PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

PREFACE

It gives us great pleasure to release the first edition of the PRAVAHINI (Monthly e- Compendium & Weekly e-Periodicals of Current Affairs). The magazine‘s members have shown considerable cooperation as well as devotion. We at www.successmantra.in work tirelessly to create this magazine and bring it to you with a great sense of gratitude.

The PRAVAHINI October-2020 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of October. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including CLAT, AILET, DU-LLB, HM, CAT, IAS, PCS, SSC, Banking, MBA and various other competitive examinations.

Current Affairs play the bigger role in many competitive and government exams. It holds the power of making or breaking your chance of success. Therefore, the candidates should cover the Current Affairs thoroughly and smartly.

The PRAVAHINI October-2020 eBook is divided into different sections keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered namely International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment, Science & Technology, Legal Affairs, Sports, States News Makers and few others.

We would also be pleased to receive any suggestion that could assist us with the upcoming editions.

Success mantra (GTB Nagar, Delhi) Website: www.successmantra.in Mail Id: [email protected]

MONTHLY COMPENDIUM OCTOBER

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. National Affairs

II. International Affairs

III. Economic Affairs

IV. Appointments

V. Awards And Honors

VI. Important Dates & Sports

VII. Reports And Indexes

VIII. Obituaries

IX. Science & Technology

X. Legal Affairs

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

NOTIONAL AFFAIRS

PM MODI LAUNCHES COUNTRY'S FIRST Commission (UPSC) and selects candidates for state SEAPLANE SERVICE civil and other allied services for the state. Prime Minister has launched the UPSC headquartered at . country‘s first seaplane Pradeep Kumar Joshi is the Chairman of UPSC. service between the Statue of Unity near PANNA TIGER RESERVE INCLUDED IN LIST OF Kevadiya in Gujarat‘s UNESCO Narmada district and In Madhya Pradesh, the Panna Tiger Reserve has been Sabarmati Riverfront in included in the ‗World Network of Biosphere Reserves‘ Ahmedabad. list of the UNESCO.

The 19-seater seaplane will be managed by private This is the 12th biosphere airline SpiceJet. The service will cover the 200km reserve from to be distance between Sabarmati and Kevadia, in just 45 included in the ‗World minutes by flight. Network of Biosphere Reserves‘, and third from There will be four flights a day between Ahmedabad Madhya Pradesh, after and Kevadia on each side, which means four arrivals Pachmarhi and and four departures. Amarkantak.

PM MODI INAUGURATED 'AROGYA VAN' IN Currently, Panna Tiger Reserve is home to 54 tigers. GUJARAT Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves ‗Arogya Van‘ in the Narmada district of Gujarat. (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas (known as biosphere reserves) that demonstrate a PM Modi along with balanced relationship between people and nature (like this also inaugurated encourage sustainable development). Arogya Kutir, Ekta Mall, and Children MALABAR NAVAL EXERCISE 2020 Nutrition Park. The Navies of India, the US, Japan and Australia began the four-day-long phase first of the Malabar naval Arogya Van is set up exercise in the Bay of Bengal. on 17 acres of land in Kevadia for spreading awareness on Yoga, Ayurveda This is the first time that and Meditation. It features around 380 species of plants the member nations of the and trees with rich medicinal values. Quad or Quadrilateral Coalition are participating ASSAM: FIRST TO ADD 'TRANSGENDER' IN CIVIL in the exercise together SERVICES after 2007 (Quad member Assam has become the first nations are India, the US, state in the country to add a Japan and Australia). ‗transgender‘ option in the gender category of the civil The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill service examination form. between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan became a permanent member of The examination is similar to the exercise in 2015. Australia was recently added to the the civil services exercise in 2020. examinations conducted by Union Public Service PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

NMCG ORGANIZED 'GANGA UTSAV' 2020 Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh. Ganga Utsav-2020 has been organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) jointly with the SHIPPING MINISTRY TO BE RENAMED: PM MODI Ministry of Jal Shakti. The Ministry of Shipping is being expanded and renamed as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and The three-day-long Waterways. Ganga Utsav-2020 has been organized from 02 This information was given to 04 November 2020, by Prime Minister virtually amidst Narendra Modi during a COVID-19 precautions. launch event of Ro-Pax terminal at Hazira. The 2020 edition marks the 12th anniversary of Ganga being accorded the PM Modi was flagging off the Ro-Pax ferry service status of National River, on 4th November 2008. between Hazira and Ghogha in Gujarat, which will reduce the 370-km road distance between the two places Minister of Jal Shakti: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. to 90-km by sea route.

BILATERAL SUMMIT BETWEEN INDIA AND Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Shipping: ITALY 2020 Mansukh L. Mandaviya. The Bilateral Summit between India and Italy was held virtually on 6th November 2020. AIM-SIRIUS INNOVATION PROGRAMME 3.0 The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship The Summit was attended by the Indian Prime Minister initiative by the NITI Aayog, and Russia‘s Sirius Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. (Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Giuseppe Conte. Station) have jointly launched ‗AIM–Sirius Innovation Programme 3.0‘. The two leaders reviewed the broad framework of AIM–Sirius Innovation the bilateral relationship Programme 3.0 is a 14- and reaffirmed their day virtual programme commitment to for Indian and Russian strengthen cooperation schoolchildren. against common global challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic. It is the first Indo-Russian bilateral youth innovation initiative, which seeks to develop technological Incumbent President of Italy: Sergio Mattarella. solutions, both web-based and mobile-based, for the two Incumbent Prime Minister of Italy: Giuseppe Conte. countries.

'SAGAR KAVACH CONDUCTED BY ODISHA & The areas include culture, distance education, applied WEST BENGAL cognitive science, health and well-being, sports, fitness, A two-day joint coastal security exercise, ―Sagar and games training, chemistry, artificial intelligence, Kavach‖ was launched at Paradip Coast, Odisha. and digital financial assets.

The exercise is being carried out by a joint effort of the ASSAM TEZPUR LITCHI GETS GI TAG state of Odisha and West Bengal governments. The Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority The main purpose of the (APEDA) has announced exercise is to carry out the that Assam‘s Tezpur exercise on the coast of Litchi has been given the Paradip this year, just like Geographical Indication every year after the 26/11 (GI) tag. attacks. PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Though the litchis name in the GI tag list is there since S. JAISHANKAR AT 15TH EAST ASIA SUMMIT 2015. The application for GI tagging was made on 28th 2020 August 2013 by North Eastern Regional Agricultural The External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has Marketing Corporation Ltd (NERAMAC). represented India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) on behalf of PM Modi. A Geographical Indication is used on a product of specific geographical origin that attains its uniqueness The Summit was chaired or reputation because of its place of origin. by the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan INDIAN NAVY LAUNCHES SUB-MARINE VAGIR Phuc because Vietnam is The Indian Navy has ASEAN Chair in 2020. launched the fifth Scorpene submarine Jaishankar underlined the key role played by the East ―Vagir‖ at Mazagon Asia Summit (EAS) as a leading mechanism of the Dock of south Indo-Pacific region and reiterated India‘s support to Mumbai. make it stronger and more responsive.

The submarine is capable of taking missions such as The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum whose anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine Membership expanded to 18 countries including laying, intelligence gathering and area surveillance. Russia and the United States at the Sixth EAS in 2011.

―Vagir‖ is a part of six Kalvari class submarines that is PM UNVEILED 'STATUE OF PEACE' IN being built in India. These submarines were designed by RAJASTHAN the French Navy and an energy company DCNS. Vagir PM unveils ‗Statue of Peace‘ to mark 151st Birth has been named after Sand Fish. It is a deep-sea Anniversary celebrations of Jainacharya Shree Vijay predator in the Indian Ocean. Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj.

The first a qVagir was commissioned in 1973. The Mentioning the educational institutions established by first Vagir submarine was from Russia. the Jainacharya, the Prime Minister praised his efforts to make the country AatmaNirbhar in the field of FIRST INDIA & LUXEMBOURG VIRTUAL SUMMIT education. HELD The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the Shri Vijay Vallabh Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Surishwer Ji Maharaj. Xavier Bettel, held the first-ever India-Luxembourg He was a Jain monk born Virtual Summit. on October 26, 1870. He was a disciple of Both countries have Vijayanand Suri. He was the founder of Shri friendly relation of over Parshwanath Jain Vidyalaya in Pali district of more than seven decades Rajasthan. since the establishment of diplomatic relations in ASIA'S FIRST SOLAR POWERED TEXTILE MILL 1948. The first solar power-enabled Textile Mill in Asia is set to be set up in Parbhani district, Maharashtra. During the Summit, both parties agreed for enhanced cooperation in areas of trade, finance, steel, space, ICT, Spread across 30 acres of land, the Jai Bhawani innovation, manufacturing, automotive, sustainable women‘s cooperative development and the fight against climate change. textile mill will be first in Prime Minister welcomed Luxembourg‘s Asia that will operate announcement to join the International Solar Alliance entirely on solar power. (ISA), and invited it to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). Once functional, the mill will process cotton to PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 cloth and would provide jobs to many women in the VIJAYANAGAR BECOMES DISTRICT OF district. KARNATAKA The world heritage site of Hampi, the erstwhile capital Parbhani is the leading cotton-producing district in of the Vijayanagar Empire, will soon be part of a new Maharashtra and with the operationalization of the mill; district. it will give momentum to the industrial sector in the district. The Karnataka Government has approved to carve out Vijayanagara as a new GOI AND NDB BANK SIGNED MOU OF USD 500 district of the state. MILLION Vijayanagara will be the The and the New Development 31st district of the State. Bank (NDB) has signed a loan agreement for lending USD 500 million for the ‗Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut The new district would Regional Rapid Transit System Project‘. be carved out of Ballari and named after the Vijayanagara empire that ruled This Regional Rapid from this region. Transit System provides fast, reliable, safe and Chief Minister of Karnataka: B.S. Yediyurappa comfortable public Governor of Karnataka: Vajubhai Vala. transport system in the National Capital Region 27TH EDITION OF INDIA-SINGAPORE MARITIME (NCR). EXERCISE The 27th edition of India – Singapore Bilateral The NCR is among the world‘s largest urban Maritime Exercise SIMBEX-20 has been organised from agglomerations and a major economic centre of India. 23 to 25 November 2020 in the Andaman Sea. Due to the lack of efficient public transport options, the number of private vehicles in NCR has increased. Indian Navy (IN) is the host for the 2020 edition of SIMBEX. The SIMBEX series of exercises are being held New Development Bank Headquarters location: between the Indian Shanghai, China. Navy and Republic of President of the New Development Bank: Marcos Singapore Navy (RSN), Troyjo. annually since 1994.

INDIA'S FIRST GREEN ENERGY CONVERGENCE The exercise aims at PROJECT enhancing mutual Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint inter-operability and imbibing best practices from each venture between PSU under the Ministry of Power and other. the DNRE of Goa City, has signed a MOU to implement India‘s first convergence project in India. From the Indian side, destroyer Rana with integral Chetak helicopter and indigenously built corvettes EESL will implement solar projects, including: Kamorta and Karmuk, IN submarine Sindhuraj and P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft will participate in the Establish a 100 MW decentralized ground-mounted exercise. solar power project on government land for agricultural water pumping. PM MODI CHAIRED 33RD MEETING OF PRAGATI Replace approximately Prime Minister 6,300 agricultural pumps Narendra Modi has with BEE-star energy- chaired the 33rd saving pumps. PRAGATI meeting to Distribute approximately review multiple 160,000 LED bulbs to projects, grievances rural families. and programmes.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

PRAGATI stands for ―Pro-Active Governance and Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Timely Implementation‖. The projects worth around Rs Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam). 1.41 lakh crore, related to ten states and union territories, were reviewed. SIMBEX-20 EXERCISE TO BE HOSTED BY INDIAN NAVY They included Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar The Indian Navy will Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya host the SIMBEX-20 Pradesh, Rajasthan and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. exercise in the Andaman Sea. SIMBEX represents These projects were related to the Ministry of Railways, the annual Singapore- MORTH, DPIIT and Power Ministry. India maritime bilateral exercise. INDIAN NAVY 9TH P-81 ANTI-SUBMARINE AIRCRAFT SIMBEX was established between the Indian and Indian Navy has got its Singaporean navies in 1993. ninth Boeing P-8I long- range maritime The 27th edition of India's SIMBEX-Singapore reconnaissance and bilateral maritime exercise is scheduled to be held in anti-submarine warfare the Andaman Sea from November 23 to 25, 2020. aircraft, part of the nearly $1 billion deal 'NIVAR' INTENSIFIED INTO CYCLONIC STORM with the US for four additional planes signed in 2016. The Deep Depression over the South West Bay of Bengal has intensified into the Cyclonic Storm ―Nivar‖. India, which had first signed a contract for eight such aircraft in 2009, is also negotiating a deal for six more P- The cyclone is currently 8Is with the US under the government-to-government located 410 km east- route. southeast of Puducherry and 450 km southeast of The P-8I is equipped for long-range anti-submarine . warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of the broad area, The storm shall cross maritime and littoral operations. and Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around Puducherry. PILIBHIT TIGER RESERVE (PTR) GET INTERNATIONAL AWARD The impact of the Cyclone shall be faced by the The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradesh governments of Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Forest department have bagged the first-ever Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. international award, ―TX2‖ for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years. P. JAVADEKAR LAUNCHES INDIA CLIMATE CHANGE PORTAL TX2 stands for ‗Tigers Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, times two‘, signaling the Prakash Javadekar has launched the ―India Climate goal to double wild tigers. Change Knowledge Portal‖. In 2014, PTR had 25 tigers which went up to 65 in According to Prakash 2018. Javadekar, India has practically achieved its It achieved the goal of doubling the tiger‘s population pre-2020 climate action in just four years, against the target of 10 years. targets.

PTR is the first to receive the award among all the 13 The portal will have all tiger range countries. (India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 the major steps the Government is taking at both change issues. national and international levels to address the climate

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

INTER-STATE RIVER WATER SHARING DISPUTES

The Inter-State River Water Disputes are one of the most contentious issues in the Indian federalism today. The recent cases of the Cauvery Water Dispute, river water disputes the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal are some examples. Various Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunals have been constituted so far, but they had their own problems.

PROVISIONS ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION

Entry 17 of State List deals with water i.e. water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, embankments, water storage and water power. Entry 56 of Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest.

According to Article 262, in case of disputes relating to waters: Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley. Parliament may, by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as mentioned above.

MECHANISM FOR INTER-STATE RIVER WATER DISPUTES

The resolution of water dispute is governed by the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. According to its provisions, if a State Government makes a request regarding any water dispute and the Central Government is of opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, then a Water Disputes Tribunal is constituted for the adjudication of the water dispute. The act was amended in 2002, to include the major recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. The amendments mandated a one year time frame to setup the water disputes tribunal and also a 3 year time frame to give a decision.

ACTIVE RIVER WATER DISPUTES TRIBUNAL IN INDIA

Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal II (2004) – Karnataka, Telangana, Andra Pradesh, Maharashtra Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (2018) – Odisha & Chattisgarh Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal (2010) – Goa,Karnataka, Maharashtra Ravi & Beas Water Tribunal (1986) – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal (2010) – Andra Pradesh & Odisha.

