Daily Current Affairs : 26th October 2013

1. Global Gender Gap Report 2013, which was published on 25 October 2013 by World Economic Forum- India was ranked 101 out of 136 countries on Gender Gap index. The worst performing countries are Yemen (136), Pakisthan (135) and Chad (134).

Top 5 country:

1. Iceland

2. Finland

3. Norway

4. Sweden

5. Philippines

2. Government of India on 25 October 2013 signed an agreement with World Bank for credit of 360 million US Dollar for the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project. The agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and Country Director of the World Bank, Onno Ruhl. Similarly the Project Agreement was signed by Deepak Singhal, Principal Secretary, Department of Irrigation on behalf of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

3. The World Bank has approved $250-million assistance for Uttarakhand, which was hit hard by rains and landslides in June that killed 580 people, to help the State undertake rehabilitation work and strengthen its capacity for disaster management.

4. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has assigned Corporation Bank No. 1 rank under the ‘National Awards for Excellence in MSE (micro and small enterprises) Lending’ for 2012-13.

5. Himachal Pradesh on 26 October 2013 became the second state after Haryana to introduce Union National Vocational Qualitative Framework (NVQF) Scheme. The scheme has been implemented by the All India Technical Education Council and the National Skill Development Council. As per the scheme, 70 skill development councils will be established and each council will be given specific trades. The scheme was being implemented for students of Class IX to Class XI and every student has to clear four levels to get the certificate.

6. Ethiopia's government on 24 October 2013 temporarily banned its citizens from travelling abroad to look for work. The government took this decision because many Ethiopians had lost their lives or undergone untold physical and psychological trauma due to illegal human trafficking.

7. A four-day World Agricultural Forum Congress (WAF) will be organized at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh from 4th of November this year. The theme is re-shaping agriculture for sustainable future focus on small farm holders.

8. The Uttar Pradesh Government on 25 October 2013 appointed retired Justice Tarun Chaterjee as the new chairman of the state Human Rights Commission. State government also nominated Justice UK Dhawan and Asha Tiwari as the members of the Commission. Tarun Chaterjee (68-year-old) was the chief justice at the Allahabad high court in 2003 and retired as a Supreme Court judge in 2010.

9. Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers on 25 October 2013 sanctioned setting up of a Plastic Park at Siju Village, Kujanga Tehsil of Jagatsinghpur District in Odisha. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Paradeep Plastic Park Limited would set up the Plastic Park. The project will receive a grant of 40 crore rupees by the Government of India of which 8 crore rupees will be released sooner.

10. The working committee of the Board of Cricket Control of India has terminated the contract of the Indian Premier League team Pune Warriors for non-payment of franchise fee. The team did not pay a bank guarantee of 174 crore rupees. 

11. The world's oldest national football body, the English Football Association, or FA is marking its 150th anniversary today. It was established at a meeting in a London Tavern on the 26th of October, 1863 as eleven football clubs and schools associations agreed to a set of common rules for the sport.

12. Indian cueist Alok Kumar claims at World Billiards trophy to his cabinet as he lost in the final to local favourite David Causier to settle for the silver medal at the mega-event here.

Note : If any important news left, you may add on in comment :)