Bhopal’s Mahila Thana became India’s 1st Women-centric Police Station to get ISO
9001:2015 Certification

Mahila thana (women’s police station) of Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) became the first women-centric police
station across the entire India to be certified with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
9001:2015 certificate.
The ISO certificate is issued for 3 years.
With this certification, Mahila Thana has
become the 2nd ISO-certified police
station in Bhopal. In May 2023, Misrod
police station became the first ISO
9001:2015 certified police station of
Bhopal.
Key Points:
- Upgrades were implemented, including
the provision of separate rooms and
dedicated computer systems for the
investigating officers and staff,
minimizing potential risks during
meetings and operations
- Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
cameras were installed throughout the premises of the Police station.
- The station was redesigned to be more ‘victim friendly’. A swing house has been set up for children and
more than 5 toilets have been built.
- A dedicated feeding room was set up to serve the needs of women
ISO Certification:
It specifies the requirement of an ideal Quality Management System (QMS) and provides a framework for
organizations to improve efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve continual improvement.
ISO Certification for Police Station:
- It will be issued based on the records they are maintaining at the police stations, cleanliness, interiors,
reception office, CCTV camera installation, control room, and public waiting room with basic amenities.
- The stations should also meet standards in terms of maintaining strong public relationships with available
resources for implementing strong social policing strategies within their jurisdiction.
Railway’s IRCON & RITES Becomes 15th & 16th ‘Navratna CPSE’

Department of public Enterprise(DPE) under the Ministry of Finance have been granted Navratna status to
two Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) namely Ircon International Limited (IRCON) and RITES
Limited (RITES) under the Ministry of
Railways(MoR).
IRCON is a specialized construction
company that covers the entire range of
construction activities and services in the
infrastructure sector. It is now the 15th
company to be granted Navratna status.
RITES Limited which is a multidisciplinary
engineering and consultancy organization is
the 16th Navratna amongst CPSEs.
About Ircon International Limited (IRCON):
Chairman & Managing Director(MD) – Brijesh Kumar Gupta
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1976
About RITES Limited (RITES):
Chairman & Managing Director(MD) – Rahul Mithal
Headquarters – Gurugram, Haryana
Established in – 1974
Sri Lanka took over as Chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association; India as Vice Chair

Sri Lanka took over as Chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for the period 2023 to 2025 during
the 23rd Council of Ministers’ (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held in
Colombo, Sri Lanka on 11 October
2023.
Sri Lanka took over from the People’s
Republic of Bangladesh, the current
Chair of IORA (2021 to 2023).
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry
will chair the Council, the highest
decision-making body of the IORA.
India assumed the Vice–Chair role of
IORA for 2023–25. India is set to take
over the chairship of IORA during
2025-27.
23rd COM Meeting of IORA:
The 23rd COM Meeting of IORA was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka.
The meeting was held under the theme “Strengthening Regional Architecture: Reinforcing Indian
Ocean Identity”.
About Sri Lanka:
Prime Minister– Dinesh Gunawardena
Capital– Colombo (executive and judicial capital); Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)
Currency– Sri Lankan Rupee
Army Chief Presents the President’s Colours to 3rd Battalion of Naga Regiment

- General Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff presented the ‘President’s Colours’(represented by a flag)
to the 3rd Battalion of the Naga Regiment
during the Colour presentation parade held
at Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet,
Uttarakhand. It was received by Col Lalit
Chandra Kandpal, the Commanding Officer
of the 3rd Battalion of the Naga Regiment.
- The President’s Colour, also called
‘Nishan’, is bestowed upon a military unit
in recognition of exceptional service
rendered to the country, both in peace and
in war.
- The Naga regiment’s 3rd battalion was
created on October 1, 2009, in Haldwani,
situated in the Kumaon Hills, which were
home to the Kumaon and Naga regiments
- The first battalion of the Naga Regiment was raised in Ranikhet in 1970.
- The Naga regiment’s 3rd battalion has received one Vishisht Seva Medal, 11 COAS (chief of Army Staff)
commendation cards, 12 VCOAS (vice-head of Army Staff) commendation cards, 37 GOC-in-C
commendation cards, and one force commander (UN Mission) commendation card since its formation
Indian Army Establishes first-ever BSNL BTS on World’s Highest Battlefield Siachen
Glacier

- The Indian Army (Siachen Warriors) in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has
installed the first-ever BSNL Base
Transceiver Station (BTS) on the
world’s highest battlefield, ‘Siachen
Glacier’ in Ladakh.
- The tower was inaugurated on 6th
October 2023 and will provide mobile
communication services to soldiers at an
altitude of over 15,500 feet
- A radio transceiver that links mobile
devices to a cellular network is known as
a base transceiver station(BTS).
- BTS sends and receives radio signals
from mobile devices before converting
them to digital signals that are subsequently directed to other network devices or the Internet.
- The Indian Army also conducted demining operations in three areas(Phobrang, Yourgo, and Lukung
village) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Leh district of Ladakh and destroyed 175 mines
World Migratory Bird Day 2023 – October 14

- United Nations (UN)-backed biannual campaign World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is celebrated
across the globe on 2 peak days of a year, 2nd Saturday of May (In the spring) and October (in the fall).
- It is a day to raise awareness about the
importance of migratory birds, their
ecological importance, and the need for
international cooperation to protect them
and their habitats
- WMBD 2023 falls on the 13th of May
and the 14th of October 2023
- WMBD 2022 was observed on the 14th
of May and 8th of October 2022 and the
WMBD 2024 will be observed on the
11th of May and 12th of October 2024
- The theme/Campaign Slogan of WMBD
2023 is, “Water: Sustaining Bird Life“
- WMBD 2023 campaign focused on
Water and its importance to migratory birds, and the increasing threats to both water quality and quantity.
- The annual observance of the WMBD is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the
leading global authority on the environment in the UN system.
World Standards Day 2023 – October 14

World Standards Day (WSD) also known as International Standards Day is annually observed across the
globe on October 14 to educate consumers, policymakers, and businesses about the value of
standardisation.
- The theme of World Standards Day 2023 is “Shared
Vision for a Better World – Standards for Sustainable
Development Goals(SDG)”.
- The first World Standards Day was formally observed on
14th October 1970 by Faruk Sunter, then president of
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
About International Organization for Standardization
(ISO):
President – Ulrika Francke
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Established in – 1947
About International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Secretary-General – Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Established in – 1865
International Day of Rural Women
2023- October 15

United Nations (UN) International Day of
Rural Women is annually observed across the
globe on 15 October to recognise the critical
role and contribution of rural women, including
indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural
and rural development, improving food security,
and eradicating rural poverty.
The theme of International Day of Rural
Women 2023 is “Rural Women, Women with
Rights”
Key Points:
- The International Day of Rural Women was
created in 1995 by Civil society organizations at
the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China
- On 18 December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/
62/136 and declared the 15th of October of every year as the International Day of Rural Women
- The first-ever International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008.
Global Handwashing Day 2023 – October 15

Global Handwashing Day is annually observed across the world on October 15 to raise awareness about the
importance of handwashing with soap and water
as a way to prevent disease.
15th October 2023 marks the observance of
16th Global Handwashing Day
- The theme for Global Handwashing Day 2023
is “Clean Hands Are Within Reach.”
- Global Handwashing Day was initiated by the
Global Handwashing Partnership (GHP) in
August 2008 at the annual World Water Week in
Stockholm, Sweden.
- The first Global Handwashing Day was celebrated on 15th October, 2008