1. International Poverty Eradication Day observed on 17 October

• October 17 is marked as the International Poverty Eradication Day. The main aim of this day is to raise awareness about the people who are struggling and living in poverty. It is necessary to remove poverty mainly in developing countries.
• According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, one of the keys to ending child poverty is addressing poverty in the household, from which it often stems.  Access to quality social services must be a priority.
• 2020 Theme: Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all.

2. Kyrgyzstan President Jeenbekov resigns after unrest

• Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned after days of protests over a disputed parliamentary election, saying he wants to prevent clashes and bloodshed between security forces and protesters.
• On 4th October 2020, he was re-elected as the President in Parliamentary election, causing political turmoil throughout the country.
• The 61-year-old has served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 2017 to 2020. He was also the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from April 2016 to August 2017.

Foot Notes:
About Kyrgyzstan:
Capital: Bishkek
Currency: Kyrgyzstani som

3. NTPC CMD Gurdeep Singh gets tenure extension till July 2025

• The Appointment Cabinet Committee has approved the tenure extension for NTPC CMD Gurdeep Singh till July 31, 2025
• The extension will be applicable beyond February 4, 2021, when his 5-year term comes to an end
• Gurdeep Singh has earlier worked at NTPC and also across the power sector in firms such as CLP, CESC, IDFC, Powergen and AES. His second term will start from 4 February next year and extend till 31 July 2025 which is the date of his superannuation.

Foot Notes:
About NTPC:
Founded: 1975.
Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

4. 40 pc discount on Cargo movement between India, Chabahar Port, Iran extended for one year

• The Indian government has decided to extend the current concessional rate of 40% discount on the cargo movement between India and Iran’s Chabahar Port for the time period of one year.
• According to the Ministry of Shipping, the discount of 40% will apply for the coastal movement of vessel and cargo related charges that are being handled at Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Deendayal Port to Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar.
• The aim behind the extension of the discount period is to promote trade through Iran’s Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar. The step will also give a boost to the coastal movement of cargo being handled at Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Deendayal Port from/to ShahidBeheshti Port.

About Iran:
Capital: Tehran
Currency: Iranian rial
President: Hassan Rouhani

5. India designated Vice-Chair of OECD Working Group on GLP

• India has been designated the Vice-Chair of Good Laboratory Practice, GLP Working Group of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recognising the contribution of the Indian GLP programme.
• Good Laboratory Practice is a quality system, which has been evolved by OECD to ensure that safety data generated on various chemicals like industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products and medical devices can be relied upon by regulatory authorities.
• The Department of Science and Technology had established the National GLP Compliance Monitoring Authority (NGCMA) with the approval of the Union Cabinet on April, 2002. NGCMA is the National body which grants GLP certification to test facilities conducting safety studies on new chemicals of the mentioned categories in accordance with OECD Council norms.

Foot Notes:
About OECD:
Headquarters: Paris, France
Founded: 30 September 1961
Secretary-General: José Ángel Gurría

6. Government bans import of air conditioners with refrigerants

• With a view to promote domestic manufacturing and cutting imports of non-essential items, the Centre banned import of air conditioners with refrigerants.
• They join the list of products such as tyres, TVs sets and agarbattis where import restrictions have been imposed.
• ACs have been identified as potential items for focus on domestic manufacturing as components are imported in large quantities.

7. PM greeted NSG personnel and their families on the Raising Day of NSG.

• Prime Minister NarendraModi greeted National Security Guard (NSG) personnel and their families on the Raising Day of NSG. The NSG is a counter-terrorism unit that formally came into existence in 1986 by an act of Parliament- ‘National Security Guard Act, 1986’.
• It operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is a task-oriented force that has two complementary elements in the form of: Special Action Group (SAG) comprising of the Army personnel- is the main offensive or the strike wing of the NSG, and
• Special Ranger Groups (SRG) comprising personnel drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces/State Police Forces they generally handle VIP securities.

Foot Notes:
About NSG:
Director General: Surjeet Singh Deswal
Founded: 22 September 1986
Headquarters: New Delhi

8. Delhi CM Kejriwal launches campaign “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” to urge residents to turn off vehicles at Red lights

• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a campaign Red light on, Gaadi off to tackle air pollution in the national capital. Kejriwal said that there are one crore vehicles registered in the city. He urged people to switch off their vehicles, while waiting on a traffic signal.
• On average a car spends about 15 to 20 minutes at a red light every day and consumes about 200 ml of oil.
• If a person starts switching off his vehicle at a red light, he can save seven thousand rupees in a year.

Foot Notes:
About Delhi:
Lt. Governor: Anil Baijal
Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal

9. Kashmiri artisans to set up store on Flipkart marketplace as e-commerce giant signs MoU with J&K govt

• The JK Government signed an historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with online store Flipkart to provide a platform for local artisans, craftsmen, weavers to reach customers across the globe.
• The partnership with the e-commerce marketplace like Flipkart will enable the local artisans, craftsmen and weavers to reach global markets and also provide an appropriate opportunity for the momentous growth and development of the respective sectors.
• This e-marketing channel shall involve and benefit artisans and weavers both in organized and unorganized sector and for the first six months, Flipkart will not charge any fee from the artisans and weavers.

• Veteran sports journalist and Cricket commentator, Kishore Bhimani, has passed away. He was 80.
• Bhimani was a leading cricket commentator in the Eighties and Nineties and is best remembered for being on air during the tied Test of 1986 between India and Australia in Chepauk, Chennai.
• He had received a lifetime achievement award for his decades long contribution in the fields of media and commentary in 2013.