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- The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has organised a seminar on Gandhian thoughts and Swachhta in the Wardha district of Maharastra to make India a Swachh Bharat by 2019 -150 the birthday celebration of Mahatma Gandhi. The topics for address in the seminar were appropriate technologies in rural sanitation, organic waste management, and preventive sanitation. Gandhi’s concept of Swachh evam Swawalambhi Sankul was the main focus of the seminar. Swachh Bharat Mission is a massive Jan Andolan (people’s movement) and the rural sanitation coverage having increased from 39%, at the launch of the SBM in 2014, to over 95% today.
- The Republic of Seychelles on October 29, 2018 launched the world’s first Sovereign Blue Bond, a financial instrument designed to support sustainable marine and fisheries projects. The bond raised USD 15 million from international investors. The Blue Bond is a part of an initiative that combines public and private investment to mobilise resources for empowering local communities and businesses. The Seychelles is an archipelagic nation consisting of 115 granite and coral islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa. It is home to numerous beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves as well as rare animals such as giant Aldabra tortoises.
- The Executive Committee (EC) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga on October 29, 2018 approved 12 projects worth Rs 929 crore under the Namami Gange programme in its 16th meeting. The committee sanctioned two sewage treatment plants for Delhi (Rs.580 crore), various projects for Uttar Pradesh (Rs. 128crore), two projects for West Bengal (Rs. 50 crore), and two projects under CSR category.
- The Supreme Court bench comprising of Justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta on October 29, 2018 prohibited the plying of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR (national capital region) in a move to deal with the prevailing “very critical” and “horrible” pollution situation in Delhi-NCR. The bench directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to immediately create a social media account on which citizens could lodge their complaint about pollution directly, which will be acted upon by the task force responsible for implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
- Justice Naresh Harishchandra Patil was on October 29, 2018 sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. The state’s Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao administered the oath of office to Justice Patil at a brief ceremony at Raj Bhavan. He was elevated as permanent Justice of the Bombay High Court on 12 October 2001 and became the acting Chief Justice in August 2018.
Angela Merkel - Germany’s Angela Merkel has said she will step down as Chancellor in 2021, following recent election setbacks. She has held the post since 2000. Merkel said she took “full responsibility” for poor performance, and made clear she would not handpick her successor as party leader.
- The 5th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care Systems in India began in Kaziranga, Assam on October 30, 2018. The objective of the summit is to share and learn the good practices being implemented by several states and organisations for the betterment of the health sector. Since the beginning, 4 Summits were held since 2013.
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