October 2017 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners)

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Friends, here are the Major Current Affairs Highlights of October 2017. These one-liners cover all important International, National, MOUs, Indexes, Banking, Technology, Books & Authors, Committees and Sports affairs of October month (from 1st to 31st October 2017). We will  provide the pdf version by this evening, but we advise you to write these on your own so that you wont forget them again. All the Best and Happy Reading :)

October 2017 Current Affairs Highlights (One-Liners) 

• 10th October 2017 is observed as World Mental Health Day with the Theme 2017 : "Mental health in the workplace".
• 11th October 2017 was observed as International Day of the Girl Child with the theme “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.”
  
• 12th October 2017 (2nd Thursday of October) was observed as World Sight Day (WSD) with the theme "Make Vision Count".
• 13th October 2017 was observed as International Day for Disaster Reduction with the theme "Sendai Seven".
• 14th October 2017 was observed as World Standards Day / International standards day with the theme “Standards make cities smarter”.
• 14th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law (SAARCLAW) Conference was recently held at Colombo, Sri Lanka along with 11th SAARC Chief Justices Conference.
• 15th October 2017 was observed as Global Hand-washing Day with the theme  “Our hands, our future !”.
• 15th October 2017 was observed as International Day of Rural Women with the theme “Challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient agriculture for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”.
• 16th October 2017 was observed as World Food Day with the theme "Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development."
• 16th October 2017 was observed as World Spine Day with the theme “Your Back In Action”.
• 16-year-old Jeakson Thounaojam became the first player in history to score for India in a FIFA World Cup.
• 17th October 2017 was observed as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with the theme “Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies”.
• 17-year-old paddler Manav Thakkar has become the first Indian to occupy the top spot on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit standings.
• 1st BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2017 (DMEx-2017) was recently held at New Delhi.
• 1st Edition of ASEAN India Music Festival was recently held at Purana Qila, New Delhi. Aim of this festival : To boost cultural influences among the peoples of the ASEAN member states and India.
• 1st ever Tri Services Joint Exercise between Indian and Russian Armed Forces, INDRA-2017 was held in the Eastern Military District of Russia from 19th to 29th of October 2017.
• 1st International Consumer Protection Conference on empowering consumers in new markets for South, South East and East Asian Countries was recently held in New Delhi from 26 to 27 October 2017.
• 1st Meeting of India-Australia Joint Steering Committee (JSC) was held in New Delhi.
• 1st October 2017 was observed as the International Day of Older Persons with the Theme “Stepping into the Future : Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society.”
• 1st-ever meeting of BIMSTEC Task Force on Traditional Medicine (BITFM) was held at Parvasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi.
• 20th October 2017 was observed as World Statistics Day with the theme "Better Data, Better Lives".
• 27th October 2017 was obserevd as World Day for Audiovisual Heritage with the theme "Discover, remember and share".
• 2nd Ayurveda Day was observed on 17th October 2017 with the theme 'Run for Ayurveda'.
• 2nd October 2017 (1st Monday of October) was observed as the World Habitat Day with the Theme "Housing Policies: Affordable Homes".
• 2nd October 2017 was observed as the World Architecture Day with the Theme “Climate Change Action !”.
• 31st October 2017 was observed as World Cities Day with the theme "Innovative Governance, Open Cities".
• 31st October 2017 was observed as World Savings Day with the theme “Our future starts with savings”.
• 3rd International Conference on Yoga was recently held in New Delhi. Theme of this Conferee : “Yoga for Wellness”.
• 50 Indian peacekeepers stationed in South Sudan have been awarded the UN Medal for their professionalism and service in protecting civilians and building durable peace in the conflict-ridden country.
• 5th India-Sri Lanka joint training exercise “Mitra Shakti 2017” was held Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharshtra.  
• 5th October 2017 was observed as the World Teachers' Day with the theme  “Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers”.
• 70 new Indian words, including Vada, Jugaad, Gulab Jamun, Bachcha, Bapu, and Dadagiri, were added to the Oxford English Dictionary in its September update.