ISSUES WITH INTER-STATE WATER DISPUTE TRIBUNALS

Protracted proceedings and extreme delays in dispute resolution. For example, in the case of Godavari water dispute, the request was made in 1962, but the tribunal was constituted in 1968 and the award was given in 1979 which was published in the Gazette in 1980. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted in 1990, gave its final award in 2007. Opacity in the institutional framework and guidelines that define these proceedings; and ensuring compliance. Though award is final and beyond the jurisdiction of Courts, either States can approach Supreme Court under Article 136 (Special Leave Petition) under Article 32 linking issue with the violation of Article 21 (Right to Life). The composition of the tribunal is not PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 multidisciplinary and it consists of persons only from the judiciary. The absence of authoritative water data that is acceptable to all parties currently makes it difficult to even set up a baseline for adjudication. The shift in tribunals' approach, from deliberative to adversarial, aids extended litigation and politicization of water-sharing disputes.

The growing nexus between water and politics have transformed the disputes into turfs of vote bank politics. This politicization has also led to increasing defiance by states, extended litigations and subversion of resolution mechanisms. For example, the Punjab government played truant in the case of the Ravi-Beas tribunal. Too much discretion at too many stages of the process. Partly because of procedural complexities involving multiple stakeholders across governments and agencies. India‘s complicated federal polity and its colonial legacy.

INTER-STATE WATER DISPUTES (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017

In order to further streamline the adjudication of inter-State river water disputes, the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha in March 2017 by amending the existing ISRWD Act, 1956.

The Bill envisages to constitute a standalone Tribunal with permanent establishment and permanent office space and infrastructure so as to obviate the need to set up a separate Tribunal for each water dispute which is invariably a time consuming process. In the proposed Bill, there is a provision for establishment of a Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) by the Central Government for resolving amicably, the inter-State water disputes within a maximum period of one year and six months.

Any dispute, which cannot be settled by negotiations shall be referred to the Tribunal for its adjudication. The dispute so referred to the Tribunal shall be assigned by the Chairperson of the Tribunal to a Bench of the Tribunal for adjudication. Under the Bill, the requirement of publication of the final decision of tribunal in the official gazette has been removed. The Bill adds that the decision of the bench of the tribunal will be final and binding on the parties involved in the dispute.

The Bill also calls for the transparent data collection system at the national level for each river basin and a single agency to maintain data bank and information system. The proposed amendments in the Bill will speed up the adjudication of water disputes referred to it. The Bill was referred to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources for examination. The Standing Committee has submitted its recommendation on the Bill, accordingly, the Ministry has prepared draft Cabinet Note for Official Amendments to Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

CONCLUSION

The Centre‘s proposal to set up a single, permanent tribunal to adjudicate on inter-state river water disputes could be a major step towards streamlining the dispute redressal mechanism. However, this alone will not be able to address the different kinds of problems—legal, administrative, constitutional and political—that plague the overall framework. Centre‘s proposal to set up an agency alongside the tribunal, that will collect and process data on river waters, can be a right step in this direction. To strengthen the cooperative federalism, parochial mindset making regional issues superior to national issues should not be allowed. So disputes must be resolved by dialogue and talks and the political opportunism must be avoided. A robust and transparent institutional framework with cooperative approach is need of the hour.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

VIETNAM HIT BY STORM 'TYPHOON MOLAVE' He will be the 30th President of the IPU and will Recently, Vietnam has been hit by one of its biggest succeed Mexican MP Gabriela Cuevas Barron. storms in two decades - Typhoon Molave. The other three participants were Pakistan‘s Typhoon is a regionally Muhammad Sanjrani, Uzbekistan‘s Akmal Saidov and specific name for a strong Canada‘s Pakistani origin Salma Ataullahjan. "tropical cyclone". Tropical cyclones are known as Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is based in Geneva, ‗typhoons‘ in the northwest Switzerland. pacific ocean, hurricanes in Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): founded in 1889. the North Atlantic Ocean, It consists of representatives from the National Parliaments of 179 countries. Willy-willies in north-western Australia and Tropical Cyclones in the Indian Ocean Region. INDIAN ORIGIN WOMAN BECOMES A MINISTER IN NEW-ZEALAND A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by Indian-origin New meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system Zealand politician, of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over Priyanca Radhakrishnan tropical or subtropical waters and has closed low-level has created history by circulation. becoming the first Indian- Kiwi woman to become a CHINA'S LONG TERM PROGRAM FOR ECONOMY minister in New Zealand. & DEFENCE China‘s ruling party- CPC (Communist Party of China) She was appointed as Minister for the Community and – sets long-term targets for boosting the economy and Voluntary Sector, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and military power. Ethnic Communities in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern‘s cabinet. It announced 3 goals to be achieved by 2025, 2027 and Prime minister of New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern. 2035. They are: Boosting Capital of New Zealand: Wellington. domestic consumption and innovation. JOE BIDEN WINS US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has defeated Donald Trump A ‗Vision 2035‘ longer-term economic blueprint that to become the 46th U.S. president. calls for ―big leaps‖ in economic strength and technological prowess. China‘s national security plans Biden will become the oldest president-elect in U.S. and goals are to establish the PLA as a modern force by history and the first to oust a sitting commander-in- 2027. chief after one term since Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in 1992. DUARTE PACHECO ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF IPU President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr: Biden Jr. was born Portugal MP, Duarte in November, 1942 in Pacheco has won the Scranton, Pennsylvania. elections for the post of the A member of the President of the Inter- Democratic Party, Biden Parliamentary Union previously served as the (IPU). The term of the 47th vice president from Duarte Pacheco will be 2009 to 2017 and United from 2020-2023. States Senator for PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Delaware from 1973 to 2009. organized.

Vice President Kamala Harris: Harris was born on Wuhan in China was the place where the novel October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. She has served coronavirus emerged in December 2019 and has spread as the junior United States senator from California throughout the world, causing a pandemic. since 2017. China Capital: Beijing. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a biologist from Tamil Chinese President: Xi Jinping. Nadu in India. Her father, Donald J. Harris, is a Stanford University professor emeritus of economics, SPACEX LAUNCHES FOUR ASTRONAUTS INTO who arrived in the U.S. from British Jamaica. SPACE SpaceX has CHINA SENDS WORLD‘S FIRST 6G EXPERIMENT launched Four SATELLITE Astronauts (3 China has sent into space Americans, 1 the world‘s first 6G Japanese) to the experiment satellite. The International 6G satellite was among Space Station on three Chinese satellites the first full-fledged successfully launched taxi flight for NASA by a private company. into orbit, along with 10 commercial remote sensing satellites developed by They were launched by Falcon Rocket from the Argentinean Company Satellogic. Kennedy Space Center.

The satellite also carries technology which will be used The capsule has been named as ―Resilience‖. The crew for crop disaster monitoring and forest fire prevention. was led by Commander Mike Hopkins, Shannon This was the 351st rocket of China‘s Long March series. Walker, Victor Glover and Japan‘s Soichi Noguchi.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) is the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an national space agency of China. It is responsible for the American aerospace manufacturer and space national space program and for planning and transportation services company headquartered in development of space activities. Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk SECOND WORLD HEALTH EXPO IN WUHAN CHINA JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA DEFENCE DEAL TO The second World Health Expo was inaugurated on TACKLE CHINA November 11, in Wuhan, the capital city of Central Japan and Australia have signed a ‗landmark‘ defence China‘s Hubei Province. pact in a bid to counter China‘s growing influence in the South China Sea and over the Pacific island nations. This year‘s Expo will focus on displaying the most cutting-edge science and technology in the global The deal called Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) health industry, and help Wuhan build ―city of global was signed between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide health industry‖. Suga and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

During the Expo, more than a hundred high-end RAA will allow Japanese and Australian troops to visit forums including a summit forum, academician forum each other‘s countries and conduct training and joint and the roundtable operations. The treaty dialogue on epidemic will strengthen its prevention and security ties and normalized control, facilitate cooperation and the Global between defence University Leaders forces. Forum, will be PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Japan Prime minister: Yoshihide Suga. infrastructure, which will contribute to the stability of Prime Minister of Australia: Scott Morrison. the South Indian Ocean.

NASA-ESA LAUNCHES SENTINEL-6 MICHAEL The Maldives and Japan recently signed an agreement FREILICH under the Japanese government‘s economic and social The US space agency NASA and the European Space development plan. Agency (ESA) successfully launched ‗Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite‘, to monitor the According to the plan, 800 million yen in grant rising global sea level. assistance will be provided to the Maldives Coast Guard and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination The joint US-European Center. satellite lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket The grant assistance from Space Launch will be used to Complex 4E at further strengthen Vandenberg Air Force the capabilities of Base in California. the Maldives Coast Guard, Maritime The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will help to Rescue and enhance weather forecasts and provide detailed Coordination Center, sub-regional centers and ships. information on large-scale ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines. RUSSIA SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED TSIRKON This Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will be followed in 2025 by its twin, Sentinel-6B. Russia successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic The administrator of the NASA: Jim Bridenstine. cruise missile in the Arctic. Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States. The frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile, hitting a naval JAPAN SIGNED PACT WITH MALDIVES target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Japan is India‘s strategic Mach 8. partner in the Indo- Pacific region and has In early January, the same frigate test-fired a Tsirkon recently signed an missile for the first time, striking a ground target over agreement to strengthen 500 km away. the Maldives‘ security

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2020 & PROCEDURE

The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Voters selected presidential electors who in turn will vote on December 14, 2020, to either elect a new president and vice president or reelect the incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence, respectively. The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses were held from February to August 2020. This nominating process is an indirect election, where voters cast ballots selecting a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who then elect their parties' nominees for president and vice president. The major two-party candidates were Republican incumbent president Donald Trump and Democratic former vice president Joe Biden. The 2020 Senate elections and the 2020 House elections, along with various other local elections, were being held concurrently with the presidential election.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA IN US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not directly for those offices, but instead for members of the Electoral College. These electors then cast direct votes, known as electoral votes, for president, and for vice president. The candidate who receives an absolute majority of electoral votes (at least 270 out of 538, since the Twenty-Third Amendment granted voting rights to citizens of D.C.) is then elected to that office. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of the votes for president, the House of Representatives elects the president; likewise if no one receives an absolute majority of the votes for vice president, then the Senate elects the vice president. An election for the Presidential post in the United States happens every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

As per Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States, to run for the post of President of the United States, the candidate must be:

A U.S. citizen from birth. At least 35 years old. A U.S. resident for at least 14 years.

PROCEDURE OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Primaries & Caucuses: The U.S. election process begins with primaries and caucuses. The two major political parties (the Republicans and the Democrats) select their candidates through the internal election process. In caucuses, the party members meet, discuss and vote for the right candidate. In primaries, the party members vote in a state election for the candidate who they want to represent in the General Election.

National Convention: Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. State delegates from the primaries and caucuses selected to represent the people will now ―endorse‖ their favorite candidates and the final presidential nominee from each party will be officially announced at the end of the conventions. The presidential candidate also chooses a running mate (Vice Presidential candidate). The presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population. PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

General Elections Campaign: It begins after a single nominee is chosen from each political party, via primaries, caucuses, and national conventions. These candidates travel the country, explaining their views and plans to the general population and trying to win the support of potential voters. Rallies, debates, and advertising are a big part of general election campaigning.

General Election (Popular Vote): People in every state across the country vote for one President and Vice President. When Americans go to the polls in November they will select their favorite presidential candidate and their running mate. When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people called electors. Except in the states of Maine and Nebraska, if a candidate receives the majority of the votes from the people of a state then the candidate will receive all electoral votes of that state. The presidential nominee with the most electoral votes becomes the President of the United States.

Electoral College: The Electoral College is a process in which electors or representatives from each state in number proportional to the state‘s population cast their vote and determine who will be president. Each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress. There are a total of 538 electors selected according to each state‘s policy. Each elector casts one vote following the general election, and the candidate who gets more than half (270) wins.

HOW DOES THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE PROCESS WORKS

After a vote is cast for the President, the vote goes to the statewide tally. The winner in a state gets all the electoral votes for that state. A candidate must get at least 270 electors to win the elections. It is possible to win the popular vote but lose the election and vice-versa. In the 1800s, 2000 and 2016, the candidate won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote. If no candidate wins the majority of electoral votes, the vote goes to the House of Representatives. The House members choose the new President from the top three candidates. The Senate elects the Vice-President from the remaining top two candidates. This happened in 1824 and the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as President.

Though uncommon, it is possible to win the Electoral College, but lose the popular vote. That means that a candidate can win a combination of states and reach the 270 electors mark without winning the majority of votes across the country. This has happened five times in American elections – most recently in 2000 and 2016. In 2016, Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College with 304 votes compared to 227 votes for Hillary Clinton. However, seven electors voted for someone other than their party‘s candidate. Even though it doesn‘t matter, it was Hillary Clinton who won the popular vote in 2016.

INAUGURATION DAY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

The role of the US Congress is to count the votes and officially declare the winner. The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated in January. The newly elected President and Vice-President take the oath of office and are inaugurated on January 20th. It is interesting to note that in other U.S. elections, the candidates are elected directly by people. However, for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential post, the citizens indirectly vote for the candidates through the Electoral College.

MONTHLY COMPENDIUM OCTOBER

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

RBI IMPOSED MONETARY PENALTY ON DCB & about safe banking and financial practices. JIO PAYMENT The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed monetary ‗RBI Kehta Hai‘ was the first even 360-degree penalty on DCB Bank and Jio Payments Bank for campaign initiated by the central bank using all mass various rule violations. media, including media such as television, radio, newspapers, hoardings, web banners, gifs, social media The central bank has and SMS. imposed a penalty of Rs 22 lakh on DCB Bank for In order to evaluate the impact of the public awareness non-compliance with campaign, the RBI has invited Expression of Interest certain provisions of (EoI) from eligible companies and other entities which Section 47A (1) (c) read have successfully completed at least five similar with Section 46(4)(i) of projects. the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. MOODY'S PROJECTED INDIA'S GDP FOR THE YR In the case of Jio Payments Bank, the RBI imposed a 2020 penalty of Rs 1 crore for non-compliance with RBI Rating Agency Moody‘s has projected the GDP of directions under Section 35B of the Banking India at -8.9% for the calendar year 2020. Earlier this Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act). was projected at -9.6%.

Governor of RBI: Shaktikanta Das. Apart from this, India‘s GDP growth for Calendar year Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra. 2021 is projected at 8.6% by Moody‘s from 8.1% earlier.

WHATSAPP PARTNERSHIP WITH 5 BANKS FOR Moody's Corporation, often referred to as moody‘s, is UPI OPTIONS an American business and financial services company. WhatsApp has partnered with five Indian banks to process its payment services. Moody's was founded by John Moody in 1909 These are State Bank of to produce manuals of India, HDFC Bank, statistics related to ICICI Bank, Axis Bank stocks and bonds and and Jio Payments Bank. bond ratings. Moody's was acquired by Dun & The payment system Bradstreet in 1962. will be rolled out in ten Indian regional Headquarters of Moody‘s: NewYork, United States. languages in the latest version of WhatsApp app to its President & CEO of Moody‘s: Raymond W. McDaniel, 20 million users. Jr.

