A2Z November 2018 Current Affairs PDF www.aspirantszone.com
A2Z Current Affairs PDF for upcoming exams November 2018
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MOU/Agreement Countries
India has signed a $950 million contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates. A government- to-government contract was signed between India and United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia for the supply of two stealth frigates after two years of negotiations. India and Japan signed a Rs 1,817 crore loan agreement for the construction of the Turga pumped storage hydel power project at Purulia in West Bengal. The project will contribute to the industrial development and living standards in the state. India and Malawi signed three MoUs on extradition, cooperation in atomic energy and visa waiver for diplomats and officials as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika and held wide- ranging talks in Lilongwe, Malawai. India and South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in sports in New Delhi. Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea Do Jong-hwan signed the MoU. The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will take place in the Russian city of St Petersburg on November 25 and 26. The key event of the business program will be a plenary session featuring Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin and Vice Chairperson of the National Institution for Transforming India Dr Rajiv Kumar The 25th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) kicked off with gusto as frontline ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy and those of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) made their entry into the waters at Port Blair. The UN World Food Programme and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have formed a strategic partnership to support efforts eliminate hunger globally by 2030. Three educational institutions that have been built by India were inaugurated in Nepal. The Shree Saraswati Tika Higher Secondary School has been built with an Indian assistance of 37.10 million Nepalese Rupees.
MOU Industry/States/Others
During the ‘Make in Odisha’ Conclave in Bhubaneswar, the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) signed an MoU with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as well as with other companies to promote a robust ecosystem of training and recruitment in the state. The Odisha government and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the coastal state hosting several youth teams of the national team and academies including the setting up of a high-performance centre in Odisha. As part of the European Union (EU) project ‘International Urban Cooperation’, Kochi Corporation and Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, have signed a memorandum of understanding. The primary focus of the cooperation would be urban planning, corporate planning, transport, solid water management and water management.
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Appointments and Resignations
Name Post Other Info Following the demise of Union Minister and Karnataka BJP leader Ananth Kumar, Union Ministers DV Sadananda Gowda and Narendra Singh Tomar were assigned additional portfolios of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, respectively. Atul Goel MD And CEO Of UCO Bank takes over from R.K. Takkar
Vikas Muttoo CEO of Swadhaar Finserve
Ashok Kumar Gupta Chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI)
Ajay Bhushan Pandey Finance Secretary Replaced Hasmukh Adhia Jalaj Srivastava Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) chairman
Nahid Afrin first ‘Youth Advocate’ of the She is a Popular singer from Assam north eastern region by the UNICEF to fight for child rights. Snehlata Shrivastava Lok Sabha Secretary General Got 1 year extension Sanjay Mishra Enforcement Directorate Director (ED) Sidharth Rath MD State Bank of Mauritius Sunil Arora Chief Election Commissioner of India Millie Bobby Brown UNICEF’s youngest-ever She is the star of hit Netflix series “Stranger Goodwill Ambassador Things” South Korean Kim Jong Yang The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) President Abhijit Bose Whatsapp India head Ashish Chowdhary Apple India head Hima Das First ever youth ambassador of Hima Das, nicknamed the "Dhing Express", is an United Nations Children’s Fund Indian sprint runner from the state of Assam (UNICEF) India Uzbek businessman Gafur president of the International Rakhimov Boxing Association (AIBA)
Voreqe Bainimarama Fijian Prime Minister David Tait CEO, The World Gold Council(London) Arvind Saxena UPSC chairman
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A.M. Naik Chairman of National Skill Development Corp Ajay Bhushan Pandey Revenue Secretary Salome Zurabishvili Georgia first woman president Jeff Sessions stepped down as US attorney general. Ashok Chawla, Yes Bank’s non-executive chairman, stepped down with immediate effect. Indian e-tail major Flipkart Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Binny Bansal resigned from the post. UN environment chief Erik Solheim has resigned after an audit report found he had spent over $488,000 on excessive travel.
Awards and Recognitions
Award Name Person/Institution Extra Knowledge Ezhuthachan Puraskaram Malayalam novelist and short story It is the Kerela government’s writer M Mukundan highest literary award Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Punjab Police For the development of Digital and Systems (CCTNS) good practice Criminal Intelligence Gazette award and generation of State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) reports ‘Distinguished Fellow’ by IndiaGlobal Anupam Kher Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award N Ram He is the veteran journalist and the Hindu Group of Publications Chairman IPI India Award for excellence in Namrata Ahuja journalism Maharashtra government’s Natvarya Marathi actor Jayant Sawarkar In the field of theatre Prabhakar Panshikar Lifetime Achievement award Global Education Award, Dubai Mathematician and Super 30 honoured with ‘Global founder Anand Kumar Education Award’ on November 8 by ‘Malabar Gold & Diamonds’, flagship company of Malabar Group, a leading Indian business conglomerate. honourary doctorate in UK Arunima Sinha She is the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013. Global Education Leaders Award 2018 Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati Asia Environment Enforcement The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Awards (WCCB) Munin Barkotoki Literary Award 2018 Dr Debabhuson Borah for his book on literary criticism titled ‘Nirbochon’
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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Journalist Swati Chaturvedi Chaturvedi, who works as a Freedom Award for Courage freelance journalist, won the award for her book I Am a Troll. Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Lifetime Achievement Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Shubhankar Sharma A golfer and the first Indian to award win this award. Champion award Chennai airport for achieving 100% timely closure of grievances in one year. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Centre for Science and Environment Disarmament and Development (CSE) Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle Professor S.P. Ganguly the highest civilian honour given to a foreigner by Mexico. Universal Acceptance Thought Leader The Internet Corporation for award Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)-supported Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) Sayaji Ratna Award Amitabh Bachchan for contribution to social causes Forbes India Leadership Awards 2018 Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro International Federation of Film Filmmaker Nandita Das She was awarded at the 12th Producers Associations( FIAPF) award Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)- Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) Exim Bank Business Excellence Award Chevalier del la Legion d’Honneur Azim Premji It is the highest French civilian (Knight of the Legion of Honour) award Pt. Bhimsen Joshi award Keshav Ginde He is a renowned flautist Asian of the year award Indian Navy pilots Commander Vijay for Kerala floods rescue Varma and Captain P. Rajkumar Global Geospatial Industry Sanjay Kumar, Founder and CEO Ambassador award of Geospatial Media & Communications
Google declared 13-year-old Pingla Rahul More from Mumbai the national winner of its “Doodle for Google” competition where art-loving students brought their imaginations to life for the search engine giant’s logo. Over 75,000 contestants participated in the contest from around the country and displayed doodles in response to this year’s theme of “What inspires me”. Late Dr. Martha Farrell has been honoured with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 6th Indian Social Work Congress in New Delhi. Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe, the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Satyarup reached the summit of the mountain which is at an elevation of 4,367 metres. The Union government has awarded the Assam Police for “good practices” under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an e-governance project.
