ASSAM

Holding a poor rank in terms of production of dairy products and meat, Assam imports around Rs 1,650 crore worth eggs, meat and milk every year.

Also, according to a recent survey, availability of milk in the State in just 70 ml per day, against the requirement of 300 ml and national average of 167 ml

Annual milk production growth is only 1.8 per cent compared to the national average of over 6 per cent and more than 90 per cent of the milk produced is in the informal sector. Similar is the case with egg and meat.

To tone up the department, emphasis is being laid on IT and a new app Dhenu would be launched soon to ensure that precise and current information will be available on demand which help in monitoring as well as decision making. Dhenu will have three modules – functional, admin and add on modules. The function module involves all the service delivery part, scheme implementation, disease monitoring and sale of products, while the admin module deals with asset management, land bank, Inventory management, vehicle management, collaboration with administration matters of establishment, etc

INTERNATIONAL

Armies of India and Japan will hold their first ever joint exercise from November 1 at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation.

The focus of the two-week-long exercise ‘Dharma Guardian” will be to increase interoperability between the two forces and enhance coordination in dealing with various security challenges.

The Indian contingent will be represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles while the Japanese contingent will be represented by 32 Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.

· Study says climate change threatens World Heritage sites

A study published in the journalNature presented a risk index that ranks the sites according to the threat they face from today until the end of the century. It stated that the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean such as Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Medieval City of Rhodes are under severe threat of coastal erosion and flooding due to rising sea levels within the next 100 years. It also included Venice and its Lagoon, Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia.
Heritage sites face many challenges to adapt to theeffects of sea-level rise as it changes the value and spirit of place for each site.

· Stephen Hawking’s last Book : Brief Answers to the Big Questions

In “Brief Answers To The Big Questions”, the last book published in renowned physicist Stephen Hawkings name, he has reached the conclusion that there is no God.

It has been completed by Hawking’s family after his death, and features answers to several pertinent questions that were put to the physicist during his illustrious life.

Among the popular books Stephen Hawking published are “A Brief History of Time”, “Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays”, “The Universe in a Nutshell”, “The Grand Design” and “My Brief History”.

NATIONAL

After Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi paan, Bihars Shahi litchi has got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and has become an exclusive brand in the national and international market.

The famous Shahi litchi, which is famous for its sweet, juicy, unique flavour and aroma, is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and neighbouring districts including East Champaran, Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai.

India’s campaign at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires ended with 13 medals (three gold medals, nine silvers and one bronze).
This is India’s best medal haul at the Summer Youth Olympic Games. India had won 8 medals in 2010 and 2 in 2014.

Overall, India finishes the campaign on 16th spot. Russia and china grabbed the top two spots respectively.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, would be hoisting the National flag and unveiling the plaque to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government on 21st October, 2018, at the Red Fort, Delhi.

The Azad Hind Government, founded on 21st October, 1943 was inspired by Neta ji Subhash Chandra Bose who was the leader of Azad Hind Government and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.

It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.

Assam’s Bihu festival, known as Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu, is being celebrated across the state.

On the occasion of Kati Bihu, women, both in urban and rural areas, try to ward off evil and pray for a rich harvest by lighting earthen lamps.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unfurled India’s highest tricolor on the terrace of the majestic Haj House in Mumbai.
The national flag measured 20×30 feet and stood 350 feet above the ground level.
The flag atop a 20-meter high mast on top of the iconic building is near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)in south Mumbai.