'RBI KEHTA HAI' CAMPAIGN TO BE EVALUATED HDFC AND INDUSIND BANK PUT IN 'RED FLAG BY RBI LIST' The Reserve Bank of India will evaluate the impact of HDFC Bank & IndusInd Bank have been put in the multi-media public ‗red flag‘ list, a system awareness campaign ‗RBI used for monitoring Kehta Hai‘. foreign portfolio investor (FPI) limits. The campaign was launched in 14 languages A listed company enters to educate the public the list when the PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 available legroom for overseas investment is less than The bank is one of the largest investment banking 3% of the permissible limit. FPIs can invest up to 74% enterprises in the world. The group also owns Goldman in both HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank. Sachs Bank USA, a direct bank. The current FPI shareholding in case of HDFC Bank is 71.3 per cent, while that of IndusInd Bank is 73. 1 Goldman Sachs was percent. founded in 1869 and is headquartered at 200 PM ADDRESSED BLOOMBERG NEW ECONOMIC West Street in Lower FORUM Manhattan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has MASTERCARD AND USAID TO LAUNCH addressed the 3rd 'PROJECT KIRANA' Annual Bloomberg Mastercard and the United States Agency for New Economy Forum International Development (USAID) has collaborated through video- under Women‘s Global Development. conferencing. And also in Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP) to launch The forum witnessed discussions on refuelling the ‗Project Kirana‘ in India, to help women entrepreneurs economy and charting a course for the future, as the grow and thrive. world economy is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Project Kirana is a two-year programme, and initially, it will be rolled out in select cities of Uttar Pradesh, The Bloomberg New Economy Forum was established including Lucknow, in 2018 by Michael Bloomberg, to build a community of Kanpur and Varanasi. leaders to engage in real conversations about the critical challenges facing a world economy in the throes of a MERGER OF historic transition. LAKSHMI VILAS BANK WITH DBS GOLDMAN SACHS PROJECTS INDIA'S GDP BANK FORECAST Union Cabinet has The Investment bank, approved the merger of capital-starved Lakshmi Vilas Goldman Sachs has Bank (LVB) with DBS Bank India. revised upwards the The Reserve Bank of India on 17 November proposed growth forecast for India the merger of the lender with the Indian arm of in FY21 to -10.3% from its Singapore‘s DBS Bank. earlier projection of - 14.8% in September 2020. Lakshmi Vilas is the second bank to need a rescue this year, and the third collapse of a major deposit-taking For the financial year 2021-22 (FY22), the Goldman institution in 15 months and the first since the onset of Sachs has projected India‘s GDP at 13%. The Goldman the coronavirus pandemic. Sachs Group, Inc., is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company DBS was the first foreign bank to receive a banking headquartered in New York City. licence after the central bank allowed foreign banks to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2014.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

APPOINTMENTS

TUMMALA SRINIVASA AS THE NEW DIRECTOR AK GUPTA: MD & CEO OF ONGC VIDESH OF INCOIS LIMITED Tummala Srinivasa AK Gupta, the new Kumar took charge as the Managing Director new Indian National and CEO of Centre for Ocean ONGC Videsh Information System Limited (OVL) (INCOIS) Director. took charge. Before this, he was INCOIS is an Director autonomous organization of the Government of India, (Operations) of the company. under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. OVL is the international petroleum company of India India has a tsunami early warning system which and the overseas arm of national oil and gas major Oil provides a tsunami warning in 10 – 20 minutes and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited. established at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System (INCOIS). AK Gupta brings with him over three decades of experience in various capacities in domestic and BIMAL JULKA AS THE CHAIRMAN OF FIFS overseas oil and gas exploration and production Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) has operations. announced the appointment of Bimal Julka as its Chairman. ONGC Videsh Limited Founded: 1965. ONGC Videsh Limited Headquarters: New Delhi. Bimal Julka is an (IAS) officer belonging to the FIRST PRESIDENT OF HOCKEY INDIA FROM Madhya Pradesh Cadre. NORTH EAST Julka is taking over from Manipur‘s Gyanendro Ningombam was elected John Loffhagen, who unopposed as the President of Hockey India, served as the Chairman of FIFS for over three years. While former President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad is back in the Hockey India Executive Board after being Loffhagen will assume the role of a Strategic Advisor Elected Unopposed for the Senior Vice President post. and support FIFS on collaborating with relevant international bodies in the industry. Earlier, Gyanendro Ningombam has been serving as the Officiating President of Hockey India. PVG MENON APPOINTED AS CEO OF ESSCI The Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) He was Senior Vice announced the appointment of PVG Menon as its CEO. President of Hockey India, Senior Vice ESSCI works with industry, the National Skill President of Manipur Development Corporation, and the Ministry of Hockey, and also Chief Electronics and IT to provide both skilling and re- Executive Officer of skilling services to the Manipur Hockey. He industry. also served as the editor of Meeyam, an evening daily in Manipur. Electronics Sector Skill Council of India Hockey India Founded: 20 May 2009. Headquarters: New Hockey India Headquarters: New Delhi. Delhi. PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

MICHAEL HOLDING APPOINTED AS MCC The CAQM was formed on October 28 after dissolving FOUNDATION PATRON several pollution-monitoring bodies, including most Former West Indies fast prominently the 22-year-old, Environment Pollution bowler, Michael Prevention & Control Authority (EPCA) that has so far Holding has been addressed air pollution in the Delhi NCR. appointed as a new patron of Marylebone This body will perform the job of coordinating Cricket Club (MCC) activities between the States. The ordinance empowers Foundation. . the agency to make rules, set emission standards, and slap fines of up to Rs 1 crore or imprison violators for up The MCC Foundation is the charitable arm of the to five years. Marylebone Cricket Club, custodian of the game‘s laws, and was created with the aim of enhancing lives ED DIRECTOR'S TEUNRE EXTENDED FOR ONE through cricket. YEAR The Union Last month, actor, mental health advocate and cricket- government has lover Stephen Fry had joined the Foundation as a extended the tenure of patron. The pair joins the list which includes Claire Enforcement Taylor, Mike Brearley, Mike Atherton, and Mike Directorate (ED) Gatting. Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a Director of the MCC Foundation: Sarah Fane. year. MCC Foundation Founded in 1993. The ED is a central investigative agency that enforces FORMER CHIEF SECY. OF DELHI AS CHAIRMAN two central laws, the Prevention of Money Laundering OF CAQM Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Former Chief Secretary Act (FEMA). of Delhi, M.M. Kutty was appointed as the These laws were enacted to curb money laundering, chairperson of terror financing, black money and hawala or illegal Commission for Air financial transactions that have cross-border Quality Management ramifications. (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Enforcement Directorate Founded: 1 May 1956. Adjoining Areas. Enforcement Directorate Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

NEW ADDITION TO RAMSAR SITES

Recently, the Meteor Lake at Lonar in Buldhana district of Maharashtra and the Soor Sarovar at Agra have been declared Ramsar sites, a conservation status conferred by International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Earlier this year Kabartal Wetland (Bihar) and Asan Conservation Reserve (Uttrakhand) were also designated as Ramsar sites. With latest inclusions, the total number of Ramsar sites in India is 41, the highest in South Asia.

LONAR LAKE & SOOR SAROVAR LAKE

Lonar Lake, also known as Lonar crater, is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument, saline, soda lake, located at Lonar in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India. Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently or culturally significant offering insight to earth‘s evolution or history to earth science or that can be utilized for education. Lonar Lake was created by an asteroid collision with earth impact during the Pleistocene Epoch. It is one of the four known, hyper-velocity, impact craters in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth. The other three basaltic impact structures are in southern Brazil. It situated in the Deccan Plateau‘s volcanic basalt rock, was created by the impact of a meteor 35,000 to 50,000 years ago. The lake is part of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary which falls under the unified control of the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR).

Soor Sarovar Lake is also known as Keetham lake situated within the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, which was declared as a bird sanctuary in the year 1991. This lake is situated alongside river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The Soor Sarovar bird sanctuary covered an area of 7.97 sq km. It is today home to more than 165 species of migratory and resident birds. Alongside the Keetham Lake is the Agra Bear Rescue Facility, which is a Sloth bear rescue facility dedicated to rehabilitating previously enslaved 'dancing bears'. The lake has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2020. With Ramsar status, the sites will benefit in terms of international publicity and prestige. They will get financial aid through the convention‘s grant and also access to expert advice on national and site-related problems.

RAMSAR CONVENTION OF WETLANDS OF INT. IMPORTANCE

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971. The Convention came into force in 1975. The Convention‘s mission is ―the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world‖. Every three years, representatives of the contracting parties meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the policy-making organ of the convention which adopts decisions (resolutions and recommendations) to administer the work of the convention and improve the way in which the parties are able to implement its objectives. COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 was held in , United Arab Emirates, in October 2018.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

THREE PILLARS OF THE CONVENTION ARE:

Work towards the wise use of all their wetlands. Designate suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the ―Ramsar List‖) and ensure their effective management. Cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

Montreux Record: It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List. Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.

WHAT ARE THE WETLANDS?

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of 1971 defines wetlands as - ―Areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.‖ In simple terms, a wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally. This definition brings ponds, lakes, estuaries, reservoirs, creeks, mangroves and many more water bodies under the ambit of wetlands.

Further, wetlands can be categorised into marine (coastal wetlands), estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps), lacustarine (lakes), riverine (along rivers and streams), and palustarine (‗marshy‘– marshes, swamps and bogs) based on their hydrological, ecological and geological characteristics.

The wetlands in India are spread over all the 36 States/Union Territories starting from Wular lake in Srinagar, Ashtamudi backwaters lake in , Loktak lake (only floating national park in the world) in Manipur and Nalsarovar in Gujarat.

In terms of numbers West Bengal (1.47 lakhs), Uttar Pradesh (1.2 lakhs) are the two States in which wetlands are more than above 1 lakh. These States are followed by Odisha and Madhya Pradesh that have 78 and 62 thousand wetlands respectively.

In terms of the proportion of the geographical area, Gujarat has the highest proportion (17.5 percent) and Mizoram has the lowest proportion (0.66 percent) of the area under wetlands. Among UTs in India, Lakshadweep has the highest proportion (around 96 percent) and Chandigarh has the least proportion (3 percent) of geographical area under wetlands.

OTHER INITIATIVES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF WETLANDS

National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP): It was launched in 1985 to enable conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country so as to prevent their further degradation.

The Central Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules: They were notified for the first time in 2010 for better management and regulation of wetlands across the country. It saw the formation of Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) whose term ended on 31 March 2015 and it wasn‘t reconstituted since then.

National Environment Policy 2006: Recognizing the importance of wetlands, it calls for developing a national inventory of such wetlands and implementing a wide spectrum of policies and plans for wetland conservation and their Environmental impact assessment (EIA).

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA): It was unveiled in 2015 to provide for policy framework and support to State Governments for integrated management of wetlands. This initiative was launched by merging two separate Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), namely the National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) and the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP).

The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the convention on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

AWARDS & HONOR

PAUL ZACHARIA: EZHUTHACHAN The film has been PURASKARAM directed by Shaan Noted writer, Vyas and co-produced Paul Zacharia has been by Ronnie Screwvala selected for this year‘s and . The Ezhuthachan Best of India Festival Puraskaram, the Kerala has been established government‘s highest by ShortsTV since literary honour. 2018 to honour and recognize the exceptional work of the Indian filmmaker. Paul Zacharia was chosen for his contribution to during the past five decades. RUSKIN BOND CONFERRED WIT TATA LIFETIME AWARD Zacharia also won the Award Ruskin Bond, one of in 1979 and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in India‘s most cherished 2004. authors was conferred Tata Literature Live! The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary Lifetime Achievement honour that is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Award for 2020. . He has a substantial body of work, close to 100 books – HARIHARAN WINS JC DANIELS LIFETIME across genres for children and adults. ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Noted filmmaker His famous works: Room on the roof, Blue Umbrella, Hariharan has been etc. He was conferred the Padma Shri & Padma selected for the JC Daniel Bhushan. Award, the state government‘s highest SCOTTISH WRITER WINS 2020 BOOKER PRIZE honour for lifetime FOR FICTION contributions to Scottish writer Douglas Stuart has won the 2020 . Booker Prize for Fiction. He has been awarded for his debut novel, ―Shuggie Bain‖. The 44-year-old Stuart is Hariharan was chosen for only the second to have won the prestigious literary the prestigious award by a prize. jury chaired by MT Vasudevan Nair. The Booker Prize for Fiction, (formerly known as the Booker–McConnell Prize (1969–2001) and the Man In 1972 he directed the film ‗Girls Hostel‘. Later he got Booker Prize (2002–2019)), is a literary prize awarded here up with a few of the evergreen films in Malayalam. each year.

VIDYA BALAN'S SHORT FILM FOR OSCAR It is awarded for the NOMINATIONS best original novel The Indian film ‗Natkhat‘, starring and co-produced by written in the English Vidya Balan, has won the top prize at the third edition language and published of Best of India Short Film Festival 2020. in the United Kingdom. It carries £50,000 prize By winning the festival, the film has become eligible for ($66,000). 2021 Oscar qualification.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

NASEERUDDIN SHAH HONOUED WITH ADITYA Kailasavadivoo Sivan (born 14 April 1957) is an Indian BIRLA AWARD space scientist who is Veteran actor has been honoured the current Secretary with the 2020 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar (Space) and ex-officio Puraskar at annual Sangit Kala Kendra Awards. chairman of Indian Space Research Alongside, two emerging stars, in the firmament of Organisation and Space theatrics – Neel Choudhary and Irawati Karnik were Commission. awarded the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars. ―Theatre‖ is the central theme, for this year‘s awards. He has previously served as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and the Liquid Propulsion The Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Systems Centre. Puraskar awards were instituted in 1996 by the Sangeet Kala Kendra (SKK). It was founded in 1973 by Aditya MALAYALAM FILM 'JALLIKATTU': INDIA‘S Vikram Birla (former Chairman of Aditya Birla Group) ENTRY FOR OSCARS Malayalam film K SIVAN: DOCTOR OF SCIENCE HONORARY ―Jallikattu‖, directed DOCTORATE by Lijo Jose Karnataka Governor Pellissery, has been Vajubhai Vala selected as India‘s presented Doctor of official entry for the Science honorary Best International doctorate upon ISRO Feature Film category Chairman K Sivan. for the 93rd . The Visvesvaraya Technological University has conferred the doctorate to Jallikattu is the third Malayalam film after Guru (1997) him. and Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) to be chosen as the country‘s official entry for the Oscars. The Governor highly praised the role of ISRO in defining our Space programme and the social role that In 2019, Zoya Akhtar‘s , starring Ranveer it has played in the country. Singh and Alia Bhatt, was India‘s entry to the Oscars.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

2ND NATIONAL WATER AWARDS 2020

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, is organizing the 2nd National Water Awards (NWAs) for the year 2019. On November 11, 2020, the Vice President Venkaiah Naidu announced the second National Water Awards. Tamil Nadu won the first place followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan at second and third places respectively. Tamil Nadu also topped in all India level micro irrigation awards under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and the state was followed by Karnataka and Gujarat in second and third places respectively.

BACKGROUND AND THE OBJECTIVES OF THE AWARDS

The awards are organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The NWAs were launched in 2007 for the first time along with the Ground Water Augmentation Awards and the winners in different categories are given a citation, trophy and cash prize. These focus on the good work and efforts made by individuals and organisations across the country, and the government‘s vision for the path to ‗Jal Samridh Bharat‘.

The main objectives of the awards include motivating individuals/organisations who are doing commendable work in the field of water resources conservation and management. To create awareness among the people about the importance of water and encourage them to adopt the best water usage practices. Start-ups, leading organisations and people can engage, deliberate and strengthen existing partnerships on issues concerning water conservation and management activities.