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Jawahar Lal Sarin, president of the Alliance franaise de Delhi’s governing body, was presented with the Chevalier de la Lgion d’Honneur , France’s highest civilian honour. Ladakh Arts and Media Organization (LAMO) Center in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region has won an UNESCO Asia-Pacific award for conservation.
Conference and Summits
Summit Place . Extra Knowledge Global Cooling Innovation Summit New Delhi . ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and New Delhi Organised by Indian Air Force Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) Social Media Summit and Awards-2018 Vijayawada . powered by the Department of Tourism, Andhra Pradesh, has been organised by Vibri Media. World Customs Organisation Jaipur South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference New Delhi . Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), functioning under Ministry of Culture will be organising it in partnership with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO-MGIEP) to mark the beginning of celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Global aviation summit Mumbai By Civil Aviation Ministry along with FICCI. Theme: Flying for allespecially for the next 6 billion Sustainable Blue Economy Conference Nairobi, Kenya co-hosted by Japan and Canada. G-20 Summit Buenos Aires, Argentina 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine Kathmandu theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas” World Tolerance Summit Dubai theme of the Summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’. Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health Geneva 33rd edition of the ASEAN Summit Singapore 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Singapore (ASEAN)-India Summit 17th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Singapore Meeting 13th East Asia Summit Singapore
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World’s Largest Financial Technology Festival Singapore Fintech 7th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting Singapore World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Dubai, UAE Councils 5th World Internet Conference Wuzhen, China India-UAE Partnership Summit 2018 (IUPS) Dubai 18th Indian Ocean Rim Association Durban, South This meeting is taking place during (IORA) Council of Ministers Meeting Africa the on-going celebrations of the 150th year of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela.
International News
India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated Indian War Memorial in France The world’s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain has been switched on for the first time. The newly formed million-processor-core Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker) machine is capable of completing more than 200 million million actions per second, with each of its chips having 100 million transistors. China’s Xinhua news agency unveiled the world’s first AI anchor that can read news in English and Chinese. Xinhua in collaboration with search engine operator Sogou unveiled the new technology at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China. The Western Pacific nation of Palau has become the first country to ban many kinds of sunscreen, in a move to protect its coral reefs from chemicals that scientists say cause significant damage. Nearly half a billion people in Asia are hungry and lack access to adequate nourishing food, including in the region’s largest cities, said a new report by the UN food security agency. An estimated 486 million people remain undernourished in Asia, according to a report launched by UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). China has unveiled its new-generation stealth combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), stated to be the most advanced drone developed so far by the country. The UAV – CH7 was unveiled at the Air Show China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province. Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective ‘toxic‘ as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The adjective toxic is defined as ‘poisonous’. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years.The resolution, drafted by the UK, was backed by the US and its allies. The UN vote comes amid a thaw in relations between Eritrea and its neighbours following years of conflict. A team of scientists from Chengdu’s Micro Research Electronics System Research Institute (CASC) in China had developed an “artificial sun” eight times brighter than the natural sun to replace the country’s streetlights by 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI have inaugurated Morocco’s first high- speed rail line, the first ever such line in Africa.
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Known as the LGV, it will connect the economic hubs of Tangier and Casablanca in 2 hours 10 minutes at a speed of up to 320 kph (199 mph) instead of almost 5 hours on a regular train. The world’s standard definition of the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole has been changed, after representatives from 60 countries voted to redefine the International System of Units (SI) for weight, current, temperature and amount of chemical substance. On the second day of this three-day visit to Australia, President Ramnath Kovind unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Jubilee Park in the town of Parramatta, which is a bustling suburb of Sydney. Nepal’s largest exhibition on construction equipment and technology “ConMac 2018” has started in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu. More than 150 business exhibitors and companies from India including JCB, L&T, Hyundai, Caterpillar and Tata Hitachi have showcased their products and services at the exhibition. The world’s first underground hotel has opened in Shanghai, buried almost 90 metres deep in an old quarry. Built into the side wall of a decommissioned quarry, the 18-storey InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland is almost entirely subterranean. The 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair will begin from January 30 next year, with the central American nation Guatemala, the heart of the Mayan World as the focal country. The European Union’s executive branch proposed that the bloc should cut its emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, a measure scientists say needs to be adopted worldwide in order to avoid catastrophic global warming. Jamaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals are among the six new elements added by UN cultural agency UNESCO to its list of “intangible heritage” for the world to treasure, improving the visibility of often little- known and understood arts traditions. India and Indonesia will hold a business forum to facilitate the commercial and people-to-people linkages between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Aceh and North Sumatra Provinces of Indonesia in Port Blair.
National News
A unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM, Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) was launched by the ministry of human resource development. Indian Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched a-Rs 1000 crore start-up scheme ‘Yuva Sahakar- Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme’ to encourage the young generation to join cooperative business ventures in agriculture and related sectors. Apart from a subsidy for the industrialists or entrepreneurs, the latest scheme also provides an interesting grant of 2 percent/ annum. India will overtake the US to become the world’s second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector before 2030 as the nation’s electricity demand skyrockets, the International Energy Agency said in its latest World Energy Outlook. The government released a Rs 75 coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisting the Tricolour for the first time at Port Blair. The Shri Ramayana Express, a special tourist train to run on the Ramayana circuit to cover major spots related to the Hindu epic was flagged off from Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi. The train will complete its journey till Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, in 16 days covering all important destinations associated with the life of Lord Shri Ram.