• 7th October 2017 was obsereved as World Day for Decent Work with Theme "End Corporate Greed: The World Needs a Pay Rise".
• 9th October 2017 was observed as World Post Day with the theme "Innovation, Integration and Inclusion".
• A 6-foot-tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in Wales to mark his 148th birth anniversary.
• A committee appointed by the Centre has submitted a draft Haj policy to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi, proposing the abolishment of Haj subsidy. Head of this Commttee : Afzal Amanullah.
• A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified on 22nd March, 2016, has been brought into force with effect from 12th October, 2017.
• A University Grants Commission's panel has suggested the government to remove word 'Muslim' from Aligarh Muslim University and 'Hindu' from Banaras Hindu University to reflect their secular character.
• A US House of Representatives' panel has approved a legislation to provide $10 billion (₹65,000 crore) for the construction of President Donald Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border.
• According to a recently released survey by ESPN magazine, India coach Ravi Shastri is the World's Highest Paid Cricket Coach.
• According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Bengaluru in the current year (2017) witnessed the highest rainfall in the recorded history of 115 years.  
• Aiming at combatting unrealistic body images, the France has introduced a new law mandating all photoshopped commercial photos to carry a warning that they have been altered.
• Akshay Ruparelia, a 19-year-old Indian-origin youth, has become one of UK's youngest millionaires after his online estate agency business was valued at £12 million in just over a year.  
• Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill Gates to become the World's Richest Person with a net worth of $91.6 billion.  
• An indigenously-built anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kiltan was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Naval Dockyard, Vishakhapatnam.
• As many as 51 Pakistani Hindu migrant families that had been living in Chhattisgarh's Raipur for several years were granted Indian citizenship.
• Asia now has the most billionaires in the world, surpassing the US for the first time.
• At the invitation of the Prime Minister Modi, the President of the European Council, Mr. Donald Franciszek Tusk and the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker were on a ‘working’ visit to New Delhi from 5- 7 October, 2017 to hold the 14th India-EU Summit. The 13th summit was held in Brussels in March 30 last year.
• Australia's near 100-year automotive industry ended after Holden, a unit of US carmaker General Motors, closed its plant to move manufacturing to cheaper locations.
• Austria banned Islamic face veils in public places.
• Bangladesh has signed a $4.5-billion, third line of credit agreement with India for its infrastructure and social sector development.
• Barcelona captain Andrés Iniesta signed the club's first lifetime contract, in a deal that will keep him at the Catalan club for the rest of his career.  
• British boxer Anthony Joshua defended his WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles after defeating France's Carlos Takam in 10 rounds by a technical knockout.
• Burundi became the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• China-based Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) has announced the discovery of multiple pulsars, marking the first confirmed finds from the world's largest radio telescope.
• China's National Space Administration has notified the UN that its 8.5-tonne space station, Tiangong-1, will crash to the Earth between October 2017 and April 2018.
• China's top leadership is considering digging a 1,000-km long tunnel, which if completed would be the world's longest by a huge margin, to divert the waters of the Brahmaputra from Tibet, before it enters Arunachal Pradesh.
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has inaugurated the Pratham-Shyok bridge in Leh, connecting the region to Karakoram in northeastern Ladakh.
• Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was on a visit to Philippines to attend Southeast Asian Defence Ministers' meeting. This is her first foreign visit as defence minister.
• During the President Ram Nath Kovind's 1st visit, India and the Republic of Djibouti have signed an agreement to establish regular Foreign Office-level bilateral consultations between both countries.
• E-commerce major eBay has acquired a 5.4% stake in Flipkart.
• Electric carmaker Tesla has reached an agreement with China, instead of India, to set up its first electric car factory outside the US.
• Electric carmaker Tesla has reached an agreement with China, instead of India, to set up its first electric car factory outside the US.
• Electric carmaker Tesla has signed a deal with the Shanghai government to set up its own manufacturing facility in the city's free-trade zone in China.
• Electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon is going to sell medicines online.
• England won 17th edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating Spain.
• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. During this visit she co-chaired the Indo-Bangla joint consultative commission meeting to review the bilateral relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the ties.
• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the government will celebrate 'Anti-Black Money Day' on November 8th to mark one year since the demonetisation announcement.
• For the first time, Indian city Kolkata has hosted 'PUN (Puppets Unite Neighbours) International Puppet Festival’ from 26th to 31st October 2017.
• Former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova won her first title since returning from a 15-month doping ban, clinching the Tianjin Open.
• French Defence Minister Florence Parly arrived in India for a two-day visit and was accorded with the Guard of Honour.
• Germany is going to limit the intake of refugees to 2 lakh annually, as part of a deal between German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and its coalition ally that has long demanded a cap on the intake.
• Government constituted a Ministerial panel headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to oversee merger proposals of state-owned banks.
• Government has signed a Finance Contract with European Investment Bank (EIB) for lending of €300 million for Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase II Line R6.
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), a public sector oil company became first Indian oil company to trade lubricants in Myanmar.
• Hong Kong is set to become the first Asian city to host the Gay Games, after it won the right to host the Games in 2022, beating the likes of Mexico's Guadalajara and Washington DC.
• Housing 12.77 lakh of the total 33.69 lakh people authorised to carry weapons all over India (as of December 31, 2016) Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with active gun licenses. Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab stood at 2nd and 3rd positions with 3.69 lakh and 3.59 lakh active licenses.
• Iceland has become the smallest country ever to qualify for the final stage of the FIFA World Cup, after topping its qualifying group.
• In a first in India, the Andhra Pradesh government is going to make Digital Prescriptions mandatory for the sale of medicines.
• In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Maharashtra government has tied up with online retail portal Amazon to sell forest produce developed by Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra.
• In an attempt to end Gender bias in women against women, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is undertaking an online campaign #IamThatWoman.
• In an effort to end a decade-long rift, the Palestinian political parties Hamas and Fatah have signed reconciliation deal.
• In it's 4th bi-monthly policy review, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the Repo rate unchanged at 6%. In the last review policy in August, RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6%.
• In wake of regular ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the Union Home Ministry has formed Study group to examine various problems faced by people residing near International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Head of this Study Group : Rina Mitra (Special Secretary in Home Ministry).
• India and Japan signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP), aimed towards expanding bilateral cooperation between both countries in the field of skill development.
• India defeated Malaysia 2-1 in final of the Hockey Asia Cup in Dhaka, to win the tournament for the 3rd time.  
• India has become the 2nd largest smartphone market in the world after overtaking the United States. India now stands behind China on the list.
• India imposed an anti-dumping duty on the import of some flat steel products from China and the European Union to curb the influx of cheaper imports and help local producers.
• India is among 13 nations which voted against a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution to denounce death penalty for consensual same-sex relations.
• India is going to host the 13th session of United Nations' global wildlife summit on migratory species (CMS COP13) in 2020.
• India ranked 100th position among 119 countries on Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2017 report released by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
• India received first ever shipment of US crude oil of 1.6 million barrels, purchased by state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at Paradip Port in Odisha.
• India sent its first-ever consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through Iran's Chabahar Port, marking the inauguration of the trade route bypassing Pakistan.
• India will become the world's third fastest growing aviation market by 2036 after witnessing a growth from 141 million passengers in 2016 to 478 million passengers.
• India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) have signed the IBSA Trust Fund Agreement. This agreement seeks to fight poverty in developing countries.
• India’s Anupama Ramachandran won World Open Under-16 Snooker Championship title in girls category held at St. Petersburg in Russia.  
• Indian Air Force celebrated its 85th anniversary on 8th October 2017.
• Indian Air Force's first three women fighter pilots are set to be commissioned by the end of this year.
• Indian Army's 70th Infantry Day was observed on 27th October 2017 to commemorate supreme sacrifices made by Indian Army’s infantry against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in 1947.
• Indian banks' bad loans increased by 4.5% in six months to hit a record ₹9.5 trillion ($145.56 billion) at the end of June.