Need for Water Conservation and Management: Depletion of water resources due to overuse and decline in water supplies due to climate change is pushing India closer to the tipping point of water scarcity. Apart from these, several government policies especially pertaining to agriculture resulted in over-exploitation of water. These factors make India a water-stressed economy. In this context there is a need for water resource conservation and management.

INITIATIVES AND MISSIONS STARTED BY THE GOVERNMENT

MGNREGA FOR WATER CONSERVATION

In view of its ambitious target to provide tap-water connections to all rural households by 2024, the government will now focus on source sustainability through river rejuvenation and water harvesting works under the MGNREGA scheme. The huge workforce employed under the MGNREGA has enabled the government to introduce water conservation as a project under the Act. The Ministry of Rural Development has asked states to focus on works related to water conservation while preparing the MGNREGA labour budget for the 2020-21 financial year. Issuing guidelines for planning works and preparation of labour budget under the MGNREGA, the ministry has said there should be a ―special focus on water harvesting and water conservation, including river rejuvenation‖.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

JAL KRANTI ABHIYAN

Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti on 5 June 2015 launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan (campaign) from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The aim is to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the Abhiyan is to strengthen grass root involvement of all stake-holders including Panchayati raj institutions and local bodies in the water security and development schemes like Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). To encourage the adoption of traditional knowledge in water resource conservation and its management to utilize sector-level expertise from different levels in government, NGOs, citizen, etc. Enhancing livelihood security through water security in rural areas.

NATIONAL WATER MISSION

National Water Mission is one the eight missions of the Government of India which was launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming.

The main features of the National Water Mission includes Review of National Water Policy, Research and studies on all aspects related to impact of climate change on water resources including quality aspects of water resources, Expeditious implementation of water resources projects particularly the multipurpose projects with carry over storages, Promotion of traditional system of water conservation, Intensive programme for ground water recharge in over-exploited areas, Intensive capacity building and awareness programme including those for Panchayati Raj Institutions, urban local bodies and youths, Sensitization of elected representatives of over exploited area on dimensions of the problem and to orient investment under NREGA towards water conservation

The India's National Water Mission enshrined five goals which are: Comprehensive water data base in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water resource, Promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation Focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas Increasing water use efficiency by 20% Promotion of basin level integrated water resources management.

JAL JEEVAN MISSION

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his Independence Day Benefits of Jal Jeevan Mission: speech that the government will launch Jal Jeevan Mission to bring piped water supply to every house. He also urged the people to come forward Household pipeline water supply and contribute in conserving water resources. PM Modi said that the Clean and drinkable water government will spend more than Rs. 3.5 Lakh crore in coming years under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Jal Jeevan Mission will work under the Recharge of ground water level Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Better local infrastructure

The Major objective of Jal Jeevan Mission is to provide piped water Less water-borne diseases supply (Har Ghar Jal) to all rural and urban households by 2024. It also Less water wastage aims to create local infrastructure for rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household waste water for reuse in agriculture.

According to the data published in various reports, about half of the country‘s households don‘t have access to piped water supply. It is an urgent requirement of water conservation in the country because of the decreasing amount of PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 groundwater level. Therefore, Jal Jeevan Mission will focus on integrated demand and supply management of water at the local level.

CONCLUSION

People tend to neglect the importance of water conservation because in most places it is free of cost or charged nominally, so it is important for them to realise its importance and be aware of its degrading status. Initiatives like National Water Awards, along with the other government initiatives will help to create that awareness and motivate them to adopt the best water usage practices which will help India in becoming ‗Jal Samridh Bharat‘.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

SPORTS

LEWIS HAMILTON WINS EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX Chasing 157 runs for victory, Mumbai were helped by Lewis Hamilton their captain Rohit Sharma, who hit 68 runs off 51 balls. (Mercedes-Great Britain) has won the They have now become Emilia Romagna the only side after Grand Prix 2020 at Chennai Super Kings to Autodromo defend the title. Kings Internazionale Enzo e XI Punjab skipper KL Dino Ferrari race track, Rahul bagged the Italy. Orange Cap for being the leading run-scorer This was his 9th win of the season and 93rd F1 win of of the IPL 2020. his career. Valtteri Bottas finished second while Daniel Ricciardo finished third. Delhi Capitals‘ Kagiso Rabada won the Purple Cap with a total of 30 wickets at the end of IPL 2020. He also won the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, held at Algarve International Circuit, Portugal. With this win, LEWIS HAMILTON WINS TURKISH GRAND PRIX he has surpassed the record of 91 wins set by German 2020 great Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) MARLON SAMUELS RETIRES FROM ALL FORMAT has won the Turkish OF CRICKET Grand Prix 2020 at West Indies batsman, Marlon Samuels has announced Istanbul Park, Turkey. his retirement from professional cricket. Sergio Perez (Racing Having last he played Point-BWT- Mexico) secured the second position and for his country in Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished third. This was December 2018 Hamilton 10th victory of the season and 94th F1 win of against Bangladesh. his career.

He has played 71 With this win, he claimed the seventh Formula One Tests, 207 ODIs, and championships title of his career to equal the record of 67 T20s at the Michael Schumacher. international level, has scored 11,134 international runs including 17 FIFA U-17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2021 centuries across all formats. He also has 152 CANCELLED international wickets to his name. The 2021 U-17 Women‘s World Cup, which was He also represented several T20 franchises around the scheduled to be held in world later in his career, including Delhi Daredevils, India, has been cancelled Pune Warriors, Melbourne Renegades, and Peshawar due to the Corona virus Zalmi. pandemic.

MUMBAI INDIANS WINS IPL TROPHY FOR THE It has also been decided that India will host the 2022 FIFTH TIME edition of the World Cup. Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in the final of Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 to lift their The 2020 U20 Women‘s World Cup has also been fifth IPL trophy. cancelled along with the U17 edition. While Costa Rica PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 will get the chance to host the 2022 U20 Women‘s He reached the World Cup. milestone in his 462nd innings. Tendulkar Headquarters of FIFA: Zürich, Switzerland. batted 493 times to President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino. reach that mark. They are followed by Brian INDIAN SKIP. VIRAT KOHLI BROKE SACHIN Lara (511 innings) and TENDULKAR'S RECORD Ricky Ponting (514 innings) on the list. Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli scripted another record in the game. He broke Sachin The only batsman with an average of over 50 across all Tendulkar‘s record and became the quickest batsman formats, Kohli has 7240 runs in Tests, 12834 runs in to complete 22,000 runs. ODIs and 2794 runs in T20Is. Kohli achieved this feat during the second ODI between Australia and India at the SCG.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

DATES & DAYS

WORLD CITIES DAY: 31ST OCTOBER According to the World Health Organization (WHO), The United Nations General cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Assembly has designated the 31st of October as World The day was first Cities Day. Theme for the observed in 2014 as and year 2020 is Valuing Our when announced by the Communities and Cities. union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. The day The Day is celebrated to coincides with the birth promote the international community‘s interest in anniversary of scientist global urbanization. Marie Curie winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world‘s urban challenges and engage the World Cancer Day which was celebrated on 4th of international community towards the New Urban February. Agenda. 'NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES DAY': 9TH World Cities Day 2020 is the seventh global celebration NOVEMBER since the day was launched on 31 October 2014 in In India, 09 November Shanghai, China. is celebrated as ―National Legal WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY 2020 Services Day‖ every World Tsunami year by all Legal Awareness Day was Services Authorities, observed across the world to commemorate the on 5 November. enactment of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987. The day is celebrated to spread awareness among The Day is celebrated to make people aware of the people across the world in matters related to the various provisions under the Legal Services dangers of tsunami. Authorities Act and the right of the litigants.

This year‘s observance promotes ―Sendai Seven On 11 October 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act Campaign,‖ target. World Tsunami Awareness Day 1987 was enacted, while the act took effect on 9 was the brainchild of Japan. November 1995. The day was started by the in 1995 to provide help and support to In December 2015, the UN General Assembly poor and weaker sections of the society. designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day, calling on countries, international bodies and civil WORLD PNEUMONIA DAY 2020: 12TH NOVEMBER society to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative World Pneumonia Day approaches to risk reduction. is observed globally on 12th November every NATIONAL CANCER AWARENESS DAY: 7TH year. NOVEMBER The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed The day is celebrated to annually in India on November 7, to spread awareness raise awareness, on cancer, its symptoms and treatment. promote prevention and treatment and PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 produce action to combat the disease. The day was first NATIONAL PRESS DAY: 16TH NOVEMBER celebrated in the year 2009. National Press Day is observed on 16th November every year to celebrate free and responsible press in To end the preventable burden of childhood India. pneumonia and deaths there is a need to Strengthen, accelerate and sustain interventions to prevent and treat It commemorates the day pneumonia. Design specific strategies to reach the when the Press Council of ―harder-to-reach‖ populations to improve their India started functioning. accessibility to available interventions. In 1956, the First Press The day was celebrated on November 12 in 2009 by the Commission was planned Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. to form a Press Council to protect freedom of the press in India. On 4 July 1966, the Press Council was NATIONAL AYURVEDA DAY 2020 established in India. National Ayurveda Day is being observed It came into effect from 16 November 1966 under the every year from 2016, Press Council Act of 1978. Therefore, 16 November is on the day of celebrated as National Press Day every year. Dhanwantri Jayanti. WORLD TOILET DAY 2020: 19TH NOVEMBER This year the 5th World Toilet Day (WTD) is observed globally on 19 Ayurveda Day falls on November to inspire action to tackle the global November 13, 2020. PM Narendra Modi will sanitation crisis. inaugurate the two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Gujarat and Rajasthan. World Toilet Day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda to safely managed sanitation. (ITRA) at Jamnagar in Gujarat and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) at Jaipur in Rajasthan on It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation November 13. crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. WORLD DIABETES DAY: 14TH NOVEMBER World Diabetes Day is observed on 14th November The day was established every year. The campaign aims to raise awareness by the World Toilet around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting Organization in 2001 and people living with diabetes. officially declared by the UN General Assembly in The theme for World 2013. This year the theme Diabetes Day 2020 is remarks on the importance of ―Sustainable sanitation ―The Nurse and and climate change‖. Diabetes.‖ In 2007 General Assembly World Toilet Organization Headquarters: Singapore. adopted resolution World Toilet Organization Founder and Director: Jack 61/225 designating 14 Sim. November as World Diabetes Day. World Toilet Organization Founded: 19 November 2001.

Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation. A WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY 2020: 20TH NOVEMBER healthy diet, physical activity and avoiding tobacco use World Children‘s Day is observed globally on 20 can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. November every year.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

The day is celebrated to It highlights the importance of healthy oceans promote international ecosystems and to ensure sustainable stocks of fisheries togetherness, awareness in the world. 2020 is the fourth World Fisheries Day. among children worldwide, and The World Fisheries Day helps in highlighting the improving children‘s critical importance to human lives, of water and the welfare. lives it sustains, both in and out of water. Water forms a continuum, whether November 20th is an important date as it is the date in contained in rivers, 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the lakes, and ocean. Declaration of the Rights of the Child. ELIMINATION OF World Children‘s Day was first established in 1954 as VIOLENCE AGAINST Universal Children‘s Day and is celebrated on 20 WOMEN November each year. It is also the date in 1989 when The United Nations designated International Day for the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women is the Rights of the Child. celebrated worldwide on November 25.

NATIONAL NEWBORN WEEK 2020: 15 TO 21 The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the fact that NOVEMBER women around the world are subject to various forms In India, the National Newborn Week 2020 is observed of violence and the true nature of the issue is often every year from 15 to 21 November. hidden.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr This year‘s theme for the International Day for the Harsh Vardhan has chaired an event to mark the Elimination of Violence against Women is ―Orange the National Newborn Week 2020. World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, and Collect!‖

The main purpose of the week is to reinforce the NATIONAL MILK DAY: 26TH NOVEMBER importance of newborn health as a key priority area of In India, November 26 is celebrated as National Milk the health sector and reduce the infant mortality rate by Day, since 2014, to commemorate the birthday of the improving healthcare conditions for babies in the father of India‘s White Revolution, Dr Verghese neonatal period. Kurien (also nicknamed as Milkman of India).

The theme of National The day was fixed by all Newborn Week 2020 is the dairy majors of the ‗Quality, Equity, country including the Dignity for every National Dairy newborn at every health Development Board facility and (NDDB), the Indian everywhere‘. Dairy Association (IDA), along with 22 state-level milk federations. WORLD FISHERIES DAY: 21ST NOVEMBER World Fisheries Day is The Indian Dairy Association (IDA), in 2014, took the celebrated on 21 November initiative to celebrate this day for the first time. The first every year throughout the National Milk Day was celebrated on 26 November world by the fisherfolk 2014. communities.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

REPORT & INDEXES

KERALA BEST GOVERNED STATE IN INDIA: PAI 36 crore), and Biocon‘s Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Rs 34 INDEX crore). Kerala has adjudged the best - governed state in the country while Uttar Pradesh (UP) pushed to the bottom INDIA'S PARAM SIDDHI RANKED 63RD IN LIST in the large states category, according to the PAI - OF 500 Public Affairs Index 2020 released by the Public Affairs According to the Department of Science and Centre. Technology (DST), Indian supercomputer, Param Siddhi has achieved 63rd rank in the list of 500 most Four southern states, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra powerful supercomputers in the world. Pradesh, & Karnataka stood in the 1st four ranks in the large state category in terms of governance. Param Siddhi is the high- performance computing- Uttar Pradesh, Odisha & Bihar were at the bottom of artificial intelligence (HPC- the ranking. In the small state category, Goa ranked 1st, AI) supercomputer followed by Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh. established under National Supercomputing Mission Chandigarh emerged the best - governed union (NSM) at C-DAC. territory in the category of UTs PAI points, followed by Puducherry & Lakshadweep. The supercomputer will also help in acceleration of research and development in the fight against By the PAC, the governance performance is analyzed in COVID19 through faster simulations, medical imaging, the context of sustainable development defined by 3 genome sequencing and forecasting and is a boon for pillars of equity, growth and sustainability. Indian masses and for start-ups and MSMEs in particular. (WIPRO) TOPS THE PHILANTHROPY LIST 2020 INDIA RANKED 77TH IN 'TRACE BRIBERY RISK The founder-chairman of Wipro Ltd, Azim Premji (Rs MATRIX 2020' 7,904 Crore) has topped the EdelGive Hurun India India is placed at 77th Philanthropy List 2020. position in the TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix It ranks individuals 2020. India has achieved a from India who score of 45 in a global list donated Rs 5 crore that measures business and above between bribery risks of 2020. April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020, India‘s rank stood 78 positions in 2019. It was a better towards philanthropic performance than neighbouring nations such as contributions. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and China. But, Bhutan scored better than India and got 48th place in the list. , founder and chairman of HCL Technologies, ranked second (Rs 795 crore) on the list. North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela He topped the list in 2019. India‘s richest man and the and Eritrea had the highest commercial bribery risk. chairman of Reliance Industries, Ambani Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand stood at the third spot (Rs 458 crore). showed the lowest bribery risk. The TRACE Matrix list is released by TRACE International. 7 women found a place in the list with Rohini Nilekani (donating Rs 47 crore) being India‘s most generous woman; followed by Anu Aga & family of Thermax (Rs PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

WORLDWIDE COST OF LIVING (WCOL) INDEX 2020 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its biannual ‗Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL)‘ report of the World‘s Most Expensive Cities in 2020, based on their cost of living.

