IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 8th, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 8th, 2017

1.     Indian Air Force celebrates its 85th anniversary On 8th October. 

a.      The force was formed on 8th October 1932 with a strength of six RAF-trained officers and 19 air soldiers.

b.     Important Details about Indian Air Force

        i.      Founded    on : 8th October 1932

     ii.      Motto : Touch the Sky with Glory

   iii.      Headquarters : New Delhi

   iv.      Chief of Air Staff : Birender Singh Dhanoa

     v.      Vice Chief of Air Staff   : Shirish Baban Deo

   vi.      Indian Airforce is the World's 4th largest Airforce.

vii.      The Indian Air Force has involved in the following:

1.     World War II

2.     Sino-Indian War

3.     Operation Cactus

4.     Operation Vijay

5.     Kargil War

6.     Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

7.     Indo-Pakistani War of 1947

8.     Congo Crisis

9.     Operation Poomalai

10.                 Operation Pawan

2.     The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a mass marriage scheme titled ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’.

a.      Under this scheme, state social welfare department will conduct the mass marriages and state government will spend Rs 35,000 on each couple, besides gifting them mobile phones and household items. 

3.     President Ram Nath Kovind On 8th October launched spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Math's ₹100-crore clean water initiative for rural India in Kerala's Kollam. 

a.      He inaugurated 'Jivamritam' filtration system which will provide drinking water to 10 million villagers across the country.

4.     Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee On 8th October adopted a resolution urging party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party President.

5. With an objective to conserve and improve the environment, the ChhattisgarhGovernment has banned use of Chlorinated Plastic and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)with immediate effect. 

6.  A committee appointed by the Centre has submitted a draft Haj policy to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi, proposing the abolishment of Haj subsidy. 

a.      The policy was reportedly in light of a Supreme Court order directing government to abolish the subsidy by 2022. 

b.     Another recommendation in the policy allows women aged above 45 years to travel without a male relative.

c.      Head of this Commttee : Afzal Amanullah

7.     The CRPF has sent 21,000 rounds of newly-developed and “less lethal” Plastic Bulletsto the Kashmir Valley to tackle street protests and reduce the use of pellet guns. 

a. The bullets, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by the Ordnance factory, can be fitted in the AK series of assault rifles.

8.     During his two-day visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi On 8th October laid the foundation stone for a Greenfield International Airport, which is expected to cost ₹2,500 crore, at Rajkot. 

9.     Admiral D K Joshi sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar IslandsOn 8th October.

10.   Private lender Axis Bank On 8th October announced that it has completed the acquisition of mobile wallet firm Free Charge and appointed Sangram Singh as its CEO. 

a.The bank has completed the acquisition of FreeCharge for a cash consideration of ₹373.27 crore, on a cash free, debt free basis. 

11. The Supreme Court of India has appointed senior advocate and former additional solicitor general Amrender Sharan as Amicus Curiae on a petition seeking reprobe into assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. 

12.Electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon is planning to startselling medicines online.

13. The Tamil Nadu government On 8th October issued orders to hike theatre ticket prices by 25%, with the maximum ticket price being ₹160 and the minimum price being ₹50. 

a.      This comes after Tamil Film Producers Council and exhibitors decided to not release movies from October 6 to protest the implementation of 10% local body tax in addition to the existing GST.

14. The GST Council has raised the threshold limit for Composition Scheme to ₹1 crore from the current ₹75 lakh to ease tax filing for small traders. 

a.      The scheme allows small businesses, including eateries, to pay 1-5% tax without going through tedious formalities.

15. Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has featured in this year's list of six possible winners for the Nobel Prize in Economics. 

a.      Rajan is presently working as a professor at the University of Chicago.

16. Mercedes' British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix 2017.

17. Barcelona captain Andrés Iniesta signed the club's first lifetime contract On 8th October, in a deal that will keep him at the Catalan club for the rest of his career.