• Indian cricket player Ashish Nehra (38) announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
• Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won his 8th Asian Tour title at the Macao Open.
• Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kadmatt participated in Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese Marine Self Defence Force (JMSDF) held at Sasebo, Japan.
• Indian shooter Heena Sidhu clinched a Gold medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane.
• Indian shooter Sangram Dahiya won a Silver medal in the final round of the men's double trap at the ISSF Shooting World Cup Final.
• Indian shooters Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai won India its first gold medal of the ISSF Shooting World Cup in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event.  
• Indian shuttler Samiya Imad Farooqui clinched the Gold medal at the Under-15 women's singles competition after defeating Indonesia's Widjaja Stephani at the Asian Junior Championship at Yangon (Myanmar).
• Indian skipper Virat Kohli has become the top run-scorer at the 200 ODI-mark, after taking the field against New Zealand in the first ODI at Mumbai. 
• Indian woman cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has become only the 3rd player from India to sign up for Women's Big Bash League after Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana.
• Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj is writing her autobiography, which will release in 2018.
• India's Kidambi Srikanth clinched his second consecutive Superseries title of the year at the French Open, becoming the first-ever Indian shuttler to win four Superseries in a year. He had earlier won Indonesia Open, Australian Open and Denmark Open this year.
• India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel has agreed to a merger with Tata Group's consumer mobile business.
• Indonesian lawmakers tday approved a presidential decree banning civil organisations deemed to go against the country's secular state ideology.
• IndusInd Bank announced merger with microfinance lender Bhart Financial Inclusion (BFIL).  
• Iran has banned the export of fuel to Iraq's Kurdistan as a retaliatory measure against the region's independence referendum.
• Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci's CEO Marco Bizzarri has announced it will go fur-free starting from its Spring/ Summer 2018 collection.
• Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni was on a visit to India. With this, he has become the first politician at the post to visit the Asian country in a decade. His visit aimed at strengthening the bilateral political and economic relations between the two countries.
• Japan has given initial approval to restart two reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the world's biggest nuclear power plant, which was shut down post the 2011 magnitude-9 earthquake.
• Jio Payments Bank will begin it's operations in December. Jio Payments Bank is a 70:30 joint venture between Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and the State Bank of India (SBI).
• JK Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series), has been named Europe's highest paid celebrity of 2017 by Forbes.
• Karnataka government is going to launch 'Anila Bhagya' scheme in December, to provide free LPG connections to families living Below Poverty Line. Aim of Anila Bhagya Scheme : To provide clean cooking fuel to reduce health hazards caused by the use of conventional fossil fuel.Madhya Pradesh is going to provide financial assistance of ₹2 lakh to widows who want to remarry.
• Kavita Devi, a former weightlifter and South Asian Games gold medalist, has become the first-ever Indian woman to sign with the WWE.  
• Larsen and Toubro (L&T) handed over offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named “Vikram” to the Indian Coast Guard. It is India’s first-ever over offshore patrol vessel to be built in a private shipyard.
• Late singer Michael Jackson has been named the highest-earning dead celebrity for the 5th consecutive year by Forbes.
• Madras High Court banned the use of pictures of living persons on "banners, signboards, flex boards across Tamil Nadu.
• Maharashtra became the second state after Gujarat to cut Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel bringing them down by ₹2 and ₹1 per litre .
• Maharashtra has used Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines for the first time in during municipal elections in Nanded.
• Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton won his fourth Formula One championship at Mexico Grand Prix 2017.
• Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton won the US Grand Prix.
• Mercedes' British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix 2017.
• Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.
• Mumbai's Gamdevi Police Station, which was built in 1917, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
• Nicaragua signed the Paris climate agreement, leaving the US and Syria as the only two countries out of the global pact.
• Pakistan won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by more than two-thirds vote as the General Assembly elected 15 countries to serve on the 47-member body.
• Patna Pirates defeated Gujarat Fortunegiants to win the 5th edition of Pro Kabaddi.