Hong Kong (China), Paris (France) and Zurich (Switzerland) share the top spot as the most expensive cities in the list, which comprises of 133 cities.

Damascus (Syria), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Lusaka (Zambia) ranked the last three spots as the cheapest cities in the list, which comprises of 133 cities.

The report took into account the price of 138 items, used in every day for survival, and the falling or rising value of that country‘s currency due to Covid to rank the cities accordingly.

Economist Intelligence Unit Headquarters: London, United Kingdom. Economist Intelligence Unit Founded: 1946.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

ACADEMIC FREEDOM INDEX (AFI) 2020

India has scored considerably low in the International Academic Freedom Index (AFI) with a score of 0.352. Academic freedom, in general, refers to a scholar's freedom to express ideas without risk of official interference or professional disadvantage. It has been published by Global Public Policy Institute as a part of a global time-series dataset (1900-2019) in close cooperation with Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Scholars at Risk and the V‑Dem Institute. It compares levels of academic freedom worldwide and enhances the understanding of its curtailments. The AFI used eight components to evaluate the scores: freedom to research and teach, freedom of academic exchange and dissemination, institutional autonomy, campus integrity, freedom of academic and cultural expression, constitutional protection of academic freedom, international legal commitment to academic freedom under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and existence of universities. The scores are scaled 0-1. The index did not report data for 35 countries - including the United States and Australia.

RESULTS OF THE AFI 2020

Top Performers: Uruguay and Portugal top the AFI, with scores of 0.971 each, followed closely by Latvia (0.964) and Germany (0.960). India with a score of 0.352 is closely followed by Saudi Arabia (0.278) and Libya (0.238). In the last five years, the AFI of India has dipped by 0.1 points. Countries like Malaysia (0.582), Pakistan (0.554), Brazil (0.466), Somalia (0.436) and Ukraine (0.422) have scored better than India. India has not fared well in components like institutional autonomy, campus integrity, freedom of academic and cultural expression and constitutional protection of academic freedom.

The AFI has cited the ‗Free to Think: Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project‘, to suggest that the political tensions in India may have something to do with declining ‗academic freedom‘. According to the Report, political tensions in India have led to violent altercations between students, security forces, and off- campus groups, and have driven legal actions and disciplinary measures against scholars critical of those in power.

CHALLENGES BEFORE INDIA IN ACADEMICS

India fails to provide desired freedom to scholars to discuss politically and culturally controversial topics, without fearing for their life, studies or profession. Most universities in the country are subjected to unsolicited interference from governments in both academic and non-academic issues. It is common knowledge by now that a majority of appointments, especially to top-ranking posts like that of vice-chancellors, pro vice-chancellors and registrars, have been highly politicized. Political appointments not only choke academic and creative freedom, but also lead to corrupt practices, including those in licensing and accreditation.

At present, many educational institutions and regulatory bodies, both at the Central and State levels, are headed by bureaucrats. Favoritism and nepotism in staff appointments and student admissions. This reflects a ‗rent-seeking culture‘ within the academic community. Rent-seeking is an economic concept that occurs when an entity seeks to gain added wealth without any reciprocal contribution of productivity. Typically, it revolves around government-funded social services and social service programs.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TOWARDS THE PROBLEM

Regulatory and Governance Reforms: Restructure or merge different higher education regulators (UGC, AICTE, NCTE etc.) to ensure effective coordination. Amend UGC Act, 1956 to give legislative backing to regulatory structure. Select Vice-Chancellors of universities through a transparent & objective process. Link University grants to performance.

Implementation of the claims made by NEP: The NEP 2020 claims that it is based on principles of creativity and critical thinking and envisions an education system that is free from political or external interference. The aim of the new policy is the universalization of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030. For instance, the policy states that faculty will be given the ―freedom to design their own curricular and pedagogical approaches within the approved framework, including textbook and reading material selections, assignments and assessments‖. NEP 2020 will also emphasize in setting up of the Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions, and groups. It suggests creating a National Research Foundation (NRF), a merit-based and peer-reviewed research funding, which will be governed, independently of the government, by a rotating Board of Governors consisting of the very best researchers and innovators across fields. The new education policy aims at repairing the educational system in the country and making ―India a global knowledge superpower‖, with a new system that is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDG 4). It also emphasises universal access to schools for all children, raising the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), and ending the rise of dropout rate in India.

CONCLUSION

Every government laments the absence of world-class universities, without realizing that it is attributable in part to their interventions and the growing intrusion of political processes. Where politics is largely kept out—as in IIT, IIM or the IISc—institutions thrive. Higher education policy-makers must respond to declining AFi scores. This will also help in making ―India a global knowledge superpower‖, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDG 4 -Quality Education). Academic freedom is primary because universities are places for raising doubts and asking questions about everything. Exploring ideas, debating issues and thinking independently are essential in the quest for excellence.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

RDO TEST-FIRED PINAKA ROCKET SYSTEM The installation of the A-SAT model will inspire the The enhanced version of DRDO fraternity to take up many more such PINAKA rocket system challenging missions in future. was successfully flight tested by DRDOfrom ‗Mission Shakti‘ was the country‘s first-ever Anti- Integrated Test Range, Satellite (A-SAT) Missile Test successfully conducted on Chandipur off the coast 27th March 2019 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in of Odisha. Odisha.

This enhanced version of INDIAN ASTRONOMERS COLLABORATE WITH the Pinaka rocket would replace the existing Pinaka NOBEL LAUREATE Mk-I rockets. Indian astronomers have collaborated The design and development of Pinaka were done by with the 2020 DRDO laboratories based in Pune, namely Armament Physics Nobel Research and Development Establishment, ARDE and Laureate Prof. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, HEMRL. Andrea Ghez for the design of back-end INDIA RECEIVED SECOND BATCH OF THREE instruments and RAFALE AIRCRAFT possible science prospects of the Thirty Meter India receives the second batch of three Rafale Aircraft, Telescope (TMT) project. bringing total Rafale Jets with IAF to eight. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposed The second batch of three Rafale jets landed in Extremely large telescope (ELT) which is planned to be Jamnagar, Gujarat. installed at Maunakea on the island of Hawaii.

With the arrival of Some of the Indian astronomers like Dr Annapurni the second batch, the Subramanium, and Dr Pandey, a IAF now has a total of scientist at Aryabhatta Research Institute of eight Rafale fighter Observational Sciences (ARIES) along with many aircraft. As per the others collaborated with Prof. Ghez in the ongoing information by Chief research and developmental activities of the TMT of Air Staff Air Chief project. Marshal RKS Bhadauria, the induction of all 36 jets will be INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED QRSAM completed by 2023. SYSTEM India successfully test-fired the Quick Reaction A-SAT MISSILE MODEL UNVEILED BY DEFENCE Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system off the coast of MINISTER Balasore in Odisha. A model of Anti Satellite (A-SAT) The QRSAM system has Missile installed been developed by the inside DRDO Defence Research and Bhawan was unveiled Development by Union Defence Organization (DRDO) in Minister Rajnath association with Bharat Singh. Electronics Limited and for the Indian Army.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

The system is capable of detecting and tracking targets of Heavy Weight (HWT), . on the move and engaging target with short halts. The system is designed to give air defence coverage against The Varunastra has been designed and developed by strike columns of the Indian Army. NSTL of DRDO while Bharat Dynamics Limited BDL, Vishakhapatnam has manufactured the torpedo for the DRDO FLAGS OFF FIRST 'VARUNASTRA' HEAVY Indian Navy. TORPEDO The Defence Varunastra is a ship-launched, heavyweight, electrically Research and propelled anti-submarine torpedo. Development (DRDO) Chairman It can be launched from ships that can fire heavyweight G Satheesh Reddy torpedoes to engage quiet submarines in deep and has flagged off the shallow waters. first Production unit

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

OBITURIES

JAMES BOND ACTOR SEAN CONNERY PASSES He was not only the longest-serving PM of Bahrain, AWAY but he was the world‘s longest-serving prime minister. The Scottish actor, best known for his He had held the post since independence in 1971. He portrayal of James played a key role in Bahrain‘s political and economic Bond, Sean Connery affairs for more than three decades. passed away. Connery will be remembered King of Bahrain: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. first as British agent Capital of Bahrain: Manama. 007. JAPANESE NOBEL PRIZE WINNER PASSED AWAY Scottish movie legend Connery, who shot British agent Physicist Masatoshi James Bond and went on to grace the silver screen for Koshiba, who shared four decades. 2002 Nobel Prize for the detection of cosmic He was admired by generations of film fans in films neutrinos, passed such as The Man Who Would Be King, the Name of away. the Rose and the Untouchables. Koshiba‘s most famous 'SCOOBY DOO' CO-CREATOR KEN SPEARS work involved detecting neutrinos from a distant PASSED AWAY supernova explosion using a vast detector based in a American television editor, writer and producer Ken mine in central Japan. Koshiba, a distinguished Spears, who co-created the beloved animated series professor at the University of Tokyo. ―Scooby-Doo‖, passed away. His student, Takaaki Kajita, won the Nobel Prize in He was also the co- physics in 2015 for research at the Super- Kamiokande founder of television facility that found neutrinos have mass. animation production company, Ruby- ARGENTINA SOCCER LEGEND MARADONA Spears Productions, PASSED AWAY along with the late Argentina soccer legend Joe Ruby. Diego Maradona passed away on 25th November. Together, Spears and Ruby created Scooby-Doo, He died at the age of 60. Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and Jabberjaw, among other He died because of heart programs. Joe Ruby has recently passed away on failure. August 26, 2020. Diego Maradona was the captain when Argentina won BAHRAIN LONGEST SERVING PM PASSES AWAY the 1986 World Cup, in which he produced a series of Bahrain‘s Prime Sublime individual performances. Minister Khalifa bin He was signed for 2 world record fees in his career Salman al-Khalifa has when joining Barcelona and then later Napoli. He was passed away. He was one of the highest-paid players in the world. 84.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

MISCELLANEOUS

'TILL WE WIN': BOOK BY AIIMS DIRECTOR Through this book, Kher GULERIA will recount his A new book titled ―Till experiences during the We Win‖ written by lockdown, several ups AIIMS Director and downs, including the Randeep Guleria and time when his mother two other doctors Dulari and brother Raju Kher had contracted the It will give a definitive virus. account of India‘s fight against Covid-19 and His previous books are his biography Lessons Life how to deal with the pandemic in the days to come. Taught Me unknowingly & the Best Thing about You is you. He is also a recipient of two National Film The book deals with the ―realization of inner strength Awards. and unity‖ amongst people of all walks of life in a country known for its cultural and linguistic diversity. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF SONU SOOD ' I AM NO MESSIAH' It will hit the stands this month and published by An actor, producer Penguin Random House India. and humanitarian, Sonu Sood is set to ―Rasaathi‖ titled novel by ex-spg officer pen his Ex-SPG officer, autobiography titled Sasindran ―I Am No Messiah‖. Kallinkeel‘s has The book will be co- penned a novel authored by Meena named ―Rasaathi: The Iyer. Other Side of a Transgender‖. The The book will account the experience of Sonu Sood main character in the during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is set to be novel, published by BookMitra, is a transgender named published by Penguin Random House India and Rasaathi born in a family in South India. released in December 2020.

Rasaathi, meaning princess, is in the late 40s who Sonu Sood narrates his emotional experiences and the wants people to treat transgenders like human beings challenges he faced along with the people he rescued by showering love, affection, sympathy and recognise during the COVID-19 pandemic. their pathetic and horrible life. LONAR LAKE IN MAHARASHTRA CHOSEN AS Sasindran Kallinkeel was with the Central Reserve RAMSAR SITE Police Force for 23 years and had a seven-year stint with The Lonar Lake in the Special Protection Group (PM's Security) as a senior Buldhana district of security officer when Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Maharashtra has been Manmohan Singh were in office. chosen as a wetland site of international BOOK PENNED BY ACTOR ANUPAM KHER importance under the Actor Anupam Kher‘s latest book is titled ―Your Best Ramsar conservation Day Is Today!‖ He had announced the book, in which treaty. he experiences during the corona virus-induced countrywide lockdown. Lonar Lake was formed by the impact of a meteorite on basalt bedrock several thousand years ago. PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind during the third year of A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated to be of his presidency. international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The name Ramsar comes from the Ramsar Information and City of Iran, where this treaty was signed. Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the e- The Convention on Wetlands is also known as the book versions of the two Ramsar Convention. books.

DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH UNVEILED Mr Rajnath Singh stated TWO BOOKS that the President‘s speeches depict his concern towards Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has unveiled two issues such as girls education, empowerment of women, books. and welfare of the weaker sections.

‗The Republican Ethic Volume III‘ and ‗Loktantra Ke Swar‘ which is a collection of selected speeches of

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

LEGAL AFFAIRS

'UNION TERRITORY OF J&K' LAND CENTRAL COMMITTEE TO ASSESS TRP SYSTEM REORGANISATION 2020 The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has Recently, the Centre constituted a four-member committee, to assess the notified ‗Union existing Television Rating Points (TRP) of TV channels. Territory of Jammu and Kashmir The committee will be chaired by Prasar Bharati CEO, Reorganisation Shashi S Vempati. (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, The need to form such a 2020', which states that committee was felt after any Indian citizen can now buy land in Jammu and the alleged TRP scam in Kashmir (J&K) without being a domicile. which it was alleged that certain TV channels Features of Latest Order: manipulated TRPs in return for payment. No domicile or permanent resident certificate is required to purchase non-agricultural land in the Union TRP is calculated in India by the Broadcast Audience Territory. Research Council (BARC) using a device called Bar-O- Meter, which is installed in over 45,000 households Amended the Jammu & Kashmir Land Revenue Act, across the country. 1996, under which only agriculturists of J&K can Chairman of BARC India: Punit Goenka. purchase agricultural land. BARC Headquarters: Mumbai.

The Centre also notified the Real Estate (Regulation DIGITAL & ONLINE MEDIAS UNDER and Development) Act, 2016, which paves the way for GOVERNMENT CONTROL the acquisition of land in J&K by all Indian citizens. Digital/Online media has been brought under the purview of the Ministry of Information and LAWS AND PROVISIONS FOR PLATFORM Broadcasting. WORKERS The Code on Social Currently, there is no law or autonomous body Security, 2020, for the governing digital content. first time in Indian law, attempted to define The 2nd Schedule of the Government of India ‗platform work‘ outside (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961 has been amended of the traditional to include following entries viz. Films and Audio-Visual employment category. programmes, News and current affairs content. Labour falls under the Concurrent List of the Constitution. This means that digital content providers such Significance of Platform Work: as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Platform work promises workers flexibility and Hotstar will now be ownership over delivery of work. regulated by the Union Important for delivery of essential services as seen ministry headed by during pandemic. Prakash Javadekar. Employment Intensive Sector. Potential Sector for growth due to fast pace of The I&B ministry will also regulate online audio-visual Urbanization. programmes and current affairs content, according to

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020 the amendment order signed by President Ram Nath allowed rival Facebook-owned WhatsApp to go live on Kovind. the UPI in the multi-bank model.