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Named as Shri Ramayana Yatra-Sri Lanka, the pilgrimage circuit will have two travel components one each in India and Sri Lanka. The Cyclonic storm ‘GAJA’ over Westcentral and adjoining Eastcentral & South Bay of Bengal moved west- northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph. It is likely to move west-southwestwards and intensify further into a Severe Cyclonic Storm. The Government has set up a state of -the-art National Data Repository. National Data Repository is equipped with cutting-edge technology and provides ready access to interested companies. With the introduction of National Data Repository in Indian E&P regime, India has joined the league of countries like UK and Norway which have a National Data Repository for the upstream sector. Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) have designed and booted up India’s first microprocessor, Shakti, which could be used in mobile computing and other devices. Malayalam film Olu will be the opening film at the 49th International Film Festival of India, IFFI this year. This was decided by the jury for the Indian Panorama. The IFFI will be held in Goa next month. The Feature Film Jury of thirteen members was headed by acclaimed film director and screenwriter, Rahul Rawail. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched the Government’s Support and Outreach Initiative for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The initiative will provide Small and Medium Enterprises easier access to credit, markets, improved cash flows and online loans up to Rs 1 crore in just 59 minutes. With an aim to promote Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technology to drive economic growth, job creation, and skill development in the country, The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has formed a new industry expert committee, under its Emerging Technology Council, focused on AR/VR. A new UK India Business Council report, ‘Beyond the Top 200′, sets out how India’s new higher education policy could accelerate India’s rise to superpower status by enabling young Indians to receive the world’s best higher education in India through greater availability of the top courses provided globally. Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming film ‘Mere Pyaare Prime Minister’ has been creating waves worldwide even before the release. The film that deals with the social issue of open defecation represented not just India but Asia at the Rome Film Festival. A Lata Mangeshkar fan from Argentina, Santiago Lopez, who is a florist by profession, has named a rose in honour of the veteran playback singer. The 89-year-old melody queen, who was “deeply touched” by the gesture, revealed that Lopez, who is Spanish by birth, is learning Sanskrit, Hindi and Yoga. The UN Postal System has issued two stamps with diyas in celebration of Diwali as “the quest for the triumph of good over evil”. The stamps are in the $1.15 denomination, which is the basic rate for international air mail letters. They are sold in sheets with 10 stamps and stickers and a large picture of the UN headquarters lit up for Diwali. India has been elected as a member of the International Telecommunications Union Council (ITU) for another 4- year term – from 2019 to 2022. The elections to the council were held during the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 at Dubai, UAE. NITI Aayog has constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan region. The Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and will consist of the Chief Secretaries of the Himalayan States as well as the Secretaries of key Central Ministries, senior officers of NITI Aayog special invitees. The Centre has set up a tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Suresh Kait, for adjudicating whether or not two Tripura-based militant outfits should be declared banned organisations under the law. The government will give employers the salaries for 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 a month, the Women and Child Development ministry announced. Qaumi Ekta Week will be observed across the country from 19 November to foster and reinforce the spirit of communal harmony and national integration.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report stated that India is the only country to have recorded a substantial decline in malaria cases in 2017 out of the 11 highest burden countries worldwide. Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a National Implementation Committee (NIC), under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Culture as Members, to commemorate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in the country and abroad. With patent publication nearly doubling in a decade, India is now the second-fastest growing innovator after China among major Asian countries, a new report said. India is fourth among the major Asian countries in terms of overall patent publication volume, and second in terms of growth rate, said the “India Innovation Report” by Philadelphia-headquartered Clarivate Analytics. Marking significant progress in the fight against malaria, India recorded nearly 24% decline in cases in a year between 2016 and 2017, the only one among the 11 highest-burden countries to achieve so, says the latest World Malaria Report published by World Health Organisation. President Ram Nath Kovind and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will lay the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur on November 26. The decision to build the corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to the International Border was taken by the Union Cabinet. Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India. The Maldivian Foreign Minister is visiting India with the aim to repair the bilateral ties which came under severe strain during the previous government in the island nation. The Government has decided to set up a domestic Gold Council in India. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said this while inaugurating the 2nd Edition of India Gold and Jewellery Summit in New Delhi. Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu arrived in New Delhi on a four-day official visit to the country. His visit coincides with India and Romania completing 70 years of diplomatic relations. Lupin announced the launch of a chat bot named ‘ANYA‘ specially designed to provide medically verified information for health-related queries. ANYA is the first bot of its kind to be launched in India for disease awareness. India has achieved a new spot on the Guinness World Records as 2,353 people, led by Bollywood actress and fitness enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra, in Pune held the abdominal plank position for 60 seconds simultaneously The United Nations selected Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative. The twin-cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, adjoining the national capital, have been selected in the “University City” category ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru as the only invitee from India. The National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) “Hausla 2018” of the Women and Child Development Ministry was inaugurated by Secretary Rakesh Srivastava in New Delhi. A centralized electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) named “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, was launched by Ministry of Housing. In a bid to increase self-reliance, the Ministry of Defence will launch Operation Raksha Gyan Shakti on November 27 to increase Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) filing in design with an aim to reduce the transfer of technology and dependence on foreign companies. Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary did soft-launch of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) segment of Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 7 states (Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh). India’s premier National Research Laboratory CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) announced a new partnership with Merck, a leading German science and technology company, to establish a ‘High End Skill Development Centre’ in CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh. The government conferred the National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) with the status of Miniratna : Category –I, empowering it to “taking speedy decisions”.
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Stunting among children under five has fallen globally from 32.6 per cent in 2000 to 22.2 per cent in 2017, but India is home to almost a third of the world’s stunted children, according to Global Nutrition Report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). India will chair the Kimberley Process (KP), a global initiative to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain, from January next year, the Commerce Ministry said. Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of over 2 lakh more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). The government has launched a unique initiative called Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages. The initiative, under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, was launched on 22nd of November and will continue till the 21st of December. The India Rivers Week 2018 was held in New Delhi with ‘Can India Rejuvenate Ganga’ as the theme. During the event, environmentalists claimed that as many as 940 dams, barrages and weirs have been built on the Ganga river and these were restricting its flow and hindering its rejuvenation.
State News
Andhra Pradesh The Andhra Pradesh government has finalised its new emblem for official use, five years after the state’s bifurcation in 2014. The state emblem, inspired by the Amaravati School of Art, consists of “Dhamma Chakka” – “the Wheel of Law” embellished with a ring of Triratnas alternating with pinnate leaves and precious stones.
