NATIONAL NEWS

IAF Celebrates 90th Anniversary

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 90th anniversary in Chandigarh on 08 October 2022.
• On the occasion, a ceremonial parade was held at the air force station. Nearly 80 military aircraft and helicopters have participated in the Air Force Day fly-past at the Sukhna Lake complex.
• This is the first time that the annual parade and fly-past are being held outside Delhi-NCR.
• Sukhoi, MIG -29 and Hawk, C-103, vintage Dakota, and other aircraft performed various formations. The Government has approved the creation of a new Weapon Systems branch in the Indian Air Force.

India’s First Fully Solar Powered Village

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 09 October 2022, declared Modhera village in Gujarat's Mehsana district as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village.
• Both the central government and state government have invested Rs 80 crore in the project.
• In the village a ground mounted solar power plant and over 1300 rooftop solar systems have been installed on the houses to generate electricity.
• As the people in Modhera would be saving 60% to 100% on electricity bills after using solar energy.
• The central and Gujarat government initiated the solarisation of Modhera Sun Temple and town to provide round-the-clock solar energy through a solar power project integrated with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Sujjanpura in Mehsana.

Haryana Government Signs MoU with Dubai

• The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Dubai, the governing authority of the Emirate of Dubai for cooperation in various economic activities.
• The MoU is expected to boost investment in Haryana and strengthen the bonds of economic and cultural ties between Dubai and Haryana.
• These activities include investment promotion and land development and projects related to logistics in Haryana.
• The Government of Haryana, on its part, will provide financial incentives and other benefits in respect of any and all investments of the Government of Dubai.

Bird Festival at Pahalgam

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a first of its kind Bird Festival 2022 was inaugurated at Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

• The Bird Festival is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department in collaboration with Sanctuary Nature Foundation.

• The inaugural ceremony of the six-day Bird Festival was attended by a large number of nature enthusiasts and bird lovers from across the country as well as Jammu and Kashmir.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

2050 Goal of Net-Zero Emissions from Planes

• United Nation’s international Civil Aviation organization adopted a long- term aspirational goals to sharply cut carbon emissions from air travel by 2050 in response to growing pressure for airlines to reduce their pollution in Montreal, Canada.

• Representatives of nearly 200 nations in the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization adopted what the agency called an “aspirational goal” of reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050.

• The move will encourage the production of more sustainable aviation fuel.

• The European Union proposed the higher taxes on fossil fuels including jet fuel.

BANKING

Pilot Project of Digital Rupee

• The Reserve Bank of India will commence limited pilot launches of a central bank backed digital rupee for specific use cases
• The concept paper was made public as part of an experiment with digital money in India.
• The RBI is currently developing a phased deployment plan while investigating the advantages and disadvantages of a central bank digital currency.
• The central bank stated that the Concept Note on Central Bank Digital Currency was published to raise awareness about Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in general and the proposed features of the Digital Rupee.

SPORTS

IBSF World Billiards Championship

• India's leading cueist, Pankaj Advani has claimed his 25th gold medal on the world stage, winning the 2022 IBSF World Billiards Championship in Kuala Lumpur.
• He outclassed compatriot Sourav Kothari 4-0 in a one-sided final to defend the title for the fifth time in a row.
• With 25 world titles, Advani has extended his record-breaking success as India's winner of the most gold medals in world championships across all sports.

Japanese Formula1 Grand Prix

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on 09 October 2022 won the Japanese F1 Grand Prix to become world champion for the second successive season.
• Red Bull Sergio Perez and Ferrari Charles Leclerc came at the second and third positions respectively.
• It was Max Verstappen’s maiden Japanese GP win.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

MD and CEO of SBI General Insurance

• Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu was appointed as the new managing director and chief executive officer of SBI General Insurance Company Limited.

• He has been appointed with effect from 04 October 2022.

• Prior to this, Kishore Kumar Poludasu held the position of Deputy Managing Director and Country Head of State Bank of India’s Singapore Operations.

• Since 1991, Shri Kishore Kumar Poludasu has worked for the State Bank of India and has held a number of roles.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Migratory Bird Day

• World Migratory Bird Day is observed twice a year during the second Saturday in May and again on the second Saturday in October.
• This year the day marks on 08 October 2022.
• The goal is to raise awareness of issues affecting migratory birds and to inspire action around the world to take measures for their conservation.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Impact of light pollution on Migratory Birds’.

World Post Day

• World Post Day is observed every year on 09 October when the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was founded in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland.
• It is observed to celebrate the role of the post in the everyday life.
• World Post Day 2022 also promotes the contributions made by the postal services in the social and economic development.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘Post for Planet’.
• In 1948, the UPU became part of the United Nations and the countries celebrated the first World Post Day on 09 October 1969 in Tokyo, Japan at the UPU Congress.