1.NASA’s SOFIA discovers water on Sunlit Surface of Moon:- Two new studies published in Nature Astronomy suggest there could be much more water than previously thought, including ice stored in permanently shadowed “cold traps” at lunar polar regions. Using data from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Airborne Telescope, researchers scanned the lunar surface at a more precise wavelength than had been used before — six microns instead of three. This allowed them to distinguish the spectral fingerprint of molecular water.

2.Plastic Premier League tournament to be played in Indore:- A unique Plastic Premier League (PPL) tournament is being played in Indore, Madhya Pradesh to free the city from single-use plastic. Indore is known for its innovative efforts regarding cleanliness. Indore has been awarded as the cleanest city in the country four times so far.

About the tournament:

• Four teams have been formed for the Plastic Premier League competition.
• The 19 zones of Indore Municipal Corporation are divided into these four teams.
• For the competition, the team captain Radio Jockey will encourage citizens to donate more and more plastic from their radio station.
• These teams have been provided by municipal workers and five vehicles to collect plastic.
• The team that collects the most single-use plastics in this 45-day competition will be awarded the PPL Trophy.

3.National Integration Day 2020: Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Children’s Nutrition Park in Gujarat:- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Child Nutrition Park in Kevadia, Gujarat on 30 October 2020. After this, Prime Minister Modi visited this park riding in the ‘Nutri Train’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Sardar Patel Zoological Park in Kevadia after inaugurating it. Earlier, PM Modi reached Kevadia in Narmada district, after ‘Arogya Forest’, inaugurated ‘Ekta Mall’ and Children’s Nutrition Park and also rode ‘Nutri Train’. The ‘Children’s Nutrition Park’ has been built in 35000 square meters to provide nutritional information to children through sports and toys, this park also has a ‘Nutri Train’ for children to roam. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Ahmedabad for a two-day visit to Gujarat where he will also participate in National Integration Day on 31 October on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

4.Yashvardhan K. Sinha appointed as new Chief Information Commissioner:- Government of India has approved the name of Former Foreign Service officer, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha as the new Chief Information Commissioner. He was already the Information Commissioner and was also the most senior. The post of CIC chairman had been vacant for several months after Bimal Zulka retired.

Other appointments:

A Marathi journalist, Uday Mahurkar has been selected for the post of Information Commissioner. Uday Mahurkar worked as a deputy editor in India Today Group and is considered close to the Sangh Parivar. Uday Mahurkar has also written a book on Prime Minister Modi titled “Merging with a Billion” and “Center Stage: Inside Narendra Modi”.

5.BharatPe launches digital gold on its platform:- A leading merchant payment network, BharatPe has announced the launch of digital gold on its platform. The launch of this new category of fintech product is in line with the company’s commitment to offering the entire gamut of financial products to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Through this latest offering:

• BharatPe’s merchants will be able to buy and sell 99.5 per cent pure 24-carat gold. Merchants can choose to buy in rupees or grams, any time of the day and from anywhere, by using the BharatPe app.
• To facilitate this, BharatPe has also partnered with Safegold, a digital platform that allows customers to buy, sell and receive vaulted gold.
• SafeGold has appointed IDBI Trusteeship Services to protect the interest of merchants with regard to their gold purchases.

6.Indian Railways: Now ‘my friend’ will protect women in trains:- Indian Railways has launched ‘Meri Saheli’ campaign for the safety of women traveling alone in the train. In which the Women Wing of the Railway Police Force (RPF) will know the health of the female passengers and will also teach them self-defense tricks during the journey. Apart from this, if female passengers face any problem during the journey, then the woman wing will also diagnose it. Railways believes that this initiative will reduce the crimes committed with women on the train. It is being told that during the journey, there were many complaints of problems for women traveling alone in the train. She felt insecure. Keeping this in mind, the board has introduced a facility called ‘Meri Saheli’.