The Andhra government launched a Cloud-based skill initiative with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s Cloud arm, where it will skill 60,000 students across the state’s over 300 engineering and non-engineering colleges by 2020. The Supreme Court has given nod for a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh and it will start functioning from January 1 next year. The new court, which will be the 25th High Court in the country. The National Green Tribunal has ordered a four-member committee to conduct an inspection near the Polavaram dam in Andhra Pradesh and submit a report after a plea alleged that muck was being dumped illegally at the site. The Cabinet approved setting up of a Central Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh. The ‘Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh’ will be set up in Relli village of Vizianagaram district as provided under the 13th schedule to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Bhu-Seva programme. Under the programme, each land in the state would be allotted a unique 11 digit identity number, which would be called ‘Bhudhar’. All revenue land-related transactions, like mutation, registration etc, will be carried out through the Bhudhar card. Andhra Pradesh is building a world-class and India’s first ‘Justice City’ within its new capital Amaravati with the vision to provide a state-of-the-art ecosystem built on latest technology for supporting the judicial system in the state.
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Andhra Pradesh launched a web portal which makes land records available to people with unique identification numbers just like Aadhar number. The “Bhudaar’’ is an 11-digit unique identification code assigned to each agriculture land holding and rural and urban properties in the state. Andhra Pradesh has topped the list of states with the highest employability followed by Rajasthan and Haryana, as per the India Skills Report 2019 conducted jointly by Wheebox, PeopleStrong, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Bihar The Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to pay Rs 25,000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and onwards. The cabinet allotted Rs 300 crore for disbursal of this payment to an estimated 1.2 lakh girls expected to clear their graduation course this year. The Bihar cabinet gave its nod for the redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) into a world’s largest 5462-bed hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 5540.07 crore. The hospital would be redeveloped by Bihar Medical Services & Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (BMSICL). Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district. It is the second tallest statue of Buddha in the country.
Chhattisgarh The Election Commission has set up ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in various constituencies of Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections.
Delhi In consonance with the spirit of digital India, the Delhi Police launched an e-learning portal ‘NIPUN’ to impart in- service training to its personnel. Amid growing concerns over the deteriorating air quality in Delhi, a ‘Clean Air Week’ would be organised from November 1-5 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the Delhi government and the four major National Capital Region cities to control the air pollution. The Delhi Government along with the Indian Railways launched a scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ to give free tourism package for senior citizens traveling to 5 religious circuits. Delhi‘s long-awaited “Signature Bridge”,the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India was opened for the public. The 575-metre bridge was inaugurated by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The project aims to reduce travel time and traffic congestion between the north-eastern and northern parts of the national capital. It will share the burden of the Wazirabad bridge and connect the Outer Ring Road on the western bank of the river with Wazirabad Road on the eastern side. The 6th Indian Social Work Congress was held in New Delhi. It was joinly organized by National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and Department of Social Work (Delhi School of Social Work), University of Delhi. The 14th edition of international children’s theatre festival, ‘JashneBachpan’, was inaugurated in New Delhi with folk dance performances from Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Manipur among other states. The 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change has urged the advanced countries to enhance their support to the developing nations in effectively implementing the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. The BASIC
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countries comprise Brazil, South Africa, India and China. The two-day Meeting on Climate Change concluded in New Delhi. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Cell (IIC) in New Delhi at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) foster an attitude of research among students. More than 1,000 higher education institutes have already established IICs on their campuses to promote innovation.
Haryana Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Vishwakarma Skill University at village Dudhola in Palwal from Sultanpur village in Gurugram district. A sum of over Rs 1,000 crore would be spent on setting up this Skill University, which would impart skill training to the youth and encourage them to be self employed.
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to launch a single emergency number “112” which will connect to police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in Shimla along with 12 District Command Centers (DCCs) covering entire State.
Jammu & Kashmir After having achieved the target of cent percent electrification, Governor, Satya Pal Malik flagged off ‘Saubhagya Raths’ for 22 districts of Kashmir and Jammu Divisions in Jammu from Raj Bhavan to ensure on-the-spot electrification of the households left out, if any. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik inaugurated a week long ‘Jhiri Mela’ at village Jhiri in Jammu district. The annual fair is commemorated in the memory of the martyrdom of ‘Baba Jittoo’, a farmer who gave up his life about 500 years ago in protest against the oppressive demands of a land lord.
Karnataka Karnataka Social Welfare Department launched the Samruddhi scheme to boost employment opportunities for SC/ST youth through entrepreneurship. For this, the government is partnering with private enterprises to train the youth from backward communities. IT capital Bengaluru pays the highest salaries followed by Mumbai and Delhi in India. The report is based on a salary study done by LinkedIn.
Kerala The Kerala government has initiated a scheme to provide free education and vocational training to the children of those fishermen who died or went missing in the 2017 Ockhi cyclonic storm. Tapping into the huge potential of Malabar as a major tourist destination, the Tourism Department has brought out a high-tech digital facility that provides visitors all details about the experiential and service packages offered in the region in north Kerala. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the ‘Gau Samridhi Plus Scheme’ to provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in the state. Farmers belonging to the general category will be getting 50% subsidy on premiums while those belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) category would get 70% subsidy on the premium. The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out KOOL, its Online Open Learning training platform. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public.
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Maharashtra The government will set up Animation, Gaming and Visual effects Institute in Mumbai to encourage youth participation in the field of film and cinematography. Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said, the government is taking several steps to nourish the talent of the youth of the country. Mumbai based startup Emotix, an advanced robotics company founded by three IITians, has launched a conversational child companion robot, Miko2.
Manipur North East’s first ‘floating water handloom huts’ were inaugurated at Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district of Manipur. The three-day meet of 13th Indo-Myanmar Regional Border Committee between India and Myanmar was held at the Mantripukhari Garrison, Imphal under the aegis of Spear Corps of Indian Army. Manipur Tourism is once again returning with one of their most important yearly event, the Manipur Sangai Festival. Celebrated each year, this is one of the most popular festivals of India.