• Peru has become the latest country to legalise marijuana for medicinal use. With this Peru became 6th country in Latin America to legalise cannabis. Uruguay was first in 2013, allowing sales of cannabis any purpose, followed by Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.
• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi on 17th October 2017 (Ayurveda Day).
• Pooja Kadian has became the first ever Indian sportsperson to win a Gold medal at the Wushu World Championship.  
• President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on a 4-day visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia. This is his first trip abroad since taking office. The visit will be the first by an Indian President to Ethiopia after then President V V Giri's trip in 1972.
• President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed 5-member committee to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Head of the Committee : G. Rohini (Retired Chief Justice of Delhi High Court)
• President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 5th edition of India Water Week (IWW). Theme of 5th India Water Week : “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth”.
• President Ram Nath Kovind recently launched  'Jivamritam' filtration system, spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Math's ₹100-crore clean water initiative for rural India in Kerala's Kollam.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the setting up of India's first marine police training institute at Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district.  
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates India's first roll on-roll off or 'Ro-Ro' ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej. The 31-kilometre service, which costs ₹615 crore, will reduce the eight hour-distance between Ghogha and Dahej to one hour.
• Private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank crossed ₹2 trillion in market capitalisation for the first time, after its stock surged to an all-time high. HDFC Bank is the most valued bank in India with a market capitalisation of ₹4.66 trillion.
• Racer Mahaveer Raghunathan beat 19 European racers to become the first Indian to clinch the Boss GP Championship (Formula Class).  
• Rajasthan became first state in the country to incorporate skill development programme in higher education.
• Rajasthan Government has introduced the Code of Criminal Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the state assembly to protect both serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants in state from being investigated for on-duty action without its prior sanction.
• Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has constituted 5-member Search-cum-Selection committee to select candidate for post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV). Head of this Committee : A Surya Prakash (Prasar Bharati Chairman).
• RBI Governor Urjit Patel has announced that India's economic growth will pick up in the third and fourth quarters to above 7%.
• Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named the Best FIFA Men's Player of the year for the second consecutive time, finishing ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi and PSG's Neymar Jr.
• Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes India Rich List for the tenth consecutive year with a wealth of $38 billion.  
• Roger Federer defeated Juan Martin del Potro to win record eighth title in his hometown Basel, which is his seventh title of 2017 and 95th of his career.  
• Russia and China were among 9 nations suspended from weightlifting competitions for up to 12 months after the International Weightlifting Federation retested samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics.
• Russia has started delivering six second-hand MiG-29 fighter jets worth over ₹4,500 crore to Serbia for free.
• Saudi Arabia has become the world's first country to grant citizenship to a Robot (Sophia).
• Saudi Arabia will allow women to enter sports stadiums starting 2018.
• Saudi Arabia's Sports Authority has officially banned Nightwear at sports venues across the country.  
• Shillong (Meghalaya) will host its second Cherry Blossom Festival between November 8 and 11.
• Sri Lanka and India signed 2 agreements for construction of 1,200 houses through 50 model villages in the island nation, using Indian grant assistance of 600 million rupees.
• Sri Lanka has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to build 1,200 houses in strategically located southern port city of Hambantota.
• State Bank of India (SBI), country’s largest bank, revises its one-year retail fixed deposit rates up to Rs 1 crore to 6.50 percent, down by 25 basis points (bps).
• State-run reinsurer General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO), selling shares at ₹855-912 apiece to raise ₹11,370 crore in the three-day offer.
• Switzerland's Roger Federer defeated world number one Rafael Nadal for the fourth time in as many matches this year to claim his sixth title of 2017 and 94th overall at the Shanghai Masters.
• The 32 countries competing at the 2018 World Cup will share $400 million (₹2,600 crore) in prize money.
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken up a programme for promotion of north eastern products in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• The All India Radio (AIR) has announced plans to expand its global operations and launch new services in Japan, Germany, Canada and Maldives, among other countries.
• The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a new scheme providing financial aid of ₹30,000 for newly-married couples belonging to backward classes.  
• The Andhra Pradesh government has entered into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mastercard to pave way for digital financial transactions in a secure environment.
