1 Foreign Minister S Jaishankar attended the SCO meeting
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ( SCO) meeting in Pakistan . Addressing the SCO, he said that terrorism and trade cannot go together. The SCO meeting was held at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad . External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is the first Indian leader to visit Pakistan after 8 years and 10 months. Before him, on December 25, 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Lahore on a surprise visit. Since his visit, no Prime Minister or Minister of India has visited Pakistan. Tensions between India and Pakistan increased after the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. Since then there has been no high-level meeting between the two countries. Pakistan had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SCO meeting on August 29, 2024. India’s commitment to the SCO Charter is the reason for Jaishankar’s visit. Earlier, PM Modi did not attend the SCO Summit held in Kazakhstan on 3-4 July 2024. In his place, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar represented India. Last year, Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan , hosted the SCO CHG meeting. PM Modi could not attend this too and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended in his place. SCO provides a strong platform for India to strongly put forward its views on the fight against terrorism and security related issues. SCO was established on 15 June 2001 by four Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which were part of China, Russia and the Soviet Union. SCO emerged with an agreement between Russia, China and these Central Asian countries regarding the border in the year 1996. It was called the ‘Shanghai Five’ agreement. Its 10 member countries are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Belarus and Iran. India and Pakistan got the status of its membership in the year 2017. Apart from this, Afghanistan and Mongolia are included in the observer countries of SCO.
2 Omar Abdullah became the first Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir UT
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on 16 October . With this, he became the first CM of this union territory. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office to Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Center . Apart from Omar Abdullah, Surendra Chaudhary has taken oath as Deputy CM. Apart from this, Sakina Ittu and Javed Rana also took oath as ministers. It is noteworthy that assembly elections have been held in the Union Territory after 10 years. The Congress party has decided to support Omar Abdullah’s government from outside. Congress will not join the new government. In the elections held on 90 seats in the state, the National Conference won 42 and the Congress party won 6 seats.
3 After Namdapha National Park, Kaziranga National Park became the country’s second butterfly diversity center, 446 species are present
Along with wildlife, there is a campaign going on in the country to save butterflies of the insect class. In this sequence, Kaziranga National Park located in Assam has become the second butterfly diversity center of India . 446 varieties of butterflies have been found in it. Namdapha National Park of Arunachal Pradesh is the first butterfly diversity center of the country . According to Dr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, who has been studying butterflies in this area since 2007, Kaziranga is now second in the diversity of butterfly species in protected areas of India after Namdapha National Park. This record is especially important considering Kaziranga’s location outside the Himalayas and Patkai mountain ranges.
4 Ram Raja’s city Orchha will be included in the World Heritage List, UNESCO accepted the dossier
Ram Raja’s city Orchha has also been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List . The Central Government has handed over the dossier (compiled document) prepared by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to nominate this historical group to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. For the year 2027-28, the Center has recommended to declare the historical group of Orchha as a World Heritage Site . Indian Ambassador Vishal V Sharma to the UNESCO office in Paris has handed over the dossier of Orchha to Lazare Eloundou Asomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage Center. UNESCO has accepted the dossier prepared for inclusion of Orkha in the World Heritage List. After the official announcement of UNESCO, Orchha will be the only World Heritage Site in the country, which is state protected. The architecture of Orchha was developed by the Bundela rulers, which is a symbol of unique architectural style, which includes palaces, temples, and forts.
5 Central Government employees’ Dearness Allowance increased by 3%
The dearness allowance (DA) given to central employees has been increased by 3% . The decision to increase DA was taken in the cabinet meeting held on 16 October. About 49.18 lakh central employees and 64.89 lakh pensioners will benefit from this. DA increases every 6 months. The increased DA will be applicable from 1 July. That is, employees will get 3 months’ arrears. Dearness allowance is the money that is given to maintain the standard of living of government employees due to rising inflation. This money is given to government employees, public sector employees and pensioners. Its calculation is done every 6 months according to the current inflation of the country. It is calculated according to the basic salary of the employees on the basis of the respective pay scale.
6 Himachal Pradesh ‘Flying Festival’ begins
The ‘ Flying Festival ‘ began in Junga, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh from October 16. Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla inaugurated this 4-day championship. Two days later, wrestler The Great Khali will attend the Flying Festival as the chief guest. A female paraglider from West Bengal will also participate in it. Spot landing paragliding championship has been kept in the flying festival. Pilots are competing in solo and team categories. This championship is being organized for the second time with the aim of attracting domestic and foreign tourists to Shimla. Last year also, the International Flying Festival has been organized in Junga. The paragliding team winning the competition will be given a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and the participant winning the first prize in the solo class will be given a cash prize of Rs 2.25 lakh. The organizer of the Shimla ‘Flying Festival’ and Managing Director of Shimla Glide Inn is Arun Rawat.
7 Government extends “SAMARTHA” (Capacity Building Scheme in Textiles Sector) till March 2026
Samarth is a demand-driven and employment-oriented mass skill program of the Ministry of Textiles . Samarth scheme has been extended for another two years (FY 2024-25 and 2025-26) with a budget of Rs 495 crore to train 3 lakh people in textile-related skills. with a budget of Rs 495 crore to train 3 lakh people in textile-related skills . The scheme aims to encourage and support the industry in employment generation in organized textiles and related sectors. It covers the entire value chain of textiles except spinning and weaving. The training programs and curriculum have been rationalized to meet emerging technology and market needs.
8 Kho-kho World Cup will be held for the first time in India in 2025, New Delhi will host it from 13 to 19 January
Delhi will host the Kho-Kho World Cup to be held in India for the first time in 2025. In this regard, the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) announced the dates of the first Kho-Kho World Cup to be held in India and unveiled its logo at an event organized at Thyagaraj Stadium on Wednesday . The inaugural edition of this World Cup of Kho-Kho, one of the oldest games of India , will be held in New Delhi from 13 to 19 January 2025. A great exhibition match was also played between Team Maharashtra and Rest of India at the launch ceremony, which Maharashtra won 26-24. After the match, the official logo and tagline of the World Cup #TheWorldGoesKho were unveiled.
9 Anita Roy first IPS officer to win gold medal in Commonwealth International Classic Bench Press Competition, 2024
In an extraordinary achievement, IPS officer Anita Roy , Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Pudu Cheri has become the first IPS officer to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth International Classic Bench Press Championship, 2024. The championship will be held in Sun City, South Africa in October 2024. It is organised by the Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation and is affiliated to the International Powerlifting Federation. It aims to promote and encourage high quality, drug-free powerlifting competitions at the Commonwealth international level.
10 40th Foundation Day of NSG
The NSG was decided to be formed by the Cabinet in 1984. It came into effect after the President’s assent on 22 September 1986. It was formed with the aim of fighting terrorism in the country and ensuring internal security. It is also often referred to as the ” Black Cats “, which is due to their black uniforms. Since then the NSG has played a vital role in many high-level anti-terrorism and hostage rescue operations.
11 World Food Day 2024
Recently, World Food Day was celebrated on 16 October , focusing on the urgent need to eradicate hunger and build resilient global food systems. The theme for the year 2024 is Right to food for a better life and a better future . This day marks the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) by the United Nations (UN) on 16 October 1945. World Food Day came into existence during the 20th General Assembly of FAO in the year 1979 and was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1984. The right to food is recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.