Odisha The Cabinet approved renaming Jharsuguda aerodrome in Odisha as ‘Veer Surendra Sai Airport’. Veer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha. The renaming of the airport as ‘Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda’ was cleared by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ‘Soura Jalanidhi’ scheme which aims at increasing use of solar energy for helping farmers in irrigation. ‘Soura Jalanidhi’ is a dug well based solar pump irrigation system in convergence mode. The Odisha government formed an inter-ministerial committee to resolve the issues raised by the agitating farmers in the ongoing protest in the state. A large number of farmers from across the state under the banner of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) marched to Bhubaneswar to stage a demonstration demanding “Price, Prestige, and Pension”. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the technology-driven and citizen-friendly Mo bus service featuring free wi-fi, CCTV surveillance, public information display system and on board announcements in the city. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the much awaited ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project to make Capital a fully Wifi enabled city ahead of World Cup Hockey. Implemented by the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, the ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project will initially have 100 hotspots enabled locations with 275 access points. Gradually, the hotspot locations will be increased to 518 with 1,800 access points. The First International Public Art Symposium (IPAS), jointly organised by the Artist Network Promoting Indian Culture (ANPIC), the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar. Odisha Finance and Excise minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, in the presence of three of his cabinet colleagues, inaugurated the Baliyatra festival in Cuttak. The festival, associated with the maritime glory of ancient Kalinga, is basically a trade and cultural fare that attracts revellers not only from state but from outside also.
Punjab Hookah bars have been permanently banned in Punjab as President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a Bill from the state to check use of tobacco. Punjab is the third state in the country after Gujarat and Maharashtra where hookah bars or lounges were banned through law.
Meghalaya Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya recently.
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The third edition of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 got underway at Polo 5th Ground, Shillong. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu.
Tripura Tripura will host three-day 7th International Tourism Mart from November 22 at Agartala with tour operator delegates from 18 countries participating in an effort to popularise tourist destinations in the northeastern states.
Telangana The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health will be held in Hyderabad next year. The conference ‘Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action’ which will be held from October 30 to November 2 next year, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease said.
Uttarakhand President Ram Nath Kovind has stressed the need to impart quality education to the students. After inaugurating a two-day Gyan Kumbh at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, He said that besides educating children, it is imperative on the part of teachers to inculcate good manners and character building in the students. The Uttarakhand government decided to rename the Dehradun airport after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The proposal to rename the Jolly Grant airport after Vajpayee was approved by the state cabinet at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Uttar Pradesh The state Cabinet cleared the proposal to rename Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively. The decision was taken on the basis of a proposal submitted by the Faizabad district magistrate on November 10. PM Narendra Modi dedicated first multi-modal terminal constructed on river Ganga in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. The city of Lucknow will soon see exclusive women police outposts for facilitating filing of complaints by women, pink toilets, improved public transport services for women and exclusive women power line, with the city being selected for the Safe City project by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Queen Huh Memorial at Queen Huh Park in Ayodhya. Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district will be known as Ayodhya after the temple town that is home to the Ram temple, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He also announced a medical college named after King Dashrath, Ram’s father, and an airport to be called Raja Ram. Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government renamed the newly-constructed Ekana International Stadium in Lucknow after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The stadium will now be known as ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium’. The stadium has a seating capacity of around 50,000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two important national highways in Varanasi on November 12, having a total length of 34 kilometres and constructed at a cost of Rs 1,571.95 crore. India’s first specialized hospital for elephants was formally opened by Agra Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar at Farah block’s Churmura village, Mathura. Known for its hand-woven carpets around the world, Bhadohi received a major boost as the government has extended the ‘export excellence’ tag to it.
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Uttar Pradesh government will install a 221-metre bronze statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh principal secretary (information) Avanish Awasthi said. The height of the actual statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal would be 50 metres. A museum would be housed at the pedestal.
West Bengal The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) began at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal. In a one-of-its-kind initiative, a private firm, in association with the state government, is set to build a world-class autism township near Kolkata, where children and adults suffering from the developmental disorder can receive training, treatment and boarding facilities.
Finance and Banking News
The Reserve Bank imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore each on Deutsche Bank and state-owned Jammu and Kashmir Bank for non-compliance of various norms, including asset classification and KYC. The Reserve Bank of India, permitted banks to grant partial credit enhancement (PCE) to bonds issued by non- banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies, listed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Housing Bank respectively. Mumbai-based newly-licenced bank Fino Payments Bank has been slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore by the central bank. Fino Payments Bank was asked to stop all account opening activities after the RBI found out that there were few accounts with the bank with deposits in excess of Rs 1 lakh, which goes against the licensing criteria of a payments bank. State-run Allahabad Bank said the Centre is infusing Rs 3,054 crore into it during the current fiscal. The lender’s capital adequacy ratio as per Basel-III stood at 6.88 per cent by end of the first quarter of the current fiscal and the government owned a 71.81 per cent stake in Allahabad Bank at the end of first quarter of FY19. India pledged contributions of $13.36 million for the various UN agencies and development activities. India’s pledged contributions include $4.5 million to the UN Development Programme, $5 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Near East, $1.92 million to the World Food Programme. The Reserve Bank of India is likely to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March to take the load off the increasing number of complaints currently being handled by the banking ombudsman. Sunil Mehta, the chairman of a bankers’ panel working on faster resolution of stressed assets in public sector banks, said an Asset Management Company (AMC) for resolving large bad loans has been formed and will be called as Sashakt India Asset Management. Karnataka Bank has launched Current & Savings Accounts campaign (CASA) of FY 2018-19 and introduced a new SB scheme ‘KBL SB – TASC’ a specialized product forTrusts/Associates/Societies/Clubs. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Central Board decided to constitute a Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) of the Central bank to examine the framework for banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA). Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Limited, launched personal loan facility for salaried professionals making it the first small finance bank in India to offer this. The European Investment Bank and State Bank of India have formally agreed to finance the renewable energy sector by providing new support for wind energy projects across India. Under the agreement, promoters of onshore wind projects will be able to benefit from long-term low cost financing under a dedicated €600-million renewable energy financing programme already supporting large scale solar investment across India. The government will infuse Rs 42,000 crore in the state-owned banks by March-end and the next tranche would be released by mid-December. Close to Rs 42,000 crore remain to be infused as capital in public sector banks in the current financial year.
