October Current Affairs, 2020

Nobel Prizes 2020

National Postal Week

It is being celebrated in the country from 9 October to 15 October 2019 to create awareness about the role and contributions of postal sector in social and economic development as well as in lives of people and business. The National Postal Week involves various programmes which started with celebration of the World Post Day on October 9.

Some important points about postal:

• Universal Postal Union Headquarters: Bern, Switzerland.
• Universal Postal Union Head: Bishar Abdirahman Hussein.
• Universal Postal Union Founder: Heinrich von Stephan.
• Universal Postal Union  Founded: 9 October 1874.

Global Hunger Index

India Ranks 94 Out Of 107 Countries, Under 'Serious' Category

The report stated that with a score of 27.2, India had serious levels of hunger and featured behind countries like Nepal (73), Pakistan (88), Bangladesh (75), Indonesia (70) among others.

India ranked 94th among the 107 countries with respect to hunger and malnutrition. It continues to fall under the "serious" hunger category, according to the Global Hunger Index 2020. The report released on Friday, October 16, stated that with a score of 27.2, India had serious levels of hunger and featured behind countries like Nepal (73), Pakistan (88), Bangladesh (75), Indonesia (70) among others.

What is Global Hunger Index ?

• The GHI has been brought out every year by Welthungerhilfe (lately in partnerships with Concern Worldwide) since 2000.
• A low score gets a country a higher ranking which implies a better performance.
• The reason for mapping hunger is to ensure that the world achieves “Zero Hunger by 2030” - a Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.
• This is why GHI is not calculated for certain high-income countries.

Atal Tunnel: PM Modi to open world's longest highway tunnel

Atal tunnel will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours, at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh

1. The Atal Tunnel, with its 9.02-km length, is said to be the longest highway tunnel in the world above 10,000 feet.
2. It is a perennial, all-weather tunnel, meant to tackle the issue of the Lahaul-Spiti Valley being cut off for 6 months every year due to snowfall.
3. Set in the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas, the Atal tunnel has been constructed at an altitude of 10,000 feet or 3,000 metres. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) had been engaged for the construction work.
4. Atal Tunnel has been fitted with ultra-modern specifications.
5. The tunnel also reduces the road distance between Leh and Manali by a significant 46 kilometres, causing the travel time to fall by four to five hours.
6. Shaped like a horse-shoe, the Rohtang tunnel is double-laned and in a single tube. Moreover, it has a roadway of 8 metres. The overhead clearance of the tunnel is 5.525 metres. The width of the tunnel is 10.5 metres.

Swachh Bharat Awards, 2020

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Central Minister of Jal Shakti presented the Swachh Bharat Awards for under the cleanliness and drinking water categories, 2020 on 2 October 2020. 

There are three categories of the awards- Swachh Sundar Samudayik Shouchalaya (SSSS), Gandagi Mukth Bharat (GMB) and Samudayik Shouchalaya Abhiyan (SSA). The winners under categories were:

Samudayik Shouchalaya Category

1. Gujarat won the first prize at state level.
2. Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli got the first prize at district level.
3. Madhya Pradesh’s Kharchrod block in Ujjain district, won the first prize at block level.
4. Tamil Nadu’s Chinnanur village of got the first prize a Gram Panchayat level

Samudayik Shouchalya category

1. Gujarat and UP came out to be best performing states.
2. Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj and Bareilly were the best performing districts.

Gandagi Mukt Bharat Mission

1. Telangana and Haryana both states got the first prize.

French Open 2020

Ram Vilas Paswan

Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

Born: July 1946

Died: 8 October 2020

President of the Lok Janshakti Party, eight-time Lok Sabha member and current Rajya Sabha MP.

Ram Vilas Paswan started his political career as a member of Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969. Later, Paswan joined Lok Dal upon its formation in 1974 and became its general secretary. He opposed the emergency and was arrested during the period. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1977, as a Janata Party member from Hajipur constituency, was chosen again 1980, 1989, 1996 and 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2014.

Important Days in October