that CSIR is engaged in a partnership with Industry, other government departments and ministries.
-The name of the website is CuRED or CSIR Ushered Repurposed Drugs.
– The following information will be provided by the website including drugs, diagnostics and devices which further include the current stage of the trials, partnering institutions and their role in the trials and other details.
– For clinical trials of AYUSH drugs including AYUSH-64, CSIR is also working with the Ministry of AYUSH.
– Five clinical trials involving Withaniasomnifera, Tinosporacordifolia + Piper longum(in combination), Glycyrrhizaglabra, Tinosporacordifolia & Adhatodavasica (individually and in combination) and AYUSH-64 formulation are undergoing safety and efficacy trials.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 16 October, 2020
5. Australia has agreed to join the Malabar Exercise
– On India’s request, Australia has agreed to join the Malabar Exercise. The exercise is scheduled to be held in November 2020.
– It is expected that the 2020 Malabar Exercise will be held in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
– The exercise in 2019 was conducted off the coast of Japan.
– The exercise had been planned in a ‘non-contact – at sea’ format, due to Covid-19 pandemic.
– Its purpose is to enhance safety and security in the maritime domain.
Daily Gist of ‘The Hindu’, ‘PIB’, ‘Indian Express’ and Other Newspapers: 15 October, 2020
6. “Ghar Tak Fibre” scheme
– ‘Ghar Tak Fibre’ scheme is off to a slow start in Bihar as per the Government data.
– Bihar is the first state that aims to connect all its 45,945 villages by March 31.
– For connecting all villages by March 31, the state would need to dig trenches, lay cables, and provide connectivity to an average of 257 villages daily, or a monthly average of over 7,500 villages.
– The project will be jointly executed by the Department of Telecom (DoT), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and Common Service Centres (CSC).
7. Country’s first multi-modal logistic park
– Country’s first multi-modal logistic park will be built in Assam.
– It will provide direct connectivity to air, road, rail and waterways to the people.
– Under the ambitious BharatmalaPariyojana of the Government of India, the park will be developed.
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