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Business News Global professional services company Accenture has announced that it has acquired Systems, Applications and Products (SAP)-based provider Intrigo Systems for an undisclosed sum. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has acquired IDFC Infrastructure Finance (IDFC-IFL), an infrastructure debt fund. This acquisition is the first investment from NIIF’s strategic fund. The acquisition will allow NIIF to play a meaningful role in the private debt space in Indian Infrastructure. Global IT company Tata Consultancy Services announced the acquisition of W12 Studios, an award-winning digital design studio based in London, for an undisclosed sum. Microsoft has announced to acquire a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bot development company XOXCO for an undisclosed sum. IndusInd Bank has launched the IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card, the first interactive Credit Card in India with buttons which provides customers with the flexibility of three payment options at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal – Credit, Converting Transactions into EMIs with 4 tenure options (6, 12, 18 & 24 months) or using accumulated Reward Points, by simply pushing a button on the card. Online fashion retailer Myntra said it will completely integrate its sister company Jabong, which will continue to operate as a separate brand. Myntra chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan will lead the Myntra-Jabong team. Paytm and arch rival Mobikwik, have simultaneously announced entry into online insurance payments and purchase of digital insurance on their platforms, respectively. Further easing the External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) norms, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced the mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from 100 per cent. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) eased the minimum holding period (MHP) norm for the NBFC sector companies to sell or securitise their loans in order to ease the liquidity crunch. The Central government has decided to transfer Air India’s debt worth Rs 29,000 crore to a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
Economy News The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would inject Rs 12,000 crore into the market by purchasing government securities. The decision comes amid concerns of a liquidity crisis in the economy after the financial services company Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) reported defaults in September. Driven by digital business transformation initiatives from both private and public enterprises, India’s IT spending is poised to hit $89.2 billion in 2019, an increase of 6.7 per cent from the estimated spending of $83.6 billion in 2018, Gartner said. CCEA (Cabinet Committee On Economic Affairs) approves disinvestment of 100% Govt stake in Dredging Corporation of India. The government currently holds 73.44 per cent in Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCIL). Kirloskar Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL), has received RBI licence to start a non- banking financial company (NBFC). The company plans to lend more than Rs. 1,000 crore over the next three years. The initial focus will be on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises by leveraging its distribution network. The Reserve Bank has initiated steps to set up a wide-based digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture details of all borrowers, including wilful defaulters and also the pending legal suits in order to check financial delinquencies.
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The Indian economy will expand 7.4 per cent in 2018, but the growth will slow down to 7.3 per cent in the next year as domestic demand tapers on higher borrowing cost due to rising interest rates, Moody’s Investors Service said. Unemployment rate in the country rose to 6.9% in October, the highest in two years, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. Worse still, the labour participation rate, a measure of the proportion of adults willing to work fell to 42.4%, the lowest since January 2016. Credit rating agency Fitch affirmed India’s ‘Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating’ (IDR) at ‘BBB-‘with a stable outlook. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched a mobile application and web-based platform for retail investors to buy government securities. The new app NSE goBID, was launched by Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi. India Skills Report which is a joint initiative of Wheebox, a Global Talent Assessment Company, PeopleStrong, a leading HR Tech Company and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated that Employability continues to rise thus reaching a new high of 47% this year, An incremental change of almost 2-3 percentage points since last year and a huge change of over 15% points in the past 5 years. India ’s economic growth will slow down somewhat but remain robust, at close to 7.50% in 2019 and 2020, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said in its 2018 Economic Outlook. India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 6.7% in 2017-18. Ahead of the official release of the second-quarter GDP figures, State Bank of India (SBI) estimated the country’s economy to expand by 7.5-7.6 per cent, slower than the prior quarter, mainly on account of a slowdown in rural demand. The government has increased the outlay by Rs 100 crore to Rs 895 crore for the first phase of the FAME Indiascheme to promote mass adoption of electric vehicles, having extended the scheme four times. Total credit flow from banks to the commercial sector grew at 15.6 per cent year-on-year at Rs 97.32 trillion, the highest growth since demonetisation, according to an RBI data. The adjusted non-food bank credit stood at Rs 84.22 trillion in the year-ago fortnight. India’s latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures came as a disappointment after it came down from 8.2%, registered in the first quarter (April-June) of the year 2018, to 7.1% in the second quarter (July- September). Indian economy is projected to grow at 7-7.4 per cent in the current fiscal, economic policy think-tank NCAER said. According to a report by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the real agriculture Gross Value Added (GVA) is envisaged to grow at 3 per cent and real industry GVA at 7 per cent in 2018-19. Science & Technology The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched GSLV-MK-III D2 carrying GSAT-29 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its workhouse rocket PSLV-C43 carrying India’s earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 other satellites from eight countries the US (23 satellites), Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland, Malaysia, Netherlands and Spain (one satellite each) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
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Defence News India and Russia held joint military exercises “Exercise Indra 2018” in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh from November 18. The first bilateral naval exercise named “Samudra Shakti” between the Indian and the Indonesian Navies was inaugurated in Surabaya, Indonesia giving further momentum to bilateral strategic partnership. Armies of India and Japan began their first-ever joint military exercise at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation. The Maharashtra state cabinet on cleared the decks for the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, now retired, to be converted into India’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre. ICGS Varaha, the fourth in the series of 98 M offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) of Indian Coast Guard, was launched at L&T Kattupalli, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The 12-day long joint military exercise between India and the United States known as ‘Vajra Prahar’ commenced in Jaipur. A contingent of the United States Pacific Commander arrived at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges for undertaking Joint training with the Indian Special Forces. India-UK joint naval exercise “Konkan-2018” has started at Goa and would go on till December 6. The Royal Navy of UK will be represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer equipped with an integral Wildcat helicopter. The air forces of the United States and India are scheduled to participate in a 12-day- long joint exercise ‘Cope India 2019’ at two air force stations in West Bengal in December 2018. Sports News
Tournament Winner Runner Up SaarLorLux Open Badminton Subhankar Dey Championship Super 100 badminton tournament, Germany
