2nd October 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today (2nd October) is International Day of Non-Violence, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
• • In January 2004, Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi had taken a proposal for an International Day of Non-Violence.
  • On 15 June 2007 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish 2nd October as the International Day of Non-Violence.
• Bulgaria has passed a law banning "clothing that partially or completely covers the face" including hijab and niqab.
• • Women violating the law can be fined from 200 leva (₹7,650) to 1,500 leva (₹57,400) for repeat offenders. 
  • Bulgaria follows EU member nations France and Netherlands in imposing the ban. 
  • Note : Muslim women make up 13% of Bulgaria's population.
• President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Paris Climate Change agreement, which is scheduled to be ratified by India today. 
• • The agreement will take effect when at least 55 countries, accounting for 55% global greenhouse gas emissions ratify the pact. 
    
  • Note : 61 countries responsible for 47.79% emissions have already ratified the climate change deal.

National Affairs

• The Nation pays homage to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 147th Birth anniversary today.
• Nation pays homage to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 112nd Birth anniversary today.
• • Shastri served as prime minister from June 9, 1964, until his sudden death in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on January 11, 1966.
  • He successfully led the nation during the 22-day war with Pakistan in 1965. 
  • He gave the slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', which led to a rare display of unity in the country during India-Pakistan war.
• The Union Government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, aimed to accelerate efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and cleanliness, completed two years today. 
• • Under the mission, the government aims to achieve an Open-Defecation Free (ODF) India by 2nd October 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 
  • So far, around 1 lakh villages and 405 cities have been declared Open Defecation Free.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India Sanitation conference (INDOSAN) in New Delhi ahead of second anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission. 
• The Sushant Singh Rajput starrer 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' has been declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh. 
• • Note : Earlier, the biopic was declared tax-free in cricketer MS Dhoni's home state Jharkhand.
• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today announced that India may start getting Rafale fighter aircraft from France earlier than the agreed-upon 36 months. 
• • Note : The deal worth around ₹58,300 crore for 36 Rafale fighter jets was signed between India and France earlier in September.
• According to the recent publication released by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number flowering plants in the country. 

General Knowledge

• Mahatma Gandhi was named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 1930, and remains the only Indian to be honoured with the title. 
• • Describing him as 'Saint Gandhi', the magazine wrote that Gandhi's "1930 mark on world history will undoubtedly loom largest of all."
  • Note : The magazine later also included him in the list of 25 Political Icons.

Recent Committees in News

• The Union Government has notified the constitution of the 6 member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). 
• Chairman : Urjit Patel (RBI Governor)
• Members :
• • R Gandhi (Deputy Governor RBI in charge of Monetary Policy)
  • Michael Patra (Executive Director of RBI)
  • Chetan Ghate (Professor, Indian Statistical Institute)
  • Pami Dua (Director, Delhi School of Economics)
  • Ravindra H. Dholakia (Professor Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad)

Science & Technology

• The United Nations (UN) is planning to launch its first-ever space mission aboard a US-based space transport company's Spaceplane in 2021. 
• • The mission is aimed to provide opportunities to developing nations without established space programs to send payloads into space. 
  • The payloads will be selected by a UN space-wing in 2018 and will be launched into low-Earth orbit in 2021.

Awards & Honors

• India's Right to Information (RTI) Act, that was passed in 2005, has been ranked 4th best in the world, according to the latest rankings of 111 nations with such laws. 
• • The rankings were based on the strength of the legal frameworks that ensures the efficient implementation of the act. 
  • Note : Mexico has topped the rankings, followed by Serbia and Slovenia.
• Actor Prabhas, known for his role in 'Baahubali: The Beginning', is set to get a wax statue at Madame Tussauds museum, Bangkok.
• • With this, he has become the first South Indian actor to achieve the feat. 
  • The statue will be unveiled in March 2017.
• The government has awarded the National Cadet Corps (NCC) for 'Exemplary nation-wide cleanliness activities'. 
• • The award was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Sanitation Conference. 
• The Surat Railway Station has been named the 'Cleanest Station' in India, under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. 
• Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district was named the cleanest district in hilly areas, while Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district was named the cleanest in plain areas.
• Gujarat's 900-year-old Rani ki Vav (the Queen's Stepwell) has been named as the 'Cleanest Cultural Heritage Site' in the nation.
• Surat was named as the cleanest railway station, and Chandigarh's Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research and Education was named the cleanest hospital.
• Sikkim's capital Gangtok has been conferred with the title of the 'Cleanest Tourist Destination' .
• • Note : Chandigarh and Mysore were felicitated as 'Clean Cities' in the 'million plus population' category.

New Appointments

• The Union Government has appointed S. Sivakumar as a full-time Member of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI). 

• The third edition of the Indian Super League kicked off yesterday with an opening ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati. 
• • The ceremony was attended by Rio Olympics silver medalist PV Sindhu, besides team owners Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, and other celebrities. 
  • The tournament, featuring eight teams, will conclude on December 18.
• The Tripura and Vidarbha Cricket Associations became the first full members of the BCCI to adopt the Lodha Committee's recommendations. 
• • While the Tripura Cricket Association "unanimously" decided to amend its constitution in a special meeting on September 29, 727 of Vidarbha's 730 members voted in favour of the Lodha recommendations at an SGM on September 30.

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