The decision has been taken in exercise of the powers ED'S PRELIMINARY INQUIRY OF KIIF BOARD conferred by clause (3) of Article 77 of the Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has opened Constitution, by amending the Government of India a preliminary inquiry to examine if borrowings by the (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and it will come Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) into effect immediately. from overseas markets violated the provisions of the FEMA 1999. CCI INITIATED PROBE AGAINST GOOGLE The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has KIIFB was established to initiated a probe into alleged abuse of dominant manage the Kerala position by the company to promote its payments app, Infrastructure Google Pay. Investment Fund (KIIF), as per the KIIF Act 1999. CCI highlighted two In 2016, the government main anti market changed the role of KIIFB practices by google to from handler of investment bonds to an entity to unfairly push Google mobilise the resources. Pay it‘s payment app: KIIFB had also overstepped its legal bounds by issuing Mandatory Use: masala bonds to raise money from foreign markets in Google‘s policy of mandatory use of Google Play‘s violation of Article 293 (1) of the Constitution. payment system for purchasing the apps and IAPs (in- app purchases) in the Play Store. Article 293 (1): The executive power of a State extends to borrowing within the territory of India upon the Exclusionary Practices: It excluded other mobile security of the Consolidated Fund of the State within wallets/UPI (Unified Payments Interface) apps as one of such limits. the effective payment options in Google Play‘s payment system. The ED has also asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) about the details of ‗no objection certificate‘ it had The probe against Google Pay comes days after the supposedly extended to the KIIFB, enabling the agency National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to take sizable loans from the foreign financial market.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL ARTICLE

CONTROVERSY OVER ARTICLE 32 OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Recently, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), during a hearing of a plea, said that the court is trying to discourage petitions filed under Article 32. CJI noted that there is a spate of Article 32 petitions and reiterated that the High Court can also uphold fundamental rights (under article 226). The top court said this Monday while hearing the habeas corpus plea filed under Article 32 by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists for the release of journalist Siddique Kappan. Kerala-based Kappan was arrested on 5 October when he was on his way to Hathras to report on the alleged gang rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit woman. The police had initially arrested Kappan, along with three others, under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on the suspicion that they may commit some cognizable offence. Later, they were also booked on charges of sedition and sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

SCOPE OF ARTICLE 32 OF IC

Article 32 falls under Part III of the Indian Constitution (IC) that includes the fundamental rights of individuals. It allows an individual to approach the Supreme Court if she or he believes that her or his fundamental rights have been violated or they need to be enforced. Dr B.R. Ambedkar had once said, ―If I was asked to name any particular article in this Constitution as the most important — an article without which this Constitution would be a nullity — I could not refer to any other article except this one (Article 32). It is the very soul of the Constitution and the very heart of it.‖

The SC has power to issue directions or orders or writs for the enforcement of any of the fundamental rights. The writs issued may include habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo-warranto. The right to move the SC shall not be suspended except as otherwise provided for by the Constitution. Thus, the Constitution provides that the President can suspend the right to move any court for the enforcement of the fundamental rights during a National emergency (Article 359).

In case of the enforcement of Fundamental Rights, the jurisdiction of the SC is original but not exclusive. It is concurrent with the jurisdiction of the high court under Article 226. Original, because an aggrieved citizen can directly go to the SC, not necessarily by way of appeal. Concurrent means when the Fundamental Rights of a citizen are violated, the aggrieved party has the option of moving either the high court or the Supreme Court directly. Since the right guaranteed by Article 32 (i.e., the right to move the SC where a fundamental right is infringed) is in itself a fundamental right, the availability of alternate remedy is no bar to relief under Article 32. However, the SC has ruled that where relief through the high court is available under Article 226, the aggrieved party should first move the high court.

RELATED JUDGEMENTS AND CASE LAWS

In a judgment in the L. Chandra Kumar vs Union of India and Others case, a bench of seven judges had unequivocally declared that Article 32 was an integral and essential feature of the Constitution and constituted its basic structure.

Similarly, in a judgment in the S.P Sampath Kumar vs Union of India case, it was observed that the Supreme Court‘s powers under Article 32 formed part of the basic structure of the Constitution.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

During the 1975 Emergency, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, in the ADM Jabalpur vs Shivakant Shukla case, had ruled that the right to constitutional remedies under Article 32 would remain suspended during a national emergency. People were unable to seek recourse to enforcement of their fundamental rights.

After the Janata Party won the 1977 general elections, it passed the 44th Amendment to ―restore the Constitution to the condition it was in before the Emergency‖. The amendment stated that any change to the basic structure of the Constitution could only be made if it was approved by a majority of votes in a referendum where at least 51 percent of the electorate participated.

It also said that an emergency could only be proclaimed after a prime minister and her/his cabinet given a written advice to the president. ―Unlike in 1975, it is no longer possible for the prime minister to unilaterally take a decision about the proclamation of an emergency without any written explanation,‖ the amendment said.

The 44th Amendment also stated that according to Article 359, the president could issue orders suspending the right to move any court for the enforcement of fundamental rights, under Article 32, during a national emergency, with the exception of Article 20 (deals with protection of certain rights in case of conviction for offences) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty).

COUNTER ARGUMENT (ARTICLE 226 OF IC)

Even as the SC underlines the powers of the high courts, it has in the past transferred cases to itself from the high courts. Most recently, the SC transferred the case involving land use for the national capital‘s Central Vista project to itself from the Delhi High Court. Incidentally, the petitioners had not sought such a transfer. When such transfers are made, the petitioners lose a stage of appeal that would otherwise have been available had the high court‘s heard and decided the case. Recently, the SC also conveyed its concerns that in many matters involving personal liberty, the High Courts are not exercising their jurisdiction as constitutional courts.

Article 226 of the Constitution empowers a high court to issue writs including habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of the citizens and for any other purpose. The phrase ‗for any other purpose‘ refers to the enforcement of an ordinary legal right. This implies that the writ jurisdiction of the high court is wider than that of the SC. This is because the SC can issue writs only for the enforcement of fundamental rights and not for any other purpose, that is, it does not extend to a case where the breach of an ordinary legal right is alleged.

The high court can issue writs to any person, authority and government not only within its territorial jurisdiction but also outside its territorial jurisdiction if the cause of action arises within its territorial jurisdiction.

Article 32 & PIL under it: The ambit of Article 32 was further broadened when individuals not having any locus standi in cases were allowed to file PILs under it before the Supreme Court. A PIL can be filed by any person under Article 32, not solely for her or his personal gain or pecuniary benefit but for the public benefit at large. The rationale behind this was that there could be situations when a victim may not have the necessary resources to move court if her or his rights were breached. In such cases, either the top court would take cognizance of the matter and precede suo motu or hear a petition on behalf of an individual for public benefit. The Supreme Court has accepted letters and even postcards as PILs over the years.

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

MCQ BASED QUESTIONS (SET-01)

Q. Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India at the East Asia Q. The Lonar Lake has been chosen as a wetland site of Summit (EAS) 2020. The Summit was which edition of international importance under the Ramsar the annual event? conservation treaty. It is based in which state?

A) 10 A) West Bengal B) 15: ANSWER B) Assam C) 12 C) Uttar Pradesh D) 20 D) Maharashtra: ANSWER

Q. Name the winner of International Children‘s Peace Q. Who represented India at the 17th ASEAN-India Prize 2020? Summit?

A) Sadat Rahman: ANSWER A) S. Jaishankar B) Ivanna Ortega B) Nirmala Sitharaman C) Divina Maloum C) Narendra Modi: ANSWER D) Siena Castellon D) Rajnath Singh

Q. Who represented India at the 8th BRICS Science, Q. Which country will host the 12th BRICS Summit in Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting in 2020? 2020?

A) Prakash Javadekar A) Russia: ANSWER B) Ramesh Pokhriyal B) India C) Harsh Vardhan: ANSWER C) China D) Piyush Goyal D) Brazil

Q. How much amount of financial aid has been Q. Which country was the Chair of the East Asia announced by India for COVID-19 ASEAN Response Summit (EAS) 2020? Fund. A) Russia A) USD 3 million B) Vietnam: ANSWER B) USD 5 million C) United States C) USD 2 million D) Australia D) USD 1 million: ANSWER Q. Keetham lake which has recently been added to the Q. What was the profession of Ravi Belagere who has Ramsar sites list is located in which city? passed away recently? A) Ranchi A) Actor B) Bhopal B) Journalist: ANSWER C) Agra: ANSWER C) Economist D) Patna D) Politician Q. Name the winner of the Turkish Grand Prix 2020? Q. India recently test fired QRSAM missile system off the Odisha Coast. What does Q represents in QRSAM? A) Charles Leclerc B) Max Verstappen A) Quick: ANSWER C) Sebastian Vettel B) Quantum D) Lewis Hamilton: ANSWER C) Queue D) Quiet PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. National Press Day is observed ever year on____ A) 5th B) 12th A) 16 November: ANSWER C) 8th: ANSWER B) 15 November D) 10th C) 14 November D) 20 November Q. The PRASHAD Scheme has been launched by which Ministry? Q. What was the profession of who has passed away recently? A) Ministry of Tourism: ANSWER B) Ministry of Health A) Filmmaker C) Ministry of Agricultre B) Classical Singer D) Ministry of Finance C) Journalist D) Actor: ANSWER Q. World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed annually on______Q. World‘s first Tram Library for children has been inaugurated in which city of India? A) 4 November B) 5 November: ANSWER A) Pune C) 3 November B) Kolkata: ANSWER D) 2 November C) Dehradun D) Chennai Q. Alassane Ouattara has been re-appointed as the President of which country for the third successive year? Q. International Day for Tolerance is marked on which day globally? A) Ghana B) Senegal A) 15 November C) Ivory Coast: ANSWER B) 14 November D) Mali C) 16 November: ANSWER D) 13 November Q. The world‘s largest pink diamond mine, Argyle mine, has announced to shut down its operation after 40 Q. How many countries have signed the ‗Regional years of business operation. The mine is based in which Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal to country? kick off the world‘s largest free trade agreement bloc? A) Mexico A) 15: ANSWER B) Singapore B) 12 C) Japan C) 17 D) Australia: ANSWER D) 19 Q. India recently tested the enhanced version of Q. The Ramsar Convention came into force in which PINAKA rocket. It has been designed by DRDO year? laboratories Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials A) 1991 Research Laboratory, HEMRL. The labs are based in B) 1988 which city? C) 1975: ANSWER D) 1962 A) Pune: ANSWER B) New Delhi Q. The India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on C) Hyderabad Investments 2020 was co-chaired by Piyush Goyal. The D) Ahmedabad conference was which edition of the annual event?

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. The late Shri Satish Prasad Singh, was the former A) Qatar Chief Minister of which state? B) Bahrain: ANSWER C) Kuwait A) Rajasthan D) Oman B) Gujarat C) Bihar: ANSWER Q. Centre has formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee to D) Odisha strengthen the capital goods sector. Who will head this committee? Q. Which financial body has approved USD 132.8 million loan to Meghalaya to improve and upgrade the A) Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public power distribution network? Enterprises B) Prime Minister A) UNDP C) Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public B) ADB: ANSWER Enterprises C) World Bank D) Secretary of Department of Heavy Industries: D) AIIB ANSWER

Q. What was the profession of Faraaz Khan, who has Q. Who is the winner of Tata Literature Live! Lifetime passed away recently? Achievement Award for 2020?

A) Actor: ANSWER A) Sudha Murty B) Sportsperson B) Arundhati Roy C) Filmmaker C) Ruskin Bond: ANSWER D) Politician D) Amitav Ghosh

Q. Marlon Samuels has retired from all forms of cricket. Q. Name the winner of 2020 ITTF Women‘s World Cup He played for which country? table tennis title

A) South Africa A) Liu Shiwen B) Zimbabwe B) Wang Manyu C) New Zealand C) Sun Yingsha D) West Indies: ANSWER D) Chen Meng: ANSWER

Q. The Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed Q. Who has been appointed as the Chairperson of the every year on which day in India? newly constituted Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH)? A) 11 November B) 9 November A) C) 10 November B) Vishal Sikka D) 12 November: ANSWER C) Kris Gopalakrishnan: ANSWER D) N. R. Narayana Murthy Q. Which team has won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 ? Q. PM Modi attended the BRICS Summit 2020 in virtual format under the Chairmanship of Russia. The Summit A) Mumbai Indians: ANSWER was which edition of the annual event? B) Chennai Super Kings C) Rajasthan Royals A) 10th D) Delhi Capitals B) 12th: ANSWER C) 14th Q. Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa who has passed away D) 11th recently was the Prime Minister of which country, who was known to be the worlds‘ longest serving PM?

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. What is the projected growth rate of Indian economy C) Football: ANSWER for 2020-21 according to the Goldman Sachs? D) Hockey

A) -12.5% Q. The first-ever solar power-enabled Textile Mill of B) -13.3% Asia is being set up in which state of India? C) -11.8% D) -10.3%: ANSWER A) Kerala B) Gujarat Q. PM Modi has recently inaugurated the ‗Statue of C) Haryana Peace‘ in which state? D) Maharashtra: ANSWER

A) Rajasthan: ANSWER Q. DIPAM has signed an agreement with which B) Uttar Pradesh financial institution to receive advice on asset C) Gujarat monetization? D) Bihar A) World Bank: ANSWER Q. In India, the Ministry of AYUSH observes the B) ADB Naturopathy Day on _____ C) New Development Bank D) AIIB A) 18 November: ANSWER B) 17 November Q. When is the National Epilepsy Day observed? C) 16 November D) 15 November A) 15 November B) 17 November: ANSWER Q. Name the player who has been awarded the 2020 C) 16 November ATP Tour No. 1 trophy of tennis? D) 18 November

A) Alexander Zverev Q. The Annual Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2020 B) Rafael Nadal was addressed by PM Modi virtually on 17 November C) Novak Djokovic 2020. The event was which edition of the annual D) Daniil Medvedev: ANSWER programme?

Q. Which of these banks has launched the ‗neo banking A) 1st platform‘ NIVESH? B) 2nd C) 3rd: ANSWER A) Standard Chartered Bank India D) 4th B) DCB Bank C) RBL Bank Q. Nobel Laureate Masatoshi Koshiba of Japan has D) SBM Bank India: ANSWER passed away. He had won the Nobel Prize in which field? Q. Who has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of Bihar? A) Physics: ANSWER B) Economics A) Mukesh Sahani C) Peace B) Nitish Kumar: ANSWER D) Literature C) Jitan Ram Manjhi D) Chirag Paswan Q. Which among these banks have been put in the ‗red flag‘ list after reaching close to foreign investment cap? Q. Ray Clemence, who has passed away recently at the age of 72 was a former player of which sports? A) IndusInd Bank & Kotak Mahindra Bank B) HDFC Bank & ICICI Bank A) Tennis C) Kotak Mahindra Bank & ICICI Bank B) Cricket D) HDFC Bank & IndusInd Bank: ANSWER PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims accomplishments in the field and their contribution into is observed on which day of the year? the growth of the sector during 2019-20?