World Kickboxing Championship in Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, Argentina gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger Prajnesh Gunneswaran Saketh Myneni Chess India Blitz Tournament, Kolkata Viswanathan Anand Hikaru Nakamura ATP Finals championship, London Alexander Zverev(Germany) Novak Djokovic Subroto Cup International Football Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Tournament Prothishtan(Junior Boys category) World Boxing Championships Mary Kom(48kg quarterfinals) 11th Asian Air Gun Championship Saurabh Chaudhary won Gold in junior men’s air pistol Women’s World T20(Sir Vivian Richards Australia Stadium in ,dtuoS htroN oogirn )noN rnu rNn Senior Commonwealth Fencing India’s C.A. Bhavani Devi(gold medal) Championship 2018 Women’s Hockey Champions The Netherland Australia Trophy (Wujin Hockey Stadium
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in Changzhou China) Abu Dhabi GP Lewis Hamilton Fed Cup title Czech Republic USA Brazilian Grand Prix 2018 Lewis Hamilton Malaysian MotoGP Marc Marquez Suzuki’s Alex Rins Syed Modi International Championships, Sameer Verma ( men’s singles) Lucknow
Sports
Former England midfielder Joe Cole announced his retirement after making more than 700 appearances for seven clubs including West Ham and Chelsea. Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel has decided to announce his retirement from all forms of the game. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha government under which Odisha will host the national team camps as well as act as the home of the Indian Arrows. Former India captain Rahul Dravid was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. To mark the occasion, Dravid received his commemorative cap from fellow ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Sunil Gavaskar. Indian multinational steel-making giant Tata Steel was announced as an Official Partner for the prestigious Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 which is scheduled to be held from November 28 – December 16, 2018 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The third round of the Indian National Rally Championships the country’s premier motorsports event will be held in Itanagar. The November 2 to 4 event will be flagged off by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Senior Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali announced his retirement from limited overs cricket in order to concentrate fully on Test cricket. He has been one of Pakistan’s most prolific run-scorers in Test cricket as he scored a triple century and a double hundred in Tests in the UAE and Australia in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Qatar will host the 23rd edition of the World Corporate Games next year, which will provide an opportunity for corporations around the world to showcase their competitive prowess through sports. This is the first time the World Corporate Games will be held in the Middle East. Vietnam will host a Formula One race in April 2020. Vietnam will be only the third Southeast Asian country to host a Formula One race, after Malaysia and Singapore. The race will be hosted in the capital Hanoi. Ambati Rayudu has retired from the long-form, including the Ranji Trophy, to focus on limited-overs cricket. With virtually no chance of playing Test cricket, Rayudu has decided to hang up his ‘first-class’ boots. Olympic champion Simone Biles became the all-time leading world gymnastics championship gold medal winner when the American claimed her third gold at the Doha championships. Biles’s victory in the individual vault gave her 13 career gold medals, surpassing the record of Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo. Indian opener Rohit Sharma overtook skipper Virat Kohli to become India’s highest run-getter in Twenty20 Internationals during the second match of the three-match series against the West Indies at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Stadium in Lucknow. Playing his 86th T20I, Rohit surpassed Kohli’s tally of 2102 runs with 2203 runs. India’s 10m rifle mixed team pairing of Elavenil Valarivan and Hriday Hazarika struck gold at the 11th Asian Championship with a junior world record score in the final in Kuwait city. Mehuli Ghosh and Arjun Babuta also won bronze in the same event.
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Angad Vir Singh Bajwa shot to gold with a world record score in the men’s skeet final of the 8th Asian Shotgun Championship, becoming the first Indian skeet shooter to win a continental or world level event. India’s teenage shooting sensation Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker clinched the gold medal at the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event on the last day of the Asian Airgun Championships in Kuwait. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur slammed her maiden T20 century during India’s opening match of Group B in the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 against New Zealand in Providence Stadium, Guyana. Indian opener Rohit Sharma became the first batsman to hit four centuries in T20 Internationals during the Lucknow clash against the West Indies, overtaking New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro, who has scored three centuries. Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, was the shining light at the recently concluded World Kickboxing Championship in Argentina when he became the lone gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India. Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia became number one in world in 65 kg. Former Australia all-rounder John Hastings has retired from all cricket. The 33-year-old, whose final international was a one-day match against New Zealand in 2017, stopped playing recently. Twins of Ireland cricket team, Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, have announced their retirement from the international cricket following their eight-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand in their final Group stage match in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World T20. The Maldives cabinet has approved to rejoin the Commonwealth, two years after withdrawing from the 53-nation grouping. New President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement, saying that the proposal will be sent to Parliament for ratification. Legendary boxer Mary Kom scripted history, becoming India’s only six-time world boxing champion after defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released Men’s Hockey World Cup anthem composed by renowned music director and composer A.R. Rahman and penned by veteran lyricist Gulzar. The International Cricket Council (ICC) renamed the World Twenty20 championships as the Twenty20 World Cup, with an aim to enhance the profile of the prestigious event and ensure that its status is at par with the pinnacle events of the One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Test formats. The former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba has confirmed his retirement as a player. Pravin Tambe registered history in the T10 cricket league, where he stunned Kerala Knights with a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick. The 47-year-old spinner, Tambe, who also represented Rajasthan Royals in the past displayed a shaky start with consecutive wide balls but went to have a record-breaking performance in the match. Manu Bhaker of Haryana won a double gold in junior sport pistol while Ravi Kumar and Rahi Sarnobat were crowned national champions in the men and women’s events respectively in Thiruvananthapuram. The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was in vibrant colours after the grand opening ceremony of 14th edition of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup kicked off with a laser show with an army of drones and fire crackers. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan surpassed legendary English cricketer Ian Botham to become the fastest cricketer in the history of Test cricket to complete the double of 200 wickets and 3,000 runs. 34th National Junior Athletics Championships 2018 held in Ranchi World Boxing Championships held in Delhi. Varsha Varman, representing Madhya Pradesh, won the women’s trap gold at the ongoing 62nd national championship for shotgun events in New Delhi.
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Top-seed Manav Thakkar finished the ITTF World Junior Circuit on a high as he claimed the Junior Boys Singles and doubles gold at the 2018 Portugal Junior and Cadet Open in Guimaraes, Portugal. Telangana teenager Esha Singh prevailed over big names such as Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win 3 gold at the 62nd National Shooting Championships in Thiruvananthapuram. Marin Cilic beat France’s Lucas Pouille in straight sets to give Croatia an unassailable lead in the Davis Cup final. Haryana beat Manipur to win junior football national c’ship at Railways Ground, Rajkot. Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has retained his World Chess Championship title after defeating America’s Fabiano Caruana 3-0 in a tie-break contest. Rankings
Index India’s Rank Other Information Global Passport Index 66 Singapore tops the chart. It is based on the passports’ visa-free score. web-borne threats 12 according to a new report from Russia- based global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab IMD World Talent Rank 53 Switzerland continued to be at the top spot, with no Asian country or even the US in the top 10 in the survey titled as ‘IMD World Talent Ranking 2018’.
