16th October 2014 - Daily Current Affairs

16th October 2014 - Daily Current Affairs


National Affairs

• Government is looking into the process of issuing universal identity cards to persons with disabilities for which a survey would be conducted, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said today.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate programme
• This scheme will ensure labour reforms and boost manufacturing sector.

International Affairs

• Today (16th October 2014) is World Food Day.
• This day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. 
• A day after China reacted sharply to government's plans to construct a border road in Arunachal Pradesh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has sent a strong message asserting that no one can warn India.
• India and China today began their talks on border mechanism during which last month's standoff in Ladakh was discussed as also the efforts to prevent such incidents from recurring in future.
• This is their first meeting of a bilateral border mechanism.

Business & Economy

• For the first time ever, Indian Government decides to import potatoes to boost domestic availability and to check rising prices of the kitchen staple.
• In the largest single order for aircraft maker Airbus, budget carrier IndiGo signed an agreement to buy 250 A320neo planes, taking its number of aircraft on order to 430. Deal valued at One lakh 55 thousand crore rupees.
• India is the fastest growing e-commerce market in the Asia-Pacific region and is expected to touch $6 billion (about Rs 3.7 lakh crore) by next year, research firm Gartner said today.

Awards & Honors

• Indian-origin Singaporean poet and writer K.T.M. Iqbal will be awarded Cultural Medallion, the country’s highest cultural award by President Tony Tan Keng.
• Barcelona's Luis Suarez received the Golden Boot award as Europe's top scorer last season from Kenny Dalglish, who signed him for Liverpool in 2011.

Science & Technology

• India successfully launches IRNSS-1C navigational satellite, the third in the series of seven satellite constellation for regional navigation system.
• Facebook Inc. is launching a tool  called “Safety Check,” that lets users notify friends and family that they are safe during or after natural disasters.

New Appointments

• Government has brought in a new team at the Finance Ministry as it prepares the groundwork for its first full-fledged Budget next February.
• Rajiv Mehrishi Replaces Arvind Mayaram as Finance Secretary
• Former IMF economist Arvind Subramanian was appointed Chief Economic Advisor.