A) 17 November A) Goa B) Third Sunday of November: ANSWER B) Kerala C) 16 November C) Maharashtra D) Third Monday of November D) Odisha: ANSWER

Q. The Exercise Malabar 2020 is which edition of the Q. Hong Kong, Paris and Zurich are the most expensive annual exercise? cities in the world as per the ‗Worldwide Cost of Living (WCOL)‘ report. The bi-annual report is released by A) 24th: ANSWER which organisation? B) 20th C) 31st A) Transparency International D) 16th B) World Economic Forum C) Economist Intelligence Unit: ANSWER Q. Chandrawati, who has died at the age of 92 was the D) International Monetary Fund former Lt.-Governor of which UT? Q. The IRNSS system of India has been recognised by A) Andaman and Nicobar Islands the IMO as a component of World Wide Radio B) Daman and Diu Navigation System (WWRNS). This recognition has C) Puducherry: ANSWER made India as the only ______country in the world D) Lakshadweep to have an independent regional navigation satellite system recognised by IMO Q. Which bank has launched the ‗Eva‘ Savings Account facility for the women population of the country? A) 4th: ANSWER B) 3rd A) IDFC FIRST Bank C) 5th B) ESAF Small Finance Bank D) 2nd C) Karur Vysya Bank D) Equitas Small Finance Bank: ANSWER Q. The SITMEX-20 Trilateral Maritime Exercise between India, Singapore and Thailand was held in which Q. Bhanwarlal Meghwal who has passed away recently region? was the minister in the Cabinet of which state government? A) Arabian Sea B) Andaman Sea: ANSWER A) Maharashtra C) Indian Ocean B) Rajasthan: ANSWER D) Pacific Ocean C) Odisha D) Assam Q. How much amount has been approved by the New Development Bank for the ‗Delhi-Ghaziabad Meerut Q. Saudi Arabia was the Chair of the 2020 G20 Summit Regional Rapid Transit System Project‘? held in November 2020. The event was which edition of the annual Summit? A) Usd 300 million B) USD 400 million A) 15th: ANSWER C) USD 200 million B) 21st D) USD 500 million: ANSWER C) 17th D) 12th Q. PM Modi recently laid the foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in Vindhyachal. The Q. Which state has been adjudged as the best Marine region is located in which state of the country? state of the country in Fisheries sector for their

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

A) Assam C) 10 November B) Uttar Pradesh: ANSWER D) 9 November C) Jammu & Kashmir D) Odisha Q. Which state has bagged the Best State Prize in the National Water Awards (NWAs) for 2019? Q. Who has been conferred with the 2020 Vatayan Lifetime Achievement Award? A) Kerala B) Tamil Nadu: ANSWER A) Ramesh Pokhriyal ‗Nishank‘: ANSWER C) Karnataka B) Piyush Goyal D) Andhra Pradesh C) Narendra Modi D) Harshvardhan Q. Name the Indian Origin physician who has been named as the co-chair of the 12-member task force on Q. Which country has collaborated with the European COVID-19 formed by US President-elect Joe Biden? Space Agency (ESA) to launch the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite‘ to monitor the rising global sea A) Rajiv Shah level? B) Atul Keshap C) Richard Verma A) Russia D) Vivek Murthy: ANSWER B) United States: ANSWER C) China Q. As per the government‘s latest notification, all the D) Japan online news contents and other video streaming OTT platforms has been brought under which ministry? Which country will hold the Presidency of the G20 for 2021 Summit? A) Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: ANSWER B) Ministry of Commerce and Industry A) India C) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology B) Singapore D) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship C) Italy: ANSWER D) Russia Q. The Purple Cap has been won by which player in IPL 2020? Q. Name the winner of the 2020 Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar. A) Boult B) Jasprit Bumrah A) Anil Kapoor C) Kagiso Rabada: ANSWER B) Naseeruddin Shah: ANSWER D) Yuzvendra Chahal C) Shabana Azmi D) Aamir Khan Q. Name the player who has won the Orange Cap in IPL 2020? Q. Which among the following is the best Inland state of India for 2019-20 in Fisheries Sector? A) Ishan Kishan B) K. L. Rahul: ANSWER A) Assam C) David Warner B) Himachal Pradesh D) Shikhar Dhawan C) Gujarat D) Uttar Pradesh: ANSWER Q. The RE-Invest 2020 is which edition of the Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo? Q. Which day is observed as the World Pneumonia Day annually? A) 4th B) 3rd: ANSWER A) 12 November: ANSWER C) 2nd B) 11 November D) 5th

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. James Wolfensohn, who has passed away recently Q. Mercedes-Benz has joined hands with which bank to was the former President of which body? strengthen its customer base through unique financial benefits to lender‘s HNI customers? A) United Nations B) International Monetary Fund A) PNB C) World Bank Group: ANSWER B) HDFC Bank D) World Trade Organization C) SBI: ANSWER D) ICICI Bank Q. The largest solar power project at a high altitude in India has been set up at which place? Q. Who has been appointed as the new Engineer-in- Chief of the Indian Army? A) Leh: ANSWER B) Kargil A) Lt Gen Raman Singh C) Siachen Glacier B) Lt Gen Harpal Singh: ANSWER D) Udhampur C) Lt Gen Vinod Kumar D) Lt Gen TP Velayudhan Q. PM Modi has released a book on Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, penned by Kirpal Singh Ji. Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was Q. Who among the following was famously known as the ______Sikh Guru the Father of Indian Information Technology (IT) Industry? A) First: ANSWER B) Tenth A) Faqir Chand Kohli: ANSWER C) Fifth B) D) Second C) D) Subramaniam Ramadorai Q. The ‗Garima Greh is a newly set up Shelter Home for Transgender Persons. The facility has recently been Q. Veteran footballer Diego Armando Maradona who inaugurated in which city? has passed away played for which country?

A) Jaipur A) Portugal B) Indore B) Argentina: ANSWER C) Vadodara: ANSWER C) Spain D) Pune D) New Zealand

Q. Invest India has collaborated with which Q. The Government of India has set the target to achieve organisation to develop the first-ever ‗SDG Investor 175 GW of renewable energy by which year? Map for India‘? A) 2030 A) UNDP: ANSWER B) 2028 B) WEF C) 2025 C) World Bank D) 2022: ANSWER D) UNICEF Q. Who among these has been appointed as the new Q. The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Director-General of Border Roads Organisation (BRO)? recently laid foundation stones for 16 National Highway projects in Uttar Pradesh worth around Rs 7477 crore. A) Rajeev Chaudhary: ANSWER Name the Minister? B) Arjan Singh C) Gobinder Singh A) Prakash Javadekar D) Vimal Shinghal B) Nitin Gadkari: ANSWER C) Piyush Goyal D) J. P. Nadda

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. Renowned industrialist Faqir Chand Kohli, who has B) HCL Technologies passed away recently was the founder of which C) TCS: ANSWER company? D) ITC Limited

A) Tech Mahindra

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

MCQ BASED QUESTIONS (SET-02)

Q. Atal Tunnel is the world longest highway tunnel C) World Bank above 10000 ft. The tunnel was recently dedicated to the D) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank nation by PM Modi in which state?‘ Q. The International Coffee Day is celebrated globally A) Rajasthan on which day? B) Uttarakhand C) Jammu & Kashmir A) 29 September D) Himachal Pradesh: ANSWER B) 2 October C) 30 September Q. Pathashree Abhijan is a road repair scheme launched D) 1 October: ANSWER by which state?‘‘ Q. ‗Operation My Saheli‘ has been launched by which A) West Bengal: ANSWER zone of the Indian Railways to enhance the security of B) Maharashtra women passengers while travelling? C) Assam D) Odisha A) South Eastern Railway: ANSWER B) Northern Railway Q. The Bilateral Navy Exercise Bongosagar is being C) East Coast Railway conducted between the Indian Navy with the Navy of D) South Central Railway which country? Q. When is the World Animal Day observed? A) Bhutan B) Nepal A) 3 October C) Bangladesh: ANSWER B) 2 October D) Thailand C) 4 October: ANSWER D) 1 October Q. Which state has launched the portal ‗Kritagyata‘, an online pension submission and tracking system for the Q. The DRDO recently conducted successful test firing retired pensioners? of a new version of nuclear capable . It is a ____ category of missile A) Assam: ANSWER B) Madhya Pradesh A) Air-to-air C) Punjab B) Surface-to-air D) Gujarat C) Air-to-surface D) surface-to-surface: ANSWER Q. Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed has recently been appointed as the new Emir (King) of which country? Q. The World Space Week (WSW) is being observed every year between______A) Turkey B) Qatar A) 28 Sep-05 Oct C) Kuwait: ANSWER B) 24-30 September D) UAE C) 1-7 October D) 4-10 October: ANSWER Q. Which among the following financial institutions has approved loan worth USD 241 million for the Mumbai Q. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Metro Rail II Project? Act, 2020 has come into force wef 29 September 2020. It has amended which Act? A) Asian Development Bank B) New Development Bank: ANSWER PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

A) Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1990 A) Rs 400 crore B) Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1994 B) Rs 600 crore C) Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2000 C) Rs 500 crore D) Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010: D) Rs 800 crore: ANSWER ANSWER Q. The Ministry of Jal Shakti presented the Swachh Q. Atal Tunnel is the world longest highway tunnel Bharat 2020 Awards to various states on the occasion of above 10000 ft. The tunnel was recently dedicated to the Swachh Bharat Diwas, on 2nd October 2020, which nation by PM Modi in which state? marked the ______year of the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). A) Rajasthan B) Uttarakhand A) 4 C) Arunachal Pradesh B) 6: ANSWER D) Himachal Pradesh: ANSWER C) 5 D) 7 Q. The DRDO recently conducted successful test firing of a new version of Shaurya nuclear capable ballistic Q. Name the month long global virtual Summit missile. It is a ____ category of missile inaugurated by PM Modi on 2nd October 2020 for A) Surface-to-Air overseas and resident Indian Researchers and B) Air-to-Air Academicians? C) Surface-to-Surface: ANSWER D) Air-to-Surface A) VAIBHAV: ANSWER B) VIDYA Q. The World Space Week (WSW) is being observed C) VAISHALI every year between______. D) VANDE

A) 28 Sep-05 Oct Q. The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for 2020 has been B) 24-30 September bestowed upon 14 people. The annual award is given C) 1-7 October for outstanding work in which field? D) 4-10 October: ANSWER A) Sports Q. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah who passed away B) Science & Technology: ANSWER was the Emir of which country? C) Arts & Television D) Literature A) Saudi Arabia B) Kuwait: ANSWER Q. Which Indian state has won the PATA Grand Award C) Qatar 2020 for its Tourism Campaign? D) Oman A) Kerala: ANSWER Q. Who has recently been sworn in as the new Chief B) Uttar Pradesh Financial Officer (CFO) of the SBI? C) Maharashtra D) Gujarat A) Charanjit Singh Attra: ANSWER B) Prashant Kumar Q. The Indian think tank NITI Aayog has signed C) C Venkat Nageshwar Statement of Intent (SoI) with which country recently for D) J Swaminathan ‗decarbonization and energy transition agenda‘?

Q. How much amount has been earmarked by A) Singapore NABARD for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene B) The Netherlands: ANSWER (WASH) programme, under its refinance facility for the C) Denmark 2020-21? D) Bangladesh

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. DRDO conducted successful test flight of its BrahMos Q. Name the newly appointed Chairperson of the Film supersonic cruise missile recently. It is a ______type of and Television Institute of India (FTII) Governing missile Council? A) Surface-to-air B) Air-to-surface A) Shekhar Kapur: ANSWER C) surface-to-surface: ANSWER B) Naseeruddin Shah D) Air-to-air C) A. R. Rahman D) Mani Ratnam Q. Which of the following have won the Russian Grand Prix 2020? Q. When is the International Day of Non-Violence observed? A) Valterri Bottas : ANSWER B) Lewis Hamilton A) 02 October: ANSWER C) Max Verstappen B) First Friday of October D) None of the above C) 01 October D) First Thursday of October Q. When is the World Teachers‘ Day observed? Q. International Day of Older Persons is a UN A) 3 October recognized day celebrated worldwide on which date? B) 4 October C) 5 October: ANSWER A) 29th September D) 6 October B) 2nd October C) 30th September Q. Who is the author of the book Coffee Table Book on D) 1st October: ANSWER ―Discovering the Heritage of Assam‖, which was recently released by DoNER Minister Dr Jitendra Singh? Q. In 2020, the World Habitat Day is being celebrated on ______. A) Padmapani Bora: ANSWER B) Dipankar Dutta A) 1st October C) Purnendu Kant B) 2nd October D) Ashok Pandit C) 3rd October D) 5th October: ANSWER Q. What is the theme of the World Teachers‘ Day 2020? Q. Who among the following is not the winner of the A) Young Teachers: The Future of the Profession 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology/ Medicine? B) Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future: ANSWER A) Harvey J Alter C) The right to education means the right to a qualified B) Charles M Rice teacher C) Bryan Stevenson: ANSWER D) Teaching in Crisis, Empowering Teachers D) Michael Houghton

Q. Who has been appointed as the Director General of Q. DRDO recently conducted test flight of SMART the National Security Guard (NSG)? system. It has been launched for which operation?

A) Surjeet Singh Deswal: ANSWER A) Anti-aircraft warfare B) Subhash Chandra Khuntia B) Space warfare C) Yogesh Chander Modi C) Anti-submarine warfare: ANSWER D) Arvind Saxena D) Naval warfare

Q. Which of the following country is set to send the world‘s first mining robot named ‗asteroid mining robot‘ into space by November 2020 to identify and extract resources? PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

A) China: ANSWER C) 10 October: ANSWER B) USA D) 7 October C) India D) Russia Q. A two-day Coastal Security Exercise namely ______conducted by the Indian Navy along with Q. The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) Indian Coast Guard and all stakeholders involved in has presented the lifetime achievement award to Coastal Security from the coast of Kerala. business icon ______for his pioneering role in the Business Relations of India-USA and for his lifetime A) Indra Nav achievement in Global Leadership. B) Sahyog-Kaijin C) Samudra Shakti A) Naveen Jindal D) Sagar Kavach: ANSWER B) C) Kumar Mangalam Birla Q. Name the winner of the 2020 French Open Men‘s D) : ANSWER Tennis Championship

Q. Who has been appointed as the new and fourth A) Diego Schwartzman Deputy Governor of RBI? B) Rafael Nadal: ANSWER C) Denis Shapovalov A) Prasanna Kumar Mohanty D) Novak Djokovic B) Sachin Chaturvedi C) M Rajeshwar Rao: ANSWER Q. World Arthritis Day is observed on which day? D) Manish Sabharwal A) 12 October: ANSWER Q. Which day of the year is marked as the Air Force Day B) 11 October in India? C) 10 October A) 7 Oct D) 9 October B) 8 Oct: ANSWER C) 9 Oct Q. Which player has claimed the Formula One Eifel D) 10 Oct Grand Prix 2020?

Q. Who have won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry? A) Daniel Ricciardo B) Sebastian Vettel A) George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter C) Max Verstappen B) Frances H. Arnold and M. Stanley Whittingham D) Lewis Hamilton: ANSWER C) John B. Goodenough and Akira Yoshino D) Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna: Q. How many Indian beaches have won the ANSWER International Blue Flag Certification in 2020?

Q. Who has been given as the additional charge of the A) 5 Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public B) 12 Distribution? C) 8: ANSWER D) 10 A) Piyush Goyal: ANSWER B) Nitin Gadkari Q. How many states have been selected as the C) J.P. Nadda beneficiaries of the ‗SVAMITVA‘scheme in the first D) Dharmendra Pradhan phase?