Iceland topped the charts with the lowest risk of a natural disaster as well as crime rates, while India ranked as the fourth most dangerous country to visit. The data was extracted from reports in the World Economic Fund on crime rates, the World Risk Report on natural disasters, the NHS Fit For Travel website on health and the Foreign Office’s assessments of the risks of terrorism.
Loans from Banks
Andhra Pradesh got around Rs 1,255 crore World Bank loan assistance for a project aiming at enhancing agricultural productivity. The central government, state government and World Bank signed the loan agreement for a $172.20 million project to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability and climate resilience of about two lakh poor and marginalised farmers in the state The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would grant $13 million to the government-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to set up an energy efficiency revolving fund (EERF). India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 105 million dollar loan agreement to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower. India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $300-million loan agreement to support state-run India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects.
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed three loan agreements with the government to provide debt of $574 million for on-lending, electricity transmission and water supply infrastructure projects. The Centre and the Jharkhand government signed a pact with the World Bank under which the multilateral agency will advance a loan of $310 million to boost the state’s power system, mainly transmission infrastructure. The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200-million loan agreement for improving Bihar’s state highways. Government of India and the Asian Development Bank signed a $75 million loan to provide 24 x7 water supply in Karnataka’s four coastal towns of Kundapura, Mangalore Puttur and Udupi and improve sanitation infrastructure for Mangalore town. Rankings (Persons,Cities,Organisations and Others)
According to research paper, ‘Mobility and congestion in urban India’, published by US-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Bengaluru is the country’s most congested and second slowest city. Ola Mobility Institute (OMI), the research and outreach arm of Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms released India’s first Ease of Moving Index, 2018. As part of report findings, Kolkata ranks the highest in terms of affordability of public transportation with 80% of commuters finding Kolkata’s public transport reasonable and affordable. Books
Book Author Other Info Notes of a Dream: The Authorized Biography of AR Rahman Krishna Trilok Don’t Tell The Governor Ravi Subramanian The Fire Burns Blue: A History of Women’s Cricket in India Karunya Keshav and Sidhanta Pathak A Great Association-Glimpses into the Life of Swami Swami Nirviseshananda Bhoomananda Tirtha Tirtha The Velvet Gloves Balakrishna Kamath Modiraj Main Kisan, Double Aamad Ya Double afat Yogendra Yadav
“Listen To Me” – Autobiography of Shashi Deshpande. Famous yoga exponent and author, Mansi Gulati launched her book, ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ Actress Manisha Koirala unveiled her book “Healed”, her personal story of a battle against ovarian cancer. Penned by the “1942: A Love Story” actress with Neelam Kumar, the book is subtitled “How cancer gave me a new life.” Dr Murali Mohan Chuntharu, a Dental Surgeon and also DK Home Guard Commandant has written a book named “Arivu”, which explains about Mouth Cancer and prevention of the disease.
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Obituaries
Name Profession Other Info Ananth Kumar Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Narayan Das Maharaj Padma Shri awardee and revered saint Vice-Admiral M.P. Awati (retd.) commanded a naval unit of the Eastern Fleet in the 1971 India-Pakistan war Vinod Agarwal Bhajan singer Walton Jyrwa Lytan Meghalaya photo-journalist Sailendu Nath Phukan Former Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh and Odisha High Courts Roshan Lal Sethi Sports Journalist K P S Srivastava PTI journalist Banamali Maharana Mardal maestro TN Srinivasan Economist Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri Army Major during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, had held his post through the night in the famous battle of Longewala in Rajasthan Lalan Sarang Marathi actor and theatre personality Chitta Jena Odia singer Alyque Padamsee Veteran actor, theatre personality and advertising guru William Goldman Oscar-winning screenwriter and best-selling author, known for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All The President’s Men” Stan Lee American comic book writer T.S. Kanaka Asia’s first woman neurosurgeon M.I.Shahnawaz Congress MP from Kerala Baishnab Parida former Member of Parliament (MP) and eminent Odiya writer Fahmida Riaz India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Ustad Imrat Khan Indian classical music doyen known for promoting the sitar and the surbahar internationally, belonged to the Etawa Gharana Sandeep Michael Former Indian hockey player Ricky Jay Magician and actor M.H. Ambareesh Kannada films rebel actor Mohammed Aziz Bollywood singer Ashutosh Jain Senior Hindi News Reader of All India Radio
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Important Days
Date Day Extra Info 1 November World Vegan Day 1 November Army Aviation Day 2 November International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 5 November National Ayurveda Day Theme 2018: Ayurveda for Public health 5 November World Tsunami Awareness Day 7 November National Cancer Awareness Day 8 November International Day Of Radiology Theme 2018: Cardiac Imaging or World Radiography Day 10 November World Science Day for Peace and Theme 2018: Science, a Human Right Development 11 November National Education Day 12 November World Pneumonia Day Theme 2018: Stop Pneumonia: Invest in Child Health 13 November World Kindness Day 13 -19 November 2018 World Antibiotic Awareness Theme 2018: Antibiotics: handle with care Week 14 November Children’s Day 14 November World Diabetes Day Theme 2018: The Family and Diabetes 14 November Rosogolla Day in West Bengal West Bengal government observed ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14, to commemorate the first anniversary of the state’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication or GI tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’. 15 November 2018 World Philosophy Day Commemorated on 3rd Thursday of November 16 November National Press Day 16 November International Day for Tolerance The World Tolerance Summit (WTS) 2018 was inaugurated on November 16 in Dubai, UAE. The theme of the summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’. 17 November International Students Day 18 November Naturopathy Day The AYUSH Ministry celebrated its first Naturopathy Day across the country on 18 November. 18 November 2018 World Day of Remembrance for Commemorated on 3rd Sunday of November. Road Traffic Victims Theme 2018: Roads have Stories 19 November World Toilet Day Theme 2018: When nature calls, we have to listen and act 19 November International Men’s Day
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19th to 25th November “Qaumi Ekta Week” (National Integration Week) 20 November Universal Children’s Day 21 November World Hello Day 21 November World Fisheries Day Theme 2018: Labour rights are human rights: working together to ensure the rights of fishers – fighting trafficking and forced labour in the fishing sector 21 November World Television Day 25 November International Day for the Theme 2018: Orange The World: #HearMeToo Elimination of Violence Against Women 26 November Constitution Day/Samvidhan Divas 26 November National Milk Day
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