• The authorised biography of Bollywood Actress Hema Malini titled "Beyond The Dream Girl" was released on her birthday 16th October 2017. The book was written by eminent journalist Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
• The British city of Oxford has revoked the 'Freedom of Oxford' honour awarded to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi over her response to the Rohingya crisis.
• The Cabinet approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on establishing a liquid, flexible and global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Market.
• The Catalan Parliament voted 70-10 in favour of a resolution to declare independence from Spain.  
• The Centre is planning to bring down the number of public-sector banks from 21 to 10-15 in the country by merging some of the banks.
• The Chandigarh administration has approved a provision for the Transgender community in the city to use a gender-neutral title 'Mx' in all forms and applications.  
• The deadline to link Aadhaar card to avail benefits of welfare schemes has been extended to March 31, 2018.
• The Delhi government will start giving a reward of ₹2,000 to people taking accident victims to hospitals from October-end.
• The Election Commission announced that the Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.
• The Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Punjab National Bank (PNB) to provide easy access to export finance for SMEs and merchant exporters of council.
• The Environment Ministry has passed orders cancelling the recognition of all circuses in India that make wild animals perform tricks.
• The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)  has suspended Pakistan Football Federation with immediate effect, following which the national and club teams will not be allowed to take part in international competitions till the suspension is lifted.
• The FIFA U-17 World Cup has recently kicked off. This is the first-ever FIFA tournament to be hosted in India.
• The Finance Ministry has announced that PAN and Aadhaar details will not be mandatory for jewellery purchases above ₹50,000.
• The Foreign Minister of Tunisia Khemaies Jhinaoui was on a 4 day visit to India. During this visit, he will be co-chairing the 12th India-Tunisia Joint Commission Meeting along with Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India.
• The Global Wildlife Programme (GWP) Conference was recently held in New Delhi. Theme of GWP Conference 2017 : “Peoples’ participation in wildlife conservation”.
• The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has launched excel-based offline facility to allow taxpayers to finalise their GSTR-3B forms on their own computers before uploading it onto the portal in order to minimise chances of errors before uploading on portal.
• The Government has constituted a high-level committee for proper management of water resources in North Eastern Region (NER). Head of this committee : Rajiv Kumar (Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog).
• The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for all post office deposits, PPF, the National Savings Certificate scheme, and Kisan Vikas Patra deposits.
• The government has made it mandatory for banks and financial institutions to compare the photocopy of officially valid identification documents with the originals, for the client's dealing in cash above the prescribed limit.
• The government has reduced GST rates on 27 products and services and introduced a 0.1% GST rate for merchant exporters, offering relief from the full-applicable GST rates on their procurements.
• The government is considering imposing a Cyber Security Cess on each online payment.
• The GST Council has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to make the composition scheme more attractive and revisit the goods and services tax rates on restaurants. Head of the GOM : Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam Finance Minister).
• 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.
• The Gujarat government cut the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel by 4%, becoming the first state to do so.
• The Gujarat High Court commuted the death sentence of 11 convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case to life imprisonment.
• The Indian compound archery team of Trisha Deb, Lily Chanu Paonam and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won India a Silver medal at the World Archery Championships in Mexico City.
• The Indian junior men's hockey team won Bronze at the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup by defeating hosts Malaysia 4-0 in the third-fourth place classification match.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun preparation for its second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, in March next year, nearly a decade after its first mission.
• The Indian women's cricket team will begin their ICC Women's Championship campaign against South Africa in February 2018.
• The Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has celebrated its 56th Raising day on 24th October 2017.
• The International conference on “Dialogue of Civilizations – IV” was inaugurated by Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved the trial of four-day Test matches, which will run through until the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's growth projection to 6.7% in 2017, 0.5 percentage points less than its previous two forecasts in April and July.
• The Jaipur and Srinagar Airports were ranked first and second respectively in ACI (Airports Council International)-ASQ (Airport Service Quality) Survey in the category of 2-5 million passengers.
• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched Michibiki-4 satellite (QZSS-4) onboard of H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre.
