ANDHRA PRADESH

India’s Andhra Pradesh investigates planting of Monsanto’s unapproved GM cotton

One of India’s biggest cotton-growing states has formed a panel to investigate how 15 percent of the state’s cotton acreage has been planted with a non-approved genetically modified strain developed by Monsanto and may bring criminal charges.

Monsanto last year withdrew its application seeking approval for Bollgard II RRFfollowing a dispute with the government that cut the royalty the company received for licensing out the technology to local seed firms.

The withdrawal was seen as a major escalation in a long-running dispute between the Indian government and Monsanto, which is also locked in a legal battle with some local seed companies over intellectual property rights.

INTERNATIONAL

· Facebook launches food delivery service in US

Facebook launched a service in the United States, through which users can order food and get it delivered by using Facebook’s app or website.
The feature allows users to browse nearby restaurants by visiting the ‘Order Food’ section on Facebook’s ‘Explore’ menu.
The social media giant has partnered with food ordering services like comfor the same.
Restaurant partners include Chipotle, Five Guys, Papa John’s and Jack in the Box.

· Vanuatu became the First Nation to accept bitcoin as Payment for its Citizenship Program

Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, has become the first nation to accept Bitcoins as payment for its ‘investment citizenship’ program.
A family of up to four can receive Vanuatu passports by paying the Bitcoin equivalent of $280,000 (₹1.8 crore).
Vanuatu citizenship allows individuals to reside on the island, and travel to over 100 countrieswithout a visa.

World Students’ Day is celebrated on 15 October every year on the occasion of birth anniversary of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

The most loved President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam was a scientist who made India proud with his missile defense programme.

But his favourite job was teaching and that’s how he wanted the world to remember him.

Due to his love for students and focus on promoting education, the United Nations declared his birthday (October 15) as ‘World Student’s Day’ in 2010.

NATIONAL

The world’s largest combustion research centre which will impart a major boost to the Indian scientific community was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
TheNational Centre for Combustion Research and Development(NCCRD) was inaugurated by NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat in the presence of Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology.
NCCRD’s research interests will cover automotive, thermal power and aerospace propulsion, besides fire research and microgravity combustion to minor extent.

At the centenary celebrations ofPatna University (PU), India’s seventh oldest varsity, PM Narendra Modi said that the government has decided to allot ₹10,000 crore and autonomy to 10 public and 10 private universities over the next five years, to make them world-class.
The universities will not be selected by the prime minister or a chief minister or any other political figure. Their potential will be assessed by a third party agency.

Meritorious Muslim girls who go on to complete graduation before marriage will get a special gift of 51,000from the Narendra Modi government.
The shaadi shagun – as the scheme is called- is aimed at incentivising higher educationamong minority groups.

Going digital, the Rajasthan assembly has become the first in India to call attention and adjournment motions and proposals online from legislators to send them to the state government.
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Kailash Meghwalinaugurated the new system.

The system is expected to save time, labour and use of paper in the functioning of the assembly, and also help legislators in bringing attention to urgent public issues.