Current Affairs of Today

Daily Current Affairs Of 4 October 2019







1) Secretary PNG flags off publicity vans in Delhi, to generate awareness about the initiative of converting Used Cooking Oil to Biodiesel

Petroleum and Natural Gas Dr. M.M.Kutty today flagged off the publicity vans in Delhi, to generate awareness among the people about the OMCs’ initiative of converting Used Cooking Oil to Biodiesel. Wide publicity is being given to the RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil) initiative by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) (IOC, BPC & HPC) to make India “Swachh” by conversion of used cooking oil, which otherwise would be disposed of off in drains, cause spillages/ environmental damage and pose health hazards.

The consumption of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) poses adverse health effects. During frying, several properties of cooking oil are altered and Total Polar Compounds (TPC) are formed on repeated frying. The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the quality of vegetable oils during frying. Also, disposal of UCO in drains causes ecological damage and is an environmental concern.

In order to safeguard consumer health, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has fixed a limit for Total Polar Compounds at 25 percent beyond which the vegetable oil shall not be used for cooking. Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO), launched by FSSAI, provides an ecosystem that will enable the collection and conversion of UCO to biodiesel.

Consumers can give their Used Cooking Oil to authorized aggregators of Used Cooking Oil who will, in turn, give it to the Biodiesel Manufactures for production of Biodiesel which will be used for blending with Diesel. 2) President of India graces the India Today Safaigiri Summit and presents most effective Swachchta Ambassador Award to Sachin Tendulkar

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, graced and addressed the India Today Safaigiri Summit and presented the most effective Swachchta Ambassador award to Shri Sachin Tendulkar in New Delhi on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.



3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi declares country open defecation ­free

On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the country open defecation free, claiming success for the government’s initiative under which every household now apparently has access to a toilet.





What is Open Defecation Free?

Open defecation (also used in the opposite meaning as open defecation free (ODF)) is the human practice of defecating outside (in the open environment) rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals or other open spaces for defecation (the discharge of waste from the body).





In 60 months, 600 million people have been given access to toilets, more than 110 million toilets have been built.





4) The U.S. warns India of sanctions risk

When External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he was “reasonably convinced” of persuading the U.S. to accept India’s decision on the purchase of the Russian S­400 missile defense system, U.S. officials warned that any such purchase might risk sanctions





5) Uganda hosted the 64th Commonwealth parliamentary conference

The annual meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is taking place in Kampala, Uganda and is hosted by the Parliament of Uganda. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference is one of the largest gatherings of Commonwealth parliamentarians and is a unique and valuable opportunity to network with legislators for shared-learning and to build diplomatic relations.





6) The 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019 was hosted in Mumbai

A 3-day event of 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019 held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, Maharashtra from 27- 29, September 2019 with the theme "Prosperous Society: Stronger Society"





7) Nepal has celebrated the greatest and longest Hindu festival "Bada Dashain"

On September 29, 2019, the greatest and longest Hindu festival of Nepal named Bada Dashain formally began. The first day of this Dashain marks the beginning of the Navaratri festival too. Seeds of maize, wheat, barley, etc are sowed in a "Ghada" (earthen pot) and kept in houses or temples as part of the Vedic tradition. The sprouts are taken on the 10th day which is observed as Vijayadashami. This festival is also simply called as Dashain.





8) New Delhi Government has become the first in the country to implement the Street Vendors Act.

The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 (commonly called as Street Vending Act) is an initiative to protect the livelihood rights and social security of urban street vendors in the country.





9) Indo Maldives joint Ex Ekuverin 19

The tenth edition of the Joint Military Exercise Ekuverin between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force will be organized from 07 to 20 October 2019 at Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra.

The focus of the exercise will be on sharing of best practices and acquainting each other with the operating procedures being followed while undertaking counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations





10) Designation of National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) formally announced the re-designation of the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy.

What is the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC)?

National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) has been set up under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of the Government of India to serve as an apex body for technical assistance.

Established in 2006, the National Health Systems Resource Centre's mandate is to assist in policy and strategy development in the provision and mobilization of technical assistance to the states and in capacity building for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at the center and in the states

About WHO?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations.





11) Union Ministers Shri RK Singh and Shri Pralhad Joshi launch PRAKASH portal for transparency and better coordination in coal supplies to power plants

The Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri RK Singh and the Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Pralhad Joshi jointly launched PRAKASH (Power Rail Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony) portal here today. The Portal aims at bringing better coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders viz - Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Coal India, Railways and power utilities. This is an important step in ensuring adequate availability and optimum utilization of coal at thermal power plants.





12) Bangladesh focus on economic ties with India

Bangladesh will try to highlight economic opportunities in relation with India, visiting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presented Bangladesh in World Economic Forum (WEF) as a fastgrowing economy and an attractive investment destination in South Asia.

Hasina Wants Indian entrepreneurs, to invest in Bangladesh in areas like education, light engineering, electronics, automotive industry, artificial intelligence beyond the conventional menu.





13) Delhi High Court directs fire dept., civic bodies to take action against buildings lacking fire safety

The Delhi High Court has directed the city government, the fire department and the municipal authorities to take strict action, including sealing, against buildings lacking fire safety measures.

As and when any building is lacking in fire safety measures, the action shall be initiated by the respondents [authorities] in accordance with law, rules, regulations and government policies applicable to the facts of the case as early as possible and practicable.





14) The Delhi Cabinet approved a Bill to set up “India’s first” sports university in Delhi.

The Delhi Cabinet approved a Bill to set up “India’s first” sports university in Delhi, which will offer graduation, post-graduation and doctorate degrees in cricket, football, and hockey among other sports. The Delhi Sports University (DSU) is proposed to be set up as a State university and it will have a full ­fledged Delhi Sports School, affiliated to the CBSE, for imparting education with an emphasis on sports and to groom the students for a career in sports.





15) Indo-Mongolian Joint Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2019

14th edition of Indo – Mongolian joint military training, Exercise Nomadic Elephant-XIV, being conducted over a period of 14 days, will commence from 05 Oct 2019. The exercise will be conducted from 05 Oct 19 to 18 Oct 19 at Bakloh.

The Mongolian Army is being represented by officers and troops of the elite 084 Air Borne Special Task Battalion while the Indian Army is being represented by a contingent of a battalion of RAJPUTANA RIFLES.

Nomadic Elephant-XIV is aimed at training troops in counter-insurgency &counter terrorist operations under the United Nations mandate.