• The Karnataka government recently launched the ₹302-crore Mathru Poorna scheme. Aim of this Scheme : To provide free mid-day meals to pregnant and lactating women in rural areas.
• The Lahaul & Spiti district (Himachal Pradesh) has been named among the Top 10 regions to visit next year by Lonely Planet in its 'Best in Travel 2018' list.
• The Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) launched India’s first commodity options in Gold, giving stakeholders a new set of financial instruments to hedge their price risks.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is offering people to send in their names aboard the InSight Mars lander, due to be launched in May 2018.
• The national capital Delhi was ranked 4th on the list of the world's worst megacities, after Cairo, Karachi, and Kinshasa for sexual violence against women, a survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation has revealed. Tokyo was named the safest city for women.
• The National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD),  worlds largest combustion research centre which will impart a major boost to the Indian scientific community was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India has signed an investment agreement worth $1 billion with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
• The Odisha government has decided to exempt fees for differently-abled students in government and government-aided institutions to encourage them for higher education.
• The Odisha government's Directorate of Treasuries and Inspection and the State Bank of India (SBI) have signed an MOU for integration of SBI e-Pay with cyber treasury.
• The Polish Finance Ministry has announced that it will withdraw the country from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) precautionary Flexible Credit Line worth $9.2 billion.
• The Rajasthan Assembly passed a bill increasing Other Backward Classes (OBCs) reservation in the state from 21% to 26%.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a 10-member task force to review and determine the scope of a Public Credit Registry (PCR). Head of the Task Force : YM Deosthalee (Ex-CMD of L&T Finance Holdings).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed banks and non-bank entities to make their digital wallets/prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), interoperable through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) within six months.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated e-commerce firms to settle seller payments within two days from the date of intimation of completion of transaction.   
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a penalty of ₹6 crore on Yes Bank and ₹2 crore on IDFC Bank for violating regulations issued by RBI.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that interoperability amongst KYC compliant Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) will be implemented within six months.  
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has slashed base rate on home loan by 0.05%. Bank of Baroda (BoB), Andhra Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) have also reduced the base rate on home loans by 0.35%, 0.15%, and 0.05%, respectively.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has waived off account closing charges for all savings bank customers under the condition that their account has existed for over a year.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) signed agreement with Escorts Ltd, a leading tractor and construction equipment manufacturer based at Faridabad, Haryana, to finance farmers for purchase of Escorts tractors.
• The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for the Indian Railways to keep Oxygen Cylinders in all trains to help passengers suffering from respiratory problems.
• The Supreme Court has ruled that "no express or implied consent of the husband is required for getting a pregnancy terminated".
• The Supreme Court recently ruled that having sexual intercourse with wife who is below 18 years of age will be considered as rape.  
• The UK city of Oxford has announced plans to create the world's first zero-emissions zone by banning all petrol and diesel cars from its centre to curb pollution.
• The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Ministry of Railways, and Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Swiss Confederation on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector.  
• The Union Cabinet has approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP).
• The Union Cabinet gave its approval to rename Gujarat's Kandla Port as Deendayal Port after BJP ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
• The Union Government and World Bank have signed $200 million Loan Agreement for Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
• The Union Government had launched SECURE Himalaya, a six-year project to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity, land and forest resources in high Himalayan ecosystem spread over four states viz. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
• The Union Government has announced Bank Recapitalisation Plan to infuse Rs. 2.11 lakh crore ( $32.4 billion) capital over next two years into Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and prioritised financing support for MSMEs in 50 clusters.
• The Union Government has inked $65.5 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to continue interventions to check coastal erosion on the Western Coast in Karnataka.
• The Union Government has launched Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana and expanded coverage of Postal Life Insurance (PLI) in a bid to provide affordable life insurance services to people particularly those living in rural areas.
• The Union Government has made use of Public Finance Management System (PFMS) mandatory for all central schemes to ensure that benefits of government schemes reach the last mile.
• The Union Government in consultation with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18 – Series-III. The applications for bond will be accepted from October 09, 2017 to December 27, 2017.