Q. When is the World Mental Health Day celebrated A) 3 globally? B) 6: ANSWER C) 8 A) 8 October D) 10 B) 9 October PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q Which state has launched the first ever Tree C) Ratan Verma Plantation Policy? D) J Venkatramu: ANSWER

A) Delhi: ANSWER Q. Former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, and ex- B) Assam CBI Director, ______passed away recently. C) Gujarat D) Andhra Pradesh A) Rakesh Asthana Q. Who among the following beat Sofia Kenin to win the B) Anil Sinha Women‘s single title in 2020 French Tennis Open? C) Ranjit Sinha D) Ashwani Kumar: ANSWER A) Magda Linette B) Victoria Azarenka Q. Who among the following has been awarded Nobel C) Sachia Vickery Prize 2020 in Literature? D) Iga Swiatek: ANSWER A) Bob Dylan Q. What is the rank of India in the 2020 Commitment to B) Kazuo Ishiguro Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index? C) Olga Tokarczuk A) 103 D) Louise Glück: ANSWER B) 129: ANSWER C) 155 Q. Jammu & Kashmir Bank has extended the term of RK D) 117 Chhibber, Chairman and Managing Director of the Jammu & Kashmir bank, by a further period of _____ Q. Recently, PM Modi released a commemorative coin months. of what value in honor of Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia? A) 12 A) Rs 500 B) 6: ANSWER B) Rs 250 C) 5 C) Rs 100: ANSWER D) 4 D) Rs 150 Q. Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public Q. The Indian cotton has been given a brand name by distribution, ______passed away. the Government of India on the occasion of World Cotton Day. What is the brand name of the product? A) Mahendra Nath Pandey B) Pralhad Joshi A) Kasturi Cotton: ANSWER C) Gajendra Singh Shekhawat B) Kuber Cotton D) Ram Vilas Paswan: ANSWER C) Kesari Cotton D) Kanak Cotton Q. Who has been awarded the prestigious Sarala Puraskar for his poetry work ‗Setebelaku Nathiba‘, Q. In 2020, India is celebrating which edition of the Air published in 2017? Force Day. A) Banaja Devi A) 82 B) Satrughna Pandav B) 88: ANSWER C) Pandit Harmohan Khuntia C) 85 D) Nityanand Nayak: ANSWER D) 80 Q. Who has been re-elected as the Chairman of Q. Who has been appointed the managing director and Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)? chief executive officer of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)? A) M. Jayaraman B) Nilesh Shah: ANSWER A) Rajesh Mishra C) Sukumar Shankar B) Yogesh Singh D) B.R. Reddy PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. The Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy Q. In which of the following day, World Post Day is and Awareness (KAPILA) campaign is being observed? implemented by which ministry?

A) 6th October A) Ministry of Commerce and Industry B) 7th October B) Ministry of Home Affairs C) 8th October C) Ministry of External Affairs D) 9th October: ANSWER D) Ministry of Education: ANSWER

Q. The World Bank projected India‘s GDP to contract by ______this FY-21, which is reflective of the national Q. Name the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in lockdown and the income shock experienced by Economic Sciences? households and firms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A) William D. Nordhaus and Paul Romer A) 9.2% B) Richard Thaler and Oliver Hart B) 9.3% C) Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer C) 9.6%: ANSWER D) Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson: ANSWER D) 9.5% Q. The 16-year-old Aava Murto was recently appointed Q. Mukesh Ambani has topped the Forbes India Rich as the Prime Minister of which country for a day? list for 2020. With this, he has won the annual recognition for the _____ consecutive year A) Germany B) Finland: ANSWER A) 12 C) Netherlands B) 13: ANSWER D) Iceland C) 14 D) 15 Q. When do we observe the International Day for Disaster Reduction? Q. The 2021 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) will be held in which place? A) 12 October B) 10 October A) Grindelwald C) 11 October B) Zermatt D) 13 October: ANSWER C) Davos D) Lucerne: ANSWER Q. Which country has topped the 2020 Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index? Q. Shobha Naidu, who has passed away recently was a renowned exponent of which classical dance? A) Sweden B) Norway: ANSWER A) Bharatnatyam C) Finland B) Kuchipudi: ANSWER D) Singapore C) Kathakali D) Mohiniyattam Q. Name the team which has won the National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship 2020? Q. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on____ A) Houston Rockets B) Miami Heat A) Third Saturday of October C) Milwaukee Bucks B) 17 October: ANSWER D) Los Angeles Lakers: ANSWER C) 16 October D) Third Friday of October

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. IMF has projected India‘s GDP at what percent in C) 10 October FY21? D) 15 October: ANSWER

A) -10.3%: ANSWER Q. Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, has passed away. B) -8.8% He was a well known poet in which language? C) -11.2% D) -9.7% A) Malayalam: ANSWER B) Odia Q. Indian player Carlton Chapman, who has died C) Kannada recently, was related to which sports? D) Bengali

A) Chess Q. Who has been appointed as the one-man monitoring B) Football: ANSWER committee head by the Supreme Court to look into the C) Wrestling issue of prevention of stubble burning in the states of D) Shooting Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh?

Q. World Standards Day is observed on which day of A) Dipak Misra the year? B) Madan B Lokur: ANSWER C) Ranjan Gogoi A) 14 October D) Arjan Kumar Sikri B) 12 October C) 13 October Q. Renowned singer Kaumudi Munshi who has passed D) 11 October: ANSWER away was famously known as the Nightingale of_____

Q. Axis has collaborated with which company to launch A) Punjab the Axis ACE Credit Card? B) Assam C) Gujarat: ANSWER A) Samsung Pay D) Odisha B) Amazon Pay C) Google Pay: ANSWER Q. Which country has been elected as the President of D) Apple Pay the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?

Q. How much amount of loan value has been approved A) Italy by the ADB for the Rajasthan Secondary Towns B) Russia Development Sector Project? C) USA D) India: ANSWER A) USD 300 million: ANSWER B) USD 200 million Q. What is the rank of India in the Global Hunger Index C) USD 100 million (GHI) 2020? D) USD 500 million A) 94: ANSWER Q. Which bank has won the 2020 Central bank of the B) 107 year award? C) 87 D) 75 A) Reserve Bank of India B) Bank of Ghana: ANSWER Q. Who has recently become the first ever Indian C) Bank of England women to win the 2020 Wildlife Photographer of the D) Reserve Bank of Australia Year Award?

Q. When is the World Students‘ Day celebrated? A) Rathika Ramasamy B) Sooni Taraporevala A) 12 October C) Dayanita Singh B) 13 October D) Aishwarya Sridhar: ANSWER PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. Name the Prime Minister of New Zealand who has A) : ANSWER been elected for a second term in the Parliamentary B) Subramanian Swamy election recently? C) Sachin Pilot D) P. Chidambaram A) Jacinda Ardern: ANSWER B) Justin Trudeau Q. Name the new interim President of the International C) Frank Bainimarama Weightlifting Federation (IWF) appointed recently? D) Scott Morrison A) Intarat Yodbangtoey Q. Which state has launched the ‗Mission Shakti‘ B) Ursula Papandrea programme to ensure security of women in the state? C) Michael Irani: ANSWER D) Antonio Urso A) Haryana B) Rajasthan Q. Who has been chosen as the new President of the C) Uttar Pradesh: ANSWER Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)? D) Bihar A) Rajan Manchanda Q. Umar Gul has announced his retirement from all B) Vinod Tihara forms of cricket. He played for which country? C) Renu Khanna D) Rohan Jaitley: ANSWER A) Afghanistan B) Pakistan: ANSWER Q. Which Indian movie has recently bagged an award at C) South Africa the 14th Asian Film Awards 2020? D) Zimbabwe A) Article 15 Q. Who has been appointed as the next Ambassador of B) Gully Boy: ANSWER India to UNESCO? C) Kesari D) Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi A) lndra Mani Pandey B) Brajendra Navnit Q. As per the Indian Tourism Statistics (ITS), 2020 report C) Harsh Vardhan Shringla of the Tourism Ministry, which state was the top most D) Vishal V. Sharma: ANSWER domestic tourist destination in 2019?

Q. Name the India‘s first indigenous surface-to-surface A) Goa strategic missile, which has been developed by DRDO? B) Tamil Nadu C) Maharashtra A) -2 D) Uttar Pradesh: ANSWER B) -2 C) -2: ANSWER Q. When is the Police Commemoration Day celebrated D) Gagan-2 in India?

Q. Who has been appointed by the Indian Banks‘ A) 22 October Association (IBA) as the new Chairman for 2020-21 B) 21 October: ANSWER sessions? C) 20 October D) 19 October A) Dinesh Kumar Khara B) Rajkiran Rai G: ANSWER Q. COVIRAP is a Covid-19 diagnostic technology C) Rajnish Kumar launched by which institute to provide easy and D) SR Mehar affordable test technology?

Q. Who is the author of the book ―The Battle of A) IIT Madras Belonging‖? B) IIT Kanpur PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

C) IIT Kharagpur: ANSWER C) Apple D) IIT Bombay D) Vivo

Q. The ‗Portraits Of Power: Half A Century of Being at Q. Name the first woman officer to be commissioned in Ringside‘ is an autobiography of which economist? the Indian Air Force, who has passed away recently?

A) Urjit Patel A) Divya Ajith Kumar B) Arvind Subramanian B) Gursharan Kaur C) Y. V. Reddy C) Padma Bandopadhyay D) NK Singh: ANSWER D) : ANSWER Q. Who represented India in the 18th Prosecutors General meeting of SCO held recently? Q. International Snow Leopard Day is marked annually on which day? A) Mukul Rohatgi B) Tushar Mehta: ANSWER A) 23 October: ANSWER C) Kapil Sibal B) 22 October D) Arun Kumar Mishra C) 24 October D) 21 October Q. Asan Conservation Reserve has recently received the Ramsar site certification to be recognised as ‗Wetland of Q. Which country has been appointed as the Chair of the International Importance‘. It is situated in which state? Governing Body of International Labour Organization (ILO) for a period till June 2021? A) Uttarakhand: ANSWER B) Assam A) Brazil C) Tamil Nadu B) Australia D) Haryana C) India: ANSWER View answer D) Russia

Q. INS Kavaratti is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) Q. Who has been appointed as the head of the advisory stealth corvettes commissioned into the Indian Navy. panel formed by NITI Aayog to look into introducing The ship has been built by______reforms in the urban planning education system?

A) Cochin Shipyard A) Amitabh Kant B) GRSE, Kolkata: ANSWER B) Rajiv Kumar: ANSWER C) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders C) Arvind Panagariya D) Hindustan Shipyard D) Bibek Debroy

Q. Name the third generation, anti-tank guided missile Q. When is the United Nations Day celebrated globally? of DRDO, whose final user trial was successfully conducted recently from the Pokhran field firing ranges A) 21 October in Rajasthan? B) 22 October C) 23 October A) SANT D) 24 October: ANSWER B) MPATGM C) : ANSWER Q. Which district has topped the list of top 30 districts D) Amogha missile for implementing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)? Q. Which telecommunication company has been selected by NASA to undertake the project of building A) Mandi: ANSWER the first cellular network on the moon? B) Dehradun C) Shimla A) Samsung D) Leh B) Nokia: ANSWER PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. World Polio Day is celebrated on which day? D) 23 October

A) 21 October Q. Mahesh Kanodia, a veteran singer and film musician B) 24 October: ANSWER was from which state? C) 22 October D) 23 October A) Odisha B) Himachal Pradesh Q. Saad Hariri has recently been appointed as the Prime C) Uttarakhand Minister of which country? D) Gujarat: ANSWER

A) Qatar Q. The Kisan Suryodaya Yojna has recently been B) Cyprus inaugurated in which state by PM Modi? C) Kuwait D) Lebanon: ANSWER A) Gujarat: ANSWER B) Uttarakhand Q. Which day is observed as the World Development C) Rajasthan Information Day, as recognised by the United Nations? D) Himachal Pradesh

A) 22 October Q. Which state of India has announced to set up B) 23 October country‘s first sand dune parks and interpretation C) 24 October: ANSWER centres? D) 21 October A) Kerala Q. Which country has recently joined the IMF as its B) Tamil Nadu 190th member? C) Goa: ANSWER D) Maharashtra A) Andorra: ANSWER B) Armenia Q. PM Modi has inaugurated the Paediatric Heart C) Timor-Leste Hospital, which is India‘s biggest hospital for D) Madagascar cardiology. It is in which city?

Q. Which player has won the 2020 Portuguese Grand A) Surat Prix? B) Patna C) Bhopal A) Lewis Hamilton: ANSWER D) Ahmedabad: ANSWER B) Valtteri Bottas C) Max Verstappen Q. Pakistan is currently under which list of FATF for D) Charles Leclerc being non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing? Q. Lee Kun-hee, who has passed away recently was the Chairman of which of these conglomerate? A) Grey: ANSWER B) Brown A) Sony Corporations C) Blue B) Huawei D) White C) LG D) Samsung: ANSWER Q. Aditya Puri has stepped down as the MD & CEO of HDFC Bank. Who has been appointed to replace Puri as Q. The International Day of Diplomats is observed every the new MD & CEO? year on? A) Malay Patel A) 24 October: ANSWER B) Kaizad Bharucha B) 25 October C) Sashidhar Jagdishan:. ANSWER C) 26 October D) Sandeep Parekh PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

Q. Which day of the year is observed as the Infantry Day A) Om Birla: ANSWER by the Indian Army every year? B) Venkaiah Naidu C) Pralhad Joshi A) October 27: ANSWER D) Nitin Gadkari B) October 28 C) October 26 Q. Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the D) October 25 Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS)?

Q. Alpha Conde has been re-elected as the President of A) Rameesh Kailasam which country recently for the third term? B) Bimal Julka: ANSWER C) Ranjit Nair A) Senegal D) Mitesh Gangar B) Ghana C) Sierra Leone Q. When is the International Animation Day observed? D) Guinea: ANSWER A) October 26 Q. The Government has set up a high-level committee to B) October 27 look into commemoration of the 400th birth anniversary C) October 25 of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur. Who is the head of this D) October 28: ANSWER committee? Q. Which is the first state of India to fix the floor price A) Amit Shah for vegetables? B) Rajnath Singh C) Narendra Modi: ANSWER A) Himachal Pradesh D) Nitin Gadkari B) Uttar Pradesh C) Kerala: ANSWER Q. Which country was the chair for the 6th BRICS D) Goa Parliamentary Forum held virtually on 27 October 2020? Q. The 19th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation A) Russia: ANSWER Organisation (SCO) Ministers of Foreign Economy and B) Brazil Foreign Trade was held under the Chairmanship of C) India which country? D) South Africa A) India: ANSWER Q. Luis Arce has won the Presidential election of which B) China country recently to be appointed as the President elect? C) Pakistan D) Russia A) Uruguay B) Chile Q. Which Indian movie has recently bagged an award at C) Paraguay the 14th Asian Film Awards 2020? D) Bolivia: ANSWER A) Article 15 Q. The India-US two plus two Ministerial Dialogue was B) Gully Boy: ANSWER which edition of the annual event? C) Kesari D) Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi A) Second B) Third: ANSWER C) Fourth D) Sixth

Q. Who led the Indian delegation at the 2020 BRICS Parliamentary Forum? PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

READ MORE EDITORIAL ARTICLES ON SUCCESS MANTRA BLOG

https://www.successmantra.in/blog/post/article/editorial95

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020

PRAVAHINI MONTHLY COMPENDIUM NOVEMBER 2020