• The Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Other Union Ministries and State Governments has launched nationwide ‘Paryatan Parv’ to showcase cultural diversity of country and reinforce the principle of ‘Tourism for All’. Objective of Paryatan Parv : To draw focus on the benefits of tourism.
• The Union Ministry of Water Resources has approved project to set up Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad along with River Biodiversity Park at Sangam in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh under Namami Gange programme.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) began collecting new "Sin Taxes" on tobacco products, energy drinks, and soft drinks. Sin Tax : a tax on items such as alcohol or tobacco.
• The United States has announced its withdrawal from The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for the second time in 33 years. Following United State's withdrawal from UNESCO citing "anti-Israel bias", Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has also announced that his country would also quit the UN heritage organisation.
• The US Federal Reserve fined banking giant HSBC $175 million (₹1,142 crore) for "unsafe and unsound practices" in its foreign exchange trading business.
• The US State Department has approved a sale of the THAAD missile defence system worth over ₹98,000 crore ($15 billion) to Saudi Arabia.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a mass marriage scheme titled ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’. 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.
• The World Bank has supported GST implementation in India claiming that it will have a 'hugely positive impact' on the country's economy.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) cancelled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's appointment as the body's goodwill ambassador to help tackle non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks and asthma across Africa.
• The world's first "Negative Emissions" plant that turns carbon dioxide into carbonate rocks has begun operations in Iceland.
• The world's first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China.
• To accelerate full immunization coverage to more than 90% by December 2018, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI).
• To boost Skill India Mission, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two World Bank supported schemes. They are : SANKALP - Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion and STRIVE - Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement.
• To celebrate and promote women entrepreneurs and farmers in the organic sector from across India, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has hosted the 3rd annual ‘Women of India Organic Festival’ from 1st October 2017 to 15th October 2017, in New Delhi.
• To chalk out future road map for wildlife conservation, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has unveiled the 3rd National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017-2031.
• To prevent wastage of funds, the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to form a 'UP Muslim Waqf Board' by merging the separate Shia and Sunni Waqf boards.
• To reduce road accidents, the Andhra Pradesh state government has introduced a 'No helmet, No petrol' rule for two-wheeler riders.
• Transgenders will now have the option of identifying themselves as the third gender with the Railway Board modifying reservation forms to provide the option 'T', besides 'M' (Male) and 'F' (Female).
• US bank Wells Fargo has upgraded over 5,000 ATMs that allow customers to withdraw cash with a smartphone instead of debit or credit cards.
• US President Donald Trump has announced that he will allow the release of classified documents relating to the assassination of former President John F Kennedy, who was shot dead while visiting Dallas, Texas, in the year 1963.
• US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on his maiden official visit to India. Note : Tillerson is on a five-nation visit from 20th to 27th October 2017 including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan and Switzerland.
• US technology company IBM has launched blockchain network for cross-border payments that enables transfer of money in near real-time.
• US-based researchers have developed a computer security system using heart's dimensions as the identifier, which they describe as safer, more effective alternative to passwords and other biometrics.
• Uttar Pradesh's Mughalsarai railway station has been renamed as Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) railway station in a bid to revive the legacy of Pandit Upadhyay, who was found dead near the station in 1968.
• Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, has become the first nation to accept Bitcoins as payment for its 'investment citizenship' program.
• Virat Kohli became the fastest cricketer to complete 9,000 ODI runs, achieving the feat in his 194th innings against New Zealand.
• With an objective to conserve and improve the environment, the Chhattisgarh Government has banned use of Chlorinated Plastic and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) with immediate effect.  
• World number 133 Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Bondarenko became the first mother to win a WTA singles title since former player Kim Clijsters won the 2011 Australian Open.
• World number one Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has defeated Australia's Nick Kyrgios to clinch the China Open, his career's 75th title and sixth of the year.
• WWE signed Shadia Bseiso, its first female performer from an Arab nation.  
• Young Indian paddler Selena Selvakumar wins triple gold medal at Egypt Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championship.

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